Legacy of Earth: Genesis | Ch 3

Kingsburgh, California, Ash-Shām Middle Eastern Cuisine

“–ith the recovery of the Endeavour last month, neither the government nor the Fleet has provided any information concerning their findings save for stating that the crew was found dead.”

I stopped, bits of meat still hanging from my fork as I turned to eye the tiny holo projection of the news anchor who hung overhead like a specter of doom. I’d been avoiding the news broadcasts. They spent the last month rehashing every tiny tidbit of information the EUA government gave out about the Endeavour. Which you can imagine, might bring about a few unpleasant memories, but something about the anchor’s tone told me this broadcast was a little different.

Grey didn’t say a word, but his eyes turned to watch as the broadcaster continued her spiel.

“We still understand precious concerning the circumstances of the Endeavour’s disappearance, but new information leaked by a source within the United Earth Alliance Fleet has confirmed that the missing cruiser was located by none other than Kingsburgh native Kaydence Briggs, child of crew member Sofia Briggs noted archaeologist and expert on the Phyrr Lesch, and great grandchild of the resistance hero Alexana Briggs. Ms. Briggs, formerly Jellfree Briggs, has–”

“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath, already sensing eyes on me as the holo projector switched to a display of my face. Not the old male one, but my current female mug. I didn’t have any clue where the hell they got it, but being a Briggs had always meant more media attention than your average Joe. I’d been in public places, some with my uncle and some with my grandmother since undergoing my change. There would have been nothing to keep someone from snapping a photo of me. I may not have been a household name, but Zed and Kaya Briggs were another matter. If I was in their presence when someone in the media spotted them, well, you know the drill.

I dropped my fork, letting both it and the food on it clatter and plomp respectively onto my plate. With a shake of my head, I lurched to my feet, held a hand up and said “check please” as loud as I could without yelling. Though I didn’t stop to catch my reflection, if the warmth of my cheeks were any sign, they must have been bright scarlet. Just what I needed: media attention. I sure as hell didn’t like finding my face plastered all over the news, especially while in a public place.

When the server approached the table, I knew full well she’d seen the news broadcast. She couldn’t take her eyes off me, but at least she didn’t call anymore attention to me. I paid for both Grey’s meal and mine and left what was almost certainly too big of a tip and departed, with quick and determined steps. I didn’t bother to stop or pull my hair away from my face. As a result, when I stopped outside the diner, I couldn’t see a thing.

Taking more than a few deep breaths, I paused, leaned against the building and took a moment to compose myself. I brought a pair of slender hands up to my face and began to slip strands of thick hair behind my ears. It was about then that I noticed people on the street were giving me more than the casual sort of glances they might cast at a total stranger, even an attractive one. Information spread fast on the post occupation Earth, many people received broadcasts directly into their comm implants, some even had visual receivers. I found it a little creepy. Which explains why I only used mine for personal communication.

A tall man with a pinched face and shaved head approached. He looked at me with a scowl on his face and I met his gaze, realizing that he looked familiar. He didn’t stop to talk, but mumbled ‘conclave mutant’ and passed me by. I realized after several seconds where I’d seen him before, and I winced as unpleasant memories hit me like a ton of bricks. He was Jax Aukes, the childhood bully responsible for making my life a living hell as a child. An icy shiver worked its way through my body, as I relived all the beatings I received at his hand. He called me a sissy, I wondered what he would think if he knew the mug I sported now.

Jax was a Conserver which meant he opposed anything that altered the natural state of man or animal. In effect, people like him believe genetic manipulation, biomechanical augmentation and symbiosis with a K’teth symbiote were a violation of the laws of nature and the will of the divine. Some Conservers like the Aukes family also viewed homosexuality and transgenderism as unnatural and unhealthy. Jax never liked me because I’m a Briggs, but as a bonus, since I didn’t fit his image of what a ‘real man’ should be, Jax pegged me as a sissy. Which made me a much bigger target than the other children in our class.

I watched Jax disappear around a corner, and jumped when Grey appeared, letting the diner door slide shut behind him.

“Looks like your famous now,” he said with a bit of a lopsided grin as a single set of fingers dug into the back of his head.

“Yeah, grand, just what I always wanted.” I clenched my hands at my side and turned away, my body shaking as Khala’s and Lexa’s gentle reassurances washed over me.

“Hey, it can’t be so bad, can it? The Endeavour’s disappearance was the biggest mystery of the past twenty years. At the very least you’ve earned your place in the history books.”

“For finding something that was missing? Gee, what an accomplishment. I’m sure people from all around will call me to help them find their lost passkeys.”

Grey chuckled and shook his head. “There are worse ways to be remembered. At least you’re not Straffen McMillan.”

‘Oh God,’ Lexa’s voice echoed in my mind. ‘If only he knew.’

I stared walking and Grey stepped in line beside me.

“Yeah, you have a point. It could always be worse.” I looked out across the bustling street and grabbed Grey by the arm. “Thanks… for getting me out of the estates.”

I didn’t say it aloud, but I got the sense that I wouldn’t be spending much time in the open for the next few weeks. I’d found the Endeavour over a month ago, and it was still being mentioned on the news. Word that I had been the one to discover it had only just gotten out. It might be a little early to tell, but it seemed likely that I would be getting a bunch of attention from the media.

He stopped and nodded, leaning over to meet my gaze. The height difference was never so clear to me as in that moment. I paused, pursing my lips, taking several deep breaths, and I trembled.

Good lord, what had come over me? Grey was my friend. I was well versed in all the tricks he pulled to lure women in, and among them he was damned good at the soulful gaze. I would not be falling for it, would I? Oh hell, who the fuck was I kidding? Grey hadn’t put on the charms at all. I just wanted someone to fuck.

I swallowed hard, stood up on the tips of my toes, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulled him close and locked my lips around his. He didn’t return my kiss, but his body turned rigid and it was only after I release my grip on his collar and let my hands rest on his chest that he reciprocated.

Not that long ago the thought of kissing a man would have seen repellent, but even when my soft lips brushed against his stubble it didn’t deter me.

Then the reality of what I had just done settled in and I pulled my thick head away staring up at Grey taking in deep breaths of air. I took several steps back, far enough that I actually hit the damn wall behind me.

“That was unexpected.” The[ ] words were Grey’s, but I could have just as easily spoken them myself. The purely impulsive act had caught even me by surprise.

A thousand thoughts coursed through my head. I’d already admitted to myself I was attracted to Grey, but was it just that or something more? Of course, my feelings for Tanner complicated matters. We had a lot of history, and a fair bit of chemistry, but I seemed to lose my temper whenever she came around. I wanted her about as much as I wanted Grey at that moment, but what the hell was I supposed to do about it? Should I—

Okay, you know what? Screw it.

Grey drew close, and I trembled as he leaned in for another kiss. I melted into his arms, and didn’t, for once, let myself worry about anything. Those concerns would come later. Maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing, but face it, my sex-drive was calling the shots. She saw something she wanted, and she took it. I had no idea if it was a good or bad thing, but damn did I enjoy what followed.

After a generous amount of kissing and a little more petting than was probably acceptable in the middle of a public street, our amorous pursuits took a decidedly more serious turn once we got back to the estates. Honestly, it all happened in such a blur, I didn’t even remember making our way to my room after arriving back home, but what followed left a much more lasting impression.

With slow deliberate movements I undid the buttons on Grey’s shirt, my lips following my hands as each button was undone. I didn’t show as much restraint with his pants, actually tearing the seams loose in my efforts to free him from his clothing. He didn’t seem to mind, especially when I slipped his boxers down to his feet.

I stopped, staring at his bare cock and let an appreciative smile slip across my face. Grey was a big man, in every way that counted, and my heart pounded inside my chest as anticipation built. I wanted him inside of me with every fiber of my being.

Grey slipped my shirt over my head and had my bra off in just a few seconds. He didn’t struggle with it, as I would have done, not so long ago. Finally, my slacks and panties came off and our lips locked against one another. I forced my body against his and my bare breasts pressed against his skin.

I pulled away, then pushed Grey back until he staggered into my bed and collapsed atop it. Sex while standing could be awkward as hell, and it would have been impractical with our obvious height differences. Not that I was too broken up about it, I was more than happy to fuck in bed.

Sex wasn’t new to me, but unless I counted the phantasmic encounter with Khala, I’d never actually made love to anyone as a woman. It wasn’t, however, something it took a leap physicist to figure out. I positioned myself atop Grey and clenched my eyes shut as his erect member slid inside my clit.

As convincing as my lovemaking with Khala had seemed, it didn’t compare to having a real dick inside of me. Khala had manipulated the muscles and tissue inside of my vaginal cavity to make it seem as if something were entering it. His penis pushed it open with sudden, violent force as I came down on him and I shivered in pleasure. It hurt, but God, I didn’t want it to stop. I gasped and pulled out, letting out a high-pitched squeal when I forced myself into him again.

Each time I pulled out and went down on him, a pressure built inside of me and I expected it to burst out of me like a dam, but when it actually came, it didn’t come from me. He released his load, and I pulled out again, and leaned forward, my ass up in the air kissing him first on his lips then down his neck and chest.

Soon I was going down on him again, squealing louder and louder until I started screaming out a name. Not Grey, but Tanner, again. Grey didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he became more enthusiastic. I rolled onto my back and gasped as my old friend slid atop me. We went at it again, this time he rode me and, fueled by our enhanced abilities, we kept going for hours.

When Grey rolled off of me, I sat upright and slid my legs off the side of the bed.

“Oh God,” I whispered and cupped my face with both hands.

I’d had sex with Grey. It didn’t bother me that he was a man, something that surprised me more than the actual act we’d committed. He had a spotty reputation when it came to women, and it made me more than a little uncomfortable to learn I’d become another conquest. That, however, was the least of my worries. How could I tell Tanner? Should I even tell her?

I still had feelings for my business partner, but fucking my old high school buddy was not exactly a good way to begin a relationship.

I shivered, and closed my eyes, as thoughts of Grey’s shaft penetrating my vulva. My cheeks burned. I wanted more, so I dropped my head, met Grey’s gaze and took it.