Beasts

Beasts

By Vic James

vicjames2@hotmail.com

Copyright 2014 by Vic James

http://www.vicjames.com

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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.

Eighteen

We walked to my mother's room.

"Hello, dear," she said, hugging me.

"Digger has decided to go into the box."

"Really? Why, Digger?"

"I want to be Beast 3.0, so our children are."

Mom nodded. Then she sighed.

"I'm having second thoughts about it."

"Is there something that made you change your mind?"

"I haven't changed it." She chuckled. "At least not at this moment. It's just."

"Scary?" I suggested.

She nodded.

"Mom, I was not aware of time passing at all. You are going to open your eyes and it will be done."

"Yes. It."

I smiled at her.

"If you don't want to be an Ape, you could always be one of Richard's Mermaids."

She laughed. "On Mars?"

"Well, you would probably have to settle for an indoor swimming pool."

We all laughed.

"I know it is a good idea. There are many good reasons to do it.Look!"

She showed me her fingernails. They were ragged.

"You've been chewing them?"

She nodded.

"Mom, please do it for me, if not for yourself. I need you to babysit."

Mom laughed.

"I'm not on death's door, Eric!"

"I know, but now I'm going to live longer and I want you to, too."

She sighed.

"Is that important to you, Eric?"

"Very. I love you."

She smiled.

"Then I will. I missed part of your life. I don't want to miss too much of the rest of it."

"Yeah. Especially now that it's becoming so very weird."

Digger chuckled and then laughed out loud. We joined in.

"Jib boarded Jeff's shuttle a few minutes ago," she said.

"Oh, good!"

"Are you excited about seeing Alek?" she asked.

I froze. I had no idea what to say-to her. I remembered Digger saying she asked about a three-party marriage. I needed to get over embarrassment about it and sex, in general with her. After all I promised to give Pan and Jock kids and being a mother, she knew sex was almost a requirement for that!

"I am. I'm excited to see Pan and Jock, too." I took a deep breath. She tilted her head. "I told Jock and Pan that I would give them kids."

Several expressions flitted across her face.

"Eric wondered if his father would be impressed if he had four babies by four different fathers," Digger said.

Mom tried not to laugh, but it burst out. I chuckled, too.

"Oh, good lord! If he finds out, I would love to see the expression on his face!" she said.

"I bet he has trouble speaking for at least a couple of seconds," I added.

We all laughed.

"That's very generous of you, Eric. Will you have C- sections?"

"No, Dr. Rosenbloom said I wouldn't."

She shook her head. "Amazing. Simply amazing. I am going to have a lot of grandchildren."

I nodded.

We chatted for a few more minutes. She seemed relieved to me. I suppose she had definitely decided to become a Beast. She showed us photos of Jib. He was attractive. He was big. There was a photo of him standing next to her. The top of her head was at mid-chest level on him.

"How did you two meet?"

"We met on the flight to Shanghai. We sat next to each other and started talking. He told me about a jerk he read about named Martin LaRoche."

Digger and I laughed. Mom chuckled.

"I kept wondering if I should tell him. I spent hours wondering. Finally, when I realized I really liked Jib, I did. For the longest time, he thought I was joking. Then I thought to show him my ID. He couldn't believe it, of course. He apologized for calling my husband a jerk-"

"Hey! If the shoe fits." I said.

She nodded, chuckling.

"I told him not to apologize. If you want to know the truth, after he found out, he became rather. Hmm."

"Angry?" I suggested.

She laughed.

"He tried to seduce me!"

I laughed.

"So, not angry."

"No."

"I had just left Martin and I wasn't ready to jump into bed, even with someone like Jib. What we did, was become friends. He had been to Shanghai before. He helped me find a place to live, that coincidentally, was next door to him."

Digger and I laughed.

"Smooth!"

"Yes! He showed me around. It was all very innocent for about two weeks. By that time, I was certain I was in love with him, but I didn't know how he felt about me. I knew we were good friends, of course, but I didn't know if he was still romantically interested. He hadn't made any more passes. But it turned out he felt the same."

I smiled.

"How old is Jib?" I asked.

My mother's face changed expression. It went blank.

"Does that matter?"

"No, Mom. I was just curious. It doesn't matter at all."

She let out a deep breath.

"He's fourteen years younger than me."

I nodded.

"How much younger is Harry than Dr. Rosenbloom?" I asked Digger.

He grinned.

"Two hundred years, at least."

Mom smiled.

"Thank you for that, Eric. You've grown up to be a fine person." She sighed. "I'm ashamed to admit I learned a lot about you from Digger. I was so proud of the person he described. I wish I could claim credit for it, but you did it by yourself. I've always regretted leaving you."

"Mom, we talked every day. I didn't feel left behind, at all. You told me often enough that I could live with you. But I didn't know about Jib for a couple of years. Why did you hide him from me?"

"I was afraid your father would find out and come after me. I was hiding our relationship from him, not you. I didn't divorce him because Martin doesn't believe in divorce and I promised him when we married that I would never divorce him. I explained all that to Jib and he understood. Martin would never understand. It's Adultery. Capital A. I knew you wouldn't deliberately tell him, if I asked you not to, but I was afraid it would slip out. It would be just like him to monitor your calls, and if you didn't know..."

I nodded.

"Was he always anti-Beast?" I asked.

"No. I wouldn't have married him. He has changed into another person. He met a Neo named Justin Davis who led him down the path he took. Justin is also on the moon, I'm happy to say. Did you ever meet him?"

"Yes. He gave me the creeps. There was always something slimy about the man. I took an instant dislike to him," I told her.

Mom nodded.

"I mentioned to Jib that if I converted we would be able to have kids. He got all choked up and couldn't talk for a while. Then he said he didn't want to influence me. I got the impression he really wants them. So I'll have them. You seem happy. Maybe I won't mess the next batch up too badly, either."

"I'm sure you'll do even better, now that you've had practice," I said, grinning.

Digger laughed.

I was getting sleepy.

"I think I will take a nap. Maybe on my wedding day, I'll be able to stay awake an entire day."

"I'm sure Digger won't mind if you have to take a nap, even tomorrow."

"I won't," Digger said.

I tried to stand and had trouble.

"You are tired," Digger said. He helped me up.

"I don't know why I couldn't stand right away. I wonder if something is wrong."

"No. Jeff warned us about that," Mother said.

"Your body has different signals than you are used to," Digger said. "Your muscles are just worn out. Your body is telling you it needs rest. You won't get muscle cramps or strains, when they need a rest, you will get sleepy. Your muscles will get stronger each day and you will stop getting sleepy as often."

"Oh. I guess that's good. Who wants muscle cramps?"

"Actually, I got the impression from Jeff that you would mostly sleep the first few days," Mom said. "I wouldn't try to fight it."

"I guess I will stop worrying, then."

We walked slowly to our room. Digger offered to carry me, but that seemed a little extreme to me. We lay down together and I fell asleep.

When I woke up, Digger wasn't in the room. I called him.

"The Sunvision crew is here. I'm talking to Marshall."

"Oh. OK."

"I'll be right there," Digger said.

"OK."

A couple of minutes later, Digger walked into the room.

"Are you ready to meet them?"

"Sure."

I put on a shirt. I started to put on shoes, but saw Digger wasn't wearing them. I decided against them. All the rooms were carpeted. I remembered Dr. Rosenbloom saying we would have to wear shoes when we went outside on the moon. It made me smile.

We left our room and Digger led me to a conference room. There were four men and two women. One of the men was a Chimp. Another was a human who wore an ear camera and had another one floating next to him. There were two other human men and the women were both human. One of the woman had purple hair which curved up and over her head like a giant purple question mark. I tried to not stare at it. She was grinning at me. She seemed happy and her smile made me feel a little more at ease. They all stood as we walked into the room. One of the humans held out his hand.

"Eric, I'm Marshall Owens. This is my partner Jud."

He pointed to the Chimp.

I shook Marshall's hand.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Next to Jud is Tom Hopkins."

He was the cameraman. Tom nodded. Tom was quite attractive. I wondered why he wasn't in front of the camera, rather than behind it.

"This is Jake Thomas, the captain of the EL-61 shuttle that brought us here and will take us to the moon."

He nodded to the other human.

"Hello, Jake."

He nodded at me. He looked like he was about fifty. He looked bored. I could understand that. He probably had a little less than no interest in my wedding.

The door opened and Harry walked in.

"How are you feeling, Eric?" Harry asked me.

"Fine."

Harry had a bottle with him. He put it down on the table. It appeared to be made of metal and it was a shiny gold color.

We all sat.

"Digger, these are more nanites, it wouldn't hurt to give yourself some more an hour or two before you go outside for the service."

Harry handed the bottle to Digger.

"How many nanites are in there?" the woman with the purple hair asked.

"About sixty trillion, so don't lose the bottle."

The captain barked out a laugh. The rest of us were amazed, judging by the others' expressions.

"Harry, Eric, this is Constance Rudjik. She is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and is licensed to perform civil and religious marriages."

She grinned.

"I am so excited about this!" she said. "This is my spouse, Judith," she said, nodding to the woman with the purple hair. 'Judith' didn't seem to fit her. It sounded formal and she looked anything but.

"I'm pleased to meet you."

"Eric, I thought we would make arrangements for the service first and then I would like to interview you," Marshall said.

"That's fine."

"Digger asked us to make the arrangements for the wedding," Marshall said.

"Oh, great!"

They still needed our opinions about a lot of things. There was some resistance coming from lunar authorities about having the wedding outside on the surface. It seemed the lunar colonies frowned on people going out airlocks without spacesuits, and there were rules against it. I found that very humorous. Fortunately, Sunvision was handling all that. I would have given up and gotten married indoors, instead. After all, the wedding was the important thing and even it wasn't essential. Digger and I could have spent our whole lives together without a marriage license. Then I worried that I should have included my mother in the arrangements. She might have preferences for how things would be. I decided to call her.

"Hi, Mom. We're discussing the wedding arrangements. Do you want to help decide things?"

"Absolutely not. It's your wedding, not mine. If you need my help, I'll be happy to give it, but you and Digger should have the wedding you want."

I sighed. I didn't want a wedding, I just wanted to be married. I reminded myself that I was doing it for Dr. Rosenbloom.

"OK. It isn't any fun deciding all these things."

She chuckled.

"I know. Jib and I had a simple ceremony and there were many things to decide. Music, food, guests, type of ceremony, type of vows, witnesses, videoing the ceremony. It went on and on."

I sighed.

"OK. Bye."

I disconnected.

I started noticing the smells in the room. I could smell each person with my new Beast nose. Each had a distinct odor.

"Eric?"

"I'm sorry. What did you ask?"

"I asked what you two were planning to wear."

Clothes, I thought.

"Something simple, I said. Very casual. No tuxedos."

After I said that, I worried that maybe Digger wanted us to wear tuxedos. I looked at him, and he was nodding his head.

"So that's all right with you?" I asked him.

"Yes. I think Dr. Rosenbloom would prefer that. What do you think, Harry?"

"He just wants it to be obvious you aren't wearing protection from the elements." Harry chuckled. "Or from the lack of elements."

I wondered about Mars. I wanted to ask Harry about how many commitments Dr. Rosenbloom had gotten, but we were being videoed and changing the subject seemed like a bad idea. Still, I wondered if seeing us walk outside on the moon would convince anyone to become a Martian colonist. It might, I thought, and that connection between the marriage and the colonization of an entire planet appealed to me.

Marshall asked, "How many nanites are necessary to protect Eric and Digger when they are outside."

"A minimum of about ten billion to survive," Harry said. "The more you have, the more comfortable you are in a challenging environment, and the more adaptations they can make to the conditions. With the minimum number, you might not be able to open your eyes, for example. There wouldn't be enough to protect them fully. Your skin would be damaged by vacuum, as skin cells died."

"That is fascinating," Judith said.

The others nodded their heads.

"How are they administered?" Digger asked.

"Hold the nozzle against your forearm and press. A dose of about fifteen billion will be injected. If your mother or her husband want to attend the wedding without suits, they should take two doses at least six hours before the service. That will give the nanites time to get into position and begin stockpiling oxygen. Still, I can't recommend it for your mother. She would be fairly uncomfortable and very cold at the wedding of her only child."

Only child, so far, I thought. She might be having more.

"So they work on humans?" the captain asked.

Harry nodded.

"With a high enough dose, they will keep humans from suffocating for about forty minutes. But they will not protect humans from the cold, the heat, or the radiation. Outer layers of skin will die after about twenty minutes, but that should be long enough for the ceremony. I brought plenty, in case any of the rest of you wanted to go out without protection," Harry said to the other people at the table.

The others looked like that was the last thing they wanted to do. I could understand that. They would have to spend the whole time worrying about how long they'd been out.

My mind started drifting. I started thinking about my father. My mother, my father, and I would all be on the moon at the same time. But he was in prison. Where he belonged.

"Eric, you don't look like you are having any fun," Judith said.

I didn't want to bring up my father. This event had nothing to do with him, and he wouldn't have wanted to attend our wedding, even if he wasn't in prison.

"I'm thinking about Mars," I said, instead.

All of the others at the table nodded their heads.

"Are you two planning to join the colony?" Marshall asked.

"Yes, we are," Digger said.

"We are thinking about it," Jud said.

Marshall nodded. "The start of the colony should be documented. We could do that."

"That's true," Digger said. "And if there are enough colonists, we will want our own news source and newsies."

Marshall and Jud nodded their heads.

"Harry, can you tell us what kind of response Dr. Rosenbloom has gotten to his announcement?" Marshall asked him.

"He had gotten well over three thousand firm commitments, when I came in here. He is in the process of revising the plans for the site. It will need to be much larger than he envisioned."

"Wow!" I said. "And he hoped to get two hundred! Were many willing to make financial commitments?"

"All of them were willing to. Obviously not all of them are wealthy, but wealth is not a requirement for being a colonist. The colonists' capabilities are at least as important. We need engineers more than sales clerks. He is also considering their situations on Earth. If they are a target, or likely target of extremists, he would like them to join us, regardless of their money or their skills."

"When will work of the site begin?" Marshall asked Harry.

"Immediately. The contractor and some of his people along with several engineers, and construction robots are on their way to Mars. They left about four hours ago. We are just past the optimal time for a trip to Mars. The longer we delay, the longer the flight will be."

Jake, the captain, nodded his head.

"He is arranging for a second ship carrying manufactured materials from Earth, and a third ship with fabricators and various ores and water ice from Vesta Mining. That ship will arrive first, actually."

"How did he arrange everything so quickly?" I asked.

"He has been considering it for a while, even before the first Neo attack. He had the plans drawn up when you and Digger first arrived on the station."

Finally, everything had been decided. Harry took the other people to the rooms they would be using until we left for the moon. Marshall and Jud stayed with in the conference room. The interview began immediately.

"What were your first thoughts when you regained consciousness, Eric?"

"I looked up into Digger's face. He asked me if I recognized him, which I thought was funny. I wasn't aware of time passing. I remembered walking on the sidewalk with Digger and Alek and nothing past that point."

"How did you feel when you were told you were a Beast?" Marshall asked me.

"I guess, disbelieving, at first. Then they explained what happened and why they changed me. I understood. I think they made the right decision. If I had been able to decide for myself, it is what I would have chosen."

"Has it been difficult for you to adjust?"

"Hmm. Not really. If I was on my own, I probably would have had more trouble, but with Digger here and my mother, I really haven't thought that much about it. It's a surprise looking in a mirror, but that's all. I'm happy."

"How do you feel about the men who shot you?"

"I haven't given them any thought at all. They are in prison where they belong."

"Are you living in fear? Is that why you are going to Mars?"

"I suppose that is part of it. I didn't feel particularly threatened and I got shot. I'm certainly more aware of the danger to us. I don't want to worry every time I'm out in public. It just seems like a good idea."

Jud nodded his head.

"Digger, I'm sure you are delighted to have Eric back. Has adjusting to his appearance been difficult?"

"I think I already adjusted while he was in the tank. I watched him change. As a matter of fact, we made a time-lapse video of the change."

"Oh! I want to see it!" I said to Digger.

"Could we use that in our story?" Marshall asked Digger.

"Yes. That's why I brought it up."

"Do you want to watch it now?" Digger asked me.

Marshall, Jud, and I said, "Yes."

Digger touched my meme. I saw the file and opened it. The camera was looking down into the box. You could see my head, shoulders, and upper chest. I covered my mouth when I saw my face. I was a mess. My hair had been removed and the damage the bullets did was obvious. It was hard to believe that I was alive. I certainly didn't look it, and my skin was a bluish color. I assumed my body temperature had been lowered. 'Day 1' appeared at the bottom of the video. Then days began flashing by at about the rate of two per second. The wound in my head shrunk while my face healed. Hair began growing on my head. My face slowly began to change. Aside from the horrific appearance of me on day one, I found the video completely fascinating. I was so glad Digger made it. At about day one hundred and twenty, I looked half-old me, half-new me. By day two hundred and fifty, I looked like the new me. I assumed internal changes were still occurring, because I was in the tank for many more days after that. The video ended.

"Thank you, Digger, for videoing that," I said to him.

Marshall smiled.

"We would like to purchase exclusive rights to that video, Digger. Are you interested in selling it?"

I looked at Digger. He shrugged.

"I suppose."

I wondered for the first time why Dr. Rosenbloom hadn't just had me rebuilt as a human. I knew Beasts could convert to humans, so the conversion tank was capable of doing it. I decided not to ask, though. Rosenbloom had his reasons, I was sure, and they might not have been technological. If I began questioning it, Digger and possibly even my mother might feel I was unhappy with their decision to make me into a Beast, and I wasn't. If we were going to live on Mars, I wanted to be a Beast.

"Eric, I hope you don't mind this question, but it is something people who have followed your story will be wondering. How do you feel about Alek Bright? Is there any resentment for his role in what happened to you?"

"No. None. I don't blame him at all. I only blame the two people who shot us." I sighed. "And my father. The day it happened, I thought the danger was over. He thought the danger was over. I care about Alek very much. I really hope he will come with us to Mars. I think both of us consider him part of our family."

I looked at Digger and he smiled. Marshall nodded.

"I know he feels, or felt, very bad about that. He said in an interview later that you had specifically said you didn't want to be in a sex flik. I think that is only of the reasons he felt so badly about what happened."

I sighed.

"It's over. He made a mistake. I don't like him-no, I don't love him less because of it. I'm going to have his baby, if wants a child."

Marshall and Jud looked shocked.

"Have his baby?"

"Yes. I'm not sure he wants one, but if he does, I will carry it for him."

They looked confused.

"Eric's new body can become pregnant," Digger said. "We plan to have children."

Jud's mouth dropped open. Marshall looked gleeful. They didn't know about that capability. I supposed it was a scoop. I almost laughed. Marshall looked deliriously happy.

I wondered why Dr. Rosenbloom or Harry hadn't told them, but they were busy planning a Martian colony. Or maybe this was exactly how he wanted the news to come out. I was a walking, and especially talking Beast 3.0. Our wedding was an advertisement, and my pregnancy would be, too.

"We have to go," Marshall said to Jud.

"Now? Is the interview over?" Jud asked.

Marshall laughed.

"No. To Mars! I can cover the first male pregnancy in history!" Marshall said.

"It's fine with me," Jud said. "I told you I was willing to go."

Marshall grinned and turned to me.

"Are you a hermaphrodite?"

"He's fully male," Digger said. "But with a series of hormone injections, he can become pregnant anally."

"Was your body customized for you?"

I looked at Digger. He shook his head.

"Dr. Rosenbloom told me I was in a Beast 3.0 body. The enhancements are the ability to tolerate non-Earthlike conditions and the ability for a male to become pregnant. As far as I know, any human or Beast who chooses to get a Beast 3.0 body will gain these abilities."

Marshall and Jud looked at each other and smiled.

"That means you, Marshall," Jud said.

"I don't want to miss anything. If I am covering the establishment of the colony and Eric's pregnancy, I can't be stuck in a conversion tank for months. Maybe after we are on Mars."

"Have you wanted kids?" Digger asked them.

"We were resigned to not having them. We decided not to adopt. Mixed Beast-human couples are still frowned upon by many. We only got the right to wed a year ago. We didn't want to deal with all that in an adoption," Marshall said. "But, yes, we do. I am going to edit all this about us out of the video. Jud and I are not news. You are.

"How did you feel when he told you that you could get pregnant?" Marshall asked me.

I laughed.

"Stunned. I think I still am. I woke up in a new body. I found I had been shot. That I'd been asleep for a year. I found myself in space. I was told I could get pregnant. I found out I could step out of the station through an airlock door and be exposed to space with no discomfort. I found there will be a new Mars colony. We decided to join the colony. That's all in two days!"

Digger chuckled. Marshall nodded.

"What was it like, Eric? Being in space without a suit? Were you scared? Was it painful at all? You said there was no discomfort, but it's hard to believe."

"I wasn't uncomfortable and I wasn't scared. It was not really very different from being in this room. I couldn't open my mouth, but that wasn't scary."

Marshall shook his head.

"Like being in this room! That is amazing!"

I nodded.

"How did it make you feel?"

I thought about it.

"I think it made me proud to be human. I'm still human. I have my original brain, I just had a sort of body transplant. One man did all this. I owe him a lot. If one human could do all this, imagine what the whole race could do if we put aside arguing about differences and focused on how we can make life better for ourselves, our neighbors, and our descendants."

I looked around and they were all smiling at me, especially Harry, who gave me a thumbs up.

"I wish everyone felt that way, Eric," Marshall said. "I really do. Conflict is the opposite of progress, in my opinion."

I nodded my head. I had never thought about it, but when did conflict help? I supposed it was inevitable, but did it ever help? Did it ever move things forward? Consensus did that.

"Eric, you'll be on the moon tomorrow. Do you wish you could visit your father while you are there?"

"No. I have nothing to say to him and no desire to hear what he might say to me."

Marshall nodded.

"How do you feel about losing almost a year of your life?" Marshall asked me.

"Are you asking if I'm angry I was shot?"

Marshall smiled and said, "Yes."

"I suppose I am. I'm not wasting much time at it, though. I have better things to do, now."

Digger squeezed my hand under the table. I reached over and groped him. I felt him stiffen. Jud winked at me. I realized he could smell my lust. I sniffed. I could smell lots of things, but I didn't know which smell was lust.

"Would you be willing to allow us to film you in space? I mean outside this station."

"I don't see why not."

Harry called me, silently.

"Jeff has already sent a signal to your queen that you will be exposed to space. It should be exactly like last time. I will send the signal before the wedding ceremony, since Jeff will be unconscious in the tank."

"Thank you. Do you know how to open the room were in before to space?"

"It's an airlock. Yes. I plan to go with you."

"We can continue the interview later. I have to tell you, I am really excited about watching this. I feel like I'm present at the next stage of human evolution!" Marshall said.

"You are, but please don't inflame the extremists with talk like that," Harry said.

"We can't let them control us, Harry," Marshall said. "I decide what I think, do, and say. But don't worry. As we discussed with Dr. Rosenbloom, we plan to emphasize that Eric was born human, not Beast. The video Digger took of his transformation proves that. It makes his new capabilities even more remarkable."

Harry didn't say anything. I could understand his concern.

We got up and walked to the same room I'd been in before. This time, I held onto a handle on the wall. A ball camera was attached to the wall next to me.

"Wait! I have an idea," Marshall said. "Is there a sheet of paper that I can shred? I would like to film it being sucked out into space."

"Hmm," Harry said. "I'm sure I can find something. I'll be right back."

Harry left.

"I would feel better if that cable was wrapped around your wrist," Digger said. "You might lose your grip and have to wait for us to suit up to rescue you."

"I don't mind, but I don't know how to lower it," I said.

"I saw Dr. Rosenbloom do it."

Digger touched something on a viewscreen and the white cable dropped from the ceiling. I secured myself.

Harry reappeared with a cup holding what looked like dirt.

"It's from a potted palm tree in our room. Tip the cup as the floor opens."

I took the cup and nodded.

"Ready?" Marshall asked.

I nodded. The door to the station closed, and a moment later, the one below me slid away. I tipped the cup and the dirt shot out of the airlock with the air just as my eyes and mouth snapped shut. A moment later, I could open them. I turned and waved to the cameraman and Marshall. Marshall was grinning and shaking his head. I got a call on my meme.

"This is Marshall. Please tell our viewers how it feels."

"It feels strange. I can't open my mouth. I have no control over it. That is to keep the air in my lungs. Dr. Rosenbloom told me that the nanites in my lungs are converting the carbon dioxide my body produces back into oxygen to be used again. From what Harry said, I guess they stockpiled oxygen earlier and I can use that, too. My skin tingles. It feels a little like a mild electrical shock. It isn't painful, though. While I can see, there is a coating over my eyes, which makes everything darker. When the air disappeared, my eyes shut automatically. I guess the film over them was built while they were closed. Things aren't as dark as a pair of sunglasses might make it, but definitely darker."

"Do your eyes bother you at all?"

"No. Other than the tingling, and the inability of opening my mouth, or breathing through my nose, I feel the same as before."

I heard Harry's voice, then.

I looked down as the floor, or I supposed it was really a door to the airlock. It only seemed like the floor because I was pressed against it. From space, it was a door.

I heard a hiss as the airlock filled with air. Then the door opened.

"Remarkable!" Marshall said.

I was able to open my mouth. I did.

"It is. I think it will seem stranger to me on the moon."

Marshall nodded.

"That's it," Marshall said to the cameraman.

The cameraman plucked the floating camera out of the air.

"Would you two like to have a foursome?" Jud asked me.

I called Digger, silently.

"Do you think he means sex?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I don't have any interest in it," I said. "I would rather have sex with Richard."

"Then tell him no. I'm not that interested, either. Alek will be here soon, with Pan and Jock. We will be having lots and lots of sex with them. I think I will tell them."

"Thanks, but I don't think so. I just got Eric back. I want to spend time alone with him," Digger said.

"Of course. We understand. If you ever change your mind, let one of us know."

"We will."

"Let me show you to your rooms," Harry said to Marshall, Jud, and the cameraman.

They left and we walked to our room.

"How do you feel about sex with Pan and Jock?"

"I'm excited about it. I just hope it doesn't hurt things between them."

"It won't. We could be having five-ways, if Alek joins in. Even six-ways with Richard. Does that appeal to you?"

I decided he wondered whether it was the multiple partner thing that bothered me.

"I loved the three-ways with Alek and with Richard. I guess it does appeal to me. I just didn't have any interest in Marshall and Jud." I paused. "What if they want to kiss me? I mean Pan or Jock. I don't know if that is a good idea or not."

Digger nodded.

"You are still worried about them breaking up to move in with you."

"Uh. No. I just don't want to strain their relationship."

"You are worrying way too much. If things start to look bad, which they won't, you'll stop. End of problem. Don't worry about kissing or not kissing. If one of them wants to kiss you, are you going to say no?"

I shrugged.

"Will Alek call me Gorillaboy?"

Digger burst out laughing. "Like Dogboy?"

"Right."

"If he does, refuse to have sex with him. He will apologize very sincerely."

I chuckled.

"I wonder if he will call Richard Goatboy."

"I am sure he won't. You do know that Alek really likes you, right? He didn't like Tim," Digger said.

"I know. I was kidding."

"Good."

Digger pulled me into his arms. Then he reached behind me and pulled my cheeks apart. I felt a finger from each hand push inside me. I groaned. I felt Digger's erection pressed against mine.

"I want you inside me, Digger."

"Yeah? Which end?"

"Fuck me."

"My pleasure."

He pushed his shorts down and I did the same. He turned me around so my back was facing him. He pulled me against him and used his other hand to guide his cock to my hole. He pushed inside me, making both of us groan. He leaned back and I laughed as my feet left the ground.

"What a powerful dick you have!"

"Yes. It's beautiful, too," Digger said.

"Don't brag."

"I was quoting you."

"Oh. Right."

"When I am in the tank and I fuck you on Aegina, I may take a Minotaur body," Digger said.

I laughed.

"Oh, god! That two-foot long cock will come out my mouth when you fuck me!" I said, laughing.

"It's a virtual environment, so it won't hurt you."

"That's true! And I will finally be able to suck your cock while you fuck me!"

"Yeah."

Digger began sucking on my neck. One arm was wrapped around me. He lowered me to the ground again. He began making short thrusts into me. Then he began stroking me with one hand. He sucked on my earlobe.

"Oh, Digger!"

"Do you like that?"

"Oh, man! It's great!"

I closed my eyes and enjoyed all the pleasure he was giving me.

"You are about to come, aren't you?" he asked.

"I'm close."

"I thought I could feel that. Your hole tightens up when you are close."

He pulled out of me. He took my hand and we climbed into bed.

"I want to see if I can make you come with just my finger."

I grinned at him.

"OK."

We kissed again while he finger-fucked me. It only took a couple of minutes for him to bring me. I moaned into his mouth as I shot against our bodies. Afterwards, I pulled away and lay on my back.

Digger wiped my cum off his fur. He brought his finger to my mouth. I licked it off. He wiped some of it off me and I licked that off his finger, too. He wiped both of us clean, grinning at me the whole time.

"When Alek gets here, you'll finally get as much semen as you want."

I laughed.

"I know it's weird," I said.

"I like it. I love knowing that you want mine." He rubbed my bottom lip. "Don't ever feel embarrassed about wanting it. As a matter of fact, I'm about to give you some. Orally and then anally."

"Yeah?"

"When Jock gets here, I want you to taste his. I told him you love it, but of course he knew it. He'd seen the video of you drinking Alek's."

I sighed.

"He won't think I'm weird, will he?"

"No. Pan told me that Jock watched the video many times. Sometimes Pan sucked him while he watched it."

"So I guess he enjoyed it."

Digger laughed.

"You guess? He wanted to get sucked while he watched it over and over and you 'guess'?"

"Let me rephrase: he probably liked it."

Digger laughed.

"Like Pan, Alek, and me, he will be very glad he can make you happy so easily. All he has to do is pull his dick out and let you suck it."

I remembered sucking Pan in Digger's bar. That reminded me of Dack, the only other Gorilla I had sucked, and George and Henry at Two Stones restaurant. When we had breakfast there, the place had been full of male Gorillas. I wondered if any of them would be joining the colony. Or Stefan. I wondered if he was still mad that I cancelled my furniture order. Then I remembered that was a year ago.

I scooted down on the bed and swallowed his cock. I heard him sigh. I closed my eyes and sucked.

I opened my eyes. I was disoriented. We were in bed. Digger's arms were wrapped around me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You fell asleep sucking me."

I groaned.

"I'm sorry!"

He chuckled.

"Don't be. Going out is space probably had something to do with it. It must have stressed your body a little. Besides, holding you while you sleep is almost as wonderful as getting sucked by you and it lasts longer."

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