Four days before the Selection

When I step out of the bathroom, Sánchez is sitting up on the table. Their eyes widen before averting their gaze. A blush creeps up my face. None of Devon's pants fit me, so I picked out the biggest T-shirt I could find to wear as a dress. Maybe that was inappropriate and I shouldn't have done that...

Whatever. I clear my throat and focus on drying my hair with the towel.

"H- Hey, Sánchez."

"Hey." They glance at me. "Your hair is really long."

"Uh, yeah. That's why I tie it up all the time."

"Oh. It's nice."

I walk towards them. "How are you feeling?"

"Could be better." They look down at the makeshift dining-turned-surgery table they're sitting on, wincing at the blood splattered across the plastic.

"You were bleeding a crap load," I explain, holding out a hand for them. "Why didn't you tell me you were shot back there?"

They take my hand as they hop onto the ground. Their palm is no longer sweaty, but warmer than ever. A toasty, fuzzy sensation grows in my chest.

"I didn't think it would be this bad," they say.

"You shouldn't push yourself like that next time."

"You're one to talk." They give my hand a squeeze before letting go. Brushing their fingers through their hair—instead of their usual styled hair, it's a messy cloud of brown curls—they scan the room. "Where are we by the way?"

"Um, Ryan brought us to his, uh, friend's living unit."

"Oh. Devon Minazaki?"

I blink. "You know him? And his last name?"

Sánchez scratches their head."I, um, sometimes find General Lorensky to ask him to get... stuff from Ground Earth." They notice my slackened jaw and quickly add, "Just parts for my cyberarm and food I missed, not contraband. Um, so, anyway, because of that I kinda knew Devon as the point person of contact for Ryan here. I didn't know he's a medic though."

"He's pretty cool. I think you'll like him."

Devon bursts into the living unit as if I've summoned him, with Ryan following behind. Their voices trail to a halt when they see us. Ryan's hair is back to its usual curls, while Devon's ponytail is undone. His tank top is now half-untucked from his cargo pants.

"Oh, Lara, you're all cleaned up," Devon says, tying up his hair again as he walks towards us. "And Morgan, right? You're awake too. We've only communicated in writing, but it's nice to put a face to the name."

"Nice to meet you, Sir. Thank you for saving me."

He waves a hand. "Call me Dev. Anyway, I called up all the mechanics I know and found someone who's available tomorrow morning. So let's all rest up today, and tomorrow we will leave first thing in the morning."

My heart surges. After a long, torturous day, we finally found a mechanic for Sánchez. I can hear the relief in Sánchez's voice too as they thank Devon again.

"Dev called, like, twenty different people before we got one free slot," Ryan says. "I thought finding a mechanic on Ground Earth would be easy."

"Nah, trustworthy mechanics are overbooked all the time." Devon turns to me, already anticipating my questions. "Almost every Ground Earth dweller has a cyberlimb of some form, so the cyberlimb business is always booked and busy. I have a cyberleg too, under these pants." He taps his thighs.

"Almost everyone?" I frown. That is the opposite in the Tower. "Why?"

"Well, either they had a bad run-in with NovaTopian soldiers or got involved in some violent groups. Like the Piranhas, you know how violent they get."

"Or they just want to enhance their body to fight back against people like me," Ryan adds, taking out a cigarette and a lighter from a drawer. "You can install weapons into a cyberlimb, and make them powerful enough to rival any Gift."

Before Ryan can light the cigarette, Devon grabs the bud and tosses it into the trash.

"Hey!" Ryan protests.

"Don't smoke indoors with other people around, dumbass." Devon rolls his eyes. "Is that what got you so hurt this time, by the way? An upgraded cyberlimb?"

"Oh, yeah. This guy had a flamethrower attached to his right cyberarm and a chainsaw to his left."

Devon whistles. "Damn, that's an expensive upgrade."

I glance at Sánchez. "Why don't you get those?"

"Not allowed," they say blandly. "I can't get a cyberlimb that's stronger than a physical limb. I won't be let back into the Tower."

"NovaTopia is against upgraded cyberlimbs," Ryan explains. "They believe in the 'purity' of the human body, whatever that means, as if they don't also do the same thing with Gifts. But well, according to NovaTopia, artificially enhancing your body with cyberlimbs is a travesty, but artificially enhancing your body with Gifts is totally fine, because NovaTopia invented the technology and has full control of its access."

"For now," Devon adds. The two men exchange a knowing look.

"Gifts are much cooler anyway," I say. "Except yours though."

"Hey, you have my Gift to thank for saving you," Ryan argues. "Imagine the trouble you'd be in if I didn't teleport there instantly."

"Instantly? We clicked that stupid device and waited for ages."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," Devon says. "The one you gave me has been bugging too. I had to fend off a raid by myself last month."

Ryan's widened eyes dart from me to Devon. "Seriously? I gotta fix the signal then. Sorry about that. I'm not much of an engineer, so these homemade devices are still a work in progress."

"A decade-long work in progress."

Ryan groans. "I said I'm working on it."

Devon laughs as he ambles towards the stove. "Anyway, I'm guessing you are all hungry. How do hamburgers sound like right now?"

Sánchez immediately jolts up. "Yes."

I've never seen them this excited before, and I can't help but smile in wonder. "What is it?"

"You'll see." Devon winks at me.

We spend the next thirty minutes making this hamburger thing. Devon and Ryan work in the kitchen in the same way as when they were tending to Sánchez—with Devon cooking at the stove and Ryan doing his every bidding. Sánchez and I don't have much to do until the power suddenly goes out and we are tasked to get it back up. After getting some instructions from Devon, it doesn't take long for Sánchez to figure out what to do and for me to help them. Apparently, losing power and needing to connect to an emergency electricity supply is a common experience on Ground Earth, and Sánchez still remembers what to do.

By the time we get back to the kitchen, the dining table is cleaned, and the hamburgers are served on individual plates. The aroma of the grilled meats permeates the entire room, and it's making me hungrier than I actually am. I've never had food that smells this good in the Tower before. We promptly take our seats and dig in.

The first bite is heavenly; nestled between two buttery breads, the juicy, flavorful, and tender patty is topped with crunchy lettuce and a slice of slightly sweet tomato that complements the taste. Sánchez and I let out a satisfied grunt at the same time.

"This is so good," I say. "You are a wonderful chef and a great medic. What else can you do?"

"Why, thank you, Lara." Devon beams at me. "I also own a lucrative bar upstairs, and I can put up a good fight if I do say so myself."

I make a point to glare at Ryan for a good few seconds before turning back to Devon. "Why on Earth are you with this guy?"

Ryan chokes on his bite. "What's wrong with me?"

Devon laughs. "To be fair, I wanted to kill him the first day we met. I still do."

"Gee, thanks. As if there's not enough people trying to kill me every day."

"Are there any particular Ground Earth food you miss, Morgan?" Devon asks, changing the topic.

"Everything," Sánchez answers without hesitation. "The food in the Tower is terrible."

"I agree," I say, my mouth full of food. "I mean, I didn't think it was that bad, until this. This is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life."

"Oh, this is not even the best we can offer." Devon chuckles. "Alright, I'll make it a mission to feed you well these two days."

"Do you know how to make chupe?" Sánchez blurts.

Devon taps his fingers on the table as he muses. "Hm, I've only made it once. Alright, we'll eat that for lunch after your cyberarm appointment."

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's a type of stew," Sánchez says, their lips curling into a wistful smile. "You'll love it."

I smile at them. "I'm sure I will."

And I can't wait to try it.

***

So it turns out that there is only one bedroom in this living unit.

Despite Ryan's protest, Devon insists on giving me and Sánchez the bedroom, while he and Ryan will sleep on the couch in the living room. I don't understand how two grown men can share a couch without crushing each other, but I am not going to complain about getting the better deal.

After dinner, Sánchez goes to shower while Devon, Ryan, and I clean up the kitchen. I was worried about their leg injury, but they seemed to be walking normally. By the time I enter the bedroom, Sánchez is already inside, sitting on a chair next to the bed.

They're also wearing Devon's clothes but it doesn't look as big on them as they are on me—and Devon's pants actually fit them. Their hair is damp and flat, reminding me of the time I saw them outside Ryan's living unit a few days ago. I wonder if they were there to find Ryan and get stuff from Ground Earth. I should've asked then instead of storming off.

"Why are you just sitting there?" I ask. "Do you not want to go to sleep?"

"I'm planning on sleeping here on the chair. You take the bed."

"What? You're injured. Go lie down too."

"No, it's fine. I'm used to sleeping anywhere back when I lived here—"

"Sánchez, you've lived in the Tower for years. I don't believe you're still used to whatever you were used to back then."

Sánchez sighs and looks away. "Just take the bed, Lorensky."

My brows twitch. I spin on my heels and march over to the bed, grabbing a pillow and placing it right in the middle. "There. Perfectly split in two. We each take one side and we won't touch each other. So now can you get on the bed?"

"It's not about that. There's not enough space and you won't be comfortable."

"Well, if you don't sleep on the bed, I won't too," I snap, frustration taking over me. "So either we both get on the bed, or I'm sleeping on the floor."

Sánchez stares at me, exasperated. They scan the room one last time before relenting, "Alright, fine."

"Good."

They climb onto the half of the bed that is against the wall. I turn off the light and slip onto the other side of the bed.