couldn’t be as altruistic as he was making it sound.
And these people were going to volunteer to be satellite tracked? Were they all morons?
“Who wants to give it a try?”
The crowed screamed.
“You, there. Who would you like to look up?”
“A Seligo!” A little girl yelled.
“Come on,” Mona said, tugging me away from the Green area. “It’s this way.”
I let myself be pulled away from the Green tents before I jumped onto the platform to give them all a piece of my mind.
Because that would be monumentally stupid.
We headed toward the Black Helix area in the distance. Two huge, black tents stood at the right of the entrance, with a demo stage set up in front of them. People in all black walked among the crowd, visibly showing their Black Helix tats.
“Do you see him?” Mona glanced back at me. Her long blonde waves fell nearly to her butt, and her blue eyes usually caught every male’s attention. Today her clothes were adding to the effect—Mona’s white sundress was tight, short, and totally backless. The girl didn’t own anything that went below mid-thigh. Totally annoying. Not because I was jealous of the attention, but because I didn’t want it spilling over to me.
I raised an eyebrow. “I see a lot of hims. Which specific one do you mean?”
“Oliver.” She moved faster through the thickening crowd. “He’s so tall, we shouldn’t be able to miss him.”
I wasn’t looking for Oliver. The only guy I needed was fighting on the stage. Once I found him, I was out of here.
The closer we got to the Black Helix section, the more antsy I got. I cracked my knuckles as we walked. This was not a place for someone like me, but my need for the processor outweighed anything else.
Even so, I’d be shocked if Crackhead’s guy ended up being cool. The only good thing about this crowd was that I’d be able to disappear into it. Even with my blue hair.
It was like everyone in the entire Void had shown up. Norms celebrated their imperfections, even if they secretly wished they ranked a helix. That meant that most everyone here was pierced and tattooed, with hair colors spanning the full spectrum of the rainbow.
Helixes were all about flaunting their genetic perfection. Most only had one helix tattoo and natural-colored hair. The only helixes I saw were wearing solid colored T-shirts. Some even had badges, signaling that they were the ones to go to with questions. Only helixes who were forced to work ever showed up for these kinds of propaganda shows.
I hadn’t seen anyone in a Seligo white T-shirt yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t here somewhere. I made sure to keep an eye out just in case. The odds were low that my uncle would be here, but the sooner I was out, the better.
I pulled my hair into a knot at the nape of my neck. I didn’t get all the tendrils, but the heavy weight of it was making my back sweat. Plus, less someone could grab if I had to make a break for it. I wouldn’t let myself get caught. It couldn’t happen. I’d maintained my freedom by keeping to myself and staying on the run, and I was ready to bolt with nothing but the clothes I was wearing if it came down to that.
“I see him.” Mona bumped her shoulder against mine. “He’s fighting that guy that you’re supposed to meet.”
I tugged at my lip ring with my teeth as Mona pushed her way to the front of the demo crowd. Oliver’s bald head was all I could see through the mass. Whoever he was fighting was a little shorter. Not by much though. Mona had to throw a few elbows to get us close to the action. When we’d pushed up to the front, she leaned into the fence that surrounded the circular raised stage, trying to get even closer to the fight.
I didn’t blame her. The guys moved fluidly, and even though this was a demo, they weren’t pulling their punches. Their feet were bare. Black sweat pants. No shirts. Better to show off their muscles and the helixes tattooed on their forearms.
The two moved
And these people were going to volunteer to be satellite tracked? Were they all morons?
“Who wants to give it a try?”
The crowed screamed.
“You, there. Who would you like to look up?”
“A Seligo!” A little girl yelled.
“Come on,” Mona said, tugging me away from the Green area. “It’s this way.”
I let myself be pulled away from the Green tents before I jumped onto the platform to give them all a piece of my mind.
Because that would be monumentally stupid.
We headed toward the Black Helix area in the distance. Two huge, black tents stood at the right of the entrance, with a demo stage set up in front of them. People in all black walked among the crowd, visibly showing their Black Helix tats.
“Do you see him?” Mona glanced back at me. Her long blonde waves fell nearly to her butt, and her blue eyes usually caught every male’s attention. Today her clothes were adding to the effect—Mona’s white sundress was tight, short, and totally backless. The girl didn’t own anything that went below mid-thigh. Totally annoying. Not because I was jealous of the attention, but because I didn’t want it spilling over to me.
I raised an eyebrow. “I see a lot of hims. Which specific one do you mean?”
“Oliver.” She moved faster through the thickening crowd. “He’s so tall, we shouldn’t be able to miss him.”
I wasn’t looking for Oliver. The only guy I needed was fighting on the stage. Once I found him, I was out of here.
The closer we got to the Black Helix section, the more antsy I got. I cracked my knuckles as we walked. This was not a place for someone like me, but my need for the processor outweighed anything else.
Even so, I’d be shocked if Crackhead’s guy ended up being cool. The only good thing about this crowd was that I’d be able to disappear into it. Even with my blue hair.
It was like everyone in the entire Void had shown up. Norms celebrated their imperfections, even if they secretly wished they ranked a helix. That meant that most everyone here was pierced and tattooed, with hair colors spanning the full spectrum of the rainbow.
Helixes were all about flaunting their genetic perfection. Most only had one helix tattoo and natural-colored hair. The only helixes I saw were wearing solid colored T-shirts. Some even had badges, signaling that they were the ones to go to with questions. Only helixes who were forced to work ever showed up for these kinds of propaganda shows.
I hadn’t seen anyone in a Seligo white T-shirt yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t here somewhere. I made sure to keep an eye out just in case. The odds were low that my uncle would be here, but the sooner I was out, the better.
I pulled my hair into a knot at the nape of my neck. I didn’t get all the tendrils, but the heavy weight of it was making my back sweat. Plus, less someone could grab if I had to make a break for it. I wouldn’t let myself get caught. It couldn’t happen. I’d maintained my freedom by keeping to myself and staying on the run, and I was ready to bolt with nothing but the clothes I was wearing if it came down to that.
“I see him.” Mona bumped her shoulder against mine. “He’s fighting that guy that you’re supposed to meet.”
I tugged at my lip ring with my teeth as Mona pushed her way to the front of the demo crowd. Oliver’s bald head was all I could see through the mass. Whoever he was fighting was a little shorter. Not by much though. Mona had to throw a few elbows to get us close to the action. When we’d pushed up to the front, she leaned into the fence that surrounded the circular raised stage, trying to get even closer to the fight.
I didn’t blame her. The guys moved fluidly, and even though this was a demo, they weren’t pulling their punches. Their feet were bare. Black sweat pants. No shirts. Better to show off their muscles and the helixes tattooed on their forearms.
The two moved
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