by Melissa Good
The feeling of shortness of breath intensified. Jess felt a sense of almost lightheaded confusion as her cheek was gently stroked and she had the sudden suspicion that if she was standing her knees would have buckled under her and she had to wonder seriously what the hell was going on.
Why was she feeling like this? Her stomach felt strange, and she reached up to cover Dev’s hand with her own as the memory of the nightmare rippled into shreds and released from her mind. It felt like getting a wash of seawater over her, and her body relaxed. “You’re a funny old thing, Devvie,” she finally said. “Just don’t be afraid to pick my ass up and toss me if I turn crazy on ya, okay?”
Dev smiled faintly. “Okay,” she said. “But you know, Jess, I really hope you get to see some happy pictures in your head sometime.”
The sincerity of the tone got down into Jess’s awareness and lightened her heart in a curious way. She got up and came closer, leaning forward and very gently kissing Dev on the lips. “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate that.”
She draped her arm over Dev. “I never want anything bad to happen to you if I can help it.” She added. “I...um...” She paused for a long moment. “That would make me nuts.”
“What’s a nut?” Dev asked, after a pause.
Jess pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know something? I don’t have a fucking clue what a nut is. But I know what that means is, I’d be very upset.”
It occurred to Dev that it wasn’t really regular to have a natural born feel that way about a bio alt. It made her feel strange, though in a good way. “You would?”
“Yeah.”
Maybe Jess really didn’t think of her as just a bio after all. She hoped that was true. With a smile, she went back to the controls, finding a course through the waves as the weather came down harder, the rain going sideways in front of the console window. “Wow.”
Jess leaned against her. “Show me how to run this thing,” she said. “One of us should get some rest. Least the damn weather will keep me distracted.”
“All right,” Dev said. “These are the engine controls.”
Jess rested her chin on Dev’s shoulder. “Hey, you know something, Dev?”
It was all Dev could do to keep the boat going forward, her hands clenching lightly on the throttles as she felt Jess’s cheek press against hers. “What?”
“Thanks for waking me up out of my nightmare, and for caring what happens to me.”
The soft echo of plaintive wistfulness in that voice went right through Dev. She felt at once happy and at the same time sad. “I think you’re my favorite person ever,” she said. “Even more than Doctor Dan. Thanks for making me feel real, like a person.”
“You are.”
Dev tasted salt on her lips as she licked them. “Am I?”
“Oh yes. There’s no going back for you now.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
IT TURNED OUT that driving the boat wasn’t that difficult at all. Jess sat in the control chair, glad of the restraints as they crashed through the waves in the darkness of pre dawn. Behind her, tucked in the hammock and wrapped in her new sharkskin jacket Dev was sleeping peacefully undisturbed by the motion.
Jess envied her. Her own eyes felt red and sore, her body achy and tired, wanting to join Dev in the hammock in a huddle of warm comfort. But instead, she dutifully scanned the darkness, and worked to keep them on course as they followed a track through open seas now with no land in sight.
They were in no man’s waters. Vast stretches of mostly dead ocean where the bottom was so far down, nothing they had left could plumb it. Far too deep for fishing, home to once again unknown life on this side of the mid Atlantic ridge. Left alone to repopulate after almost being fished to extinction.
Funny, how that was. Just before the change happened, they had come to a crisis point. The oceans had been raped to the extent that if the orbiting labs hadn’t been functional, a huge human die off had been looming.
Chaos! Politics! Jess faintly shook her head, remembering the texts she’d scanned in school. They had been heading for a meltdown right up until the planet itself had taken control, wiping out ninety percent of its problems in one long, horrific descent into death and starvation.
She remembered films of the time, watching as cities drowned and the flood waters rose and rose and rose, eventually washing clean to rock everything it touched.
Only the tough and the lucky had survived. Jess remembered, vaguely, her father saying that the harrowing had helped the species in some ways, but narrowed their biological choices to almost disaster in other ways. They had to be careful now, who bred with who, since they’d seen what happened when the genes got too close.
Humans adapted at an almost frightening rate. Far more and far faster than the other species left on the planet, that being the one true advantage they’d had. Already the families who farmed the seas for a few generations, down by the shoreline had developed webbing between their fingers and toes, and oily skins to protect them against the seawater they spent so much time in.
Jess herself had some of it. She regarded her hand, and stretched the fingers out, then curled them into a light fist. She’d grown up with the sea wind in her face, and her body in the water for as long as she could remember and now that she was here, in this seat, her hands on the controls there was some ancient familiarity about it that echoed softly inside her.
She took a sip of tea and shifted a little. Soon they would be crossing over into enemy territory and she sorted through her memory of radio codes, planning out the ones she’d need to use once they caught her on scan and contacted them.
Always a danger. Always the chance that some bored controller would decide to hunt them through the comp, and realize something wasn’t quite right about this incoming fisher with only two crew onboard.
If they got past that, to the fishery itself, they were home free.
A soft sound behind her made her turn her head, to see Dev stretching her body out and peering over the edge of the hammock at her. “Hey there.”
“Hello.” Dev rolled out of the hammock and stood up, keeping one hand on the edge of it to steady herself. “That was very nice.”
“The hammock?”
“Yes. It felt like our sleep pods in the crèche,” Dev said, coming over and peering out the window. She looked down at the nav console and raked the fingers of one hand through her hair. “It’s darker.”
“We’re almost to the edge of their waters.” Jess said. “Why don’t you grab a cup of something downstairs, then let me get out of this chair for a while.”
“Okay.” Dev put her jacket hood up and bumped the outer hatch open, disappearing into the howling wind and shutting the door behind her.
The blast of cold air made Jess sit up straight, driving out the sleepiness that had started to overtake her. She could see ice lining the outside of the boat in the dim phosphorescence from the rail lights and briefly she felt homesick for the citadel and the warm blast of her own shower.
Ah well. She flexed her hands and leaned forward, watching the spray come up over the deck. Suck it up, Jesslyn. You’re the one who told everyone how tough you were. Don’t blow your rep now.
DEV LOOKED AROUND the gathering area, rubbing her hands together in the chill air. She was waiting for some water to heat up to make tea, having found a big carafe that would hold more than enough for both her and Jess. She’d gone inside and used the sanitary unit, and retrieved her kit and used that as well. Now she felt reasonably awake, though her body was craving food and she was still chilled.
While she waited, she decided to explore a little, and almost hesitantly started opening cabinets and peering at what was inside. Mostly supplies, all clamped down. Plates and things to prepare food with, none of which held any programming charge for her.
One cabinet had odd belts and closed containers, and she studied one for a while, then realized that it must be for the people who worked the fishing things when they were outsid
e for a long time. Experimentally, she put one around her and studied the result in the piece of metal hammered to the wall nearby.
It was far too big for her, but she could see how useful it could be, having a cup to drink from that was sealed, and a container that could fit maybe a fish roll, or something like it. That way they could keep working outside and in fact it wasn’t that different from the kit she had for the carrier.
With a grunt, she took it off and put it back away, closing the cabinet after it. Then she went over to the warming unit and removed the water, pouring it carefully over the pile of shredded seaweed in the big carafe. The steam came up at once, and she blinked as it bathed her face with faintly spicy heat.
She really liked the seaweed tea. It was less pungent than the real tea she’d had, and didn’t have the sometimes bitter aftertaste. She glanced at the countertop while the tea steeped, cocking her head a little as she spotted a big, brown pot with a spoon sticking out of it.
Experimentally, she lifted the cover, and her nose twitched as she caught a sweet scent. She put the tip of her finger in the substance inside, and brought it back to her lips, cautiously tasting the gummy stuff on the tip of her tongue. “Oh.” She went back for a second try and sucked the end of her thumb that came back covered in it.
It tasted like the mead. She wondered if this could be honey. It reminded her of the mead. The pot seemed to have a place there, and she remembered Jess saying that the honey came from the other side. So that fit with the notion her partner had that these fisher people would go wherever they needed to sell their catch.
She nodded, then she picked up the spoon and scooped up some of the substance, bringing it over and letting it drizzle into the still steeping tea. After it all went inside, she stirred it, then she put the top on the carafe and the spoon back where it belonged, picking up the tea and heading back to the control center with it.
JESS PAUSED IN mid sip, turning around to look at Dev who was taking over the control station. “What’s in this?”
Dev smiled, as she tucked the comm bud from her scanner into her ear. “They have a big jar downstairs. I think it’s honey,” she said. “I thought you might like some in the tea. It tastes nice, doesn’t it?”
“Big jar?” Jess savored the sweetness. “Those bastards.”
“Well, if they could get it, why shouldn’t they?” Dev asked. “You got that bottle, right?” She put her own cup in the holder, examining the board and pausing, then moving a switch into a new position.
Jess came over and leaned her back against the console, hooking one arm around a bracing bar and crossing her ankles. “Yeah I guess me taking that as a prize of war and then being pissed off at these guys for buying it legit is pretty hypocritical, huh?”
Dev gave her a sideways glance, then went back to her controls. “It looks like we’re crossing into long range scan. I can see beams.”
Jess turned and looked at the readout. “Yep.” She sat down on the stool. “If they contact us, let me answer.”
Dev nodded, tuning in the scanner a little more tightly and watching the screen. She could see the sine waves of the enemy scanners and the pattern they were running, a comprehensive sweep that would surely, eventually, go over them. She studied the scan output and typed in a request.
Jess stood up and went over to the grub she’d scrounged earlier, sorting amongst it and putting together a meal for them. She braced against the wall as the boat lunged and rocked, and managed to make it back over to where the big chair was with everything clutched in her arms.
Waves were coming up. She peered out the window, checking the chrono. “Should get a little lighter in a bit,” Jess said as she handed over a packet of boiled fish. “Sounds like the weather’s going to crap again though.”
Dev pointed at the scanner. “That’s the same kind of line we were avoiding the other day isn’t it?”
Jess looked and exhaled. “Shit.”
“I don’t think it will affect the systems on this boat like it does the carrier,” Dev said, placidly. She unwrapped her portion of fish and took a bite of it, surprised at the firm texture, and tasty flavor. Outside, as if in counterpoint, a blast of lightning showed in the distance, outlining the peaking waves in silver precision.
Jess got up and circled around her, putting her hands on the back of the control chair and looking past Dev, then moving over to the navigation station and studying the map. “Storm could help us.”
“Keep them from seeing us you mean?” Dev noted the waves getting larger, and she brought the throttles down a little, easing into one of the larger ones.
“Uh huh. Fast learner.” Jess glanced over her shoulder and gave her a rakish grin. “I do like that about you, Devvie.’
Dev finished her fish and neatly folded the bit of dried seaweed it had been wrapped in and put it back in the package. She could, she supposed, eat the covering, but she’d found them to be dry and somewhat bitter, and not really appealing.
There was another package though. She opened that one, then took a step back, leaving it on the console. “Jess?”
“Huh?”
“What is this?”
Jess craned her neck to look. “Crab.”
Dev stared at the creature, a hard shelled animal the size of her hand. “Are we supposed to eat this?”
Jess snickered. “Yes. You wanna bet me you’ll like it?”
Dev eyed her with what could only be described as excessively polite skepticism. “Would you like it? I’m going to finish my seaweed.” She edged away from the crab and went back to her tea, sipping it and trying to ignore the mischievous grin she was getting from across the room.
“Nah, nah, none of that.” Jess left the map and came over, removing the big, heavy knife from its sheath and reversing it. With a casual motion, she brought the hilt down on the crab and cracked it, then picked it up and wrenched its legs off, putting them down and smacking them as well.
Bits of shell went everywhere, nearly nailing Dev, who ducked at the last minute as one piece sailed past her ear.
Jess ignored the chaos she was causing. She pulled apart the shell and removed a chunk of white substance from it and handed it over to Dev. “Try it.”
Dev regarded it for a moment, then she reached out and took the offering. It felt in her hand not that different from the fish, and she tentatively bit into it, extremely surprised at the rich taste. “Oh,” she said, in a surprised tone. “That is good.”
Jess took a piece for herself and popped it into her mouth. “Not too different from the shrimp at Quebec. Not as spicy though. These cost more creds than I have in the bank usually.”
“Really.”
“Really.” Jess took a leg and went back to the weather map. “Damn these guys live good.”
Dev investigated the shattered creature remains, pairing bits of the white flesh with her tea as she returned her concentration to the waves. “Jess?”
“Huh?”
“What’s a bet?”
“Ahhh. I’ll teach you all about that, my friend.” Jess chuckled. “But first, let’s find a way to drive through this mess and keep away from the bad guys. I don’t think we’ll stand up to a really decent scan.”
DEV FINALLY SAT back and took a breath, her entire body stiff and aching from the tension caused by having to navigate the boat through the storm. The rough weather had kept them hidden, but the boat had almost rolled several times, and Jess had gone below deck to make sure nothing was broken.
For now, the rain had stopped and the winds had died down, and she was beginning to see structures on comp coming up that she understood were the enemy’s. They were just wiremaps for now, but she set the scanner up to passive and turned up the volume on the old style radio, right now just issuing a soft, hissing static.
It seemed a moment of calm for them. The waves had settled, and the water had changed from a dark and angry black to a lighter color, her scanner confirming the depth decreasing as they continued on.
/> She heard the sound of boots on the stairs outside and glanced behind her as the hatch opened and Jess appeared, well wrapped and gloved. Jess swept the hood off her head and shook herself, rubbing her hands together as she crossed the deck.
“Looks good,” Jess said. “I can hear those fish swimming around in there too. How far are we from...ah.” She came to stand next to Dev, peering at the tracking map. “Nice. Good job.” She touched her finger on the screen, pointing out a block on the wiremap. “There it is.”
Dev stood by her chair and stretched her body out, pausing as she felt Jess’s hands on her. They brought a warmth, and as she felt Jess’s fingers kneading her back, a happy grin appeared on her face. “That really feels nice.”
“I know.” Jess smiled with her, moving her hands up Dev’s spine as she rested her hands on the console, feeling the knots under her fingers. “Remind me to teach you this when we get back so you can return the favor.”
“Absolutely,” Dev said. “That seat is not really comfortable for a long time. Not like the carrier.” She straightened and turned as Jess finished, looking up at her with a grateful expression. “Thank you.”
Jess let her wrists rest on Dev’s shoulders and met those eyes, letting herself get a little lost in that gentle regard.
Dev waited for a moment, then she cocked her head slightly. “Jess?”
“Yes?” Jess kept looking into her eyes, her face shifting to a mild introspection.
“Do we have to do something?”
“I’m sure we do.”
Dev rested her hand on Jess’s hip and in the next breath they were moving together, and kissing. Jess cupped her cheek and she wished that Jess didn’t have her heavy jacket on as an intense craving erupted inside her.
It seemed crazy. They were in the middle of a mission.
Jess backed off a little, just enough to look at her. “Know something?” she said. “You’re the first person who’s made me want to forget about my job. Why is that, Devvie?”
