Children of alpheios, p.28
Children of Alpheios, page 28
She stared at his profile, examining it for any resemblance to his father. Ione had mentioned that Syriah resembled her mother to a tee. And yet, watching Kiean was like observing an intricate landscape emerge from behind a heat wave. “But they had you. Was it a difficult pregnancy?”
“No,” Kiean said shaking his head. “I was adopted.”
A brightening developed within her mind. The scar—a heart condition. His expression when he brusquely shut down her questioning the day she met him for a hover-jet ride.
“She told you?”
“Yes, she thought I was old enough. I was born at Genodyne, but the sow I was implanted in failed. They lost that lot of babies, except for me, and I was too premature. One in a thousand births they said, it had never happened before. They didn’t think I’d survive, but they performed the surgery anyway. So here I am.” He shrugged.
She sat quietly, absorbing the information. “Your biological parents, do you know who they are?”
“No, and I don’t want to.” He gave his head a vigorous shake. “They didn’t want to deal with a preemie who could have a host of health problems. So they gave me up, and Genodyne turned to the people they knew who would take me.”
His expression was matter of fact. “As far as I’m concerned, I only have one set of parents. When Mandin gets older and asks about his father, don’t be afraid to tell him the truth. He’ll work it out because he has you.” He gazed at her seriously, and she sat motionless.
“That’s why you’re not too fond of Genodyne, isn’t it?”
He delivered a roguish smile. “You got it.”
She tucked back a lock of hair from her face. “We have that in common, among other things.”
“I’m telling you this because honesty works both ways, right? I thought you probably should know before we have to get in that pipe together.” His thigh nearly touched hers.
Warmth crept over her neck and shoulders as she smoothed out the fabric of her skirt. Rather than think about what lay ahead, she tried to soak up the tranquility of the greenhouse. However, she had a confession. “I should have told you about Mandin’s father.”
“I’m not worried about it anymore, I trust you. But I hope I didn’t overwhelm you,” he said.
“No, not at all. I’m really glad you told me.” She looked into his eyes, golden brown with a rim of green around the edges of the irises. His expression was watchful. She lowered her gaze to the pink flowers of the lorraberry bush. “It’s getting late.”
“Do you want me to take you back?” He wrinkled a brow.
“Soon.” She listened to the trickle of water from the irrigation system running along the row of plants.
“Mandin is with Macy, right?”
“They’re probably asleep by now. But…should we get back to the party before someone misses us?”
“Like who?” He cocked his head, searching her face.
“Won’t Lyra miss you?” Once the words escaped, she had no way of reeling them back in. She saw the confused look in Kiean’s eyes, the way his head snapped back. Her grip clung to the coarse wood of the bench. At least she brought the entire matter to a head now, rather than be blindsided later.
He blinked and burst out laughing. “You mean me and Lyra? No. I’ve known her since she was a kid. She’s like a cousin to me.”
Alina remained unconvinced. “Does she feel the same way about you?”
“Lyra is not the one I want.” He placed his hand on Alina’s upper arm, softly guiding her to him.
She closed her eyes as his lips pressed against hers. They were gentle, yet strong, and she gave into him. A summery tremble ran down through the back of her knees.
When he stopped, he held her hands, running his fingers over them. “I wasn’t sure if you’d let me do that. But I had to try.”
“You can do it again,” she whispered.
He placed his hand on the back of her head, and once more kissed her. She nuzzled into him. A warm tingle ran through her every time their lips met.
“Still want to go back?” he asked.
A small laugh broke free. “No, not yet. Just stay here with me.”
He encircled her with his arms and fell back against the bench. She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling his scent. His skin smelled like fresh rain over the mountain. He softly ran his fingers over her arms, caressing her skin. The only sound other than their breathing was the hush of the sprinklers around them. Closing her eyes, she stopped worrying about the time, reveling in their cocoon within the greenhouse for a little while longer into the night.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The summer sped by in a blur. Alina’s days were filled with aiding Talley at the academy. She prepared most of the curriculum work for the fall students. Talley seemed rested and more alert, no longer smelling of mineshine. Several times a week, she’d hop into the academy pool for swim practice, preparing for her final instructor certification. She’d always leave before sunset, looking forward to catching a ride with Kiean on the way home. Often, their commutes were the only moments they had together during the workdays.
She stole some time away in the evenings with Mandin, cuddling him before dinner. Mandin grew restless at night, waking up more frequently. Fatigue lingered over her, but she fed and soothed him back to bed, cognizant of the pangs of guilt for leaving him all day. Besides, it was only fair that she allowed Macy to sleep through the night. Most days, she flitted from the academy to home, pausing only to eat or to hold Mandin, as she yawned from exhaustion.
Mine preparation consumed her weekends. The men completed the blast doors and built bunks for the families. Access to the pipe was the most difficult project. They carefully aligned the valve to the water main and welded the fitting.
Alina worked with Alfrid to draw up a target list. She plotted out most of their targets on maps. Alfrid relayed stories of the insurgencies that wracked Earth when people understood the planet was dying, and which movements succeeded. He sought a coercive strategy to make life as uncomfortable and difficult as they could for the city residents. Continually applied pressure, he believed, was the only way to force the council into negotiations. As soon as a key target was repaired, they’d hit it again.
Alina shivered from the cold air trapped within the mine walls. She glanced around the mine’s inner sanctum, checking that Kiean was still outside, helping the other men. “And what of the Guardian station?” Her throat constricted as she looked at their battle map.
“That would backfire as the city might then draft all their men against us. Same for City Hall. We stick to infrastructure, with minimal civilian casualties,” Alfrid replied.
Alina slowly exhaled through her nose, trying not to show her relief. “I know where the city’s power station is for essential services. We can target that instead.”
“Yes, but when the Guardians deploy here, the families will be in the mine. Our men will defend it, and they won’t submit while they still have the means to resist.” He gripped his cane.
She shifted her weight between her feet and kept her gaze on the map. “Should we involve Dr. Olek?”
“Avoid contacting him for now. Otherwise, it might endanger him as well as the rest of us.”
She didn’t like being incommunicado with Dr. Olek but admitted Alfrid’s reasoning was sound. Better to wait for the doctor to contact her once he broke through Genodyne’s Phase Three security protocols.
Alfrid’s memories of Earth, and his experience with Genodyne led the men to avoid quibbling with him. They’d ask questions, and he’d listen carefully to their concerns before arriving to a decision. They carried out his orders with little grumbling. The overall purpose of independence bonded all of them together.
When the academy was empty on the weekend evenings, she showed Kiean how to use the dive equipment in the pool. For an hour or two, they could relax together, alone. Uncomfortable showing affection publicly, she was herself at the academy. Kiean seemed to sense her reservations and waited accordingly.
During the middle of one session, he surfaced the pool abruptly. “There’s a leak.” He took off his dive vest in the shallow end.
Wearing her dive skins, she stood in waist-high water and immersed his gear, pushing it beneath the water’s surface. The pool lighting showed a steady stream of small bubbles emerging from one of the hose fittings. “The O-ring looks worn.” She rubbed the drops off his water gauge with her thumb and showed him the readings. “It’s a small leak. You’re actually bleeding off very little oxygen. It’s good we caught this now. I can replace it.”
“What if it happens while we’re in the pipe?” Kiean gazed at her, serious.
“Most leaks are very small.” She checked her own gauge, noting no deviation from the expected numbers. “That person should still have enough oxygen to make it to the end.”
“And back?”
The water lapped against her spine, as if it was gently coaxing her to troubleshoot the problem. “We’d have to check once we’re out.”
“And if not?”
She gave him a half-smile. “I’ll show you what to do.” She ran a finger over the cracked ring seal. “In this situation, we’d share a regulator.”
He slipped on his gear again, and they submerged beneath the water. Her ears filled with the sounds of her mechanized breathing. Through her mask, Kiean appeared clearly. She pointed to her regulator and removed it from her mouth. They traded the regulator for a few breaths, and she flicked her fingers, motioning for him to swim the length of the pool with her. When they arrived in the deep end, they hovered near the bottom while she examined the rest of Kiean’s hoses. Satisfied there were no other leaks, she gave him her regulator once again.
Kiean took in a breath and unbuckled his vest, letting his equipment drop to the bottom. He ascended to the top.
She surfaced by him and pulled her mask above her head. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s something else I want to share.” He pulled her vest straps to him, and his wet lips pressed into hers. She forgot about the cool water, glowing like an incandescent candle in her dive skins.
“We should spend more time together,” he said.
Chuckling, she licked droplets from her lips. “We’re alone now. I thought you liked swimming.”
“Swimming, is it?” He cocked his head. “Not exactly what I meant.” He kissed her again, and his hand reached for the buckle on her vest. She let the vest slip over her shoulders and abandoned the bulky equipment, allowing her tank to fall to the bottom.
She placed her arms around his neck while they treaded water.
He exhaled. “But I guess swimming will do.”
“See if you can catch me.” Alina dove back under, propelling her body through the cool water. Kiean’s figure was blurry without her mask, but she swam free of any doubts, knowing he was right by her side.
He tackled her. They rolled over each other, bubbles streaming out their noses. Once they reached the shallow end, his arms surrounded her waist when they both stood up. The ribbons of water reflected off the ceiling in gentle waves, and she let her lips linger on his.
“We need to go.” She giggled.
“Says who?” Kiean’s arms drew her to him.
He wore the black dive skins she had chosen. They fitted tightly across his broad shoulders, tapered to his waist. Dark colors, to melt into the night when most of their missions would take place.
She ran her hand along the muscles in his upper arm. For a second, she pictured them elsewhere, alone. With no tasks to complete, only pressed against him, close.
“I need to feed Mandin dinner. And I’m hungry too.” Diving always left her famished. “Macy will have something for all of us.”
“She is a better cook than you.” A rakish smile spread across his face.
She splashed water at him. “I told you, I don’t do cooking. Not in my DNA.”
“That’s going to cost you.” He pulled her close for another long embrace until she emerged breathless.
“So have I completed my training?” he asked. “Am I being graded on this?”
She grinned and smoothed back her wet hair. “You passed, but there were some minor deductions.”
“You still don’t know how to fly.”
“Only a matter time before you show me, right?”
He laughed with her while they held hands and ascended the steps out of the pool.
Chapter Thirty
Alina maneuvered the boat toward Talley. The engineer bobbed like a cork among the waves, visible in his orange life vest. Dark and moonless, she aimed the boat’s search light on him, locating him through his distress beacon. The brisk rain poured down on her. When she sped up, high swells slammed into the five-meter vessel.
Commandant Riley monitored from the control booth inside the simulation dome. The scenario demanded that she conduct a coastal survey when she received the distress call. Rescue overrode the original mission. It was her final survival sequence, all that stood in the way of her instructor certification. If she passed, she’d be able to explore Eamine on real expeditions as a crew member.
During one of her previous exercise sessions in the lap pool, she surfaced at the wall when she saw the Commandant standing unexpectedly on deck. He announced the scheduled date of her capstone mission. After she’d mumbled yes, sir, he’d walked away.
In preparation, she had studied various river and lake scenarios. But this scenario was based out in the ocean. Riley always knew how to throw her off guard. Focusing through the rain, she pushed her previous failure out of her mind.
Sitting in the open, she steered the RHIB, or rigid hulled inflatable boat. Inflatable collars attached along its sides helped to maintain the RHIB’s buoyancy. A metal A-frame surrounded the engine at the stern. Lashed on top the frame was a flame-colored emergency kit. Water sloshed along the bottom of the vessel, accumulated from the swells and rain.
She homed in on Talley. Odd he wasn’t waving his arms to signal her. Upon approach, she cut back the motor.
Aurore had volunteered to play the victim, but she ended up in the booth next to Riley. The Commandant had ordered Talley into the water instead. At least twice Aurore’s weight, Talley would prove a more challenging rescue.
Alina’s stomach protested the choppy waves. Clearly, the Commandant was tormenting her with such a drill.
The engine hum diminished with her throttle shift, and she stopped the craft a safe distance from the engineer. Cupping her hand by her mouth, she called out.
“Shoulder’s dislocated, kid,” Talley yelled back. “Can’t feel my legs, either.”
Crap, a potential spinal injury. Throwing him a life preserver was out of the question.
“Which shoulder?” The rain drummed harder, and the wind picked up. She reminded herself it was just a pool. A huge pool, but one closely monitored by Riley who would press the kill switch if someone was truly endangered.
Talley pointed at his right shoulder.
“Great,” she muttered to herself. His dominant side, of course.
Alina threw a life vest on over her wetsuit. She touched the sheath of the dive knife attached to her harness. The spine board was tucked under the aft seats. After tethering it to the RHIB, she placed the board in the water.
The swells tossed the lightweight boat. She grabbed the cockpit wheel to steady herself. Procedure required a radio call back to command of her location, and she confirmed the rescue operation was underway.
One of the cockpit’s compartments contained two nav globes. They were larger than the ones she usually used, and more modern. She synched them with her waterproof link and threw them in the air toward the simulated coastline. Maybe they would return with some readings by the time she administered first aid to Talley.
After grabbing the carrot-hued rescue tube, she slipped on her fins and mask. Holding her breath, she leapt off the RHIB. The initial shock of the water chilled her immediately. She paddled out to Talley. One big swell lurched over them, spraying water.
“Just relax.” She grappled with the board to center it in the water below him. After a few tries, she managed to float it up without hitting his back.
“You got this, kid.” He grinned at her through his beard.
“Be still. I’m going to put the tube under your neck.”
Talley’s stocky figure took up most of the board’s width, and she tightened the straps around his shoulders. Another wave hit her in the mouth, and she coughed. Down the side of the board she moved, strapping him in over his hips and thighs.
Finally, he was set to be hauled back onboard. She squinted from the RHIB’s search light, assessing the distance back.
The craft dipped below an enormous swell. A wave crested high and crashed down on the stern. Up pitched the bow. She threw her arm over Talley’s face. The RHIB flipped over, turtle up.
Her capsized vessel drifted, a sorry joke.
“That sucks,” Talley said.
“Cadet,” Riley’s voice boomed from the speakers. “I’m terminating the exercise.”
“No, let me do it!” Waving her arms in the air, Alina shook her head. She couldn’t endure another water survival scenario.
The speakers crackled with a pause.
“Let me right the boat! I can right it!” She looked around, waiting for the waves to cease if the Commandant hit the kill switch.
“Proceed,” Riley replied.
She exhaled a steady breath. Maybe by some miracle, she’d finish the drill with Talley safely onboard. “Just stay put. I’m going to see if I can flip her.”
“Sure, I ain’t going anywhere,” Talley said.
Alina swam back to the boat and grabbed onto its hull. The submerged search light illuminated the water underneath. The spine board was still lashed to the RHIB, the rope floating on the water’s surface. Inhaling, she dove beneath the aft end. The flame-colored airbag was still attached to the top of the A-frame. Upon activating the CO2 canister, the airbag would deploy, righting the RHIB.
