Seeing Stars by Reis Asher

Author:Reis Asher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay, mm, mm science fiction, disaster, science fiction
Publisher: Reis Asher
Published: 2023-02-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

After a heavy meal, they retreated to the hotel. Mick said little, but fortunately, Taya wasn't up for conversation either. Adrian seemed lost in his little world, and that was just as well. At least he hadn't had an attack today, and Mick counted his blessings. He didn't expect Taya to be too welcoming once she learned that Adrian was ill. She'd brought them out here to work, after all. They were nothing more than fashion models and dates for this damn Gala, an event he was dreading. He felt like a piece of meat.

He sighed. He'd hoped tonight would be the night he'd get to make love to Adrian, but Adrian was sleepy and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The day's events circled in Mick's mind, making him restless. He wasn't as easily awed as Adrian, though he could appreciate the beauty of the biospheres.

Where Adrian saw hope, he saw futility, humanity fighting back against a fate already sealed. It wouldn't last. It couldn't. Empyrean was nothing more than a theme park built on nostalgia, made by desperate fools who wanted to cling to the past for as long as they possibly could.

He lay still for an hour and gave up on sleep. Slipping out of bed as quietly as possible, he put on his crumpled clothes and headed into the sitting room. He sat on the couch and thought about Chuck, the poor man trapped in a life of servitude here. He didn't believe a word of Taya's excuses regarding constructs. No matter how 'happy' they were, they were still enslaved, bound to serve under the threat of death. Forced smiles weren't smiles but contortions of the face to mimic joy.

The button to summon Chuck was bright red in the middle of the coffee table, urging him to push it. He did so and sat back, wondering how cruel he was to wake the man in the middle of the night like this after such a long day. Within minutes, the penthouse elevator opened, revealing the older man, still impeccably dressed in his suit. Of course, he probably had nothing else to wear.

"How can I help you, sir?" Chuck asked. If he was bothered by the late awakening, he didn't mention it, but why would he? If Taya's blatant attempts to provoke him were unsuccessful, a mere service request wouldn't ruffle him.

"I want to see where you live," Mick said. He hadn't planned this, and yet he couldn't deny he was curious. What kind of conditions did the constructs live in? Would he find horrors terrible enough to ruin Empyrean for him forever? Was he looking for a reason to hate it, so its enticing promises didn't suck him in?

Chuck had the decency to look surprised. "The lower levels aren't for visitors, sir."

"I know that. I want to see them anyway. I want to know what life is like for you here. I don't buy Taya's bullshit line that you're bred to be happy.

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