have been moments before I woke up. I don’t know why the thought disturbed me, but I pushed it to the back of my brain.
There was also a low-I maintenance uniform, which must be for me. I held up the ugly blue garment. “Brynn must have a plan.”
Kai shot me a knowing grin. “And I’m sure it’s a good one.”
Brynn was fully dressed and sitting at the kitchen table when we emerged from the bedroom.
“Morning,” I sang, kissing her on the forehead before going over to the food dispenser to make coffee.
“Morning.” Kai mimicked my expression, also kissing Brynn on the forehead before joining me at the food dispenser.
I pushed the activate button. “Coffee, two, black,” I instructed. A moment later a familiar whoosh signaled our coffee was there.
“You two are awfully cheery for fugitives,” Brynn commented when we sat down at the table.
“I don’t know if it’s the drugs, or just a decent night’s sleep…”
“Or the sex,” Brynn interrupted.
“Oops, you heard, eh? I’m sorry, we tried to be quiet.”
Kai remained conspicuously silent.
“Never mind.” Brynn sat up straight, a sign she was about to get serious. “I have bribed a low-I to smuggle you aboard the next Consortium transport to the European Settlement. As you’ve probably gathered, you’ll be going as maintenance workers.”
“But Kai—”
Brynn cut me off. “There are still some Kais working in other colonies. If anyone asks, you tell them you’re transferring him. And, Darra—” she put her hand on mine, “—you’re going to need to remember you’re a low-I. Put your brains away—so to speak. You’ll need this.” She placed a small metallic box on the table.
“What’s this?” I picked up the box.
“Put your thumb in the hole on the side.”
“Ouch! What was that?”
“You now have a new thumbprint.” Brynn pulled a data pad out of her briefcase on the floor. “And this is the identity to go with the new thumbprint. Your new name is Alesta Dysart. I have arranged a job and a pod for you in the other settlement. Kai, I’m afraid you’re going to have to live in secret.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m not sure how long it will be before they start to recall the last of the Kais from the European Settlement.”
She slid her hand down Kai’s forearm and squeezed his hand. Both her gesture and their eye contact felt intimate.
My stomach clenched. Other muscles clenched, but in more intimate regions.
“What’s wrong, my love?” Kai asked.
“Nothing,” I said. The warmth of a flush started at my cheeks and spread outward.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Kai jutted his head out in pride at knowing the correct answer. “Brynn should be coming with us.”
“What?” I blurted out.
“The three of us should go. I love you, she loves you, you love her. We shouldn’t be separated.”
I crossed my arms on my chest, “You didn’t say how you feel about Brynn in your little list of affections.”
“I was kinda wondering that myself,” Brynn chimed in.
“I love her because you love her.”
Brynn and I stared at each other.
“As a matter of fact,” Kai continued, ignoring the interaction between Brynn and me, “I think it would be very enjoyable to all have sex at the same time.”
“What!” Brynn and I whipped our heads around and blurted out in unison.
“It should be possible.” Kai’s head tilted the other way, as if he was calculating the permutations.
“Okay, I really don’t like where this conversation is going.” Actually I did, but I wasn’t sure it was a brilliant idea to tell them. “Can we get back to the escape plans?”
“Out of the frying pan, into the fire, eh?” Brynn chortled. “My grandmother always said that. I never understood the expression. What’s a frying pan?”
“Didn’t you pay attention in history class? A frying pan was a metal disk they put on a fire to cook with before the invention of food dispensers,” I
There was also a low-I maintenance uniform, which must be for me. I held up the ugly blue garment. “Brynn must have a plan.”
Kai shot me a knowing grin. “And I’m sure it’s a good one.”
Brynn was fully dressed and sitting at the kitchen table when we emerged from the bedroom.
“Morning,” I sang, kissing her on the forehead before going over to the food dispenser to make coffee.
“Morning.” Kai mimicked my expression, also kissing Brynn on the forehead before joining me at the food dispenser.
I pushed the activate button. “Coffee, two, black,” I instructed. A moment later a familiar whoosh signaled our coffee was there.
“You two are awfully cheery for fugitives,” Brynn commented when we sat down at the table.
“I don’t know if it’s the drugs, or just a decent night’s sleep…”
“Or the sex,” Brynn interrupted.
“Oops, you heard, eh? I’m sorry, we tried to be quiet.”
Kai remained conspicuously silent.
“Never mind.” Brynn sat up straight, a sign she was about to get serious. “I have bribed a low-I to smuggle you aboard the next Consortium transport to the European Settlement. As you’ve probably gathered, you’ll be going as maintenance workers.”
“But Kai—”
Brynn cut me off. “There are still some Kais working in other colonies. If anyone asks, you tell them you’re transferring him. And, Darra—” she put her hand on mine, “—you’re going to need to remember you’re a low-I. Put your brains away—so to speak. You’ll need this.” She placed a small metallic box on the table.
“What’s this?” I picked up the box.
“Put your thumb in the hole on the side.”
“Ouch! What was that?”
“You now have a new thumbprint.” Brynn pulled a data pad out of her briefcase on the floor. “And this is the identity to go with the new thumbprint. Your new name is Alesta Dysart. I have arranged a job and a pod for you in the other settlement. Kai, I’m afraid you’re going to have to live in secret.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m not sure how long it will be before they start to recall the last of the Kais from the European Settlement.”
She slid her hand down Kai’s forearm and squeezed his hand. Both her gesture and their eye contact felt intimate.
My stomach clenched. Other muscles clenched, but in more intimate regions.
“What’s wrong, my love?” Kai asked.
“Nothing,” I said. The warmth of a flush started at my cheeks and spread outward.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Kai jutted his head out in pride at knowing the correct answer. “Brynn should be coming with us.”
“What?” I blurted out.
“The three of us should go. I love you, she loves you, you love her. We shouldn’t be separated.”
I crossed my arms on my chest, “You didn’t say how you feel about Brynn in your little list of affections.”
“I was kinda wondering that myself,” Brynn chimed in.
“I love her because you love her.”
Brynn and I stared at each other.
“As a matter of fact,” Kai continued, ignoring the interaction between Brynn and me, “I think it would be very enjoyable to all have sex at the same time.”
“What!” Brynn and I whipped our heads around and blurted out in unison.
“It should be possible.” Kai’s head tilted the other way, as if he was calculating the permutations.
“Okay, I really don’t like where this conversation is going.” Actually I did, but I wasn’t sure it was a brilliant idea to tell them. “Can we get back to the escape plans?”
“Out of the frying pan, into the fire, eh?” Brynn chortled. “My grandmother always said that. I never understood the expression. What’s a frying pan?”
“Didn’t you pay attention in history class? A frying pan was a metal disk they put on a fire to cook with before the invention of food dispensers,” I
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