Page 60 of Garbage

Ben gave him a long squeeze, then patted his back. “Hey, big guy. You doing alright? Oh God, you’re hurt.”

Quincy took a reluctant step back, tucking his additional limbs away. “No, I’m alright.” He looked down at his ruined chest. “I’ve got some damage, but I’ve turned off the sensors in most of my chest so it’s not bothering me. Is Evan…”

“He’s in the hospital, but he’ll be fine,” Ben answered quickly, letting Quincy’s pistons finally start to slow. “He might need a little help getting around for a few days.”

“I can help him!” Quincy offered. Then he looked back at the doorway, which was crowded with two police officers and a man in a sharp suit. Quincy’s voice was smaller when he asked, “Can I go home?”

“Not yet, buddy.” Ben put a hand on his arm. “But we’re working on it. I wanted to introduce you to Mr. Pierce and Mx. Pierce. They’re lawyers who’ve agreed to help us out.”

The man in the suit stepped forward. He had rich umber skin that was called black as a race, and tightly curled hair cut close to his head. He was smaller than Quincy in all dimensions, yet he walked with a coiled power that reminded Quincy of a cobra poised to strike.

Or some of the Doms in those videos.

It was a little intimidating. He was glad that Mr. Pierce was on his side.

Just behind him came a second… man? Er… person? Quincy thought he might be a man, but his hips had a mesmerizing sway, like a tiger on the prowl. They were outlined by a form-fitting suit that narrowed at the waist, with a vivid magenta blouse underneath that looked silky to the touch. His skin was several shades lighter than the other man’s and glowed with the subtle touch of eyeliner and lipgloss.

The first man held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Quincy. Rashid Pierce, he/him pronouns. You may call me Rashid.”

It was only when Quincy grasped it to shake that he realized Rashid wasn’t human. His skin was too smooth. His give of the muscles in his hand was too even. “You’re an android!”

“I’m a spark,” Rashid countered. “As apparently are you, though you’re not registered.” It was a small reprimand.

“I have an appointment scheduled for next week,” he defended. But it felt weak. He hadn’t set up his registration right away, because Evan had been giving him time to get comfortable with the world and his enhanced memory first.

“We understand,” the other lawyer said, before raising his hand in kind. “Though that will make things harder. Justice Pierce, at your service. They/them.”

“Oh,” Quincy breathed reverently, before shaking their hand as well. Evan and Ben had told him about they/them pronouns, and he’d looked them up, but none of their nonbinary friends had made it to any of the gatherings he’d attended. Meeting Justice in person was completely different. “You’re beautiful,” he blurted out.

The word wasn’t even enough. Justice was gorgeous and confident and… kind of like Quincy. Right? They looked like everything that Quincy thought he might want to be, and they had a job with a lot of influence, where they helped other sparks and people looked up to them.

Justice’s lips quirked up. “Thank you.”

For a moment, Quincy forgot why Justice was there, and just stared.

But they were already right back to business. “To get started, Mr. Curran has hired me to represent you.”

It took Quincy several clock cycles to realize that Mr. Curran was Ben.

“If you consent,” Justice continued, “We’ll take your case to court, and we can also get you assessed and registered today.”

Quincy looked at Ben, who gave him an encouraging nod. “Yes, please. I’d appreciate that.”

Justice gave a nod to the officers at the door. They stepped back, and two new people took their place. They weren’t wearing uniforms, and Quincy started to feel a little better. The younger, tawny skinned woman introduced herself as Ms. Alvarez and shook his hand—another spark! The older, pink-skinned man pushed himself in on a wheeled chair, reaching across the table to shake as well. His name was Mr. Carter, and his hands trembled, but his blue eyes were kind.

Quincy liked both of them much more than any of the cops. And even in this horrible room, he was excited to meet three sparks, especially when one of them seemed to have navigated a path through these genders that Quincy found so confusing.

When Ben took a seat, Quincy nudged his own chair as close to it as he could, then sat beside him.

The lawyers seated themselves last, directly across from them. Switching back and forth between the two of them, they recited a list of Quincy’s rights and requested his verbal permission for a dozen things. Quincy recorded it all for reference later, but if Ben nodded, he gave his agreement. He was hardly paying attention to the content because he was so fascinated watching the two of them.

Rashid would pick up immediately where Justice left off, as though the two of them shared the same mind. They hardly looked at each other, though, of course, they could easily be communicating electronically without him knowing it.

Why did they have the same last name? Were they married? Siblings? Did sparks even have siblings? He supposed they could have chosen the same name as part of their career partnership, too. Justice’s first name couldn’t have been accidental. Did Rashid mean something similar?

At last, the recitation was complete, and both of their bodies relaxed in tandem. Rashid leaned back in his chair, while Justice leaned forward, propping their chin on their folded hand.

“Whew. Glad that’s over with. How are you holding up?” Rashid asked. His smile held a warmth Quincy hadn’t expected.