by M. D. Cooper
Jude’s little hand gripped Erin’s tighter.
“Mommy Erin, this is a scary place.”
“Is it?” she responded. “I don’t think so. What’s so scary?”
“I can see things under the trees. I think they must be monsters.”
“There aren’t any monsters here, Jude. There’s nothing to be scared of.”
said Walter.
What she really wanted was the lowdown on what Eamon thought about the problems between her and Martin. She’d been dropping hints to Walter for days, trying to get him to spill the beans on what Eamon had said about it. She suspected that Martin’s AI probably didn’t agree with Martin’s behavior or attitude, but he either wasn’t trying or hadn’t succeeded in getting through to him. Martin could be as unyielding as titanium sometimes.
“I’m scared, Mommy Erin,” said Jude.
“There isn’t anything to be scared of here, sweetie. Don’t be afraid. Do you want me to carry you?”
In reply, Jude held up his arms. Erin lifted the boy onto her hip. The canopy had thinned out, and the additional light that penetrated it had fueled the growth of waist-high, spreading plants. It was no wonder that Jude was feeling frightened. At his eye level, all he could see was leaves.
Erin waded through the vegetation, Jude clinging onto her neck.
Erin stepped out from between two tree trunks. The ground in front of her dropped away, and she pulled up sharply.
A chasm lay open at her feet. Towering trees overhung the space, and its sheer, rocky sides were patterned with heavy iron oxide deposits in red, orange, yellow, and ochre. Far below, a dark cleft led the way into the cave.
She felt like she was carrying around two kids: the one on her hip and the one in her head. Walter obviously wanted to see this fascinating place on the Island of Aeolia through human eyes.
After double-checking the correct direction with Walter, she set off on another short hike through the subtropical jungle. After walking about another hundred meters, Erin finally found the place.
“Oh, wow,” was all she could say at first. Then,
The ground had opened out again, but the space Erin was gazing at was far bigger than the previous chasm. She guessed she was looking across roughly half a kilometer to the other side. At a similar distance below her, at the base of a nearly vertical-sided valley, another forest was growing.
She supposed that the cave system continued underground until it reached this spot, where centuries ago the roof had collapsed. The cave floor had been opened to the elements, and trees had colonized it, creating a second, secret forest. The place was so green and lush in the protected zone, and so overhung by the main forest’s trees, it was no surprise they hadn’t spotted it from the air when they were looking for somewhere to land.
* * * * *
After Erin returned to the glade where Martin and Isa had set up the camp, she told them about Walter’s suggestion. He was insistent that they walk the short distance to the edge of the plateau, stating that the weather was going to be cloudy for the next few days and this might be their only chance to see the view.
Martin put Jude on his shoulders, and the three of them set off. The tension that had wracked the family over the previous weeks had eased a notch. Isa’s plan was working so far.
My wife definitely has a knack for dealing with emotional stuff. She’s far better at that than me or Martin, Erin realized.
Jude appeared to have overcome his fear and was bouncing on Martin’s neck while simultaneously bashing his head with flat hands, like he was beating a rhythm on bongos. Martin winced and reached up to catch hold of Jude’s wrists. Erin smiled sympathetically, and Martin gave her a small smile back.
Isa had marched off ahead, perhaps to leave Erin and Martin alone together. But then she called back through the trees, “Wow, come and see this, guys. Hurry up.”
“Hurry up, Daddy,” said Jude, bouncing with added vigor. “Go faster.”
They sped up their pace. Isa was only a few feet ahead of them. As soon as Erin saw her, she stopped. It wasn’t the sight of Isa that had arrested her, but what she could see beyond her wife’s figure.
A green ocean swept away from them. At their height, they could see for dozens of kilometers to the horizon. Wisps of cloud vapor hung above the tropical treetops, and in amongst them were dots of brilliantly colored birds, swooping between the branches. The birds were tiny, but the fact that they could see them from so far away meant they had to be huge. No words fit to comment on the sight.
Erin joined Isa and wrapped an arm around her waist. Martin stood behind them. Even Jude was awed into silence.
Though she spent her days on a space station looking down at Troy far below, somehow the sight didn’t affect her in the same way as this view of Thrace. It put everything into perspective. Erin’s concerns seemed small and insignificant.
When they managed to tear themselves from the view, they spent another hour or so exploring before returning to the camp.
Jude was drawn to a patch of sunlight in the glade and played with his toys there, following the light as it slowly moved across the ground. Erin, Isa, and Martin sat and chatted for the first time in ages. They talked about their work, the political problems in Troy and what they might mean for the family, and all the little things and anecdotes that had gone unsaid in the great silence following Isa’s ruined party and the invasion drill.
Too soon, it seemed, the glowing patch that Jude liked so much had disappeared, and the glade was entirely in shadow. Early stars began to faintly shine and the air grew chill. Dew settled heavily on the leaves and grass.
Martin made dinner in his camping cooker from the food Isa had packed for them. While he cooked, Erin and Isa went with Jude to gather wood and then made a small fire. When the food was ready, they sat on logs and ate thick stew wit
h hunks of bread in a comfortable silence. Jude began to nod over his bowl.
Finally, it was time to douse the fire and go to bed.
The condenser was full of water, plenty for everyone to have a shower. Erin went in first while Isa was putting Jude to bed and Martin was tidying up outside. Oddly, showering in a tent in the middle of nowhere felt different from doing the exact same thing at home or aboard a ship. Erin enjoyed the feeling of the warm water slipping over her skin, washing away the dust, pollen, spores, and general grime that had settled on her during her afternoon in the forested Island of Aeolia.
When she’d finished showering, she felt both refreshed and tired. She was ready for a long, deep sleep, and she was happy with anticipation of what the following days would bring. She’d told Isa and Martin about the mini forest on the floor of the cave, and she guessed that visiting it would be their excursion the next day. After that, no doubt Walter would have places to recommend. It appeared they had the entire plateau to themselves.
Erin left the shower cubicle and walked into the bedroom. Isa was talking to Jude in the small annex, reassuring him that his mommies and daddy were right next door.
Their bed was an air-filled mattress that rose from the floor. Erin lifted the covers and climbed into bed, ready to fall immediately asleep. She didn’t think that even Martin’s snoring could keep her awake that night. She could hear the shower running, which meant that he’d finished what he was doing outside and would soon come to bed too.
Erin yawned and tucked her arm under pillow while working her head into its welcome fluffiness. She predicted she would be out before Martin and Isa joined her. However, as she was drifting off, Martin came into the bedroom. He crossed the room and peeked into the annex.
His sudden appearance clearly interrupted Isa’s progress in getting Jude to sleep. The little boy immediately launched into a conversation with his father. Probably realizing that he wasn’t helping matters, Martin retreated into the bedroom.
He came over to the bed, and Erin watched with half-closed eyes as he climbed in next to her. She said goodnight and turned over, expecting his self-imposed distance from her to continue. The mattress rocked slightly with his heavy presence, causing a depression next to her. She could hear him breathing.
Erin’s tired contentment gave way to sadness. Things between them had seemed better that afternoon, but she didn’t know if the gulf that had opened up would ever close.
She felt Martin slide closer to her, and then she felt the touch of his hand on her upper arm. Erin turned over to face him. They were eye to eye, only a few centimeters apart.
If he spoke aloud, he might disturb Jude. Isa had left his small room only moments ago and gone to the shower.
Their conversation was mundane, but Martin’s eyes were telling Erin something different. They were saying something along the lines of, ‘I’ve missed you. Let’s try to be friends, OK?’ Tension that she hadn’t even known she was feeling flooded out of her.
She reached up and touched the side of Martin’s face. It had been weeks since she’d touched him. He slid closer until they were almost touching and wrapped an arm around her, resting his hand on her lower back.
Desire for him instantly pooled inside her. Erin felt a yearning she realized she’d been ignoring. When Martin kissed her, she squeezed up close to him and held him tight.
The noise of the water from the shower had gone quiet, but Erin barely noticed. She and Martin quietly kissed. Outside, the night noises of insects and nocturnal creatures were loud.
At some point, Isa joined them. When she slipped under the covers, they welcomed her into their movements. Together, the three of them entered into the dance they had perfected over the years.
Later, when the dance was done and Erin was finally gliding into sleep, the last emotion she felt before she drifted off was relief. She wasn’t sure the battle between her and Martin was finally over, but it seemed they had called a ceasefire.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
STELLAR DATE: 05.24.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Family home, eastern shores of Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
The atmosphere at the family’s clifftop home had returned to something like normal after Martin, Isa, and Erin returned from their short break on the Island of Aeolia, though perhaps things were not exactly the same as they’d been before the invasion drill. Martin wasn’t sure that would ever be possible, when he and Erin thought and felt so differently, but he hoped the truce would hold.
He wanted to take Jude into work with him again. The last time, things had gone well. When they’d been living at the site on the Med, Jude had been too young to swim in the deep water where the exciting creatures like blue whales were growing, so Martin had only been able to show him the whales from a boat. But now that his son was older, he felt confident about letting Jude swim with the sea mammals at the marine park, and had allowed him to do so on their last visit. The animals had taken the delighted boy for several rides and performed tricks for him.
Martin had also been impressed with how Jude had shown no fear of megalodons and other ‘sea monsters’. He’d jumped up and down in excitement and begged to be allowed out of the submersible to swim with them. Martin had been forced to threaten to take him back to the labs if he didn’t settle down.
Isa and Erin agreed that Jude would love another day at Daddy’s workplace. Isa was returning to her gallery to check that the repairs had been made, and Erin was heading up to the space station. Martin kissed them both goodbye at the front door and then returned with Jude to the terrace, where they had stored his little submersible.
“Ready for another day at the safari park, Jude?” Martin asked.
“Yes,” he replied, beaming. “Are we gonna float down to the sea like before?”
“We are. Then we’ll go to see Lindsey, Pietr, and Margot again. What do you think about that?”
“OK.” Jude’s little face was troubled. “Can I see the octopuses too?”
“Sure, we can see them too.”
“I want Octy.” Jude ran back into the house to grab his octopus toy.
The plushie had become his favorite possession after Martin had told him about the real octopuses and their garden at the park.
When Jude returned with the soft toy clutched in his small hands, Martin picked up the submersible and they walked down the terrace steps into the garden.
Jude trotted along behind Martin as they followed the path through the formal pattern of low hedges to the fence, where Martin unlocked the gate. After they passed through it and then the windbreak of slim pines, they encountered the sea breeze. It was very strong, which meant the sea would be choppy. Martin began to have second thoughts about his decision to take Jude with him to the park. Even though the conditions under the waves would not be so turbulent, they would also not be ideal, and Jude was still very young.
But he was locked in. Isa and Erin had already left. If Martin didn’t take Jude into work, he would have to take him all the way to his daycare center in Heliopolis, which would make him very late for work. He decided he would have to keep Jude with him in a submersible and not allow him to swim in open water. It wasn’t worth taking any chances.
Martin made Jude hold his hand as they neared the cliff edge and the little shed that held the a-grav packs. The wind was blowing in treacherous gusts. Martin took out two and strapped one to himself, then the other, child-sized unit onto Jude. He also put on the harness that would secure his son to his body. Martin and Jude were finally face to face, with their packs on their backs and Martin holding one of the submersible’s handles.
He activated both their a-grav systems and gripped the submersible as they lifted from the ground and floated out over t
he cliff’s edge. He guided them well away from the cliff face so that a surprise puff of breeze wouldn’t crash them into the rock. As they floated down, Jude smiled and made ‘woooo’ noises. Rather than heading for the deep water, as he did when he dove into the sea, Martin floated them toward a narrow strip of private beach that belonged to the house.
They landed on soft sand. Martin removed their packs and left them propped against the cliff. He put Jude into his submersible, ready to swim with him to the marine safari labs.
The process involved in bringing Jude to work with him was time-consuming, but Martin didn’t mind. He hoped his son would want to come in with him as often as he could when he was older. There was nothing like learning on the job, and Jude had already shown that he’d inherited his dad’s fascination with all things aquatic.
Another inconvenience of taking Jude into work was that when they arrived, they had to enter via the submersible bay. Though Jude’s vessel was small, it was too large to fit through the waterside entrance to the labs.
Martin swam into the bay with Jude, and when the water had drained away, emerged with his son in the complex, still wet from his swim.
He dried off and went to see Lindsey, who was once more in the planning room poring over the holo of the site.
“Hello, Jude,” she said when she spotted him. “How’s my favorite boy? Can I have a hug?”
Jude skipped over to her and obliged.
“How was your trip?” she asked Martin as she put Jude down.
“Really good. What’s been happening here?”
“Lots. The soft opening’s been going well. We’ve had four tour groups come through, and they all loved it. They were all influential people, too, which should help to spread the word.”
“No octopus ambushes?”
“No, thank the stars. You must have made an impression on them. They’ve been good, so far.”
“Great. I was planning on paying them another visit today to reinforce the message. What do you think?”