I don’t
care much for pets but I saw a pitiful looking Bosaela and gave it some of my
leftover food from the fight. Since then, it’s been following me around. I
don’t really mind, Bosaela are dogs that generate a lot of body heat but no
waste. They’re pretty common in places like Enceladus since most dogs have
issues with the cold even in artificial climates. They aren’t exactly the
best-looking dogs either, almost like a leathery retriever with four eyes.
Still, the warmth is nice, but it looks sickly.
I never had any pets growing up, but I’m not sure I could
keep this dog. I’m not even sure I still have my apartment back on Earth, I
haven’t paid rent in months. I didn’t have anything super important in there
anyway. I’ll miss my collection of vintage CDs most of all. Those are hard to
find beyond The Solar System.
“Aye mut,” an older man in a tattered coat calls out. “Aye
mut,” he calls again in my direction.
At first, I think he’s calling me, but the dog scurries off
towards the man. I guess I won’t be getting a pet after all. For now, I just
need to figure out where the rocket karts are. I thought Enceladus was just a
tourist trap, but once you get off the designated path, this place is really seedy.
The glistening and incredible ice palaces all vanish,
replaced by brick roads and lifeless steel buildings. This is the part they
never want you to see, the place where all the smiling employees go home to.
Far from the heated pools and casinos. I feel more at home here than I did in
the casino. People flaunting wealth and gloating about status. I never had any
of that, so I could just be jealous, but it also never seemed like something I
would do, even if I had it.
There’s a commotion on the other side of the street, two men
yelling at each other. The bigger man dressed in a heavy coat pushes the
smaller. An adult, but still sporting a buzz cut dyed gold and much too scrawny
for his height. A shuttle likely bringing workers back home from the casino
blocks my view as it drives past. When I can see again the smaller man is on
the ground being kicked. It’s none of my business, but I can’t stand to see
that guy get his face kicked in.
“Hey, what’s the deal,” I call out as I approach.
“Toto sa vás netýka,” the bigger man calls out. I activate
the translator on my wrist comp and plug in an ear bud. “Choď preč or the same
will happen to you,” the translator kicks in.
“Yeah, you couldn’t do that to me,” I interrupt him. “What
did he do?”
“He owes me money; he’s been working all day and didn’t
bring a single dime but he doesn’t have any of my product,” the fat man
continues to yell over the other.
“What product,” I ask knowing it’ll probably be some kind of
drug.
“Stop he’s
going to hurt you,” the man calls from the ground.
“He
couldn’t if he tried,” I respond.
“What,” the
large man yells in shock.
“How much
does he ow you,” I ask.
“You aren’t
going to pay it so move,” he tries to push past me but I don’t move.
“You can
either let me pay, or just forget about it.
“3,250
credits, I want it all,” the man yells.
“Fine, but
then you never even look at this dude again. His debt is owed to me,” that’s
about a fourth of what I won on the fight.
“I don’t
have the money to pay you back,” the smaller guy says from the ground.
I just
ignore him. “Give me your banking code and I’ll make the transfer.”
It takes
about thirty seconds for the transfer to complete. The larger man lectures me
about paying debts for strangers and how the other guy is no good. I’m not
really interested in hearing it. It’s money I didn’t have before, and there’s
more left. No big deal. I help the smaller guy up from the ground, and even
with the heavy coat, I can tell he’s taken some beatings.
“I’m Efrem,
nice to meet you.”
“I don’t
have the money to pay you back,” he starts to pick dirt from his hair.
“Didn’t ask
you for money. We can start with a name.”
“I’m
Renan.”
“Alright Renan,
you want to go rocket karting?”
“What?”
“The rocket
karts, I was on the way there when I saw you being mauled. Do you want to go
with me?”
“Sure, why
not?”
Renan found
the building housing the rocket karts with no problem. I didn’t believe him at
first because it looks run down and nothing like the advertisements, but he
knows the area. Inside isn’t much better. The course looks like it has seen
better days and there’s only one working kart. Any hopes of racing I had are
gone out of the window. Still, I’m going to drive a rocket kart. I take a seat
in the kart, and hit the power switch. It vibrates as the engine slowly hums to
life and lifts it from the ground.
“Aren’t you
too old to be giggling about a rocket kart,” Renan shouts over the engine sounds.
“I’m only
twenty-nine,” I shout back.
I don’t
hear what he says afterwards, I’ve already pressed the pedal and taken off. The
old machine shakes as it rounds the corners and every so often it loses a
little power. I’m not steering as much as I thought as the magnets lining the
course keep me from going too far off the path. Still, this is the kind of
adrenaline I felt when in combat, real combat. Not some tweaking splicer or man
overpowering someone stronger. The mix of excitement and glee finally calms as
slow back into the resting position. It’d be so much more fun racing other
people, but for now, this will do.
“You should
take a ride,” I give Renan a small shove.
“I don’t
get as much childish pleasure from things as you.”
“You
should, because one day you’re being a stick in the mud, then you get blown up.
After that you realize how terrible the world is and everyone else is having
more fun than you. So, get in the kart.”
As he takes
off, I realize I had snapped back to my marine days with him, he’s not a
solider, and I shouldn’t speak to him like one. I’m still a marine, even if
I’ve spent the last three months trying to be anything else. It’s been hammered
into me since I was barely old enough to be called and adult, and I can’t push
it out.
“Okay, you
were right. It was fun,” Renan returns from his trip around the course.
Outside the
air is just as cold as ever and it seems as if things have begun to shut down
for the night. Time for me to head back to my hotel. I hope Renan is fine. At
least one guy is off his back, but someone like him tends to attract predators.
He tries to act tough, but he’s gullible and too trusting. No other reason for
him to just go karting with me when he doesn’t know me at all.
“Thanks for
going karting with me, I’m going to head back to my hotel. Could you point me
in the right direction?”
“Hey, this
is crazy, but can I stay with you tonight,” suddenly Renan has dropped the
tough act.
“Why?
Aren’t you from around here?”
“No, I was
staying with the guy you paid off.”
“I thought
he said you owed him for product,” I’m confused now.
“No, your
translator must have been broken. He said I was his product.”
“What,” I’m
confused by the situation now.
“I’ll
explain on the way if I can stay with you tonight.”
“You’re not
going to call him so you guys can rob me in the middle of the night, right?”
“I hated
him; I’d never do that.”
Along the
way to my hotel Renan told me a story I could hardly believe. He had run away
from Mars and survived on Enceladus by working as an escort. 3,000 credits give
or take a few hundred, and he was yours for the night. He thought it would
provide a great living but he seemed to only attract old men as customers.
Earlier tonight the man had purchased Renan’s time and was upset that he
refused sex. He didn’t always refuse sex with customers, but it was his right
to do so. The man gave him a bad vibe, and I suppose he justified in thinking
that. For someone who insisted I didn’t get involved, he’s lucky I did
interfere.
It seems
like no matter where I go or how amazing a place is, there’s always a dark side
just lurking underneath. Renan is only twenty-five and he’s selling his time
and sometimes body just to survive on this planet. When I was twenty-five, I
had already been on over a dozen combat missions. Doesn’t matter where you go,
in any star system, our societies tend to eat our youth alive and tell us we’re
all failures if we aren’t incredibly successful by thirty.
“Here it
is, my lovely hotel room,” I usher him in as the door slides up.
“Didn’t
spring for the luxury room I see,” he’s only half joking.
“Old habits
die hard. I didn’t get many luxuries as a marine, don’t really need them now.”
“I didn’t
know you were a marine; I bet you’ve some stories. I mean, considering the
robot arm and all,” he taps my prosthetic.
“I’ll tell
you about it over room service.”
“You order,
I’m going to take a shower.”
Pizza, it
never goes out of style, one of humanities greatest exports. I search the TV
for something to watch as I wait for it to arrive. Human TV isn’t all that
exciting. It isn’t really great for much but local news, almost everything else
can be streamed anywhere in the galaxy. I wish I had access to more of my
music, but that isn’t an option either. I settle on a show about the rising
number of humans that can use psionics and their place in society. Most notable
is that the armed forces are looking for ways to integrate. I don’t envy the
kids that are going to take that ride. I almost find myself falling asleep
before room service knocks at the door.
The first
bite is always painful as the cheese burns my mouth. I know I should let it
cool, but I can’t help myself. I use my tongue to tear the skin from the roof
of my mouth as Renan finally leaves the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel.
His ochre skin is covered with bruises around his ribs and smooth abdomen.
“What are
you looking at,” he asks.
“Your hair
isn’t gold anymore,” I respond with some delay.
“Just
temporary. Do you have some clothes I can borrow? I don’t have anything.”
“Yeah, but
your ribs are bruised.”
“I figured
that might be the case, they’re kind of tender to touch. Won’t stop me from
wearing clothes, although yours might be a little big.”
“Let me see
your ribs,” I approach him.
“They’re
not that bad.”
“Does this
hurt,” I rub my hands across his sides, soft and warm.
“Yeah, a
little.”
“I don’t
think anything is broken. I’ll get some ice to put on them.”
“You
already saved me twice tonight, I can handle some bruises. It’s not the first
time.”
“Hopefully,
it’ll be the last. I’ll get the ice.”
“You just
want to play doctor,” He takes a seat on the bed.
“Yeah, I
like to play doctor,” I grab the ice bucket and head for the door.
What am I
doing? Was this my plan the whole night? Playing hero to sleep with a guy, and
I barely know anything about him. I don’t know why he ran away; I don’t even
have a last name for him. It isn’t like he knows my name or why I ran away
either. Am I just using the fact that I paid that guy off to take advantage of
him? No, I didn’t even mention that. He might feel guilty. No, I’m a
good-looking guy, incredible shape, there’s no reason for him to take pity on
me. When was the last time I had sex? When was the last time I had sex with a
guy?
I step into
the vending room and fill the bucket with ice before grabbing another bag to
make an ice pack. This is a sleezy hotel, I knew it when I booked the room, a
condom vending machine isn’t unexpected, but it’s a sign that I didn’t need
right now. I’ve never felt guilty about sex before but I’m hesitating. The
hesitation doesn’t stop me from grabbing a few condoms and some lube, nor does
it stop me from returning to my room. I only pause when I see Renan stretched
across the bed.
“I’m going
to take a shower,” I pass him the ice and keep moving.
“I thought
we were going to play doctor,” he jokes.
“Maybe
later, doctors have to sterilize before procedures.”
“I’ll be waiting. I think I could use a massage too. Since you had me on the dangerous rocket kart, I’m all banged up. You’re going to have to fix that.”
[Previous Chapter] [Table of Contents] [Twitter] [Next Chapter]
