by Maira Dawn
Chapter Forty-two
Devon raced from one side of his secret lab to the other. He hated rushing, but Sierra's reception would start soon. He'd hardly been able to sit still during the ceremony. Of all the times for an experiment to show promise, it had to be the day of his niece's wedding. In the little bit of time between the ceremony and the reception, Devon hurried over here. He was glad he had.
Devon trembled as he leaned over his new microscope, one hand around the eyepiece. Unsure he saw correctly, he twisted the knob again. He gasped in appreciation. If only this equipment had been developed years ago.
He stared at it again. Devon's heart thundered. Would he finally, after all this time, get some answers?
"Vincent. Vincent, I need you to look at this now!" Devon shouted to his lab assistant.
Vince threw his hands up as he stepped out of a back room. He hadn't even finished the last errand for his demanding boss. "Vince," he mumbled to himself. "How many times do I need to tell you? Not Vincent. Vince Hartman.”
To Devon, he said, "Yeah, boss?"
Devon sighed before waving him over. "That's Dr. Shade to you."
Vince almost rolled his eyes at his boss' high handed manner. The man liked to treat him as an underling. Whatever. It wasn't like he planned on staying here long anyway.
Vince was on loan from the Natural History Museum, or what posed as the museum. He knew never to acknowledge that the building was anything other than a place for families to learn no matter how insane his assignments became. And they'd been getting crazier by the day.
A while ago, odd slides began appearing in the standard selection passing through his station every day. When he questioned his superior about them, she said to mark and notate them as he did all the others.
Okay, he'd said, he would do that. No probs.
When they came more frequently, Vince slyly asked some of his workmates if they had any in their assignments. A couple said they had complained to their supervisor about them as those particular slides did not fall under their job description.
Vince found that interesting. So they were testing their employees, he thought. Apparently, only he passed. He wondered what would come next.
If only he'd known, he would have been the first to complain. Maybe.
His curiosity had gotten him into trouble countless times as a kid. But it was also what pushed him to spend most of his twenties with the massive workload it took to become a geneticist. Vince didn't consider curiosity a drawback until the day he walked into his museum supervisor's lab and saw a man in a cage right beside the other research animals.
Up until that point, Vince thought the work he did was theoretical, but he'd been fooling himself. Now there was no denying what it was. They were experimenting on humans. Vince had stared at the patched up man. And the man began to beg him for help.
The museum supervisor looked at Vince in that condescending way she had, one eyebrow raised. Despite the horror he felt over his own decision, Vince knew his curiosity would take him to the next level of whatever this was. On top of that, it seemed his own hide may be in danger if he didn't keep quiet.
"Sorry, dude," He'd said to the caged man. The man turned away and hung his head, and Vince's heart fell.
"It's just one man," his supervisor said. "One man who can help all others." Then she gave the man an injection to calm him.
That became Vince's mantra. One man who can help all others. When things got rough for the guy, Vince would remind himself it's just one man. Until it wasn't. Until it was two and five and ten and he didn't count them anymore. Until it didn't bother his heart when he walked into a room and a new one was there. Until, instead, he was eager to learn what he could from each new one.
They came from the sea, these ocean people. From where exactly, Vince wasn't sure. But his supervisor said they were ‘harvested’ from a few areas. Vince winced at the word harvested until he remembered what he did to them was far worse than that.
In many ways, they were different from an average human. They were taller, more muscular, stronger, faster, unable to contract local diseases, including the common cold, didn’t get heart disease or cancer. They could subsist on only ten percent use of most of their organs. Not well, but they could do it. They could survive on almost no oxygen compared to humans. But even though they came from the water, they could drown. Vince knew all this because he was there as they sliced and diced them.
What Vince had learned was so amazing, so exciting he wanted to share it with everyone but could tell no one. Even his supervisor would only discuss ongoing projects. Vince had all this knowledge, all these secrets, bottled up inside him. They were bursting for release.
But every day he went home to the condo he shared with his brother, Nick, and held his tongue. That was the hardest part. There'd been a time when the two had shared their scientific exploits right down to the tiniest detail. But no longer. Vince was afraid if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. So, he said very, very little.
Vince thought his brother believed this separation of work and family was his own fault, but for a different reason. Back when they shared everything, Nick, a physicist, started talking theory as if it were fact. He spouted off about wormholes, cosmic strings, and time machines. Vince had belittled him no matter how often Nick insisted time travel would happen soon. By the end of those nights, they'd both been tipsy and argued out, sometimes angry, sometimes laughing. Vince loved those nights.
Now the brothers never discussed work, and Vince's guilty conscious made him wonder if Nick was hiding something too.
"Are you just going to stand there? Come over here and look at this." Devon's demanding voice brought Vince back to the present. He sighed. Now he was stuck working with this guy.
Devon stood in front of their electron microscope. The science on DNA was new and exploding. Devon had been anxious to get this microscope hoping it would have answers that he'd been searching for all these years.
He waited for the young man to inspect the specimen he prepared. On the outside, he appeared calm, but Vince knew, on the inside, he must be as taut as a piano wire.
Vince leaned over the small machine. Not finding the eyepiece to his liking, he adjusted it and leaned in again. He was quiet for a moment, then gasped. He straightened and looked unseeing at the wall in front of him. He returned to the microscope again.
When Vincent rose the third time, he turned to Devon. "Their DNA. It's..."
"I know. How?"
Vince shook his head. "You're asking me? You have a lot more years in this than I do.”
"I've no idea. I've never seen anything like this. It's not an adaptation. It doesn't seem to have occurred naturally." Devon pushed a hand through his hair, disturbing his hair.
"It's like it was shoved in there on purpose. Like someone took a human and made an ocean person out of, like, a lot of different DNA." Amazed, Vincent nearly sang the words. His eyes gleamed as the new findings tumbled through his mind.
"Well, not exactly shoved. We know these things have been around for generations. This was apparently done centuries ago and has been handed biologically from parent to child."
"But how? We're just messing around with this now. From what I understand, there are big celebrations because human DNA has been mixed with a pig. A pig! Nothing remotely like this." Vincent waved his hand at the microscope. "Something this sophisticated… This perfect… I barely have the words. Look at their perfection."
Devon reared back. "They're not perfect! It's just further proof they are abominations. Not natural."
“But isn't that what we're trying to do here?" Vincent was tired of the hatred Devon spewed at the Atlantians. He couldn't stop from rubbing it in. "You want to take their DNA to make us somehow better. Aren't we doing what they've already done? Wouldn't that make us abominations?"
Devon caught only one part of what Vincent said. "Have they done this? To themselves? Do they have that capability?" He walked over to the empty man
-sized cage and kicked it. "Just when I have the most important questions, I have no one to answer them!”
Forty-Three
The Reception
Chapter Forty-three
Ian grunted a sigh of relief as they pulled into the parking lot of the reception hall. Blake had been talking non-stop about the events of the day. While he needed to know what would happen at the celebration, Blake’s chatter was working on his already thin nerves.
The man prattled on like this was the happiest day of his own life. Ian parked the car and shook his head. What was he doing? How would this help anything? Ian shot a glance at Blake. He risked everything for a glimpse of her. He was a foolish, foolish man.
Ian and Blake stepped into the huge entry of the reception hall. A sign-in table with a book and pen, as well as a seating chart, were straight ahead of them beside the large decorative doors of the dining area. Large bouquets of flowers filled the space, some aligned next to darkened windows looking over the rest of the hall, including the tables and dance floor.
Ian left the line containing several families. He leaned up against the wall near the window giving him the best view of the area. Ian waved Blake on. “I can see you from here. Remember that.”
This earned him a few curious stares from other guests and a look of resignation from Blake. He scanned the area. Sonora was not there yet.
A young boy of about seven made his way over to Ian. He seemed hesitant at first but became bold enough to continue until he stood right next to Ian.
Ian smiled as the boy examined his own small foot next to his. Then he stepped back and looked all the up to Ian’s face. He studied Ian, looking up and down him several times.
“You’re tall,” the boy said.
“I am.” Ian chuckled at the boy’s serious examination.
“How did you get so tall?”
“I eat a lot.”
The boy stuck his hands into his dress pant pockets and nodded his head as if that is what he’d thought all along. Then he wandered back to his family. His father looked over at Ian. The two men smiled and nodded at each other.
Ian watched through the window as Blake slowly made his way to his own table, stopping at several others on the way for a chat. It didn’t surprise Ian. Blake had always been extremely social. His father had often called him ‘herring’ as a boy as those fish schooled in humongous groups.
There was a stir among the guests as they turned to a door he couldn’t see. A new song started, and the bride and groom entered the room, followed by the rest of the bridal party. The sight of Sunny filled Ian’s vision.
His eyes tracked her as she walked across the room to the table prepared for the wedding party. They stood behind their chairs for a few minutes as announcements and congratulations were given to the happy couple.
Sunny looked around the room, her brows slightly knitted. Ian’s heart sped up. Did she know he was here? Was she looking for him?
Ian reached out for her again, as he had at the wedding. She looked startled for a moment and examined the room again. After a moment, she lightly shook her head. Ian smiled.
The group sat and started eating. Ian’s stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten for a while either. With a bit of a frown, he realized he hadn’t thought this part through. He looked at Sunny and Blake, both happily munching on their dinner. Neither one of them were going anywhere.
Ian followed the aroma of food to the kitchen. A bit of flirting with a young server earned him a bowl of lobster bisque, a plate of roast beef and potatoes and even a glass of wine. While roast beef was something he rarely ate and didn’t really favor, Ian figured it might help keep him full past his usual two to three-hour eating schedule. With a wink and a nod of thanks to the server, he left before she asked for his number.
Back at his spot in the entryway, Ian saw Blake and Sonora on the dance floor. Blake had told him that there would be two dances for the wedding party and relatives, after that anyone could dance. When the second one was over, a young man moved to Sonora. He said something to her. She laughed and nodded. The man moved to take her into his arms.
Ian tried to stop his feet even as he moved through the doors dividing the entry from the rest of the hall. He cursed his own stupidity as people quickly moved aside for him as he strode down the aisle between table sections. Ian reminded himself Sunny didn’t want him until she looked up and trailed him with those large blue eyes. Then he melted. He would give up everything for only a moment with this woman. Centuries would be nothing to leave behind if he could have even a short human lifetime with her.
Forty-Four
May I?
Chapter forty-four
Sonora shivered as something like electricity sizzled through the air. She turned toward it, ignoring the arms her cousin held out to her. She bit her lip as she raised her eyes. Ian.
His last words to her slammed through her mind. "Go and never tell me where you are. Because if you do, I cannot stay away. I will come for you and drag you back here."
This was either her best dream or worst possible nightmare.
All other sound fell away except for Ian's steps striking the floor as he moved toward her. Sonora's vision narrowed to him, only him.
His determination became plainer with every step he took. Sonora's heart thumped, hard. Her gaze scraped over Ian, the length and breadth of him. He was such a man.
Ian stopped in front of Sunny, ignoring her cousin as he crowded him away. He locked eyes with her. Neither spoke. Their breathing aligned until dizziness caused Ian to hold his. Too much oxygen. Too much her.
He slowly reached out to run a hand over her golden hair. He watched for any objection, but Sunny allowed it. His fingers shook as he fought what he really wanted. To grab her up and race out of here, taking her back where she belonged— his home. But maybe there were other options.
With a smile, Ian leaned toward her and tenderly kissed her forehead. When he moved back, she smiled at him, her blue eyes bright. He couldn't rush this.
Ian's voice demanded, even as his eyes begged. "Tonight. I am asking for tonight."
Sonora's throat tightened, and she trembled. The thought flashed through her mind that this must be how Cinderella felt when faced with her prince.
Something was happening here. Something more than before. Maybe it was nothing, but perhaps…
She took Ian's hands. It seemed as though sparks arced between the two of them. The feeling was too strong to ignore now. "Til midnight."
Ian nodded. It was more than he had dreamed possible. If he had tonight, he wouldn't endure the agony of seeing her in another man's arms. That sight wouldn't haunt him for the centuries he would carry on without her. Ian held out his arms.
Sonora floated into them, laying hers on Ian's and enjoying the feel of him beneath her hands. His palm touched then held the small of her back as if a leaded weight. A smile turned up her lips.
She had been floundering like a fish out of water since she'd been back. Going through the motions, but even with her classes, nothing had seemed right. But this—this was right. It was the first time since leaving Atlantis she felt anchored. How could she ignore this?
Sonora looked down at Ian's feet realizing, at some point, they had danced across the floor, then back up at him with widened eyes. "Dancing? How do you know human dancing?"
"There are many things about me of which you are unaware."
Apparently, that was true. Well, Ian did have sixty years on her. Sonora tripped over Ian's foot, and they both laughed. "You're even better at it than I am."
Ian's chest warmed at Sunny's giggle. "I have missed your laugh, my heart."
Sonora winced. Ian frowned at her reaction. "Nothing has changed. You are still my heart, as you will always be."
"I'm sorry," she said, tears flooding her eyes. "It's just—it's been two years. Everything has changed." Sonora hung her head.
Ian tipped her face back up to him. "No, do not worry, not everything has
changed. But something has." The corner of his mouth lifted, and he leaned to whisper to her. "You know me now, Edinara."
She felt a tap at her senses that she somehow recognized as Ian. Confusion, then surprise filled Sonora. Those little flashes. "You were at the wedding?"
Ian's eyes brightened. "Yes."
"And here? Before I saw you?"
Ian pulled Sonora closer. "I reached out to you."
Sonora gasped and trembled with the feel of it as he gently sent his emotions to her again. "Oh, Ian!" Her hold on him tightened. It was as if he were her air when she hadn't known she was drowning. Sonora's feelings swirled as quickly as her thoughts. She understood now what she felt for this man. But there was still her home, her family. Leaving everything she'd ever known… It would be hard.
She lifted her troubled gaze to Ian's. And watched his dull.
He stared at her. "There is a war raging within you, Sunny. A bit of light has flooded my world. Because if there is a battle, perhaps there is some kind of hope for me."
"Ian.” Sonora lifted a hand to his face and covered his cheek. "Oh, Ian. We have tonight. And at the end, I think… we should talk about our future."
Ian brightened and raised an eyebrow. "Together?"
Sonora pulled his face to her and nodded. "Together."
Heedless of everyone around them, Ian grabbed Sonora up and twirled her. She threw her arms around his neck and giggled, truly happy for the first time since she'd left Atlantis. Her feet dangled over air as Ian lifted her face to his.
He halted in the middle of the dance floor, couples spinning around them. Ian’s heart thundered under the hand Sonora laid on his chest. He glanced at her mouth, then stared into her eyes. "My love, my heart," he breathed, “May I?"