[Dave]

Now that T-Nex and Odd Chick have caught up...

Chapter 62

Sunrise.
I stood a good way away from the main gate, so as not to be seen by any security cameras. My wounds had sealed over a little bit, and the bleeding had stopped. My rump was no longer so achy, and I was feeling a little more confident about things now that I wasn’t so wrecked up.
Never mind being hungry. I could be hungry later.
I contacted Druna briefly, feeling her nervousness being transmitted to me like sound waves. It wasn’t anxiety, but more like the kind of nervous you get when you are around someone you like. It was a weird feeling, not something I think my worker-drone body was meant to feel.
No matter. She gave me the glukkon power and I transformed.
There I was, a naked glukkon who had to dress himself.
I reached one of my absurdly long arms towards the parcel and used my oddly dexterous glukkon fingers to pry it open. I removed the pants cum suspenders first. After a brief moment, I decided those should go on last. I wouldn’t be able to slip the coat on with my arms restrained… but with the coat on, how would I put on my suspenders?
Oh, come on …
Okay, I reached for the shirt. Not bad, I guess. The glukkon mind in me thought it was extremely comfortable, and was attracted to it.
I slipped it up over my head and let it dangle over my chest. It was a trick, but I bent my arms back far enough to button the front of the shirt.
I now pulled the pants up under my arms and strapped the suspenders over my shoulders. I was in an awkward sitting position, but it looked like the job would get done.
Time for the coat. I wrapped it around myself and clasped the buttons together, effectively trapping me with my arms outside my pants.
Praying the coat wouldn’t rip, I eased myself up on my elbows to try and slide my arms into my pants legs. Thankfully, the coat was roomy enough to do this with no major issue.
Now, the final touch - the shoes. No problem there. I slipped my hands into each shoe, thankfully devoid of laces or straps. They looked pretty fancy: black with intricate white designs swooping along the sides. Never mind that I had asked for plain shoes.
I was dressed! Hurrah!
Now, for the factory.
It took a minute to get acquainted with walking in this outfit - I had to wiggle each foot forward separately instead of simply loping along on my hands. It was slow going at first, but after a few minutes I got the hang of it. At least, I thought it was a passable glukkon walk.
I reached the front door and leaned forward to press my face on the intercom button.
A distant buzzing, and then I heard a slig voice. “Yeah? Whozzit?”
I cleared my throat. “This is Avid, the glukkon from Vykker’s Labs.”
The slig laughed. “Don’t be stupid. It was all over the news. We know it’s you, Dante, and we’re sending down some sligs to take you into custody.”
I nearly choked. What? Could this be true?
Then my brain kicked in and I realized that the slig had said something different entirely: “Don’t be stupid. It was all over the news. That place went down last night.”
After a moment I spoke again, and tried to make myself sound more glukkony. “No shit, Sherlock. I left about an hour before the place went.” And then, on a whim, “Looks to be that bastard Abe’s handiwork.”
The slig growled. “It might have been … but anyone who’s worth a damn knows it’s Lulu’s fault that he got in there at all. Did you hear he lost that Gabbiar can?”
Knowing this, I had to sound surprised. “No kidding? That chump … he’d probably lose his head if it wasn’t screwed on.”
The slig - whom I just realized was following no slig-to-superior etiquette whatsoever - chuckled at this. “Probably. Too bad he left the factory before it went down. Not like poor old Boss Swift. I’d have traded twenty of Lulu for Swift, I’ll tell you.”
I was growing impatient. “Yeah, yeah … are you gonna let me in now or what?”
There was a shuffling sound from the speaker, and I guessed the slig was finally remembering who was superior to who. “Yessir, sorry to take up your time with such chatter. If you’ll take the ball car to Zulag Nine to meet with Icarus and Vladimir, please.”
“That’s more like it,” I huffed. I was going to enjoy this glukkon stuff. And I thought I would end up doing it a lot.
The doors were opened, and I tiptoed inside.
I was in the main hub, which I knew well enough to not have to look around. I drifted towards the ball car that went directly to Zulag Nine.
I entered it and activated a floor switch. The door clanged shut and I was whisked off to the Glukkon Suites.
The car let off in a short hallway - I realized it was the same hallway I had come through the other day, on my way to the glukkon bathrooms.
And into the boardroom. Icarus and Vladimir stood there under a cloud of smoke, chatting loudly about a newspaper headline.
I rolled over. “Hello,” I muttered.
The two gluks looked up, and Vladimir smiled. “Ah! You must be the gluk Vykker’s Labs sent word about before their accident.”
We nodded at each other, and Icarus went right into it. “I know we said we were going to place you in a position training sligs, but we feel you aren’t experienced enough.”
I quickly tossed around the idea around to argue … but no. Better not. Icarus wasn’t discouraged, in any case. He went on to tell me to report to Zulag One to overlook the mudokons working in Animal Preparation.
I nodded. “Sure. Whatever.” I happened to glance at the paper. “Are you through with that? I haven’t got a chance to read it yet.”
Icarus whistled and a slig came a-running. I marveled silently at this. Icarus told the slig to carry the newspaper for me.
I nodded again - actually saying “Thank you” as a glukkon didn’t seem to fit.
So I went back out and took the ball car back to the hub.