Tasha was still depressed. Him showing up missing body parts and smelling of alien meat tenderizer, she took all responsibility for. At breakfast despite all his memories of her intelligent, snarky demeanor, she broke down crying. Though secretly anxious to get back to his third bowl of sugary corn flakes, he put down his spoon and touched her hand.
“At least I made it back. My friend Razz can’t say the same, right? I don’t blame you, so it doesn’t make sense to blame yourself. Got it?”
Tasha shook her head and wiped away jeweled tears from her intense green eyes. “I could have insisted on my visiting. I shouldn’t have bowed so easily. You didn’t deserve a job like that. I should have fought harder for your reassignment.”
Anything else he’d said hadn’t made a dent. She sat next to him in Trevor’s office, her small arms folded tight over her chest, her face pensive.
Trevor strolled in, after keeping them waiting for nearly an hour.
The Sticker’s heart jumped in his chest.
Annette was with him. She gave him a leery, but sympathetic smile, then patted his shoulder, just above his missing arm. Trevor sat and she rounded his desk to stand at his side.
“Annette? You… know about this place?” he stammered.
“As of last week,” Trevor answered, moving a stack of papers off his keyboard. “When you left for your job. Annette was getting an ulcer from all those calls from the water board and the authorities. I had to protect her, and I wanted to be honest with her, since we’re in love.”
The Sticker flinched. “Last week? I’ve been gone almost a year.”
“Actually,” Tasha said, leaning over, “your unorthodox way of returning was the only reason why you didn’t return at exactly the same moment you left.”
“Technically, Trevor tells me that you went back in time,” said Annette, her tone filled with romantic mystery. “Fifty years ago!”
“In respect to the multiverses, things happen simultaneously throughout history,” Tasha said. “Time really doesn’t matter. Every moment is happening all at once… think about it that way.”
“No thanks,” the Sticker commented. He shook away the disturbing idea. “So wait, that’s why I kept getting old Facebook posts and news articles?”
“I tried to send you current database information for those websites, but it took about five Earth years to send it, which complicated the gesture.”
“Are you girls done chatting about space and time?” Trevor asked, blond eyebrows lifted impatiently. “There’s some serious shit that needs attending.”
“Go then already,” said the Sticker. He’d have loved to stand and clock the guy, but with this broken body, from now on, fantasizing would be the only way he could ever seek vengeance.
“We need to negotiate a deal with the Princess of Ganymede. Since she’s refused other slaughterers, we can no longer keep her armada out of striking reach of this circle of clientele. We will sustain a serious loss of partnerships if we allow her to attack this planet. She’s hungry, and she doesn’t bluff. There is one bargaining chip we still have, though.”
“Me.”
“You. Let me read something our people translated. This is from the Princess herself.”
With his good arm, the Sticker propped himself up straighter. It wasn’t every day you got to hear a missive from a thing that would rather see you on a platter than alive.
“I have found the One,” Trevor read. “This man you sent to me, I’ve tasted. I savor his taste like nectar from the Five spirits of Blyne. I know he does not want to cooperate with any terms I shall set, especially after how he was treated last we met, but Mr. Milstead, you must find it in your bland human heart to understand how I can no longer live without his taste. I’ve found perfection in his texture, richness, and I lust after his strong, fragrant blood. If I cannot have him forever, then I see no more sense in rotting away in one of my ships. I will no longer seek employees from your agency and I will encroach upon your territory. You will not stop me. I will eat. I will be full. I will, however, admittedly not be content. You could give contentedness to me and prevent all of this.
You see, I’m in love with this man. If he worries about death, tell him not to fear, because I will accept any food he grows through mechanical synthesis. I will NOT accept cloned tissues or organs. All meat must be grown from his hallowed body. If you give me this… my fleet stays in this system. This is my promise. — PoG”
Trevor folded up the printout. “Fairly steamy stuff there.”
Tasha and Annette both frowned, likely for completely different reasons. After a moment, they all looked at the Sticker, who bent forward as their eyes probed, a little self-conscious of being made to sound important.
“So… I don’t really understand.”
“We have a cellular regeneration corridor at this location,” said Trevor. His handsome face seemed to be the only thing in the room covered in shadow, until he moved his chair forward. “I’ve got to say though, it’s a painful process, especially when you rush it. The Princess will need us sending shipments of your… parts, almost on a daily basis.”
“How bad is it?”
“Worse than giving birth is the most common reaction I get from females. Men are normally at a loss for words to describe it. But come on, you’re being maimed of all your limbs, maybe some of your organs eventually and then you’re forcing your body to regrow itself in a day’s time. It’s hardcore, buddy.”
“Sounds like it,” said the Sticker.
“No!” Trevor smacked his desk and nearly came out of his seat. “This isn’t an occasion to be flip, you bucktoothed fool! This is NOT the occasion. Believe me. Look man, you might not like how things have gone between us, but I respect you enough to at least get the same in return. This is our fucking world we’re talking about here. As I see it, you’re responsible.”
“How?”
“You’re the one she wants so friggin’ bad. Shit. Regenerating your tissues will cost a fortune. Until you went out there, we only needed to send a handful of able bodies willing to bring home a decent paycheck. Now, we’ll probably have to devote one of our molecular chambers just to you.”
“No you won’t,” said the Sticker. “Because I’m not doing it. Jail is better than this deal.” He glanced at Tasha. “Can you get me out of here?”
Tasha looked down and shut her eyes.
“Hey, Tasha…”
“She knows,” said Trevor with a smile.
“Knows what?”
“Knows you’re fucked. If you leave, law enforcement is waiting for your crippled ass outside, waiting for my signal. They’ll have you before you can even hop once to your truck. Not that you could even drive, lefty.”
The Sticker, though unnerved that Trevor knew he drove a truck, just stared blankly at him.
“What’s more, I’m going to take down your entire crew at Sunshine State.”
“What?”
“Pablo, Jackson, Carl and any other folks around you that day. They’ll all be implicated. Because of you.”
The Sticker looked at Annette, who couldn’t meet his eyes. “What happens if I say yes?”
“Superb.” Trevor breathed out a sigh of relief. “I like where you’re going with this… so if you say yes, a few things will happen. For one, you will have total freedom. We will get rid of your outstanding issues with Gerald Bailey and Sunshine State Meat Products and you’ll be free. You’ll be able to leave the offices here, whenever you want, find a place to live, preferably near Los Angeles, so you can come back every day to donate and heal.”