The Angels' Share

By Sonia Orin Lyris

While Phantom vacations at the most exclusive and expensive resort in the world, he wears the body of a young, healthy, handsome young man. Meanwhile, someone else is in his body, undergoing chemo for him.

Phantom would prefer to stay young and healthy forever. Who wouldn't? If only it were legal. If only body-swap tech didn't deteriorate so fast.

This is Phantom's last time at the resort—his real body can't take any more chemo. But going home is going to be a bitch.

Angel's Share is an unflinching look at power, corruption, and getting your own way no matter what the cost. 

 

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"A sensational, astonishing story that left me stunned."
"The unsparing integrity of Angel's Share does not give an inch. Remarkable."
  —Barry N. Malzberg
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Knotted Road Press
• Release date: Jul 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393423089

Book preview

The Angels' Share

The Angels' Share

Sonia Orin Lyris

Knotted Road Press

Contents

The Angels’ Share

About the Author

Also by Sonia Orin Lyris

The Angels’ Share

Phantom watched Owl from the far end of the pool. The other man stood on the diving board, his wet, coffee-colored skin accenting his toned, muscular body. Owl bounced a little, testing the spring of the board.

Even if Owl had ever been as good a diver as he claimed, it would have to have been at least fifty years ago, long before the recent fall that broke Owl’s fragile hip, forcing the old man to surgery and rehab. However good Owl might have been then, it was long ago, when Owl had been in his own body.

So Phantom watched from the other end of the pool.

Owl was grinning in obvious pleasure. Phantom understood: the other man had only been here a week, and Phantom knew well how the sudden lack of pain could make you feel reborn.

The board went down deep a few times, then snapped up as Owl launched himself into the air, tucked into a ball, and spun above the pool. At the last moment he uncurled and sliced into the water.

In a moment, a fuzzy black head popped up next to Phantom.

God, this is wonderful, Owl said, shaking the water from his head.

Phantom chuckled. Almost as good as the original, eh?

Owl’s smile faded. No.

It never is, Phantom said softly.

It was a sunny day in Paradise. But then, this near the equator, the weather was usually warm and often sunny. They paid for the weather, like they paid for the olympic-size swimming pool, tennis courts, world-class chefs, and the razor wire atop the high walls.

It was all part of the Paradise package, and the package cost. But then, three months in a young, handsome athletic body was bound to be pricey. Three months of relief while someone else took over the rehab of your broken body. It didn’t come cheap.

This your first time? Phantom asked Owl.

Owl nodded. And you?

I was here last year.

Huh. Owl was obviously impressed. Body swaps were limited to one a year, if you could afford it.

The year limit was for the same reason that the swap started to deteriorate after three months; too much of having another consciousness mapped onto your brain and the brain started to abandon connections. Phantom knew about it; his company had pursued its own research and he had seen the tests on monkeys. By five months the monkeys were unable to feed themselves, and when attempts were made to transfer the original consciousness back, the