“You’re not throwing them away. It’s your capsule.”
“Nothing here is
“What’s up with you today? You’re in a bad mood.”
“Some slut attacked me... see the scratch?”
“Damn... She almost took your eye out. Fingernails?”
“Yeah, that bitch! All I did was accidentally touch her ass! It wasn’t much of one, anyway, bony as hell. And she squealed like a stuck pig! So I said, polite as can be, something like hey, lady, shut your trap. Your ass isn’t much to look at, and neither is your face. And then she jumped me! And not a single system eye around! So I got attacked for nothing... I need a drink, something strong. How about we go pay Rob-Rob a visit? Spend a few sol, what do you think?”
“I dunno... Two miles there, two miles back. Are you getting extra calories or something?”
“We’ll grab something to eat there... two more sol each...”
“That’s already four total!”
“So anyway, my capsule... Someone else lives there now, and they won’t move out.”
“Why are you so hung up on it? There’s a shit-ton of capsules! Pick any one and move in!”
“But I liked that one!”
“Well then you should have paid for at least a week in advance!”
“But it was my home...”
Now this was interesting... I sped up a little, trying not to lose sight of the workers talking about the capsule and this mysterious Rob-Rob who sold food and strong drinks. I assumed they were heading towards the capsules, and I could probably get some food there. I listened to everything they said, absorbing the information like a sponge.
“Get this: I bought a brand new shirt today, and I already got slime all over it. What gives?”
“I mean, you can just wash it. All our clothes are washable.”
“It wasn’t from a vending machine! It’s handmade! Really nice.”
“Why buy handmade? That’s expensive as shit.”
“There’s this chick I want to hook up with...”
“Then why the hell did you wear the shirt to work? You could’ve changed into it after!”
“What if she was there too? Collecting slime...”
“Did you see Tiger? With his girl.”
“They were fucking everyone up!”
“Where were they?”
“Zone 3, blocks 5 and 6. The whole day! Like they didn’t have anything else to do! That fucker grabbed two buckets and did both their jobs fast as can be. And then they just never left... Man, I wish someone would smash his skull. Hers, too.”
“Shh, quiet... 29 talked shit and paid for it. He was an honest orc. On his way to becoming a halfling, even. Now he’s a worm. Do you want to crawl through the mud too?”
“Me? I didn’t say a word...”
“Best to keep your mouth shut.”
“Will do.”
I stopped. The view in front of me was enough to make me forget about how tired I was.
The hallway led me to a dead hedgehog. At least, that’s what I imagined as I looked at the map on the wall. The spiky black spot on a gray background looked exactly like a bloated, dead hedgehog. Who came up with the idea of building such a strangely-shaped place?
The map had a legend, and after a quick perusal, I learned that this area was where you could spend your free time or socialize. That was clear. The spines leading off of the main hall were dead-end hallways about twenty yards long. Each spine had a number and featured twenty standard individual living capsules. There were also two toilets, two shower rooms, and five rooms for food, water, and medicine in each spine. The hedgehog itself, with the odd name of CLUX-17, had two medblocks, vending machines with food and personal items, and a central common area for injections, eating, and drinking.
I spotted a cafe right near the entrance — about a hundred square tables set up in rows in the middle of a spacious hall. In the middle of CLUX-17...
The lighting was soft and pleasant. The floor and walls were clean, although they were that same ever-present metal. The main attraction was the security domes — one big, unmoving central one, and about ten small ones that moved around.
“They sure know how to impress.” I sighed and walked into CLU —
Why couldn’t the system have ‘birthed’ me here? This area didn’t even have a hint of the gloomy hallways I had come out of. Although... maybe they did it right. They send you headfirst into that grim atmosphere of doom, you get up to your ears in gray slime, and only then you get to this part and realize that life isn’t all that bad here!
I sat down at a table. The bench was attached to the floor and had a low, uncomfortable back. I looked around, noting what the others were doing. After a minute I got the idea. People were doing nothing, just waiting. But judging by the general air of excitement and shining eyes, it wouldn’t be long now. And I knew roughly what we were waiting for...
