~~~

Down into the courtyard that appeared to have no end and past the chickens that weren’t moving at all,

replica trickery, said Akira, pulling Miho to the side and into

a line of stalls

by the shore of Lake Suwa

and his stomach was rumbling now, begging for food

so loud that Akira heard it

as did Himiko with a melon-sized green necklace around her neck

grabbing them both by the yukata collars and

Kumamoto-style chicken, freshly grilled

blue is an aesthetic choice

don’t worry

won’t poison you or put you in a cell

try it, nibble some.

Miho closed his eyes and reopened and the blue chicken was grinning at him, wisps of purple mist sizzling off its skin and

eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it

what are you waiting for

eat it

~~~

Miho woke up to a giant spoon.

Held by a yellow hand with faint blue stains.

Backed by an incredibly bright okiandon.

‘Kumamoto-style…’ Miho slurred, trying to back up and immediately hitting his head on the wall behind.

‘Come on, you’ve had most of it already, just a little more.’ Ya Ying pushed the spoon closer to Miho’s lips. ‘Open up the hangar.’

Miho blinked, making hmm and ahh sounds to buy enough time to fill in the rest of the environment. Akira and Himiko and the blue chicken had already disappeared, and then they were gone conceptually too as he relocated himself to the realm of outer space, on a Huxx moon colony, somewhere in the Butterfly Nebula. In a room designed to look like a ryokan but, in reality, existed as nothing more than a small, compact illusion generated by holographic technology.

Which he had been reading about before he fell asleep.

‘Okay, maybe we’ll leave it for now,’ said Ya Ying, putting the spoon back in the bowl it had originated from, and that bowl back into the hands of his Huxx assistant, Mon Uhk, who was standing nearby. ‘You can eat again later, if you’re hungry.’

‘You’ve been feeding me that…the last few days?’ asked Miho, finally managing to pull himself up and, to his relief, not feeling any residual pain. To make sure, he stretched out his arms, pulling his chest muscles upwards…and nothing.

‘Feeling better?’

‘Yeah. A lot.’

‘No twinges or tweaks?’

‘None.’

‘Hmm. You can thank the nanobots for that. One of the greatest pieces of Huxx ingenuity in the history of…well, anywhere.’

Miho didn’t mean to but couldn’t stop it, yawning wide, looking past Ya Ying, getting used to the light from the okiandon, nodding at Mon Uhk, then morphing the yawn into a frown when he saw Joooon half hidden behind the wall on the left. For some reason, she had a white patch on her forehead and some kind of bandage cloth wrapped over her mouth.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked, lifting up the futon covers and reaching for the white MIHA yukata laid out at the side.

Joooon nodded curtly then stared forward at the wall.

‘She’s fine,’ replied Ya Ying, stepping into Miho’s line of sight. ‘Just running through the punishment for her little error last night.’

‘What…error?’

‘Letting you get past and roam as far as the main communal square of the hospital. And then, instead of taking you back at once, sitting down and watching TV with you. Ah, don’t look alarmed, it’s nothing too serious, just something that happens sometimes…mostly with non-Huxx staff…but it’s easily dealt with.’

Miho forced his arms into the white yukata and stood up, keeping half an eye on Ya Ying rising up in unison behind him. Put bandage cloth over her mouth? That was acceptable punishment? And the white patch…on her forehead…

‘Hmm. I can see you haven’t read the book on Huxx societal mores I gave you. That’s fine, the cover was quite dull. Though you really should try to-…’

‘It was my fault.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Last night. I was the one who made the error. I couldn’t sleep and…it was me who went to the hospital square thing. Joooon was just trying to bring me back.’

‘Ah, the samurai code…’

‘No, it’s true, not samurai, it was my fault. She didn’t do anything wrong.’

Ya Ying looked at Joooon, who shook her head, and then at Mon Uhk, whose face was screwed up so tight it looked like they wanted to flay something.

Wah, maybe just Huxx face-ology…didn’t have to mean anger…or flaying.

‘Listen, Miho. You’re clearly misinterpreting some of the visuals here. Joooon is not in any discomfort. She just can’t speak for twenty-six hours. The face cloth is a symbol of that punishment. Made of Huxx cotton too, I should add. Very comfortable.’

Miho compared what he was hearing to the expression on Joooon’s face. Not the easiest read, but she didn’t seem to be depressed or desperate. Maybe it wasn't that bad.

‘What about the patch on her forehead?’

‘Ah, that is to cover a wound. She tripped and fell when she woke up…hit her head on the frame of the door panel there. Very unfortunate. I’m surprised it didn’t wake you up.’

‘Tripped?’

‘Though you were pretty far out of it….even when I was feeding you just now. Kept muttering something about drying Akira’s yukata.’

‘I did?’

‘And painting Himiko’s entire body green. Yes, it was quite loud. I assume Akira is a friend of yours back in the human world…’

Miho played back the name in his head, picturing a large man with a sneer, crouching down and robbing money bags from corpses. Then the same man with the devil’s smirk, calling Aya a ludicrous dungeon goddess.

‘Wah, he’s not that ashigaru you were hooked up with, is he? The one I told you to detach from…’

Miho blinked, returning to the room.

‘It is, isn’t it? Don't bother denying, I can tell from your neck muscles. Well, at least you’re away from him now. That guy really would’ve got you killed, I’m certain of it.’

‘He was okay…’

‘Just the look on his face, the way he snored on that futon and swatted at the air molecules. Hmm, if you say so. Anyway, can’t dwell on devious characters like that. It’s already getting late and we have a tour to give you. Ready?’

‘Tour?’

‘Repeating random words I’ve said is quite endearing, I admit, but try not to overdo it. Yes, a tour, as promised yesterday. I’m going to show you the highlights of the Huxx colony, the helium refinery, the Za Droxx slopes, the space elevator going up to UP station, the Za Vxl a

Miho made it through most of the list, but by the time the weird centre name got called out, his head started to throb. He put a fist up and jabbed knuckles at the pain, but that only seemed to make things worse.

‘What is it? Migraine?’

‘Hurts…suddenly…’

Ya Ying clamped a hand on Miho’s scalp and squeezed. Then took it away quickly when they saw the reaction on his patient’s face. ‘Mon Uhk, inhibitor.’

The Huxx assistant looked with barely-hidden disgust for a few seconds then dipped a hand inside their blue yukata and pulled out a small cylinder. Handing it over to their superior, they muttered [loud enough for everyone in the room to hear], ‘just like a human,’ and then added sorry when Ya Ying glared back.

‘It’s perfectly normal for aftershocks to occur post-nanobot intervention,’ Ya Ying continued, placing the cylinder against Miho’s neck and holding it there until it emitted a hissing sound. ‘This will help mitigate the effects, keep things steady. Though we’ll probably have to shorten the tour a bit. For now.’

‘I’m okay…’ lied Miho, reluctantly removing his hand from the mini-explosion in his head.

‘You will be in a minute or two. Come on, let’s get out of this room, it’s far too stuffy.’

Ya Ying put an arm around Miho’s shoulder and led him to the door panel, which was already being held open by the silent shape of Joooon. She looked down as Miho went past, giving him a good angle to see the dried red marks at the top of the white patch on her forehead.

Kuso…blood?

From tripping over?

He looked left at the smiling face of Ya Ying, who was yapping on about how smooth the elevator pod would be, and remembered the words of Akira: never trust anyone who smiles. Bigger the smile, bigger the lies.

But that was for humans.

Not Huxx.

Wasn’t it?

~~~

After walking down the first corridor and turning right only at the very last junction, the group of four stopped at what Ya Ying called the elevator pods.

To Miho, they looked like doors, only made out of metal instead of wood. Not very impressive. The posters on the nearby wall, on the other hand, were quite beautiful, promoting something called neuron hygiene, with a picture of a giant glowing brain that appeared to be emerging from the wall itself.

‘Trust me, you won’t feel a thing,’ promised Ya Ying as something beeped and one set of doors slid open. ‘The whole journey will be very smooth, no jolts.’

‘I feel better now.’

‘No headache?’

‘Almost gone.’

‘Great, then we can expand the tour. Maybe give you another implant if your brain starts acting up again. Mon Uhk, stop looking so sour, this is an auspicious day for our young Vohyangah here. His first time going out into a Huxx moon colony.’

Mon Uhk reacted with one of the fakest attempts at a smile Miho had ever witnessed, that lasted less than a second as Ya Ying turned and dragged Miho by the arm into the elevator pod. Which appeared to be nothing more than a large vertical box.

‘Hmm, ground level, or direct to the Helium Refinery,’ said Ya Ying to themselves as both Joooon and Mon Uhk shuffled in, each taking a different side.

Before a decision could be made, something else beeped on Ya Ying’s wrist. They held it to their ear and grimaced.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Miho, when no one else said a word.

‘Ah, can’t be avoided. Okay. Miho, I’m very sorry, but something urgent has come up at the Security Centre. You’ll have to wait here a while, with Joooon and Mon Uhk.’

‘For how long?’ interrupted the Huxx assistant, their whole face narrowing.

‘No more than an hour or two. Ah, wait a minute, this could actually be a blessing. You two could take him up to the sky canteen, get some more food inside his guts. Better quality food.’

‘We have to watch him eat again?’

Ya Ying either didn’t hear Mon Uhk’s words or didn’t care cos they were already ushering them all out of the elevator pod and jabbing the doors close button.

‘Miho…try number five on the Smart Choice menu. It’s a Huxx specialty. Trust me.’

‘Number five?’

‘On the Smart Choice menu. Joooon knows which one I mean. Ask her.’

Miho turned to the Japanese-looking woman with the cloth over her mouth and then went back to the doors. But they were already shut and the pod, apparently, had gone.

‘Kuso…’ he muttered, closing his eyes.

‘Junna,’ said Mon Uhk, pretty much the same tone.

‘… … …’ eked out heavily muffled from beneath Joooon’s bandage cloth.

~~~

Turned out the Sky Canteen wasn’t actually in the sky.

Though from Miho’s perspective it wasn’t that far off.

On the twenty-first floor of the Medical Complex, ninety-five per cent of the walls replaced by giant wraparound windows, robots gliding about between wooden tables, balancing trays of predominantly green, grey and crimson food on their heads, scores of Huxx diners in blue yukatas, some human-looking types that were most probably Vohyangah like Miho and Joooon, and a giant TV screen in the middle, showing pictures of what Miho guessed were beauty spots on the main [shared] home world.

Of course, guessing was far from ideal, so Miho tried to ask his Huxx guide what exactly the screen was showing, and how it managed to function on four separate sides of one screen, and why the no-speaking rule was used as a punishment in such an advanced place and-

‘Number five,’ replied Mon Uhk, blunt as a palace guard, not even bothering to look up from their phone.

‘I ordered that already. I think.’

‘Then wait.’

‘Okay, but-…’

‘Quietly.’

‘Right. Wait quietly. Understood.’ Miho scratched his wrist as Mon Uhk went back to the phone. ‘Sorry, I guess you’re busy with…that.’

A grunt came as the only reply, forcing Miho across to the other person at the table. He smiled at Joooon, then changed it quickly to guilt face when he remembered that it was his fault she had the bandage cloth over her mouth. And now they were both being punished as she couldn’t answer any of his questions, and the Huxx was about as friendly as…well…most people back in Kai Province, actually.

‘… … … … … …’ said a voice from the side.

‘Sorry?’

‘Number five?’ edited the waiter with faint green eyes, putting a large bowl down on the table.

Miho stared back, specifically at the waiter’s mouth…the haphazard teeth arrangement…the feeling of a dangerous abyss somewhere beyond.

‘Is it correct?’

‘Ignore him, he’s new,’ cut in Mon Uhk, reaching across and pulling the bowl closer to Miho, all without looking up from their phone.

The green-eyed waiter nodded and walked back towards the kitchen door, skilfully dodging a wayward robot along the way.

‘That man…’ started Miho, turning to Joooon, who was running a fingernail around the white patch on her forehead. ‘I think I’ve seen his type before. Gos Isso…right?’

‘Gos Usso,’ corrected Mon Uhk, adding Junna ek and smacking the screen of their phone.

‘Yeah, that one. He tried to eat my face, back in…Japan…in the Jewel of Kai ryokan. And…I don’t know…I’m pretty sure he looked really like that guy over there. But it can’t be the same one…can it?’

‘Eat,’ replied Mon Uhk, pointing a finger about five inches past the bowl.

Wah, I’m not even hungry slashed across Miho’s thought centre, but there was no point saying it cos the Huxx didn’t care and Joooon couldn’t respond even if she did give a shit, which she probably didn’t now that she’d been gagged for the whole day due to his meandering act the night before.

Kuso, he thought, looking down at the grey sludge in the bowl, squinting in confusion at the dark green sticks poking out at the sides.

Is this really a Huxx specialty?

He picked up the spoon at the side and dipped it in. Then hesitated when the grey mush was hovering by his mouth.

Should I?

There was a nudge on his elbow, almost making him drop the spoon. Then a phone screen with the words better than it looks typed out in a Kanji-style font.

‘Really?’ he asked, watching as Joooon took the phone back and typed out a new message.

‘Yes. Tasty.’

‘You’ve had it before?’

Mon Uhk glanced up, barking at Joooon to put the phone away. She hit the side of her palm against her neck and mumbled something beneath the bandage cloth, then typed out another message.

‘Married to the rules. Little nationalist.’

Miho gestured as softly as he could towards the Huxx super guide, who was back swiping at their screen again, and Joooon nodded with a smile.

Then put away her phone and stared out the nearby mega window.

Miho couldn’t blame her really, it was an impressive sight. Blanket night sky with the tops of all the dome structures lit up like it was new year. A giant tube with blinking blue lights running up to a metal thing that he guessed was UP station. And other things he didn’t have the names for yet. Or the concept. Yet, somehow, were not terrifying or alien in any concrete way.

Should go back and read more of those kids books, he told himself, returning to the spoon and guiding the grey slush past his slightly trembling lips. Get a better grip on what I’m seeing. Adapt faster.

The food went in, his mouth closed.

Flavour hit.

‘Hmm, not that bad…’ he said to no one, after chewing a few times. ‘Kind of like a taro taste…with hints of coconut.’

He tried a bit more, focusing on the grey slush first, then moved on to the dark green sticks, that had to be vegetable equivalents yet looked more like pagan ritual markers.

Still, they were quite tasty too. Not as good as the grey stuff, a bit sour, but definitely edible.

Putting down the spoon with only a quarter of the bowl left, Miho ran a hand down his stomach and looked at his two companions.

Mon Uhk remained stuck with their phone, while Joooon was busy scratching at the side of her mouth bandage.

No interest from either.

Muttering happy family in Japanese, he zoomed out a bit, taking in the rest of the canteen. The Huxx workers in the blue yukatas, the robots surprisingly spilling none of the drinks or dishes on their heads, the tight-knit pockets of Vohyangah on the smaller tables, whispering to each other.

And a girl in a green yukata…with some kind of thin tentacle sticking out of her neck…trying to wipe a table that a group of Huxx were hovering next to.

‘What type is that one?’ he asked, pointing over.

Mon Uhk didn’t respond, so Miho leaned in and waved a hand over their phone screen.

‘Junna ek…’ they yelled, raising the phone and shaking it as if they were about to crack Miho over the head. ‘You just messed up my game. Junna Vog. Junna man-child.’

‘Sorry,’ replied Miho, turning quickly away to hide the fucking baby coming out in muffled Japanese.

‘Keep your hands to yourself, Vog,’ muttered Mon Uhk, going back to their phone and moaning all over again when they saw the GAME OVER text, plus the blue blood dripping down the screen.

‘Greatest ever tour guide…’

Miho closed his eyes and tried to remodulate to some kind of inner temple setting, then gave up completely when he heard a shout from the table behind. He spun round just in time to see the girl with the neck tentacle getting backhanded by one of the larger Huxx figures, the force of it knocking her down onto the floor.

Out of suicidal village reflex, Miho rose to his feet and was about to say hey, when a hand shot across his mouth and dragged him back down.

‘What are you doing…’ he protested, trying to pull the hand off and then saying, ‘oh,’ when it removed itself.

He turned round to Joooon, repeating the question.

She held up the same hand she’d used to gag him, then typed out something on her phone. Finally, after correcting a few mistypes, she held it up for him to read.

‘Intervention = punishment. Huxx rules very strict. Don’t.’

Miho read the message twice then looked back at the poor girl still on the canteen floor, now with some kind of crimson juice over her head, and the four Huxx bullies walking off and laughing.

He bit down on his tongue, dug nails into his palm.

And continued to do nothing as the girl picked herself up, brushed off some of the gunk on her hair and went back to wiping the table.

Thugs and bullies everywhere, he thought, closing his eyes for almost three whole minutes, painting out a different scenario where he had actually intervened, just like Akira would’ve if he’d been there…maybe…if he were in a good mood…and there was money involved…a reward of some kind.

Killing the fantasy, he opened his eyes again and turned back to what was left of the Huxx cuisine. Nourishment for bastards. Then realised that Joooon was staring at him.

‘What is it?’

She didn’t say anything, obviously, just shook her head almost imperceptibly.

‘Yeah. Don’t intervene. Very heroic.’ He picked up the spoon, stabbed it into the grey sludge. ‘What type was that girl anyway? Vohyangah?’

Joooon pulled up her phone, typed out a response.

‘Sessskat.’

Miho read it out loud then put down the spoon and pulled the phone screen closer, reading it again.

‘She’s a Sessskat?’

Joooon nodded.

‘Those thin tentacle things coming out of her neck…that’s normal?’

Another nod.

‘Kuso…’

Miho slumped back in his plastic seat, rubbing at the headache that was edging its way back. A Sessskat…just like Aya…treated like a rag doll…and he’d just sat there and done nothing.

‘You want to feel better,’ said Mon Uhk, lowering their phone and waving a yellow hand mockingly in front of Miho’s face, ‘imagine her going through the window instead.’

‘What…’

‘Now that would have been funny.’

The yellow hand receded, accompanied by low-key laughter, leaving Miho with a blurred residue of hate and rage and the image of a sharpened spoon handle sticking out of the Huxx guide’s neck and before he could close his eyes and drain it away, there was a beeping noise, followed by a thank the neon gods from Mon Uhk.

‘Our dear leader is on the way over,’ they explained, more to Joooon than to Miho, ‘ready to start the primary school tour.’

‘Ya Ying…’ mumbled Miho, giving up on the self-massage routine.

‘Better eat up, Vog. Vog vog vogggy vog.’ Mon Uhk smiled wide, shrugged at an irritated-looking Joooon, raised two fingers to their lips. ‘Sorry…Miho.’