Priest and Pariahs
Page 25
Priest leaned forward and resisted the urge to touch the sleeping android. “Then we stay clean and don’t do anything stupid.”
“This kind of qualifies.”
“Yeah. Kind of.”
It was bizarre how lifelike Poll’s body was—aside from not breathing. The synth-flesh was indistinguishable from the real thing and, other than being taller and lacking the facial tattoos, was a dead-on copy of Costa. Knowing Costa was gone didn’t make Poll’s presence any easier.
It should have helped knowing they might have saved Poll in this extraordinary way, but his face was a reminder of a friend lost. Priest wondered what would have happened if Costa could have survived. It seemed an unfair gambit for the twins to trade places. But Costa was the dominant one. It would be in his nature to sacrifice himself to set his brother free.
At least there was honor, if not comfort, in the thought.
Arbor leaned in, examining Poll’s hands and arms without touching. “The tech in me wants to boot him up and test the transfer. We have no way of being sure it worked until we do. Sometimes it feels really creepy knowing he’s in here.”
“I promised to take care of him.”
Arbor stepped backward and his shoulders dropped. “I know. I wish we could activate him on board, but from what Dante said earlier, it sounds like the crew is still really touchy over what happened with Costa in the engine room. A taller, android version of him isn’t going to go over well. They aren’t ready for that.”
“As soon as we can find a safe place to start him up and get him settled, we will. Maybe on Alpha Centauri.”
Priest closed the lid, activated the lock on the crate, and shut the closet. It was easier when Poll wasn’t visible.
“He’s stolen property. We can’t cut him loose just anywhere.”
“I know. As soon as we can, we’ll figure something out. Until then, we keep him boxed and out of sight.”
Walking forward, Arbor wrapped his arms around Priest’s hips and pressed his face into his abdomen. “It still seems wrong.”
“Because it is.” Priest returned the embrace and hunched over so he could kiss the top of Arbor’s head. “But we didn’t go through all of this to have him impounded. What happened to them was all kinds of fucked up. No one deserved the life they lived through. It’s too late for Costa, but one way or another we’ll find a happy ending for Poll.”
“All right.” Arbor nodded into Priest. “We can do this.”
Priest stroked a feather-light touch through Arbor’s hair. “So you’re with me until the happy ending?”
“Even beyond that.”
Acknowledgements
A special heartfelt thanks to NineStar Press for giving this book & series new life. I love the care it's received in this new edition.
Thank you members, friends, & staff at Gay Authors.org. Without you all I might never have had the courage to take this ride.
And a special thanks and love for Tom, who may not have understood my muses (yes, plural) and creative needs, but put up with me and them anyway.
About the Author
While spending years more focused on visual arts, J. Alan Veerkamp never let go of his innate passion for storytelling, wanting to write and draw comic books when he grew up. Once he discovered M/M fiction, a whole new world opened filled with possibilities. Why couldn’t you have fantastic and dynamic sexy tales with an M/M cast? He started reading the online tales of authors like, Night Tempest, Rob Colton, and Alicia Nordwell, which only fueled his need to create. Eventually he found GayAuthors.org, and with a little coercive nudge, started sharing his tales with an unexpected level of positive response. The experience and support gave him the courage to cross his fingers and aim for the world of M/M publishing.
Born and raised in Michigan, J. Alan continues to type away, wishing it was practical to use an noisy, old fashioned keyboard that clacks with each strike, if just to annoy his loving partner and spoiled miniature dachshund.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jalanveerkamp
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Website: http:// jalanveerkamp.wordpress.com
Other books by this author
The Luxorian Fugitive
A Cook’s Tale
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