Read Online 01 - Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. Carver - (ebook by Undead) - Free Book Online Page A
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very naked,
brunette appeared. The brunette, seeing Natasi in the shadows, hastily yanked
the covers up to her neck. Gaius simply looked flustered and embarrassed.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” he asked.
The brunette was more direct. “Who the hell are you?”
Natasi allowed no emotion to show. “Get out,” she said.
“Gaius, who is this woman?”
Stammering, he managed, “She’s just a friend.” And immediately realized that that was the wrong thing to say. “Well—more
than a friend—when I say friend, what I—”
“Get—out.” Natasi raised her voice only a little, but it was
enough to cause the other woman to rethink whatever might have been on the tip
of her tongue. She turned to Gaius for support. Spineless. He gestured
helplessly.
With a sigh of disgust, the woman rolled out of bed. “This is just…
great.” She gathered up her clothes and stalked from the room.
“Bye,” Gaius called after, in a little boy’s voice. A moment later, there was
the sound of the front door shutting.
Gaius turned slowly and looked at Natasi guiltily, shamefacedly. He made
another helpless gesture. He’d been caught red-handed, and he clearly felt—for
the moment—bad about it. Natasi could see the wheels turning in his head. He was
obviously trying to decide on a strategy, and his decision was to plead for
mercy. “Look, it’s me. It’s me, all right?” He rolled out of bed on the
other side. “It’s totally me. I—I screwed up.” He pulled on a pair of
loose-fitting sweatpants and stood up. “I am screwed up. Always have
been.” He shrugged on a robe. His gaze became very thoughtful, as though he were
peering deep into his own soul. “It’s a flaw in my character that I have—I’ve
always hated, and I’ve tried to overcome—”
“Spare me your feigned self-awareness and remorse,” she said sharply. You’re such a child, Gaius. Is that why I love you? “I came here because I
have something to tell you.”
For a moment, he looked startled, then relieved. Then scared. “Oh.” He sat
back on the edge of the bed, his voice very small. “Okay.”
Natasi gazed at him pensively for a few long moments. Then she stood and
turned to the window, staring out at the daylight creeping over the sound, illuminating the tops of the trees. “Gaius,” she
said without looking at him. “I’d like you to consider something.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I’d like you to consider the relationship of a child to its parent.” She
turned back to him.
Gaius rolled his eyes with a sarcastic laugh. “Philosophy—at five in the
morning?”
She said nothing. She simply looked at him.
“Which is fine,” he said hastily. “Great. Fine. Absolutely.”
She continued, very quietly and seriously. “Children are born to replace
their parents. That is God’s plan.” She waited a moment to see if he would
react, or make some crack about God and his plans. No? Good. “God plans
the death of a child’s parents, the very act of death itself, to be a critical
part of a child’s development into adulthood.”
Gaius was looking very nervous now. He reacted, as always, with a bad attempt
at humor. “Nothing worse than parents who hang around too long,” he said,
clapping his hands together. “Mine certainly did.”
Again, she said nothing. But her gaze was withering.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
She would keep trying. “God wants children to grow and develop on their own.
He wants them to reach their fullest potential. And so… it is… that all
parents must die.” She paused to let that sink in. “But parents who stand
in the way of God’s plan, parents who defy his will…” She paused again and
gave him half a smile. “They don’t just die. They must be struck down.”
That hit a nerve, and he jumped up, twitching. “Where the hell are you going
with this? Natasi, what are you talking about?”
Her smile was full now. “The world is changing, Gaius. The world is
brunette appeared. The brunette, seeing Natasi in the shadows, hastily yanked
the covers up to her neck. Gaius simply looked flustered and embarrassed.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” he asked.
The brunette was more direct. “Who the hell are you?”
Natasi allowed no emotion to show. “Get out,” she said.
“Gaius, who is this woman?”
Stammering, he managed, “She’s just a friend.” And immediately realized that that was the wrong thing to say. “Well—more
than a friend—when I say friend, what I—”
“Get—out.” Natasi raised her voice only a little, but it was
enough to cause the other woman to rethink whatever might have been on the tip
of her tongue. She turned to Gaius for support. Spineless. He gestured
helplessly.
With a sigh of disgust, the woman rolled out of bed. “This is just…
great.” She gathered up her clothes and stalked from the room.
“Bye,” Gaius called after, in a little boy’s voice. A moment later, there was
the sound of the front door shutting.
Gaius turned slowly and looked at Natasi guiltily, shamefacedly. He made
another helpless gesture. He’d been caught red-handed, and he clearly felt—for
the moment—bad about it. Natasi could see the wheels turning in his head. He was
obviously trying to decide on a strategy, and his decision was to plead for
mercy. “Look, it’s me. It’s me, all right?” He rolled out of bed on the
other side. “It’s totally me. I—I screwed up.” He pulled on a pair of
loose-fitting sweatpants and stood up. “I am screwed up. Always have
been.” He shrugged on a robe. His gaze became very thoughtful, as though he were
peering deep into his own soul. “It’s a flaw in my character that I have—I’ve
always hated, and I’ve tried to overcome—”
“Spare me your feigned self-awareness and remorse,” she said sharply. You’re such a child, Gaius. Is that why I love you? “I came here because I
have something to tell you.”
For a moment, he looked startled, then relieved. Then scared. “Oh.” He sat
back on the edge of the bed, his voice very small. “Okay.”
Natasi gazed at him pensively for a few long moments. Then she stood and
turned to the window, staring out at the daylight creeping over the sound, illuminating the tops of the trees. “Gaius,” she
said without looking at him. “I’d like you to consider something.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I’d like you to consider the relationship of a child to its parent.” She
turned back to him.
Gaius rolled his eyes with a sarcastic laugh. “Philosophy—at five in the
morning?”
She said nothing. She simply looked at him.
“Which is fine,” he said hastily. “Great. Fine. Absolutely.”
She continued, very quietly and seriously. “Children are born to replace
their parents. That is God’s plan.” She waited a moment to see if he would
react, or make some crack about God and his plans. No? Good. “God plans
the death of a child’s parents, the very act of death itself, to be a critical
part of a child’s development into adulthood.”
Gaius was looking very nervous now. He reacted, as always, with a bad attempt
at humor. “Nothing worse than parents who hang around too long,” he said,
clapping his hands together. “Mine certainly did.”
Again, she said nothing. But her gaze was withering.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
She would keep trying. “God wants children to grow and develop on their own.
He wants them to reach their fullest potential. And so… it is… that all
parents must die.” She paused to let that sink in. “But parents who stand
in the way of God’s plan, parents who defy his will…” She paused again and
gave him half a smile. “They don’t just die. They must be struck down.”
That hit a nerve, and he jumped up, twitching. “Where the hell are you going
with this? Natasi, what are you talking about?”
Her smile was full now. “The world is changing, Gaius. The world is
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