Kate- Cutting pain to the brain followed by a deep, crushing head hammering.

  "Uggh!"

  Whines

  Head's killing me

  Looks around, a few antique posters of bands long gone, framed behind glass, collector's items. Piles of women's frilly clothes strewn on the ground, some with spots of blood. The top of a bunk bed overhead. An unfamiliar space.

  Cere?

  Cere- Good morning Kate! Rise and shine!

  Kate- Recoils in pain.

  Loud!

  Cere- I literally can't make a sound.

  Kate- No shit! Anything illuminating you'd like to share?

  Tries to massage her head, but her right arm is MIA. Looks around a hint of panic in the gut, but quickly finds it a foot from the bedrest, lying on an induction charger.

  Cere- Plenty! Can I choose the subject?

  Kate- Where am I?

  Grabs her arm and checks the charge indicator normally hidden. Then power it.

  Cere- Alana's room, you were... indisposed quickly after the show. Things got lively.

  Kate- Aligns the arm to its socket.

  Cere- Arm binding function activated... ... ... Calibrating... ... ...

  Arm- *Vrrr... brr... vrrr... bip bip*

  Cere- Divine providence 6.09: Online...

  Status: within standard margin of error

  Charge 99.99%

  Time since the last inspection: 1 month, 12 days 9 hours 13 minutes

  Recommendation to the user: Meet your Cyberdoc for routine maintenance within the week.

  Kate- Smacks her dry lips together, mixing her saliva, awakening a regretful taste.

  Yuk! Taste like someone took a dump in my mouth.

  Cete- Don't worry, you just threw up twice, you didn't engage in those activities... Not that I would put it past you.

  Kate- Face burning in outrage.

  Bullshit!

  Cere- See, even your protests are scatological in nature, not that I judge, I can shut my connection to your senses when I want.

  Kate- Rises from the bed, naked, confused by said nakedness... Looks around the piles of clothes and doesn't see anything of her at first glance.

  "Clothes?"

  Cere- I don't know, this information is not available.

  Kate- What?

  Cere- I'm interfacing with your brain silly monkey. You were seriously out of it yesterday, someone dragged you here while you were unconscious. I had no visual, I only know that Alana got you out of your clothes sometime after your ninth shot.

  Kate- M' turning into a lightweight.

  Cere- You'd tolerate them better if you were not starved. nine is already excessive when you knock them faster than bullets in an automatic.

  Kate- Need a liver implant.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  Cere- Understood, putting a liver implant on the buy list; I happen to interface better with Neutronix Cybernetics products! Would you like to...

  Kate- Cancel that.

  Hops on her feet only to see the vomit bucket at the last second. Tries to sidestep in low gravity only to slip on dirty clothes. While falling slowly, barely grabs the ladder from the tip of her biological fingers, stretching them to the point of pain; barely avoids falling face-first into the empty bucket.

  *Thunk*

  Though hits her elbow on a rung, stunning her nerve and making her faceplant all the same, a second later.

  "Fuck!"

  Cere- Well, on the plus column, I found your undies, on the ladder. Care to repeat that masterful dance move? It was quite entertaining to watch.

  Kate- "Yeah yeah, AH AH... Laugh it up tin can."

  Cere- You are mixing up your metaphors Kate, your skull is the can full of tin.

  Kate- *Grumbles*

  "Should be able to find pliers downstairs to extract you."

  Alana- Crashes in the room without announcement.

  "Hey Kitty Kate, you alive in there?"

  Kate- "Somehow..."

  Alana- "Getting too old to party? Le'me guess: Alchool, never again!"

  Kate- "Not ready for that yet."

  Alana- "Done puking?"

  Kate- "This official business officer? Do I need a lawyer? ... ... ... Thanks for yesterday though, a bit of a shit show, but I needed the change of pace."

  Alana- "Got you, don't worry. Must be stressful to be back. Worse is behind you though, after yesterday's public humiliation nothing should phase you anymore!"

  Kate- Snaps her head to look Alana in the eyes.

  "What?"

  Alana- "First was drinking like a cistern, then you tried to sing karaoke acapella, and off-key... you should get a soft for that."

  Kate- Panic!

  "Wha...?"

  Alana- "Then it was trying to strip for the clients while vomiting in intermittence. You also asked to ride the biggest rockets in attendance."

  Kate- Calms down realizing Alana is pulling her leg.

  Kate- "Damn bitch, you shitting me!"

  Tries to pull Alana's hair in a lazy telegraphed move.

  Alana- Doges while laughing her ass off.

  "Gotcha! Nah girl, after a few puffs and the shots you tuned out in a corner. You got a bit vomity and Firefighter brought you upstairs. You didn't even try to kiss anyone, you boring drunk!"

  Kate- "Gotta talk to mom today she downstairs?"

  Alana- "no can do right now, slight surprise this morning, she's out, Angel stuff."

  Kate- Startled, reaching for her absent piece at the hips.

  "Troubles?"

  Alana- Visibly notices the move with her eyes, a hint of concern at the corner of her mouth.

  Kate- Heat of embarrassment rising on her cheeks.

  Alana- "Small potatoes, some small tweaker gang trying to muscle some girls into working. A one-squad job. Mom wanted to be there to make sure the girls would not freak out."

  Kate- "Right, how long?"

  Alana- "Best guess? Maybe one more hour all said?"

  Kate- "Hope there won't be any mess."

  Alana- *Sigh*

  "You should come home for good, maybe join? You know better than the new blood how it is out there. We could really use you, you know?"

  Kate- Hesitates a second, then shakes her head in negation.

  "Ain't that simple, I left for good reasons."

  Alana- "Maybe then, but now? Are those reasons even real anymore?"

  Kate- "I... I'm just not ready... for now."

  Alana- Clearly disappointed with a hint of hope behind.

  Kate- "'Nough of that, let's go down for now, I need to eat."

  Alana- "Just promise me you'll think about it some more OK?"

  Kate- Evasive

  "Sure... I can think about it."

  Alana- Unconvinced by the glib response, stares in Kate's eye, digging for a sign.

  Kate- Sheepishly avoids the stare, using the pretext of pulling some random dirty clothes from the ground to be somewhat presentable.

  Alana- *Sigh*

  "Second mom makes pancakes."

  Turns on her heels and leaves the room

  Kate- Slips in her magnetic boots and follows.

  "The algae harvest still good, no issues?"

  Alana- "Nothing since the clogged philtre caused that ph drift."

  Kate- "That was a shit show..."

  Alana- "And the smell..."

  Kate- "Not sure how long we brushed those fucking tanks... Stink probably sold the fucking rights for that."

  Alana- Frowns and darkens.

  "Classic stink... Aaaaaaaaany way, don't worry, got plenty of algae flour for your pancakes cat, all free of neurotoxins"

  Rumbles down the stairs like an avalanche followed by Kate.

  Queen Victoria- "GIRLS! How many time have I told you not to plow the stairs with your mags?"

  Kate- "Sorry!"

  Alana- *Sigh!*

  Roll her eyes

  "...ry..."

  Queen Victoria- Stare down Alana who capitulates quickly. Shrugs her large manly, culturist shoulders and shakes her head in disapproval.

  "Alright, clean your hands and sit, I'll cook your pancakes."

  Kate- Squirts the cold sceptic gel on her hands, rubbing them until everything dries up, then sit at the counter as a smell of butter rises from the cooking space."

  "Been a while since I ate pancakes."

  Queen- "Let me guess, it's been a while since you ate anything solid at all? Still drinking that ungodly sludge of yours?"

  Kate- "Can't afford anything else really."

  Queen- "Can't or won't?"

  Kate- "Does it matter?"

  Queen- "You need solid food often or your body will develop issues over times, digestion, gums, the work. and pancakes won't cut it."

  Kate- *Sigh*

  "I'll try"

  Queen- Rolls her eyes but serves the plate.

  Kate- Pokes the pancake, cuts a small corner and brings it to her nose.

  *Sniff sniff*

  Berries, carbs, butter... home. Eats it slowly, tasting the sweet, salty and sour combo, a perfect blend of grease and nostalgia. Starts wolfing down the pancake.

  Queen- Serves more each time a plate is emptied, juggling three pans.

  "You should come more often, we have pancakes!"

  Dirty cheatin' corner smile of a rogue.

  Kate- "Not fair!"

  Cere- You need bait to catch a dumb fish.

  Queen- "Sorry, I didn't make anything special for your return home. No one told me you were back before Alana before she went up."

  Kate- "Came in late unannounced. You were probably out already, still turning the light off at seven?"

  Queen- Hopeful smile...

  "Diner?"

  Kate- Panics and speaks without thinking.

  "Sorry, should be gone by then."

  Queen- dies into a forced one.

  "Right, you have your own life now... wouldn't want to encumber you."

  Kate- Crushing shame eating her heart out at the same speed she slammed the pancakes.

  "'Ll be back... soon. Won't wait three years. I'll let you know in advance next time ok?"

  Queen- Her smile comes back and nods while serving Kate one pancake too many.

  Kate- Feels about to drown in food. Shifts her weight trying to make space, any space, just for one more bite not to end the interraction on a sour note.

  Gets hit behind the head by something soft and humid. Touches the spot then brings back her fingers, sticky with jam. Licks them clean while looking for the culprit and spots Alana looking intently at her own plate.

  "Why did you do that?"

  Alana- Forced innocence.

  "Me? What did I do?"

  Kate- "Sadistic li'll..."

  Cere? Insult!

  Cere- Trollop!

  Kate- "Trollop! Lying on top of throwing food? At least have the decency to face me like you mean it!"

  Alana- Overacts, hiding her mouth, laughing, the laugh of an evil lady.

  "Pesant, you dare to question this mistress?"

  Kate- Throws pancake to Alana's face.

  Queen- "STOP! GIRLS GIRLS! PEACE! I don't have time to have the compandroids do a deep clean of the kitchen before work. It's a big day today, they don't have time to deal with your tenage-level pranks!"

  Kate and Alana- "Fiiiiine..."

  Queen Victoria- "Don't skulk... ah Cher! You're back! Everything OK?"

  Cherry- "No issues, everyone's fine."

  Queen- "Want to eat something?"

  Cherry- "Later, thanks. Kate, mon pigeon voyageur, mind joining me for a few minutes?"

  Kate- "Sure, just a sec."

  Grabs her plate and put it on the pile for cleaning then follows Cherry and the acrid smell of gun smoke. Looks back toward Queen.

  "Thanks for breakfast second mom!"

  Queen- "Welcome honey, see you soon then. I'll be waiting for your call and a date."