by Arthur Stone
“I’m dying.”
“Back on Earth you’d be dead already, but this is the Humanhive. The Hive is both cruel and kind, all at once. As long as you don’t lose your mind, you’ll be right as rain soon. We’ll reach a large stable I know. They have a hospital there, or the closest thing this world has to one. I’ll use what I’ve gathered to pay your bill and get you back on your feet in no time. As long as you don’t kick the bucket on the way. Sleep now. I’m afraid that if I touch you you’ll fall to pieces from pain. What would I do with you then?”
“Go—look near that abandoned house. My sword should be there somewhere. Either lying on the ground or stuck in someone.”
“I found it already. It was sticking out of the heart of some dead Kilding, like a ship’s mast. Beautiful sight.”
Boiler grinned.
“So I hit after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter. The two black jeeps I saw leave—did they come back?”
“What the hell are you talking about? How should I know what vehicles came or went? The only Jeeps here are burnt, and were certainly not black.”
“Did you happen to see a girl? She was stunningly attractive and wore a tight black dress. It was short. And she had a sparkling carnival mask, also black. She wore stiletto heels that were...”
“Black, I’m sure,” Nimbler said, shaking his head. “Boiler, if I saw that doll in a getup that unusual, I would certainly not forget her. Everyone’s wearing dull camo these days. Even a jacket with a bit of color is cause to rejoice.”
“So you haven’t seen her.”
“Nope.” Affected by the midday heat, Nimbler reached for a flask of water.
“Good. Aurelia got away, then.”
“Aurelia?”
“She was brought here in that black Jeep. In the same convoy with Sabina.”
Nimbler choked. “Sabina?”
“Yeah, old hag. The only one out of all of them that didn’t cover her face.”
“People who would know have told me about a Sabina who is high priest of the Kildings or something like that. She loves being an old hag. It’s a—a fetish of hers. Are you sure?”
“That’s what they were calling her.”
“Incredible. Some of the major stables have an incredible price on her head. Even information about her could go for a pretty penny.”
“Have you ever heard anything about an Aurelia?”
“No.”
“Well, she wasn’t—she wasn’t like Sabina. She was good. So, now I have a mission in life.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll laugh at me, but I met the woman of my dreams last night. Then she left, and I have to go find her.”
“Looks like the spec is starting to hit you.”
“No, it’s not that. She said a few words to me, and touched me lightly. I have to find her.”
“Don’t you dare tell anyone you’ve got a crush on a Kilding, Boiler. They’ll have you flogged. Or castrate you. And you won’t get to pick which.”
“I’ll take that risk. She’s no Kilding.”
“You yourself said she came here with them.”
“Shit happens. I almost ended up being carted off with them. What, would that have made me a Kilding? Aurelia gave me the key to Jupiter’s chains and asked me to release him. You know, make a diversion to distract the Kildings. Without that elite, all of the locals would have ended up dead. He was the one who really caused the ruckus. Gloom and I barely did anything.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You released the elite?”
“Yeah. Almost shit my pants. Terrifying as hell, and with worse breath.”
“Don’t mention this ever again, Boiler. Drive the memory out of your mind, and I’ll try to forget you ever said it. If anyone finds out you voluntarily set an elite free, castration will be the least of your concerns. They’ll slowly take your balls and manhood off with a rusty saw, then feed you porridge and lifejuice until they regenerate. Then rinse and repeat, without ever sharpening the saw, and without the rinsing part. And so on, and so on, until the raw depression kills you. So forget about Aurelia and this elite.”
“I’ll never forget her.”
“Aren’t you the least bit surprised that you released that beast with your own two hands at the request of a mysterious stranger?”
“It seems strange, yes, but no, I’m not surprised.”
“She’s a nymph. I guarantee it, one hundred percent.”
“A nymph?”
“A rare hivegift some women receive. I’ve never heard of a man with the gift, thank God. With one look, she can drive a whole crowd of men crazy, pushing them to do anything in the world for her. I’m telling you, Aurelia is one of them. No one else could have convinced you to release an elite. She overpowered your brains with lust for her, but that will pass. How did you survive, anyway? Why didn’t the elite tear you to pieces?”
“Keen sense of wit.”
“Seriously, forget it. All of it. But a nymph’s influence never lasts long, so it’ll disappear soon anyway. How are you feeling? Should I go looking for some more spec? Most people would’ve been snoring by now.”
“The world’s gone dim and I’m having trouble hearing you.”
“Good, it’s working. Soon you’ll be out like a light. That cat of yours is still here, washing and begging for food. His meows might bring the whole cluster in on us soon. But look at that satisfaction on his face. So many people perished here, but he doesn’t give a damn. Should we leave him here or take him with us?”
“He’s an ungrateful beast, of course, but we need to take him.”
“All cats are ungrateful. I wish we had a dog instead.”
“Dog... dog...”
“What’s that about dogs? Are you fading out?”
“A little. This... stable you’re bringing me too... is it cool?”
“There are better stables, but it’s not bad. Pretty short ride, too, and that’s what you need right now.”
“Can we... reach even better, farther stables?”
“If fortune allows. The Hive is fickle. You know that. The road is a good one, though. We’ll make it. Our car is unarmored, meaning there are a lot of places you can’t take it, but this is a good route, smooth enough to keep up some decent speed and with all of the land around the road clearly visible. So we can risk it.”
“I have two conditions. For this stable.”
“Conditions?”
“I need a stable where we can get some decent champagne. After all, tomorrow is my anniversary. One week here, and I want to celebrate.”
“Piece of cake. Booze is no problem.”
“And another thing. I want a stable... where the entrance gate or roadblock or whatever has a sign that says ‘Beware of Dog!’”
“Are you kidding? Hallucinating?”
Boiler exerted his last bit of strength to grab onto the edge of the abyss, keep himself conscious for a moment as he amended his requirements.
“Wait, let me change that. There should be one very, very big sign. Announcing ‘Beware of Dogs!’ As long as it’s clear the place is packed full of dogs.”
Boiler peered into his fading eye, nodding like a businessman closing a deal.
“I understand your first condition. You need a stable that sells quality champagne so you can celebrate your anniversary. I will do everything in my power to provide you this, though honestly I have no idea how you intend to celebrate while you’re in intensive care. But as for your second wish... Boiler, are you sure you need a stable with a sign...”
“A big sign!” said Boiler to correct him.
“Fine, a big sign shouting ‘Beware of Dogs!’ That’s what you need?”
“Exactly.”
“Then let me ask you a simple question.” The businesslike tone disappeared. “Have you gone mental, godson? Why the fuck would you want a stable with a bunch of mean guard dogs?”
As Boiler’s consci
ousness descended into the black pit of specsleep, he whispered a quiet reply.
“I want my cat to hate the place.”
S.T.Y.X. Humanhive was completed in the Russian original on April 27, 2016 and in English translation on September 7, 2017. All rights reserved.
Dear Readers,
I'd like to recommend you Blind Punch (Expansion: The History of the Galaxy Book #1) by my good friend A. Livadny, a leading - if not the leading - Russian author in the genres of space opera and cyberpunk!
Also, I strongly recommend The URANUS Code (Citadel World Book #1) by another great science fiction author Kir Lukovkin, a winner of the yearly contest held by Europe's biggest publishing house.
* * *
[1]I won't label all of my muted cultural references, but I have them occasionally. This is Princess Bride. Subdued Game of Thrones and other references occur now and then throughout, but I've kept away from more obscure references.
[2]This alludes to a lascivious woman who is hundreds of years old, and mysteriously magic, in Game of Thrones. I've alluded to this show about 3x in the book (among a few other veiled pop culture references) due to the show's popularity among the target and to softly remind the reader that these events are happening to someone who was from our world.