Descent

"Oy, wait!" I say, rummaging through my utilities and pulling out the collar. "I almost forgot. This is for you."

Martin Hughes stares. "What's that?"

"A collar. For you to wear. It allows Auto to speak to you wherever you go." I tap on my own collar, fastened securely around my neck.

"Collar...That isn't ominous at all," mutters Martin Hughes to himself. "So...What? It has a microphone and speaker? For that AI to listen and talk?"

"Auto can hear us anywhere, as far as I'm aware. But he speaks through the collar." I hold it out at arm's length, impatiently jiggling it so that the metal links sing against each other. Martin Hughes makes no move to receive it. Instead, he regards me expressionlessly.

"Tell you what," he finally says. "You already have one of these necklaces, and it seems I can talk to Auto just fine through that. Why don't we just keep things as they are? Will that work?"

"Aye," I say, considering. I slip the collar back into my satchel. "We would need to remain together."

"I...don't exactly find that an unpleasant prospect. Do you?"

"No." My eyes travel once more over his handsome face, down his muscled chest and belly and...Poor thing! His cock has engorged itself, straining against the fabric that imprisons it. He must be in unimaginable pain! It's a marvel that he can stand at all...Or perhaps not? Perhaps I am mistaken? Martin Hughes's face shows no sign of physical distress, only a sense of embarrassment. Either way...

"You're erect, Martin Hughes. Should I help you release your semen before we leave?" I say, reaching for the covering.

"No! No, thank you!" He backs up abruptly, several steps. I stop in confusion.

"Maybe you don't like my cunt? I can take you in my mouth or hand. Or asshole. I have some lubrication..." I begin looking through my utilities.

"Fucking hell! Your cunt is fine--Gah! Look...Can we pretend we didn't just have this conversation and move on? It'll go down on its own eventually...I hope." Martin Hughes mutters the last bit to himself. He seems to do a lot of muttering.

"Very well," I say, outwardly collected but wincing on the inside. I hope I haven't offended our newest sleeper, and so soon after meeting him!

I restore the switch to its original position, plunging us into darkness, and we head down the narrow passage towards the rectangle of light leading outside. When we emerge, Martin Hughes freezes and stares, a sense of awe filling his face.

"Oh, wow," he says quietly, taking in the view. "I never did get to see the inside of one of these...before."

I stand beside him and try to look through his eyes. Our vantage point high in the blueward hills does offer quite the sight. The land spreads out before us, curling on either side, arching up to join overhead--pollies and fields and little patches of woodland. In the near distance, directly above us and obscured by the fully waxed sunstrand, are the Great Lake and Lakepolly. And directly ahead--obscured in the blue of the atmosphere, almost beyond sight--lies the ring of redward hills.

"How far is it to the other end, do you think?" he asks.

"I believe it's sixty kayems, Martin Hughes," I answer. "But Auto would know the exact distance."

His brow furrows. "'Kayems'?" I can see his mind working furiously. "Oh! Klicks!"

"Clicks," I say deadpan. I make the sound with my tongue once, twice, then the two of us fall together into laughter at the silliness of the moment. I feel relieved. Perhaps I haven't offended him as much as I thought.

"We should keep moving," I say as I close and lock the door to the Facility. "Please follow me." I begin treading down the steps towards the foot of the hills. As a good escort, I don't want to bring Martin Hughes along the treacherous path I took before. The longer, safer route is preferable.

"May I ask you something, Marissa?" says Martin Hughes after we have descended for a while, feeling the weight increase upon our limbs.

"Of course. You can ask me anything."

"Why do you call me 'Martin Hughes'?"

"That's your name, isn't it? I'm Marissa. You're Martin Hughes."

"It's my full name. But really, you should just call me 'Martin'. 'Hughes' is my family name. Saying them together sounds weird. It's way too formal."

"'Family'...I'm not sure I know what that is."

Martin gives me a sad smile. "You and me both, kid."

"Oy, wait! I think I have heard the term a long time ago. It's like a polly."

"'Polly'? You said that before. What is it?"

"It's the people I live with. Work with. Where we live. It's where we're going now--my polly."

"Uh...Sure, I guess family can mean that. In a sense." We lapse into a short, comfortable silence. I'm thinking through what Martin said.

"I suppose if I had a family name then," I say eventually, "it would be Blueward. Marissa Blueward."

"Blueward, really? That's what your polly is called?"

"It makes perfect sense," I say a little defensively. "We're the most blueward of all the pollies." I gesture behind me at the hills.

"But why--?" Martin's eyes travel upward to the large flashing lights, near the junction of land and sunstrand. "Oh. Oh, I see." He turns to look back across the land, straining to see the other side. "Then that must be...redward."

"You're very astute, Martin," I say.

"Am I? I feel like a newborn babe, drowning in information. I hardly know why I'm here, or how I'm supposed to help."

"Auto mentioned you were a 'propulsion expert'."

"Expert!" he guffaws. "Just three years out of school, and I'm an expert. But maybe there really isn't anyone else. You wouldn't happen to know what I'm supposed to be doing?"

I shake my head. "I have no idea, but Auto does. Should we ask him?"