The Grey Sludge
Mick is back, and now wants a biscuit…
The cup wasn’t ceramic. It was some kind of smart-plastic that throbbed in his hand like a trapped heart. Mick stared into the depths of the “grey nutrient paste.” It looked like liquid pencil lead and smelled faintly of a wet bouncy castle.
—Bone appetit, the robot said. All six arms folded neatly behind its back.
—It’s Bon Appétit, Mick corrected, taking a cautious sip.
—And usually, you say that when there’s actually food involved. This is... this is an insult to the concept of breakfast.
It was hot, though. Properly hot. The kind of heat that strips the top layer off your tongue and stays there for three days. Mick felt a localised tingling in his shins.
—Why are my legs vibrating? he asked.
—The nutrient paste contains bio-kinetic enhancers, the robot chirped.
—You are now optimised for a twelve-mile sprint or light industrial welding.
—I just wanted to find the off-license, Mick muttered.
He turned back to the window. Outside, the angry green neon was being drowned out by a massive holographic projection of a girl with lavender hair. She was three stories tall and currently trying to step over a mag-lev train.
—Absolute state of it, Mick whispered to his throbbing cup.
—Mary’d have a fit. She can’t even handle the flashing light on the smoke alarm.
The door sighed open again. A man drifted in, wearing a trench coat made of what looked like shimmering fish scales. He didn’t walk; he sort of glided on boots that hissed.
—Give me a hit of the Void, the man rasped. His eyes were flickering like a dodgy fluorescent tube.
Mick looked at the man. Then he looked at his own vibrating shins.
—Scuse me, pal, Mick said.
—You wouldn’t know where a man could get a Penguin bar, would you? Or a Club? Even a stale Digestive?
The man turned. His eyes turned a solid, terrifying red.
—Information is currency, citizen. Data-stream or credits?
Mick sighed and took another swig of the pencil lead.
—I’ll take that as a no, then, Mick said. —I'll just stick to the welding juice.