Page 53 of Fresh Flesh

Joras

My heart leapswith joy when I see Maisie’s form standing out against the green crops. I open my throttle up all the way and speed ahead of Mlarx and Lurg. Not to be outdone, they open up their throttles too but I have a huge head start.

Maisie runs hard toward us, her cheeks red with the exertion, sweat glistening on her body. I see that her belly has just started to show. Thank goodness she is all right.

I turn off the hover platform and leap off before it has even settled onto its landing pylons. My feet tear up the terrain as I stretch my legs out and race to her.

She flies into my arms and I hold her close. Her scent fills my nostrils and lights up my senses. I never thought I could hold her like this again.

“Oh Maisie,” I cry. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” she says, tears running down her cheeks and getting my uniform wet. A moment later we’re joined by Lurg and Mlarx, who likewise try to embrace her. All three of us wind up holding her at once, which is as awkward as it sounds. Maisie doesn’t seem to mind.

“Lurg, Mlarx,” she cries. “Oh, thank god you found me. I was so scared I would never see any of you ever again.”

Mlarx touches her belly and arches his brow ridges.

“Do you know who the father is?”

“No,” she says. “But it’s definitely one of you. I haven’t been with any man, human or Gren, since I got caught in California.”

He breathes a sigh of relief. Lurg looks over at the breeder farm.

“It looks like someone has taken notice of us,” he says.

I see a couple of Gren guards standing at the edge of the fence, looking our way curiously. They don’t raise an alarm or anything, because we’re Grengorans like them. Still, I don’t like the scrutiny. It makes me uncomfortable.

“Should we go talk to the Overseer of this farm?” Mlarx asks. “Tell him that we’re taking Maisie.”

I notice that he didn’t say ‘ask’ if we could take Maisie. We will go to war against our own kin, against the entire Empire if they try to keep us from Maisie for one more second.

“No,” Lurg says.

“No?” Mlarx responds, his jaw falling open. “But protocol demands it.”

“I don’t give a fuck about protocol,” Lurg snaps. “If protocol had been followed at our Vegas farm, then Maisie would have never been thrown onto a train car. The Northern Tribe basically stole her from us, so I say we steal her back from them.”

“I have no love lost for the Northern Tribe,” I say.

Mlarx gives a curt nod. He doesn’t like it, but as long as Maisie leaves with us I’m pretty sure he’s going to be happy.

Lurg takes Maisie on his zoomer, since it’s the biggest of the three. We give Maise a big cloak to cover herself with, so no one will see her belly. A pregnant human woman traveling alone with three Grens is going to cause concern. But a nonpregnant human woman doesn’t cause the same stir.

From time to time we are accosted by border patrol. Every time they let us go without much fuss. All we have to do is tell them that Maisie is an escapee from our farm, and show them our Overseer credentials.

Then they let us go pretty as you please.

I look over at Maisie, the wind in her hair, her eyes shining and filled with jubilation and relief in equal measure. I’m happy to have her back with us again. I wonder if the baby in her belly is mine?

I really hope that it is. The thing is, we may never know. The Gregorian genetic code is complex, and tends to change itself as we age. Paternity tests are not known to be accurate.

The fact that she’s been with all three of us, though, means that at least one of us is the father. That forever binds her to us, and I have to say I’m okay with that.

We finally arrive safely back at the Vegas farm. Maisie collapses into my arms halfway through the door.

I carry her into her room and lay her down gently on the bed. Then I cover her up and shut out the light.

I will be able to rest easy…we all will be able to…now that Maisie is safely back with us again.

Back where she belongs.

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