Everything seemed to start on a Monday. But this Monday was really no different than any other Monday as Monday's went. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. Mum was shouting something about Kismet leaving his homework on the dining room table and Amberly's carpool had arrived. Dad was bouncing down the hall stairs trying to pound on one black wingtip while tying a burgundy tie which did not go at all with the lime green dress shirt.

"Hey Da, pick a different shirt or tie why don't ya? You're hurting my eyes." Maggie told him with all the seriousness a pre-teen could muster while trying not to laugh at an adult.

"What's wrong with what I have on?" Da said as he looked down.

"Dressing in the dark again dear?" Mum asked him as she pecked him on the cheek.

"Hey Da, I think you found my shirt, was looking for that Friday night. Thanks!" Kismet grinned at his father as he scooped up his homework and shoved it in the bag. "Ready for your big test today, Puck?"

Puck looked up at his younger brother and shrugged, "It's just a test, right?"

"Only the biggest test of your life, your one and only chance to work for the government and hopefully get out of this small town is decided today. Have fun! Oh, and don't throw up. I've heard that's an automatic fail!" Kismet laughed and practically danced out the door.

"It's just a test Puck," his father said as he returned to the room in a grey dress shirt. "If it takes at least an hour you've pretty much passed it and they are trying to find out where you will fit best. Don't let it worry you, your mother and I both passed."

Puck nodded and finished his breakfast, telling himself over and over, it was just a test.

There was nothing unusual about his arrival to school. The big, grey stone building was not festooned with garland like it would be for anything festive or remotely worth celebrating. There were no extra clumps of students clustered in the hallways babbling excitedly about upcoming events. And there was nothing unusual about homeroom either, well except the announcement that all eleventh graders were to report to the auditorium for testing instructions.

Puck took a book and sat away from his friends, which was harder than it sounded among the hundred or so sixteen to eighteen year olds gathered in the medium sized hall. Kismet wasn't joking when he warned Puck not to puke, it was a well known fact that when Puck got nervous his stomach roiled and he would vomit with little provocation. Testing was going to be a simple affair, the larger computer lab was to be used, log on the usual way, when the computer said you were finished you were finished.

Puck was not in the first group of twenty students to go down the hall. Teachers were pulling another three or four kids for the second group fifteen minutes later and again in another fifteen minutes. Puck was taken back with the fourth group. He was put at a computer in the back of the room against the windows. It was one of the better places for an hour long test as far as he was concerned.

It took a minute to log in and scroll down through the official mumbo-jumbo that always seemed to precede any of the official computerized tests including the lines about giving false statements or impersonating another person meaning expulsion from the educational institution or jail time. He didn't take the time to read it all, just stopped at the check boxes and made sure he was marking the right one before moving down to answer the personal questions that were required before the test started. About two hours later a screen popped up that said, "Stand up, stretch your legs, get some water, use the toilet, come back in five minutes, log in again".

Puck stood up and stretched; a test-monitor came over and looked at his screen. "Hum, never seen that one before. Guess you best do what it says."

"Yeah, guess so," Puck agreed, and went off to do the things he had been told to do.

Once he was out the door he bumped into his best friend Patrick. "How'd you do?"

"Still doing."

"Huh?"

"Still testing, had to pee." Puck kept walking due to the time constraint he was under.

"And they let you out?"

"Yeah, they said it was fine, I got five minutes, so I've got to hurry."

Patrick walked with him as he went toward the bathroom. "I think waiting to test was harder than the actual testing, most of that was common knowledge type stuff."

"Mine was too at first, then it got hard, but I don't know; now it just seems easier."

"Yeah I guess it did sort of get hard at the end. What do you mean it got easier?"

"After the hard questions, the questions just got easier again more situational."

"I didn't get any like that. No one I've talked to got any like that. How long have you been testing?"

Puck shrugged as he washed up after using the urinal. "About two hours I guess, maybe a bit less."

"Dude, no one has tested for two hours. And you are going back?"

"Yes, it said I wasn't finished, so I am going back."

"I can't wait to see your placement, got to be like aide to the President or something."

Puck laughed, "More like postal carrier, you know they have to score really high on the exams."

"Hey don't knock postal carriers, it's a solid job and where else can you get buns of steel and a solid paycheck?"

"Yeah I know." Puck stopped at the water fountain and took a few sips then headed back toward the computer lab. His computer was still empty as he checked back in with the test-monitor and sat down in the chair. The log in process again only took a few seconds to complete then he was looking at a very different screen from everyone else. At the top it said, "Phase 2".

Puck came when his mother called the family for dinner. He sat in his usual place between his youngest brother, Amberly, and his father; and across from his younger brother, Kismet who had the honor of sitting next to Maggie, the only sister amongst three brothers. Dinner was all of his favorites, in honor of test day.

"So, what was your number?"

"Number?" Puck looked at Kismet a little confused.

"Yes, everyone who tests gets a number, you should know that. That number tells if you will ever work for the government. What was your number?"

"I didn't get one. Don't they mail them or something?"

Puck missed the look his parents exchanged.

"You did test, didn't you Puck?" his mum asked softly.

"Yes, of course I did."

"So, why didn't you get a number?"

Puck shrugged, "I guess because I didn't finish the test."

Kismet groaned, "I told you not to puke."

"I didn't puke." Puck said slowly and firmly, "It was a hard test, why didn't anyone tell me it was going to take hours and hours?"

"Hours and hours?" Kismet looked at his brother, "It shouldn't take hours and hours. It's only a screening."

"Well mine took hours and hours. I was in there in from the first hour of classes and took half an hour for lunch and barely finished before the last bell. I'm all tight inside from some of the questions. Even when I kept answering 'I don't know' it kept asking me questions. Made no sense."

"And after that you didn't get a number?"

"Nope. Patrick and Eleanor both got really good preliminary scores though, more than sufficient to be going to university if they want."

"Hum, could have been it was too close to the end of the school day to give you your score. You could get it in the morning. Don't let it bother you too much. I'll make some inquiries at the office tomorrow," Puck's father said as he sliced his sweet potato. "Otherwise, don't let it bother you; if Patrick scored well enough, we know you did, even if the computer didn't give you a number yet."

"Thanks Da, and Mum, it's really good, thanks."

"It's nothing honey, nothing at all," she smiled at her eldest son then turned her attention to the younger two children who were not as fond of meatloaf and sweet potatoes as their eldest sibling.

A typical Tuesday, nothing special about it as Tuesdays went. Kismet and Da had already left by the time Puck went down to breakfast. It was mum's turn to drive Amberly's carpool, so it was a cold cereal morning. Maggie was dressed and headed to the porch to wait on the bus. Puck crunched his cereal and thought about nothing. It was Tuesday. Nothing happened on Tuesdays.

His arrival at school did not go unnoticed by his two best friends, who were still very pleased with their own test scores and were still rather put out that their best friend would not share his score with them. Everyone knew you left with your score, so neither would believe he did not have one.

His first class was coming to an end in just a few minutes. He almost made it to the bell when the intercom buzzed. At first, he thought nothing of it. However, when they called his name to come to the office, Puck sat up straighter in his chair for a moment wondering what was going on.

"Mr. Hanover, you may go."

"Thank you, Miss." Puck managed to say as was expected of him as he gathered his things to go. It was a long walk to the office, although in reality it only took the typical minute fourteen seconds, plus the time it took to stop for water at the fountain halfway between the classroom and the office door.

"They're waiting for you in the eleventh grade guidance conference room, Mr. Hanover," the secretary said as he closed the door to the main office and walked up to the counter.

"Thank you, Miss." Puck nodded his head politely with a bit of a forced smile and headed down the short corridor to the guidance section of the office. The eleventh grade conference room was at the end. The door was open. Inside a man sat in one of the four chairs at the square conference table. He wore a dark suit and had an open laptop in front of him. To the left of the laptop was a short stack of file folders in beige, on top was one in green. It was open.

"Mr. Hanover, have a seat," the man said with a smile. "Would you care for water? Coffee? Soda?"

"No, no thank you," Puck answered as he slid into the offered chair sitting his books down in the chair next to him.

"Mr. Pinner will be joining us in a moment, then we will begin, but if you don't mind I would like to offer my congratulations on a job well done. We don't often have too many young people who manage to get past the first phase of screening in their first sitting." He shook his head grinning as he picked up the green folder and added, "We did have a few who came close, so while we were here we thought we would talk to them as well, but really we came out just for you. Protocol you know."

At that time a second man came in the room. He was a bit shorter than Puck and quite a bit older than the other man. He wore a rumpled silvery grey suit that had seen better days and black shoes in need of a coat of polish, but his smile was genuine as he focused his gaze on Puck. "You had our team up all night, Mr. Hanover," he chuckled.

"Did anyone other than school officials give you any advice for the exam?"

"Yes sir."

"What was that?"

"My brother, Kismet, told me not to puke as it was bad form."

"Not bad advice and true. Is that all he told you?"

Puck nodded. "My parents feel that each of their children should be able to pass the exam on their own merit. It's something we've each worked very hard to achieve. I had my doubts about myself, but I'm positive that Kismet will do well next year. Amberly is already doing well. He is enrolled in the gifted day school and attends university level courses for some of his subjects. To be quite honest, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he was already working on government sanctioned projects. We're not sure about Maggie yet, but if we're progressively getting smarter… well, watch out world."

"Well, we can tell you that you passed. In fact, as of today you are officially an employee of the government. That is why we are here."

"To help process your paperwork, transition you and the like."

Puck looked from one to the other in disbelief. "I've not graduated high school yet."

The man holding the green file folder flipped through the pages until he found the one he wanted then passed it over to Mr. Pinner, who examined it, then passed it over to Puck. It was a high school diploma made out in his name, dated for yesterday.

"But I didn't finish school. I still have a year to go."

"I take it you didn't read all the fine print at the beginning of the test?"

"No, not all of it."

"Not unusual," Mr. Pinner reached under the table and pulled out a blue folder. He opened it, flipped through the pages, and then slid it across the table. "This is a print out of all those pages you probably scrolled through yesterday. It explains what happens if you finish the phase as well as everyone's rights and responsibilities. You marked the box that you had read it, that you understood it, and that you agreed to abide by it. It's a legal document, Mr. Hanover; do you know what that means?"

Puck flipped through the pages, a queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "That I should read it now?"

The other man stood up and picked up the other file folders, shoving them in his case, "That would be a good idea, Puck. Would you like that water now?"

Puck nodded and took a deep breath as he started reading the first page.

Twenty minutes later he finished his water and sat the last page down before standing up to stretch his legs.

"So, now you know why a lot of students don't take but fifteen minutes or so to take the test," the younger government official said from the doorway. "I'm Samuels by the way. Don't worry about the Mister. Most people don't, and I'm not really much older than you are."

"Can they really do this?"

"They already did last night. I have the paperwork in that folder and more information for you on my computer. We'll go over it later," he shrugged as he looked at his watch, "You know, only a dozen kids a year pass the first phase of screening with a "perfect" score like you did, and of those, only half gut out the phase two screening. We don't let that kind of commitment go. The others who come close, well, they don't get let go either but they do get more options."

"Will I get to say good-bye?"

"Of course. We aren't here to make your life miserable, at least not intentionally."

"So I got conscripted," Puck mused.

"No, you volunteered for service. Let this be a lesson to you, Puck. Always read before signing."

"I will. Trust me. I will."

"Your paperwork says you are sixteen."

"Yes, will that be a problem?"

"No, legal age and all. It would be better if you were closer to twenty-five, because more posting options open up then, but there are quite a few places we can stick you at sixteen that are interesting enough for a few years to let you grow. That's why we give the test to people in your grade; almost all of them are of legal age. Occasionally we get one that is underage and has to be tested the following year."

"I did notice that was one of the first questions," Puck admitted.

"So you did read some of it?"

Puck nodded.

"Good because Mr. Pinner's team is seriously thinking about making the first five questions comprehension questions about the fine print. To pass phase one a person can only miss five questions."

"That would disqualify anyone who didn't read it."

"Exactly."

"That wouldn't really be fair, would it?"

"Is it fair that his team works all night to put together a package as part of the government's end of the deal and you don't even know what you've agreed to when you went home last night?"

"Well not really," Puck agreed reluctantly.

"Exactly," Samuels grinned, "ready to meet the rest of your team?"

"My team?"

"That's what we call groups we take from one place. They won't be coming for a year or more, but by the time they get there you will be ready to take them on, at least we hope you will be. That's the theory."

"Mr. Pinner was like me?"

"He was. A long time ago, and he's really good at what he does, matching people with positions. He will find something for you that you will actually enjoy doing I'm sure."

"Well, let's go find out." Puck took a deep breath and opened the door.

He was relieved to find Patrick and Eleanor among the half dozen or so students gathered in guidance. He looked around at the faces, some familiar some not so familiar and grinned when they noticed him.

"Puck!" Patrick grabbed him, "We all got jobs waiting for us after school and most of us got scholarships to university! What did you get? You did get something didn't you? Even though you didn't get a number?"

Puck disengaged from Patrick, "I did. I did. Let me go and I'll tell you about it."

Mr. Pinner grinned at the whole exchange then cleared his throat, "Actually I'll tell you about it. Ladies and gentlemen, Samuels and I understand that some of you were giving young Mister Hanover here a hard time over not receiving a test score yesterday afternoon. I would venture to say that most of you did not read the fine print, just as Mr. Hanover had not; because if you had, you would have understood that you only receive a score if you fail to pass the first screening. Mr. Hanover passed. The rest of you were found acceptable."

Puck had the decency to blush.

"You can all offer your congratulations to Mr. Hanover later as you all have courses to attend now, off with you." Mr. Pinner made a swooshing motion with his hands and the students nearest the door began filing out. Puck made a movement to go with them, but Mr. Pinner placed a hand on his shoulder, "Not so fast, Mr. Hanover, we still have some things to discuss."

Da called in sick to work to stay at home with Mum who had been lying in bed weeping since yesterday. Kismet was trying without much success to fix breakfast for everyone although no one was really in much of a mood to eat. It gave him something to do, however, that was at least a little helpful. Amberly had missed his carpool. Thus, he missed school and was more than a little sore about it; Maggie was sitting on his bed looking at Puck with big watery blue eyes that threatened to spill over any second as Puck repacked his small bag with the things he thought he might need and the things he knew he couldn't part with trying to make everything fit with little success. Puck decided nothing good would ever happen on Wednesdays again.

"So, why do ya gotta go?" Maggie asked for the third time in the past half an hour.

"I have to go because, well, because I don't know why I have to go but I do. Really, Maggie, it makes no sense at all to me why I have to go today or even tomorrow, or this week instead of next year when everyone else gets to go. But I do, so I'm going and that's all there is to it." He shoved a small photo album into the bag and yanked the zip closed. "It's what grown up people do."

"But you're not grown up yet," she whimpered as the previously threatened tears fell.

"Of course I am. Graduated high school with all the pomp and ceremony of a piece of paper slid across the table. Even got my first job, so now I can get a few bills and my own apartment and one day I will even have someone to share my life and be happy with and maybe we will have a little girl like you…" he hugged his sister, "so stop crying and help me get this down the stairs so Kismet will stop trying to burn down the house with his famous flapjacks. Ok?"

She nodded into his shoulder and Puck heard her sniffle loudly as she straightened up, but when she finally pulled away she had herself under control.

"Good girl."

"Will you be back for my birthday?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm sure they have to give me some time off, it is a government job after all," he grinned at her as they joined hands and he left his childhood behind.

Five Years Later

It seemed as if there were no days of the week out here. After five years one would think a person would get used to that, but Puck hadn't. He still looked at his wristwatch which dutifully ticked the seconds by, clicking off the minutes and the days of his life. It might be wrong. He could find out. He didn't want to know. Nothing good had ever happened to him on a Thursday. But today was also his twenty-first birthday, so it couldn't be all bad. Over the past years he had gotten mail fairly regularly from home. They sent it to a post office box where it was distributed. Puck snorted. He hadn't been on the planet in five years either.

Kismet had taken the test, but he had received a number, a good number, but a number nonetheless. He should be just finished with university about now. Puck wondered if Kismet froze during the test due to his own score, or lack of score. Then again, maybe Kismet intentionally scored lower to have more time with family and friends. He was sure he would have thought about it if he had known it was a possibility to be so removed from everything he had ever known.

Amberly graduated high school in the spring of his sixteenth year and university in the spring of his seventeenth, it was a matter of just a few credits he had to take at the university. He then took a position with the government. No one was sure if he ever took the exam and he wasn't talking.

Then there was Magitha, Maggie. Puck sighed. He had yet to make it home for her birthday, although appropriate presents had been sent. He wondered if he could make this one. He sighed again; probably not, although he had put in for leave, again.

Puck showed up for his shift a little late with a large box of muffins and a gallon of milk. He also wore a huge grin and his co-workers couldn't help but notice.

"Going out tonight?"

"Yep."

"How far?"

"All the way to the port," Puck grinned and showed off his three day pass. The other guys were looking at him a bit bug eyed at his obvious good fortune for getting a three day pass when it wasn't even the weekend. Even their supervisor wandered over for a bite of the unexpected sweet treat.

"Happy Birthday, Hanover."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Understand you plan on celebrating a bit tonight."

"Yes sir, just a bit."

"Well, I reckon you're only twenty-one once, son. However, if you decide to celebrate with any of our alien friends and there happens to be an exchange of body fluids, you know protocol."

"Yes sir, I do, sir."

"Well, carry on then," his boss said as he left Puck to get on with his day.

It was just before lunch when the call came in. He was needed in the green room for a personal call. Getting called to the green room was never good news. Getting called in for a personal call was even worse; it usually meant a death in a family or some other news that could not be shared in a letter.

"Just sit on the stool and don't look around you, look straight ahead at that screen, that's where the caller will be," the tech advised as they did every time someone got a call. "We will hear and see everything you do, just so you know, but we forget anything that isn't a breech in communication protocol."

Puck nodded and sat as directed, wondering who could be calling him. That was quickly answered when familiar faces showed up on the screen. "Happy Birthday Puck!"

"Amberly! Kismet! How did you?"

"Eh, I cashed in a few favors, besides Kismet here has some news he wanted to share and give you as long as possible to head home before the official invites go out in a few weeks."

"I'm getting married!"

"Married?"

"Don't sound so shocked, it will happen to you one day," Kismet teased. "Yes, we met at University, in freshman orientation actually. I got up the nerve to ask her out near the end of the course, and we started dating regularly by the time we were sophomores. With graduation and everything, well I decided that I wanted to keep her around and she thought that might be a good idea, so she agreed. I'll start my service time in a few months; we're getting hitched so that the honeymoon is over just before I report."

"What does she do?" Puck asked letting the comment about his eventual marital bliss slide. What his family didn't know wouldn't kill them. They would eventually, one day, have to understand there was another uncle not an auntie at the table, and he didn't see marriage happening any time soon, although he might welcome a stable relationship into his life.

"She went to school to teach. We figure she can do that pretty much anywhere, right?"

"Pretty much, I would think, yes."

"So do you think you can make it home for the wedding? I would really love to have my big brother there as my best man."

Puck looked from one brother to the other wanting to promise them he would be there, but unable to commit. "You know how hard getting leave is, Amberly. Can you explain it to him? I mean I can put in for it, but I can't promise."

"Puck, it's been nearly five years since you've been home, in just a few more weeks…"

"I know. Trust me, I know better than anyone."

"Well, this call is costing me a fortune, so I'm going to cut it short. Have a happy birthday big brother. We do miss you."

"Yeah big brother we all miss you. Hurry home."

"Love you guys too," Puck said just as the call was ended.

"Very good, Sir, not one whisper of a breech," the tech said as he tidied up the equipment.

Puck just grunted as he left the green room and headed back down the hall. The rest of his day went without incident and by quitting time he was ready to begin his three day. It didn't take long to grab his bag as it was already packed with a change of clothes and his shower kit. His ride was already arranged too, so it was just a matter of showing up at the right place at the right time. He was hoping to make a new friend this three-day. At least a fuck buddy, Puck sighed. Sure there were lots of people of all sorts of gender orientations on the station, but he wanted someone he didn't have to work with and someone interesting. Someone he could not talk shop with to have a conversation.

Once he arrived on planet, he checked into his hotel, the Hilton, then took a cab to one of the spots recommended in his gay guide - the Seamaid's Revenge. According to the guide it was a mixed place, but he felt it might give him a good look at the possibilities. He ordered a drink, his first of the two drink minimum, at the bar and watched the room. There wasn't really much going on, just typical bar scenery. Puck felt rather disappointed. Then he saw them. He worked with a lot of people from various races, most of them humanoid, which this one appeared to be at first glance. However, the vibrant purple hair in various shades on everyone in the group suggested it was not a dye job. He smiled as he saw one of them look in his direction. The beautiful golden eyes that met his were definitely not on his list of things to avoid on the inter-species contact list. He ordered another drink and frowned when it appeared the group his flirting partner was in was now leaving. However, it gave him hope that not all three nights would be spent alone and without celebration. He spent the rest of the night sliding from one bar to the next following his guidebook, having the requisite two drinks and a few more once someone actually looked at his identification and recalled the date. Here and there he thought he saw purple hair or golden eyes. There were a few times he could have sworn he smelled something he just wanted to sink his teeth into and he felt his body respond in ways he hadn't responded in, well, ever.

There were no birds to sing. There was a buzz though, a low, annoying, electrical hum that made his teeth rattle. Things happened on Fridays. Not always good things, but things. Puck was ready for them. Or so he thought. He sat up in bed and thwapped the alarm clock. That stopped the buzz, at least for the next ten minutes. The person who stayed here last must have set it. Puck held his head as the room continued its slow spin. Then the bed shifted.

"Sorry to wake you, but I have work," the voice was deep.

Puck watched as dark hair emerged from under the blankets, then a face he didn't recognize, followed by a chest he must have gotten at least passingly familiar with and other parts he was starting to remember. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks as he pulled the blanket over his groin.

"No need to be shy, love, you were a wild man last night," the creature said. He was obviously not human by the extra appendage erupting from his coccyx which ended in a fleshy tip he remembered vividly. "Look, I know it was your birthday. Trust me we all do stupid things on our birthdays, and I'll understand if you don't want to see me again, but I get off work at two in the morning. Here's my card. If you want to have some more fun, well I'm not actually seeing anyone steady, so my next couple late nights are free if you want them." He began yanking on clothing as Puck watched, "And you could at least thank me for not letting you get that obnoxious tattoo, heh, you were really determined. Good thing you wanted something else more than the ink." He winked and let himself out.

Puck was still sitting there holding the business card when the alarm clock sounded the second time. Puck disarmed it, laid the card next to it, and went back to sleep with a smile on his face.

It was much later when Puck voluntarily rolled out of bed and straight into the shower. He came out refreshed and starving. After taking a few moments to tame his unruly carrot curls, thanks Mum, he thought as he combed them, and primping a little with his appearance, he headed out to find food. The last thing he did was gather his wallet, guide, and miscellaneous things off the bedside table; including a business card he didn't recall putting there the night before. He looked at it and thought that it might be a good place to visit later, if only to figure out why it was on his table.

Dinner was going to be quite the solitary affair, and eating in a nice restaurant by himself screamed of desperation or lonely traveler, so Puck decided to go with ever popular fast food option. Of course the burger was greasy and the fries were even greasier but he was certain it would not kill him. At least the soda had free refills, since he was certain that the salt content of the entire meal was enough to replenish a small sea.

As he ate he studied his guide and decided on the places he would like to visit tonight, marking them with a star. Then he mapped them out and when he was finished eating, he headed to the first one, only a few blocks away.

With a two drink minimum at most places and having had visited at least three places, Puck was well on his way to being happy, very happy. He pulled out his guide again and looked at the map for the next place. Not too far away. He whistled as he walked.

This was a bit nicer of a club than some of the others he had visited. They looked at his identification and stamped his hand when he got up to the door, then he made his way over to the bar. The first thing he noticed was the riot of purple hair and the sweet scent that went straight to his groin. He ordered and turned around only to come face to face with his golden eyed flirt. The eyes were wide, the pupils well dilated. Puck smiled at him, took his own drink and moved away from the bar and into the relative safety of the crowd.

An hour and another drink later, Puck found himself on the dance floor grinding with a blond haired human when he smelled the scent he was already beginning to associate with the purple headed man waft around him. He turned and looked and the man was dancing not far from him. Puck turned his body so the blond was grinding him from behind and he was putting on a show for the other male while not letting the blond touch his front side.

He didn't realize his clothing was half off until he felt hands that were not his own groping skin. A voice growled in his ear, "get a room, man." Apparently they were not the blond's either. Puck melted against the scent. He thought he said something but there was no way to be certain it was intelligent. He felt as if his brain had melted. There was laughter, then cooler air, blessed cool air.

Puck cried out in pleasure then muffled the sound by biting down on the flesh above the collarbone. His partner encouraged him and soon there was ejaculate hot between their stomachs. It was his. He knew it was his because his lavender headed partner was currently ejaculating somewhere else. When he could breathe again he leaned his head back. He wasn't sure when his brain kicked back in, but suddenly the bricks were hard against his abraded back. His partner's eyes were golden even in the pale light of the alleyway they had wound up coupling in. Puck licked his lips. The taste of his blood was sweet as well as salty, but not coppery like his own. Humaniod alien then, Puck sighed; he would have to get his shots.

The alley door opened and another alien of his partner's race partially exited. "Time to go, Anarix, quit playing with the little toy and come along." The door closed again and his partner, Anarix buried his face in his neck.

"I must go; else they will just keep sending people out. I want to see you again; you smell so good to me." He began to withdraw and help Puck to his feet again, as his legs had been up with Anarix supporting all his weight.

"Call me," Puck said as he pulled on his pants and found his shoes. He had never gotten naked in an alley, never had sex in an alley before, yet he wanted to do it again. "We will use a bed next time." Puck smiled and found some paper in his wallet. Anarix had a pen. He wrote his name and number.

"I'd rather just take you home," Anarix admitted as he straightened his clothing.

"Call me and we will discuss it," Puck teased, kissing him again as the door opened, this time it was a different alien and some guards. His alien went with them willingly, but the guards didn't leave so quickly.

There were lights: in his eyes, around his head, in the darkness flashing. There were sounds: people barking questions, people demanding answers, people shushing, people soothing. There was pain: in his head, in his chest, in his stomach, in his groin, in his anus.

Puck woke up slowly, in stages of pain medicine reduced haziness. First he was aware of the regular tone of the heart monitor, then the chemical smell of the room, then the wires. The wires were everywhere. And people.

"That's as awake as we can make him without causing him so much pain he can't answer you," someone off to his left said. Puck tried to turn his head but his neck wouldn't work right. Someone else touched his right shoulder. He looked in that direction and saw the police officer.

"Welcome back to the world of the living. You can't talk right now, cause of the tube down your throat. You had some pretty bad injuries. Can you remember anything that happened last night?"

Puck nodded slightly, but even that hurt. He winced. The officer looked over at the doctor. "Can he move his arms so he can write?"

"He can, but not too much, it's going to pull on the broken bones."

Someone put a pad and a pen on a tray table in front of him and Puck managed to pick up the pen without too much pain. He looked at the officer. "What do you remember?"

Puck concentrated and wrote: sex, beat by guards.

The officer made some notes. "What is your name?"

Puck wrote out: Dr. Puck Hanover.

The questions came for the next ten minutes until Puck put down the pen and refused to write any more. He closed his eyes. His body hurt. The doctor told the officer he could come back at another time; Mister Hanover was not ready to admit he had been raped although the evidence supported that theory. The officer let himself out.

"I also have to tell you that in addition to the rape and the beating, it appears you have contracted an alien transmitted disease and will be transferred to the Zedek Center of Alien Disease Control as soon as you are stable." As he went to leave the room, he turned around, "I'm sorry son."

Puck closed his eyes against the bright lights as tears dripped from them onto the pillow. He hurt too much to wipe them. Life as he knew it was over all because someone in a one night stand's family didn't want either of them to be happy even for a moment. He had heard the orders the guard was given: Kill the red-headed human freak and leave his carcass for the rats. Puck grieved for a life lost. People went in the Centers… and corpses came out. Puck sighed and wished he had never heard of that damn test and in the same breath he vowed if he ever got his hands on the bastard who ordered his death only one of them would walk away.