Prometheus, A New Dawn

by Nicole MacDonald

  ‘Okay?’

  He turned to meet Ally’s eyes and gave a half smile. ‘Just,’ he sucked a breath in and let it out slow. ‘Just letting it go.’

  She nodded sympathetically. ‘Be nice to get home.’

  ‘Very nice.’

  They finished in silence. Eoin wrapped the dense sheet around his waist twice, tucking the ends in then watched as Ally, naked and gleaming, carefully crisscrossed her sheet, tying the ends behind her neck, beneath the mass of dripping curls.

  The sight quite took his breath away, body stirring and stiffening at the simple yet intensely erotic performance.

  Lowering those long tan arms from her neck, she looked up, violet eyes widening for a moment before slanting. A slow seductive smile teased across her lips as she walked toward him with the gait of a prowling lioness.

  ‘Love,’ she said in a throaty whisper, her hand catching his cheek, pulling his mouth to hers. The deep kiss caused an inner pull that ended in a groan when her hand tugged away the sheet at his waist, fondling then cupping him firmly. He felt the smile on her lips, her tongue teasing his before she pulled away with a gasp of a laugh and released her grasp, her hand finding his, fingers entwining.

  ‘Come, let me show you our base camp,’ she said, eyes twinkling as her other hand tugged the knot beneath her hair loose, letting the sheet drape over her arm. Eoin paused to drag his gaze up and down that firm, taut figure and lifted his eyes to hers, watching when her gaze dropped to his waist.

  ‘Lead the way,’ he said, voice husky with need.

  She grinned cheekily at him and dropped his hand, darting ahead. Watching her bound away, breasts and buttocks seared to his mind, he followed with speed.

  When they woke the next morning, tangled in the sheets and each other’s arms, Eoin kissed his way down his wife’s forehead to her mouth.

  ‘Good morning, wife.’

  ‘Good morning, husband,’ she said with a grin. ‘Breakfast?’

  It didn’t take much to reorganize the vehicle from a sleeping space to its normal seating arrangement. The seats slid back into sitting position from the flat bed position with the release of a clip. After a quick dip to refresh themselves, they sat near the vehicle and ate the bars Ally had found in a kit in the back.

  ‘Not very tasty,’ she commented between mouthfuls. Eoin nodded in agreement, taking another sip of the water they’d collected to try and wash the tough, dry mouthful down.

  ‘Filling at least,’ he said before a piece caught in his throat, leaving him hacking away. It took a few more sips of water to get rid of it. ‘Bleagh,’ he said while she laughed. ‘I can’t wait to get home!’

  By the end of the day his clothes, spread across the back of the seats, had dried enough to wear. It was a relief when the vehicle lowered itself from the sky, settling in rolling plains beside another water source, this time a wide and deep river, flowing a dark blue when they’d first spotted it above. Ally was out in a flash, calmer at the flying but much happier with her feet on the ground.

  ‘I don’t like the lack of cover,’ she grumbled to Eoin as he followed her out. ‘Feels too exposed.’

  Eoin nodded in agreement then motioned around them. ‘Not much option wise though.’

  Ally gave a scowl of a nod and disappeared around the back of the vehicle with the oil can. Eoin climbed back into the seats and pulled his clothes off the seats, removing the sheet before wriggling his pants on, the fabric stiff from the hard washing.

  An appreciative whistle made him jerk around, flushing as Ally laughed at him.

  ‘Gotcha!’

  He grinned sheepishly.

  They were both pleased to set off the next morning, the sunrise streaking pale across the flat planes of grass. The hum didn’t seem as loud this morning though Eoin wasn’t sure if that were due to him getting used to it, or due to the oil making a noticeable difference. Ally sat tense at the initial lift off and rise, not relaxing until they reached the desired height according to the vehicle’s measuring equipment. Lower than the last two days, due to a strong head wind. Eoin read the details on the dash then sat back, watching the land pass by beneath them.

  Other than the occasional moment of stomach dropping turbulence, this made for a leisurely method of travel. Ally sat with her legs tucked to the side resting against him while he stretched his arm across the back of the seat behind her. Being able to watch the spread of land from this height felt bizarre, like the huge old maps kept by the Council had come to life beneath them. Today’s view got even more interesting as the vehicle, with deference to its various measuring devices, chose to take them across the ocean, toward the land of Eden.

  They both sat high, looking down at the last of the vanishing cliffs of the Nomadic coast and ahead to the long stretch of blue. At the very far edge there was the faint smudge of dark land.

  ‘Wow,’ Ally said quietly after they’d watched the deepening shades of blue touched with the occasional flicker of whitecaps. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much blue before.’

  ‘Neither,’ Eoin said, leaning forward with her, both of them as close as possible to the plasoglass windscreen. ‘I always cross land, never oceans.’

  ‘Never?’ Ally asked. ‘Would you?’

  Eoin paused while watching below. In occasional stretches of clear you could see dark shapes. Perhaps just seaweed, but the oceans around Eden teemed with life, if the sales of fish were anything to go by.

  ‘I don’t know,’ he answered finally. ‘I find so much water, so deep… Unnerving.’

  Ally nodded, flicking him a glance with a smile before she returned to watching the view.

  By the time the stretch of land grew more pronounced, they’d spotted a pod of whales, creatures so large and strange Eoin had been ready to instruct the vehicle to fly lower, until a bout of rocky turbulence forced them both to strap in.

  The pockets of it hit again as they crossed over the sharp coastal cliffs into Eden. Ally sat in stiff silence, jaw tense and fists clenched. Eoin hung onto his harness and closed his eyes, breathing carefully, calming himself.

  A beep on the dash made them both twist.

  ‘APPROACHING VESSEL. REQUIRE INSTRUCTION. DO YOU WISH TO HAIL? DO YOU WISH TO BE UNSEEN?’

  ‘What?’ Ally wriggled out of her harness as Eoin unclasped his. ‘Where? Can you-’ she broke off in a gasp.

  Some distance from them, perhaps a hundred meters lower or less an airship ambled along, a plume of smoke rising from its chimney that stuck out the side of the sailing ship style gondola hanging beneath the bright red oval balloon, the heavy straps cutting troughs into the fabric that strained against the steam within. Wide arched wings and a rudder allowed it to steer in an indolent fashion. It looked like an odd hack-up of ancient contraptions, but was popular amongst the wealthy Edenites, as well as the signature vehicle of travelling troupes of entertainers.

  Also, occasionally, raiders.

  Eoin and Ally stared at it grimly as the dash voice repeated its request for instructions.

  ‘We wish to be unseen,’ Eoin half bellowed to be heard as the dash attempted to repeat its request yet again. ‘Unseen!’

  Seconds later a shimmering sound reverberated through the cabin. Ally looked at Eoin and in unison they sat down, strapping back in just as the vehicle lifted higher into the air. The increase in forward momentum as well as height pressed them firmly back in the seats. Eoin kept his eyes on the dash, watching the red flash that signaled the airship slowly vanish off the screen.

  ‘DO YOU WISH TO REMAIN UNSEEN?’

  ‘Yes. Show me the chosen landing zone.’

  Ally leaned forward to see when the map flicked up on the screen. Eoin frowned at the dot highlighted, it appeared downwind from Eden, which might look appropriate on a map but in reality left them exposed.

  ‘No, take us higher. On that peak there,’ he jabbed the dash, making a touch motion appear.

  The dash noted the changes.

  Neither of them s
poke as they drew nearer to the chosen base camp. Just being this close to the land of Eden, let alone the capital city, brought the memories of the other day up loud and clear.

  When the vehicle settled smoothly on their chosen position, high in the mountains that overlooked Eden, neither of them moved. Finally Ally said, ‘They were Edenites, the raiders?’

  Eoin nodded. ‘No one else uses that dialect.’

  Ally’s shoulders went up and down with a sigh. Unclasping her harness she opened the door and with a cautious look around, stepped out.

  Taking his time with his harness, knowing she’d take longer to do a perimeter check here, Eoin jolted in surprise when she called him out.

  ‘You’ve got to see this!’

  The tone of excitement confused him. Eoin hurriedly half crawled, half climbed over the chairs and stumbled out onto the rocky surface with its low gnarled trees.

  ‘What?’

  Ally stood a couple of meters away from the vehicle, grinning at him and shaking her head. ‘Come and see.’

  Stepping out, he started to turn back when she darted forward to grab his arm.

  ‘No! Don’t ruin it, come and see.’

  Fighting the urge to look over his shoulder, Eoin followed her. She stopped a short distance away then grinned at him. ‘Look!’

  Turning back, Eoin’s jaw dropped. He blinked. Then blinked again.

  The rocky ledge they’d landed on was empty.

  Shaking his head, mind disbelieving, Eoin looked up just as a cloud passed overhead. The shimmer gave it away.

  ‘Whoa!’

  ‘Isn’t it!’ Ally bounced on her toes beside him, hands to her mouth as she smiled in delight. ‘I think it’s mirrors, some kind of mirrors.’

  Nodding, Eoin moved back, arms outstretched as he felt for the vehicle. The closer he got the more there seemed the slightest of shimmer. Finally his fingers touched the smooth surface of the vehicle. The door slid open and the dash voice intoned, ‘CONTINUE UNSEEN?’

  ‘Yes,’ Eoin said with a disbelieving laugh before stepping back again to stare at it. With the open door it made his eyes and brain fight the illusion, almost making his vision seem to swim. He knew the vehicle was there, could see the open door and the seats inside, but the actual vehicle was almost impossible to pinpoint, making it look as though he stared straight off the rocky ledge.

  Even with the knowledge that they were close to invisible there on the mountain, neither of them slept well. It felt a painfully long night as they tossed and turned and sighed, waiting for dawn. When the sun eventually rose both of them were bleary eyed.

  ‘Home today,’ Eoin said while giving Ally a hug. She just sighed, arms tight around his back. They settled into their seats, the vehicle’s hum increasing higher and higher till it launched off the mountain side. It gave Eoin a shock this morning, that unpleasant lurch forward off into open air, and for a moment his head spun. Shaking his head with a mutter, he settled back in his seat. Ally nodded in pale faced sympathy.

  ‘Enough of flying?’ he asked her wryly.

  ‘Enough of everything for a while,’ she said. ‘I want to get home and do nothing.’

  ‘Except build the earthship,’ he said with a half-smile, surprised when all it brought was a grunt in response. He reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. Ally forced a smile before her face sagged with tiredness.

  ‘Sorry, love. I’m just over it all right now.’

  But she tucked her hand in his.

  Silently they watched as the city passed beneath, too high to make out much except the occasionally impressive structure. When the city had been rebuilt after the Epidemic, the humans, and at the time Prometheans, had aimed to use as much of the old city of Rome as they could save. The encroaching ocean had taken much, the new capital city of Eden almost fifty kilometers further inland than the last. So what they couldn’t save they recreated with salvaged materials from other structures. Having seeing images of the original Rome, it was fascinating to see the re-creation, with bits of steel, ancient glass, stone, and wood in the familiar shapes.

  They both relaxed when the buildings grew sparser, until only the occasional farm structures appeared then nothing, the land climbing and climbing until they soared over the sheer rocky Alps. Ally finally perked up as they passed over the peaks, crossing into the land once known as Switzerland.

  ‘Look! Look! I think I see it.’ Ally bounced in her seat.

  Eoin nodded, a wide smile spreading just as the dash began to flash.

  ‘FINAL DESTINATION APPROACHING. PREPARE FOR LANDING.’

  The dense forest of their town, Winterthur, came clearer into view. Dotted amongst the trees were some visible buildings, others you had to know what to look for, peeks of windows from the earthships built into the side of the sloping hills that led down to the town center, where the vehicle was slowly lining up to land.

  The town center had a wide open grassy area kept clear of any objects. It was the outdoor area used in the dry periods for meetings, entertainment, training, and all manner of things. Now it was rapidly crowding with people. The hum of the vehicle increased while it lowered and lowered.

  Ally’s hand gripped his tight as the vehicle made its final set down, amongst the open mouthed crowd of Prometheans, and the few humans who lived with them.

  ‘Open, open!’ Ally almost shrieked in excitement while waving her hand at the door, missing the sensor the first two times. It finally slid open and she tumbled out onto the grass, Eoin right behind her.

  ‘Eoin!’

  ‘Ally!’

  ‘ALYSSA!’

  Ally’s father, dressed in his long gray council robe with vivid blue lining bounded over the grass to snatch his daughter up, as if she were six years old and not a respectable twenty six. Around Eoin the crowd of people laughed and pushed forward to hug him, hug Ally, and crowd close to examine the vehicle. The voices were loud, raucous with excitement and relief. Ally’s mother appeared, hugging Eoin first then her daughter, whom her husband had finally released.

  Trying to catch his breath, his face feeling like it might split from smiling so wide, Eoin staggered at the next enthusiastic embrace from a friend, making them both laugh.

  A frightened shriek rang out.

  ‘Ally!’

  Head spinning, Eoin twisted, stomach lurching as his vision began to blur and shift. Amongst the surging colors from the close crowded bodies, he spied the dark auburn hair of his wife, lying limp on the ground. Heart racing in fear, head spinning so he couldn’t make sense of his feet, Eoin slurred her name as he lurched forward, barely registering when his head bounced against the grassy earth.

  20 Quarantine

  ‘Hurry! HURRY! Get them to the infirm!’

  ‘What can it be?’

  ‘Get back! All of you!’

  Voices swam in and out of Eoin’s head, light and images too, like instant snapshots of moments that then blurred beyond recognition. His body seemed to float one moment then jolt away unpleasantly the next. His mind tried again and again to make his mouth say her name, but it wouldn’t work, he could barely even groan, tongue thick and awkward in his mouth.

  ‘She’s unconscious! Quick!’

  ‘Please stay calm, we don’t need you all here. Some space please.’

  Eoin clung to that calm, assured voice as the floating sensation continued then suddenly stopped. Eyes fluttering, he moaned when heat flushed his skin before a sudden a cooling weight touched his forehead. He sighed in relief.

  ‘Fevers, loss of consciousness, what could they have possibly picked up?’

  ‘I thought we were impervious to almost everything.’

  ‘Almost.’

  ‘We’d better quarantine them.’

  The voices vanished just as Eoin turned cold, body shivering teeth chattering. It made the swelling heat in his mind feel even worse.

  Time and space merged chaotically within his head. No longer did the voices creep in, instead blurring colors that surg
ed and throbbed, leaving him in a permanent state of nausea. Searing heat flooding the length of his body that seemed to float weightlessly until the aching cold crept along, turning his limbs to dead ice, leaving him gasping for breath.

  Everything stopped.

  Eoin opened his eyes.

  A gentle throbbing sound filled his ears as his eyes took in the timber ceiling above. It took a moment to realize the sound was rain, heavy rain on the roof. The smell in the air was fresh and clean and he turned his head toward it, spotting the propped open window.

  A sound caught his attention, head snapping around in a manner that wrenched his neck muscles, making his stomach lurch and eyes water. Mind spinning from the unexpected jolt of pain, he took a moment to register the figure on the bed parallel to his.

  ‘Ally!’

  Limbs stiff from disuse shocked and concerned him as Eoin struggled to sit up, then turn and lower himself to the floor. The cooling sensation the wood floor gave through the soles of his feet made him realize they’d passed into their rainy season. How long have we been out of it? Were we away that long? The thoughts troubled him as he reached his wife’s side.

  Flushed with fever, Ally moaned when he gently stroked her face. Eoin jerked his hand away, alarmed and horrified. What had he done?

  They found him crouched beside her bed, head resting on his hands as he watched her fitful sleep.

  At the soft sound of footfall Eoin lifted his head, turning to look dolefully over his shoulder.

  Ally’s father, Councilor Cato, stood watching him from the doorway.

  ‘It’s good to see you well, Eoin,’ Cato said, mouth passive but eyes alert as always. ‘What did you find on your travels?’ He walked to Ally’s bed and sat in the seat at the foot of it. Eoin stared at his wife’s face, mind considering the safe option to answer.