CHAPTER 38
“BUT THEY’RE AN EXAMPLE of another sentient alien race,” Buchanan pointed out. “It could help with what’s coming.”
“How, exactly, would that help?” Jeff countered. “Look, I understand why everyone’s excited about this. Only there was a reason my people hid in plain sight for years on this planet. If we share that this race—this basically helpless race, particularly as compared to humans and A-Cs—is here, and has been here for longer than we have, then I know what will happen.”
“They’ll be hunted, dissected, captured, and killed into extinction.” Everyone looked at me and I shrugged. “Look, humanity isn’t the nicest form of sentience out there. It’s why everyone’s running to us right now—we’re vicious, even in our curiosity. Sure, we can show incredible kindness and care, but basically, Naked Apes are really effective at destroying. I agree with Jeff—these people need to be protected, and to do that, we have to go back to saying that they’re pretty sea slugs.”
“I agree,” White said. “Wholeheartedly, Jeffrey.”
Chuckie sighed. “I agree as well.” He eyed Buchanan. “And you agree, too, and so does Angela. It’s why you wanted Richard with us, just in case Jeff was vacillating, and ensured that the Secret Service and everyone else didn’t come with us.”
Buchanan grinned. “I hate being so transparent, even to one of the boss men. But yes. Angela feels the same as you do. She just wanted confirmation before we told Dew to warn the Mykali about humans and to stay far away from as many of us as they can.”
“Tell them that if we ever find their other people, we’ll let them know,” I said quickly. Once again, everyone looked at me. “Look, they’re still waiting for them to arrive. They may have been sent out first, but that means, to them, that they were saved first. They’ve tried to communicate with us because that’s what they were used to—talking to other sentient races. It’s got to be a weird form of loneliness, but still—imagine if you used to talk to all the animals on the planet and then you couldn’t. It’s a loss, and apparently it’s a loss that generations of Mykali still feel, because I sincerely doubt that they live for ten thousand years.”
“They do not,” Dew said. “Lifespans are short, between an Earth month and a year. But they all still remember their first home world.” She turned back to the Mykali and relayed what we’d just told her.
“Shared mind, shared memories,” Chuckie murmured. “Fascinating. And I completely agree with Jeff—there’s no way our scientists would let these people be. Kitty’s right—we’d destroy this race within one generation.”
Dew finished and several of the Mykali swam over to me. I was careful when I moved my hands toward them because I didn’t want to get stung.
But stinging didn’t happen. Five swam into each hand, making me really glad I had flippers on to help keep me upright in the water. Looked at them and listened. And realized I could understand them, in the same way I could understand the other animals.
They were thanking us for being kind, thanking me for understanding their loneliness, pledging their fealty to us, as they had so long ago to the others who’d sent them here to Earth to pave the way to save their home planet.
Wanted to hug them, but didn’t because I didn’t want to hurt them. Instead, I nodded. “I don’t know how and I don’t know when, but we’ll find out what happened to your original world and all the different people that were on it. And if there’s a way to safely reunite you with them, we’ll make it happen. I promise.”
The Mykali sent love and thanks thoughts to me and shared that if I ever wanted to find them, just go out far from shore and call to them and whoever was nearby would come to me.
“Thanks,” I said softly. “And if you need us, hopefully there will be some Turleens on the planet who will be able to share it with me.”
The Mykali started to disperse slowly, when suddenly they began to move swiftly, while shouting one word. Prince started barking at the same time, and he was barking the same thing as the Mykali were shouting.
Dew and I shared that word together. “Shark!”
Looked around fast. We’d floated rather far away from the boat, which so totally figured I didn’t even choose to comment on it. Didn’t see a fin in the water, which might or might not be a good thing. As the Turleens leapt out of the water and flew back onto the ship, decided that Algar had given the humans and A-Cs snorkeling equipment for a reason and looked underwater.
The water was clear and beautiful. Meaning I had a great view of the great white heading for us from below.
Fortunately, or not, depending, my reaction to a fight or flight situation appeared to always be fight. Unless it was a snake, in which case my reaction was Freeze In Terror. Reality said that a great white shark was a hell of a lot more dangerous to me than any snake in the world, but while it was hella scary to be looking at, I could see its trajectory, and the shark wasn’t aiming for me or the other swimmers.
It was aiming for the gigantic seal, aka Wruck, aka the only Ancient on this planet. Who also happened to be trying to help the Mykali get away, meaning he was a really fantastic meal on the flipper as far as the shark was concerned.
An arm went around my waist and I was practically flying through the water. Jeff had me up onto the deck in seconds, White had Chuckie up there in the same way, and Buchanan apparently used his Dr. Strange powers to move almost as fast as A-Cs could. Either that or Buchanan was as scared of sharks as Siler, who was indeed manning a gun. White, once he had Chuckie on board, hauled Buchanan the rest of the way up as well.
However, my Dr. Doolittle skills were running on high and I could feel the shark’s mind. It wasn’t as bright as the dogs or cats, but it wasn’t nearly as mindless as movies like Jaws would suggest. She wasn’t a vicious killer trying to eat an entire sentient race and an unlucky shapeshifter. She was just hungry. And I knew it was a she, just like I knew she was pregnant.
Knocked Siler away from the gun. “No, don’t shoot her! She’s preggers!” Then I dove back into the water.
Thankfully my parents had spent money on ensuring that I learned to swim and to dive and all that jazz. And I was enhanced and the water was great and while I wasn’t necessarily an Olympic-level swimmer, what I lacked in skill I was definitely making up for with speed.
The shark wasn’t racing toward Wruck and the Mykali, but she was going fast. Didn’t matter, I was revved and the skills were working at optimum. Got in between her and Wruck in record time.
“John, get out of here! The shark wants a Wruck Snack!”
Wasn’t able to really talk to her—how I’d picked up her thoughts I wasn’t sure, but it might have been how Jeff picked up emotions. The shark was really focused on the fact that she was going to get a fantastic meal, and that idea sort of radiated from her. So I wasn’t sure if I could tell her to stop in the same way I’d tell one of the animals who lived with me to cease and desist.
Of course, now that I was between her and the giant seal, the shark took notice of me, analyzed the situation, and decided that the thing in the water that was flapping around just like a scrawny seal might make a good appetizer.
Time to think of what they taught during Shark Week, which was a quick exercise for me since I’d never watched. However, I’d seen Tomb Raider II, and that meant it was time to channel my Inner Lara Croft. Balled up my fists together and hit the shark as hard as I could on her nose.
Amazing me in a very positive way, my punch pushed her backwards, shocked her, and made her shake her whole body. A-C super strength wasn’t as great as hyperspeed, but it surely had its moments.
She recovered, and came at me faster. Slammed my fists harder against her snout. Results were the same—shoved her backwards, shocked her, and made her shake.
Didn’t want to cause her a pregnancy issue, but knew I had to stall her because I had no idea how many guns were now aimed at this pregnant shark. Focused as hard as I could on the shark’s mind and tried to tell it to swim away because all this food was dangerous.
She came for me again, but at the last minute she sheared off and dove, getting away from me as fast as possible.
Was about to congratulate myself on now being Aquawoman, when I felt something watching me. Turned around to see a gigantic orca whale. Right behind me.
Always the way.