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Ch 36, SHome: Space Home

There were very few reasons why Logan ever awoke before his alarm, at least, that's the way it was since he disabled his implant's circadian rhythm. One exception, though, was when he was with Kurt. What had started as a one-off chance meeting at Kalpana L4 had turned into an occasional-but-long-lasting interaction. The cat boy was looming over him, looking down with a wide smile. "You look REALLY cute when you're sleeping, you know."

Five years felt like it passed in the blink of an eye and, in that time they met in numerous habitats from Kalpana L4 to Europa, to Ozar's Realm, to the Lunar Spire. That visit, in fact, was the first time Kurt had seen Logan's personal residential quarters or what felt closest to 'home'. Like Logan himself, his home had undergone quite a few changes and no longer resembled his parents' house and their basement. He had grownup in a lot of ways.

Kurt leaned forward and gave him a good-morning kiss. "I like the beard, by the way."

It had been almost three years since Logan had last seen the cat boy in person and, despite them staying in contact, Kurt's presence in Kalpana L4 meant that they didn't really have real-time chat or VR connection available. It was good to see him again, especially since his visit to the Lunar Spire to update his Corpus also coincided with Logan's 30th birthday. Kurt refreshed his early-20s look while Logan permitted his Corpus to grow gracefully older. He could have changed it out and on numerous occasions Star offered to help facilitate it, but Logan turned her down; getting a few more years under his belt felt 'right'.

Almost as if reading his mind, Kurt rested his head against Logan's chest. "I can't believe you're turning 30 tomorrow. So I guess your birthday on the Earth calendar is the 6th of August then?"

Logan chuckled, running his hand across the cat boy's naked back. "Actually it's September, but I chose to adopt the day I went through Corpus Verto."

When he'd first awakened in what had been 'the future' Logan didn't understand how Transhumans could be so casual with dates but, as he'd taken the time to get used to the new way of life and overcome his initial barriers he'd taken to it rather quickly. When the illusion of permanence was stripped away and the idea that what-you-saw-was-what-you-got melted away he learned that people were able to create their own anniversaries that didn't have to be tied to life events; it was a new way to celebrate. Kurt didn't seem to mind the idea. "You're gonna have to birthday SOOOO good."

Smirking, Logan leaned forward to kiss the cat boy's head. "Did you just use 'birthday' as a verb?"

Rather than respond, Kurt slipped out from beneath the covers and strode over toward where his clothing had been discarded haphazardly the previous night. He giggled as he began to get dressed. "Thanks for helping me take the new Corpus for a test run, by the way."

Rolling over in bed and propping his head up on his hand with an elbow digging into the mattress, Logan had no qualms about admiring the view as the cat boy leaned over to collect his frilly panties. "My pleasure."

It had taken Logan awhile to get over his squeamishness about physical intimacy and social ramifications but five years was a long time in the scope of the life of a 30 year old but, with how quickly things moved for Transhumans, it was practically the blink of an eye. Kurt finally finished getting dressed, likely taking longer than he had to because he knew Logan was watching. The cat boy ultimately turned back to regard him, a soft blush coming to his cheeks as he giggled. "God, Logan... you're such a Daddy."

Rolling his eyes, Logan finally got up too, moving over to give Kurt an embrace and another kiss. "Why? Cuz I'm turning thirty? We're practically the same age, you know."

Kurt met the kiss, then gave him a gentle poke to the belly. "Yeah yeah yeah... but you LOOK older and wiser..." he winked, "...and you have a beard."

Logan laughed, disengaging so he could follow Kurt's lead and get dressed. He spoke over his shoulder as he picked up his own clothes. "So a beard is the number one requirement for being a 'daddy', is it?"

The cat boy gave him a hug from behind after he'd managed to put on his boxers. Kurt kissed the back of his head. "It's a vibe more than anything. I have a feeling you'd be hot no matter how old your Corpus... I'm sure you'll look great whenever you DO decide to change it out in whatever way you choose..."

Smirking, Logan rotated around as he put on his shirt, shooting Kurt a glance with a wink. "Even if I became a dog or something?"

Kurt giggled. "I would TOTALLY drop to my hands and knees for you."

Laughing at that, Logan passed by Kurt, ruffling his hair as he went to collect his pants from off of a chair in the corner of the room. "That's good to know for future reference, but I'm perfectly happy having a Human-style Corpus, thanks."

The cat boy winked. "And here I thought you might want to give Noah some company."

That comment was enough for Logan to realize just how long it must have been since Kurt had been to the Lunar Spire. "Oh... he's not a dog anymore."

Kurt raised an eyebrow, his ears perking. "Oh? Well don't keep me in suspense, Logan... what'd he go with THIS time?"

"Amoebic. Soft, semi-permeable membrane with between four and seven pseudo-pods."

The cat boy's mouth dropped open. "You're fucking with me."

Logan smirked, passing by Kurt and flicking him lightly in one of his years as he did so. "That was LAST night. Dead serious."

It was strange for him to think just how much his life had changed since awakening after his first Corpus Verto but it made sense considering how different existence was in 'the future'. Logan used to worry about change; he used to worry about getting old, but, since being exposed to Transhumanity he'd learned to embrace it-- everything changed, yet it felt like it didn't have to. Perhaps the fact that there was more control to it helped Logan with accepting things like progress, entropy, and aging... the fact that he was getting 'old' in the eyes of some and didn't mind it felt like real progress.

Almost as if reading his mind, Kurt followed after him, speaking up. "You know... I still can't believe how much you've changed since I first met you back on Kalpana L4."

Smirking, Logan went to the kitchen and pulled out two bowls, pouring servings of ChocoCrunch cereal for himself and his guest. "Oh? I've changed THAT much, huh?"

Offering a bemused grin of his own, Kurt looked down at the cereal. "Well... in some ways, but in others you're still definitely you." He sat down on a bar stool and waited for Logan to pour some milk before he continued. "I don't mind it, you know... not every Transhuman is willing to hold onto a Corpus and let it age a bit."

Logan shot right back. "Oh, so I'm a novelty now, am I?"

The cat boy rolled his eyes, lightly smacking his arm as the two of them started eating. "I mean it, you know. Natural change isn't a bad thing despite what some people seem to think about getting older."

Logan pressed again. "You mean like your new Corpus being twenty-something again?"

Kurt smacked him again, a little harder. "I mean it, Logan. I can respect you wanting to live out more time in your corpus... just make sure that you're around for a long time, okay? Getting old sucks from what I hear."

The discussion continued casually for the rest of breakfast, and then they proceeded to banter as Logan walked with Kurt toward the lift. He greeted several residents of the Spire by name as they joined them heading up a few levels and gave a brief farewell when they departed, leaving Logan and Kurt to finish the rest of the trip to the top. Logan let out a wistful sigh as the doors opened on the shuttle pad. "I wish you could hang out for a few more days."

Kurt offered a shrug, then a quick kiss. "Me too, but I promised my family I'd be back today in time for dinner."

Logan nodded with a chuckle. "Right. Family dinner."

The cat boy lingered a moment longer. "You know, Celebration Day is coming up again soon... you're always more than welcome to visit."

Nodding, he ruffled Kurt's hair. "Sure. It's been awhile since I've been over there and I DID promise Tom I'd stop by again."

Smiling wide, the cat boy pressed his hand to Logan's chest. "Alright... I'll hold you to it then! You'd better keep your promise!"

Before Logan had a chance to object and claim he hadn't specifically made a promise to attend the lift door had closed. Rolling his eyes, he selected a lower floor and descended back down the spire. Before he reached his chosen destination he received an incoming message from Star and he let his implant patch it through. It was audio. "Did you have a nice time with Kurt's visit?"

He knew it was an innocent question rather than her prying so he decided to be polite. "Yeah. It was good to see him again... just said goodbye, but you probably knew that already, didn't ya?"

Her laugh had a certain musicality to it. "Well, I DID notice you were on your way back from the shuttles so I put two and two together."

There was a time when Star keeping tabs on him would have been distressing, but Logan really HAD come a long way. "So what're YOU up to today, Star?"

"Other than checking in on my favorite uncle? I was thinking about having an early lunch if you were interested in meeting up."

He chuckled; meal times were a frame of mind so there was no true 'early' or 'late' but he knew she was using terminology from his past life for his benefit. "Sounds good. The usual place then?"

Her response was relaxed and good-natured. "You know it."

* * * * *

They met outside The Twenty Second, their preferred spot to hang out in real-space when they weren't getting together in VR. Despite how many times they ate there Logan was always transported back to their first meal together at the restaurant-- in a good way. As they were shown to their table, Logan leaned over and gave his niece a kiss on her furry cheek. "Thanks for the invite."

Her ears dipped just a little and her tail curled around his leg and she grinned impishly at him. "You know, the first time we came here you didn't even want to hold my paw, and now you're comfortable giving me a kiss? I KNEW you'd eventually be able to get out of your own head, Logan."

He chuckled at that, taking a seat in a booth beside her instead of across from her. "Hey... tomorrow is my fifth Corpus Verto birthday-- a lot can change in five years.

She rested a paw on his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It sure can." They shared silence for several breaths before her ears wilted slightly and the question he expected finally came out. "Are you still planning on being there for Harper's Corpus Verto today?"

Harper had been one of the hardest things for him to come to terms with back in his first several months of life in 'the future', not only because of how bombastic the movie star was, but because Logan had become something of a crutch for him-- after Harper had alienated everyone else, Logan was his last confidant, and it had not been easy trying to help without enabling. Unlike Logan, who slowly transitioned into the new life, Harper's situation did NOT get better with time and within a few months after Logan's return from Kalpana L4 Harper had become 'unstable'.

Nodding, Logan gave her paw a squeeze back. "He should be done with treatment, right? I want to be there for him when he comes out."

Shortly after he had a mental break, Harper had told a social worker for Class One integration that he wanted to be put back into 'storage' because he was feeling like he was going to be a threat to himself. Unfortunately, his request to have his Sum returned to archived status wasn't possible; despite how advanced the capacity for Corpus Verto, the long term data storage medium used in both Class One and Class Two Sum duplication had been removed from circulation due to the capacity for Sum duplication which, apparently, was a very big social concern among the Transhumans of the 24th century back when it had been changed.

The end result was that Harper, who was dealing with strong bouts of suicidal ideation, was not able to get his way to go 'on ice', but an alternative was proposed. The movie star was not the first Class One to have trouble reintegrating, which was why they created orientation, but, in some cases, that was still not enough. The only way to provide an opportunity for the most difficult cases to mesh with Transhumanity was intense and lengthy deconstruction therapy. Considering the time and energy involved, the entire process was done in a virtual space that operated nearly five times faster than the actual chronological time.

Star made that point all the more evident when she reminded Logan "You know, a lot has probably changed for him in a decade."

Logan nodded, pausing his response until the waitress had dropped off their meals. Grabbing a fry, he spoke before popping it in his mouth. "Sure... and, with any luck, he'll be healthier, but no matter what he could probably benefit from having a friendly face there to meet with him when he wakes up."

One of her ears rotated slightly as she looked at him appraisingly. "From what I recall, at one point he threatened to stab you."

Wincing inwardly at the reminder, Logan did have to admit that Harper's life had gone south at an expedited pace as he grew increasingly unstable before he'd started the in person counseling. "Threatened, sure... he was in a bad place. And, again, he completed his treatment, so he should at least get the benefit of the doubt. I mean, how could I not empathize? We both came from the 22nd century and adjusting was a big change. Sure, we both had Pete, but I had amazing support otherwise." He reached across the table and gave her paw another squeeze.

Star blushed beneath her fur slightly, her free paw using a fork to push some peas around her plate. "Wow, Logan... you're already sounding like you're ready to teach your own reintegration class."

It was Logan's turn to blush; he'd spent the prior year shadowing Pete and learning about how to lead an orientation class of his own. After a year of meandedering aimless finding himself, Logan came to the conclusion that he wanted to help make a difference among Transhumans, and that meant using what he'd learned about himself making the transition from Human to Transhuman in order to help future Class Ones come to grips with being flung forward into a future world that they were hardly prepared to face.

Picking up another fry, Logan spoke from the heart. "I think I can help Harper... not just because of the training, but because I'm someone he knows..." He motioned pointedly toward her with his fry before eating it "...even if he DID threaten to stab me."

His niece smiled. "That's what I love about you, Logan: you're optimistic. I know you'll make a great mentor but, with Harper at least, I just want you to temper your expectations. VR deconstructive therapy is a lengthy process and it can be really hard on the patient. Harper will probably need time more than anything else... not just to re-acclimate with the real world, but also to try and start over in his orientation."

After promising he would approach things carefully, Logan and Star switched to lighter topics as they enjoyed their meal. He'd come to really enjoy their meals together, and their VR meet-ups and, if he had to be honest with himself, even the occasional social engagements she'd made a point of inviting him to. Although he was still hardly a social butterfly, her encouragement helped him step out from behind his shell and cease being a wallflower. Yet again, he reminded himself how lucky he was to have her support.

They continued chatting past when their meal came to an end, but their discussion came to a close when Pete waved to them through the window separating the main atrium from the diner-like restaurant. The two of them nodded to one another and went to join him outside; Logan had planned on going with Pete to see Harper and his old instructor's presence indicated that it must have been time. His greeting indicated as much. "Ready to go say 'hello' again to Mr. Knight?"

Logan nodded, and was surprised when Star's paw slipped into his hands. She smiled at him. "Shall we make it a proper welcoming party?"

It was her not-so-subtle way of indicating that she was coming along, and Logan had learned after a relatively short amount of time that Star would definitely get her way. "Sounds good to me."

The trip to the Corpus Verto Center was one that Logan hadn't made in awhile. As they walked down the hall he had to admit "This brings back memories."

The three of them entered into the clinic; TIBOR was in the waiting area to greet them, though the android's attention seemed to be on Logan specifically. "Hello, Logan Bradshaw. You appear to be doing well."

Logan couldn't help himself. "Not interested in calling me 4747 anymore?"

TIBOR offered a calm blink, slowly rotating his head back and forth. "There is no need. You are properly integrated into Transhuman society so your Class One Storage designation no longer applies."

Star interjected. "Logan is here to provide a friendly face when Harper Knight's Sum is put back into his Corpus."

The android rotated his head to regard Star, then, when she was done speaking, looked back to Logan. "That is optimal. Harper Knight has inquired of the system if you would be able to be notified that he is being returned to his Corpus today and requested that you be present if possible."

All three of them shot glances to one another; Star mimed a stabbing motion but a sour glance from both Logan and Pete seemed to be enough to get her to mellow down. Logan addressed TIBOR "Where should we wait?"

TIBOR motioned toward a window. "You will be able to monitor the procedure from the viewing area. If you will please remain there then I shall complete the Corpus Verto for Harper Knight presently."

Although Logan had gone through Corpus Verto when he first awoke in the modern era he'd also gone through it multiple times during his travels using Iactis, but he'd never before witnessed someone else's; it was sobering. There wasn't so much sparks or flashes or even loud sounds or a POP of a 'soul' being dumped into a body; one moment Harper's Corpus was immobile and the next moment its eyes opened as if he'd just awoken from a nap.

It was impossible to tell what exchange took place between Harper and TIBOR, but they spent some time talking and Logan couldn't help but smirk when TIBOR took out the data pad that had a Q&A list on it; he smiled even wider when he saw Harper roll his eyes. Still, Harper remained on the staging table until he apparently got the approval of TIBOR to proceed, at which point he disappeared from view. He emerged from the procedure room a short time later fully dressed and with a casual expression that almost looked like contentment. He raised his hand in greeting. "Heya, Logan... glad ya could make it."

Logan nodded in response; it was a calm, positive greeting, which was a good start. Once Harper got close he extended a hand. "You bet. I'm glad I--"

His prepared greeting was cut short when Harper pulled him in for a huge hug, speaking in a calm and collected tone. "I've been wanting to apologize for awhile now."

Still stunned by the show of affection, Logan asked "Apologize for what?"

Separating from the embrace, Harper offered a sheepish grin. "Being such a douche." Before Logan could think up an answer, Harper turned to Pete. "I wanted to apologize to you too. I know how much you were trying to help and I wasn't in a good place to accept it. I AM thankful for your efforts though."

Pete and Harper exchanged a much more casual, much more brief hug (including mutual back slaps) before Pete indicated "You can more than make up for it by retaking Orientation. You barely squeaked by with a passing grade last time, so I'm sure that it shouldn't be too difficult at all when you give it another go-around."

Logan couldn't ever recall seeing such a subdued smile on the star, but, nevertheless, Harper nodded. "Definitely. I think I wasn't really ready for it last time and I was still so caught up with myself that--" the movie star paused, clearing his throat as he blushed. "What I mean is, I'll be happy to be in your class again, Pete."

Responding with a smirk, Pete quirked an eyebrow. "MY class? Oh, I guess you didn't hear-- I've turned the next orientation class over to a new instructor."

Harper's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Really? Well I hope whoever teaches it cares as much as you do."

Pete nodded. "Logan sure does."

It took the move star a few moments to process what he'd just been told but his eyes ultimately migrated toward Logan. "You? You're teaching Orientation now, Logan?"

Logan nodded simply, not sure what to make of the attention. "Yep."

If he'd been worried, all of that concern faded away as Harper laughed with obvious levity, following it up by slapping Logan on the shoulder. " Well, hell yeah! I can see you kicking ass as a teacher. Now I'm REALLY excited!"

Logan honestly hadn't known what to expect from Harper when he came out of the treatment, but what he was seeing in the man seemed to be a complete about-face from the conceited, self-absorbed movie star he'd met during their first months out of Corpus Verto. Smiling back, Logan nodded. "Cool. Me too."

Harper nodded in return. "Yeah... I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully before classes begin we can go out to dinner again. I'd really like to make a fresh start if you'd be willing to give me another chance at a first impression."

Finding himself smiling even wider, Logan nodded. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of the new Harper, but there was a certain calmness and peace to him that seemed to be lacking in the old one. "Sure, Harper. That sounds good."

The smile faded for a moment on Harper's face and he reached up to rub the back of his head sheepishly as an uncomfortable expression creased his lips. "You know, Logan... a lot's changed for me... I guess that's what happen when you take a long hard look at your life and the direction it'd been heading. If it's all the same, I don't think I want to use Harper Knight anymore. It was a stage name, and I'm pretty sure I'm done with the whole 'movie star' persona... it was toxic, and I want to be over it."

Logan nodded, mitigating his smile with tempered understanding. "Alright... what would you prefer to be called."

The man formerly known as Harper Knight offered a fresh smile, holding his hand out for a shake. "Heya, Logan. I'm Jesse."

Enough of a Harper Knight fan, Logan knew that Jesse was Harper's real name-- one he hadn't used since making it big in the movies. Shaking the offered hand, Logan nodded back. "Pleasure to meet you... Jesse."

It seemed like a healthy change-- one of many, if Logan understood the situation. In the end it made a lot of sense. It had taken awhile for Logan to learn that, in the world of Transhumans, someone could reinvent themselves-- sometimes it was by choice and sometimes it was by necessity. On some occasions it was as simple as flipping a switch; other times it took an Iactis to throw a Sum part way across the solar system to become an orc or a gnome or an elf; in some cases it took years of carefully cultivated psychotherapy in a condensed-time virtual reality.

No matter the way people changed, among Transhumans, the fact that things often changed yet invariably remained the same was a novelty. For people who were only as old as they wanted to be, yet were effectively immortal, wasn't the thought of 'something new' a novelty in and of itself?

The End