3. Greater Good
GREATER GOOD
SARAH
W ith each stroke of my pen across the page, I feel my freedom slipping away. When I saw the ISA screens at the library, the last thing I expected was to be signing up like this.
The fine print about signing up under false pretenses haunts me. They make it clear in no uncertain terms just what will happen if I’m found to be lying. They also lay out terms and conditions concerning the health and safety of the baby, and what would happen if I were to leave with the baby without the father’s consent...
I feel trapped, more like a prisoner than a volunteer. But I know that I have no other choice. My father’s life is on the line, and I would do anything to save him.
The thought of the Syndicate getting their hands on a defenseless child makes me sick with worry, but I’m hoping that it will buy me enough time to come up with a plan. Right now I need to stall until I can figure out a way out of this mess. But right now, I have to go through the motions and hope no one finds out.
I’m standing in line at the intake center for the Intergalactic Surrogacy Agency waiting to get my shots. All the pamphlets list out any number of side effects I might experience, and I’ve heard that the women go through something called a ‘heat’ when they’re most fertile, but honestly I skimmed over most of it.
The less I know about the process, and the less I know about my baby, the better. That’s what I tell myself anyway. If I can look at this as purely a business transaction and not let any feelings get in the way, then I can finish the job and secure a future for both my father and me. If I don’t...
I shiver, thinking of the prison planet Crys, stuck in an eternal winter. I can’t go there. I won’t.
“Miss Sarah Eriksson. Please come forward.” I perk up at the sound of my name. A nurse stands there, beckoning me into the back while other girls sit in a waiting area. Taking a deep breath, I step forward, knowing it’s just the first of many steps on the way to my freedom.
* * *
My head feels like it’s trying to detach from my neck and float into space. Every spot on my body tingles and aches and burns. On top of it all is a gnawing emptiness that threatens to consume me whole.
It’s uncomfortable, but the emotions are nothing I can’t handle. If this is the worst of the ‘heat’ they speak of, maybe this ISA thing won’t be so bad.
I’m sitting in the waiting area for the allotted amount of time while they check if I’ve had a reaction to the omega serum, but all I want to do right now is go home and bury myself in bed.
Preferably naked, and with a huge cock splitting me open...
Wait, what?
The chair next to me creaks; I snap to attention. While most of the women in the waiting room with me are some sort of gleeful, proud, or excited, my new seat neighbor’s the only other one that looks less than thrilled.
“So what are you in for?” she asks gruffly without looking at me. Makes it sound like a prison sentence, and I guess in some ways it is.
“I—” I can’t tell her the truth. Instead, I make up a hastily constructed set of half-truths. “Got a debt to pay off. ISA offers more than my job ever will. That’s about it.”
“I hear that. Lotta girls join for the money and end up falling in love, but that’s not gonna be me. No, I’m just here to serve my time and get out. Ain’t no man gonna hold me down.”
Her bluntness is a welcome respite from the formal paperwork and speeches of the center. Realizing she could be a valuable ally, I stick out my hand in greeting. “I’m Sarah.”
She takes my hand and shakes it in an almost bone-crushing grip. “Veronica. But you can just call me Vi.”
“Vi,” I repeat. “Nice to meet you.”
She sighs, leaning back in the chair. “Will be nicer once this whole racket is done and over with. I never asked to be here, but I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“Neither did I,” I admit. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Got caught fighting one too many times, and where I’m from, they don’t take kindly to girls fighting. Or doing anything other than being good little baby factories, apparently.” She rolls her eyes. “Stupid podunk planet. Glad I’m going to be getting away from there, at least.”
And here I’d thought the other planets were more progressive, not less. A momentary stab of fear strikes through me. What if the alien I’m matched with is an arrogant misogynist? How does their race feel about women and about childbearing in general? Am I walking right into the lion’s den by doing this?
“On my planet, if you don’t obey you get sent to institutional centers for ‘reprogramming.’” She shivers, even her steely facade broken. “I wasn’t about to do that, so they gave me one last chance to prove myself.” A sad, resigned chuckle. “So here I am. I’d rather bang an alien than get my brain wiped any day.”
We’re quiet for a few minutes as I think about everything that’s happened. Vi seems crude and confident. More so than I could ever be. But despite it all, I feel a kinship with her for reasons I can’t explain. Maybe it’s because we’re both here essentially against our will, but I feel like she’s someone I can trust.
And when the time comes, I could use some brawn on my side to get off the planet.
“You want something to drink?” Vi nods to the outdated water cooler over in the corner. “Who knows how long they’re gonna keep us here?”
“Sure,” I mutter, still staring off into space.
When Vi pushes a cup of water into my hands, she raises hers in a mock toast. “For the greater good,” she says with no small amount of sarcasm.
I snort and tap her glass with mine. “For the greater good.”
Whatever that means.