"No problem gettin' you on board, it's my numb nuts son who I have to pull the strings for 'round here." Artie laughed, a deep rumble in his chest and I ducked aside with well practiced speed as he reached out to ruffle my hair.
“You're getting too slow old man." I flashed him a smile as I turned and moved across the room quickly, leaving Artie behind and stopping at Taylor's side.
“Do you think they come in different sizes? I wouldn't want to go out with my ankles on show and end up with them getting contaminated," he joked.
“More likely I'd be tripping over extra material in that case,” I pointed out, indicating my small stature. Shorty, midget, little legs and tiny girl were amongst the nice names I’d been called on a regular occasion but I happened to think that the best things came in small packages so screw them.
“Next!" a pale man called out as we found ourselves at the front of the queue. "One XL male one XS female," he yelled over his shoulder as he threw a brief, searching glance in our direction. "Move to the left. Next!"
We quickly shuffled aside to let the queue keep moving and had matching white suits handed to us.
"Enter the cubicles and strip off everything you're currently wearing. There are lockers out the back. Put the suit on - it should be skin tight but shouldn't cut off the blood. If you need a different size, shout." A frazzled looking woman with a bird's nest of grey hair directed us towards the changing area and I tried not to bounce with excitement as I hurried to follow her instructions.
“See you on the other side." Taylor winked at me as he disappeared behind a grey curtain and I hurried into my own cubicle to change too.
The suit was definitely skin tight. It was like a big, elasticated baby-grow with individual fingers lined with high sensitivity pads and covered every inch of my skin. It ended at my neck and ankles with a series of clips to attach the head gear and boots.
I tried not to focus on how revealing it was and moved back outside where Taylor was stepping from foot to foot.
"I feel weirdly conscious of how tight this is on my ass." He grimaced, pulling in vain at the material which was clinging to his butt cheeks.
"At least they considered your modesty," I laughed, pointing to the padded shorts area on his suit.
"Well I'm not concerned about that, but it is nice for the less well endowed men not to have to try and compete."
“You're a moron," I teased, rolling my eyes as we reached the lockers.
“You can't call me a moron; I'm your only friend, what does that say about you?" Taylor took my clothes and shoved them into the same locker as his without bothering to ask and my lips twitched at our over familiar friendship.
"That I take pity on you."
"I vote to agree." Artie had appeared with perfect timing as usual, dressed in his own biohazard suit.
"You can't agree with her again, where's the paternal bond?" Taylor asked, faking outrage.
“Are you suggesting he puts blood before the truth? We're working with facts here," I added instantly.
"I vote to agree again," Artie smiled.
"Oh no, I won't be drawn into one of these, I'm off to sign in." Taylor walked away as Artie slapped me a high five.
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“He's too easy," I smiled as we watched him join the back of the other queue. Most people had already been assigned their groups and were heading to the cable cars.
We moved aside as a group bustled past us. Artie nodded to Dr Lomax who was leading them. Rebecca Adeler waddled by, trying to look superior as she shot me a scowl. Rebecca was in my class and had tried her hardest to make my life hell since I'd been sent to live on forty. The problem was, I found it hard to be intimidated by a girl who hadn't even figured out how to brush her hair properly and only lived on ninety six even with her family intact.
Most of my other classmates had avoided me since my demotion and many pointed out on a regular basis that I no longer met the requirements for our class. Luckily, the education Guardian had decided that as my demotion was due to bereavement, I could stay where I was for school. Besides, I only needed Taylor.
The room was slowly emptying as the various groups formed and were led out to the cable cars. I took a breath and tried to gather my thoughts, plucking at the material that clung to my left arm.
I’m actually going to see what the outside world looks like for myself.
"Trying not to burst?" Artie asked.
“Is it that obvious?" I attempted to stop grinning like an idiot and failed.
"Only to me, kid. Are you eating with us tonight?"