The 45th Parallel, page 14
He was watching me with those intelligent brown eyes. His arm slipped around my waist, and he pulled me into another alcove, monitoring, sensing the question.
“We have a ceremony, attended by family only. A special drink is prepared, the morte liquida. The person seeking the ultimate step says goodbye to each person. They tell them three things they want them to remember. Then they drink the morte liquida, and the family surrounds the bed and holds their hands, praying for them as they go to sleep for the last time. Departing, but not alone. An access hatch is at the bottom of each pod, called a moon pool. The family carries their loved one into the moon pool and says goodbye. Then the body is released into the world. Free to roam once more.”
“That is beautiful.” A moon pool. What a lovely name, I thought.
“It was. She was happy, at peace. She wanted to be with my father again.”
“I understand that. But don’t you … miss her?” My heart beat faster as I felt his chest press my back into the curved wall.
“Of course.” His demanding lips found mine, and I thought about moon pools no longer.
Chapter 23
We resumed our slow walk around the community, Gio naming the different pods and facilities in Italian and English, only occasionally getting stuck on a word. Now that he was speaking to me, I would never have guessed that he hadn’t spoken English since his mother had passed. People walking by smiled and greeted Gio, nodding warmly at me—a very different welcome to what we had received in Yellowstone. Gio pushed open the double doors to the technology center. Instantly, I was spellbound by the equipment: rooms and rooms of servers, computers, controls for every function, lights and cables from floor to ceiling. It was Sera and my dream.
“I can’t wait to show Sera this,” I said breathlessly. “She will love it.”
Gio beamed at my enthusiasm but admitted, “I think my brother is keen to show her.” He continued pointing out items of interest as we walked. Everything here was controlled centrally. Heating, lighting, water supply, raising and lowering the pods, and oxygen saturation levels. I had seen nothing like it. I remembered Tadhg talking about the facilities he worked in before the world changed. This was what I had imagined, but it was so much more. As we made our way around the outside of the pod to the next section, the frames lining the walls caught my eye.
“I thought this was new technology,” I said, amazed as I looked at the photos, equally spaced and in identical frames.
“Not at all. Underwater habitats date back to the 1960s. An explorer and conservationist named Jacques Cousteau was involved with one of the early ones called Conshelf. There is a picture of it… here.” He took a few steps and pointed to the old black-and-white photo in a frame, two men in cumbersome and ancient scuba diving suits standing alongside, huge, rounded helmets under their arms. “My father worked near here, and I used to visit him. As a child, I loved looking at these pictures. The evolution of our home.”
I studied each of the pictures closely as I passed. There was clearly an evolution of the technology, the size and complexity of the underwater habitations increasing over time. The original habitats were small and looked like pictures I had seen of submarines. The latter ones looked like the high-tech cities my parents had described from their old lives. Images I had seen, things Tadhg had shown me. As I took in the detail of each incarnation of the design, I felt foolish in saying I did not know that this technology even existed. Blushing, I realized how limited our education on Lewis had been.
“Then it evolved into this.” He shrugged, holding his hands out. “It is the only home I have ever known.”
“It is amazing,” I breathed, turning to him, hoping he wouldn’t see that I was feeling inadequate from my rural upbringing. “Truly.”
“But your home sounds amazing too,” he countered. “Open sky, land to run on. Wind. Horses. Boats. Large houses and lots of family.”
“It is. But it… it is different,” I conceded.
“Different is good. Imagine if we were all the same? So,” he pulled me to hold against him, tilting my chin slightly to look into his face, “do you want to rest before dinner tonight?”
“Dinner?” I asked blankly.
“I promised you dinner, or do you not remember?”
I did, vaguely, but so much had happened since. “With wine?” I asked hopefully.
Gio chuckled. “One more day, please. I just want you to get over the worst of your headaches.”
“How can you tell I have a headache?”
“Your beautiful emerald eyes close slightly, and I can see the tears spill from your eyes. I know you are not sad, so you must be in pain.”
“A little,” I admitted. Spending this time with him was wonderful, talking like we had known each other our entire lives. It was like he had always been my friend; I felt like I could tell him anything. He was warm, engaging, and had a wonderful sense of humor, poking fun at me when I told him stories of ridiculous things I had done.
“How bad are these protein meals?” I asked, remembering what he had said about proper food only being cooked twice a week.
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that. I was planning to cook for you.”
“You can cook?”
“Of course. Can’t you?”
“Ahh, no. Not really. I mean, I can, a little. But I don’t enjoy it. I enjoy eating, though.”
“Wonderful. Bring an appetite.”
As we entered the Soggiorno deck, a woman raced up and fired off something unintelligible to Gio. Her face was flushed, and she was distressed.
He nodded and turned to me. “There is an emergency, a heart attack. They need me. Would you mind if we reschedule dinner?”
“It is fine.” I stepped back, recognizing the urgency. If nothing else, years of living with my mother being called out for emergencies had made me understand that plans change. “I’ll find Matt and Sera.”
“Tech pod,” he called over his shoulder. “Yellow.” I watched his glossy dark hair bouncing as he followed the disappearing woman into the purple medical pod.
Chapter 24
“Perfect timing!” Sera’s face lit with joy, seeing me lurking in the doorway. My heart twinged. It was wonderful to see her looking so happy, in a way I hadn’t seen since we left Newgrange. “Come and see what we are doing!”
Sera spent the next few hours filling me in on her projects, the improvements she had suggested, and the challenges they faced. Occasionally, one of the other technicians would look up and smile at something she had said, indicating that they understood a little English, but mostly we were left alone.
“You’ve been here less than a day!” I hissed in her ear as she showed me to the nearest bathroom.
“I know. Isn’t it fantastic? They asked me some questions, and Matt translated. I told them about my experience, and they invited me to be on the team.” The door to her cubicle closed, temporarily pausing the conversation.
“Wow,” I thought, feeling slightly envious. Sera was in her element, surrounded by tech and people who shared her passion. All I had managed was a head wound. Well, and a dinner date that now looked like it would be canceled. Everyone was approaching her, asking for advice, and she was constantly smiling. I had never seen her so happy, and the guilt of ripping her away from Lewis lessened just a fraction. She continued to chatter away about the tech here as we returned to the central control room. Just as we sat, a bell sounded, and everyone stopped what they were doing, pushing chairs away from desks.
“What is that?” Sera asked Matt, who was placing a multimeter on the desk near Sera.
“It is time for our daily meditation session,” he advised, gesturing for us to stand and follow him to a space in the hallway. People were streaming out of rooms, all seeking a space of their own.
“What do we do?” I hissed as I watched everyone settling into a cross-legged position on the floor.
“Listen and relax,” he whispered back, closing his eyes. “You will work it out.”
Several hours later, as I was fixated on soldering a repair, Matt tapped me on the shoulder, making me jump.
“Come on. It’s time to go.”
“Go where?” I asked, startled, wondering if Gio was looking for me.
“Every Friday night, the tech team gathers for drinks. We share hosting duties, but it is always in one of our apartments. We each bring a bottle of wine from our allowance.”
I looked at him, surprised.
“You and Sera are invited,” he explained.
“But we have nothing to bring.” Even on Lewis, we always took something to share whenever we went to someone’s house for dinner. Wine. Dessert. Some of Dad’s produce. It had been ingrained in me never to turn up empty-handed.
Matt read my discomfort. “It is fine. Everyone knows you have only been here for two days.”
As we entered the apartment shared by two of Matt’s colleagues, I couldn’t help but feel like the third wheel. Sera was already on the couch and at the center of the conversation. I knew I had been invited just to be polite and tried to find somewhere quiet to sit, which was difficult in the crowded, noisy apartment. My head was still sore, and standing was a challenge. The wine was plentiful and delicious, served with cheese and crackers. As I sat at the table, some of the techs tried to engage me in conversation, but the loud music, laughter, buzz of conversation combined with not speaking the language, and I found myself smiling and nodding quite a lot, not really taking it in. My face was hurting from the fake smile I kept plastered on my face. I wasn’t enjoying myself. I needed Matteo to interpret all the time, and he and Sera couldn’t keep their hands from each other, I noted. There was a lot of caressing happening, and more than the friendly kind.
Accepting a third glass of red, I thanked the pourer before he moved on. I felt guilty knowing Gio had said no alcohol, but everyone was drinking, and I felt awkward enough being here sober. Everyone was asking Sera about the tech on Clava, and she was happily ensconced in a group, telling them about the satellites and defense systems she had worked on. Matteo was translating the more technical aspects.
Downing my glass in one gulp, I moved toward the bathroom, waiting for it to be vacant. I splashed water on my face and smoothed my hair. Leaving the bathroom, I slipped out the front door unseen.
This wasn’t our accommodation pod, and I became disoriented trying to find my way back to the main pod. All the corridors and doors looked the same, and a slight sense of panic rose, not aided by the throbbing in my skull and the slight sense of tipsiness. As I turned another identical corner, I felt an arm slip around my waist. I whirled, adopting a defensive stance, ready to attack, relaxing only when I saw it was Gio.
“Who did you think it was?” he asked, stunned at my reaction.
“Not you,” I admitted.
“Well, I am pleased to see you wouldn’t let anyone else touch you.”
No, I thought. I will never again be a victim.
“What is it?” he asked, sensing the melancholy mood.
“I’m fine. You just surprised me, that’s all.”
“Good surprise?”
“Of course.” The third glass of wine was taking effect and making me light-headed. There was a pleasant buzz in my ears. Not drinking for a month and three glasses had affected me more than I cared to admit.
“You are full of surprises,” he murmured, pulling me close and kissing me. He pulled back.
“You have been drinking,” he said accusingly.
I blushed. “I have. It was rude to be the only person there not drinking.”
“I told you no alcohol. You have a concussion.”
“And I ignored you.”
“I have never met anyone like you.” Gio’s hands roved up my top and looped inside the back of my bra.
“I am not like other girls,” I said breathlessly as he kissed my neck and his hands slid down my sides. Suddenly I needed to tell him, all of it. About Sera and me. That we were different. My heart was pounding with what this man was doing to me.
“Why? Are you a freak?” he murmured in my ear.
My body froze at the word. Pushing him away, tears spilled before I had the chance to turn. Gio felt the mistake immediately, but confusion furrowed his brow.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.” I wiped my eyes on my shoulder and turned to go.
“Did I use the wrong word? I just meant…”
“I know. It is okay.”
“What is it?”
“I… I can’t.” Blinded by the tears I couldn’t choke back, I stumbled down the passage, unsure in what direction I was heading. I just needed to be alone. As I rushed ahead, memories threatening to drown me, I felt hands wrap around my waist once more, but instead of pulling toward him as I expected, he turned me back to face him and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Hey!” I squealed, more from shock than the sensation of being held face down over his back. “What are you doing?”
“Finding somewhere without cameras.”
“I am quite capable of walking!” I hissed. My ears were burning as his hand slid up my thigh to rest on my bottom, now facing the ceiling. The tears were rapidly turning to anger as I beat my hands on his back.
“Oh, I know, but I like to be in control.”
The problem was, so did I.
Giovanni slipped silently down the hallway, moving into alcoves that conveniently seemed to be where they could conceal us when we heard voices. After struggling for a few minutes, I gave up. Every time I squirmed, he gripped me tighter. He was larger and stronger, and there was something quite arousing about being thrown over a man’s shoulder. I had never had someone take charge quite like this, and although I would never tell him, I quite liked it.
He carried me into a small room and closed the door, bolting it behind him, before sliding me down his front, far slower than necessary. I opened my mouth to give him a mouthful about being a neanderthal when his mouth probed mine, and all the words left my vocabulary. A sigh involuntarily left me, and he pushed on, his lips firm yet gentle. My body knew what it wanted—him—but my brain was still trying to play catch up. Just when I thought I couldn’t stand it anymore, he pulled back. To my surprise, he pulled the medicine from his back pocket, uncorked the bottle, and poured a small capful into the lid.
“Drink,” he ordered.
I held it, watching him. “What if I refuse?”
A glint reached his eyes. “Well, I don’t want you to be in pain. I want you to be focused but not on your head.”
Teasing him, I held the small cup, swirling it slowly, watching his reaction. He wasn’t used to being disobeyed, and I loved taunting people who thought they could control me. Mum always said my defiance would get me in trouble. But this was an entirely different type of trouble. And trouble I might enjoy.
He lowered his eyes, and I glowered back.
“I don’t take orders from men,” I told him firmly. “Never have. Never will.”
“How about a medical recommendation? Do you take those?”
He had me. After a long and deliberate pause, I knocked back the contents in one mouthful, shaking my head to dispel the awful taste. The warmth of the room struck me, and I looked around through my wine-buzzed brain.
“What is this place?”
“Our city is located over geothermic vents.”
“Tapping into the heat from the earth’s core?” I asked.
“Exactly. It is our power source, but one of the side effects is le therme, these natural hot pools. They are safe, and we have several, so…”
“So no one will come barging into this one?” I asked cheekily, remembering him bolting the door.
“No.”
“We are alone?”
“We are.”
“Good.” I stripped off my top, dropping it on a nearby rock, and heard him suck in his breath as he took in the sight of me in my bra and jeans, kicking off my boots.
“You are so … fearless,” he moaned as he pulled me against his rock-hard body.
“Never call me a freak again,” I hissed as I pulled his shirt over his head. I stood back to admire his chest. He was powerful and beautiful. I had never used that word to describe a man before, but he was breathtaking. Sculpted in a way I didn’t know possible, his chest had a light layer of dark hair across the upper muscles, a thin trail running down the center. He was an anatomy lesson. Not overbuilt, but I could see every defined muscle. I wanted to run my fingers down each groove, defining each curvature. Instead, I ran my tongue down the center concavity and back up again, sensing the ridges. I felt his chest heave and knew he wasn’t objecting. His mouth found mine, urgent and demanding. His hands dropped and unfastened my jeans and slipped them down as my hands explored his back, as firm as his chest. He was delicious in every sense of the word. My bra was unhooked within seconds and dropped carelessly on a nearby rock. He stood back and gazed at me.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, taking in all of me. At that moment, I believed it.
Clothes discarded, he held his hand out to me, and we approached the water’s edge. I stepped in up to my knees and turned to him with surprise.
“It is hot!”
He chuckled, low and deep, and my stomach dropped to another level.
“Nothing like this where you come from?”
“No.” I sighed as I slowly entered the water. It was heavenly. Hotter than the lukewarm showers I had experienced all my life. This was like biting into warm cupcakes and having them melt in your mouth, utterly divine. I felt my muscles relax and floated in the pool.
“We can’t stay long.” His voice appeared by my ear. “Heat isn’t good for headaches, and you aren’t used to it. Especially since you have been drinking when I told you not to.”
