Hadder recalled fleeting meetings with strangers that were to become his makeshift family. While everyone he spoke with was beautiful or handsome, a few stood out and fought through his drug-addled brain to find permanent residence in his memory. A young black man named McKintosh Reed had eyes that perpetually shifted colors and dreadlocks that moved of their own accord like a nest of snakes. He used these to great effect as they were adept at snagging dancing women and pulling them towards their owner's beckoning arms and thrusting hips.
Yasmin Dash drifted down from The Soiree's high beams on white wings that sent white dust into the air behind her. Wearing only a white cropped halter top and white shorts, she stole the attention of the entire party as she glided down on undetectable currents, circling the party many times to ensure that all could admire her milky six-pack abs and taught legs. As she executed a perfect landing onto the shoulders and back of a waiting manikin, Hadder commented at the quality of the prosthetic wings, to which Reena laughed and said something that Hadder was unable to make out over the congratulatory shouts. Yasmin and Hadder shared a moment late in the Haela as her wings pulled him in painfully for a deep kiss that resulted in a fast-dissolving pill being deposited on his tongue. For the next fifteen minutes, Hadder could only lay on one of the leather couches as the world melted around him, Reena's fingers combing his hair his only tether to reality.
Hadder recalled Monty the Mod making the rounds, the Ophidian draped over his shoulders like an accessory. He danced from one group to the next, offering each the Ophidian and throwing dark looks at those who turned down his gift. Eventually, Monty sauntered over to Hadder's trio as they took a break from dancing. He nodded to Reena and Jonny in turn but spoke to Hadder. "So, I've been expectantly waiting all party, young man, for you to find me, introduce yourself, and maybe pay your respects. But I can't wait any longer as I'll soon be completely out of my mind, and I want to remember this meeting."
Hadder immediately felt embarrassed for his lack of party etiquette and tried to formulate an appropriate apology through his haze. "I'm so sorry, Mister…the Mod. I thought you'd be busy managing the party, and I didn't know where you were, and there's so much to take in, and I don't know what this stuff is I'm drinking now and…" Words spilled from Hadder's mouth, launched and accelerated by the unique combination of a dozen chemical compounds. He grew more flustered before Monty, Reena, and Jonny all fell into fits of laughter.
Monty turned to Jonny and Reena. "Oh, he's adorable. Wanting to be a real gentleman in such a state; that shows true class." Back to Hadder, "Don't worry, my dear boy, I'm just playing with you. As you know, I'm Montgomery Walls. But that's so bourgeoisie, please call me Monty, leave the "Mister" with that old devil Rott. And you are?"
"I'm Hadder, Marlin Hadder."
"A real pleasure to meet you, Hadder." Monty motioned Hadder in for a hug, but when Hadder obliged, Monty aggressively grabbed ahold of Hadder's head and angrily whispered in his ear, "Are you the Harbinger of the Fall?! Is the Last Judgement upon us already?! Goddammit, tell Rott I'm not ready!"
Before Hadder could even register what was being said to him, Monty had separated, and the Ophidian was in Hadder's face, billowing smoke blinding him while infiltrating his nose and lungs. Hadder closed his eyes before the torrent of smoke. When he opened them, gone was the Ophidian, and Monty the Mod could be seen waltzing his way to another group of residents.
Jonny's arm on Hadder's shoulder startled him. "Don't worry, old chap. Monty's a funny one. Been here as long as anyone, they say. Your appearance probably just stirred up some old superstitions. Have you met Stevie Coolota? You have got to see his third eye; it moves independently of the others."
Finally, Hadder recalled the specialty rooms off of The Soiree Noire's main chamber. As Haela deepened and the party began to thin, Hadder noticed residents pairing off or grouping together and moving towards the back of the main space. Along the back wall, almost imperceptible doors led to corridors that took partygoers to a series of more private rooms. Hadder had held out hope that Reena would take him to one but was crestfallen when he saw her heading through one door with several other striking women. Just before passing through, Reena looked back and saw the smoke of disappointment coiling off Hadder. She ran back and threw herself into him, planting another Sweet Tart kiss on his lips. "Sorry, Marlin, my love, but you're reserved for the evening. Jonny and I will find you tomorrow. Have fun."
The last bit came out in a giggle as she pointed towards a couch on which sat two women who had captured Hadder's attention earlier in the Haela. They stood up in unison and sashayed towards Hadder as Reena walked away. The woman on the left spoke first. "I'm Helen, this is Nestra. We've wanted to properly meet you, Marlin Hadder. I'm glad we now get the opportunity." Hadder swallowed hard, hoping his nervousness would disappear alongside his mounting saliva. Helen and Nestra were tall and lean like supermodels, and both wore red form-fitting evening gowns that left little to the imagination. That, however, was where traditional comparisons ended. Each woman sported cat eyes, Helen's emerald green, and Nestra's bright orange, and had long, sharp nails that glowed white. Even stranger, though, were the full-body tattoos that covered their skin. Helen was covered in leopard spots while Nestra sported white zebra stripes that stood out against her ebony skin.
Before Hadder could speak, each took hold of one of his arms and led him to the leftmost door on the back wall. They walked in silence, through the door and down a short corridor that ended in a small room with padded leather benches and clothing hooks. Past the changing room was a door on which sat a brightly lit spaceman symbol. "A little help, Hadder?" they asked, turning their backs to Marlin. He steadied his hands and prayed that his fingers wouldn't shake as he unzipped their gowns. Like synchronized swimmers, Helen and Nestra then slid the spaghetti straps of their dresses off their shoulders and let the red material fall to the floor, eventually hanging their clothes on the hooks provided.
Hadder's heart threatened to pound a hole in his chest as he stood before the nude, feline-like women. "We'll wait for you inside. Don't take too long," said Nestra. She fingered his silver suit. "And while this suit is hot, leave it out here." With that, both women walked over and opened the spaceman door. It was dim inside, and Hadder couldn't make out much before the door closed behind Helen and Nestra.
Hadder quickly undressed, carefully hanging up his suit jacket and attentively folding his pants and shirt. Pausing at his underwear, he ultimately said fuck it and stripped them off as well, leaving them atop his pants. Having traded one suit for another, Hadder opened the spaceman door and moved through with haste before he lost his nerve.
One step inside the room and Hadder's world turned upside down.
Hadder's foot, instead of feeling the hard ground beneath it, found only open space as he stepped down. With nothing there, he careened forward, head over heels, spinning into the room. Frantically flailing about momentarily, Hadder was eventually able to grasp something bolted onto the ceiling or floor and steadied himself to look around.
Hadder found himself in a medium-sized room, lit only by blacklight and pulsing neon, with soft leather cushions, mattresses, and chairs mounted to the ceiling, floor, and all four walls. Floating there naked in zero gravity, Hadder took a moment to calm his nerves and acclimate himself to the experience.
"How do you like it, Hadder?" he heard Helen say from across the room. Looking over, he finally found her lounging with Nestra on a couch on the ceiling, both sitting casually and giggling at his ineptitude.
"It's different, that's for sure."
"It's the best way to meet someone new. Don't you agree, Nestra?"
"For sure, Helen. Hadder, are you coming over here?"
Hadder floundered along the lower part of the wall. The girls laughed again.
"Maybe it's best if we go to him, Nestra."
"I think you're right, Helen."
Together, like aerial gymnasts, the women pushed off and easily spu
n towards Hadder like twin missiles topped with burning feline eyes. Nestra's white stripes and Helen's leopard spots glowed fiercely under the blacklight. Their nude bodies struck Hadder in a warm embrace, and the three eschewed speaking for passionate three-way kisses. Helen took her mouth from Nestra's neck to shout, "Play Diamond Cafe!" and the room filled with the musician's unique blend of synth-pop RnB, elevating the experience.
At one point, Nestra gave Hadder a strong push, sending him careening across the room. Helen gave chase, catching Hadder and pinning him to one of the ceilings many mattresses. Although they were in zero gravity, the ceiling and walls provided just enough pull to keep one pressed against it. In this way, Helen was able to mount Hadder, her feline eyes hovering in front of his own as she allowed him to enter her. Hadder breathed in deeply as Helen moved back and forth in rhythm with the music.
In short order, they were joined on the ceiling by Nestra, who gently tongued Hadder's nipples before digging her pulsating nails into his taut stomach, drawing blood. Hadder almost cried out, almost cursed at Nestra, before a feeling a pure euphoria cascaded over his body, turning him into a quivering mess and scrambling his brain, turning him from man to beast, matching the disposition of his companions.
From the ceiling, they went to the wall, where there was a variety of leather-wrapped bars and seats that facilitated an unlimited number of sexual positions for a creative trio. Every now and then, Helen or Nestra would stick Hadder with their medicinal nails, sending him into another head spiral. Bodies intertwined against leather and in open space. Lights flashed, and feline eyes sparkled. Melodic soundtracks gave order to chaos. In that dark room with those two strange women, Marlin Hadder lost himself in a medley of mouths and space and breasts and music.
Later, entirely spent, the three gently spun in the air, their bodies' internal humming holding the three together like magnets, allowing them to turn as one, sharing an experience like no other. As ceiling, wall, and floor slowly rotated past, Hadder sighed deeply, understanding that he had just enjoyed the third-best day of his life.
CHAPTER 8
Hadder woke with a start, taken aback by his rather unexceptional surroundings. He was lying atop a comfortable bed, fully clothed, failing to have made it inside the covers. Looking around, the room was basic but clean - just a bed, a nightstand, a closet, a full-length mirror, and a bathroom. On the nightstand sat an unusual clock that was without numerals, instead using an image depicting the Idol Moon that shrank and expanded to denote the time. If Hadder was reading it correctly, it appeared to be near the middle of the next Solay - Station's noon.
Hadder swung his feet to the floor and was struck by the sensation of gravity weighing him down, a now-foreign feeling thanks to his late-night escapades. Given the number of chemicals he had imbibed the previous Haela, he was pleasantly surprised that his headache was minimal, and his stomach, while terribly empty, wasn't trying to torture its inconsiderate owner.
Hadder was, however, painfully dehydrated, and stumbled to the bathroom to rectify the situation. After consuming a liter of water, Hadder stared at himself in the mirror. Gone were the lovemaking wounds caused by Helen and Nestra; no trace at all was left of their surgical nails. Glad to be rid of last Haela's evidence, Hadder walked into the shower, a miniature version of the community shower he had shared with the lovely Reena Song. "Water," said Hadder, and jets attacked him from all angles as steam rose from the bottom. While washing off the previous Haela's effects would have been sufficient, Hadder felt something more in the shower. As he breathed in deeply, the rising steam felt slightly narcotic, leaving behind an enjoyable body hum reminiscent of those pills he found solace in during the Before.
"Water stop," Hadder said to the room. Ready to get out but seeing no towels, Hadder remembered what Reena had told him. "Air," he demanded, and a cyclone of warm air encircled his naked form, drying him in seconds.
Back out in the main bedroom, Hadder had no choice but to put his silver suit back on. Fearing it would be severely soiled, Hadder was happy to discover that it remained perfectly pressed and still smelled like fresh lilac, another hidden benefit of Station's magnificent textiles.
Checking around the room, Hadder was reminded how little he had, literally just the clothes on his back. He exited his temporary home and was relieved to find that he had stepped into a hallway that looked familiar. Once again in the bowels of Morning's Echo, Hadder made his way back towards the upper level, trying to retrace the steps taken by him and Reena on a previous trip. He knew he was on the right track when he passed the community bathroom's double doors. Unable to wrangle his curiosity, Hadder peaked in and found two couples locked in a singular embrace under the magical torrents of water. Still shy compared to Station's veterans, Hadder backed out to give the couples privacy.
As he continued down the hall, Hadder recognized the room where Reena procured his suit and stepped in. Luckily, a lemma manikin was there already, waiting patiently behind the counter, its milky eyes staring at nothing while seeing everything. Hadder stood before the lemma uncertainly. "I'd like some clothes, please." The lemma pointed above, and Hadder watched as the screen blinked to show an array of men's clothing, a vast selection that overwhelmed him.
"Just some gray pants, black t-shirt, boxer briefs, and socks, please." The memory of Reena's impressive shoes inspired him. "And high tops, maybe whose designs fluctuate between black and white as I walk?" Marlin Hadder was no fashionista, but he was damn-well going to try.
The lemma stared at Hadder for several seconds before turning and becoming a tornado of labor. Fabrics flew in its hands, scissors moving at blinding speeds, and the sewing machine was barely able to keep up with its user. Hadder waited patiently, mesmerized by the efforts of the wind-up servant, and in 10 short minutes, his entire ensemble was ready. Seeing no point of modesty before the manikin, Hadder changed in the room. Once again, he was astonished by the craftsmanship exhibited in the clothing and the quality of the materials used. The light gray pants were soft and stretchy while looking expensive and tailored. The black t-shirt was a perfect fit, not tight nor loose. The high tops, however, stole the show. They were black and white, similar to Jordan 1s, and the colorways alternated as Hadder moved.
More comfortable in his new digs, Hadder left the manikin clothier and once again made his way towards the Echo's first floor. Eventually, Hadder returned to the lounge area, where several residents were back meandering, some playing unknown board games and others only smoking and sipping on drinks.
As Hadder passed through, a couple greeted him. Unable to recall their names, Hadder waved dumbly and continued towards the stairs, taking them two at a time when he reached them, growing desperate for fresh air. Pushing his way through the stairwell's doors, Hadder was greeted by two familiar faces as he entered the main floor of Morning's Echo.
Jonny VV and Reena Song sat at a nearby table, drinks in hand, smiling widely. Jonny slammed his palm onto the table. "I told you he'd end up here, Reena. Never doubt my superior intuition."
Reena smiled sweetly. "How are you doing, Marlin? Fun night, I assume?"
Jonny rose and walked to Hadder. He began to playfully look over his new friend. "Let's check you out, old chap. What did those awful creatures do to you last Haela? No permanent damage, I hope."
"Leave him be, Jonny," Reena jokingly reprimanded. Her eyes lit up. "Oh my, look at that new outfit. And those wonderful kicks. Do they? Oh, they sure do shift as you walk. Well done."
Hadder blushed at the compliment. "When in Rome, you know?"
Jonny responded, "I do know. And just like Rome, Station has excellent food. You must be famished."
"Poor thing hasn't eaten in days, Jonny."
"Well, not food, anyways, dear Reena."
"Oh, Jonny, don't be vulgar."
Hadder's stomach bellowed at the word food, forcing him to cut into his friends' banter. "I'm starving. Lead, and I'll follow."
Jonny quickly finished his drink.
"Well, that settles it. Dine, we shall! Let us make haste to The Medici."
Hadder followed Jonny and Reena across Morning's Echo, seeing the Bar with new eyes framed by lenses forged from the activities of the past two dozen hours. As they stepped out into the city called Station, Hadder could only imagine what this new Solay would bring.
The Celebration Cluster was quiet in the relative brightness of the Solay. Hadder walked silently beside the chatty Reena and Jonny, who were exchanging notes from late-night Soiree engagements. Both had changed into new, equally exciting outfits.
Reena was wearing transparent haram pants whose shower-glass textured showed the hint of tight boy shorts underneath. Her shoes were simple, clear sandals that showed off manicured toes. A tight-fitting tube top finished off the look. On the tube top, a moving graphic image of a nude girl dancing repeated on a loop. Her short pink hair was done up in pigtails, and her Light Crown continued to circle her head.
Jonny VV was donning bright red pants over white boots and a white silk hoodie under a black vest. On the back of the garment, a red dragon flew through the black sky, every now and then breathing holographic red and orange breath at anyone bold enough to stare. Hadder laughed lightly, realizing that this was casual wear for Reena and Jonny.
Taking a moment to get his bearings, Hadder realized that they were taking one of the major thoroughfares that fed into the Celebration Cluster's western side. Heading west while making small talk, Hadder again marveled at the sights that assaulted him. The roadway on which they walked was a busy one, so Hadder was able to catch glimpses of many more of Station's residents.
Unsurprisingly, they all retained an air of attractiveness, even those that looked bored to death. While not all had Jonny and Reena's continual drive for cutting-edge fashion, everyone seemed well-dressed, and most had some unique quality that marked them as an individual. One woman's hair stood straight up, nearly reaching the bulb-like fruit of the Monarch Trees. Another went the other way, shaving her head and allowing small implants above each ear to beam holographic hair onto her bald pate. As Hadder watched, she went from green half-shaved bob to blue mohawk in less than 10 meters. One man who passed had knees that bent in the opposite direction, tight shorts accentuating the irregularity, while another had skin that was decorated like a checkerboard, reminding Hadder of Helen and Nestra's modified dermis.
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