by Melissa Good
Jess was trying not to laugh. “You’re sinking like a damned rock.”
Dev stopped moving, blinking the water out of her eyes. “That’s why I stuck to the paddling,” she said. “If I stopped moving I went under.” She felt the grip on her, warm and sure, but not uncomfortable.
“So I see.” Jess pushed her gently backwards until they were shallow enough for Dev to stand. “Okay.” She released Dev, rubbing the tips of her fingers together as she remembered the strength she’d felt under the soft skin.
Interesting.
“You were doing this?” Dev said, and leaned forward a little. She moved her arms in a swimming motion. “Right?” She peered at Jess, droplets of water dripping off the tip of her nose. “It looked so easy when you did it.”
“Right.” Jess motioned her sideways. “Let me hold on to you and you can practice it here where it’s harder to drown.” She gave Dev a quick smile. “It looked easy for me because I’ve been doing it all my life.”
“Really?”
“Really. My family lives right on the water and the first thing you get taught is how to swim. Matter of fact, it was so long ago I don’t remember learning.”
Dev digested this. “Brent said to ask you to teach me to swim. He said you were a fish.”
A faint, impish twinkle appeared in Jess’s pale eyes. “He said that, huh? Heh. But anyway, c’mere, and lay on my hands, and we’ll get you swimming.”
That sounded like a very good idea. Dev leaned forward again and Jess moved closer, putting a hand under her belly and another on her thigh. For a moment, Dev completely lost track of what she was doing as her body reacted to the touch, and then the water hit her in the face and she forced her arms into motion.
“That’s it,” Jess said. “Over your...yeah. Cup your hands, don’t slap the water.”
Dev did her best with the unfamiliar moves, then as she did as Jess suggested and cupped her hands, she felt the strong pull against the water. Abruptly a sudden tickle of programming clicked in and it went from awkward to familiar in the space of a breath.
Strange, and then not. A familiar sensation to her but usually not this visceral.
She started kicking her feet in the same rhythm, and after a minute of that, she felt Jess’s hold shift from her stomach to her back, the long fingers tangling themselves in her light covering and holding her up.
“I’m gonna let you go,” Jess said. “Just keep that up...that’s right.”
Then the grip was gone, and she was moving forward in the water, this time without the odd and jerky lack of coordination that had shoved her head under the surface previously.
“Turn your head on every other stroke and breathe.” Jess called out, surprisingly close by. She was swimming alongside her, and every time Dev did turn to that side, she took a breath and saw her companion do the same.
There was a memory there. She realized it wasn’t really programming, it was something else. Something dimmer and less certain, a flash of a mental picture that was brighter and colder and had a lot more noise.
A thundering rush, and laughter.
Then it was gone, and it was just her, and Jess, and the big empty space again.
They reached the end of the pool at about the same time, and she grabbed the edge and held on, the bottom far below her feet. “Wow,” she spluttered. “I didn’t sink.”
“Nice,” Jess said her. “You keep this up you might not drown if we get dumped out of the carrier one of these trips”
Dev wiped the water out of her eyes with one hand. “Does that happen often?”
“It happens.” Jess was also holding on, moving her other arm around carefully. “Huh.” She looked a little relieved. “Water’s helping loosen it up.” She turned around. “Below my shoulder blade, you see any bumps there?”
Dev moved aside the fabric and studied her back. “Here, you mean?” She touched a red, raw looking area.
“Yeah.”
Dev gently stroked the area with her fingertips. “I don’t...no I think it’s just the scar,” she said. “No bumps.”
Jess was regarding the skin on her arm with a bemused expression. “No bumps, huh?” She turned. “Well, good.” She pointed back in the other direction. “Let’s try another lap. We’ll have you communing with the fishes yet.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Ahheh.” Jess chuckled. “We’ll have to find out.”
JESS SAT DOWN on her bed, the cool air brushing against her bare shoulders. The soft sheets felt good as she slowly lowered herself down onto her back. “Man, I’m tired.” She spoke casually to the ceiling. “But that was a pretty damn good time.”
It was mid first watch, late and quiet in the citadel and the halls they’d walked back through had been blessedly free of random intruders. Jess exhaled, running her mind over the hours spent in the pool, hearing again the laughter echoing in her ears.
She smiled. Her body was slowly relaxing, and every breath she took made that more profound. She let her eyes close and spread her arms out carefully, feeling a residual ache but nothing like the sharp pain she’d experienced all day. “Ahhh.”
Then her comm buzzed. Jess groaned and turned her head toward it, seeing the flashing light that indicated not an internal call, but one from outside. “Huh.” She levered herself up and went to the workspace, coming around the table and sitting down in the chair as she touched the console. “Drake.”
The screen came on, and after a fuzzy moment, cleared and she was looking into a pair of eyes the same color as hers, framed in a male face with a neatly trimmed dark beard. “Hello, Jess. Sorry. I know it’s late there.”
Jess leaned forward. “It’s all right, Jimmy. What’s up?” She said, watching her brother’s expression intently. Several years her senior, he’d finally worked his way into a decent position at one of the processing centers and gotten married. Managed to spawn two kids, one little girl and one tow headed boy who was, Jess remembered, around five.
Around five.
“Just wanted to let you know about Tayler,” Jimmy said. “He went through the battery last week. They called us today. He’s in. They’ll take him next month.”
“Generation twelve, huh?”
“Yep.” Her brother studied her. “The old family tradition.”
Jess wasn’t really sure how to answer that. She knew she had nothing to do with Tayler’s scores, but there was always a bittersweetness to it hearing that another family member had tested in. They’d had at least one and occasionally more in each generation. The one prior to Jess’s father’s had sent three, and Jess had an uncle serving up in the Arctic somewhere and a cousin out on the west coast.
It was what it was. “If I’m still around when he inducts, I’ll keep an eye on him,” Jess said. “You can give him my comm if he wants to talk about it, later.”
“Thanks.” Jimmy managed a brief smile. “At least you know you don’t have to donate those eggs to keep the line going, right.”
Jess snorted wryly. “Yeah. Like that would need to happen.” She glanced to one side, then looked back at the screen. “How’s Mari?”
Jim shrugged. “Took it hard. But she knew who she was marrying. At least she knows Jimmy’s going to be set and get schooled. More than most do,” he said. “Peg’s going to be pretty smart, we think. Maybe go into science. She tested that way.”
“Good to hear,” Jess said. “How’s mom?”
“Running for chamber councilor,” Jim said, with a wry look. “She’s probably going to bunk in with one of those other polits. Said she was tired of looking at pictures on the wall and talking to dad’s old boots.”
“Don’t blame her.”
“Me either. Matter of fact, she boxed up a lot of his stuff. “He glanced at Jess, with an apologetic expression. “I told her to send them to you, not dump em. Figured maybe you’d at least like to look through em.”
Jess gazed somberly at him. “Thanks, Jimmy. Appreciate the thought. There’s sti
ll a couple of old goats in service around here who would probably like to take a look too.”
Jim smiled. “Anyway, it’s late. I’m surprised I caught you there. Things okay?” He asked. “Anything up with you guys?”
“Same as usual,” she said. “We’ve got induction tomorrow night, we’re all around.”
“That it?” He asked. “Everything okay with you there?”
Jess’s brows contracted. “With me?” She asked, wondering if he could have heard about Bricker. “Yeah, matter of fact I got a promotion to senior,” she said. “Day or so ago. Booted my allocation up and reg’d me for retirement finally.”
“Gotcha.” Jimmy nodded. “Hey, congrats. You matched dad.” He glanced to one side. “Gotta run. Have a good time at the induction.”
Jess grinned. “Thanks. Give my regards to Mari and the kids.” Jess leaned back, as she watched him lift his hand in goodbye, and cut the signal off. She pondered the dark screen for a few minutes, thinking.
Jimmy was the only one who took pains to keep in touch. Her other brother, Jake...she wasn’t even sure where he was most of the time. Never had any ambition. The last time she’d seen him he was a raker on the coast, and apparently content to stay that way.
When she reached field retirement age, if she did, she’d have the option to take a permanent admin assignment and get married, and have kids.
Jess chuckled wryly at her faint reflection in the screen. She didn’t see any of that happening, even if she somehow survived her active phase, but now, with Bain’s attention she might possibly end up running something if she did. That would be all right. She could picture herself in Bricker’s position, with a lot more savvy and a lot less jackasswardness.
And no Sandy kissing her ass or anything else.
Jess got up and went back to bed, considering her next day’s schedule. The halls would be nuts, so maybe she’d show Dev the caverns. Maybe they’d end up in the pool at night again. She got under the covers and stretched out feeling a vague sense of content that was for her quite rare.
She heard the faint sound of movement from next door and turned her head toward the inner portal that separated her quarter’s from Dev’s, imagining Dev rattling around in the big space, probably settling down in bed much like she was.
She was really starting to like Dev. Aside from her unexpectedly significant skills as a bus driver, she had a gentle and appealing personality that was completely unlike anyone Jess had ever worked with before. Most agents, and even techs, were intolerantly aggressive and ego driven, herself included.
Dev was neither. She had a dry yet pronounced sense of humor, didn’t take herself seriously, and her bright and impish smile made it almost impossible to stay in a bad mood around her.
She liked spending time around her. Jess thought about that for a minute. With Joshua, it hadn’t quite been like that. It was more like she didn’t mind spending time with him. He had been someone she could casually play a board game with, or have a drink while they talked about work.
He hadn’t sought out her presence, she hadn’t done the same for him. They were compatible in the sense that they could easily mesh on the job and she wasn’t irritated by him most of the time. The feeling was completely different than how she felt about Dev.
She wanted to be in Dev’s space. She’d almost stopped thinking of her as a bio alt.
Jess studied the ceiling intently. Was she moving toward a place where she might consider trusting Dev? Was the fact that Dev had no choice in any of this making her feel sorry for her? Making her want to protect her? Was Jess’s innate sense of honor making a surprising and inconvenient appearance?
“Huh.” She let out a small grunt. “Let’s just see where it goes.” She put the thoughts aside and closed her eyes, rolling over onto her side and tugging the covers snug around her, glad for once to surrender to sleep.
DEV SAT DOWN on the mat in her relaxation area and crossed her legs up under her, leaning her elbows on her knees as she regarded the dimly lit space.
Her body was very tired. After the long session in the gym, and the long session in the pool doing all those unfamiliar things, she felt pleasantly exhausted and she was looking forward to the big comfortable bed downstairs. But first, she wanted to sit and think for a few minutes.
This was something she’d never been able to do. She’d never really had the choice of where to go and what to do, except for those few minutes between class and meals, and lab and sleep.
Now, here in her quarters, she could choose to go downstairs and go to sleep, or sit here and think, or read a page of her book, or even go into the other side of her two level space and run a sim if she wanted to all night long instead of rest.
It was all up to her. The freedom was almost intoxicating.
So though she was tired, she had climbed up into her relaxation area and now she was sitting here on the cushy meditation pad enjoying a bit of peace and quiet just because she could.
She was pretty sure no other bio alts got to do this. The ones in the crèche—certainly not. Dev looked around her space pensively. Here she had the same as any other person in the ops group, an insanity of riches to one of her kind.
So. She figured she had to do a really, really excellent job here at Interforce because she didn’t want to go back to being treated like the other bio alts were. Dev felt a little uncomfortable with that, but she also knew it was true.
She’d gotten a taste for what it was like being a natural born, and she liked it. Was that what Doctor Dan was trying to warn her about that night? Maybe it was. But she knew she didn’t want to go back to the crèche, or even to be reassigned to a lesser job here.
She wanted this. She wanted to be not only a tech, but the best one here, to do excellent things for Jess, and have Jess come to trust her to do the right thing at the right time and make them both successful. She felt it as a fire in her gut, and it was new and strange, but good.
With a nod, she stretched herself out and lay down on her back, looking up at the rock ceiling with its inset speckles of crystal that were evident in the low, blue light.
They were almost like stars. Dev felt her body relax, and she was able to let go of that determination and think about her day, especially the lessons she’d learned in the pool.
That had been fun. A lot of fun. Not only had she gotten a pretty good idea of how to swim, she’d spent hours with Jess and they chased up and down the pool so many times she could still hear the splash of the water and Jess’s low laughter.
When they’d left the gym, it had been completely empty and they’d changed together in a comfortably casual silence before leaving the space and making their way through the quiet halls back to their quarters, but not without a detour to the mess hall for a snack.
Just a fish roll and a cup of kack, but it really hit the spot after all the activity, and especially more so because of the relaxed companionship as they sat in the mess just like any other agent and tech pair. Just like Elaine and Tucker, who gave them a casual wave as they passed through.
Jess. Dev called up a picture in her mind of her next door neighbor. She smiled as she thought about her, aware of a warm, happy emotion that caused. She thought maybe the pool had done Jess’s shoulder some good too, because she seemed in less discomfort when they finished, and her mood had improved as the night went on.
All good.
Dev let her thoughts drift a little. Then she sat up, getting to her feet and walking down the steps to the main part of the room. She was already in her sleepwear, and she went to her bed and got under the covers, wondering what the next day would have in store for them.
She only hoped it wouldn’t start like the previous day had.
Chapter Twelve
FOR THE FIRST time in a while, Jess woke normally, at her own time. There was no strident alarm, and no soft bong of her timer, just a slow fade from sleep into awareness that left her blinking into the dim light, her body curled into comfort under the covers.<
br />
She glanced at the chrono and relaxed, seeing a respectable time that let her stay where she was and enjoy the moment, instead of bouncing out of bed and bolting for the shower as sometimes she had to when she forgot to set the alarm.
She rolled over and stretched her body out, flexing her hands and sighing as she settled into a comfortable position on her back. The room was still mostly dark, the lights embedded in the walls just faintly lit to match what was going on outside.
There was no real beating that circadian rhythm. Jess folded her hands over her stomach. Not that they hadn’t tried, and not that she couldn’t rig her own for a short while, especially when inserted. But she’d been born in this zone, and given it’s preference her body stuck to it.
That turned her mind to Dev. What zone did your body think it was in when you were born on station, whirling around the planet all day long? Did they even have the same rhythms Jess did?
Dev seemed content to wake and sleep when told to, so maybe they’d done something to her that let her adjust without complaint. Or maybe she really did have to adjust, but just didn’t bitch about it.
Jess considered that last thought had its merits. Dev wasn’t a complainer. Part of that she knew was built in because she was a bio alt, and part she suspected was just how Dev was. At least, she hoped so because it was something she really appreciated in a p...
Jess paused. In a pilot? Sure. She’d told Dev point blank that’s all she wanted her to be, just a bus driver. Well that was good. Dev had turned out to be an unexpectedly good bus driver so far, so they both should be very happy.
And yet, there was something in her that didn’t like that artificial segregation.
She didn’t want a partner. Certainly not a bio alt partner she knew very little about, right? Jess frowned, the words sounding false in her own mental ears because she suspected it wasn’t really all that true after the last couple of days.
It just hurt though, thinking of Joshua and that last bitter laughter. She felt embarrassed that she’d been taken like that, even though everyone else had too. She didn’t want to risk that happening again, and suffer the shame and the grief of knowing you were so horribly wrong about someone.