by Ali Vali
“Isn’t it you who always preaches not to guess until we have all the facts? And you won’t have all the facts until you take a shower.” She pushed on Hadley’s chest and laughed when she wouldn’t budge. “You smell like you just had sex.”
“Think if I had another hour or so,” Hadley said and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’d need two showers.”
Since neither of them knew who Natal was bringing with her, they decided to dress a little more formally than they wanted, but Hadley held her hand as they walked toward her office. Their life seldom held this much mystery, but she knew Hadley wasn’t lying, and no one who reported to Hadley would’ve dared to overstep themselves to spy on Kai.
“What’s your best guess?” Hadley asked as they neared the door.
“Sometimes I wonder if we need to speak since you’re so good at reading my mind.” She stopped and gazed up at Hadley, profoundly glad this strong, intelligent woman had agreed to share her life with her. Hadley not only loved and adored her, but she was also fun and the best champion she could’ve hoped for.
“If someone screwed up, she’s not going to believe me, is she?”
“Honey, Kai will believe you because she trusts you more than anyone else in the world, and more importantly, she knows you trust her.”
“I’m glad you’re so optimistic,” Hadley said and kissed her. “Let’s go see whose ass I’m going to kick for this mess.”
Natal was alone, and from the ramrod-straight posture, whatever she had to say wasn’t something she particularly wanted to hear. When Hadley squeezed her fingers she figured that’s how her consort felt as well.
“At ease,” Hadley said and waved Natal to the table Galen used for small meetings with her immediate staff. “You look like you’re about to crack in half.”
“I have an opinion about the sensors Kai’s team found, and I thought it best to tell you first, your majesties,” Natal said, her hands flat on the table. “In a sense, they are ours, but not ours.”
“Well, I don’t know about you,” Galen said as she looked at Hadley, “but that clears it up for me.”
Hadley laughed at her attempt at humor before refocusing on Natal. “Let’s try less cryptic descriptions and tell me what all this is about.”
“When Queen Nessa first colonized Earth,” Natal put an archived image on the screen of the inventoried supplies the expedition had taken with them, “her team took these sensors with them. Either someone made replicas of the originals, since none outside the museum exists, or they found a cache with functional equipment and utilized it. Even if the second scenario is possible, I’m not sure how the sensors were charged and made operational. Nothing then or now resembles Earth’s electrical or motorized engines.”
“So no one to your knowledge would know how to power and operate these,” Galen paused, searching for the right word, “antiques.”
“Yes, Your Highness, to my knowledge. At least no one on Earth has the knowledge.”
Both she and Hadley understood what Natal was saying, and the thought chilled her. “Dear goddess,” she whispered.
“Indeed,” Hadley said as she closed her eyes.
*
“Who is this fucking idiot?” Steve said loudly after Vivien reported what Kai had found. “Do any of you have any fucking idea how much it’d cost to evacuate Triton? Not to mention what the inspectors will do to us going forward.”
“If all you have to offer is how to use the word fuck in different sentences, then go outside and wait,” Vivien said, having reached her limit of Steve’s personality for the day. “This isn’t Kai Merlin’s fault. She didn’t put these things, whatever they are, on Triton. And she didn’t technically find them.”
“That’s not what you just said,” Steve said, not backing down, and when her father didn’t interrupt he seemed encouraged to be even more obnoxious.
“You drew your own conclusions, but I never blamed this on Kai or anyone. These things are there, they were found today, and we’ve got to decide what to do with them.”
“Steve,” Frankie said, making the now-panting man stop staring at her. “Wait outside. Vivien and I have to speak to our father.”
“I’m one of the leads on this project, so don’t think you can lock me out.”
“You are part of this project, but you aren’t a part of my family, so get out.”
The artwork in her father’s office shook when Steve slammed the door, and for a long moment they all seemed to enjoy the silence. Winston looked at Frankie, then her, before raising his hand to cue one of them for an explanation.
“At lunch today, Vivien and I made a decision,” Frankie said, and she could sense his need to do this so she remained silent. “We’ve had enough of that guy, and you, frankly.”
“Me?” Winston pressed his index finger to the center of his chest and laughed.
“Don’t act like a clueless idiot, Dad. It’s insulting. Ever since you brought Steve aboard, you’ve become,” Frankie tapped his fingers on the table as if thinking of a good word, “a prick.”
Vivien laughed since that was the word she had in mind, but her father didn’t appear amused. Yet he took a deep breath and waved Frankie on instead of slapping him down.
“So we quit,” Frankie said without fanfare.
“If you want me to talk to Steve, I will. He’s been giving you a tough time, but I figured you could handle it,” Winston said as if he’d slapped a Band-Aid on a small cut, patted the top of Frankie’s head, and now expected him to stop whining.
Vivien told him about lunch and Steve’s escalating stalker behavior, convinced it wouldn’t do any good but at least it’d all be out. “Don’t bother having a talk with Steve, because you agree with him on most things,” she said. “This isn’t a him-or-us proposition.”
“It sure as hell sounds like it,” Winston said, his words fast and short, a sign he was getting really angry.
“It’s too late for that, Dad. Frankie and I love our jobs, but we aren’t going to be whipping posts for you to try to make us into something we’ll never be interested in being. Add to that the constant abuse from Steve you see as courting behavior,” she said, making air quotes, “or the old boy’s club. We’re leaving, and Steve is only a small part of that equation.”
“Have you forgotten this is Palmer Oil, and you’re both Palmers?”
“No, we haven’t, but you and that asshole have forgotten common courtesy, and I’m tired of tensing up every time I pull into the parking lot,” Frankie said, matching his father’s tone. “Life’s hard enough without having to face a battle over absolutely everything every day.”
“We’ll help you with whatever this is, and then you can continue whatever it is you and Steve have planned for this company’s future. But Frankie’s right. Fighting you and Steve at every turn is getting old.”
“So I have no say in this?” Winston asked, a little more calmly.
“All you can do is wish us luck and invite us to dinner every so often, but I’m not in the mood for broken promises,” she said.
“Neither am I,” Frankie echoed, and there was nothing left to say, at least from their side. It saddened her that their relationship had come down to taking sides.
“Then this is a him-or-you scenario,” Winston said and smiled.
“Here you go.” Frankie took their letters of resignation from his leather folio and slid them across the table. “That’s our scenario. Steve won’t hand you one as well, no matter what happens or how he’s treated.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because he wants your position too much to quit now,” she said, then walked out with Frankie right behind her.
*
“Kai,” Hadley said as she watched her daughter’s face. “I’ve never pulled rank on you, so don’t think I mean this as an insult, but I strictly forbid you to go near these things unless it’s in your capacity as a Palmer employee.” Kai said nothing and her face was void of expression. “Tell me yo
u understand that.”
“I swore I wouldn’t and I won’t,” Kai said, but she didn’t sound upset. “You really think we have visitors from home here, or maybe a spy?”
“We don’t know either thing for certain,” Galen said, clenching her fists tightly. From their years together, Hadley knew how angry she was. “Natal did research, and our systems show this might be what the original sensors would’ve morphed into had we continued with the same design. This type of sensor proved unreliable on Earth since the water has a different chemical makeup than in Atlantis.”
“Chances are the ones you found aren’t operational, but we can’t gamble giving away your position if they are.”
“Mom, you don’t have to repeat yourself again. I called Vivien Palmer so I’m sure she’ll be here before tomorrow. Once she brings them up, we can get a closer look and hopefully figure out who they belong to.”
“The team is in place just as a precaution,” Hadley said.
“Hopefully it’s not that many, since the outpost isn’t that big.” Kai’s desk phone rang and she answered. “Should I try to find a red carpet before then?” Kai said after listening to whoever was on the line. “How about the other rigs in the area? Will do, and see you tomorrow.”
“Vivien Palmer?” Galen asked when Kai gently replaced the receiver.
“She and her father are arriving in the morning,” Kai said and laughed. “He thinks this is an attempt by an environmental group to shut down Triton.”
“If only it were that simple,” Galen said, finally relaxing. “What we need to know aside from whom, is why there.”
“This could be the first cache we find,” Hadley reminded them both. If the rulers on Atlantis sent someone, they most probably had conquests on their minds, since they’d never mentioned it in their last communication with Galen. “No matter what, we don’t expose ourselves, and we crush whoever tries to take what’s ours, especially you and your mother’s birthright.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kai said, pressing her fist to her chest. “On my sword and honor, I will defend your throne, Mama.”
“You’re definitely the best of both of us,” Galen said, kissing her fingers and pointing them at her. “It might come down to a fight, but remember what your mom always says.”
“Plan smart, fight well, kill once,” Kai said.
Those words had been Hadley’s motto throughout her life. Whatever the situation, she planned to excess, which made anything not only easier but discouraged anyone from wanting to face her ever again. It’d be no different even if the threat came from someone who thought they owned them as a people. These assholes had been absent from their lives for too long to think they had any say here.
“Remember to report anything out of the ordinary, and we’ll be in touch if we find anything else.” Hadley stood behind Galen so Kai could see them both. “We love you, pup, so don’t take any chances and break our hearts.”
“Listen to her,” Galen said as her head dropped back to her chest. “Your mother’s a wise woman.”
“Both of them are,” Kai said and smiled as they signed off.
“She’ll listen to you, right?” Galen asked in a tone that begged reassurance.
“Kai knows better than anyone in the realm the importance of following orders. It’s anyone’s prerogative to ignore a ranking officer, but then they can expect the same behavior from others when they’re the ones giving orders. Discipline’s something you must give before you earn the respect to receive it.”
“You’re as talented outside the bedroom with that mouth as you are in,” Galen said and laughed with her, since her face obviously showed the blush she could feel the heat of.
Chapter Eighteen
Kai skipped the mess hall and settled for a sandwich on the helipad to enjoy the breeze and clear skies. When the stars were as bright as they were that night, she remembered the stories she’d read about their home planet. However, that was really no longer a true statement—home planet. Earth was as much a part of their history, if not more, than Atlantis ever would be.
From the books she’d read, some of them numerous times, Atlantis had been once much like Earth in the early days of man. It had been filled with pristine forests, mountains that yielded precious ore, and hundreds of thousands of miles of water. Their history was full of words like paradise and heaven, but as in all things the people loved their environment only as much as they were taught to love it.
Not long after Princess Nessa left to explore places where new colonies could be formed, her father’s selfishness led the people to revolt against his heavy-handed rule. With Nessa gone he’d lost the one thing the citizens truly loved about him, so they replaced him with Nessa’s aunt, who was next in line for the throne. Only it didn’t take the revolters long to figure out the true ruler wouldn’t be the king’s sister, but her husband, who’d learned well from the deposed and now murdered king.
The name Poseidon became a memory that people remembered more fondly than their new line of rulers, the Oberons. In a short time the first King Oberon showed that the throne, complete power, and the loyalty of the people under his heel were not enough. He started down a path that took only a few decades to destroy the beauty of Atlantis by destroying their environment both in and out of the water.
To start fresh after her father’s death, Queen Nessa took a consort and for the first time ever took her name. From that day on their heirs had been Merlins, but their blood and wisdom to rule had been inherited, they believed, from the young woman with the courage to change the fate of those who truly believed in her.
According to the communications Kai’s mother still received periodically, Atlantis was in a continuous mode of recovery, but that would only go so far with an Oberon on their throne. Each man after the first king had claimed Earth and the Atlanteans on it as part of his empire, and every queen since Nessa had declared her independence once she and the original settlers decided never to go back. That choice was easy after the visions of the original high priestess gave Nessa a glimpse into their future.
“I wonder if you ever saw me?” Kai whispered into the wind. “And if you did were you proud of the sight?”
“You really might be cracking up if you’re avoiding people so you can talk to yourself,” Vivien said from the stairs. “Or are you out here feeding the fish again?”
“How’d you sneak on here with me not seeing you?” She glanced back to see if Vivien was alone.
“You’re facing the wrong way to have seen me moor the boat, but don’t worry. My father’s grand entrance tomorrow will more than make up for my low-key approach.” Vivien joined her on the edge, placing her meal between them. “I brought you one of Corey’s brownies to make up for sneaking up on you,” Vivien said, mentioning this crew’s head cook. Every company prided itself on its kitchen talent, and Corey hadn’t disappointed so far.
“I already had one.”
“You’re an instant-gratification kind of girl, huh?” Vivien pointed to her half sandwich.
“I think that’s something we have in common,” she said, breaking the brownie in half and handing a piece to Vivien. “Can I ask why you’re leaving the company after our little adventure is over?”
Vivien filled her in without hesitation, and that surprised her, considering how little they knew each other. “What is it about you that makes my mouth run like I don’t have any control over it?”
“Even though you think I’m a reporter working undercover, you can trust me, Vivien. Believe me, if you’d read some of my papers in school you wouldn’t be under that delusion.” She ate her portion of her second dessert and tried to read Vivien’s thoughts. None of them were clear, but she did sense a building confusion mostly aimed at her. “Are you sure about everything you and Frankie decided?”
“Honestly, part of me thinks we’re letting Steve win. Without Frankie and me there, God knows what he’ll talk my father into, but I’ve had enough. Life’s too short and all that.” Vivien l
aughed before resting her elbows on the railing. “Why, do you think I should’ve stuck it out?”
“It would’ve been one way to know for sure what Steve’s motivations are,” she said and shook her head when Vivien started to interrupt. “That’s not me trying to change your mind, but I do want you to think.”
“About?” Vivien said, but didn’t seem upset.
“Even if you aren’t there, the company will always be Palmer Oil. Leaving it to someone like Steve is inviting whatever will be done in your name to happen.” She pointed to the east, where the Deepwater Horizon was still resting at the bottom of the Gulf. “Do you want something like what happened a few miles from here to happen again and have that forever linked to your family?”
“Are you trying to guilt me into changing my mind?” Vivien asked as she turned to face her. Even in the low light, Kai could see the blueness of her eyes and the beauty that’d captured her even as a child back on that day they’d met on the beach.
“Do you want me to?” She smiled and Oba came to her mind. For once she understood what Oba had tried to tell her about love and the woman in her future. If that did turn out to be Oba, she’d never own her whole heart because of how devoted Oba was to the gods. While Kai’s title would come with a lifetime of duty, she wanted the same kind of relationship her mothers had. Her mother Galen was queen, but her life with Hadley was full, and they both were sure of what they shared.
“I asked you first,” Vivien said as the corner of her mouth turned slightly upward.
“I’m not trying to guilt you, but I do want you to change your mind.”
“Why?” The wind picked up and blew Vivien’s hair into her face.
Kai impulsively reached up to comb it back, which made Vivien blush. “Because one day I might have to sail into the sunset, and I’d feel better if you and Franklin were the ones steering Palmer into the future.”
“Why?” Vivien sounded like an old vinyl record that was stuck.