His eyes fell on the neatly placed datapad on the table in front of him. “One year ago, we officially launched the Zodiac Program. But this program needs constant data coming from all human-occupied planets. So, the last time you were arrested, right before you escaped two months ago, your test results and psychological profile were sent to us.”
“And I’m the thief? I don’t remember authorizing—”
“We’re a private governmental organization and you’re an escaped convict,” he interrupted. “We don’t need any authorization to access your data except for the one who you stole from.”
“Because the government is fucking crooked,” I mumbled. If he heard me, he chose to ignore it.
“We’re here to offer you options,” he continued, not picking on my eye-roll. “Earth doesn’t want you anymore. You’re causing too much trouble, and prisons are too full to keep a close watch on you. So we came to an agreement with the local authorities.”
Well, I wasn’t sure I wanted Earth back anyway…If it weren’t for granny—and the lack of money—I would have left a long time ago.If he says I’ll be the station’s whore I’ll stab his eye with his fucking ball point pen.
“You’ll serve your sentence here.”
I scoffed. “Here. For how long?”
He gave a casual shrug. “Only the rest of your life.”
My jaw nearly dislocated and I was surprised not to hear it clink on the cold steel table. “The rest of my—for a few thousands dollos of debts? Isn’t it a little harsh?”
I couldn’t stay here forever. What about my grandmother? Who would pay the rent? Who would payErnesto? He lowered his rates as a gesture, but if he stopped coming, Granny would starve!
The man leaned back in his chair, unbothered. “We’re only following protocol. The debt must be paid one way or another, and if it’s imprisonment, you’re facing a life locked up in here, as Earth prisons won’t have you anymore.”
“That’s—”Fucking insane!“You saidoptions. Are we in one of these…working prisons or something? Work I could do to reduce mysentence?”
“It’s one of the two other possibilities, yes.” The man nodded, seemingly happy that I was bringing it up. “You can join the program as a worker. Do some cleaning, cooking, and supply us with some…bloodor other samples for our experiments.” My eyes widened. “Nothing too invasive, we’re a research center and inter-galactic base after all,” he said in a placating way. “You see, this whole system was artificially populated. Well, no—it was inhabited with primitive speciesbeforewe intervened a few thousands years ago, mixing their genes with human ones to create humanoid species. They’ve been fully evolved for a long time, but they’re all facing some…genetic issues now. An issue we’re actively working to fix.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. This option would make me a lab rat for them to fix whatever issue they created in the first place. I knew there were aliens existing in our galaxy and even beyond. Even if I’ve never met one myself, the colony on the Moon was known to host at least two other species—both never bothered to visit Earth. And why would they? They had functioning lungs, it would be a shame to damage them.
“So you want to use your prisoners to make tests on them and the humanoid alien species of this system. Isn’t it unethical?” I seethed.
“It’s only unethical if they don’t consent to it.”
“Oh, right,sure. Because coaxing them into it is.”
His smile faltered. “We’re giving you options. You’re free to refuse them and go to your cell for the next couple hundred years.”
My eyes bulged. “Couple hundredyears?”
“Time doesn’t work the same in outer space, especially surrounded by an artificial atmosphere. You have a good one hundred or one fifty years left, give or take.”
Nope. Not gonna happen. What the hell would I do locked up for so long? “This second option, would it reduce my sentence?”
The man’s gaze glinted with satisfaction. I was playing right into his game. “You’d be free to go back to the dumpster that is Earth in twenty years.”
It was a nightmare. I was asleep in my shitty bed and when I’d open my eyes, I’d see the yellow smog outside my cracked window and jump in the bus to search for jobs while Granny safely stayed at home. I hid a wince when pinching my own arm only hurt and didn’t pull me out of this hell.
“Twenty years,” I repeated.
“It’s a generous offer.”
“It’s a scam.”
His sigh echoed in the silent room. Why were the other men here if they weren’t going to talk or do anything?
“And then, there’s the third option. If time is what concerns you, this one might pique your interest.”
I swear if he’ll suggest any of their old cocks ends up in contact with any part of me, I’ll—
