Taken By The Shark

“I sure hope you laced that food good,” Chelsea told Jill then, and everyone laughed.

“Can we get on with the rest of this tour and worry about sleeping arrangements later?” Mark grumbled.

“Well, you did start it, sir,” Ross pointed out cheekily.

“So I did,” he agreed. “Come on, then. The sooner we get done, the sooner we can settle in. And I for one could use some more—sleep.”

The others giggled as they followed Mark down the hall. Soon they stepped into what looked like a small cafeteria with a kitchenette to one side. Just beyond this area was a transparent set of double doors that led into a huge greenhouse. Mark pointed it out.

“In addition to extracting oxygen out of the water itself, the greenhouse maintained in this facility is an excellent source of oxygen, and additionally serves to transmute carbon dioxide back into breathable air,” he explained. “These two actions combined, serve to produce all the required air we’ll need down here pretty much indefinitely. Also, to stay healthy and to generate power for the artificial sunlight as well as absorb some of it as well, each of you is required to spend one hour each day on cycles in that little alcove. The time can be split into three twenty minute increments if you desire.”

“Great,” said Don. “Any chance you’ve got weights and a bar somewhere too?”

“There’s a gym on the far side of the station,” said Mark. “I’m about to take you there through the greenhouse so you can see what’s grown.”

They passed through the greenhouse area, taking note of all the fruits and vegetables there, and coming away realizing they’d be getting a very well-balanced diet with plenty of variety. Especially when you considered the meals they had brought along as well.”

“This place is awesome,” Chelsea sighed as she took it all in.

“Leave it to you to love this part,” Nancy smirked. “I’m more curious about the microbes in the water itself than I am about the plants they go into. But to each their own, right?”

“Ah, here you guys are,” said Mark as they came into what appeared to be the stock room. “Guys, you remember these four from Team B, right? Dante, Tom, John, David. They’re mostly here to help with the daily running of the station and to help map out the ocean floor. Tom, here, is the exception. He’s the guy who’s been charged with the task of keeping us healthy. And from what I can tell, he’s one of the finest physicians NASA could spare.”

“Have you ever been in space, Tom?” Chelsea asked curiously.

“About three times,” he said. “But one of them was on the international station, where I stayed for six months. I would have loved to go straight back up, but they really needed somebody down here for a while, so here I am. I’ll probably go right back off the planet when this stint’s over, though.”

“Well, good luck with that, then,” she smiled.

“Thanks, little missy,” he grinned.

“Tom, Nancy here’s been trained in lab tech work as well as microbiology,” Mark said. “She should prove invaluable if the need should arise. Plus, the two of you will be sharing the medical bay to conduct your various experiments when you don’t have anyone to doctor. Your quarters are located directly beyond the main medical bay itself.”

“Nice to meet you, Tom,” said Nancy with a shy smile. They shook hands and Nancy stood there blushing quietly, making Chelsea think it was highly likely she thought the young doctor was pretty hot. She meant to tease her about it later on.

“You as well,” he said politely as he let her hand go.

“I’ll leave it up to the two of you which gets which room, and as we’ve nothing left to look at after this, you may as well remain here,” Mark continued. “I think you’ll find all of your gear just outside the rooms waiting for your decision.”

“Thanks, Mark,” they said in unison, then chuckled about it.

“Shall we?” Tom asked, offering Nancy an arm.

“Yes, of course,” she agreed.

Once they had dropped off those two, Mark left Dan and Dante in the quarters adjoining the kitchen and the greenhouse, since Dan was the cook and Dante was a hydroponics expert. Next, he dropped off Brian, John, and David by the quarters just below the two pods and the cargo bay area, since they’d be the ones out mapping the ocean floor frequently as well as assisting the scientists in collecting their specimens.

The four scientists had their own wing, and Mark put Chelsea in a room next to his. It was obvious that Angel and Erik seemed to have paired off, while Melissa would inevitably pair with Ross. Chelsea got the feeling that at least Angel and Erik might even pair off this very night, though it was a bit less certain if the other two would follow their example.

“Stop worrying so much about which of them are going to be getting it on tonight, sweetheart,” said Mark with a chuckle as he stepped through the joining door. “No matter if they do anything together tonight or not, I can guarantee you one berth with be a’rockin’.”

Chelsea smirked as she turned to look at him. “Oh, really? And you don’t think it would knock this whole building right off the foundations if your godly org*sm made the place shake too hard?”

“Hmm, I guess there’s only one way to find out,” he chuckled, and he picked her up and carried her off into his room without further ado.

They fell onto her bed and kissed each other with a passion that bordered on insanity. Gripping and feeling each other along the way, they managed to get rid of their clothes.

“You’re so beautiful, Chelsea,” Mark told her. “I’m the luckiest guy in existence.”

“I love you, Caerulus,” she told him, grinning at the use of his gifted name.