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body div#devskin0 hr { }

Eron stared down at the holodisplay on his lap and waggled his index finger at it. The image on display shook with his movements. He thrust a finger forward, and the screen advanced.

“Give it up, man. There’s nothing here.”

“The whole point of this sport was patience, Ziek. Sometimes ancient anglers would be out all day and not see anything. But they didn’t give up. That’s why they were successful and you’re struggling to pass Basic Particle Physics.”

“Whatever. You’re just jealous.”

Eron didn’t look up from his careful scans of the water. “Of what, your stupid haircut?”

Ziek gave him a hard shove, nearly knocking him into the protective bubble of their fishing unit. “Jealous that I've got a hot date to the saucer show and you're spending the weekend alone.”

The shove had skewed Eron's display, and he frowned at it as he waved his hand to reorient the lure. The muck at the bottom of the lake had been disturbed, making it even harder to see what he was doing.

He started to make a sarcastic remark, but movement on the display caught his attention. “I think I saw something.”

As they watched, something swam out of the murk, right for the lure.

Ziek leaned in close enough for Eron to smell his breath. “Oh my god, there it is!”

“Back off, Ziek.” He shoved his friend away and snapped his hand back into the detection field. His mind raced as he tried to remember the most enticing wiggles, but he ended up just waving his hand around like a dope.

To his incredible luck, this fish seemed to like what he was doing, because it lunged for the lure and swallowed it in one gulp. Eron activated retrieval mode, and they waited while the tiny robotic lure dragged it into the catch compartment.

“Come on, take it out, I wanna see!”

“Jeez, calm down. It's just a fish.” Ziek didn't need to know he was swelling with pride at that moment. Nobody had even seen a fish in this lake in decades, and he had actually caught one.

“Don't you get it, Eron? This is gonna make the feed for sure. We're famous!”

“We? I did all the work. You were geeking out over saucers.”

Ziek placed a hand on his heart as if he'd been wounded. “I was here for emotional support. Now open it.”

Eron took his time punching in the code. Not because he wasn't also in a hurry to see his catch, but because he knew it would rile Ziek up. The hatch hissed as the hermetic seal was broken, and a little, water-filled drawer popped out. The fish wriggled inside.

“Is it supposed to do that?”

“I don't know. When's the last time you saw a fish?”

But Ziek was right. Something was off about all this. Against his better judgment, he grabbed the fish and pulled it out. Ziek stared at its tail fin.

“Hey, is it supposed to have a string coming off of it?”

Now that he had it out, it was impossible not to see the thick, fleshy rope coming out of the back end of the fish.

Before he could even guess what it was, the rope went taut, and the fishing unit lurched to the side, knocking them both against the protective bubble that topped the vessel. Water rushed over the top as something pulled the unit under. Eron had just enough time to glimpse the side of a gaping mouth before everything went dark.

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Eron stared down at the holodisplay on his lap and waggled his index finger at it. The image on display shook with his movements. He thrust a finger forward, and the screen advanced.

“Give it up, man. There’s nothing here.”

“The whole point of this sport was patience, Ziek. Sometimes ancient anglers would be out all day and not see anything. But they didn’t give up. That’s why they were successful and you’re struggling to pass Basic Particle Physics.”

“Whatever. You’re just jealous.”

Eron didn’t look up from his careful scans of the water. “Of what, your stupid haircut?”

Ziek gave him a hard shove, nearly knocking him into the protective bubble of their fishing unit. “Jealous that I've got a hot date to the saucer show and you're spending the weekend alone.”

The shove had skewed Eron's display, and he frowned at it as he waved his hand to reorient the lure. The muck at the bottom of the lake had been disturbed, making it even harder to see what he was doing.

He started to make a sarcastic remark, but movement on the display caught his attention. “I think I saw something.”

As they watched, something swam out of the murk, right for the lure.

Ziek leaned in close enough for Eron to smell his breath. “Oh my god, there it is!”

“Back off, Ziek.” He shoved his friend away and snapped his hand back into the detection field. His mind raced as he tried to remember the most enticing wiggles, but he ended up just waving his hand around like a dope.

To his incredible luck, this fish seemed to like what he was doing, because it lunged for the lure and swallowed it in one gulp. Eron activated retrieval mode, and they waited while the tiny robotic lure dragged it into the catch compartment.

“Come on, take it out, I wanna see!”

“Jeez, calm down. It's just a fish.” Ziek didn't need to know he was swelling with pride at that moment. Nobody had even seen a fish in this lake in decades, and he had actually caught one.

“Don't you get it, Eron? This is gonna make the feed for sure. We're famous!”

“We? I did all the work. You were geeking out over saucers.”

Ziek placed a hand on his heart as if he'd been wounded. “I was here for emotional support. Now open it.”

Eron took his time punching in the code. Not because he wasn't also in a hurry to see his catch, but because he knew it would rile Ziek up. The hatch hissed as the hermetic seal was broken, and a little, water-filled drawer popped out. The fish wriggled inside.

“Is it supposed to do that?”

“I don't know. When's the last time you saw a fish?”

But Ziek was right. Something was off about all this. Against his better judgment, he grabbed the fish and pulled it out. Ziek stared at its tail fin.

“Hey, is it supposed to have a string coming off of it?”

Now that he had it out, it was impossible not to see the thick, fleshy rope coming out of the back end of the fish.

Before he could even guess what it was, the rope went taut, and the fishing unit lurched to the side, knocking them both against the protective bubble that topped the vessel. Water rushed over the top as something pulled the unit under. Eron had just enough time to glimpse the side of a gaping mouth before everything went dark.