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"You know," Cass said, "I don't think I've ever seen a food printer with such a selection before. What do you feel like? Goulash? Potstickers? There's something calls Hogs Tail, want to try that?"

"No thanks. I'm going to stick to what I know. Eggs, bacon, toast. Coffee to drink."

When the meal was ready, he took it to the table.

A door opened and a naked tiger stepped out. "Hey Tuck, you know where Dad is, he didn't come--" Trevor stopped. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were Tucker."

"Shouldn't you be able to tell where he is?" Theo indicated his head. "Your implant and all that?"

"Got to run a query for that. Is he still in his room?"

"I slept alone. I told him I wasn't sleeping with him. Maybe he used the couch?"

The food printer began working. "If you kept him out of his room, he spent the night with a passenger. Give me a minute. Tuck? You know where Dad is? I can't query him and he didn't come to bed last night."

He took the cup of steaming liquid. "No, he didn't leave early. I'm not such a deep sleeper that I can be fucked and not realize it." He took a slow sip. "Thanks. I've left a message. It's just that it isn't like him not to sleep in his own bed."

He took the plate from the printer. It was piled with steaks in a white sauce that smelled cheesy.

"If Tucker wants his room back, I can use the couch, or one of the unused bedrooms."

"Those are my brother's bedrooms. No one sleeps in them without permission. Family rule. And Tuck's doesn't spend all that much time in there, anyway. He's either sleeping with us in Dad's bed or with the passengers."

"I guess Tucker is the one with the overactive sex drive in the family then?"

Trevor tilted and ear while chewing.

"I mean, you seem to spend your time here, and you haven't once asked to have sex with me."

He swallowed. "Oh, no I'm as sexual as my brother. I just listen to what guys say, instead of hoping they won't say no when I put my hands down their pants."

"So you're not all that forward?"

Trevor shook his head. "If you catch us together, then Tuck can get us to behave badly, but on our own, we're pretty decent folks."

Theo collected the yoke juices with a piece of toast. "So how do you have as much sex as Tucker if you barely leave this room? I got the impression you spent so much time in here it was a problem with your father."

"Dad thinks I should be mingling with the passenger. Tuck keeps covering for me even if I tell him not to bother. Dad doesn't get that I don't need to leave here to spend time with other people."

"You invite them over?"

Trevor shook his head. "Dad doesn't like us to bring guests here. It's our private oasis. Does that partner setup you have let you do full immersion?"

"No. Cass interfaces with systems and runs programs to help with my job, but he can't take over my senses."

"I," Cass said, "on the other hand, can go full immersive if I'm called to do that."

Trevor's head snapped up, and he looked around. "That's weird. Like does he sound just like that? Like he's in your head?"

"I'm used to it. Isn't it the same when you speak to someone over your Implant?"

"Yes, but I'll usually have a visual projection so I have someone to talk to. A disembodied voice is odd."

"Cass isn't much for pretending to have a body."

"Anyway. We have spaces within the computer setup for immersive meetings. And I can build some. Or invite someone to my lobby. And it is full sensory immersion, so the sex I have there feels as real as out here."

"Okay, but do you cum for real?"

"I can, but I tend to leave that disconnected. I don't like having to stop what I'm doing to clean up."

"Wouldn't Tucker do that for you?"

Trevor chuckled. "If he was around, and I didn't have a rule about not being touched when I was immersed."

Theo wiped the plate clean with the last of his toast. "I guess that means I won't have much company even if you're here."

"What d'you mean?"

"The door won't open for me. I'm a prisoner in here. It's a more comfortable one than the SolGov ship, but it's still a prison."

Trevor frowned. "Uncle, what's this about Theo being a prisoner?" His frowned deepened. "Why would dad do that? And do you know where he is? He's gone stealth, and he hasn't responded to my messages." He was chewing again, but the roll of the eyes told Theo he was still talking. He took his plate to the disposal system.

"Dad's being unreasonable. Let me finish eating and I'll take you around. You're family, you shouldn't have to be cooped up in here."

"You're taking this thing about me being your brother pretty well."

"DNA doesn't lie."

Theo couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Uncle would be able to tell if you'd have that level of DNA modification done. We can get seamless results on the outside, but there's always traces within the DNA."

"Okay, so just because my DNA said I'm your brother, you just accept me? What if I'd been raised by Vanguard? Aren't you worried I might be programmed to, I don't know, steal Orr secrets or something?"

Trevor snorted. "There are less expensive ways of trying that than getting someone to collect our cum and then raising the person for thirty years and hope a situation arises where Uncle becomes aware of your DNA. We get attacked digitally on a daily basis, at least once a week someone tries to physically break into one of our offices. I'm sure a few of them succeed, so why go to the trouble of making you just to infiltrate us? It isn't like you're going to get access to the corporate systems the moment we land."

"Sounds like you put a lot of thought into this."

"Not really. Looking at angles is part of my job, so it's one of the first things I did when I found out who you are." He used a finger to clean the sauce off the plate and took it to the disposal. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."

"You're going out naked?"

"Why not?"

Theo chuckled. "That is a mindset I'm never going to get used to."

Trevor shrugged. The door opened and Eric stood on the other side. "Dad! Where have you been? I messaged you a few times."

"Sorry Trev, I needed to do some thinking. Theodore, how are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." He answered cautiously.

"I'm going to take him around the ship, so he can stretch his legs, maybe find someone to have sex with."

Eric studied them, he was wearing loose green pants and a yellow shirt. "I'll take charge of Theodore. I need to give him a baseline medical."

"Tuck took him to get a DNA read yesterday, I'm sure they--"

"Trevor, please don't argue, I'm not in the mood."

"Okay," Trevor slipped by his father. "Theo, I'll see you later." The speed with which he vanished made Theo think he was running away.

"If you'll come with me." Eric motioned for Theo to step out of the room.

"Before I go anywhere, I'd like some assurance I'm going to survive whatever you have in mind. Unlike most of the people here, I can't tell how close you are to killing me right now."

"I'm not angry at you, Theodore."

"Yeah, you see, right there that tells me you aren't exactly pleased with me. You shorten everyone else's name."

Eric's lips tightened, and he stepped into the room. Theo stepped back.

"Very well," he said once the door closed. "I am somewhat angry with you. You lied to me, and I find that I have difficulty accepting that one of my children would--"

"Stop. I'm not your kid."

"The DNA--"

"I don't care what the DNA says. You didn't raise me. The fact we share genes doesn't make you my father. I have one. He's the one who had to take me to the hospital when I broke my leg jumping off the roof." Eric tilted an ear. "Don't ask, I was a kid. I also have a mom, and she's the one who explained to me what was going on with my body when I hit puberty. So you can forget any idea you have about taking their place. I'm not Theo Orr."

"It isn't that simple. If you won't use Orr, what last name should I use?"

"Laramie will work just fine. You can tell this mysterious uncle of yours you aren't getting me to divulge any information on who I am."

"This isn't something Uncle set up. He's under order to stay away from you."

"You expect him to obey you?"

"Yes, I reminded him that he's family first, and whatever he is doing these days second."

"You don't know what he's doing?"

"He's Uncle. I never even tried to understand what he does. But this isn't about him. It's about you. Why do you insist on lying to me? I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm your prisoner, maybe you don't know what that means, but--"

"You're not my prisoner."

"Really? So when we reach Luna station, I'm free to go my own way?"

"You can't, it isn't safe for you to be on your own. Vanguard is aware of you and for whatever reason, they want you."

"I don't know why they'd even care I exist," Theo said, careful not to give any indications that was a lie. Eric might not emote much, but that didn't mean he was blind to other people's reactions.

Eric sighed and headed for the drink maker. "Do you want a coffee?"

"I'm fine."

"You are? Or are you just being stubborn? It's something of a family trait, digging our heels in."

"I'm just fine. I had one with breakfast."

Eric leaned against the counter, mug in hand. "Why the lies?"

Theo watched him and tried to figure out if this was an act of some sort. "Really? I'd think it was obvious."

"Explain it to me, Theo. Explain to me why you boarded my ship under false pretense."

"Okay, I can't believe you don't already know the answer to that, but just in case, let me be clear. I am a spy. I don't go places announcing what I am and what I'm going to do. Lying is what I do for a living."

"How can you stand it?"

"How can you stand running this ship? It's my job, Eric. Are you going to tell me none of your kids lie?"

"They do, at times." Eric sipped his coffee, never taking his eyes off Theo. "But when they're caught, they have the decency of coming clean."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to give you a rundown of all the lies I've told in my life. Even if I was interested in doing so, there isn't enough hours in the day."

"Can you then promise me you won't lie to me anymore?"

Theo laughed. "No, I won't."

"Theodore, I am trying to find a middle ground here." There was barely a hint of a growl in the voice, but Cass was throwing alarms up in his visual field. Theo didn't need them to tell Eric was angry.

He took a breath. "Eric, I'm sorry, but there is no middle ground here. For me to agree to tell you the truth from this point on, means I'd be putting my family and the people I care about in danger."

"I'm your family."

"No, you're not! Why are you so fucking obsessed with me being your son?"

"You are my son. You may not like it, but that doesn't take away my responsibilities to you."

"What responsibilities? Even my parents stopped thinking they had to look out for me once I turned sixteen. Why do you think it's your job now that I'm almost twice that?"

Instead of answering, Eric threw the mug in the disposal and headed for the door. "Follow me."

Theo followed him out.

"You know," Cass said, "you never got any assurances he wasn't going to kill you."

'Shut up,' he coded.

* * * * *

The medical room Eric took him too wasn't the same one Tucker had. This one was smaller, with only a state-of-the-art medical bed in the center.

"Strip," Eric said.

"I don't think so."

"Theodore, I need to take a baseline reading."

"Those things can see through clothing. The only reason you want me naked is that you're obsessed with sex. It isn't going to happen, just so you know."

Eric wrenched a locker open and grabbed something from it, throwing it at Theo. "You can't put this on top of your clothing."

Theo looked at the belt he was holding.

"Okay," Cass said, "here's my advice. Very slowly back away until you're on the other side of the bed, then put the belt on. Theo I'm not kidding. You just got his heart to go up a solid tick."

"This is one of your belts. The one that does the clothing."

"Yes. I expect that whatever you have that makes it seem like you have an Implant can interact with it?"

"You mean that uncle of yours didn't tell you?"

"Theo." Cass warned.

"I had more important things to discuss with Uncle than the ways you go about lying to everyone."

"Whatever you plan on saying, Theo, don't. Please, don't. There's nothing to be gained by goading him. He isn't trying to replace your parents, he's just trying to figure out how this is going to work."

Theo closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow. Cass was right. And even if he wasn't, he was better trained than to let Eric get to him like that.

"I'm sorry, Eric." He took off the shirt. "I guess this has to be difficult for you." He took off the pants and put the belt on.

"It is difficult, because you are the confirmation that there was more to something that happened to me almost thirty years ago. The belt's control is unlocked. You should be able to access it."

"Cass?"

Eric tilted an ear.

"I have it," Cass broadcasted. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance formally, Mister Orr."

Fabric flowed down Theo's legs and up is stomach until he was wearing a formal looking suit.

"How about something more comfortable?" he asked.

The fabric shuddered, and the pants became denim, the jacket melted into the shirt which became looser. "Theo," Cass said privately. "Do you realize there's a setting for military grade armor in this? There's even a space suit. No air through, but there are medical nanites, oh and there is a small air reserve, I guess it's to work in conjunction with the nanites. What they wouldn't give back home to get their hands on this, and you were just given it."

"Please lie on the bed, Theo."

Theo did so.

"You don't have as many injuries as I'd expect for someone in your profession."

"It isn't like in the movies. I can count on two hands the number of times I've had to get into a physical fight. And I think half those were on Mars, trying to stop the Anarchist. What I do is mostly charming people until getting them to give me what I need." He paused. "And yes, lying." He kept his voice light, doing his best not to sound like he was stabbing Eric with the word, but he needed him to understand that wasn't a part of him that could be ignored.

"There was an incident on Titan, maybe a month before we arrived there. Before you came onto my ship. Was that you?"

Theo reviewed what he remembered of how that had happened. Captain Gold wouldn't have revealed what had been taken from him that had been meant for an illicit exchange.

"Yes, it was. It didn't turn out as discreet as expected."

"How did you manage to stay hidden on the station? They spent two weeks looking everywhere."

Theo almost told him that was none of his business, but forced himself to think it through. Eric clearly thought of him as a son. The question could simply be concern driven. And the answer wouldn't give away anything.

"I wasn't on the station."

Eric canted his head. "That's impressive. I was lead to believe they'd shut down the ports immediately."

Theo chuckled. "On a station the size of Titan, 'immediately' doesn't mean the same thing as other places. There must have been a dozen ships that made it off before anything was properly locked down."

"So you spent a few months in space, waiting for things to calm down? It was three months between the incident at the party and when you boarded the Mercury. Not enough time to make it to anything substantial. Maybe one of the mines, but I don't see why you'd want to hide there. I suppose I could check to see which ships left and returned within that time frame."

Eric became silent.

"Are you accessing those records?" Theo asked.

"No. I was wondering when Mister Bowfinger was informed he was needed on Mars. If it was after you left, then it means you weren't planning on returning. You had to change plans. If that what happened?"

Theo almost lied, but decided to go with the truth. "If I answer that, I'm going to have to lie."

"I suppose I shouldn't indulge my curiosity about what you've been doing."

"Not if you want to avoid lies."

Eric nodded. "Well, you are in surprisingly good health. You have a few implants. And your right forearm is mechanical. I take it that's Cass?"

"The implants are only to my auditory and visual centers. It's how Cass talks to me."

"What is he? An AI?"

"Isn't that impossible?"

"Well, what happened on Mars would indicate otherwise."

Theo nodded. "He's an AI, yes."

"Interesting. I didn't think anyone else had one."

Theo bolted up. "What do you mean, anyone else?"

Eric looked in his direction, but his gaze was distant. "I told you he didn't know," he finally said.

"So you did," the response came back, then the tiger appeared. Only this time it wasn't a holographic projection, it was an implant projection. Like Angelica, Patricia's beta, had done while they talked.

"Theo, Cass, meet Uncle. The Orr family AI, and as far as we knew, the only AI in existence."

"They're in for a surprise if they find out about all the colony AIs," Cass said privately.

"I do wish you hadn't revealed my existence to them just yet."

"You wanted to know if they knew about you beforehand. How else was I going to do that?"

"Wait, did you lie to me? Was getting me on this thing just so you'd be able to read my reaction to finding out about him?"

"Him, not it," Uncle said. "Interesting."

"No, I didn't lie. I did need to get a baseline reading. I also wanted to see how your Implant was set up. Cass is wired into you through your nervous system?"

"So what was that question about? An afterthought?"

"No, I knew from the start I was going to bring it up."

Theo turned to Uncle. "And you, yes, him. What, you think I think of Cass and an object? He isn't the drive, he's my partner. I owe him my life a few times over."

Uncle nodded, then vanished.

"If I give you free reign of the ship, can you promise me you won't cause any problems? Or try to space yourself in an attempt to escape this prison?" Eric shook his head at the silence. "Theo, can you understand that I am not trying to keep you prisoner, but to protect you? Until we know why Vanguard is interested in you, you have to be careful."

"I guess that means I'm going to be under guard when We dock with Luna Station?"

"You won't be under guard, but your brothers will stick close to you."

"Brothers, right."

"Think of them as friends, if brother is too much."

"No, I'm actually okay with brothers. I don't have any of those. Alright. I'm not going to do anything to cause trouble. I'm just going to be one of the passengers. I'm going to need a room. I can't spend the rest of the trip in Tucker's room."

"Why not? He enjoys the company."

"But I don't want to tempt him. I'd hate to wake up while he's trying to mount me and have to knee him."

Eric smiled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he sleeps in my bed then."

Things grew silent. "I guess I can go then?"

"Yes, you can. If you're interested, me and your brothers will be having dinner in the Argos restaurant."

"I don't think I can afford the top floor food anymore."

"You're family, that you want it or not. That means you don't have to pay for anything on the Mercury."

Theo left the room and began wandering the halls.

"You know," Cass said, "You have it pretty good now. No need to go in hiding, or live it poor. You can enjoy being one of the Orrs for the rest of your life."

Theo wished he could feel as good about it as Cass sounded. But this still felt like he was a prisoner. He knew the threat of Vanguard was real, they had to have his DNA from his birth file. That was the reason the Independent agent had come for him. They were probably very curious as to where he'd been hiding for all these years.

If they got him, he couldn't expect to be treated this nicely.

So which one would afford him the best protection? Being with the Orrs, or losing himself within the masses of Earth?

And with an AI keeping an eye on him, was there any way he could even leave?