Escape Pod 1032: "Milt" by Victoria N. Chee

Podcast: Escape Pod
Host: Tina Connolly
Narrator: Tatiana Gray
Release Date: February 12, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Escape Pod features "Milt" by Victoria N. Chee, a poignant and atmospheric piece of speculative fiction set in a post-apocalyptic oceanic world inhabited by genetically evolved merpeople descended from human survivors. The story follows the narrator's perilous journey as they uncover a dangerous technological relic from the past, explore themes of love, trauma, identity, and the recurring threats posed by the remnants of old humanity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Worldbuilding: A Post-Human Oceanic Society

• The setting is an underwater civilization of merpeople, genetically engineered descendants of humans, living in the ruins of climate catastrophe.
• Their society is intertwined with the relics and dangers left by the "first cataclysm"—a world ravaged by environmental disaster and failed human attempts at survival.
• Language and culture have evolved into an amalgam of French, English, and their own aquatic norms, highlighted through rituals like the annual "poisson de fruil".

2. Characters & Relationships

• Yobe: The narrator’s lover, a brilliant and troubled researcher obsessed with uncovering dangerous human relics to protect their people from a suspected "second cataclysm".
• The Narrator: A merperson who feels at the margins—less human, more "fish," and longing for connection and meaning. Their skills and resilience drive them to explore forbidden wrecks.
• Dr. Boucher: The antagonist, a digital remnant of a pre-cataclysm scientist, preserved in the relic's AI, exemplifying the arrogance and destructiveness of old humanity.

3. Plot Highlights

Inciting Tension (02:28 – 06:40)

• Yobe's obsession with a potential threat strains their relationship. The narrator, yearning for connection, offers to help but is brushed aside by Yobe's fixation on technological terms they cannot grasp.
• Motivated by hope and love, the narrator decides to revisit a sunken wreck that they discovered years before.

Dangerous Discovery & Body Horror (06:40 – 20:15)

• The narrator explores the wreck, encountering mer-sized pods and a mysterious computer room labeled "L A N A I". A sudden system activation traps and injures them.
• They awaken nearly desiccated, body horror vividly portrayed through their parched, damaged flesh. Trapped, pursued by malfunctioning bots, and on the verge of death, they confront a digital consciousness—Dr. Boucher—who dismisses their existence and heritage, seeking to extract their DNA for a genocidal resurrection of humanity.

"You're one of his, aren't you? Dr. Aramis Lau's half breed abominations."
— Dr. Boucher (21:55)

Resistance & Triumph Through Identity (20:15 – 27:30)

• Rather than fight or flee, the narrator resists by embracing their pain and pleasure, living fully in the moment, and unleashing a destructive surge of energy that fries the relic and destroys the AI.
• Their survival is framed as both act of resistance and affirmation of love for Yobe and their people.

"If I must die, I will do it with the pain I didn't choose and the pleasure I make of it."
— Narrator (26:45)

Resolution & Reunion (27:30 – 29:00)

• The narrator wakes adrift on a makeshift raft, rescued by merpeople, including an overjoyed Yobe.
• In triumph, they present the destroyed AI as a gift—the literal "head of the enemy"—cementing their bond and reclaiming agency over their shared future.

"I've brought you the head of your enemy and I love you."
— Narrator (29:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Body & Difference:
  "My genitals are private. We, I grit out, are what remains of your kind. We survived."
  — Narrator, in defiance against Dr. Boucher’s dehumanization (21:40)

• Climax of Resistance:
  "I will not be silent. I am loud. Activate it. Evacuation protocol."
  — Narrator, refusing to accept annihilation (25:50)

• On Humanity's Folly:
  "Believing that the world was designed to have us in it and therefore everything is going to be all right is a dangerous folly."
  — Edith Witter, quoted by the host at the very end (31:40)

Host’s Commentary & Analysis (30:01 – End)

Story Reflections:

• Tina Connolly praises the "alien" nature of the future merpeople, both in their culture and their mutations, while noting the carefully balanced blend of familiar and strange elements.
• The linguistic evolution—particularly the fusion of French and English and condensed vocabulary—is cited as an effective marker of deep future change.
• The episode explores the timeless science fiction motif of rediscovering "ancient tech," with the present merpeople piecing together humanity’s lost legacy from fragments and hazards.

Further Reading:

• Victoria N. Chee’s other story "Patient Was the Doctor" is recommended for similar thematic depth and oceanic, queer elements.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:28 — Story begins
• 06:40 — Discovery of the wreck and initial exploration
• 14:50 — Trapped and injured; body horror sequence
• 21:20 — Confrontation with Dr. Boucher (AI antagonist)
• 26:45 — Climax: Resistance through self-affirmation
• 29:00 — Reunion and gift to Yobe
• 30:01 — Host analysis and author commentary
• 31:40 — Closing quote

Summary

"Milt" by Victoria N. Chee delivers a stunning vision of post-human resilience, queer intimacy, and the dangers of old technological hubris. Through lyrical narration and intense physical stakes, it interrogates what it means to survive, love, and resist in a world haunted by the mistakes of the past but alive with hope for something beautifully, painfully new.