“I got an appointment anyway. Otherwise, I would stay.”

He walked past us all. Male, female, Omega, and well… robot or simulacrum as James would say.

I waited till he left and returned to my twin.

“You’re stressing me out and causing the stress.” Heat flashed over my face as I said the next part. “If I’m to carry a baby, I need to be in good health.”

“You are not equipped to defend yourself.”

My Pa spoke up, “I can. This is my property, not yours.” He pointed up. “When your lot came here, you said we’d still have control of our land. You wouldn’t order us about. Did y’all lie about that?”

My eyes widened. I wanted to trick the robot into leaving because it was ‘stressing’ me out. Leave it to Pa to come up with something better.

My twin made no expression, but I assumed it was communicating with the ship above.

There wasn’t necessarily any hint on what it was thinking but my Pa continued. “I got a gun. Anyone comes here and threatens my boy, he’ll get a shot between the eyes. Figure he’s here for...” He turned for my answer.

“At least a few hours,” I said.

The blank expression left my twin’s face. My forehead scrunched as its body language and stance shifted into something that wasn’t me. I suspected someone was controlling it. “Very well... Volardi policy is to ensure families are happy. We have no desire to cause harm. Just know this Peter Lynn. You are Omega. This isn’t your planet anymore. Remember that. Do not attempt to escape.”

With that, the approaching evening dusk disappeared temporarily within a white flash. After several seconds my double faded from sight.

My Pa had trouble accepting the New World, but I defy anybody to not stare bug-eyed at a teleporter flash.

“I… didn’t know they could do that,” he said.

“Neither did I before today,” I said.

I turned to a familiar older man with tanned skin. We both stared at each other although I had to look up. I don’t know what he thought, and I’m glad my protection robot wasn’t around.

My Pa was old and yet... There was something youthful to his face. The wrinkles and lines were still there. He still had his ‘mop’ of white hair. The furrowed pinch between his eyebrows and the tired, painful frown was gone. He stood up straight. His breaths were long and powerful instead of the short raspy kind – or worse, the long coughs. Even his voice sounded younger. “Boy.”

I wrapped the robe around myself partly from the coolness and to hide the shame of the chain. My collar was still there but not as embarrassing.

“Let’s get inside where it’s warm,” he said.

I nodded and once inside hurried into the bathroom, then cleaned myself quickly. My slick was still obvious to me and I didn’t need to broadcast it to either Becky or my dad. I looked back into the mirror of the male Omega that penetrated himself minutes earlier and liked it. I could deny being gay if asked, but I couldn’t lie to myself that I liked something in me.