Skip saw a table in a far corner, where humans sat. 

     Or, at least, he assumed they were human.

     In 10K, who knew?

     No, they were all human. 

     They were still on Earth, after all.

     And, where there were humans, there had to be human food.

     As it turned out, this cafeteria wasn't that much different than the ones he'd known eight thousand years before. He watched other humans grab trays and bowls and tumblers to fill with...what? He saw a lump of dark brown. Meat? It didn't look like meat, though. He watched other humans grab bowls filled with those lumps. 

     He dropped a bowl of lump on his tray.

     He saw a plant growing, growing every second he watched it. Other humans grabbed leaves from the plant to put on their plates, so Skip figured it was, at least, edible.

     Okay. Skip pulled a leaf from the plant, and did he feel the slightest bit of resistance on the part of the leaf, or was it just his imagination?

     Whatever.

     He took a bite.

     It tasted like a leaf.

     Then, 

     "Sir?"

     Skip turned to look into the "eye" of a hovering camera.

     "Payment?" the camera inquired.

     Oh. Oh yes, of course. Nothing for free, even in the year 10,000 A.D..

     "Now what in the fuck am I supposed to do?" Skip asked Claudia. 

     The hovering camera responded first.

     "Submit creds for payment."

     "Stall," Claudia said.

     Stall. Oh boy. Social skills. Shit.

     "You know, I'm sorry," Skip said to the camera, "but I'm new to this sector of the Universe, and I don't know what kind of credits you accept here."

     "Philos," came the reply.

     "Okay, so what in the fuck is a Philos?" Skip asked Claudia.

     "You don't know Philos?" the security camera asked.

     "You just made a mistake there," Claudia said. "Philos is the egri that controls this sector of Earth."

      "And what's an egri?"

     "A living computer."

     "So you're an egri?"

     "No, I'm something else. Around here, if you don't know Philos, then you're not a registered citizen."

     "But I'm ​not a registered citizen."

     "That is information you do not want spread around, Skip. Unregistered citizens are eradicated if they get anywhere near Hrrm's Hive."

     "Now that really is something you should have told me before."

     "Don't panic. I got this."

     "And what have you got?"

     "Creds for a start."

     "And where did you get those?"

     "Made them from scratch. They should be good, though."

CONTINUE