A Heaven for Toasters

CHAPTER 7: Hotel

4:04 p.m.

The hotel entrance was made of old-fashioned white marble. Once you stepped inside, white gave way to a stylish dark gray. Two narrow corridors on the left and right were painted in lighter gray hues. They sported the latest in atmospheric decoration. At the moment, miniature clouds were creating a mini thunderstorm. A whisper of thunder clapped as the clouds released a torrent of rain. It was absorbed by the floor, to be released as steam that would replenish the clouds. The whole scene was a few feet tall but still managed to create a mesmerizing effect.

I kept glancing back to the clouds until Leo tugged at my arm.

"What?" I asked, still refusing to take my eyes from the display. The rain droplets transformed into leisurely snow that covered the wet floor.

"We might be stuck here for a few days. Do your clothes have the imprint option?"

"My clothes?" I looked at myself. My clothes were made of the usual sweat-proof, anti-bacterial, anti-crease fabric. I could wear them a week—and had to in the past—and no one would notice. But an imprint option, allowing them to display any color or pattern at a whim? Those things cost thousands. I tried to hide my irritation at his question. "Just how much do you think I make?"

"If you're planning what I hope you're not, you might want something less flashy." He pointed at my shirt.

I glanced at the light blue palm trees printed on the fabric. "Forgive me for coming to Hydra for a holiday, not to solve a possible murder."

He took my arm. "Come with me."

Leo dragged me through a side door into a room with plain white walls, one of which exhibited leisurely changing, silver-hued, holographic patterns. The only piece of furniture was a mahogany counter, behind which stood an impeccably dressed young woman. Her disapproving gaze traveled up and down my body.

My eyes fell on her perfectly manicured fingernails. Great. The one time in my life I come across a human shop assistant and I have to be dressed like a baichi tourist. I suddenly wished she were one of the robots traditionally doing this sort of work.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, pressing her palms together like in silent prayer that we would refuse her offer.

"We'll need something nice for the lady," Leo said and approached the counter. They engaged in a quiet conversation, glancing at me every now and then.

'Nothing too expensive,' I wanted to say, but when I opened my mouth to speak, he shot me a warning glance and I snapped it shut.

"Let me see what I can do," the young woman said, finally acknowledging me, a fake grin plastered on her face. A narrow opening appeared on the wall across me. She gestured me through.

I stepped through and into a tiny empty room. The door hissed shut behind me. A flashing green beam scanned me from head to toe for a few seconds, then the door opened again.

The woman was waiting for me outside. She reached into a small opening on the wall, not wider than her arms, and pulled out a neatly pressed dark gray blouse and matching pants. "You are ready, madam. All we need to do is link it to your hololens." She barely tried to hide a smirk. "You do wear a hololens, I assume?"

What does she think I am, homeless? "Of course." I yanked the suit from her hands. The fabric was so soft it almost ran through my fingers like wet silk.

"Excellent," she said. "Would you like to try it on while I make the connection?"

The door to the scanner room was still open. I stepped back inside and changed clothes. As soon as I put on the blouse and pants, they tightened around my body for a moment, resulting in a slight yelp from me. The suit then assumed a perfect, flowing fit. I patted it with admiring fingers. I could get used to this.