Aqueous, page 24
I grabbed the tablet and exited the office, hearing the voices again.
Creighton? Why was he still down here?
Deciding that I could spare a moment to investigate, I turned toward his voice, but as I got closer I instinctively stopped. The tone of the conversation was unusually harsh and threatening.
“. . . because you took it away from her. The only thing she’s ever wanted. What she worked so hard for and deserved.”
It was Creighton’s voice and he was upset.
“Stop trying to intimidate me, Mr. Wannabe Boyfriend. You’re not the only one who cares about Marisol. I would never have purposely tried to hurt her. I didn’t even want this!” replied a second voice.
It was Felix. Felix and Creighton were having an argument over me. They were around the corner, out of sight, and I should have approached to end their confrontation, but my feet held back, anchored in place. I wanted more information.
“You had to beat her in the trials, didn’t you? Did that make you feel special? Did you finally get the attention you so desperately need?”
“What? We were supposed to try our best. It was a competition . . . Oh, wait a second. It’s starting to make sense. You threw it. You let her beat you, which unfortunately allowed me to beat you too,” Felix surmised. “That explains why you were so snarky at grad. Losing your cool for once.”
“It was better than helping her. You treated her as though she wasn’t capable of doing the tasks herself.”
Creighton had thrown the trials. My mind was racing, trying to remember the details of each one.
“You think I didn’t notice the silkworms or the oyster tank? She didn’t want your help.”
“Well, that’s what you do when you care about someone. You help them. It’s not all kisses, cuddles, and romantic slow dances, it’s about shouldering them when it counts. I know why you’re angry, Creighton, and it has nothing to do with me. It’s your loyalty to your father. You’re conflicted. I too have a security clearance, mine’s actually higher than yours if we’re splitting hairs, and during the week we’ve been assigned we’ve had more than enough time to learn what’s transpired down here and what’s going on above.”
I was transfixed and had completely forgotten about delivering the tablet. I wanted to know more about Creighton’s father and the surface.
“My father acts with integrity at the discretion of the admiral. He follows orders.”
“As if. Everyone remembers his integrity when he broke you of your shyness. A crying little Creighton forced to stand for hours reciting the dinner menu to residents as they arrived at the dining hall. Standing there until you got it right. No bathroom breaks. No dinner. Night after night. It was top-notch parenting.”
“This wasn’t his decision! Lay off of my father, Nyrmac. You’ve never even had one.”
“Well, you may want to find a way to paint him in a good light because she will find out that he was the one who sidelined her into MMLSSE. That conversation is coming, Creighton. I promise you. One day soon she will learn that the only reason she got stuck spoon-feeding the flecks is because your dad, the almighty captain, refuted the unanimous recommendation of the Assignment Committee to assign her as a cuvier.”
My heart stopped. I had received the assignment I wanted. It didn’t make any sense.
“It wasn’t him! It was her mother, Empyreal. She calls the shots around here and you know it. She made him overrule.”
I was beginning to feel unwell.
“Whether it was the brainchild of your father or her mother, we both know that it was a decision made to prevent her from reaching the surface. To stop her from discovering what they’ve known the entire time, and unlike you, I won’t keep it from her.”
“You’ll lose your security clearance, and you’ll be reassigned.”
“I don’t care! That doesn’t matter. Don’t you get it? What matters is that there are survivors up there. There are survivors at the surface and that’s why they won’t let her dive.”
The tablet I was holding dropped to the ground, smashing loudly on the floor in unison with my heart. Screen shards pierced my fingers as I picked it up and started to bleed, but the cuts didn’t hurt. What hurt were the lies. They caused rushing blood to fill my ears as my body reacted to the flood of unsettling information. It drowned the voices of the boys calling after me, washing away my desire to celebrate and dousing the urgency to deliver the tablet, but I turned from them and ran. I ran toward the answers I desperately needed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
What is life? It’s an activity of existence. It’s the growth of a soul through the creation of a unique storyline. I had wanted my story to come full circle. That was our deal from day one. I would be their child until I could meet my mother again, but my story had no ending. It was an incomplete ring. I needed to know if she was alive.
I stared upward at my handsome father, who, with my mother, had taken to the stage to address the audience. Arm-in-arm, above the rest, the king and queen of our underwater castle. A show of health and harmony before their loyal subjects, they were charming and charismatic, effortlessly holding their residents captive while their princess remain locked in the tower.
My father began reading from the teleprompter.
“Ten years ago, when we abandoned the pedosphere, Empyreal and I could not have imagined the scientific success this merstation, Aqueous, would become. We had dreamt of a new, egalitarian world, void of weapons, currency, and illness. A simple life, where people were united by the preservation of humankind and living in harmonious coexistence with our planet. Basic survival was our goal, but we have greatly exceeded that. Today, we stand together in an abode embellished with ornamentation created from a surplus of resources. A feat made possible through our collective efforts and collaboration with our good friends from Sihai Longwang and Morskaia Derevnia.”
He nodded his gratitude in the direction of the audience and then toward the visiting admirals now seated on the stage. My mother nodded and clapped in agreement, beside him. They looked angelic in their white attire. My father wore his newly sewn uniform, while my mother sported a bespoke garment. Created specifically for the admiral’s wife, it was a sleeveless, midi, bodycon dress with jeweled neckline and matching box jacket. The jacket was adorned with epaulettes and buttons in similar fashion to my father’s.
“To mark this special occasion, Empyreal and I have a big announcement.”
I held my breath, waiting to hear him declare salvation for the survivors above.
“Command has approved our dietary analysts’ requests to sow coffee beans.”
Coffee beans?
The crowd went nuts. I had never heard so much noise.
“If there’s one thing we’ve all dreamt about over the past ten years, it’s been coffee. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m dying for a soy latte,” he added.
My mother giggled beside him, tickled, but I stood appalled as he started to speak again.
“Many of you know the story of our aquatic migration, but I believe that on a night like this we reconnect and refocus by retelling our past. Ten years ago, for ourselves and our children, who may have been too young to remember, we abandoned the only life we knew. With the terrestrial comforts of our childhood depleted, we needed a sound solution for their generation. The world was in collapse, a natural extermination of the species who had abused it for too long. Corruption and greed had fueled the individual agendas of the powerful, dividing us. There were great rewards for some, but modest means for most. It was the cruel and sad sickness of a self-serving society.”
“The need for leadership was apparent. Leadership that could transcend national boundaries to unite the scientific minds capable of utilizing Earth’s greatest gifts—the oceans. Previously deemed impossible, Admiral Bojing, Admiral Afanasy, and I united to research the possibility inhabiting such a place. A place for life on a dying planet, and gathering experts from around the globe we launched Operation Nereids. It would be our last stand.”
“Nereids was a covert mission unbeknownst to our heads of state. Their disbelief and inability to globally unite, rendered them useless, ineffective leaders, so we shut them out. A coup d’état for the survival of our species would see them perish in their grand white houses, along with the innocents they had bureaucratically suppressed.”
His comments were met with somber whispers from the crowd. Their discord toward previous governments had inspired this aquatic life, but saving everyone had been impossible. They listened intently as my father’s monologue continued.
“Nereids was launched at an ideal time, when shrinking populations reduced CO2 output significantly, halting ocean acidification. Power failures, natural disasters, and death resulted in abandoned land resources well-suited for the construction of our conceptualized merstations. We united experts, collected materials, and began building sustainable, saltwater cities deep beneath the surface of the ocean.”
Momentary applause escaped the audience.
“But we could not save everyone. During the harvest of humanity we sacrificed loved ones. Extended family members and good friends who could not be told of our operation, perished. We did the unthinkable, turned our backs on them to face the ocean, and embraced a new family—all of you. You are the souls who built this station so that we could descend together toward a greater cause.”
My father paused and there was more applause.
I remembered the launch vividly for it was the most significant day of my life. They had not taken every soul who contributed to the station. That was a lie. Aqueous workers had been turned away at the dock, in front of us, and rumors that personnel with fever, illness, or disability had been denied embarkation had pestered since. The bureaucratic plague of previous political administrations had infected my father as well.
“Over the last decade, our commitment to each other has not faltered. Submerging together to where we began, we are as committed now as we were then. Exceeding benchmarks has become our wheel-house because Aqueous provides an environment of absolute focus. A healthy vacuum of sustainable living, free from disease and hardship. Clear your mind and exceed the limit. It’s a simple, shared experience without discrimination or corruption. We all contribute and we all receive. Our needs are met equally as they should be. Every department plays an instrumental role in this harmonious symphony at sea.”
The crowd clapped wildly. They were buying what he was selling.
“And supporting us further are our aquatic neighbours at Sihai Longwang and Morskaia Derevnia. With departments that mirror our own, we’ve tripled our abilities. Information sharing has played a vital role in the expedition of station productivity, and with that said, I would like to invite Admiral Bojing and Admiral Afanasy to join me at the podium.”
My mother sat as the visiting admirals rose from their chairs and crossed the stage to my father. They had remained on Aqueous since graduation to collaborate with our officers.
Admiral Bojing, a jolly faced man, would be the first to speak. He had a trustworthy demeanor, but I noticed that he was adorned with a large round watch. An item that I only knew from history and that we had no need for on Aqueous.
“It is with great honor that I celebrate this ten year milestone with all of you today. I have known Admiral Blaise for many, many years, and he is a man of great vision and integrity. He is a happy man. He is always willing to help us, and his funny disposition has made him a favorite at our station. Your admiral saved many lives that would have been lost. He is wise, and our station is grateful for the continued friendship and support he brings to us.”
My father looked rather bashful after the admiral’s remarks.
Admiral Afanasy would speak next. Residing on Morskaia Derevnia, she was a thin, stern woman who approached the podium like a wave crossing the sea—powerfully. Her presence was felt before her voice was heard. She was someone to be feared. Her formals, created for this occasion by the atelier on her station, consisted of a tightly laced corset in glossy black, over a crisply starched, white, collared shirt. The keyhole neckline encapsulated a large golden emblem tied around her neck. It was similar to the blue, double-ringed, circular crest that adorned our SIDs, but with what I presumed was the name of her station in the middle. Modest medallion it was not. Neither was her body-hugging skirt or her tall heeled boots that lacked practicality. Her lips and nails were notably varnished in red. Makeup was a forbidden extravagance on Aqueous, and something I had only seen when forced to peruse fashion articles with Naviah, but it looked good on her. She had not spoken at graduation, but tonight she was a spectacle of excess, ready to address the crowd.
I scanned the faces in in the audience, searching for recognition of the hypocrisy before us, but they were transfixed, motionless, eagerly waiting Afanasy’s words.
“I can count on Admiral Blaise to do the right thing. He is a logical, strong man. He will never sacrifice our security for himself or anyone else who may try to jeopardise our collective safety. He is a loyal comrade, and my residents and I salute him for making tough decisions for the good of all people.”
She signalled Admiral Bojing to follow her to their seats near my mother, and I watched them closely, trying to ascertain if they knew of the life on the surface.
“Thank you, friends,” my father said.
Their complimentary remarks were a show of allegiance and possibly an act of deception. The admirals had omitted any mention of the survivors above, ignoring those who had been abandoned to struggle under the sun. There were potentially many residents with relatives up there, unaware that their loved ones lived on, awaiting rescue, with no apparent reason for them to be shut out and us locked in. We had Aux. I wanted answers.
“I think we saved the day. For a second there I thought Yarrow would have to be reassigned,” said Naviah, returning from delivering props to the flecks.
The sea life tribute was up next.
“Are you okay, Marisol?”
I could feel her eyes surveying my appearance. It wouldn’t take long before . . .
“You’re bleeding!” she exclaimed softly, trying not to draw attention.
“I’m fine. I dropped the tablet, but it appears to be working.”
“Dropped the tablet? That isn’t like you.”
“I overheard Creighton and Felix arguing. Naviah, there are survivors above.”
“As in people? That’s impossible.”
“It’s not. The boys have high-level clearance, and they’ve learned that there are people alive, above us.”
Naviah was motionless. A rare act, nearly never witnessed.
“Is your birth mother among them?”
“I don’t know. I need to talk to my parents, but based on the argument between Creighton and Felix exceptional measures have been taken to keep this information from me.”
“Oh boy,” Naviah said, shifting her gaze back toward my father. “This is going to get ugly.”
Unaware of the storm brewing, my father, microphone in hand, continued the bravado by introducing the darlings of the ceremony.
“And without further ado, to the delight of parents across the station—in fact, it feels like only yesterday that our little Marisol was one herself—I give you our FUNdamental superstars, our scientists of tomorrow, and our future, the flecks, Living the Sea Life!”
The delegates left the stage and the lights dimmed as the flecks appeared, wearing pod costumes that were illuminated by handheld flashlights.
“It must be around here somewhere.”
“They call it Aqueous.”
“It’s our new home.”
“I can’t wait to find it!”
The audience chuckled as the youngsters enacted a narrative of our decade onboard, which included our arrival, pods, new friends at schools, lots of science, and eating weird stuff. Naviah held my good hand as we watched in silence. The kids did a good job transitioning between their backdrops and props. It was a hit.
Lilith returned to the stage to close the show.
“Weren’t they superb, ladies and gentlemen? Give me a huge round of applause for the flecks!” she yelled.
She had a mic and she was going to use it.
“I’ve been a lover of the arts my entire life, and it’s my dream to give them a stronger presence here, at the bottom of the sea. We need more lights, more color, more song, so I’m inviting all of you to sing along with me now. Sing and dance for the ten glorious years we’ve been a family. Sing and dance to burn some calories before we feast on the culinary delights prepared by our handsome chef, Sergeant Eirome. We love that guy, don’t we?”
The audience erupted in cheer and applause for Reggie. Lilith could work a crowd.
“They love her,” remarked Naviah.
“She’s so good,” I agreed.
“And they love you too, Marisol. Everything will be alright. I know it will. You’re surrounded by residents who care about you. Let’s give your parents a chance to explain. I’m sure they’ve had their reasons to keep this information from you. Let’s listen to them and pray that soon we’ll be celebrating your mother’s arrival. The two of you united on Aqueous,” she said.
“Yes, let’s hope so,” I replied, but it was unlikely. To say there were survivors on the surface did not guarantee that my mother was alive, and if my father had planned to save any of them he would have done so already.
We shifted our attention back to Lilith.
“Reginald, where are you?” she purred. “You’re supposed to come up here and dance with me.”
The crowd began to chant, “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie . . .” as Lilith looked around for him, and without fail he emerged behind her, smiling and waving to the crowd with both of his extra large hands.
Draping her arm over his massive shoulder she said, “You’re gonna save our stomachs tonight, right, Reg?”
Reggie looked slightly uneasy, but shrugged and nodded happily in agreement.
“You’ve been saving them for ten years already, my friend,” she continued.
