Dusk by Ashanti Luke

sure?
    — Well, not really…
    — What happened?
    — Scott Seal and Terry Gallagher…
    — What’d those two lab monkeys do this
time?
    — They kept calling me Scariest and Derrière and
they said my name was stupid.
    — They did, did they? What do you think about
that?
    — Kinda bothers me… I kinda dunno if they’re wrong
or not this time.
    — Did I ever tell you where your name comes
from?
    — No Dada. I thought you and mama made it
up.
    — Well, King Darius the Great helped build one of
the strongest empires in the history of the world, the Persian
Empire. He didn’t gain the throne because of who his father was, or
because of politicking. He gained the throne because he was good at
what he did and because the people of Persia believed in him. Not
only was he a great military leader even before he was king, he was
a good leader during peacetime too because he allowed even the
people the Persians conquered to do what they wanted and he didn’t
try to change them.
    — What did he do to be such a good leader?
    — Some say it was because he had the blessing of
the Ahura Mazda.
    — Don’t they make mag-levs Dada?
    — No, that’s a different Mazda. The Ahura Mazda
was what the Persians believed was the supreme god and the creator
of the world. Ahura Mazda had two children; Ormazd, who represented
good and life, and Ahriman, who represented evil and death.
    — How could God have both good and evil children
Dada?
    — Well, I think the Persians believed balance was
more important than comfort.
    — I don’t know what that means Dada.
    — Hopefully, one day you will. The important thing
is that your name represents a strong idea.
    — Yeah, I like that. But it’s still not like the
other kids’ names. Proxy Instructors still mispronounce my name all
the time.
    — People who don’t know you will always have
problems with your name. It’s the people that do know you that will
help add meaning to your name. But most importantly, it’s up to
you.
    — What do you mean?
    — I mean if you live your life well, like Darius
the Great, even if your name was Scariest or Derrière, when people
will say it they will smile.
    — I hope it’s not cuz they’re laughing atme
Dada.
    — Well, I guarantee, if you grow up anything like
your Dada, the ones who dolaugh at you won’t do it for
long.
    • • • • •
    Cyrus’s chest heaved, but it felt as if only hot,
noxious air had entered his lungs. He coughed a long, dry cough and
pushed feebly against the floor as a stream of drool escaped the
corner of his mouth. The string of saliva, thick and elastic,
danced its way to the floor in sync with the wobbling of his elbows
as he struggled to his knees.
    “Again!” Tanner bellowed, his voice barely
audible over the throbbing in Cyrus’s ears. Cyrus rose to his feet,
head spinning from the effort, and snapped his body to attention.
“Ready position!” Tanner commanded. Cyrus bent his arms at the
elbow, balled his fists, and lifted them to his hips as the other
men in the room attempted to do the same. “Fighting stance!” Cyrus
thrust his back leg behind him. He could feel the weakness in his
arms as he raised them into defensive position. His knee wobbled
from fatigue and his thigh burned, threatening to cramp. Then, as
Cyrus exhaled as deeply as he could, sweat dribbled away from his
nostrils and he caught a telltale whiff of hydrochloric acid on
someone else’s breath.
    Trying to hold it in only caused his
esophagus to spasm more violently, as Dr. Kristoph Davidson, the
ship’s botanist, charged with instituting an agricultural program
on Asha, ejected his breakfast and lunch all over the fitness
chamber floor. The stench washed over Cyrus like a fog and the
cramp took over, sending him to the ground in the puddle of
half-digested vitamins and amino acids. As Cyrus flopped
gracelessly through the puddle, covering his upper body with the
filth, Davidson’s deep green eyes looked apologetic, his tawny