“You don’t understand! You didn’t see what he did!” Evie pleaded at Hat as they walked into their room.
Hat opened his mouth, his expression guarded, but Evie didn’t let him speak. “He kicked Lubanzi’s throat in! If we were back on Earth, I think he would have killed him! Claro was right, I had to do something-”
“Evie-“
“And he’ll be ok! Two minutes in a resurrection chamber will undo everything I did. Really, I just scared him. I couldn’t watch him keep hurting Lubanzi–”
“EVIE. Shut up! I get it!” Hat shouted, fluttering down to the bed and glaring up at her. “You don’t need to explain it to me. I know what’s been going on, and I saw what Haruto did. I went to the Med Bay with Amiya when we heard there was an incident. You’re right, you didn’t technically do anything wrong, and Haruto will be physically back to normal within the hour.”
Evie stared at the pigeon. She was breathing heavily, and to her surprise, found herself fighting back tears. Relief hit her like a wave and she collapsed onto her bed, making her realize just how worried she had been. Not about Haruto. About Hat’s opinion of her.
“I understand why, Evie. But it was still a pretty fucked up thing to do.”
Evie looked sharply back at Hat. “So I should have just let Haruto continue treating Lubanzi and I like punching bags?”
“No. But defaulting straight to ripping off his balls seems a little extreme, don’t you think? Did you consider, I don’t know, confronting him? Asking why he’s been acting the way he has?”
“He’s made it pretty clear he’s not interested in talking,” Evie hissed back, her frustration rekindled. “Claro said I needed to stop bitching and handle the situation on my own. I handled it!”
“Jesus Evie, you’re making my case for me. Why on Earth would you listen to one of those bloodthirsty fucks? All Claro and the other Skonarians care about is turning you into an entertaining killer by any means necessary-“
“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” Evie shouted. She was on her feet, teeth bared and fists clenched, staring down at the bug-eyed little bird in disbelief. “How could you say that, Hat? The Skonarians have been nothing but good to me. Don’t talk about them like they’re the bad guys here.”
Hat blinked up at her in what seemed like genuine confusion. He had scurried back when she rose, sucking in his feathers with concern. “Ok Evie, calm down. I’m sorry for poking at what’s clearly a sensitive area.”
Evie’s pulse raced in her ears, but she forced her hands to relax. “I’m sorry for yelling,” she said, slowly sitting back down on the bed. Hat relaxed, but kept his distance. “But don’t do that. After everything the Skonarians have done for me… I can’t just let you insult them.”
“And what, exactly, have the Skonarians done for you?”
Evie hesitated. “Everything! You know… They rescued me from a terrible situation. Healed me, gave me a new life…”
“A new life so that you can perform, and maybe die, for their entertainment.”
Evie opened her mouth to protest, but couldn’t. Hat was technically correct, that’s why she was here. But it didn't feel like that should matter. “You don’t understand,” she said, trying to straighten her suddenly tangled thoughts.
“You’re right, I don’t.” Hat’s voice was level, but he had puffed himself into an annoyed ball. “Let's go through the list of everything the Skonarians have done for you. They took an interest because you committed a murder with a weapon they thought was funny, then enlisted you into a potentially deadly situation, which you agreed to because you didn’t have any better options. And since being on board, they have treated you and the other humans like you’re their new fucking pets.”
Evie shook her head in disbelief. “No…” she said, leaning away from the bird.
“No?!” Hat’s pupils were the size of pinpricks. He stomped onto her knee and glared up at her. “They train you. Reward you for good behavior. Now, they’re sticking you on each other like dogs in a god damned pen. And you say you’re grateful to them? What the actual fuck for?!”
The air felt thicker, harder to pull into her lungs. She couldn’t deny what Hat said. Her mind agreed with his words, but they had no impact on the burning, ever-present feeling of respect and admiration for the Skonarians. It was as strong as ever, and for the first time, Evie questioned why? When had she started to feel this way? She thought back, and her stomach dropped.
“Hat,” she said slowly. “Can the Skonarians…affect how I feel, using the resurrection chambers?”
Hat’s head cocked back in surprise. “No,” he responded immediately. “Resurrection chambers are Sniffer tech. The Skonarians use them, but don’t understand how they work. Manipulating your emotions is way out of the scope of what the Skonarians could do with them.”
“But it’s possible?” Evie pushed. “What if the Skonarians have started to figure the technology out? Use it in ways they aren’t meant to.”
Hat shook his head again, more vehemently this time. “Look, Evie, what you're suggesting isn’t possible. This isn’t a matter of a small technological difference that the Skonarians could work out over time. The Sniffers are astronomically more advanced than everyone else. The Skonarians figuring out their tech would be like if a squirrel suddenly started doing calculus.”
“Or if a pigeon started producing episodes of an intergalactic TV show?” Evie said dryly.
Hat waved his wing dismissively. “It’s not the same thing, Evie. I’m sorry, but there has to be another explanation. I know that when you showed up here you had some…baggage. From your life back on Earth. The Skonarians cleared that up for you. It’s understandable if that inspired some loyalty-”
A knock on the doorframe interrupted them, and Lubanzi and Amiya entered. Lubanzi was back to normal, with no remaining hint of his horrible injury. Evie jumped to her feet to greet him, but stopped dead at his expression.
“I saw what you did,” Lubanzi said through gritted teeth. “They brought Haruto in right as I came out of the resurrection chamber. Amiya told me the details. Evie, what the ACTUAL FUCK?”
Evie flinched backwards. She had never seen Lubanzi angry before.
“How could you do something like that, Evie?!” Lubanzi yelled. “That’s what Haruto does. He hurts others. Just because you hurt him this time doesn’t suddenly make it fucking ok!”
“I was trying to protect you,” she said, her voice small. “To protect both of us! And I did! Haruto won’t bother us anymore.”
Lubanzi’s hands flew up in the air. “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Evie. Maybe you’ve forgotten, but in a few months we’ll both get dumped ALONE onto Honrad. You won’t be around, and if I can’t handle my own shit, I’m going to be dead! Haruto is a bully, but compared to what’s coming, he’s a warm up. I need to learn how to deal with things like him myself, even if that means he’s going to break my neck every other day from now until we land. You didn’t help me by taking that away.”
Evie winced, Lubanzi’s words striking her like a slap in the face. This was one thing too many. She collapsed back onto the bed, raking trembling fingers through her hair.
After a moment, she felt him take a seat next to her. “I’m sorry,” she said. Her words felt inadequate. She felt his hand on her shoulder and looked up. His face had softened.
“I know it can’t have been fun to see what he did to me. I would have been devastated if our positions were reversed. But that was fucked up, Evie. I forgive you, but don’t do it again.”
“I know,” she whispered, “I know, and I won’t. But Lubanzi, I have to ask you something. This is important. How do you feel about the Skonarians?”
Lubanzi looked at her, surprised by the change of subject. “I don’t know. They’ve always kind of creeped me out. I don’t like how condescending they are to us. Azur is definitely the worst. She’s always made me uncomfortable.”
Evie had to bite back a sharp retort. Even now, Lubanzi’s words viscerally upset her. How could he be so ungrateful?! But she pushed through and continued, trying not to let it show.
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“Do you ever feel…different, after getting out of the resurrection chambers?”
Lubanzi was beginning to look concerned. “No, Evie. They heal whatever’s wrong, that’s it.”
Evie looked back at Hat. He met her eyes, saying “I told you so” without speaking a word. She bit her lip and looked away.
Long after Lubanzi and Amiya had left, and Hat had drifted asleep, Evie lay awake. Her mind refused to let her sleep. She had briefly been so sure that there was something going on with the resurrection chambers, but Hat was adamant it wasn’t possible, and Lubanzi had no idea what she was talking about. And through her confusion, another thought nagged at her. She couldn’t deny how good what she had done to Haruto felt in the moment. Embracing her anger, even briefly, had been liberating. This was the perfect venue to explore that part of herself. It might even make her a stronger contender in the Sim. Evie rolled over, squeezing her eyes shut and willing sleep to overtake her.
The light flickered on, accompanied by the alarm tone. Hat’s morning grumbling came to an abrupt end as they both remembered what day it was. Today was the Weapons Ceremony.
The last few days had been uneventful, much to everyone’s relief. Haruto, on the surface, seemed normal, but Evie could tell he was avoiding them. This morning, there would be no training.
Mijra arrived with breakfast, a simple protein shake, before whisking Evie away to get ready. She escorted Evie and Hat to a distant room that Evie had never been to. As they entered, Hat announced he would see her later and was off, flying away down the hall before she could say anything. Mijra, unconcerned, ushered Evie into the room.
It was a kind of dressing chamber, with a large attached bath off to one side. With no additional preamble, Mijra escorted Evie to the bath and told her to undress. Over the past months, the Skonarians had slowly eroded away Evie’s modesty, and by this point her nakedness did not bother her. Mostly. She was irrationally grateful that Hat had remained outside.
Evie took ten minutes to clean herself before the preparations began in earnest. Mijra sat Evie, wrapped in a towel, down in a chair. She ran a brush through her hair, getting out the worst of the knots before leaving it to air dry. Then she started on Evie’s skin. For the next few hours, Mijra delicately painted a pattern across Evie’s shoulders and down her arms. For most of the process, Evie couldn’t see what she was painting. Any time she tried to look, Mijra would snap at her to sit still. But as the woman made her way down Evie’s arm, her work slowly came into focus. Using a shimmering paint that was only a shade or two lighter than Evie’s skin tone, she was painstakingly outlining thousands of tiny scales. They were subtle, but glowed as the light hit them.
After what felt like an eternity, Mijra abruptly finished and left the room. She returned a few minutes later with a dress. The garment was a pearl white ball gown, clearly influenced by human formal wear. It had no sleeves and a high neckline, supported by a tight-fitting collar. Evie felt her stomach clench uncomfortably when she saw the fabric up close. It looked like the flayed skin of a Skonarian, and Evie fervently hoped it was synthetic. Mijra removed the towel wrapped around Evie, opened the collar, and helped her step into the dress. She carefully maneuvered the garment around the areas she had so painstakingly painted, fastened the collar, and stood back.
In front of them, the wall shifted and Evie found herself face to face with her own reflection. The gown hugged her so perfectly she felt naked, cinching in her waist and flaring out at her hips to give her curves that she had never had. The scales painted across her glistened, small ornaments in the light, emphasizing the muscles in her arms. She couldn’t ever remember feeling beautiful, not next to Mildred, but she had never looked more like her sister than she did in that moment. The realization filled her with bittersweet wonder.
“If you’re finished admiring yourself, Evie, we should get going. Azur is meeting you, and we don’t want to be late,” Mijra said, guiding her towards the door. Hat sat outside, perched on a small white branch that had sprouted from the wall. His feathers glistened, and she wondered if he had also gotten a bath. He eyed her up and down for a moment, then fluttered to his customary spot on her shoulder as Mijra led them down the hall.
“No wonder you took so goddamn long! What’s up with the fancy getup?! And where’s your mask?” He whispered into her ear.
“What do you mean?” she responded, confused. “She didn’t give me a mask.”
“This kind of crap normally gets pulled out at the end of the Sim, in the ceremony where the top-rated assassins get their boons,” he whispered, gesturing with a wing at her dress. “Normally assassins just wear their uniforms to the Weapons Ceremony. The only thing you actually need is your mask. She didn’t give you a mask?!” He shot a suspicious look over at Mijra, as if it might be her mistake.
“Azur requested the clothing, and she wants to hand out masks in person before the Ceremony,” Mijra said over her shoulder. Hat and Evie glanced at each other in confusion.
The three walked for a few minutes before arriving at another room that Evie hadn’t been to before. Mijra ushered her in before turning around and heading back down the hall. It looked like a small conference room and had a door set into the back wall. Not a doorway, an actual door. It was only the second that Evie had seen since setting foot on the ship. Lubanzi and Haruto were there, accompanied by their producers. Both men stood awkwardly on separate sides of the room. They wore formal vests and pants, made from the same fabric as Evie’s dress. Their bare arms also shimmered with subtle scales that blended into their different skin tones. Unfortunately, the sleeveless formal wear worn by the two men evoked a different, presumably unintended image. Evie coughed into her hand to stop herself from bursting out laughing. The two men looked like male strippers.
“Don’t. Say. Anything.” Growled Lubanzi, his dark skin standing out sharply against the white clothing. “You look…” Lubanzi eyed her up and down, an eyebrow raised. “Intimidating,” he finally settled on.
“You look great!!” Evie replied, fighting hard to keep her face straight. “Are those pants held on with Velcro?” Hat stifled a giggle.
“Shut the fuck up,” Lubanzi mumbled, blushing.
“No, really!!” Evie was trying and failing to keep her voice neutral. “If assassinating aliens doesn’t work out, you’ve got a promising backup career. I hear Chippendales is hiring.” Lubanzi gave her a dirty look, but she could tell his heart wasn’t in it. Suddenly, she noticed that his dark skin was paler than normal, and coated with a light sheen of sweat. As Evie opened her mouth to ask if he was ok, a familiar voice at the doorway cut her off.
“Well, would you look at you!” Azur glided in. It was the first time they had seen her in over a month. She wore an extravagant, shimmering silver uniform, and delicate chains wrapped around her neck and wrists. Her scales glowed as if waxed. Behind Azur, two more Skonarians filed in. The first held a stack of three medium-sized boxes. The second brandished a tablet, and sitting on his shoulder was another pigeon.
Hat snickered uncontrollably. The new pigeon threw him a dirty look. It was wearing a tiny, ridiculously poofy white coat. “That’s a Skonarian pigeon!” he whispered into Evie’s ear. “The poor bastards are used to Skonarian temperatures.”
“I wanted to give the three of you your masks in person,” Azur said, waving Lubanzi and Haruto forward. They stopped awkwardly on either side of Evie. Azur stepped forward, spun around, and wrapped an arm around Evie’s waist, turning her slightly so that the two of them faced the Skonarian with the Pigeon. Small, black flecks darted around them, and Evie realized the pigeon was filming. The Skonarian jotted notes on his tablet. Some kind of reporter?
“Evie, your participation in particular has generated a lot of excitement.” Azur said. She looked at Evie, but her voice was loud and addressed the reporter. “We’re all looking forward to seeing what you can do, considering your unconventional weapon and your background.” They stood for a moment, frozen in place, as Azur smiled for the cameras. Evie, confused and unsure what to do, kept her face neutral.
The second Skonarian strode forward, taking the top box from the pile and handing it to Azur. Azur let go of Evie’s waist and accepted the package, nudging Evie to turn so that the two stood facing each other. Azur reached down and removed what looked like a white porcelain mask from the box. It was the same mask that Evie had seen worn by the other human assassins—a white, androgynous face with a neutral expression and no holes for eyes, nose, or mouth.
“Evie, this mask is the mark of a Skonarian assassin, and I am honored to be the one to put it on you. Wear it with pride and don’t forget what it means. We expect great things from you.” Evie had no idea what the mask meant, but Azur’s words still sent warmth blossoming through her chest. She ignored it.
Azur reached up and placed the mask on Evie’s face. The inside shifted and slid along her skin. It was unsettling, and Evie gritted her teeth as the mask contoured itself around her face. After a tense moment, she could suddenly see and breathe normally again. Opening and closing her mouth, she found her facial movements unrestricted. She looked at Azur, who again stood posed, looking triumphantly down at Evie. A small, glowing tag appeared in Evie’s vision. It read: Azur, Director of the Skonarian Branch of the Assassination Simulation. She glanced at the two other Skonarians, but no more labels appeared.
After a moment, the reporter spoke. “Mis, did you want to mask the other two?” Azur hesitated, then nodded. Within a minute, Lubanzi and Haruto both wore their masks as well.
The reporter, following a gesture from Azur, walked to the back of the room and exited through the door. Evie glimpsed a large chamber on the other side, full of murmuring voices, before the door shut and hid the room from view. Azur had followed the reporter to the door, but hadn’t gone through. Instead, she turned to face the three humans.
“I realize I never got around to briefing you all on what’s going to happen during the Weapons Ceremony. Honestly, you don’t need details, just follow directions. When the time comes, I’m going to lead the way into the auditorium.” She gestured through the door at the back of the room. “When directed, you will follow. After we air your origin story, I will call each of you onstage to receive your weapon. Remember, first impressions matter. I understand some of you may be negatively affected by rewatching your murders, but I recommend you hide it if that’s the case. Nobody likes assassins who come off as mopey or emotional, trust me. Once you’ve received your weapon, improvise some kind of flourish with it. The more memorable you can be, the better.”
She looked from Evie to the other two, but no one said anything. Azur turned to face the door.
“Try to relax,” Hat whispered in her ear. “You look like a sexy sleep paralysis demon. They’ll be more scared of you than you are of them.” Evie smiled weakly, though she knew the expression wouldn’t be visible through the mask.
Haruto lined up behind Azur by the door at the back of the room. Evie made to follow, but stopped when Lubanzi grabbed her wrist. “Evie,” he said. His voice was clear, not muffled by the mask at all, but so quiet she could barely hear him. His fingers trembled and squeezed so tightly it was painful. “Please. Don’t think too badly of me.” She stared up at him, wishing she could see his eyes beneath the mask. He released her and gestured for her to get in line behind Haruto.
At some unseen signal, Azur exited through the doorway. A minute later, the remaining Skonarian indicated they should follow. Holding her head up high, Evie followed Haruto through the door into the Weapons Ceremony.