by Tasha Black
“I know you can’t put a price on marriage,” Dr. Bhimani added, ignoring Georgia. “But at least it may cover your student loans.”
“Ninety-five thousand? Times three?” Rima asked. “Mom, where did you get that kind of money?”
“Never mind,” her mother replied tersely.
“Marriage?” Posey asked.
“Jason, do you want to run and get the girls some tea?” Dr. Bhimani said to her assistant, who had been staring raptly at the conversation, head moving back and forth like he was following a tennis match.
“I think I’m gonna need something a hell of a lot stronger than tea,” Georgia chimed in.
Jason looked to the doctor, who nodded, then hurried out of the room. When the door closed behind him, Dr. Bhimani continued.
“Girls, I never dreamed it would be you three, but in some ways I’m glad it is. You work so hard, you’re studious and polite - you’re good girls. That was what we hoped for. DNA testing and fertility aside, it’s strength of character that matters, and nowhere is that more important than when it comes to these boys.”
The older woman sighed, and pulled off her glasses to wipe them on her sleeve.
Posey noticed the hint of a smile pulling up the corners of Rima’s lips. That was comforting, in a way. The whole thing was crazy, but if Rima were relieved that her mom was going to let her go through with it, then it couldn’t be all bad.
Posey knew she ought to be angry, but Georgia seemed to have that covered. She should probably be scared, too, but this was all just so…exciting.
“Their message came to us in 1984, before you girls were born,” Dr, Bhimani explained. “They’re a race of people unlike any we dreamed of, so advanced, so smart. We’re different in so many ways. They don’t even have bodies.”
“They don’t even have… bodies?” Georgia asked, incredulously.
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but how are we supposed to… you know?” Posey asked.
“The reason for their delay was that they were growing human bodies,” Dr. Bhimani said with a gentle smile. “Their race, the Aerie, are basically gaseous masses. In order to better understand us, they decided to place themselves inside bodies like ours so that they could experience life as we do, and in doing so, become close with us. And might I add, they did a wonderful job on the construction of some very appealing forms.”
She winked playfully at Rima.
“Gross, Mom,” Rima said.
“This is why they told us they were coming in 1984 but didn’t arrive until now,” the older woman continued. “They used the signals we transmitted to learn about our culture, and then they created men to visit with us. They asked only that we give the men partners to assist them in experiencing life on Earth in all its richness.”
Posey literally felt her jaw drop.
“Now girls, you’re going to meet the men—” Dr. Bhimani began.
“Wait,” Georgia interrupted. “How do we know they don’t want to kill us? Or kidnap us and do experiments on us?”
“We don’t,” Dr. Bhimani replied plainly.
Her words hung in the air a moment.
“Think about it, Georgia,” Rima said. “Why would they be here if they wanted to harm us? Doesn’t it make sense that they want to learn more about our culture, just as we want to learn about theirs?”
Georgia only scowled.
Posey wasn’t sure if it made sense or not. But she could see where Georgia was coming from. They had already been brought here on one premise, and it wasn’t the whole truth. Who was to say that what was being proposed right now was any more honest?
On the other hand, Rima had a point. If the aliens had come for war, none of them would be here right now.
Dr. Bhimani retrieved three clipboards from a desk on the opposite side of the room.
“Not this again,” Georgia sighed. “We’ve filled out so many forms, and you’ve already taken so much blood. You must know everything there is to know about us by now.”
“This is a consent form,” Dr. Bhimani said. “You can take your time to review it, but by signing you are agreeing to take on the risks associated with mating with an alien and bearing his child, provided you are even chosen.”
“Wait,” Posey said. “I thought we were already chosen. Isn’t that why we’re here?”
“Not exactly,” Dr Bhimani explained. “You’ve passed my screening test. The real choosing will be done by the boys.”
“The aliens?”
“Yes. It’s set up to mimic their partnering tradition. If one of them finds you suitable, he will choose you. That’s the first step.”
“Okay, so they choose us and that’s the first step. What’s the second step?” Posey asked.
“The second step is when you accept him as your mate,” Dr. Bhimani said. “None of you are under any obligation to accept your matches.”
“And what’s step three?” Posey asked.
“To forge an emotional and physical bond with your chosen partner. To click. This will most likely happen through coupling,” Dr. Bhimani said.
“You mean sex, right?” Posey asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” Dr. Bhimani smiled. “And, finally, if your union results in a pregnancy, you will receive the additional ninety-five thousand. Under the consent form is a non-disclosure agreement. The top form you may sign if you choose. The bottom form is non-negotiable. You already agreed to sign it when you applied for the egg donation process a year ago.”
“What are the ‘risks associated with mating with an alien and bearing his child’?” Posey asked.
“We don’t really know,” Dr. Bhimani said.
“So, basically, all of them,” Rima added. “If we do this, we do it with no promises and no regrets.”
“Why would you want this, Rima?” Georgia asked, her tone less harsh than it had been with Rima’s mother.
“Because it is the destiny of our species to blend with theirs,” Rima said dreamily. “It’s why they answered our call.”
Posey managed to study the page without reading it until her eyes went blurry.
The sad thing was, the only part that mattered to her on that page was $95,000. And, to a lesser extent, $9,500.
She had already given up a month of work-study to come here. She might as well make the best of it.
And besides, what were the chances an alien would select her? It sounded like these gaseous bodies were too civilized to feel lust or desire. And getting pregnant wasn’t as easy as everyone said - she’d been reading up on fertility ever since she decided to donate eggs.
And if one of them did choose her, she accepted him, he clicked with her, and mated with her? Well, Posey had known all her life that there was more going on in this world than met the eye. She might as well pull back the curtain.
This would be the most important thing that ever happened to her… to anyone.
She snatched the pen out of Dr. Bhimani’s hand before she could change her mind, then quickly signed both the top agreement and the bottom without even fully reading them.
“Posey,” Georgia said, looking scandalized.
“Let’s do it,” Posey said recklessly. “Let’s do something interesting, Georgia. You said it yourself last night - let’s have some fun for a change. One way or the other, this is going to be epic. ”
Rima smiled and applied her own signature to the forms.
Georgia let out a huge whoosh of air.
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to let you two do this alone,” Georgia said, her strawberry blonde hair brushing the page as she bent to sign it. “But for the record, this was not my idea. And if they do try to eat us, I can totally run faster than either of you.”
“Your group compatibility is a big reason you three were selected,” Dr. Bhimani said with satisfaction. “And I see the benefit of it already. You will be a joy and a comfort to one another as you experience this marvelous adventure.”
“Tea and chocolate chippers,”
Jason announced as he entered the room again with a big serving tray.
Teacups, a copper kettle, and a plate overflowing with freshly baked cookies balanced on it, along with a small crystal decanter of some dark, brown liquid Posey assumed was the ‘something stronger’ Georgia had requested.
“Oh, wow, that was fast,” he said as they handed their clipboards to Dr. Bhimani.
Posey smiled at him, and he almost dropped the tray. Poor kid.
“Enjoy your refreshments, I’ll be back in a few minutes to show you your rooms,” Dr. Bhimani said, ushering Jason out the door again.
6
Posey
Posey emerged from her room on the first floor of the observatory to join her friends in the common area.
After having the whole day to settle into their quarters, it was finally time to meet the men.
Posey tried not to think about the fact that the only thing in the bathroom had been a bottle of cocoa butter lotion, which she had thoughtlessly slathered on her arms and legs before putting on the simple white dress Dr. Bhimani had provided for them.
The dress was thin as a whisper and she was wearing it without underwear, as instructed.
The scent of the cocoa butter brought back memories of the dream, which in turn made it hard to concentrate on anything but the hum between her legs.
The three were silent as they filed out of the shared space that functioned as a living room between their trio of beautiful bedrooms overlooking the pond and trees. Up the winding stairs they went, to the main floor of the observatory.
Posey couldn’t help but notice how lovely her friends looked. She imagined that a sorority initiation must be a lot like this - young women dressed for a ceremony, walking together in sisterly silence, ready to face the unknown together.
Dr. Bhimani joined them in the observatory, dressed in her plain lab coat and slacks as before.
She moved to the door and they followed.
The air outside was not yet bitingly cold, only a hint of autumn crispness greeted them. Posey was grateful for the lack of a breeze, since their dresses were so thin.
She was also glad she’d given herself a really nice mani-pedi before leaving home. Her toes looked adorable bare, if she did say so herself.
They descended the outdoor stairs and followed Dr. Bhimani through the grass to the far side of the observatory.
The setting sun reflected shades of pink and orange in the water of a large pond. It burnished Georgia’s coppery hair and sparkled in Rima’s large eyes. They were ethereal - the whole scene was like a painting.
Movement from the trees drew her attention.
A young man stepped out, then two more, flanking him on either side.
All three were tall, muscular, and drop dead gorgeous.
All three were studying the girls intently.
All three wore a strangely familiar look of detachment.
The men from the Big Dipper last night…
Posey turned to look and her friends, and saw the recognition in their eyes as well. Rima gave a subtle shake of her head, letting Posey know it was best not to mention it.
They turned back as one to study the men.
The prospect of mating took on a new significance. These guys were so handsome, so… normal, and she already knew them to be generous and polite.
The one in front started toward them and the other two followed. All three men wore jeans, no shoes, and open flowing white shirts.
The sun set another inch, highlighting them all in the reflection from the water, and Posey caught her breath.
The man to the right of the leader had startlingly blue eyes, just like the man in her dream.
And he was looking right at her.
It had to be a coincidence. Didn’t it?
Suddenly, her musings were shattered as a loud crack echoed across the meadow and something small and fast whizzed by her.
Georgia let out a horrible cry.
Posey reached for her friend, but her legs buckled as she took a step, then she was falling, falling.
The world grayed around the edges.
The man with the blue eyes grabbed Posey in his arms, lifting her, carrying her away as she succumbed to the blackness.
“I choose you,” he whispered into her hair as he ran.
7
Bond
Bond held the human girl to his chest and ran as fast as his legs would carry him.
He was in the unique position of deploring and appreciating his physical body all at once. Even as he resented the inefficiency and vulnerability of being trapped in the meaty hull, he thrilled in its response to the feel and scent of the female’s body.
Before now, Bond had sensed but not fully understood the tragic and beautiful concept that was human desire.
He and his brothers had studied the films and music of this race most carefully as they waited for their bodies to grow in their incubators. And all of the humans’ culture seemed to be built around the dance between male and female.
Aerie culture did include love, but it was of a familial sort, and not a given in any Aerie’s life. Brothers who were of a mind might travel together in a partnership, arranging themselves into pleasing patterns, then freeing themselves, sometimes to find each other again.
Bond and the men he thought of as his brothers, Rocky and Magnum (who had also taken the names of Earth heroes in order to be more appealing to their potential partners), were one such group. Magnum’s spirit was the strongest. He was a leader, if such a thing had existed in the Aerie mindset. Bond and Rocky completed his essence like the lower points of a triangle.
The three had been selected to migrate into the human bodies in part for that very reason. The elders felt that as a group they would better adapt to the rigors of a new culture, giving one another strength and comfort.
Together they had assimilated all they could of Earth during the wait for their bodies to mature enough to be worn. They had practiced by slowing the movements of their gaseous forms to match a more human pace.
Then for several more years they had learned to wear their bodies, to slip inside and command the muscle and bone to bend to their will.
Now Bond felt both pain and joy from his limbs, and had grown accustomed to breathing air in and out, even when he slept, so that the body did not succumb to distress. He delighted in feeding and bathing it.
But his soul was still free to leave the body if he chose.
The elders believed that if Bond and his brothers came to understand the mating that was the center of human life, and participated in romantic love, their spirits and bodies would be bound together at once and forever.
And if this happened with the three brothers, all would be well between the human race and the Aerie.
The woman moaned softly in his arms and Bond set his jaw and ran harder and faster, pushing his physical form to its limits.
The need to protect her was overwhelming, making it nearly impossible to come up with an actual plan.
Someone was trying to harm them, so going back to his own dwelling was not a good idea.
He meditated on this problem as he tore through the trees and underbrush, cradling the woman to his chest.
Bond remembered something and turned quickly to dash in another direction.
Deep in the woods was what Dr. Bhimani had explained to them was a campground. A place where human younglings would gather to frighten each other and learn songs while roasting food on sticks. The brothers had hiked there several times as they spent the summer preparing for the females’ arrival.
The children came only in the warm season, which meant their tiny houses would be empty now.
Bond hoped that he could carry this female to a small house before she woke, so that he could greet her properly, in a safe place.
His body warmed and swelled at the feel of her in his arms and the startlingly pleasant thought of her waking to gaze at him with those luminous eyes.
8
Posey<
br />
Posey awoke to the sound of rain on a tin roof. The cozy pattering reminded her of visiting her grandmother in Virginia during summer breaks.
But she wasn’t there now.
She wasn’t really sure where she was.
Someone’s arms were around her, warm and strong.
It all came back in a flash: the ceremony, the shot, Georgia’s scream, the world going gray.
Terrified, she turned her head very slowly to see who held her.
Blue eyes gazed back at her from inside a handsome face that was already all too familiar.
Am I awake or asleep? Posey asked herself inwardly. She had trained herself to ask this question in unusual situations ever since childhood, when vivid dreams had terrorized her.
“You’re awake,” the man whispered reverently.
Posey shivered. It was as if he had heard her thoughts.
“Are you cold?” he asked, wrapping himself more thoroughly around her.
She shook her head.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No,” she managed to say.
She looked around. They seemed to be in a simple screened-in shelter of some sort, one she was sure she didn’t recognize.
Where the heck are we?
“Someone was trying to hurt you, so I brought you here,” he explained, again answering her unspoken question. “To a campground.”
“M-my friends?” she asked, afraid of what the answer might be.
“My brothers rescued them,” he told her.
“Are they here?” she asked, sitting up.
He let go of her, which was promising. The loss of his arms around her also made her feel hollow inside, for a reason she couldn’t put her finger on.
“No,” he said. “We separated to confuse the attacker.”
“Can I borrow your phone? I want to call and check on them,” she asked.
“I don’t possess a portable telephone,” he replied.
“Then how do you know they’re okay?” she demanded.
