Essentially Human by Maureen O. Betita Read Free Book Online Page B

acquired but didn’t fully understand and encouraged our exploration of the ocean. He provided updated charts of the shipping routes and warned us when large military exercises took place. In return, our scientists took on projects for him. This relationship appeared equitable to us.”
    T’talin recited the history with enough detail that Sam could follow without needing a specific timeline. Ria chimed in now and then with her estimate of the actual dates.
    “In 2020, the old man died,” she added.
    “Yes, and his son took over. Then the open flow of information grew one-sided. As I trained as ship’s commander, I found myself questioning our loyalty to the family. His son requested we explore the ruins of the Titanic and retrieve a steel container for him. We did so. The next time he didn’t request, he ordered and I resisted. The commander at the time, L’andgs, didn’t offer any protest. But the item he wanted couldn’t be found.”
    “What ship did he want you to desecrate this time?”
    “A submarine.”
    “A Chinese submarine,” Ria explained. “He can show you the name. I don’t read Chinese.”
    “What year?”
    “2027, approximately.”
    He considered what he could recall of naval disasters and it came to him. The Red Queen . That bastard wanted them to raid the wreck which contained the biological weapon stolen from the labs in Beijing. No one knew exactly what it did. The Chinese never offered details but provided proof of the serious nature of the threat by destroying the facility itself to stop the contagion. A joint effort of six countries pursued the Red Queen and sank them.
    Sam didn’t have the security clearance to see the evidence, but he’d seen the face of his uncle after the briefing. A man who seldom revealed anything, he’d looked green at how close the world came to catastrophe.
    “You couldn’t find what he wanted?” He turned his attention back to the conversation.
    “Nothing large remained of the craft. The pressure at that depth left nothing.”
    T’talin seemed pleased to report that. That counted in his favor to Sam’s evaluation.
    They took a seat and Ria asked if Sam would like something different than the cereal. “I can’t guarantee what is available. They make adjustments for my taste, but we may not share similar favorites.”
    “What do you like other than the cereal?” Monty raised an eyebrow.
    A smaller Aleena brought a bowl of flat discs and set it in front of T’talin.
    “There is something that resembles pizza in flavor. And friend chicken.” She suggested. “Or eggs and bacon.”
    His stomach growled at that last offering. “Yeah, that sounds good. Eggs and bacon.”
    The smaller Aleena nodded and slipped away.
    Sam examined the bowl T’talin ate from. “What is that?”
    “Ria tried it once and thought it tasted like something called burnt rubber. Would you like some?”
    “I don’t think so. But thank you. When the current Hammer took over as your contact, what did he ask and offer?”
    “He offered very little. Unlike his father or grandfather, he discouraged our salvaging from sunken vessels, saying the ocean grew too crowded and we’d be discovered. But by then we’d ascertained how your systems worked and had no fear of discovery.  I didn’t share that with him.”
    “What did you share with him?”
    T’talin looked at Sam’s hand, lying flat on the table. His hand mirrored Sam’s, and slowly the color changed and the lines firmed up. The Aleena’s voice grew soft. “We worked on chemical compounds, medicines for example. We also shared propulsion techniques and fuel alternatives.”
    A bowl appeared near Sam’s hand as Ria rejoined them. “They solved the oil crisis. Told Hammer how to power the grid using sea water. And came up with a new solar cell that even I understand.”
    Sam looked up at her. The first smile he’d seen on her face, though small, proved a pleasant change. He hated to ruin it.

4
    Ria closed her eyes