Beasts

Beasts

By Vic James

vicjames2@hotmail.com

Copyright 2013 by Vic James

http://www.vicjames.com

Please donate to nifty: http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real people. You can see a list of my stories at the Nifty Prolific Authors page by my name.

Fourteen

We got up and left the room. We entered a very small room.

"Digger, will you wait outside?" Dr. Rosenbloom asked.

He looked surprised, but he left the room.

"Stand here, Eric," he said.

He stood next to me. A cord dropped down from the ceiling. There was a loop on the end.

"Let me have your hand."

He put my hand through the loop and it tightened around my wrist.

I looked at Dr. Rosenbloom's very thin arms. They were perhaps two centimeters in diameter, and that was including the feathers that covered them. His hands were large in comparison, though, and his fingers long and thin. I assumed his arms were that thin to keep his body weight down. His torse was thin, too. I wondered why his head was so big, then I realized it had to be large enough for his brain. But if his body was in proportion to his head, it would probably have been too heavy to fly without enormous wings. The rest of his body must have been shrunk to keep his weight down. I couldn't see his legs; he was wearing pants. But I assumed they were thin, too. His wings were folded flat against his back. They seemed to collapse into a very small space.

Dr. Rosenbloom pressed a button. I heard a hissing sound. Then part of the floor opened to space. I stared at the millions and millions of brilliant points in the black of space. My mouth and eyes closed automatically, and my ears popped. At the same time, I heard his beak clamp shut. I tried to open my eyes. I couldn't. Then a moment later, I was able to. My vision was blurred. I began blinking my eyes and it slowly came back into focus. But it seemed like I was wearing sunglasses. The room was a bit darker. I thought it was a strange place to put a viewscreen-on the floor, and then it began to sink in. We were in the vacuum of space. That explained the hiss I heard and my ears popping. It was air escaping. I was shocked and frightened, but I calmed when I realized I was comfortable. My skin was tingling. I assumed it was an effect of the vacuum. I remained nervous, although I realized Dr. Rosenbloom wouldn't be with me, if we were in a dangerous situation. I wondered how long I could live in vacuum. I realized my eyes had to be covered with something. It was blocking some of the light, but they worked. I could see.

He pushed a button and the floor appeared, again. I heard hissing as air returned to the room, once the floor was sealed. He walked to the door and opened it.

"Did you watch?" he asked Digger.

"Yes. I couldn't believe it. At first, I was afraid you were committing suicide," Digger said.

Dr. Rosenbloom laughed.

"I'm far too fond of myself to ever do that. Now that probably seemed dangerous, didn't it?"

I nodded.

"It wasn't. Nanites sealed your respiratory system. Then nanites in your lungs began converting the carbon dioxide your body produces, back to oxygen. They produced a film that protected your eyes, ears, nose, and skin. Did you try to open your mouth?"

"No."

"You wouldn't have been able to, had you tried. We would have easily survived an hour in space without space suits. We wouldn't suffocate. However, the nanites can't overcome extreme heat and can only protect against extreme cold for a while. But I'm still working on them. There are many more capabilities, and we will discuss them at some point. But first, what are your impressions? If you are upset about the way I showed you, I understand, but it seemed simpler than an explanation, which probably wouldn't have convinced you, anyway."

"I guess it was. It was certainly more effective. How did they adjust so rapidly?"

"I cheated a little. I sent a signal to them ahead of time. Without it, you would have survived, but been less comfortable while they were rushing to do all that needed to be done. It would have been two to three minutes before you could open your eyes and I wanted you to be able to see what was going on."

"Could our bodies survive on another planet?"

Dr. Rosenbloom nodded.

"That is one of my goals. Your body has some modifications in support of that goal. No Beasts are subject to frostbite, but your skin, especially can tolerate extreme conditions."

He turned and one wall displayed a weird, alien planet. I saw a river flowing slowly by. Yellow mountains were in the background. Then I saw something in the sky. I realized it was part of a ring. Was it Saturn in the sky?

"Titan. A moon of Saturn. I hope to live there someday," the doctor said. "To fly on that moon, with Saturn in the sky above me." He shook his head. "That would be heaven for me. That will be Beast 5.0, though. Beast 4.0 will be able to live on the surface of Mars, and survive breathing only its thin atmosphere. They will also require much less water. There is no reason so much water needs to be excreted by the kidneys. Beast 5.0 will excrete a uric acid paste, like birds."

I shook my head.

"I'm sure you'll make it," I said.

"I'm glad you have such confidence in me, not that it's misplaced."

"After seeing Jock survive the explosion, I can't help but be confident."

"Yes. One advantage of the new nanites is that they remain active, even after the death of the person they inhabit. They are much more mobile than earlier nanites, and they are directed. The lack of circulation doesn't prevent them from getting where they need to be. In Jock's case, they were able to revive him. Of course, he wasn't in the bar at the time of the explosion. He was behind the bar, in the alley. Had his injuries been more severe, well."

I nodded. If his head was gone, what could nanites do?

"Are you happy with your body?"

"Very. Thank you."

He nodded.

"If you have any feedback, feel free to give it to me. I need to know if the body gives you any kinds of problems."

"I will."

"Do you think you want to change your face?"

I thought for a moment.

"I don't know. Right now, I feel lucky to be alive. I think I will get used to it, it's a nice face, but. Really. I'm just grateful. I don't know how I can thank you enough."

"There is no need. I would have done it for Digger, even if his mate couldn't provide free advertising. I consider all my Beasts my children, in a way, but Digger and Pan are closest to my heart. I'm not a very emotional person, but in a way, I suppose I think of you as a son-in-law."

I was going to offer to pay him for what he had done, but as a son-in-law, I wondered if I should. I decided to ask Digger and my mother before saying anything to Dr. Rosenbloom.

"Do you think you might ever want to have children?"

I looked at Digger, who smiled.

"Yes. I think I would love that."

"Excellent. Your child will benefit humanity in a way few others do. If you and your child convince humans to convert, you will have given them a tremendous gift."

"And my human brain exists in this Beast body with no complications?"

"I've been testing that very thing on myself for years. You realize how old I am, don't you?"

"I don't know your date of birth, but the trial was almost two hundred years ago, and you spent decades developing Beasts."

He nodded.

"I like to wear my latest designs. I don't know how long my brain cells will last. I'm surprised they have lasted as long as they have. But there has obviously been no rejection of the brain by the body. It was designed not to, and it has worked the way I planned. You must remember that the immune system is designed. It doesn't reject the brain because it isn't designed to. It never goes haywire, like humans' sometimes do. If a Beast needed a transplanted organ from another Beast, there would be no immune system rejection. It would recognize that the new organ belonged there. There's no rheumatoid arthritis, no asthma, and none of the hundreds of other ways the human immune system can malfunction."

"Then it's my original brain inside my skull, damage and all?"

"Yes, but brain tissue was grown and implanted to replace the damaged sections. The damage was peculiar, due to the odd type of projectile the shooter used. It was water ice with a core of dry ice." That was bizarre. I wondered why on Earth someone would use a bullet made of two kinds of ice. Dr. Rosenbloom continued, "It was carrying rogue nanites, which I assume had to be kept cold. Those in your brain destroyed them. I also assume the nanites weren't designed to kill you, since an explosive bullet would be more lethal. Perhaps, they wanted you to suffer, if you survived, or to be able to control you." I closed my eyes. People I'd never met hated me. I'd done nothing to them. Why? "I've also wondered if the two assassins had different goals, with one trying to kill you and the other trying to infect you. In any case, the nanites Digger ejaculated into you had already entered your brain and created a map of your brain, the gestalt. It was updated about once per hour. My hope when I designed the new nanites, was that they would record memories, along with the state of synapses, and in a case such as yours, could recreate the portion of the gestalt in the new brain tissue. I had never tested it, though."

I sat there, trying to absorb it all. I decided not to think about what the Neos did and why they did it. They were in the past.

"So my memories were added to the new section of brain?"

He nodded his head.

"I'm certainly not glad your brain was damaged, but we have learned something very valuable."

I nodded.

"I can see that. I'm sure others will have accidents."

He nodded.

"When significant numbers of my own brain cells begin to die, I should be able to use the same technique on myself. I can replace sections of my brain, piece by piece."

I shivered at the thought. He chuckled"

"It is a daunting idea, but it is better than the alternative."

"I suppose it is."

"Digger told me that the two of you once discussed getting married on the moon."

"Yes, we did."

"If the idea appeals to you, you could take a short stroll on the moon-outside-without a spacesuit. It would be excellent advertising for your new body. I have been injecting Digger with the newest nanites, so he can accompany you there. You should both wear shoes."

I almost laughed. I couldn't go barefoot, outside on the moon? It was difficult to believe all he was telling me, but I had no choice. I had just been in complete vacuum and it wasn't even uncomfortable. I smiled at him.

"I will. I assume we want a newsie, nearby."

"Absolutely. You should have no trouble convincing more one to accompany you." He paused. "I just gave Digger the trigger word to prepare your nanites in advance of your trip into vacuum. He can give it to you. I suggest giving the command thirty minutes before you plan to go outside. If you forget to give the command in advance, don't panic, just wait until you can open your eyes before proceeding."

I looked at Digger. He was looking at Dr. Rosenbloom. Digger was so handsome. I hoped our kids looked like him. I supposed they would, because I was human. I shook my head. No. I wasn't. I just used to be human. I had a Beast body, with Beast DNA. My sperm or egg would have the genetic material of my new body. Then I wondered where my old body was. I almost laughed when I realized I was wearing it. My old body was changed into this one. It was the same matter, just rearranged. There was a lot to absorb.

"Will I have trouble establishing my identity in a new body?" I asked him.

"You shouldn't. The Majoratum is aware of what I did to keep you alive. Your new fingerprints, retinal scans, and DNA signature have been submitted. You aren't the first human to convert."

I nodded.

A very attractive Chimp walked up to us. He was almost as attractive as Alek.

"Hello, Harry." Digger said to him.

"Hello, Digger." He turned to me. "Hello, Eric. I'm Harry."

He held out his hand and I shook it.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked me.

"I feel fine. A little stunned by all the changes."

Harry nodded.

"You are smiling, so you must be coping," Harry said.

I nodded.

"Councilors Adams and Carstairs would like to speak to you," he said to Dr. Rosenbloom.

"Yes. Good."

"Do you have any questions about your body?" he asked me.

"No, sir. But I have a question about Digger."

Dr. Rosenbloom titled his head. I glanced at Digger. He was frowning.

"Digger told me his parents took care of a real gorilla and asked you..."

"Ah," Dr. Rosenbloom said. "Do you want to know how much of the gorilla is in Digger?"

"Yes, sir."

"Digger, would you mind leaving?" Dr. Rosenbloom asked him.

"I really want to know," Digger said.

"I think you already know. How different are you from other Gorillas you know?"

Digger thought for a moment.

"Not very."

"Exactly. There is nothing of Digger the gorilla, small g, in this Digger. His parents' gorilla acted human. That is why they loved him so much. They described his characteristics to me, and I could name many people who could be described the same way. I couldn't name any gorillas, small G, who could, though. He was a singular animal, and as they described him, I could understand why they loved him so much. That is quite common with humans and animals. The more human an animal acts, the move lovable he becomes to most humans. Their Digger obviously loved them back, which only strengthened their bond. I gave Digger's parents two perfect babies. How could they not be pleased by them?"

"That's about what I thought," I said to him.

Dr. Rosenbloom turned and walked away with Harry.

"Harry is Dr. Rosenbloom's lover," Digger said.

"Really?"

I hoped for Harry's sake that Dr. Rosenbloom never tried to give him a blow job. That beak.

"Yes. He's one of the few who address him by his first name. Come on. Let's go to the lounge."

We walked into a large dimly lit room.

"He said he thinks of Beasts as his children. I wonder if he felt awkward with Harry at first," I said.

"There is usually a little awkwardness at the start of any relationship. Harry is third generation, though. It was Harry's grandparents that Rosenbloom produced."

I nodded.

"Are you hungry? I am."

"A little."

I walked over to a terminal. It had pictures of food with selection buttons. I ordered an egg sandwich. Digger thought that sounded good and ordered one for himself.

"Would you like something to drink?" Digger asked me.

"Sure," I said, grinning.

I rubbed his groin. He chuckled. I felt him stiffen. I pulled his elastic-waisted pants under his balls. I bent over and licked the head of his cock.

"It might be better to give you that in our room. Your mother could walk in."

I stood up and pulled his pants up.

"Good point. Sandwich and then Digger juice."

He grinned.

"How about coffee for now."

"That sounds great."

He ordered it.

"I love you, Digger."

He took me in his arms.

"I've been so worried. We hadn't known each other long before I lost you. I started to wonder whether you felt the same about me, or whether I was remembering what I wanted to remember. And even if you did love me as much as I thought you did, would those memories be gone? We knew enough of your brain was fine for you to survive, but I had no idea whether the memories you lost would be the ones of me. Dr. Rosenbloom thought it would be your short term memories that would be missing is his process didn't work. I worried whether I was a short term memory."

Poor Digger. He must have been worried for a year. I hugged him.

"You remembered right. I love you very much now and I did then, too." I ran my hands over his muscular shoulders. "You also excite me more than anyone I've ever met."

He grinned.

"Even more than the guy you see now in the mirror?"

l laughed.

"I'll admit that he's hot and if you ever leave me, I might marry him."

Digger burst out laughing.

"Invite me to the wedding, please! 'Do you Eric take his man Eric to be your husband?'"

"Imagine the honeymoon!" I said. "I'd spend the whole thing with his cock in my mouth."

Digger grinned.

"It's a shame he's a bottom, though."

I nodded.

"It's his only flaw. I better keep you."

He kissed me. It was strange kissing. My mouth was different and his tongue took up less of it.

He stood and touched his meme.

I sat and smiled at him as he took his call. A moment later, he sat next to me. I left it covered, but I did feel his erection while he was on his call. I wanted it and I didn't think I could wait much longer.

"That was Alek."

"How is he?"

"Worried."

"What's wrong?"

"He almost got the three of us killed. You lost your old body."

I shook my head. While I was sleeping, everybody else was worrying. I was sure my mother worried most of all.

"Oh. I don't blame him. Not a bit. I didn't encrypt the photos you or Stefan gave me. I'm not surprised he didn't. I blame the Neos. I like Alek very much."

"He will be very relieved."

"Especially after he fills another glass for me. But NO VIDEO!"

Digger laughed.

"You may have trouble convincing him to do it. Don't forget he almost lost his life, too!"

"I bet I can convince him! Or maybe."

"What?"

"Well, he likes humans, too. Maybe I won't appeal to him."

"Eric, we all know it's you."

I looked at Digger's crotch. He was hard and I had made him that way. That was proof he wanted me, even as a Gorilla.

A robot cart like a tug rolled into the room with our sandwiches and coffee. I picked up a plate and put it on my lap. I reached over and squeezed Digger's erection some more.

"That's what I really want."

"It's dessert."

I laughed.

"I want an all day dessert."

He grinned.

"Eat your eggs before you eat any sperm."

I burst out laughing.

"That does sound like good advice."

I ate my sandwich as I leaned against him. He put his arm around me.

Between bites, I said, "I should call Alek."

"He'll feel better once you have."

He rubbed my belly. It was hairy. I was hairy.

"I'm going to be the hairiest mother since the last Neanderthal woman died. I'm hairier than any female Beast I've seen."

"Are you sure you want to be a mother?"

"Pretty sure. I'm not sure when I want to be one, though."

"We can talk about it. We have decades to decide."

"Did The Wild Life II open?"

"It was delayed a week, but it's open. Lucius is running the whole thing."

"How is business?"

"Very good. There are a lot more humans interested in Beasts. The video of you drinking Alek's spunk and obviously enjoying it was widely viewed." I cringed inside. I was not cutout to be a porn star. "Lucius put in a row for gloryholes for Beasts to be serviced by humans. He says they are very popular."

That was supposed to be my job! I almost laughed. As a mother, sucking strangers at gloryholes might not be appropriate.

"That's good. Does Alek have a new temporary spouse?" I asked.

"No. He uses the gloryholes in The Wild Life II. If you ask me, he has been avoiding relationships."

"Do you know why?"

"I'm not certain, but I assume it has to do with what happened to us." Digger sighed. "I think he may be afraid he will get someone else killed. He really feels responsible for what happened to you."

"That's a shame."

"Would you want to have sex with him, again?" Digger asked me.

I thought for a moment.

"Yes, but I don't know if I would want to continue it after we have a child. How would I explain it to a four year old?"

"You wouldn't. People don't stop having sex when they have a child. You just don't have it in front of them. Do you mind if I call Alek and tell him. He will feel much better."

"Let me call him."

"Let me get your meme. It's in our room."

He got up and left the lounge. He came back a couple minutes later with it. I hadn't seen the whole meme since I'd gotten it. It was a Ruby. I'd picked it because I liked the color. I placed it on my earlobe. As it burrowed into the skin, I remembered what a creepy sensation that was. I felt the filaments travelling in the skin from my earlobe to my head. Fortunately, it only lasted a minute. I called Alek.

"Hello," he answered.

"Is this Alek, the amazing sex flik star?" I asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

I realized he didn't recognize my voice.

"Your biggest fan! I have all your fliks!"

"Oh. All right."

I smiled.

"My favorite has to be the one of me drinking your semen from a glass."

"What? You? Who?" he stuttered.

"Hi, Alek, it's Eric."

"Eric! How are you?"

"I'm great. Digger said you felt bad about what happened. I just wanted you to know that I don't blame you. Not at all. In fact, I wish you were here."

"Do you really? That is such a relief. I was such a fool to be so careless."

"Don't worry about it. As long as Digger and you still want to have sex with me in this body, I'm glad to have it."

"I have missed both of you. Digger, I've known for years, but I've missed you almost as much."

"Alek, Dr. Rosenbloom told me I can have babies!"

"What?"

"He said my new body is pretty sweet. He demonstrated some of its capabilities by suddenly opening a room we were in to vacuum."

Alek laughed. "That sounds like him. Wow! A baby!"

"I want you to be the godfather, Alek."

"Oh, Eric. Thank you, but I'm not religious. Isn't that a religious thing?"

"Well, in our case, it means we are trusting you to raise him if we aren't able."

"I would be honored."

"Good! I've got to go. Bye, Alek."

"Bye, Eric. Um, Eric. I love you and Digger."

"I love you, too. Not romantically, but do I love you, Alek. And I miss you."

"I feel about a thousand times better," Alek said.

"Good. I hope you'll let me see your cock when we see you again."

He chuckled.

"If you want to see it, I will be delighted to let you."

"I still want you, Alek. Listening to your voice is reminding me how much."

Alek sighed.

"I'm glad, Eric. Truly. I was afraid I had destroyed our friendship."

I thought for a minute.

"It's more than that, I think," I said to him.

"Is it?"

I decided I needed to be certain how I felt before I said more. I felt like Alek was part of our family. After all, I loved him and I wanted to have sex with him. But what did that make him? A lover? A fuck buddy? A spouse? Did I love him romantically? I said I didn't, but maybe that was just because I loved Digger so much more. Maybe I loved Alek romantically, just not as much as Digger.

"I was really looking forward to the three of us living together at the Innstibble. I hope that will still happen someday. Maybe not at the Innstibble, though."

"I do, too, Eric."

"I'll call you later. Bye."

"Goodbye, Eric."

I disconnected.

I smiled at Digger.

"You told him?"

"Yes. He seemed happy."

Digger nodded.

"Alek told me that from just the brief time we three were together, that it started to feel like a family," Digger said.

I smiled. That was how I felt, too.

"I did tell him I wanted him to be our baby's godfather."

"Did you? What did he say?"

"He asked if it was a religious thing. I said no."

"I'm glad you did," Digger said.

"Has he made any more fliks?"

"Just one. He didn't want to make it, but his producer kept begging him."

I nodded. Alek was rich. But people enjoyed his fliks. I remembered Grex at the Innstibble saying his wife was a fan.

"He may feel more like making them, now that he has spoken to you."

I was leaning against Digger. I looked down at the really big lump in my pants. There was a wet spot from it leaking. That was all me!

"I love my new cock."

Digger laughed.

"I plan to love it, too. In fact, I want to love it right now."

He got up and took my hand. We walked to the room we'd spent the night in. As soon as the door closed, Digger picked me up and put me on our bed. He pulled my shorts down. He took my cock in one hand and began sucking me. He was moving rapidly on it.

"Slow down! I'm going to come!"

He pulled off and grinned at me.

"You can come many times a day, now. I plan to make you come several times before we are through."

I smiled and shook my head.

"Just lie back and enjoy it."

I did. Digger spent a long time becoming familiar with it. It was new to both of us.

"It's nice, but your old one was easier to suck," he told me.

"Maybe I can have penis reducing surgery," I suggested.

We both laughed.

"I'm just glad you don't want to fuck me," Digger said, before swallowing me, again.

After I came, he pushed my legs up and began rimming me. I groaned as his tongue slipped inside me. I pulled my legs back further and that brought my cock near my mouth. I took it in my mouth and began sucking myself while Digger rimmed me.

When he pulled away, he said, "Oh, yeah! Suck yourself while I fuck you. I want to fuck your spunk into your mouth."

He got up and aimed his cock at my hole. He pushed inside me. The pressure of his body pushed more of my cock into my mouth. As before, the movement of his cock in my ass felt like my cock was being stroked. I moaned around my dick, as I shot into my own mouth. I wasn't about to admit how much I enjoyed that.

"Oh, fuck! Your cunt is massaging my cock!" Digger said.

I let go of my cock. I wanted to concentrate on Digger.

"I love you," I said to him.

"Were you talking to me or your cock?" he asked.

I laughed.

"I was talking to your cock!"

"He can't hear you. He's buried."

I laughed.

"I know. He's exploring the grand canyon."

"Don't brag. It's clean, but it isn't that grand."

We both laughed.

"It will be pretty grand once a baby slides out of it!"

Digger stopped fucking me.

"You seem pretty sure you want a baby," he said to me.

I wondered about that. Maybe he didn't want one.

"I think it would be nice. If you don't want one, it's OK. I haven't been longing for one, or anything."

"I just don't know how safe we are. I mean on Earth."

I hadn't thought about that.

"We'll wait until we know we're safe," I said.

He smiled.

"Good. We can put off worrying about how safe our child is."

I thought about that. That's what my mother had been doing. Digger would have noticed that.

"I'm not in a hurry, Digger, at all. We can wait years. Maybe I'll change my mind. I shouldn't have a baby just because I can."

"True."

Digger resumed fucking me.

"I want to see you suck yourself," Digger said.

"You do?"

"Yes, it's hot. You like your new dick, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You like being able to suck yourself, now, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I want to hear you swallowing your own load. Alek isn't here to feed you, but you can still have two Beast cocks feeding you."

"You really don't mind?"

Digger laughed.

I swallowed my cock, again and sucked myself while he fucked me. It was easy to do. My new body had no trouble bending that much. He fucked me for several minutes. Then he grunted as he shot inside me, and the guttural tone alone made me shoot. I gulped down my warm spunk. It was as though Digger's cock was shooting into my mouth. My cum tasted like his, and I loved his. I still felt uncomfortable about how much I enjoyed it. I let go of my cock and looked at Digger. He was grinning.

"Do you like the taste of your cum?"

"It tastes like yours, which means I'm addicted to it."

He chuckled.

"I feel like I should be paying attention to you, not to my own cock."

"I want you to get used to your new body. I want you to like it."

I nodded. I understood.

"When you fuck me, it feels like my cock is being stroked. I don't know why. If I had my eyes closed, I would think that someone was stroking me."

Digger grinned.

"That's great! How does it feel to be sucking yourself at the same time?"

"Incredible."

"Good! Let's do it some more!"

I laughed.

"I don't guess there's much to do on a space station."

"Nothing that's as much fun as this," he said.

Digger fucked me again. I stopped sucking myself long enough to kiss him. After that, he pulled out of me.

"Suck yourself. I'm going to massage your prostate," he said.

I swallowed my dick as he pushed two fingers inside me. I moaned when he found my prostate. He rubbed it with a finger on one hand while he finger fucked me with a finger from his other hand. The pleasure was intense and it wasn't long before my new cock was feeding me more spunk. I had lost count of how many orgasms I had had, but still semen shot out of my dick and hit the back of my throat. It tasted great, but I realized I wished Alek was there. I would rather swallow his than my own.

An hour later, we paused. We lay side by side in bed, grinning at each other.

"You've come seven times," Digger said.

I grinned.

"It's incredible! I love my body."

He looked very serious as he asked, "Do you really?"

"Yes. Do you find it hard to believe?"

"Your mother and I agonized on what to do about you. Rosenbloom was pushing to convert you, but we had no idea what you would want. You had never hinted that you wished you were a Beast."

"You did the right thing. If I woke up and you told me what happened and I saw my face was damaged, I would have been very depressed and angry."

"We were angry. One of the gunmen ran over and shot you again after you'd collapsed from the bullet in your brain. I was unconscious, but I saw the security video later. The gunman smiled as Agents took him away."

I shook my head.

"Dr. Rosenbloom has a picture of that man's smiling face next to his desk monitor," Digger said.

"Why?"

"Harry told me that he had never seen 'Jeff' so angry as when he first saw that man's face in the security video. He's had a printed copy around ever since. Harry puts the picture face down on his desk when Rosenbloom is not in the room."

"He doesn't have it there because he likes it, does he?"

"No. No. I think it's there so he won't forget what the enemy will do."

I got a cold chill.

"Where is that guy now?" I asked.

"Where else? On the moon."

With my father. For some reason, my chill deepened.

Something popped into my head, then.

"I hope he likes me."

"Rosenbloom?"

"Yes. He went to an awful lot of trouble."

"Your mother told him you wanted to establish a charitable foundation that she would run. He was really pleased about that. Harry told me that once he heard that, he was willing to do anything for you."

I sighed. I felt relieved that he didn't resent doing what he had done. It occurred to me that he was very unlike his public persona. He was determined to help people. He wanted everyone to be healthier and live longer. He spoke of Eugenics, but he was not trying to eliminate the 'unfit'. He just wanted them to upgrade their bodies. It was a surprising revelation.

"Did Dr. Rosenbloom mean it when he said there was nothing of your parents' Digger in you?"

Digger smiled.

"One of the things my parents told me was that the original Digger never got angry. Once, two younger gorillas were playing. One threw some mud at the other one. He ducked and the mud hit Digger in the face. They told me Digger just calmly wiped it off. I've seen Pan get angry at Jock often enough. I don't get angry nearly as easily. I think he did something." Digger shrugged. "But it's pointless to argue with him."

I nodded.

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