Tuesday, Week 2, Laurel Walker's Second Date Part 1

Alan woke up.

Natalia had curled into him during the night, which he decided not to worry about.

Skynet, dressed in a white suit, was delivering breakfast. A small two-legged dinosaur followed behind her, carrying a matching white suit for Alan.

“Good morning, Sky.” Alan looked at the girl thoughtfully. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Bacon, cheese, and mushrooms,” Sky said with a smirk.

“Ah.” Alan found himself smiling. “Is it from a pig and cow, by any chance?”

“Would you prefer that?”

Sky snapped her fingers.

The mirror lit up with screaming pigs packed into a small room. Natalia bolted upright at the noise.

“What on Earth is that?” Alan almost shouted over them.

“A video from Germany on your planet. This happened yesterday.” Sky’s voice was flat. “The pigs are being slaughtered for meat through a gas chamber. They were not sedated.”

“Yeah,” Natalia said, scowling. “I’ve seen this before.”

“The meat here is a highly modified bivalve raised in the swamp. Its neural tissue is dissolved early and never develops beyond a larval form. The milk is Ariadne’s, heavily treated, from before the season. The fungi contain a type of immortalized human cell as a symbiote, but those cells died when I cooked the meal.”

Sky turned toward Alan.

“Laurel is waiting for you in the kitchen.”

Then she vanished.

Alan started to eat.

Natalia looked at the plate, looked at the muted mirror, and sighed as she got out of bed. A flash of light changed her outfit from something Alan thought was probably a teddy, despite not being entirely sure what that actually was, into a trench coat.

“What are you eating?” Alan asked.

“I don’t need to eatanymore.” Natalia shrugged. “I’ve been experimenting with specific scenes where I felt good. This one is from V for Vendetta. It’s weird, because I wore a wig in the scene, but my hair is natural when I use my transformation on the version of myself in the scene. She ran a hand through it. “My body’s full. I don’t need to use the bathroom for hours. I don’t have aches or pains.”

“You probably should still eat,” Alan said. “But I get it. Your first transformation sounds excellent.”

“Well.” Natalia gestured toward the muted mirror, where the pigs were still dying. “I’ve been a vegan for years. I don’t plan on ending that with cannibalism.”

“Alright.” Alan felt the awkwardness rise. “Do you need anything before you go?”

“I’m good.”

Natalia leaned forward, gave Alan a quick kiss, and left the room before he could say anything.

Somewhere in the hotel’s computer system, a VP counter moved upward by one point.

Alan examined the suit. It seemed enchanted or robotic, because it moved independently to help him dress.

The halls of Atlas were empty as he made his way toward the kitchen. The walls were covered in tiles arranged in artistic patterns that reminded Alan of snakes, something he had never noticed before. Soft light came from windows and LEDs.

Laurel was dressed to kill in the kitchen.

A long rifle and a guitar were packed together across her back with a single strap. She wore an abbreviated version of Alan’s own suit, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat. The cut of the suit exposed no skin, but the fabric clung tightly enough that Alan suspected it was some kind of nylon or spandex.

“You look great!” Laurel said.

“Um, so do you?” Alan tried to keep his tone light.

“Ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth were covered last week. Basically, war.” Laurel looked pleased with herself. “This time, we’re doing peace.”

“Peace?” Alan laughed. “I wouldn’t have guessed you liked that.”

“If you want peace, prepare for war. If you’re ready to fight, you need to know when to keep it in your pants and not fight unless you have to. It’s all one skill set.”

Laurel looked proud of this pearl of wisdom she had apparently found online as a teenager.

“Okay,” Alan said. “So what is peace going to be today?”

“Mostly music.” Laurel grinned. “You’ve seen the riding and shooting skills. Now we see whether you got anything from the musical talents granted by my transformation.”