Rolina ran her fingers through her shimmering blue hair, finding a hidden sphere tucked beneath the strands. She pulled it free, letting her short bob cascade into long, silky locks that draped over her shoulders.
Sam rested his chin in his hand, unimpressed. "Honestly, short hair suits you better. Long hair makes you look like a worm. Short hair? More like a grumpy duck. That's an upgrade." He dipped his finger into the jar, fishing out a pair of artificial lenses.
Rolina tied her hair back and asked, "Rate my hair—one to ten."
"Six. You know what? Ditch the hairball gadget. Go short. That blue streak looks natural, no dye needed. And rainbow‑blonde? Totally outdated. Or hey—buzz it like G.I Jane. That'd be badass." Sam chuckled slyly.
Meanwhile, Fuzzy peeked from her bag, eyes glowing faintly as he fixated on the golden gem. His tongue flicked across his nose, strangely drawn to it.
"Alright, let's see what these contacts do." Sam shoved the lenses into his eyes. "Ow! Damn, that stings." His pupils spun like neutron stars. "Whoa! What the hell!"
Ira pulled out a holographic manual. "Remote ship control via neural link. Definitely black‑market tech."
Sam blinked rapidly, the spinning slowing until it stopped. "Wireless connection, right?" He rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, his vision shifted—he was inside his ship. "Holy crap, it's like VR goggles. I'm synced to the ship's cameras."
"Blink left‑right‑left‑right to power up," Ira instructed. Sam obeyed, and the ship lifted from its dock. A tin‑can robot froze, staring stiffly.
"Lean left to steer left, right for right, forward, back—you get the idea," Ira explained. Sam tilted too far, and the ship slammed into the hangar wall. "Shit!" He blinked hard, shutting it down.
"Thanks, Ira. Rolina, let's go find that blue alien before someone comes to collect debts." Sam clapped her shoulder.
"Invite me to the wedding, you two!" Ira laughed. Rolina flipped him off as the lift carried them back up. They boarded the tram to their dock, where their ship loomed.
"Wait, didn't you park it over there?" Rolina frowned. Sam blinked, guiding the ship to land right in front of them.
The hatch lowered. Rolina crossed her arms, nodding. "Your new toy's impressive."
"Let's get out before we're fined," Sam grinned, leaping aboard.
In the control room, Rolina emerged in her new suit—sleek, glowing with vertical neon stripes, complete with cat‑ear headband. "What the hell are you wearing?" Sam scratched his head.
The neon ears flickered blue. Rolina wiggled them playfully. "Cute, right?"
Sam burst out laughing. "Damn, girl—shameless and proud. Respect." Fuzzy padded to her side.
Rolina turned, showing the black sphere on her back. "This is the R2L1 spacesuit. Dual thrusters, double oxygen capacity."
Sam wasn't listening. He held up a curved horn, sprinkling brown powder into its tip. He pressed a red button, inhaling deeply. His eyes shifted into rainbow hues. "Woohoo! I'm flying, baby! Haven't eaten today—who cares!"
Rolina admired herself in the mirror until the smoke filled her lungs. "What the hell are you doing?"
Sam wheezed, laughing. "Batrous SG V.4. Stronger than anything. My ears are ringing!" He clutched the controls to keep from falling.
Rolina snatched the horn, inhaling. "Ohhh… my head's spinning!" Her eyes swirled, then shifted pink. She exhaled, releasing a cloud that shimmered into green auroras across the cabin.
"Apple joy flavor," she murmured. "What did you say, Sam?"
He giggled. "No idea. Forgot everything. But your face looks like a chipmunk. This stuff's stronger than Megah 30g. Damn!"
They both collapsed in laughter, senseless. Fuzzy stared at them, unimpressed, as his belly began to glow with a strange inner light.