Page 2 of The First Omega Made
Noel had forgiven me, right?
I hadn’t even asked for consent to use them on myself. I’d taken again—albeit without harm. But that wasn’t right, either.
“16.5,” Merriel said. “And climbing. What was in that last dose?”
“Just enough to keep my regeneration going. Noel’s practically virulent.” I sprawled out over the bed and lay there for a few minutes, staring at the plastic stars stuck to my bedroom ceiling. Legend said that in the beginning, before their old gods had created the heavens and the earth, the trinkets glowed.
Light pollution had grown by the time I’d matured so badly that I’d never seen stars until I’d broken the stratosphere for the first time and lost myself in a world of twinkling lights that no picture or planetarium had ever done justice. I preferred the stars, but part of me yearned for a home.
In any case, earth had pollen and trees.Fuck trees.Dirty little sperm-spewing dendritic chlorophytes!
The door to the chamber opened with a harsh creak, afeature, not a bug of design. I looked around for something to throw. “Hey! I’m masturbating.”
“No, you’re not.” Sarge’s gravelly voice broke the silence of my mind. The poor guy rubbed at his worn face, dogged and jaded, shuffling in before flopping next to me with a huff. “I could change that, though.”
I snorted and rolled onto my front then side, making room for Sarge to snuggle in with me. “Maybe I just finished?”
“Or maybe you’re in here trying to sweat off another round of progenitor.” The judgmental tone made me cringe.
“I couldn’t wait any longer. The rash got worse.” I lifted my shirt to show off my bare stomach then higher to reveal the pocked and bruised flesh pulsing over my ribs.
“Better than my rash.” Sarge unbuttoned his pants and pushed the hem down. The start of bruised flesh came into view only for a fraction of a second before I reached over to stop him. “What? You’re a doctor. This bothers you?”
“Yes! If I could treat it, I would. Otherwise, it’s just showing off. Is there even anything left down there?” I turned my gaze away as Sarge buttoned his pants and relaxed.
“If I said yes, would you believe me?” Sarge’s tone went soft and almost mournful. His plight was nothing new. He’d been suffering from it for the better part of two solar rotations.
“No.”
“Hmm. Good call, then.” Sarge wrapped his arms around me and scooted in, adjusting us to where I was the little spoon.My favorite.“So, I think I have another solar rotation or two left. Not going to be a fun span.”
“I seriously think Vil would help you if you asked.” I rested my head on his arm, taking in the sweet scent of him.
“He’d throw me out of the airlock, more likely.” Sarge snorted.
“Maybe not? It’s not like you’ll infect us.”
“How does he know that?” Sarge clutched tightly to me, his hands bunching at my belly, fingers wandering to stroke my new scales.
“He’s known you for forty solar rotations.”
“And hasn’t noticed I’ve not aged appropriately.” Sarge sighed.
“I can talk to him if—”
“No. He may eventually warm up to it, but the rest of the crew?” Sarge pulled his hands from my waist. “It’s just my time to go.”
I reached for him as he pulled away and rolled over atop him, snatching his wrists. Ordinarily, he’d be able to pin me, but my strength had been growing. “I need you.”
“You say you need me, but I can’t satisfy you. I can’t even—” Sarge turned his face from me, lips bunching up as if he were fighting tears—ones he couldn’t shed. His tear ducts had broken down solar rotations ago. Barely anything of his body worked right anymore.
“I wish gene therapy worked.”
“It might, if it weren’t fucking Naleucian.” Sarge sighed, and I forced my face down to his, capturing his mouth with mine. I hated the mustache, but it tickled and was, at that point, part of him. Part I’d learned to like.Maybe even love.
Sarge fought it at first, but he slowly relaxed, letting me press our lips in—no tongue. He always drew the line there, but he let me continue. He even pursed his lips and sank into the sensation.
“If you won’t, let me try for you. What about for me? I can experiment.” I pressed my nose to his and stared him down until he met my gaze.
