Poseidia

by J. L. Imhoff

  “I guess I don’t blend into the background all that well,” he acknowledged as he sat next to the bed.

  “No, not at all. I can go… I’ll do it. I know my way around David’s world better than you.” I glanced at him to gauge his reaction.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he considered, shaking his head.

  “And I don’t care what you think… I’m going to do it. This is my fault—I put us all in danger.” I need to fix this, make it right, and find the knife. Dammit, I should have killed David when I had the chance.

  “We’ll talk about this later, after I meet with the security team. They’ll do something about David,” he muttered, crossing his arms.

  “What can they do? I should go and talk to him, and try to pay him off. What if we give him some jewels in exchange for the knife? There are enough of them down here to make him happy.”

  “It’s too dangerous for you.” Roman took my hand and kissed it.

  Appreciating the sentiment, I squeezed his hand in reply. There were a few minutes of silence and we gazed at each other, sharing feelings through touch, and my new level of perception.

  “Don’t try to protect me. I can take care of myself; I’ve been doing it for years,” I huffed.

  “Not a very good job of it. Besides, I take pride in protecting you.”

  “Come on, this isn’t the Dark Ages,” I debated.

  “It may not be the Dark Ages anymore, but it still makes me feel good.”

  “I have years of experience taking care of everything by myself. It’s not easy for me to accept help. I can’t sit idly by and let you clean up my mess.” Defiantly, I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I admire your deep sense of responsibility, but you no longer have to do everything alone. We’re your family and I’m not David.” He walked over to the wall and leaned against it.

  “I know you’re not David. Thank God you aren’t. But it doesn’t matter—I want to make up for the mistakes I’ve made. I’ve been… rather difficult.”

  “You don’t have to prove yourself.”

  “It’s not about proving myself,” I insisted.

  “Isn’t it?”

  “Maybe proving I’m not some helpless female who makes a mess that everyone has to clean up after,” I said.

  “David created the mess, not you—it’s not your fault.”

  I glanced over at Roman. Quietly, I had to absorb the last statement he’d made. Perhaps he was right, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to delve into the deeper meaning.

  “Maybe it’s not my fault he is the way he is, but it’s my fault I allowed him to use me. Look how far I let the abuse go.”

  “I say again, it’s not your fault.” He sat back down in the chair.

  “Easy to say. Not so easy to digest,” I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. It didn’t feel good to bring up feelings I wasn’t completely over.

  “It’s never easy,” he sighed as he leaned in and put his elbows on the side of the bed, running his fingers over the electroreceptors on the back of my hand.

  With his voice almost inside my head, I pushed it away with my thoughts. “I enjoy speaking the old-fashioned way,” I whispered, not wanting to reveal more.

  “Me too.”

  “It’s going to take some getting used to… this Connective concept. I don’t want to share everything—I prefer some mystery. No one wants to know everything about someone else. Of course, it does make you realize everyone else is the same as you on the inside. We all have the same insecurities and desires. In that way, it’s comforting,” I mused with my eyes down, looking at my hand in his. Then I looked up into Roman’s eyes.

  “You don’t have to share everything if you don’t want to,” he said.

  “How is it you shared your memories with me? I thought you couldn’t transmit.”

  “I have my secrets.”

  “I bet that comes in handy.”

  “It does. No one else knows. I expect your discretion.”

  Oh, so I get to keep a secret of Roman’s. “Of course,” I agreed. “Roman…” I hesitated, finding my words. “I get you.”

  He paused, soaking it in. “I get you, too.”

  I looked at him, his scars, now knowing the pain behind them. With a simple touch, I could know the entire story behind each injury. Details would come through as though I’d lived it myself. I could speed it up, or slow it down to focus on certain events or feelings.

  Gingerly, I touched the ragged mark running down the left side of his face.

  “Don’t get too lost. They’re not happy memories.” His eyes emanated a deep sadness.

  “I’m masochistic.” I traced the scar, feeling its rough texture.

  “Learn to not go too far into anyone. You can lose yourself—it isn’t worth it.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “You stop when you feel yourself diving down into someone’s psyche. Put on the brakes, so to speak.” Roman lovingly kissed my palm, removing it from his scar, and replaced it gently back into my lap.

  “I’ll have to practice that.”

  “Do. It’ll save you from a lot of needlessly lost energy.”

  “Lily said you’d gone to Atlia.”

  Roman leaned back in the chair and stretched out his arms over his head. “I have to be there for a few months. I rotate between cities, training them.”

  “You weren’t… running from me?” My heart sped up afraid of his answer.

  “I’ve faced much scarier creatures than you.”

  I smiled as relief washed over me. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, for being so defensive, and taking out my stress on you. Will you come back to Poseidia once you’re done training?”

  He nodded, “I’m here now.”

  I sighed. “I missed you.”

  “Did you now?”

  “I did.”

  After a long and thoughtful pause he said, “She isn’t beautiful.”

  “What? Who?”

  “You showed me your memories, remember? She, the one with the red hair, she isn’t beautiful—she is a fake kind of woman. That’s not true beauty.”

  “David thought so.”

  “David has no honor,” the sincerity showed in his face. “And I assure you—you had no reason to be jealous. Men who idealize those kind of trampy, shallow women, well, are no one to waste your time with.”

  “I’m not jealous… anymore.”

  “Good.”

  Silently, I lay there, thinking he was much more perceptive than I realized. I still had a hard time wrapping my tiny brain around how long he has lived, and everything he’d been through—I’d be bitter too. “You’re from the Roman Empire?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. That was a lifetime ago.” Roman reclaimed my hand and kissed it. Long dark eyelashes tickled my palm as he rubbed it across his face. The texture and roughness of his scar lit up my electroreceptors as he turned my palm over and rubbed the back of my hand over his stubble.

  “It does matter… it matters to me.”

  “You only want to know my age. Do you have a problem with older men?”

  “Not at all. I was simply curious, and I wanted to know…” my thoughts trailed off not wanting to say what I was thinking.

  “If I’m going to die soon. Am I that old?”

  “Yeah,” I winced, afraid of his answer.

  “No one knows when they’re going to die. But, we do have advantages I utilize down here.”

  “Because you’re afraid…”

  “No, I didn’t say that. If I want to continue this life, I use the fountain and hibernate. Or… I could choose to die of old age, as humans do.”

  I felt a deep pang in my heart at the thought of him dying. “No.”

  “I’ll control it as long as I can.”

  After becoming so familiar with loss, I wasn’t reassured to learn of his vulnerability and eventual death. I couldn’t let him risk his own fragile life for something I’d done.

  “Where�
��s Lily?” My palms became sweaty as I tried to hide the beginnings of a plan to retrieve the knife myself.

  “She’s out in the main room, with Lucas, working on something.”

  “Can you get her for me?” I needed Roman out of here—he could read my thoughts quicker than anyone. Frantically, I put up a wall and pushed him out of my energy.

  “You don’t enjoy my company anymore?”

  Be honest and maybe he won’t probe my thoughts for more information. “It’s not that. She said after the integration I could get a key to the portals. I want one now.” If I can convince them to give me one, it would make this so much easier. Stay cool and block your thoughts.

  “So you can go find the knife without any backup?”

  Damn, he knows.

  “I wouldn’t do that. Only in case something happens with my baby,” I lied, gauging his reaction. Trembling from trying to shelter my intentions, I had no idea if I was successful.

  Roman didn’t reveal a thing. “We’re coming up with a plan to contain this situation. Right now, we all need to lay low and monitor it. He may have done nothing other than to sell the jewels.”

  “Please, will you get Lily? I’m a part of the Connective now. I need a key to the portals. And one of those predator deflectors she mentioned, in case I want to swim outside of the netted dome by myself. You, and everyone else, has one. If they want to trust me, they have to take chances on me.”

  Chapter 22

  Roman left. I hoped he would do what he promised and talk her into it. While I waited, I practiced erecting a protective wall. If I was going to successfully return, on my own, to recover the knife from David, I would have to be hyper-aware of my thoughts. Mentally, I played with images I thought might offer me some thought protection, but I couldn’t seem to keep a wall intact. Then an idea came to me—a mirrored bubble.

  Imagining a large bubble encircling my whole body, I painted the outside with a mirrored surface. My intention was anytime someone tried to cross a boundary, their own thoughts and energy would bounce back to them. To me, this seemed easier to keep in place than a boring old brick wall. A bubble fit my personality.

  Lily entered. “Roman said you’re requesting a procedure.”

  “A procedure? I… requested a key to the portals.” I strengthened the bubble.

  Lily was too good at knowing my thoughts, so I had to make sure I kept the visual intact. The idea of a light switch came to me, and I placed an imaginary one inside the bubble wall. Clearly, I saw on and off written, and I flipped the circuit decisively to on. Where were all these ideas coming from?

  “That’s what I mean. It requires an implant into your brain accessing your neural network. Are you up for that?” Lily came to the side of the bed and leaned over to feel my forehead.

  What? An implant? The moment I experienced a glimmer of fear, the bubble wavered but remained on. Focus. No negative emotions.

  “I don’t know,” I hesitated. Another procedure, can I do it? I have to if I want to set this right. “Yes, I’m up for it. In fact, I insist.”

  “Okay. You’ll need it to proceed with training, but use it with caution.” Bringing her hand down, she caressed my cheek and tilted her head, studying my face. She squinted her eyes suspiciously, but I smiled, trying to reassure her of innocent intentions.

  Don’t show her anything other than what she wants to see. Me, here—no thoughts of David.

  I soaked in the feeling of the Connective from her touch, closed my eyes, and took a deep, calming breath. “Oh, I will. And… a predator deterrent?” Displaying the saddest puppy dog eyes I could muster, I hoped to influence her decision.

  “A predator deterrent doesn’t require a procedure. It’s a small device carried around your arm.” She picked up my hand, indicating my wrist. The velvety texture of her hands was soft and reassuring.

  “Good, I’ll feel safer when I’m out being rehydrated.”

  She lectured, “I’d recommend staying in the safety of the netted dome.”

  “Recommendation noted,” I said, smiling. “Can we do the portal key thing today?”

  “If you wish. It doesn’t take long and there’s no recovery.”

  I vigorously nodded my head while biting my lips. To get her off topic then, I asked, “Have you been down to see my baby?”

  “Of course, your child is fine. I’ll get Lucas and we’ll get you prepped.” She left to find Lucas as Roman returned.

  “I have to go and meet with the security team. I’ll inform you of what they conclude,” Roman said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “And I hear you’ll be getting a portal key.”

  I checked to be sure my mirrored bubble was still intact. “Yes, I’m finally getting some status around here.”

  Roman intently studied my face. “You already had that, my dear.”

  “I don’t think so.” I gave him the biggest and cheesiest smile I could muster, trying to avert his attention from the change in my thought projection.

  “I’ll see you later,” he bent over and kissed my forehead.

  Grabbing him around the neck, I pulled him in close, and gave him a real kiss. “You’re not getting off that easy.”

  “I never do,” he mumbled, then left.

  The room seemed vacant and eerie without him and my anxiety grew. Before it got too late tonight, I wanted to get out of here and on David’s trail. Stay calm and centered—focus on the goal.

  Lucas returned with a long-needled syringe.

  “What is that?” I asked, cringing, as my heart sped up.

  “This syringe contains the tiny microchip for the portal key. I’ll insert it through your superior orbital surface and implant the device into your head. It should not be painful,” he explained.

  The size of the needle looked more appropriate for a horse, than my eye; it unnerved me.

  “It connects with the prefrontal cortex of your brain,” Lucas continued. “To use it you must have this on your ear.” He handed me a clip, resembling Roman’s.

  I enclosed it in my fist and grinned.

  “Touch it and it will activate the portal opening. To program the coordinates into your chip you need to know where you are going,” Lucas paused. “You either need to have been to the other side of the portal opening, or have the coordinates downloaded into your brain.”

  “So, I can go to the house in San Francisco?”

  “Yes, although not because of the chip, and I do not advise going alone. When you went with Roman, you did not have the chip, so that location is not currently stored. However, as a fail-safe, all portals when activated, if lacking direction, go back to the last requested destination. The more places you go, the more coordinates will be stored on your microchip, and the more locations you will be able to visit.” He took out a small bottle and inserted the syringe.

  “I’m confused,” I admitted.

  “Give it time. It is not as complicated as I made it sound.” Slowly, he pulled the handle on the syringe back, filling it with some kind of fluid.

  I swallowed hard, eyeing the long needle. “Well, then after I have been lots of places, how do I tell it where I want to go?” My voice quivered, betraying the shakiness I felt.

  “You will see once it is in. When you go to use it, touch the clip,” he pointed down, indicating the small bit of metal in my hand. “A list will appear that only you will see, and you can control selection with your thoughts.”

  “I didn’t know it was such high tech,” I said, scared now to have a microchip put into my head.

  “Lie still, I’ll get this in, and we can talk some more if you have further questions.” Walking to the side of the bed armed with the long needle, he held it up and expelled excess air.

  “Okay.” I closed my eyes, trembling.

  Lucas put his hands on my face and I felt the needle go behind my eyeball. Before I could gasp or cry out he said, “All done.”

  “That’s it?” I blinked, surprised.

  “Yes.”

 
; “The integration hurt worse.”

  “There is nothing to it. Do not lose the clip, because it is specifically programmed for the chip I put in your brain. Keep it somewhere safe, and when you want to use it, attach it here.” He slipped it on the top of my ear lobe for me. It felt no different than wearing an earring.

  “What happens if I lose it?”

  “In the event of an emergency, I can program a new one for you—I only prefer you not make a habit out of it.”

  “I understand. I will be careful.”

  “If you notice anything unusual, please let me know. Any more questions?”

  “I’m sure I’ll think of some, but right now, no,” I said, anxious to implement my plan. “Thank you, Lucas.”

  “You are most welcome.”

  “Can I go back to my quarters now? I’m feeling much better.” I glanced at the door, making sure Roman hadn’t returned.

  Lucas checked my vitals, and unhooked me from the IV. “You are free to go—your fever is gone. If any symptoms come back, let me know.”

  “I thought no one got sick around here,” I joked.

  “You were dehydrated, not filled with disease,” he replied with a super-serious tone.

  “Well, I feel much better. I want to get back to my own bed, take a bath, relax, and get some rest,” I lied.

  “Give yourself time to adjust, and avoid anything risky. I have to get back to work.”

  As soon as he left the room, I tiptoed to the door. I needed to get out of here before anyone came back. Now, I could track down the knife. Thoughts of visiting my baby fleetingly went through my mind, but Lily would quickly find me and make leaving more difficult. Fearing I wouldn’t have another chance, I sprinted back to my quarters, regaining my strength with every step.

  This mess is my fault—I can’t let anyone else risk their life. Time to own up for my mistakes and set things right.

  I need a solid plan to get the knife back. Finding my locket wasn’t important, but if I came across it, I’d be thrilled.

  Remember—keep the mirror bubble on. Focus.

  I hated having to hide, but I didn’t want Lily to worry and send Roman on a rescue mission again. I wanted to do this by myself.