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Centaurs (Parallel Worlds)

Page 29

by Aaron Pery


  "So it’s not a case of recessive genes that had turned you both into what you are now?"

  "None whatsoever. As to Nick, who used to be my spouse in the old days on Earth, he's not a natural supermen either. And, as I said before, we both used to be normal bipeds rather than centaurs."

  "Are you saying that this isn't Earth?"

  "Exactly. This is a dimension parallel to Earth and you're now on the island of Crete, which we call Minos."

  "As in the old Minoan culture that supposedly existed here, where according to myth or legend they used to have a minotaur?"

  "Pretty close except that the mythical creature was a bull rather than a horse, while ours were centaurs who used to live throughout the area until they were all decimated."

  "Why were they, and how come you ended up here?"

  Marty told him about being her hit by lightening, their arrival on Gog, who and what the Gogians were, the circumstances of their near demise, what they did to centaurs, horses, and the humans they had literally kidnapped from London. And how, in the end, she and her new people had eliminated them completely.

  "Served them right, those sons o' bitches. Are there any more like you around anyplace?"

  "No. Nikki and I scoured Earth and this dimension mentally in search of any and found none. And if you wonder why we were unable to detect you, the answer is simple—because ours and your mind waves, being of different species, are too dissimilar. But have you found any of your kind around?"

  "If you can mentally probe two entire worlds you’re considerably stronger mentally than I am."

  "So, did you search around for people such as yourself?"

  "Yes, and painstakingly so, but found no others anywhere. My search differed from yours since I did most of it on foot, so to speak, chasing all over the world for lookalikes who had turned out to be deformed or plain ugly. In addition to that, I’m hooked up to a medical network which is quite extensive and a highly reliable source for my purpose, and found none at all."

  "Yes, I’d agree with that because I’d used it often myself." Nick said.

  Victor gave him a surprised look. "You’re a physician, too."

  "No, just an information hound who likes looking under rocks."

  "If I may, Marty, I’d like to know how you came to possess these talents and abilities and then transfer some of them to Nikki."

  "Sure." She told him everything about Martin and how he had turned into a superman with an ability to change others to be like him by melding their brain lobes.

  "So you, luckily, ended up as a couple again?"

  Nick gave him an amused grin. "And obscenely young like the rest of us here."

  "And more powerful than I am. And the reason for the difference between us is that although my mind is quite powerful it’s nothing like yours because my brain lobes are bridged rather than fused. In fact, I didn’t even know that it could be done or what effect it would have on me if I had tried it."

  "But you now know that you can, don’t you?" Marty asked, smiling.

  "Yes, but I’m not going to rush into anything just yet."

  "Smart of you not to attempt it without great deliberation first, Vic, since it’s much too complicated a burden to take on."

  "I fully understand that. Anyway, now that we've gone through the personal stuff, which I appreciate, it suddenly hit me that this was not supposed to be a social call."

  "Right you are, but it was important that we go through it first since both you and us needed to come to know one another."

  "And your verdict about my employment suitability?"

  "Quite positive, I'd say. And what's your opinion?"

  "That I'd dearly love to become involved with you all. So what exactly is it that you need me for, other than cure occasional headaches?"

  Marty smiled. "A lot more serious stuff, I'm afraid." She told Victor about her fears of what might happen once their women stopped taking the pills.

  "So the bastards had strict birth control over everyone which, as a result, no one has any idea about your natural conception, gestation time, or the average number of children you'll bear once you reach term?"

  "That's it in the nutshell, Doctor."

  Victor chuckled. "I'm still Vic, you know. How many fertile women have you got here, though?"

  "Our population stands at ten-thousand, with half being women. And all are fertile regardless of age."

  "Even women over fifty?"

  "Fifty? Oh, shit, since it never came up until now I hadn't mentioned it to you that being of centaur descent, our lifespan is supposed to be just as long as theirs was."

  "To the best of my recollection, the myths put it at one-thousand years. Is it possible that you're that long-lived?"

  "Very much so because half of the Gogian population that we'd killed was at or near nine-hundred years old."

  "Like a bunch of Methuselahs? Any proof that they were that old?"

  "Yes, Vic. Nikki, who you already know is an information seeker, went through the Gogian municipal records and found a great number of people whose lifespan was even slightly longer than that. And if you wonder about their calendar, it was a duplicate of ours, with the year having the same number of days. But back to the question about fertility, the last baby allowed to reach term naturally among us was born to one of our original women, who is three-hundred years old. And, by our old Earth standards, looks about eighteen."

  "God Almighty, then you're all virtually immortal? Okay, let's forget about that point for now. So you figured that if half your women stopped taking the pill four weeks ago, you got yourself by now around twenty-five hundred pregnant ladies."

  "Right, which is a scary idea when you don't know what the consequences of it will be. That's why I asked Adam to run a search for someone like you, who has the knowledge of both human and equine physiques. Well, we're not exactly of this genus, but close enough to it."

  "You were justified in looking for someone like me, that's for sure because it could turn into a disaster without proper research and then medical monitoring throughout the pregnancies. Which, to answer your question, I'd love to participate in."

  "I'm glad, Vic. So should we talk remunerations, Mr. Minoan Chief Medical Officer?"

  "I like the title but really don't care about salary and all the benefits that come with it, which I'm sure you'll take care of properly."

  "That's quite an unusual attitude, Vic. Are you that anxious to get started?"

  "You bet I am, so if you don't mind I'd like to get going. Did I understand correctly that you got a fully equipped hospital?"

  "Yes, and a huge medical library. We call it a clinic, though, because of its old usage as a chamber of horrors."

  "I can understand that. The library, though, is it computerized or in hard copy, and in what language?"

  "Mostly computerized and the language is a sort of Greek derivative. I had tried to translate some of it to English but the task proved to be too enormous."

  "Don't worry about that because, just like you, my racial memories include an archaic version of the language."

  "Great. So what do you want to do right now, Vic?"

  "First thing will be to see you standing up so I get an idea of your true size, particularly Marty's. And then I'd like to draw blood from both of you and take some skin scrapings as well, which will be a good starting point for me."

  "Sure."

  When both stood up Victor whistled in appreciation. "Gosh, the two of you are perfect specimen of whatever species you truly are. Are you typical of the breed size-wise?"

  "I'd say average, Vic." Nick responded. "But the variations span the gamut from small pony size to what Stan called Belgian size, regardless of gender."

  "Interesting. But none smaller or larger than that?"

  "None that survived possible culling by the Gogians. It's possible that among the group where our donors were born, who were called 'wild caught' because we were born to a small group of escapees, some could've bee
n much smaller and were killed by the Gogians because of it."

  "Makes sense. Okay, Adam, would you please bring my medical bag from the living room where I'd dropped it when we came in?"

  "Of course, Vic." He was back a moment later and handed the enormous bag to Victor.

  "Now, Adam, I suggest you leave us because I'm about to act my physician part on these two nice people."

  "Before I do, please tell me if you intend to spend the night here because if you do I better go check you out of the hotel and bring everything you got to wherever you'll be staying."

  "Good idea because I will be staying, and for longer than overnight."

  "Then please bring all the doctor's belongings over to our house, Adam." Nick said. "And I'll take them to the house next to the hospital where the Gogian chief surgeon used to live, which I should turn over to Vic."

  "What about the belongings in your Phoenix apartment, Doctor?"

  "Oh, there's nothing there. It was just a furnished residence hotel where I'd stayed for six months while working for my last employer and from where I'd been terminated a week ago. So all my worldly possessions are in the Iowa City hotel, while some important things are stored in a rented locker in Chicago, where I'm from originally."

  "Okay, Doctor. I'll bring everything from the hotel over here."

  "Thanks, Adam, I appreciate it."

  As soon as Adam left, Victor opened his bag and pulled out a stethoscope and inserted the ends into his ears. "Okay, my dears, I'd like to examine you both now if you don't mind, starting with you, Marty."

  "Sure, go ahead, Doctor."

  Marty was pleased with Victor's thoroughness and gentle touch as he listened to her heart and breathing, then ran his hands literally all over her body. Once he was done he drew a sample of her blood and then filled a vial with her urine after inspecting her disposal orifices, udder, and vulva, from where he took a vaginal smear. Next, he ran an almost identical examination of Nick, including very gently drawing a sample of his semen.

  "Gosh, Doctor, you really know the equine physique, don't you?" Nick said.

  "And the human one as well, which in your case contains both. You'd startled me quite a bit, though, because you possess two hearts and two sets of lungs, and I'd imagine two of everything else--one of each from your equine and human sides, which are connected to one another throughout your bodies."

  "Except for the human genitals, I suppose."

  "Correct. Okay, Nikki, now I'd like you to take me to the hospital where I can put in an accelerated day’s work. I would like you to assign me one or two bright people who would serve as my staff and help do most of the grunt work."

  "You got five of them already, all of whom were brought to the hospital when they were thought to be infertile but weren't, who served as lab technicians and sort of nurse practitioners. Their supervisor is one of the first group of recruits, as they were called, who actually worked as a doctor's nurse in London before they got her here."

  "Excellent. So you kept them in the hospital, I mean clinic, to keep the place going? That was smart, which will help me get a running start."

  "Then let's go over there, Vic."

  "By all means."

  Nick was back two hours later, to find Marty sitting on the balcony reading various reports from her naval and military groups. She smiled at him when he dropped into a bean bag across from her. "Crazy character, isn’t he? But he knows his business quite well, it seems."

  "He sure is, and sure does. You should've seen him put on his charm thickly with the clinic workers, so much so that by the time I left they looked at Vic with literal adoration. And he, needless to say, put them immediately to work."

  Chapter 30

  When Vic called two weeks later and asked if he could speak with her and Nick, Marty readily agreed. "Sure, come right over. Actually, how about coming for dinner a bit later and having a real American meal with us--thick steak, baked potato, and a salad?"

  "Jesus, you mean real steak rather than lamb like all of your fucking Brits favor, or ostrich? Don't misunderstand me, Marty, I like it quite a bit, but the idea of having a big T-bone is making my mouth water."

  "Then that's what I'll have Nikki put on the grill. Eight o'clock good for you?"

  "Perfect."

  They were quite stunned when Victor showed up, wearing nothing but a pair of sandals, apparently completely unabashed by his nudity.

  "Gone native, haven't you, Doctor?" Marty said as she greeted him.

  "I sure did, and I love it. I never knew what a liberating feeling that nudity evokes in a person and always snickered at the kooks who did that in the special places they go to on weekends. But, by gosh, I really love it."

  "What made you decide to do it?"

  "I'll tell you after you fill me a glass of that whiskey sitting on the sideboard."

  "Of course. How d'you like it?"

  "Neat, or one ice cube if you have them."

  "With ice it is." Marty sat across from him with a cold beer while Nick tended the grill.

  "Okay. I hadn't thought about disrobing in public until my first morning here, when Beatrix, my nurse supervisor, brought me a cup of coffee to bed. At first I'd thought that she was being extremely nice coming to my house and making me a cup of coffee, but then I realized that there was true malice in her heart."

  "Oh? What kind of malice?"

  "Well, I hadn't realized that I was completely naked until I swung my legs out of bed and exposed my, if I say so myself, glorious morning erection."

  "How did Bea react when she saw your glory?"

  "When I tried to cover it, she grabbed the sheet with one hand and grasped me with the other one, which made me even harder. To make a long story short, before I knew what was happening, she turned around and stuck her dripping and palpitating vulva in my face. Which made this savage stand up and stick his cock into her glory hole until he almost died with the pleasure of coming."

  "For the first time in your life? I can imagine how you felt." Nick said with a smile. "Probably very much the same as I did under a none too different occasion with my newly minted woman. Which means that it wasn't the only time that you'd made love to Bea since, of course."

  "You can bet your ass on that, boy. And then, when we were finally ready to go to work and I tried to get dressed, Bea told me how weird they all thought that I looked wearing clothes--almost like a frigging Gogian. So I didn't, and haven't worn any since. And about going native, as you said, I have in every way, even pissing and crapping in public. But most of all, making love to Bea whenever and wherever we feel like it, something I would've never believed I could do."

  "I guess that's your joint pheromones at work, stripping you of all your supposedly old civilized mores."

  "Exactly, Nikki. And, the more I think about it the more certain I am that this is where I want to live my life from here on."

  "I'm pleased to hear that, so let's talk about it over dinner because the steaks are ready." Nick said.

  "Put them on the plates while I bring the salad and potatoes." Marty said.

  Once they were finished eating, Victor, looking very happy as he wiped the meat juice off his plate with the remnants of the potato, spoke. "The first thing I want to tell you is that I can’t get over the excitement that permeates this place, and that this assignment you’d given me is utterly exiting."

  "It’s not an assignment, Vic, but a job. Actually, a position I hope you will set up for yourself if you'd like. How do you like it so far?"

  He grinned impishly. "Like it? No, that doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about it. This is the first time since I received my medical certification that I truly feel in my element regardless of my personal feelings as a man. The fact is that every job that I ever took was a temporary assignment, and here I am doing a meaningful job in a wonderful environment that will affect people's lives."

  "Very well put, Vic, because it will probably be a life-saving task."

  "And the
money ain’t too shabby either, I found after Nikki told me that I'll be earning three-thousand Minoan dollars per month, almost as much as President Jenny is being paid. And the beautiful part of it was that he handed me the deed to the house that I live in and that I'll have no real expenses."

  "I'm elated to hear that. So tell us about your findings so far."

  "In a minute because I want to first tell you about a very important issue that I needed to resolve before deciding to make a life for myself amongst you, and that was the age issue. I'm forty years old and am fast approaching middle age, which means that my usefulness to you is going to be comparatively short lived. Also, since I'd found the true love of my life who's three-hundred years old and who'll most likely live seven-hundred more, I figured that I might as well slink away from here because I might hurt some very nice people if I don't."

  "That's silly, Vic, because your age has little bearing on anything."

  "Like hell it doesn't so please hear me out. Once I reached the decision that I don't want to leave here, I decided that the only avenue for me to take was to weld my brain lobes together and bring them up to mirror yours and Nikki's."

  "And once you did it, you rearranged your internal physical makeup so that you'd become virtually immortal?"

  "Exactly, Marty. Not only that but I’m no longer sterile, and I also eliminated my Neanderthal recessive genes so that no offspring of mine will carry it and end up looking like me."

  "Offsprings that Bea will be bearing you? That’s great, Vic."

  "Which is what I'm hoping for, and live with her for practically forever. Which, talking about offsprings, was the most important reason for calling you."

  "Oh? What is it?"

  "To tell you that you're pregnant--six weeks along already, to be exact."

  "Jesus, Vic. Are you sure that I am?"

 

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