Where is it? Looking down at my watch, I saw a tiny white dot bleeping. What an idiot mistake. Thank God. It’s a miracle nobody picked it up and recycled it for parts. People these days were getting better at busting into phones. At least it was in the same spot where I left it.


The leaves crunched beneath my wheels as my eyes darted around. My lungs drew in a bitter chill, something I hadn't adjusted to for half a year. I wound around a couple, then reeled back just before I wiped out on the pavement, regaining my balance. I heard them curse at me under their breath. Whatever.


Years of seething hatred for the public transport system led me to try something I’d never considered before: riding home through the park. It was right at the edge of town, just before spilling into the wilderness. It added an extra thirty minutes to my commute, but I didn’t care. I’d been doing it for months now. Zero regrets.


Parking my bike, I came closer to my destination. On some days when I was feeling more serene than others, I would sit here and catch a view of the city skyline. The dome glowed and pulsated, dwarfing the civilization it swore to protect below. Sometimes, I’d sit here til’ the sun went down. The sheer scale of it all captured my imagination in a way I can’t describe. I’d never seen anyone else sit here except me.


Parting a few bushes, I step into the clearing and froze. I saw... them.


It was a male and a female. The female turned her head, her green eyes staring back at me with listless tension - not exactly annoyed, but she was waiting for me to do something. The guy didn’t even bother to notice me: his expression was one of grief, staring down at himself in shame, hoping I would not make his day any worse.


She kept staring, but said nothing. I saw zerukmos all the time in town, but never directly interacted with one on a conversational level. She looked at me like she wished she could say something, but knew that hasn’t been a thing for a long time. The male was visibly distraught. His zerumesh skin was lighter than the female’s, a sign that this was a recent convert, no more than a day or two. The panicked, rebellious ones are always lighter skinned, but it becomes darker and more settled over time. They sync with the programming more, then they become complacent.


I waved awkwardly, asking if I could grab my phone. A little electric bolt ZAPPED from her ear muffs and she nodded. One zap meant yes, two zaps meant no. Getting closer, my hand reached down next to the male zerukmo. I couldn’t help but look. His whole body was a chrome abyss, a prison which walked with his flesh and bone. He could not wear anything to conceal himself, but neither could many of the others. I get it. I could not imagine becoming one of these things, either. To know your humanity was gone right down to the bone, controlling and monitoring every neuron and synapse in your head... I’d ask for the shotgun.


I hate myself sometimes. I got back on my bike immediately, waved by, then swore to myself all the way home. I imagined how the encounter should’ve gone, asking questions, seeing what was wrong, offering to help, that sort of thing. But you know me. Talking to people is hard, but for them, it was harder, so I didn’t have an excuse. I really wanted them both to feel comfortable around me. I should’ve said ‘feel free to hang out, I’m here all the time’. Oh well. Hopefully, they come back around again.


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One of my many procrasti-drawings, which I decided to finish up today and upload. Vertical slice concept of a drone society involving zerukmos, which might be inspired a little bit by the legendary Eudeamon story by Evildolly. Go read it, seriously, it's the og.

As for zerukmos, it's a bit of a different scenario than being a bane. Instead of just being a suit, zerumesh completely rewires the biology of it's user to reflect the functions of whatever alien creature is trying to wake up inside of them. Zerukmos are assigned to specialized jobs, just as utilitarian or military or whatever, and you can either be ordered by a company or for personal use. Reversal is a thing but not something I've developed fully yet.

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