While each Haela brought unique experiences with distinct residents and increasing chemical usage, Hadder began recognizing diminishing returns in terms of enjoyment. Orgies, even with the perfectly Elevated bodies, specially-designed love rooms, and intensely sexual drugs, became more and more humdrum. Creating a new costume for the evening and helping others with theirs became a chore. In this land where anything was possible and wildest dreams could be made real, Marlin Hadder was growing bored.
As he seemed to be chasing the dragon, that first perfect night at The Soiree Noire, Hadder concluded that the best course of action was to simply visit the dragon's lair. As Jonny and Reena had tried to dissuade him several times, Hadder decided not to tell them about his plans for the upcoming Haela. That he was finally going to attend Inferno.
Hadder stood outside of Inferno, a belly full of Number 6 simultaneously calming his nerves and lending courage to his spirit. Full Haela had set in some time ago, and still, residents were just beginning to trickle into the imposing building. Hadder watched silently as some of Station's most extreme residents made their way through the blood-red wooden doors of the Bar. Francis Starr and her six breasts glided in alongside Shiva El, also known as Third-Eye Eliot. Helen and Nestra led six others into Inferno, a group of men and women that had latched on to the magnetic duo and had Elevated their bodies in similar fashions, now looking as much sexy animal as human.
Mustering his courage, Hadder made his way to Inferno's front door, where he was forced to jump back, startled, as a body fell from the thick layer of vines that covered the building. It stopped to hang mid-air, supported by the vines. The legs of the stranger dangled in front of the entranceway. Looking up, Hadder saw an old woman, skin pulled tight from multiple Elevations, wearing a red jumper with flames that danced within the material. She was hanging from the rose vines, the thorns cutting into her arms and sending droplets of blood down her aged skin to splatter on the ground before Hadder. Her ancient white hair floated in the Haela air as if underwater, and her eyes blazed like blue fires.
She pointed a bony finger at Hadder. Others had stopped to stare at the commotion. "You. I don't know you. What makes you think you can handle Inferno?"
Hadder opened his mouth to form a response, but nothing came out. Having no idea what was lurking in that crimson building, how could he be sure that he could maintain within its walls? Just as Hadder was about to shrug dumbly, a savior slithered its way around Hadder's neck and waist. He panicked for a moment before realizing that McKintosh Reed and his magical dreadlocks had joined him.
Reed spoke for him. "Hey Jackie, you old sea hag! This is Marlin Hadder, the newest resident. I've partied with the man countless times and can vouch for him. Let us in before I rip you out of those goddam vines and toss you in the Lethe River."
Hadder now remembered the name bandied about various parties - Jackie Crone, one of Station's original residents. Jackie stared at Reed for a moment with those fiery blue eyes before speaking. "It's on you, McKintosh Reed. If he's not ready, there will be a price to pay."
Reed waved Jackie away and whisked Hadder under her dangling legs and into Inferno. "Thanks, Reed," managed Hadder as they crossed the threshold into the Bar. Surveying the first floor, Hadder thought that Inferno seemed very much like every other bar. Residents milled about making light conversation and floating from one group to another. "Seems fairly normal, Reed. I mean for Station standards."
Reed laughed. "This is just the first floor, man. This here is just to prime you for the trip up. Has anyone told you how it works?"
Given the inconspicuous nature of his trip, Hadder had failed to inquire about the particulars of the notorious Bar. He had spent a Haela getting wasted under the ocean, after all. How could this possibly top that? "No, but I'd appreciate it if you filled me in."
Reed led the two of them over towards a manikin-serviced counter and started to explain. "So, there are nine floors, of which this is obviously one. You spend a requisite amount of time on each floor before you're allowed to continue on to the next. During this time, you can't simply be a wallflower. You have to actively participate in whatever is happening on that floor. Once at the top floor, there is an exit that will take you straight down to the bottom."
"I don't understand. If I'm not having a good time, can't I simply leave?"
Reed faced him and delivered a stern look. "Not a good idea, Hadder. Jackie Crone holds the hidden strings that control the Celebration Cluster, and maybe other areas of Station, for all we know. Some say she converses with the man himself - Mister Rott. To not finish Inferno is considered a slap in the face to her. She'll go out of her way to make Station less than inviting for you. Bars you used to enjoy will be closed off from you. People you thought friends will stop speaking with you. Station can be a lonely place once you're on Jackie Crone's shit list. Might as well go stay in the fucking Weeps."
Hadder's Number 6 was no longer working as anxiety set in. "Shit, Reed, I guess I should have researched this thing more."
Reed threw Hadder a sympathetic nod. "Well, you're in here now, so I suggest you make the best of it. Lots of people really enjoy the experience. I couldn't do it every Haela, but I need it once in a while to shock my system and renormalize."
"So what do we do on this level? Just sit around and drink?"
Reed motioned the manikin behind the counter. "Drink? Yes. Two Number 7s, manikin!"
Hadder was confused. "You don't think Number 7 is a bit mild for the Haela in store for us?"
Reed waited for the glume manikin to bring the drinks before he responded. "No, Hadder, this calming elixir is exactly what we need right now. Drink it down. Fast." They both emptied their glasses in one tilt back. "Another," ordered Reed, and they repeated the process. Hadder could feel the narcotic beverage lowering his heart rate and slowing his breathing. "And now, Hadder, you're going to have to trust me. Do you trust me?" Hadder nodded in affirmation. "Then, please give me your forearm."
Hadder removed his pattern-shifting green and black camouflage jacket and presented McKintosh Reed with his bare forearm. Reed flagged down a lemma manikin that was carrying a silver tray and held up two fingers. The female-form manikin with white cornrows approached and placed a palm-down cupped hand over Hadder's forearm. When it removed its hand, what was left on Hadder was a small wormlike creature that pulsed a deep red. As it painlessly began to burrow into Hadder's flesh, he moved to pull it out but was restrained by several of Reed's dreadlocks.
"Let it do its thing, Hadder. You have to take the Slink to move to the next floor."
Hadder, no longer fighting Reed's impossibly powerful hair, just stared in horror as the four-inch Slink sunk into his forearm, remaining just below the skin, pulsing like Station's most uncomplicated tattoo design. As Hadder gently rubbed his fingers over the embedded Slink, Reed had his own Slink inserted by the manikin.
"Reed," Hadder asked nervously, "what the hell does this thing do?"
Reed silently ordered two more Number 7s as he explained. "The Slink is a long-lasting, multi-effect drug. As the creature slowly disintegrates in the body, it releases several combinations of toxins that will have intense effects on its host. The breakdown of the Slink tends to coincide with advances up Inferno. Thus, it will have varying impacts from level to level."
"This is insane, Reed."
Reed let out a crazed laugh. "I know, right! This is the height of the Station experience, Hadder, except for maybe those nutters at Biomass. Listen, you seriously have to just try to enjoy each floor, regardless of what's going on there. Disgust can lead to panic, which can lead to a swift kick out of here and into Station purgatory. Here, have another Number 7."
Several Number 7s and a Number 9 later and Hadder had more or less forgotten about the alien entity slowly dying in his arm. Hadder and Reed made their way around Inferno's first level, renewing acquaintances with Helen and Nestra, and making new friends such as Penny Wonder, a middle-aged woman who had Elevated her
self to appear as a young teenager. Wearing a Japanese schoolgirl outfit and pink-tipped pigtails, Hadder was unsurprised by Penny's popularity among a gross subset of Station residents.
As their time on the first floor continued, Hadder began to see a definite shift in the party as conversations became ear-blown whispers and caressing hands conveyed more than speaking mouths. Within himself, Hadder also felt a change as his face flushed, body tingled, and lips hungered for the skin of another.
As Hadder made his way towards one of Helen and Nestra's newest followers, a light-skinned Asian woman with golden scales tattooed on her upper thighs, lower arms, and chest, he was grabbed by the cornrowed lemma. It pointed to the single door at the far end of the level, opposite from the main entrance doors.
Reed leaned in from behind. "That's our cue to move up, Hadder. God, I wish we could stay at this next level forever." Saying nothing more, he ushered Hadder through the back door and up a flight of stairs to a landing on the second floor. Checking his breath and smoothing down his black on black ensemble, Reed took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the next level. It opened silently, and they entered.
The second floor of Inferno was a dimly lit open space furnished heavily with comfortable-looking couches, corner-beds, swings, tables, and love seats. Hadder's mind buzzed loudly, and his testicles felt heavy as they swole uncomfortably. He looked to his forearm and saw that the Slink had increased its pulsing, sending alien chemicals flowing into his bloodstream. Inferno's second level was relatively full, and it didn't take Hadder long to understand the purpose of this floor - fucking.
Everywhere that Hadder looked, couples and groups littered the room in sexual ecstasy. Clothes that were hastily removed and ignominiously cast aside were collected and politely folded by wandering manikins doubling as both servers and maids.
Reed clapped Hadder loudly on the shoulder. He had a crazed glint in his color-shifting eyes, evidence that his Slink was also working its magic. "Looks like I've got some work to do. See you on level three." And with that, McKintosh Reed began walking towards the back corner of the room, where a small army had congregated on an oversized bed to share each other's bodies.
Hadder, although overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of sexual activities playing out before him, was unable to sit idly by and simply gawk. Beyond what Reed had told him about being an "active participant," the Slink's enigmatic releases had ignited a lust in him that would have to be satiated lest he risks his eyeballs exploding within their sockets from unreleased internal pressure.
Letting his clothes drop to the floor, Hadder dove into the mass of flesh and sweat and lubricants. And for a while, he lost himself to the experience.
Uncounted time later, Marlin Hadder and McKintosh Reed sat with their backs against the wall, attempting to catch their breaths. Both were surprisingly dry, having wrung out every bit of bodily liquid. Others joined them along the wall while many continued the show, including those residents that were still just entering the second floor.
Manikins walked past with armloads of clothes, handing folded stacks to their matching owners. Hadder and Reed both received their clothing, and Reed began dressing. "Looks like we're done on this floor, Hadder."
Hadder sighed deeply. "That's too bad, but probably for the best. I really need to refuel. I've never felt so hungry."
Reed helped Hadder to his feet. "You're in luck. Get dressed and let's move on up."
Hadder dressed quickly, but not fast enough for his stomach's liking. It growled fiercely, threatening pain should he dally any longer. The Slink throbbed dully, noticeably smaller and taking on a brownish hue.
Together, Hadder and Reed made their way up the stairs leading to Inferno's third level, a banquet hall with rows of long tables and ornate, tall-backed chairs. Many diners were already seated and eating, so Hadder and Reed found two seats near the end of one of the large tables. Hadder's hunger had grown to the point that his head was spinning, causing him to fall into his chair unceremoniously.
As soon as Hadder and Reed were seated, a lemma manikin approached and deposited plates of food before them. The meat on the plates was unrecognizable, perhaps something of the propriety variety from Station's organism-rich gardens, but Hadder didn't care, couldn't care. He dug in with both hands, shoveling fistfuls of mystery meat into his mouth.
As Hadder and Reed finished plates, more were brought, each more exotic than the ones served before. A turtle shell filled with fried glowing insects was scooped clean. Strange vegetable medleys were presented in the cupped dismembered hands of mysterious beasts. Thin, flavorful soups swam with sea monkey creatures that were swallowed whole.
Everything was consumed without question or concern regarding the nature of the food. Eventually, empty plates were taken up, and no more were delivered. Hadder leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, glad to be done with the curious heavy meal. Hadder's stomach had finally fallen silent, but his mind continued to spin dangerously out of control.
Thinking this floor concluded, Hadder began to rise but was restrained by Reed's autonomous dreadlocks on his shoulder. "One more," was all that Reed said.
Four hidden doors along the left and righthand walls opened simultaneously, and wheeled tables being pushed by glume manikins exited from each. The wheeled tables were positioned so that each covered roughly one-quarter of the diners. On each table, Hadder was surprised to see a nude lemma manikin, milky eyes staring blankly at the ceiling's swirling frescos. From somewhere in their black skin suits, each of the glume manikins pulled out a scalpel and a carving knife. Hadder's full stomach teased a complete emptying.
Unable to conceal the panic in his voice, Hadder said, "Reed, what's this about?"
"This is where shit gets pretty intense, Hadder. I'm sorry, man, but there's only forward now. Don't hold on too tight."
Hadder watched in horror, mouth agape, as the glume manikins cut open their lemma counterparts in unison like synchronized swimmers. From Hadder's seat, he could see the gruesome show in its entirety, one poor lemma being only feet away. The lemma's sternum was sliced open, and its chest cavity was opened with a brutal pull by the butcher manikin.
Given the tick-tock nature of the manikins, Hadder had assumed their internal workings consisted of gears, pistons, and springs. But from his vantage point, it appeared that the lemma's innards very much mirrored those of his own, adding to his discomfort. One significant difference, however, was that where the heart would typically be found, the lemma had a banana-shaped organ that glowed a violent blue. The butcher reached into the gaping hole and viciously ripped out the blue organ, placing it on its table next to the body. The lemma had no reaction.
The butcher glume then used its carving knife to skillfully portion the blue heart, placing one piece in the center of each fresh plate that was procured from a hidden shelf under the table. Other service manikins rushed forward to pick up the final dishes and deliver them to waiting residents. One was placed in front of Hadder, and another was given to Reed.
"Try not to think about it, Hadder," was all the advice that Reed could muster. Before Hadder could respond, Reed plucked the heart from his plate, deposited it into his mouth, and began chewing loudly.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. The mantra repeated in Hadder's mind as he scooped up the jiggly blue muscle and placed it on his tongue. Closing his eyes, he chewed slowly and was pleasantly surprised that the heart had both the texture and flavor of an oversized gummy bear. He chewed just enough to swallow, then opened his eyes.
Only to stare directly into the white eyes of the dissected lemma, who had turned its head on the table to look directly at Hadder, throwing silent accusation. Hadder dropped his head in abashed guilt, reminded of Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream," only raising it when Reed gripped him under his arms.
"Let's go, Hadder. Time for the next floor. And you may want to prep yourself."
"For what?"
&n
bsp; "That thing we just ate packs a real wallop. Everyone is kinda on their own from here; best of luck to you."
With those unhelpful words, McKintosh Reed walked towards the back of Inferno level three and up the next set of stairs leading deeper into mania. Hadder started to follow, then stopped and took one last look at the lemma he had just eaten. The marble eyes continued to stare at Hadder but were now joined by a devilish smirk that cut into the human's own heart, forcing him to trip on his way out.
The Slink throbbed painfully under his skin. And then Marlin Hadder's mind detonated.
The manikin heart ruined Hadder's brain for the next terrifying hours. Inferno's fourth floor was a sight for the eyes that threatened to burn Hadder's ocular nerves. The entire main room was made of gold, from the heavily decorated columns to the side counters that offered potent drinks in crystal goblets.
The combination of manikin heart, decomposing Slink, and a cornucopia of smoke and drink left Marlin Hadder a mess of a person, which paired perfectly with level four's other residents who were equally stoned. Most of his time was spent on the large dance floor, a crystal floor that sparkled with inlaid diamonds and played games with the overhead rainbow light.
Gilded pipes that contained intense smoke were passed around as were baroque crowns that, when placed on the head, sent waves of euphoria directly into the brain. One such crown, with green emeralds encircling the band, was placed on Hadder's head by a woman with an elongated neck reminiscent of a swan. Shockwaves thundered through Hadder's body, forcing him to the floor as residents danced like feral beasts around him. Surrounded by crazed mirth, Hadder convulsed and came in his pants before darkness overtook him, the laughs above raining down like a summer heat storm.
While darkness had indeed enveloped Marlin Hadder, lose consciousness he did not. Hadder's body began moving on autopilot, the kernel of being that was Marlin Hadder reassigned to the back of the theater, a mere viewer of the unfolding Haela. Much was observed, but only bits and pieces could later be recollected.
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