Treasure of the Abyss

by Tiffany Roberts

  Clearing her throat, Macy smiled and sat up. “Did you know they are ticklish?”

  “Ticklish? What is that?”

  She held out her hand. “Give me one of your tentacles.”

  He extended one and lowered it onto her waiting palm. It was heavier than she would’ve guessed. The suction cups moved against her skin, and she raised her gaze to his, arching a brow.

  His smile didn’t falter.

  “So, that’s how you’re going to play.” She turned his tentacle over into her other hand and curled her fingers around it firmly. Then she ran the tip of one finger along the underside in a long, light stroke.

  The tentacle’s muscles contracted, and it naturally recoiled from her touch. Jax flinched. His pupils narrowed as he looked at her. “That was a strange sensation. Not unpleasant, but…strong.”

  “Mhmm.” She repeated the motion, but this time, she didn’t let up, brushing her fingertip back and forth and wiggling her fingers against the sides of his suction cups.

  His tentacle writhed in her grasp, and she felt a shudder ran up its length and spread through his entire body. He tugged his limb out of her hold. Macy laughed, dropping her hands.

  Jax shook the end of his tentacle, as though the sensation lingered, and examined its underside. “What was that?”

  “I was tickling you. You’re ticklish. Haven’t you been tickled before?”

  “Kraken do not often come into such contact.” His expression was questioning, but not suspicious. “Are humans also ticklish?”

  “Most are.” Macy frowned. She couldn’t imagine a child growing up without such little tastes of affection, without experiencing something as simple as being tickled. Jax had said he was brought up by a group of males, who taught him to survive and hunt, but had he ever been held, ever been soothed?

  Had he ever laughed?

  She was jarred from her thoughts by Jax’s sudden movement; he pulled himself forward and wrapped a tentacle around her ankle. Macy yelped as he tugged her leg straight, lifting it slightly off the ground, and leaned over it.

  “Jax, what are you—”

  He lifted another tentacle and lightly ran its tip along her sole.

  Macy’s leg jerked, and she widened her eyes.

  The look of concentration on his face shifted into one of amusement.

  “Jax, don’t you—”

  Holding her leg fast, he brushed his tentacle over her foot a little more firmly, up and down, from heel to toe. Peals of laughter escaped her. She yanked her foot, but Jax wouldn’t relinquish it, wouldn’t cease his relentless tickling.

  “Jax! Stop!” she begged, thrashing on the ground.

  He stopped abruptly, though he didn’t release her leg. “Is tickling dangerous to humans?”

  Strands of hair hung in Macy’s face as she lay there, taking in great gulps of air. Her stomach ached from laughter. “Yes. And you just killed me.”

  Leaning over her, he brushed her hair back. The mirth he’d worn a moment before had been replaced by deep concern.

  Macy met his gaze, trying to appear solemn, but she couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “I’m fine. I just…need a moment to recover. Tickling can get to be…too much.”

  He frowned at her and straightened. Slowly, he ran his gaze down, over her body, settling it on her legs. Leaning back a little more, he tilted his head. His tentacle wound around her calf as it crept up her leg. A moment later, he settled a hand on her bare thigh.

  Macy’s breath hitched, and her heart fluttered.

  His eyes met hers as he slid his palm up her leg with tantalizing slowness. His fingers kneaded her flesh “This does not tickle?”

  Macy could only shake her head. All her focus was on that hand — on the warmth of his touch, the tiny pricks from his claws, and his firm, but gentle grip on her flesh. Heat pulsed in her belly and her sex clenched with need.

  Jax stilled his hand when it hit the hem of her dress. His tentacle brushed her inner thigh and halted, as well. “Your scent has changed. It is…sweeter.”

  A different heat flooded her. Macy sat up and broke out of his grasp. Unable to meet his gaze, she scooted back, putting some distance between them, and tugged her dress down over her thighs.

  How could something as innocent as tickling turn into…this? She’d been so mesmerized by his eyes, so enthralled by his touch, that she’d been tempted to part her thighs and allow him to explore her fully.

  Was there something wrong with her, to have spurned Camrin’s touch, but crave Jax’s? Even the thought of his tentacles caressing her made her shiver — not with repulsion, but with want.

  Jax didn’t pursue her. He eased down, his eyes never leaving her. He clenched and relaxed his jaw several times, as though he wanted to speak and didn’t know how to begin. Finally, he twisted his torso and fiddled with something behind him.

  Curious, Macy lifted her head and watched.

  When he turned toward her again, he held a black bundle in his hands. He took it in his tentacles and stretched them forward, placing the bundle on the ground before her.

  “I think these are what you spoke of, Macy.” His tentacles withdrew.

  She crawled forward, sat on her heels, and peeled the wet fabric back. Once each side lay flat, Macy recognized the item — it was the same sort of suit she’d seen in the museum. A second suit was folded up inside, tucked between two masks.

  Macy’s excitement overcame her discomfort, and she flashed Jax a wide smile. “You found two sets?”

  “I only brought two,” he said, “in case one does not work.”

  “That’s incredible!” She inspected the suits. They were in even better condition than the one from home, despite how old they had to be. “I can’t imagine what else might be down there.”

  “I could not tell you what most of it is.”

  Macy looked at him. “Do the…ghosts not tell you?”

  “Each of them speaks about something different, but it is always the same words,” he replied. “Sometimes, the Computer will give information, but we usually do not know the right things to say to make it speak freely.”

  “Was there no one around, in the beginning, who knew how to speak to it?”

  “The humans. Apart from them…I do not know.”

  Macy couldn’t imagine the wealth of information hidden away down there.

  Jax dipped his chin toward the suits. “Are those the right things?”

  “Yes. Thank you!”

  “And…you know how to make them function?”

  “Not…really.”

  “Aren’t they human technology?”

  “Yes, but I didn’t grow up using this stuff, either.” Macy leaned forward touched the white, circular attachment on the chest of the suit. It was the size of her palm and had no visible buttons or screen. She shifted her attention to the rectangular piece on the right wrist. There were small grooves running across it lengthwise; she traced them with her fingers.

  Macy and Jax both retreated as light erupted from the wrist piece. It flickered for an instant and coalesced into a glowing orb.

  “There is a ghost in the suit,” Jax whispered.

  Macy chuckled and shook her head. “A hologram.”

  “Hello!” The hologram pulsed with each syllable. “I am your system assistant and monitor, Sam. How may I be of service?”

  “Sam, tell me about the suit,” Macy said.

  “The Tureon Personal Diving System — or PDS — is the most advanced diving suit in use today, designed and manufactured by Tureon Industries, Incorporated! Through the use of innovative energy field technology, your PDS will automatically adjust to changes in pressure, temperature, and lighting in underwater environments, ensuring your safety and comfort at all times.”

  “It speaks like the other ghosts…using words with no meaning,” Jax’s pupils were narrowed in the light of the hologram.

  “They have meaning, Jax. Maybe not to us, but they do.”

  Setting the extra equipment
aside, she studied the suit spread on the ground. It was much smaller than the one on display in The Watch. This looked child-sized. “Sam, how does the PDS work?”

  “The PDS uses a patented Tureon Industries field generator — the circular piece on the chest — to create a thin but powerful energy field between the wearer’s skin and the inner layer of the suit. This field will automatically adjust to compensate for any pressure changes outside the suit up to depths of ten thousand meters. All force is absorbed by the field and dispersed harmlessly into the surrounding water. The dispersion can be used intuitively as a means of supplemental propulsion through the water. Temperature control will also adjust the field to keep the wearer’s body temperature regulated.

  “The PDS integrates fully with the included oxygenator mask. The mask filters oxygen from the surrounding water, providing the wearer with a constant stream of fresh, breathable air. The mask is also equipped with a number of popular features, including advanced sensory systems, a headlamp, and an integrated HUD including temperature and depth gauges, a rangefinder, and GPS navigation. Your PDS allows full voice-activated operation of internal systems through the mask, and will automatically interface with all other PDS systems within range for underwater communication.”

  Macy picked up one of the masks. It was so lightweight, looked so simple, that she couldn’t imagine how it was anything more than a piece of glass. She ran her thumb along the edge and frowned. How was she even supposed to put it on, without any fasteners?

  With her other hand, she unfolded the other suit. It was the same size as the first. She turned it over and searched it, but she couldn’t find any buttons or seams in the fabric.

  Jax moved around the hologram and positioned himself behind Macy, watching over her shoulder.

  “Sam, does the PDS come in different sizes?”

  “No. The PDS is designed as a one-size-fits-all device for ages six and up.”

  She set the mask and spare suit down and picked up the first PDS. The hologram remained in place. “Sam, can you show me how to put it on?”

  “Sure!” The orb expanded and swirled, reshaping itself into a man — naked except for his underpants. His body was athletic and toned, his jaw squared, his teeth white and straight. The hologram’s eyes fell on Macy as he extended his hands and a PDS suit appeared in them. “Would you like to follow along through the process, or view a demonstration?”

  “Do the…holograms amongst your people respond to what you say, Macy?” Jax asked.

  “Yes, why?” Macy glanced over her shoulder.

  Jax was staring at the hologram with a scowl. “It seems unnatural.”

  “This is how technology used to be. Most of the holos in your home are probably recordings of real people.”

  “So, this was once a living human?”

  “Sam? I don’t know. Maybe.”

  Jax’s frown deepened.

  Sam didn’t move save for the occasional blink of his eyes, suit dutifully extended before him.

  “Should I put the suit on now?” Macy asked.

  “If you are ready to venture out of this place.”

  She was more than ready to see something other than stone walls, but she was also terrified of what awaited beyond them. Fear must’ve shown on her face, because Jax eased himself down to her eye level, placing a hand on her bicep.

  “I will not allow anything to happen to you, Macy.”

  She searched his eyes — his strange, beautiful eyes — and nodded. She believed him. Trusted him.

  “Sam, I would like to follow along.”

  “Great! Please remove all clothing before we proceed.”

  Jax’s grip on her arm tightened.

  “What?” Macy asked, eyes wide as the hologram’s underpants vanished.

  “Is that always…extruding like that?” Jax asked.

  Macy stared at the hologram’s genitals. “Um…” Her brows lowered as Jax’s words registered. “Extruding?”

  “Why are you staring like that, Macy?”

  Her face warmed, and she quickly looked away. “I…wasn’t expecting that. And if you mean, um…”

  “Does it always hang out?”

  Macy covered her eyes with a hand. She was supposed to be figuring out how to use the suit, not explaining human anatomy to Jax. “Yes.” She removed her hand and looked at him. “Where else would it be?”

  Without meaning to, she skimmed her gaze down Jax’s body. Why wouldn’t he be curious? Whatever his upper body looked like, his lower half was anything but human. Macy cleared her throat and stood up.

  Jax’s hand fell from her arm.

  She clenched the suit’s fabric. “Jax…could you turn around, please?”

  “Why? Is there something behind us?”

  Laughing, she shook her head. “No, I just need to undress.”

  “Why does that require me to turn around?”

  “Because…because I’ll be undressing.”

  “That means you will remove your clothing, does it not?”

  “Yes.” She lifted a hand, pointed her index finger down, and twirled it in a circle.

  Though his expression clearly indicated his confusion, Jax turned away. She waited a moment longer — to make sure he didn’t peek — before she faced the hologram and quickly removed her dress and undergarments.

  She felt exposed. She’d never been naked in the open before, and with Jax immediately behind her, able to turn around at any moment…

  It thrilled her.

  “Sam, I am ready to proceed.”

  “Please hold your PDS like so—” he held his by the shoulders in front of him and moved one hand to the circle on its chest “—and move your fingers counter-clockwise around the field generator unit.”

  When Macy did so, a seam opened down the back of the suit, running from the lower back up to the neck, where it split the hood in half.

  “Now, step into the legs and pull the PDS on. Don’t worry! It will stretch to accommodate your height and body shape.”

  Macy slipped one foot into the legging, followed by the other, and sure enough, the fabric stretched to cover the length of her legs. She tugged it up over her hips and slipped her arms through the sleeves, spreading and flexing her fingers to get the gloves on snugly.

  “Once you have it on comfortably, move your fingers clockwise around the field generator unit, like so.”

  Raising a hand, Macy did as it said. She felt the suit close along her back, breaking her bare skin’s contact with the open air. The suit molded to her body, but she felt no discomfort; it fit perfectly.

  “Now that your suit is sealed, please reach behind your head and find the hood. You’ll need to have it up if you want your mask to properly seal and integrate with your PDS’s internal systems. If you have long, hair, you’ll want to pull it back out of the way for this part. Let me know when you are ready to proceed.”

  “You can turn back now, Jax,” Macy said, gathering her hair.

  Jax held his breath as he turned; it had been surprisingly difficult to keep from looking at her as she undressed. Kraken wore no clothing, and nakedness was simply a natural state. He could no more understand her aversion to it than understand his attraction to her. It shouldn’t have affected him at all, but the mystery of what lay beneath her clothes had only been strengthened by the hologram — if male humans were so different from kraken, what were female humans like?

  Macy was pulling her hair back. The suit — the pee dee ess — fit her perfectly. His blood heated at the sight; it had sculpted to her body, covering her curves with a thin layer of fabric, teasing him by barely hiding the secrets he’d yet to discover. It took no small amount of concentration to keep himself from extruding.

  Holding her hair in a bundle, she took hold of the excess fabric around her neck and pulled it over her head, covering her hair and ears completely. It was as close as she’d looked to a kraken in the time he’d known her.

  He didn’t care for it.

  Jax shif
ted his gaze to the hologram. It was now covered, as well, wearing a suit just like Macy’s. There was a bulge in the fabric between its legs.

  Macy didn’t have a bulge. He’d expected, after seeing the protruding shaft of a male human, that female humans would be similar — always out, always open — but Macy’s suit gave no hint of the unfurled petals of a female kraken.

  “Jax?”

  Jarred from his thoughts, he met her eyes. “Yes?”

  Macy was silent for a moment. “Um…nothing.”

  She turned back to the hologram. Jax couldn’t keep his gaze from dipping. The suit hugged the curves of her backside; the anatomy of her lower body was strange, but tantalizing.

  “Sam, I am ready to proceed,” Macy said.

  “Great! It’s time to get your mask on. Please place your hands on the sides of the mask and lift it toward your face. Remember, the bottom of the mask is the part with the small vents — that’s how you’ll receive your air! Make sure your fingers are away from the edges and move the mask into place around your face. Your PDS will do the rest!”

  Macy picked up one of the masks and held it between her hands, uncertainty creeping into her expression. “Okay. Here’s hoping it works…”

  She lifted the mask near her face, aligned it, and pulled it close.

  Jax clenched his teeth; the suit seemed to move — the fabric around her head shimmer, and the seam between the mask and hood vanished. Macy’s face was pale, her eyes wide.

  The hologram flickered and disappeared.

  Muscles tense, Jax moved closer, ready to tear the mask off Macy’s face, to rip the suit from her body.

  “Okay,” she repeated. Her voice was different, somehow. She sounded more like the ghosts.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  Macy’s eyes shifted to Jax. A soft light inside the mask illuminated her face.

  “I’m fine.” She offered him a large smile. “Just…surprised. It’s strange, but I think it’ll work.”

  She lifted her left arm and touched the white piece on her wrist. A small hologram appeared in the air over it, filled with shapes and symbols. The symbols moved when she touched them with her fingers; after a few swipes, the mask released with a quiet hiss of air. She took it in both hands.