Page 2 of Angel Condemned

“Magic doesn’t exist.”

The next morning,I rushed into work early to fill in for Amanda who went into labor. I stifled a yawn as the coffee machine sputtered. My coworker Riley poured salt into the salt shaker. When she spilled some of it, she grabbed some, throwing a pinch over each shoulder.

“Doesn’t spilled salt go over the left shoulder?” I asked.

“I can never remember which side and I can’t afford any bad luck.”

Her comment reminded me of the horoscope reading and that I’d visit new worlds. “Yeah.”

“Any luck finding a donor for your dad?”

“No. And every time my phone buzzes, I worry that it’s the hospital saying he’s had a relapse. I’ve gotta do something to help him.” I placed the space donuts, filled with nitrogen bubbles that the kids loved, into the display case while the coffee machine continued to mock me. “His best chance is the new robotic heart and kidneys.”

She whistled. “Those cost a fortune. Maybe we can do a bake sale and raise the money?”

“Thanks.” I shook my head. We did a fundraiser a year ago before she came to work here for my dad’s medical bills. One whole weekend and we made two thousand. It would take a hundred times that at least for one kidney.

“What about blood donations? I heard they pay pretty well for plasma.”

“Thanks, but I do those regularly.”

The machine sputtered out coffee finally.

Several customers trickled in, including a Roulex and an AI guard. The Roulex’s lizard scales clashed with her bright pink top. Her tail swished out from under a white, skirt. The AI next to her with its metal-plated face and wires looked odd.

“How may I help you?” I asked, handing them menus.

“Black coffee and a piece of Xomin pie,” the Roulex said.

“Sure thing.” I took the menus back and retrieved her order. I set her coffee and pie before her without cringing as a headless roach crawled out of the crust.

The Roulex scooped up the insect and plopped it into her mouth, smiling. Shudders crept down my spine like tiny legs. Moving away, I took another customer’s order, this one a Bxur with a spiked tail and single horn in the middle of his forehead.

Riley took care of a family of Shomlins with six kids with them.

After the Roulex finished her pie, I removed her dishes.

“More coffee?” I asked.

She shook her lizard head. “No. But my AI couldn’t help overhearing your conversation earlier. Your father needs transplants?”

My throat tightened, not feeling comfortable that the robot eavesdropped. Not surprised, the metal heads had no conscience. “Yeah. They’re wicked expensive.”

She leaned her scaled elbows on the counter. “What would you say if I told you there was a way you could make enough for as many transplants as you wanted.”

“Oh?” I took out the cleaning rag and wiped the counter down. Old Ben, my regular, told me he could give me the winning lotto numbers. Two days late.

She nodded to her AI who took a card out of his metal chest and set it on the counter.

“Go to this address. They do an interview, a medical review and if you pass, you’re in. Twenty decinars for thirteen months of service.”

Nothing was that simple, but with that much in funds, I could buy Dad four hearts and a dozen kidneys that would never fail. “What’s the catch?”

The Roulex shrugged a shoulder. “Not much. Just be a surrogate for an alien species.”

I balked, pushing the information back toward her.

She stood, leaving the card. “Think about it.”

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