Page 3 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

“Okay.”

“Promise.”

“I do.”

“They’re what’s left of a Telstar Dimension hybrid experiment.”

“Hybrid? You mean one of the worlds that went crazy with genetic engineering?”

“Guess it depends on what you mean by ‘went crazy’.”

“Okay. Let me put it this way. You start out with a wolf. You end up with aShih Tzuor a Pug. You start out with a human, you end up with a ...”

“The flaw in your argument is, the owners of dogs like that would say they’re an improvement on the prototype.”

Rosie blinked. “So you’re saying you’re taking me to a place where I should be prepared for…” She left the end of that sentence for him to fill in the blank.

“Okay. Consider this your briefing in a nutshell. There were some experiments that went on for a couple of generations. People became concerned and even invoked religious invective to fuel a movement to eradicate all the produce of the experiment.”

“Produce?” He nodded. “You mean the people?”

“That is what I mean, yes, and I, ah, intervened. I saw an opportunity to solve two problems. There was a group of people… humans, here in need of protection, which is one of the ways hybrid skills might be used. The remnants of the human population were under threat from their own hybrid experiment gone awry. So I paired them up to keep the balance. The hybrids got freedom. The humans in this world got to survive.“

He waved his hand at the darkness. “This dimension hasn’t been ruined yet. It’s stark in places. Pretty in others. The main thing is that it gives them a chance.” He looked at Rosie. “You know?”

“Wasn’t that against some rule?”

The angel pursed his lips and heaved a big sigh. “Rules need to be placed in the context of knowing the rule makers. And their agenda.”

Rosie studied his face in the darkness. “Lally, you’re an anarchist.”

“Guess that depends on who you talk to.”

“Are there others?”

He turned to face her. “What do you mean?”

“Other elementals who think like you do.”

For a moment he thought perhaps Rosie saw him truly.

“I don’t really discuss it with others. Anyway. The hybrids have been here for a while now. Some have started families. Their own take on culture is starting to emerge. Interesting to watch. The one in charge of the place is a solid fellow. He owes me a favor. Simple as that.”

“Does everybody in the multiverse owe you a favor?”

His mouth twitched at the corner as he looked down at her. “Working on it.” His eyes drifted back to the settlement. Rosie thought she saw a hint of pride. Proud sponsor perhaps.

“This could be a good place to get your thoughts sorted out. They’ll keep you busy and who knows? Maybe a new perspective. So welcome to the EC. That’s what they call it, short for Exiled Camp. By the way, don’t mention Telstar. They don’t like to be reminded. I don’t blame them. They left that behind to start a new life.” He turned to face Rosie. “A new world really.”

She looked around again. “What’s with the motorcycles?”

His expression was definitely sheepish. “Oh. The hybrids like them. A lot. So they became part of our arrangement. I made an adjustment to the engines so they’ll run on water and threw tools and maintenance stuff in with the deal.”

“Are you saying that there weren’t motorcycles here before?”

“No. Every dimension develops differently. You know that.”

“Well, yes… So how did you get motorcycles here?”

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