Taken By The Shark

Chapter 9

They walked through the halls until they reached an air-lock and used it to step through into a small chamber. Mark said, “I know you and I don’t require the gradual pressure change in reality, but the station requires it before we open the inner hatch, so that means we’ve got about five minutes in this cramped little space. What do you suppose we could find to do for five minutes in a place like this?”

“Let’s play pinochle,” she smirked. Then she brushed her knuckles along his crotch right where he knew his pe*is happened to be.

“Go Fish,” he laughed, grabbing her crotch in turn.

“War!” they shouted together as they each tickled the other all over their bodies, giggling like little kids.

“Solitaire,” said Mark as he drew her body flush to his and gave her a kiss.

“That there is some crazy sh*t,” said Brian’s voice over the intercom, and they jumped apart from the shock of the unexpected words. Then Mark remembered the camera was on and he blushed, shrugging at Chelsea.

“That’s two, Caerulus,” she teased him.

“Well then, we’ll just have to see about making a third,” Mark grinned cheekily, then pressed her against the wall and gave her a very thorough kiss, laughing as he eventually placed one of his hands over the camera lens while he was at it. The sounds of Brian chuckling in the background counterpointed the whole thing and had Chelsea blushing as red as her hair.

“Okay, you two, the light is green and the team is waiting,” Brian finally said. “Now break it up before I broadcast this thing live via the camera you’re not covering.”

Chelsea gasped and looked around to see that there was another camera on the other side. “Oh! You—you—you cad! You bounder! Why, I oughta—”

The door slid open to the view of Mark being pommeled by his red-faced fiancé, a view now seen by practically everyone in residence. Ribald hilarity was now the color of the day.

*****

The team suited up in what amounted to mini-submersible suits you could walk around in. They were meant to be usable at as many as five thousand feet below the ocean surface, though nobody had been brave or insane enough to test that theory out. At this depth of three thousand feet, the sea was in total darkness except for the occasional glowing fish or plant. So the sight of Mark, Chelsea, Erik, Melissa, and Brian with their lights on must have been very strange to the regular inhabitants, to say the least.

Before they had built Oceanica Station, it had been unknown whether or not deep sea corals would even exist at this depth. However, while it was being built the construction workers discovered a huge bed of corals just east of the chosen site. Now Melissa would be the third coral specialist to see the sight with our own eyes.

This is beautiful, Chelsea typed into her communicator.   

Yes, it is, Mark agreed. When I first saw this place, even I was amazed by its beauty—and I’m supposed to be some kind of a ‘god’, right? I’ve seen so many things in my lifetime, but this place—it’s like magic even for me.

What do you mean, you’re some kind of a ‘god’? Brian asked.

Did I type that to you too? Sorry, I was talking to Chelsea.

Is it another game? Brian wanted to know. You just shared with the whole team.

Yeah, it’s another game, he lied. Don’t worry about it.

Chelsea knew that Mark couldn’t be pleased at such a slip up. He’d spent centuries keeping his true existence secret from almost everyone he’d ever known. And he couldn’t afford to have these people turn against him—against them—down here. He had to keep them safe and make sure they got back to the surface in one piece when the pods returned. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake like that.

The enjoyment of the excursion temporarily lost its allure for her after that, but in the end nobody acted any differently and she was able to relax. But later on when she met with Jill, she got an earful from her

“What was he thinking to broadcast something like that?” she grumbled. “I mean, I’m all for a bit of mayhem among the gifted, where nobody is being truly harmed, but these people are perishable. We cannot risk their lives down here.”

“Exactly, I feel the same way,” Chelsea said. “But I’m surprised to hear you say it. Everybody warned me you’re totally evil and to be careful around you just in case, despite your vows concerning me.”

“Don’t worry, most of that was just for show,” she said. “I just do it to mess with my brother. Ever since he became a king, he’s thought he should get everything on a silver platter. Somebody needs to take him down a peg or two.”

“Seriously?” Chelsea laughed.

“Don’t get me wrong, though, I am an evil sea witch,” she added. “I’m very, very naughty. But a vow is a vow, and besides, I’m kind of your great great great mega great grandma or something, so I don’t mind teaching you at all.”

“What do you do that’s so evil, anyway?”

“You really don’t want to know that,” she laughed. “Besides, telling you about it might be considered an attempt at corruption, and I’m not willing to take that risk. Now, you said you had something to show me? What was it?”

Chelsea turned into a thrush again, much to Jill’s delight.

“That’s wonderful!” she said. “I think you must be one of the best students I’ve had from among the human race. But that should be no surprise since you are a bit of an overachiever.”

Chelsea chirped loudly and turned back to her usual form. “That’s not true,” she grumbled. “Well, maybe a little true. Okay, fine, it’s true. But there’s nothing wrong with doing your best at something, right?”