Around the Hive in 180 Days (Part I)
He rode on a sea of writhing bodies, surfing atop them, pushed by the sway of a back and the occasional grasping hand.
Magellan-F249C32C considered his situation. He had plenty of time to think; he only had to be careful not to get pulled into the frenzy of coupling Hivers, which only required the occasional pheromonal signal of disinterest on his part.
He'd seen scenes like this before, and even ridden crowds like this, but the sheer size of the chamber, taking up a couple square miles and abutting the very borders of the Hive, amazed him.
Magellan-F249C32C hadn't believed the stories, but after several hours of traveling in Sector F23, he had to admit they were true.
His fellow Workers called it "Sector Fuck", and he had yet to encounter anyone in the sector who wasn't engaged in coupling.
At first he had watched or joined in as his fancy took him, but his stamina eventually waned, and he found himself watching more often than not. He was surprised and amused at the single-mindedness of the inhabitants of Sector F23. He had tried signing to some of them, but was met only by signals of sexual attraction. The inevitable offers to engage in coupling, which would normally be welcome, had now became tiresome.
By carefully rolling to one side or the other, he managed to nudge his way to the edge of the chamber, and squirmed his way back onto the floor, lubricated with sweat.
"Let's try a louder approach," he said, though no one acknowledged he was speaking.
He wiggled along the edge of the chamber until he found a woman who was currently only engaged by one male, and facing the wall. Magellan-F249C32C noticed that instead of the usual armband, she had her identifying black band around her neck. He could read her name in white along the band: Torry-F2389120. The sheer size of her endowments confirmed she was of the usually-helpful Torry strain.
He moved into her field of vision -- though her eyes were currently closed -- and adopted the full-body sign that indicated he was a Hiver in distress, and sent a pheromonal signal to match.
Her eyes snapped open, though no one else in the crowd, even the man coupling with her, paused in their activities. Her eyes met his.
"I am hungry and lost," he signed at her. "Where does one go to eat in this Sector?"
She pointed. She said, aloud, in a thick voice: "East... wall. Green arrow."
She had already closed her eyes again as Magellan-F249C32C wiggled in that direction, signing his thanks. Her only response was a rhythmic grunting.
Sure, green arrows usually led to cafeterias, but he hadn't seen any in this sector yet. He smiled and sighed when he found that the indicated wall did indeed have an opening marked with a lime green arrow. He was able to follow the green arrows down a corridor, squirming between frenzied couples.
The corridor widened, and Magellan-F249C32C found himself in an unusual cafeteria, built into the corridor itself. It was almost an assembly line. People would briefly disengage from coupling, go though the queue to get some stew, bolt down the meal in a small, slightly wider area at the end of the assembly line, and then go back into the corridor to resume coupling.
Even the Workers serving the food were a little distracted, engaging in light foreplay as they went about their duties. Sometimes, after finishing a meal, one of the Sector F23 natives would relieve one of the cafeteria workers, who would grab a meal and then join the coupling beyond the cafeteria-corridor.
Magellan-F249C32C made note of the door that probably led to the kitchens, not to mention the doors on the opposite side of the widened corridor from the food marked with the silhouette of a toilet on a powder blue background.
As some stew was ladled into a bowl for him, Magellan-F249C32C managed to make eye contact with the Worker in front of him after he caressed her thigh to get her attention.
"Where are the children?" he signed.
She smiled, thin-lipped.
She signed back, haltingly: "Very... pregnant women are... rotated toward Sector F22. When they give birth, the children are... collected and raised in F22."
Magellan-F249C32C nodded and made the sign of thanks. He bolted his meal down like the others, but instead of joining in the orgy, he squirmed his way down the corridor in the general direction of Sector F22.
Along the way, he paused only when he noticed two men coupling. He raised an eyebrow and tried to engage them in conversation, but they steadfastly ignored him, so he continued on his way.
Magellan-F249C32C considered his situation. He had plenty of time to think; he only had to be careful not to get pulled into the frenzy of coupling Hivers, which only required the occasional pheromonal signal of disinterest on his part.
He'd seen scenes like this before, and even ridden crowds like this, but the sheer size of the chamber, taking up a couple square miles and abutting the very borders of the Hive, amazed him.
Magellan-F249C32C hadn't believed the stories, but after several hours of traveling in Sector F23, he had to admit they were true.
His fellow Workers called it "Sector Fuck", and he had yet to encounter anyone in the sector who wasn't engaged in coupling.
At first he had watched or joined in as his fancy took him, but his stamina eventually waned, and he found himself watching more often than not. He was surprised and amused at the single-mindedness of the inhabitants of Sector F23. He had tried signing to some of them, but was met only by signals of sexual attraction. The inevitable offers to engage in coupling, which would normally be welcome, had now became tiresome.
By carefully rolling to one side or the other, he managed to nudge his way to the edge of the chamber, and squirmed his way back onto the floor, lubricated with sweat.
"Let's try a louder approach," he said, though no one acknowledged he was speaking.
He wiggled along the edge of the chamber until he found a woman who was currently only engaged by one male, and facing the wall. Magellan-F249C32C noticed that instead of the usual armband, she had her identifying black band around her neck. He could read her name in white along the band: Torry-F2389120. The sheer size of her endowments confirmed she was of the usually-helpful Torry strain.
He moved into her field of vision -- though her eyes were currently closed -- and adopted the full-body sign that indicated he was a Hiver in distress, and sent a pheromonal signal to match.
Her eyes snapped open, though no one else in the crowd, even the man coupling with her, paused in their activities. Her eyes met his.
"I am hungry and lost," he signed at her. "Where does one go to eat in this Sector?"
She pointed. She said, aloud, in a thick voice: "East... wall. Green arrow."
She had already closed her eyes again as Magellan-F249C32C wiggled in that direction, signing his thanks. Her only response was a rhythmic grunting.
Sure, green arrows usually led to cafeterias, but he hadn't seen any in this sector yet. He smiled and sighed when he found that the indicated wall did indeed have an opening marked with a lime green arrow. He was able to follow the green arrows down a corridor, squirming between frenzied couples.
The corridor widened, and Magellan-F249C32C found himself in an unusual cafeteria, built into the corridor itself. It was almost an assembly line. People would briefly disengage from coupling, go though the queue to get some stew, bolt down the meal in a small, slightly wider area at the end of the assembly line, and then go back into the corridor to resume coupling.
Even the Workers serving the food were a little distracted, engaging in light foreplay as they went about their duties. Sometimes, after finishing a meal, one of the Sector F23 natives would relieve one of the cafeteria workers, who would grab a meal and then join the coupling beyond the cafeteria-corridor.
Magellan-F249C32C made note of the door that probably led to the kitchens, not to mention the doors on the opposite side of the widened corridor from the food marked with the silhouette of a toilet on a powder blue background.
As some stew was ladled into a bowl for him, Magellan-F249C32C managed to make eye contact with the Worker in front of him after he caressed her thigh to get her attention.
"Where are the children?" he signed.
She smiled, thin-lipped.
She signed back, haltingly: "Very... pregnant women are... rotated toward Sector F22. When they give birth, the children are... collected and raised in F22."
Magellan-F249C32C nodded and made the sign of thanks. He bolted his meal down like the others, but instead of joining in the orgy, he squirmed his way down the corridor in the general direction of Sector F22.
Along the way, he paused only when he noticed two men coupling. He raised an eyebrow and tried to engage them in conversation, but they steadfastly ignored him, so he continued on his way.