Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

to look, Gus saw Prime’s helmet leaning against the window—was that a snore? Waving a hand in front of their helmet and gently asking if they were awake, he got no response.

If there was one thing that made Gus antsy, it was waiting around for an indeterminate time for something to happen. Especially when it was someone coming to pick him up ‘around’ a certain time, and he didn’t have any time to get started on something only to have to leave at the drop of a hat. Gus appeared to be the only one disturbed by the quiet, and his mind looked for any distraction.

Maybe if I use Telepathy on Prime, I can find at least some common ground, Gus thought. A few more minutes of silence convinced him to try to level the skill a tiny bit more.

He activated Telepathy and stared at Prime, wondering if their helmet and suit would shield them from his attempts. It was slightly more difficult, and he had to concentrate more, but he found his sight resolving into new surroundings. His sight was blurry and sounds were muffled for a brief time until everything came into focus.

Prime was talking with someone on holo-chat, a young girl, around ten years of age.

“Daddy says we have to keep it short,” the girl said sheepishly.

“You forget what he says. I barely get to see you as it is!” Gus felt himself saying. He felt his fists tighten and his heart rate spike; it was an odd feeling experiencing the anger but being detached at the same time.

“Okay, Mommy.”

“So how is school? Anyone giving you a hard time?”

“No. I don’t think they know I’m a hybrid. Daddy tells me to keep that a secret and it will be easier for me.”

“Honey, you have nothing to be ashamed of, but I understand. Kids can be cruel, especially with things they don’t understand. I got bullied a bit when I was in a mixed school. There are a lot of people with some pretty stubborn prejudices because of things their parents taught them. I don’t like it, but I don’t disagree with your father on this. But you will have to be prepared for what happens if or when people find out. You will have to be strong, got it? You have it in you, I know it.”

The girl nodded demurely, still unsure of herself.

“Promise me,” Gus insisted.

“Okay, I will,” she finally agreed. “It’s just hard sometimes.”

“I know it is, baby. But you have to be strong. I don’t want you to ever forget how wonderful you are. You don’t need to be afraid of anyone, or let them push you around. Got it?”

“Yes.” The reply was a little less timid. She looked away as there was muffled talking.

“Daddy says I have to get off now.”

“It hasn’t even been five minutes!” Gus felt his throat tighten and his eyes water. “Harlan, Harlan! Come on, why do you have to be this way? You’ve won. Why can’t you let me have this one thing?”

A handsome face appeared in the vid-feed, eyes cold and hard. “I’m sorry, but we have to go, she has an event—”

“Maddy, do you? When does it start?” Gus felt himself turning and addressing the girl who looked sheepishly up at her father, afraid to answer.

“It doesn’t matter, Sanura. And how dare you try to go around me and interrogate our daughter?! You should be grateful I’m gracious enough to allow you any contact. You always have to test me.” His voice raised sharply in retaliation.

“I’m sorry, Harlan, but there has to be more time. I get so little with her already…”

His stern features were mollified somewhat. He liked her to be submissive. He liked getting his way. She would do whatever it took, Maddy was her only lifeline.

“It can’t be helped. Perhaps we’ll have some time later, but this is a very busy week, and month. I’ll have Eldon contact you when there’s another time.”

The holo-vid shut off abruptly, disconnected without even a goodbye. Hot tears finally began to fall as sobs racked Gus’ throat.

“Baby, I’m so sorry,” Gus muttered amidst gasps of breath.

“What is this? Sleeping with your eyes open?” Grimdark grunted, elbowing him in the side once again. “Snap out of it,” he brusquely said to Gus and Prime, who silently turned and nodded.

Gus wheezed, whether from the none-too-gentle prodding or choking back emotions he had absorbed from Prime was hard to tell. He had felt every emotion as if it were his own.

“They’re making the exchange,” Grimdark pointed at the loading dock, a small crate being loaded in the back of a sleek torpedo-like skimmer. After a clipboard was passed to the driver and back, the skimmer took off as Yuki began to start up the Seek 2000.

“I hope you have your seatbelts on!” Yuki warned and Gus slammed against the seat as the ship took off in pursuit.

Chapter Thirty-Five

In My Cult

A pulsing light caught Gus’ attention on the bottom of his display and he opened his logs to find his voyeurism had gained him a level in Telepathy and some XP and FP. He had to dismiss the window before reading the particulars, as reading with the reckless driving was making him carsick.

As Yuki swerved and maneuvered through the alleys off and on the sky-way, the group was pressed side to side against each other as the inertial compensators failed to keep up with the constant shifting of forces. Yuki was somehow aware of the courier she was tailing at all times, breaking off and then returning to her pursuit, briefly crossing paths later. Traffic had increased with an early surge of commuters, which made blending in all the easier.

The realization that Prime was female pressed on Gus’ mind as the vehicle made an abrupt turn and he was pushed into her. The revelation struck him again and he pondered what he had seen. Instead of finding a point of commonality, he had found something