Joaquim, Gabe, and Iker teleported and stepped off a green pad, walking onto an isolated flying platform with an unconventional home. The structure resembled scattered cubes at first glance, an architectural marvel of unconventional design.

The tilted cubes on the perimeter of the house had one floor, the inner cubes in a steeper angle had two floors, and the almost-diamond building in the center had three floors. The walls on the side cubes featured painted circular patterns, and the sun cast harsh glares on the black glass that paned the front cubes of the house.

A hologram appeared in front of Iker after he raised his hand and pressed some buttons, causing the front doors to emit a soft click. Joaquim and Gabe stood for a solid minute, taking in the extraordinary sight, until Joaquim impulsively leaped into a sprint. Gabe lunged forward and ran past him.

Gabe spun in the air with a flying kick pointed at the doors, but he shook his head and brought his feet back, stumbling over the undone laces of his shoes. Joaquim ran past him and tackled the door by accident, not yet accustomed to the speed of his growing legs. He jammed his hands onto the door handle and went inside the house.

Even though it seemed impossible from outside, the circular living room had windows side by side, offering a breathtaking view of blue skies all around. Joaquim looked back to see that the windows on the door were as big as the surrounding windows. He spun slowly to enjoy the view. The almost-diamond building was visible in the doughnut-shaped inner windows, and the building had a hothouse surrounding it. The floating pots inside bestowed plants with perpendicular vines and branches, adorned with assortments of colorful cube-shaped fruits, flowers, and vegetables.

Apart from a couple of cupboards, the furniture inside the house floated in midair. The color scheme was peach and gray, and the couches, sofas, and chairs floated up and down gently as if waves of invisible water were passing under them.

"Hello there," a voice said.

Joaquim and Gabe turned to see a husky dog sitting nearby. The husky had periwinkle eyes, reminiscent of the arctic under the twilight sun, and her pupils resembled a black planet filled with dusk mountains.

"Did the dog just talk?" Gabe asked, baffled.

"No, it was your sneakers," the husky replied. "My name is Lucia. What would be your names?"

Her voice carried a touch of familiarity, like that of a customer service representative in the earthplexus.

Gabe frowned at her, then turned away. "Please tell me you were born with the ability to talk, and you didn't go through any surgeries."

"It shouldn't matter anyway," Lucia replied.

"Of course it matters," Gabe retorted.

"I came out of a children's cartoon. That's my final answer," Lucia said in a playful manner.

"We have guests?"

At that moment, a gentle and calculated voice filled the air, drawing their attention. A man who seemed impossibly attractive stood at the stairs. The syrupy lights from the hothouse behind him gave him a warm aureolin glow, and his smile seemed to brighten the room even further. Half of his face was in shadow, but Joaquim could still see the kindness in his eyes. The light illuminated one of his grey irises, which analyzed back and forth between Joaquim and Gabe. His size was imposing, yet he emanated an aura of calmness.

"Looks like I found my gym buddy. If you train me, I will be unstoppable," Gabe said, pointing a triumphant finger at him. "But who are you? Are you Iker's roommate or something?"

"Nope," Iker said, arriving behind the brothers.

Lucia stood up, wagging her tail, and she snaked between Iker's legs as he walked closer to the man on the stairs. Iker leaned in and gave the man a brief but sensual kiss.

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"This is my husband Noah," Iker said.

Gabe's eyes widened, his eyelids digging into the edges of his sockets. His skin crawled as he bent his neck sideways, taken aback by the sight.

Joaquim hoped Iker wouldn't notice Gabe's reaction, but he seemed too perceptive or accustomed to such situations. While Noah maintained a plastered smile, Iker's gaze lingered on Gabe for solemn seconds.

"Your rooms are upstairs," Iker said, his voice calm on the surface, though Joaquim sensed that he was suppressing emotions. Joaquim recognized that behavior, as he too often bottled up his feelings to the point of getting headaches. But in other people, it was all too familiar, a mask to hide the turmoil within.

"I think I will be staying at the barracks," Gabe said.

"What?" Joaquim asked, surprised by his brother's sudden decision.

Gabe had placed his backpack on a floating couch when he had entered the house. He picked it up and pushed his arms between the bag and the straps, a sense of unease evident in his actions.

"I don't know what you are doing, to be honest," Gabe said to Joaquim. "You wanted to be adopted by them and you tried to change your name or something? I don't like any of this."

Joaquim had known about Iker's sexuality, but he had forgotten about it when he lied to the police robots about the adoption. Did he unconsciously choose Iker, thinking that maybe he would be more understanding of what Joaquim was going through? Or was it just that Iker was the first supersoldier to pop into his head that wasn't in 1 platoon? Joaquim and Gabe had to avoid 1 platoon at all costs.

"I forgot about, well, this," Joaquim admitted.

"What are you guys talking about?" Iker asked. Joaquim knew that Iker just asked that question out of formality rather than confusion.

"I think they are talking about you two," Lucia chimed in. Lucia was also exaggerating her uncertainty.

"This is about you too," Gabe said to Lucia. "God created us the way we are. No one should play God on this Earth."

Lucia sighed through her snout. "I guess I'll play God on Mars then. Are you Alkrezian?"

Gabe glared at her. "I can't stay here."

"Hold on," Joaquim said, stepping in and grabbing Gabe's hand. He then turned his head back to Iker and Noah. "Give me a few minutes to talk to him outside."

The boys stepped outside, cautiously checking for cameras. Joaquim spotted one above Iker's front doors. They walked to the green teleportation pad, glancing back at the camera one more time before looking at each other, their faces filled with uncertainty.

"What did you say back in the base?" Gabe whispered.

Joaquim turned away from Gabe, looking down at the clusters of city platforms below. The green pad was close to the fenced edge of the platform, and he could see the entirety of the flying city from where he was standing.

"I said that my name was Joaquim," he confessed.

"Like – a guy's name?" Gabe asked. It seemed the fake confusion from Lucia and Iker was contagious.

Joaquim nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

"I am not buying it," Gabe said. "You're a tomboyish lesbian at best."

"Even if that were the case, wouldn't that still be a sin?" Joaquim asked.

"Even then, that would be easier than being trans," Gabe finally said.

When that sentence was muttered, silence immediately submerged them both for seemingly immortal seconds.

"Most people don't care about lesbians; religious people just pretend they do so they aren't hypocrites when they get grossed out by two guys being together," Gabe said.

"You're almost eighteen and you talk like a kid," Joaquim said with a sigh. "But do you believe in it?"

"Believe in what?" Gabe asked, puzzled.

Joaquim turned his head, locking eyes with his brother.

"Of course," Gabe replied. "We have to believe in it. We will burn in hell if we don't. You were the one that got us into this. Our religion saved our lives!"

"Is that why you believe in it?" Joaquim questioned.

"Huh?" Gabe asked, not fully grasping the meaning behind Joaquim's words.

"You're scared of hell. That's why you believe in it," Joaquim said, trying to make Gabe understand.

"We have to. He would kill us if he found out we were having this conversation," Gabe admitted, fear creeping into his voice. "Do you believe in it?"

Joaquim gazed back at the city, contemplating his answer. "I don't know what I believe in. I never asked to be this way."

"I am going to tell him," Gabe declared, stomping a foot forward.

"You can't," Joaquim pleaded, grabbing Gabe's shoulder. "I'm going to be dead if he finds out."

"I am only doing this because I know what's best for you," Gabe said, though his expression softened slightly. "You are Naomi, and you are going to stay that way. It's better for him to know sooner than later."

Gabe went to the pad's hologram and started typing into it. Joaquim ran right on the pad.

"Wait," Joaquim said desperately.

"Stay away!" Gabe shouted.

"Don't do this," Joaquim begged.

Gabe stepped on the teleportation pad.

"So you think you're a man?" Gabe asked rhetorically. He shoved Joaquim harder than anyone he ever had on No Man's Land, and Joaquim landed far from the teleportation pad. His brother shoved him right where the police robot caught him earlier, causing Joaquim to grimace while holding back his painful scream. The pad activated, and all Joaquim could do was watch the last of his family vanish into thin air.

While he took off the remains of Gabe's clothes and the broken biker helmet that sat on top of his head, Joaquim sat alone with glassy eyes.