Fresh Ink: An Anthology

At the Denver Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, standing in line with many others, are two girls, Nic and Tamia. Nic is Asian, and Tamia is Black. Both are in costume: Nic is a “gender-flipped” Sulu, who is male in the Star Trek franchise, while Tamia is a racially flipped FBI Agent Dana Scully, who is white in the X-Files.

Although strangers, the two girls begin to interact when a group of guys dressed as zombies make fun of Nic’s costume. Tamia defends Nic, insulting the boys’ intelligence, and they eventually leave the girls alone. The two bond over discussing their costumes. Nic notes that Sulu was the only gay character in the Star Trek franchise, and she wishes that there were more. During their conversation, the power goes out, and the two find an unlocked door and push through. They end up in a dark maintenance corridor, and the door behind them closes and locks them in.

In the dark, Tamia becomes increasingly anxious because the doors around them are all locked. As a “squelching” sound approaches behind them, they grab each other’s hands and flee out a door and onto a concourse. Nic looks down and notices that they’re still holding hands, and they quickly separate.