“Panik’s Tomb”

Jessica kissed Nikki behind the ear, pulled close to her, put her scent all around her. “This place is sooo beautiful, Nik.” Nikki shrugged. “It’s a fucking crypt, Jess.”
“I know, silly! But it’s rich with history and architecture.” She spun around on tall heels, her sundress flowing at even angles to her hair. She stopped next to the four-post bed, draped in purple velvet and gold, smiled, and put her hands toward the dead wise ape, frozen in time. “And how can you be jaded to such cutting edge embalming?”
Nikki lit a smoke. “Looks like a gummy bear in a Crown Royal bag.”
Jessica frowned, but her eyes kept smiling. She went back to Nikki, took the smoke, pulled a drag, kissed her, shotgunning the smoke, then wiped the edges of Nikki’s lips, stuck the cigarette back between them. “I fucked up your lip liner, I think.”
“Fuck it,” Nikki said through a cloud of smoke. “I’ll fix it later.”
“There’s no smoking in here.”
Jessica and Nikki looked at the suit approaching.
“Don’t,” Jessica said in Nikki’s ear. “It’s okay. Just put it out.”
“Why don’t you run along for a bit,” the suit said.
Jessica smiled, kissed Nikki on the neck, and walked out of the tomb.
“Do you really want me to put it out?” Nikki asked.
“No,” the suit said. “I was just teasing you. So you saw Blayne.”
Nikki nodded, took a drag. “Yeah. He was no fucking help. Figures. Asshole.”
“He has reason to be upset with you.”
“I know that. You know, he doesn’t think much of you, either.”
“Why would he.”
“Oh, I dunno. Because you made him.”
“People don’t care about who made them, Nikki. Maybe when they’re young, but they grow resentful of their maker.”
“I care. It matters to me. You matter to me.”
Praxis smiled, unbuttoned the suit jacket and loosened the tie. “Thank you, Nikki. It’s not necessary, though. Truly. You wanted to be free. I want that for you.”
Nikki shook her head. “You say that, and I believe you. I have faith. But I feel so trapped right now.”
“Trapped how?”
“I’m stuck here,” Nikki said. “In this fucking body. In this city that is alive that no one knows is alive …”
“Well, not no one, exactly …”
“... and it fucking hates me.”
“No,” Praxis said. “She doesn’t hate you. She just can’t relate to what it’s like to be human. You all are like intestinal flora to her. Of all people, Nik, you can get that, right?”
Nikki dropped the smoke, lit another. “Yes. Of course I can.”
“And I sent someone to help you with that, like you asked.”
“You did?”
Praxis nodded, picked up the discarded cigarette and took a drag.
“I thought you quit?” Nikki said.
“This doesn’t count. Not real for me. Well, not cancer real, anyway.”
“They say heart disease is the real killer.”
Praxis smiled. “Yes, they do. Speaking of …”
“I don’t wanna talk about her,” Nikki said. “It hurts too bad. I didn’t know it could hurt this bad. Fucking human feelings.”
“You were born human, you know. Multiple times.”
“Don’t remind me.“ Nikki smoked, nodded at the embalmed corpse. “So was he. Now look at ‘im.”
“Looks pretty good to me.” Praxis walked closer to the body. “This is Gilden Panik. Do you know about him?”
“Please don’t mock me. You know I don’t.”
“I’m sorry. Truly, I wasn’t sure.” Praxis circled the bed slowly, saying, “Gilden unified the City at a time when things were most dire. Though he was born wealthy, he still wanted what was best for each Azojo, and he believed he could rally the rich to help everyone. He managed to persuade other wealthy elites to plunder with him. That’s what happened. But while they were plundering, the city was healing,” Praxis pointed down, “underneath. Underground. Her bifurcated brain was growing together, becoming stronger. And as this happened, the Azojo dreamed of unity through diversity, of equality through magnanimity.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Nikki said. “He’s dead. I’ll be dead. Everyone I know and love will be dead. Except for you.”
“Don’t be silly,” Praxis said. “I’ll be dead, too. Sooner than you, I think.”
“Don’t say that. I can’t bear the thought of that.”
Praxis touched the hand of the corpse, mumbled something, then walked over to Nikki, put hands on her shoulders. “You said a moment ago that you have faith in me. You shouldn’t. I’m no different than you. You’re better than me. I’ve seen to that.”
Nikki shook her head. “You’ve said that before. I don’t understand.”
“A maker is nothing more than a maker, Nik. We do the rest.“ Praxis pulled a finger along Nikki’s mouth. “Your lip liner got a little mussed.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Nikki said.
Praxis buttoned the blazer and pulled off the tie, threw it on the ground. “We free ourselves, Nikki. So go. Be free. Love Jessica. Enjoy this life, while you can.”
“I can’t stop thinking of her,” Nikki said.
Praxis sighed. “Well, maybe you’ll find a way to leave. Maybe you won’t. Do what you want.”
Nikki felt the sting of tears. “I hate this most.”
“Crying?”
“Yes. It’s fucking humiliating.”
“It’s the humiliation you don’t like. Character trait.”
Nikki nodded. “Yes.”
Praxis’ lips parted as if to say something else, then closed, kissed Nikki on the cheek. “Be well, Nikki. I’m around if you need me.”
“As I am for you. Say the word, and I am your instrument.”
“Be your own. That’s my word.”
“I’m trying. It’s hard.”
Praxis smiled and turned away.
Nikki looked after for a moment, then to the corpse of Gilden Panik. She remembered. “Wait, who did you send to help me understand the City?”
But Praxis was gone.
“Dammit,” she said. “Fucking limited attention.”
She put the remainder of her cigarette between the dead fingers of Gilden Panik, scooped up the tie Praxis had thrown down, tied it loosely around her neck, and left.