Received

The apartments on the moon looked exactly like the ones over on Earth. Designed to hold as many people as possible without losing the aesthetic design of how they used to be built in times BNG, they were only as comfortable as money would allow.

Suzy Pop didn’t usually spend her days waiting for her husband on the couch like this. Sure, it wasn’t much more productive, but most times she’d have some food to order or at least a dirty magazine to flip through. Hugo said he’d be picking up dinner on his way back, so that ruled out option one, and she hadn’t planned on needing to bring her personal stash to the moon, so material had been low lately with their precious funds now reserved solely for getting home.

Suddenly she heard one of the handsome automaton butlers open the front door. Rising from her seat she saw her husband carrying in some funnel cake and a bucket of turkey legs.

They sat down at their two-seated, shoddily constructed table- wordlessly at first, as the robot maids served them their meal. Hugo was tired, that much was obvious. The wife wasn’t any less energetic than usual at the sight of another human being, but kept her mouth shut out of fear she might annoy him.

Hugo gave a hearty chuckle.

“What’s the matter?” He smiled. “I thought turkey legs were your favorite. We aren’t out of vitamin pills yet.”

Suzy’s heart beat faster again as she revealed her grin.

“Get real. I’d eat these even if they killed me!”

The two practically tore into their dishes like animals, not the least bit uncomfortable at each other’s grisly display.

“I must say it’s pretty nice, having Kidneyland food everyday.” He made out through bites of bird.

“You can say that again!” She barely remembered to wipe her face with a cheap disposable napkin. “Oh, hey- I got a text from the kids.”

“That’s nice. I’m surprised they didn’t up and forget about us up there.”

“You mean down there?”

“Direction’s relative. S’what my buddy at work tells me. He was born here, you know.”

“That’s a thought…”

“So what’d it say? The text.”

“Frankie wrote it.” Suzy moved onto her desert with a nostalgic smirk. “Didn’t sound much like her, but I guess a lot can happen in a week. She says they’re working.”

“Working?” He finished an especially large final vote before catching up to her in the funnel cake race. “You’re kidding. Where?”

“A Venge City somewhere. She said it didn’t last long.”

“That’s the girl I know.”

“She said her sister’s rubbing off on her.”

“I hope it’s not a one-way thing. I don’t think the universe could handle two Katies.”

“Have you… thought any about when we’ll be able to go back?”

“Oh. Did she ask?”

“She did.”

Hugo grumbled.

“Don’t worry about it.” She moved her hand to his. “We’ll make it home eventually, even if it takes longer than we thought.”

“Just don’t apologize again. I’ve gotten used to our “staff.” He chuckled at the pretty mechanical servants. “I’m gonna work even harder to finish whatever this giant thing Kidney has me working on is… and we’re gonna bring your robots home too. We’ll all sit and catch up, and everything will be even better than it was before!”

“Shut up. I love you.” She smiled, giggling.

He tried to laugh too, but when he looked out the window, the sky was still black.