Station, стр. 28

Reed motioned the manikin behind the counter."Drink? Yes. Two Number 7s, manikin!"

Hadder was confused. "You don't think Number 7 is abit mild for the Haela in store for us?"

Reed waited for the glume manikin to bring thedrinks before he responded. "No, Hadder, this calming elixir isexactly what we need right now. Drink it down. Fast." They bothemptied their glasses in one tilt back. "Another," ordered Reed,and they repeated the process. Hadder could feel the narcoticbeverage lowering his heart rate and slowing his breathing. "Andnow, Hadder, you're going to have to trust me. Do you trust me?"Hadder nodded in affirmation. "Then, please give me yourforearm."

Hadder removed his pattern-shifting green and blackcamouflage jacket and presented McKintosh Reed with his bareforearm. Reed flagged down a lemma manikin that was carrying asilver tray and held up two fingers. The female-form manikin withwhite cornrows approached and placed a palm-down cupped hand overHadder's forearm. When it removed its hand, what was left on Hadderwas a small wormlike creature that pulsed a deep red. As itpainlessly began to burrow into Hadder's flesh, he moved to pull itout but was restrained by several of Reed's dreadlocks.

"Let it do its thing, Hadder. You have to take theSlink to move to the next floor."

Hadder, no longer fighting Reed's impossiblypowerful hair, just stared in horror as the four-inch Slink sunkinto his forearm, remaining just below the skin, pulsing likeStation's most uncomplicated tattoo design. As Hadder gently rubbedhis fingers over the embedded Slink, Reed had his own Slinkinserted by the manikin.

"Reed," Hadder asked nervously, "what the hell doesthis thing do?"

Reed silently ordered two more Number 7s as heexplained. "The Slink is a long-lasting, multi-effect drug. As thecreature slowly disintegrates in the body, it releases severalcombinations of toxins that will have intense effects on its host.The breakdown of the Slink tends to coincide with advances upInferno. Thus, it will have varying impacts from level tolevel."

"This is insane, Reed."

Reed let out a crazed laugh. "I know, right! This isthe height of the Station experience, Hadder, except for maybethose nutters at Biomass. Listen, you seriously have to justtry to enjoy each floor, regardless of what's going on there.Disgust can lead to panic, which can lead to a swift kick out ofhere and into Station purgatory. Here, have another Number 7."

Several Number 7s and a Number 9 later and Hadderhad more or less forgotten about the alien entity slowly dying inhis arm. Hadder and Reed made their way around Inferno'sfirst level, renewing acquaintances with Helen and Nestra, andmaking new friends such as Penny Wonder, a middle-aged woman whohad Elevated herself to appear as a young teenager. Wearing aJapanese schoolgirl outfit and pink-tipped pigtails, Hadder wasunsurprised by Penny's popularity among a gross subset of Stationresidents.

As their time on the first floor continued, Hadderbegan to see a definite shift in the party as conversations becameear-blown whispers and caressing hands conveyed more than speakingmouths. Within himself, Hadder also felt a change as his faceflushed, body tingled, and lips hungered for the skin ofanother.

As Hadder made his way towards one of Helen andNestra's newest followers, a light-skinned Asian woman with goldenscales tattooed on her upper thighs, lower arms, and chest, he wasgrabbed by the cornrowed lemma. It pointed to the single door atthe far end of the level, opposite from the main entrancedoors.

Reed leaned in from behind. "That's our cue to moveup, Hadder. God, I wish we could stay at this next level forever."Saying nothing more, he ushered Hadder through the back door and upa flight of stairs to a landing on the second floor. Checking hisbreath and smoothing down his black on black ensemble, Reed took adeep breath and knocked on the door to the next level. It openedsilently, and they entered.

The second floor of Inferno was a dimly litopen space furnished heavily with comfortable-looking couches,corner-beds, swings, tables, and love seats. Hadder's mind buzzedloudly, and his testicles felt heavy as they swole uncomfortably.He looked to his forearm and saw that the Slink had increased itspulsing, sending alien chemicals flowing into his bloodstream.Inferno's second level was relatively full, and it didn'ttake Hadder long to understand the purpose of this floor -fucking.

Everywhere that Hadder looked, couples and groupslittered the room in sexual ecstasy. Clothes that were hastilyremoved and ignominiously cast aside were collected and politelyfolded by wandering manikins doubling as both servers andmaids.

Reed clapped Hadder loudly on the shoulder. He had acrazed glint in his color-shifting eyes, evidence that his Slinkwas also working its magic. "Looks like I've got some work to do.See you on level three." And with that, McKintosh Reed beganwalking towards the back corner of the room, where a small army hadcongregated on an oversized bed to share each other's bodies.

Hadder, although overwhelmed by the sheer quantityof sexual activities playing out before him, was unable to sit idlyby and simply gawk. Beyond what Reed had told him about being an"active participant," the Slink's enigmatic releases had ignited alust in him that would have to be satiated lest he risks hiseyeballs exploding within their sockets from unreleased internalpressure.

Letting his clothes drop to the floor, Hadder doveinto the mass of flesh and sweat and lubricants. And for a while,he lost himself to the experience.

Uncounted time later, Marlin Hadder and McKintoshReed sat with their backs against the wall, attempting to catchtheir breaths. Both were surprisingly dry, having wrung out everybit of bodily liquid. Others joined them along the wall while manycontinued the show, including those residents that were still justentering the second floor.

Manikins walked past with armloads of clothes,handing folded stacks to their matching owners. Hadder and Reedboth received their clothing, and Reed began dressing. "Looks likewe're done on this floor, Hadder."

Hadder sighed deeply. "That's too bad, but probablyfor the best. I really need to refuel. I've never felt sohungry."

Reed helped Hadder to his feet. "You're in luck. Getdressed and let's move on up."

Hadder dressed quickly, but not fast enough for hisstomach's liking. It growled fiercely, threatening pain should hedally any longer. The Slink throbbed dully, noticeably smaller andtaking on