THE ALIENS AND THERE NEW OMEGA

CHAPTER 19

I'm falling again in darkness. Instead of a beach or Rocky cliff it's to the stars below even though they should be up. Familiar voices are singing. One's like a rich, morose baritone. So deep I can feel the vibrations against my skin amid the darkness of space. I feel like crying even if I don't know why. Another is just as musical, almost cheery and I weep. Maybe because of the dichotomy.

My gaze darts down to my full bell and I can see him - my baby. Somehow, I'm looking through my skin and toward the life within me. I'd say he looks like the baby from 2001 but that would be a disservice. He doesn't look like anything except beautiful. Not fully formed but mine. All mine. Forever mine.

I've heard of babies called miracles but even that definition is too simplistic. So many things had to happen for him to be in me. The Volardi could've picked somebody else, the ship might have been a few seconds late. Even the gloom as horrific as they were set events in motion. Me, the gay man who assumed he would never have a child did. Not just a kid but one with three fathers. One father welcomed by two as joining of cultures.

At least I hope so....

Images of that not happening come to pass. Out of the shadows are two groups of men although one's alien. Klar's laughing as he inches closer to my baby. Other men look like earth military. There's an Earth doctor in the crowd but not the kind I want. We're just experiments to him. Both me and my baby. Through his face mask I hear, '' it's for science."

''Yes," says Klar. "For science. Give it to us."

"He's not an 'it' , I scream.

Around me there's a thick grey fog that approaches faster than I can walk or run. I push against it but it's too strong. It's almost like sticky cotton candy against my skin but far tougher. It tangles against my legs and I fall toward a group of the Volardi Betas I saw earlier.

Tears race down and I see Klar laughing as we now tumble down the stairs together. A white light shines in my eyes and I bolt up with a scream.

******

''He's up!"

The white light left my vision, and I blinked myself back into reality. Melk was to my right side and his hand gripped my hand tight. Trevah did the same. Normally I would have stared lovingly into their eyes except for two things. I had plenty of questions and a healthy amount of fear. Last thing I remember was my upcoming death.

Quite a bit more important was the bigger bulge in my stomach.

How long have I been out?

I forced the words out. ''The baby?"

A young, blond doctor I never saw before leaned in. " Easy. You've been out many days.'' A blue orb hovered over me. The implant gave me the answer; Observation Orb. My gaze went to the doctor with a thinned expression. From his killer good looks and Beta physique, I knew him to be Volardi. His muscles were sinewy like a bicyclist's.

His voice like the others was musical. "How do you feel?"

''The baby?'' I repeated louder.

"As far as we can tell he's fine... so far. Why don't you tell me what happened? It'll help.''

My nostrils flared but figured it was the more practical option. It was either that or keep arguing. I had questions on what was going on. For now, I listened. Either it was practically or me being a good omega.

I gave a momentary pause on what that meant for my future. I considered my decision to get pregnant carefully, but I wondered if I knew what I was really getting into. My hands caressed my curves. Ain't that the truth?

Within a few minutes, I explained how the isolation was getting to me ,and I needed a place to voice my thoughts. A ride to the park, took me near the ALL father temple and then curiosity took me the rest of the way in. I didn't see any point in lying about the Alpha-avoiding bracelet , so I mentioned it. Both Klar and I had the same idea, and it drew us together.

In my side vision, I saw Melk's simmering angry frown. I inhaled deep to query his mental state, but I couldn't get a fix. Perhaps it was my inexperience. Maybe he was angry at the situation, me, or himself.

All three?

He's chief security, and I caused him embarrassment. The man in charge of he whole ship had his Omega slipped out from under him.

There wasn't an intentional trust violation, yet it was his decision that led to my actions. The outcome almost cost me my life and that of our unborn son. I told him the story while my gaze darted to the medical staff in the background. My heart pounded that they might be people from Klar's... coven hidden in plain sight. They were political extremists, but I almost wonder if religious fanatics to racial purity fit them better.

Perhaps it was just how everything seemed like an altar under the hanging cloning vats.

"Klar's?' I asked.

Melk balled his hands into reddish fists. The rotten vegetable scent of anger and frustration, hung in the air. He closed his eyes and breathed out slow several times while the smell dissipated. He bit the side of his lip before he continued. " We found three of you at the bottom of the stairs along with yours recording device. You, Klar-"

"And our unborn child," I finished.

"Yes! You cannot think about just yourself. There are others tied to you."

Part of me wanted to ask , ' What did you expect?'. I was taken from my planet - even if I planned on leaving early, so to speak. I had isolation and simple curiosity to see a real-life alien spaceship. Instead I stayed quiet. Not sure what that meant for our future relationship. One man is hard enough to handle, and I had two.

I looked away and into Trevah's eyes. Purple eyes and red hair shouldn't be a good combination, yet it worked. Maybe it was the smile on his face that did it. My nose wrinkled at the slight minty scent. I sensed he understood the 'why' ,even if he didn't like the outcome.

My attention returned to Melk. "Transportation records, pinpointed your location. Then we searched the surrounding park, and then the temple." HIS eyes closed, and I inhaled the rotten vegetable scent of frustrated anger again. "We discovered an area that wasn't normally there. Klar and his followers created an enclosure, to hide the cloning vats.

And to give themselves privacy for their meetings.

I nodded that I understood . The Volardi could rearrange matter easily. Creating a room deep within the temple wasn't a big deal for them. It was like what I did with my previous lodgings just not as sinister.

Melk continued. ''We have no idea how long you were at the stairs. You had a long gash along your head.''

In insticts, I touched the side of my head. There was no pain, but I had vague - dreamlike memories of my injury. My eyes widened. " The implant."

The blond doctor spoke, " You have a replacement. We took the original out as a precaution and what we could medical wise." Thankfully, he understood my unasked concerns. Everything they could. I was Omega now and at the mercy of whatever Klar did. I hoped the implant was his only tool, bit I couldn't be certain. Perhaps he wrote something into my DNA or created an intentional error that would kill us both.