Hog in the Ground Day

"Your original Cupids saw it properly," Winston said before he paused, "I know, knew, one person who saw it without anything in the way."

Bartlett had stopped them clear of others, a couple of quick looks and some hovering ushers kept them isolated. She made a soft sound in her throat to Winston. He nodded.

"We were checking out a leak on a water line, along a slope. We were pretty well finished, it was already dusk. He lost his footing, probably a shadow, went down the slope. When we finally got to him, his leg was broken and his suit had been ripped open. He'd taken his helmet off. Luna was rising and he pointed at it."

"'I can see the way it's supposed to be seen,' he'd said. We waited, the nanos left him alive until the moon was well up, 'til about 2 a.m."

"Howard Oppenheimer," Bartlett said, "he was a good Explorer."

"Was," Winston said, "but, this find you made. How?"

"I'm unusual," Izzy said, Colly snorted and the woman grinned at her, "my eyes and my job. I'm an archeologist, there's like... three of four of us."

Winston laughed. "About the same here. Not a big call"

"Might be in the future," she pointed at her glasses, "I have astigmatism and I'm short-sighted. But I can see ultraviolet. I'm a mutant, so we've left my eyes as they are."

She punctuated that with a laugh. Even Colly smiled slightly. "An explorer team found some shards, brought them in for us. They took me out, next run. Bits around the site reflected in ultraviolet, we'd had some information that might be an indication. We started excavating."

Bartlett nodded, she'd heard this. Colly looked at Winston, saw the comprehension there and he spoke.

"We know about the ultraviolet, have lights and filters, but they're not all that good, too many false positives. What've you found?"

"Weirdly, not much. Except written records. So much damage, but, well, under the right conditions paper can last!"

"Better than electronics," Winston said.

"Yeah," Izzy agreed, "but this appears to just be... maybe, something isolated. Not one of the great cities that are in the books and movies."

Everybody sipped their wines and took bits of food.

"This ham," Bartlett said, "was made by Colly. She's quite talented."

"It's excellent," Brenner said, "as good as I've tasted."

Colly nodded and Winston gave her a quick hug. She looked away, didn't want them to see her blush. It was hard with her skin tone, but it happened. She sipped her wine and looked out around the room. She couldn't find Cherry and Simon, but assumed they'd moved on to the next phase of their battle, as had plenty of others. Some still worked at food and drink, in preparation. She saw Cupid walking with a determined gait, an arrow notched and the string at half readiness. Her attention returned to their little crew.

Brenner and Bartlett looked at each other for a moment before each nodded. Colly didn't like Izzy's expression.

"Winston," Bartlett said, "I want you to lead our team to join with the Western Blocks. Find out more about Valentine's Day, and maybe find one of these lost cities."

Colly's jaw dropped. This couldn't be real. Sending Winston... AWAY? She looked at Bartlett, then at Izzy. The strawberry blonde fought to tamp down a smile. Colly fought down her anger. Then she looked at Winston. He hadn't spoken.

But she knew.

He was going. This was... beyond the opportunity of a lifetime for him. She looked at Bartlett. The mayor met her gaze. The older woman's expression was... sad?

"Colly," Bartlett said, "I know your feelings. I have some, too, I think you figured that out."

Colly shrugged and nodded. Bartlett continued. "If you want, you can go. They have labs. We've discussed exchanges across all of our major labs and factories. You can join Winston, be another one of our pathfinders."

"We could use your ham expertise, Colly," Brenner said, "we'll teach you our lamb."

Colly's mouth moved but she couldn't speak. Leave? Go... But Winston smiled at her and took her hand.

"It'll be an adventure," Winston said, "like the movies."

"Uh...," Colly said as she bit her lip with almost enough force to break the skin, "yeah."

She looked around. The two mayors looked at each other again. Izzy's weird smile was still there.

"Winston," Bartlett said, "this isn't quite... proper etiquette, after your performance. But I need to tell you something."

Colly had never seen the woman with such an uncertain expression.

"Izzy here is fertile," Bartlett said, "and so are you. You were both flipped... for your performance."

"What?" It was Colly's question. Winston simply gave a sharp look at their mayor.

"We're not here ONLY to recruit you for the exploration," Izzy said, "and not just for what our systems call 'cultural exchange.'"

She paused. Brenner jumped in. "We're also here for genetic exchanges. Both of us have expanded from the original blocks and grown, but, well, we have only who we have, who we both started with, way back when. And there weren't that many of them in the desperate times. The computers match as well as they can, but it seems that our chance discovery made for a prime opportunity. It's also the case that the density of the nanos has been dropping, finally, making extended travel doable. Risky, but doable."

"Yeah," Winston said, "we've seen about the nano--."

"She's... fertile?" Colly's voice was angry and confused. "You didn't tell him?"

"Everyone out there is being... told," Bartlett said and tapped her ear, "directly."

"What about me? I haven't heard anything?"

"Because there are limits," Bartlett said, "the exchange has to be between Western and Eastern. You and Winston... no. Although you two can, of course, pair all you want."

"But Winston and... HER?"

"I...," Izzy's voice was tentative for the first time, "I knew we were expected... Captain to Captain."

"You gushed so much stuff outta your cunt," Colly snapped, "mighta washed it all out! Check the stain on the carpet back there!"

Izzy's expression wasn't shock or anger. It was a nod.

"Colly," it was Bartlett's voice, soft but commanding. Colly caught her eyes. She nodded at the mayor.

"Sorry, Izzy... this is all..., too weird. But, well, you DID! It's all down your legs, too!"

"Oh, yeah, that was as good a blow as I've EVER had!"

Bartlett sighed. Brenner kept a diplomatic silence. Izzy looked at the mayors and they nodded and she spoke again before Colly could respond.

"I hope you come, Colly, I think we can be friends." Colly snorted, and after a shrug Izzy continued.

"But, his genes and mine... even your computers agree we're a perfect match. That way. So, if not this time, another. But you can have him most of the time. But if he delivers the goods like THAT every time---."

Bartlett chuckled and spoke quickly in a low voice. "He does."

Izzy paused to look at her before she continued. "I'd like to borrow him now and again, even after."

Colly was again struck mute. She looked at Winston, who looked at her, at Izzy, then back at her. He sighed.

"Up to you Colly, you'd be given license to be fertile tonight, if you found someone from the Eastern Blocks, although the timing's not so good for you right now. Once you're over there, you can find someone, but unfortunately, you'll never be allowed with anyone from our Blocks," Bartlett said, with sadness and kindness in her voice, "but with this new change, you can have the chance. But you and Winston, well, I can only wish I'd ever felt that for someone. And that he'd felt it for me. You two can well, to be indelicate, fuck to your heart's content, but your combined genes... just don't work."

That shocked Colly. She looked at the mayor. There were... did she have tears in her eyes? She looked at Winston as he took her hands.

"You all have plenty to think about," Bartlett said, her voice back to its natural silky firmness, "we'll do the formal discussions tomorrow, that'll be when the real decisions will be made. So, go, have fun. Before everyone's tired out. Just remember, if you pick someone from the other side, the computers will flip your insert, you'll be fertile, although that's of course no guarantee. Doesn't matter for me, I'm past all that..."

"Oh, hey, Mayor Brenner," Winston said and the man looked at him, "if you're ready to get your snake out of your trousers, Tati's been dying all night to... well, let's just say everyone I've spoken with says that she's very creative."

Izzy elbowed the older man and chuckled.

"I've had my eye on a few," Bartlett said, "Block 6 is NOT going to lose tonight. I'll find Cupid and give her a few tags. I think I can handle three of you Easterners at once. Easy."

Colly gasped. Winston laughed and nodded again.

"C'mon, Colly," he said, "let's check out the buffet and get some more wine. Training restrictions are off for the night."

She didn't want to but couldn't prevent herself from laughing.

"But, Izzy, come with us," Winston said, "I owe Colly a few things, then we'll see. Unless you want to go find someone from Block 12, Colly..."

"And what? Let you have a repeat with a tall, glasses wearing mutant with strawberry blonde hair BEFORE I get MINE? Eat shit and die, I expect what you did to her but with ENERGY!"

Winston pulled her close and they kissed. Izzy looked at her mayor, he nodded and she moved to walk alongside Winston and Colly, who held hands. They laughed when they saw Tati approach, having finally been allowed past the cordon of ushers, mistletoe in her hand. The last thing they heard was Bartlett's voice.

"Tregar Brenner, this is Tatiana Duprova. Call her Tati. Have fun. I have three lameass Easterners to go drain."

Male and female laughter faded into the distance.

"Hey, Izzy Goldfuckeyes," Colly said in a light tone, the taller woman snorted but offered a soft grunt, "come over here."

She reached out with her free hand. Izzy crossed behind the pair and took it.

*****

I hope you enjoyed this tale. For rather different tale, check out my previous Valentine's Day (2021) entry, Sex, Toys and Bots: A Valentine's Tale.

Simply click on my author's PennameWombat's stories at the top or bottom of this or any page if you'd like to explore the stories around some of the folks mentioned here.

Thanks again for reading and I hope this is worth a perfect -- but honest -- rating.