Page 42 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly
Callie rolled her eyes.Sparx rarely acted squeamish like this.Probably because he reallydidregret it.“No.”She picked at her fingernails.“When he showed up, I stayed as long as I could trying to ignore him.I felt weirdly guilty about leaving in the middle of things, even though she’dforgottento mention him.But I couldn’t bring myself to actually have sex with him.Not even just to experiment or whatever.”Callie bit her bottom lip and stared at the ceiling.“It’s weird, you know.”
“Why?”Sparx put his hand on her knee, moving his thumb back and forth.
“I always felt that I should try everything once.But I just couldn’t.As soon as I saw him naked, I shut down.I had to use my safe word.”Callie’s eyes started to moisten.“Does that make me a bad person?”
“Oh honey,” Sparx scooped Callie into his arms and kissed the top of her head.“I will never, ever set you up again without triple checking them.I can’t believe I was such an arsehole.”
Callie squeezed back.“I know,” she said, muffled against his elbow.
“For the record,” Sparx felt Callie roll her eyes somehow against his arms.“Would you ever do a poly thing?”
“I don’t know.Maybe.Not with a guy though.I thought we’d been over this.”
“We have.Just confirming.”
Callie bolted upright.“Wait.What the fuck?You arenotsetting me up again.”
Sparx raised his hands in surrender.“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Callie settled back down.Sparx turned on the movie.
“Besides, looks like you’re doing just fine all by yourself.”
Callie woke up the next morning to find a man who was definitely not Sparx sitting against her wall.She gasped, scrambling backward.She was about to scream, but he put his hands up in surrender.
“Talia was busy,” he said.
“Busy?”
“Shedoeshave a job.A regular one.The train takes a bit longer to get to Model 2.”
Callie wasn’t sure what the salary was like for a gangster, but she knew Talia also did AI psychology.Model 2 used to be its own facility, but as time passed and the company towns grew, Tyton encompassed both facilities when they filed for incorporation.
Callie clutched the blanket to her chest.There was something weirdly familiar about the man.Golden skin, black hair and a slight build.
“I’m Siku.Sesi’s twin,” he said when he noticed she was staring a little too long.
“A twin?I didn’t think twins were born anymore.”
Siku stood, using the wall to brace himself.“Yes, well, I’m sure Sesi has told you all about why we’re a little different.”
Callie blinked the sleep from her eyes.Then she remembered she was still naked.“Uh, do you mind?”
Siku turned around.Callie shuffled about looking for clothes.
“Sesi hasn’t really told me anything.”
“We were born outside the city,” he said to the wall.“After you brought us those documents, we tested our blood.There are no synthetic organelles.We suspect it’s hereditary now for the rest of you.We think it’s also why we can’t use implants or DocPods.Biosig scanners don’t see us either.We’re basically ghosts.”
“Ghosts?”Callie asked, the conversations with Model 21 slamming back into her brain.She found her sports bra and slipped it over her head.“Kind of weird that no-one noticed a brand-new organelle in everyone’s cells.”
Siku nodded.“It is.That’s probably what she’s going to go looking for next.”Siku muttered to himself.
“I’m ready,” she said.
“Okay, let’s go.We’ll be taking the access tunnels again” Siku turned and started limping toward the door.
“Oh.Can’t we just walk to a port closer to your spot?”Callie tensed up.
