Escape Pod 256: The Mermaids Singing Each To Each

By: Cat Rambo

Read by: Christiana Ellis of Nina Kimberly the Merciless and Space Casey
First appeared in Clarkesworld
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All stories by Cat Rambo
All stories read by Christiana Ellis

“Laura,” a speaker said, as though I hadn’t been gone for six years, as though she’d seen me every day in between. “Laura, where is your uncle?”

I used to imagine her disintegrated, torn apart into silent atoms.

“It’s not Laura anymore,” I said. “It’s Lolo. I’m gender neutral.”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“You’ve got a Net connection,” I said. “Search around on “gender neutral” and “biomod operation.”

I wasn’t sure if the pause that came after that was for dramatic effect or whether she really was having trouble understanding the search parameters. Then she said, “Ah, I see. When did you do that?”

“Six years ago.”

“Where is your uncle?”

“Dead,” I said flatly. I hoped that machine intelligences could hurt and so I twisted the knife as far as I could. “Stabbed in a bar fight.”

Rated R for violence, language, and memory of sexual violence. And Spar feedback.

Show Notes:

  • Feedback for Episode 248, Spar

Next week… Union Dues!

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