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“They spent a lot of gold on whatever MVP is, so no. I think they’ve just run out of resources.”
“Resources.” Right.
The numbers in the city are holding, even climbing a little each year. But so is the age of the average viro-born citizen. Those born in labs like Holter are taking over the numbers. Soon, in most domes, there will be more geminae than viro. Clearly, this floor has suffered from a change in population. Some domes don’t let geminae hold high-status jobs. I didn’t think the Braesen were like that, but then Braesen tend to blend into the background.
The three next floors are more of the same. Then the elevator opens, and Holter and I stand back in our now practiced way. He moves off first, hiding behind a large round canister. I position myself on the other side of the hallway opening. This floor has definitely had activity more recently. The lights click on as we move a few steps down the hall. The whooshing of the machines grows louder, and the dampness of the other levels has vanished. Both Holter and I freeze, waiting for anyone to notice the lights have flicked on.
“Let’s make it quick and get upstairs,” Holter says with his eyes.
I give him a quick nod back. We don’t need to be caught down here.
We round the corner. There are numerous workstations. And while I was able to loop the system in the elevator to make it look like no one had ever come down here, in good Dorian fashion, I’m sure they have additional security. Holter and I casually make our way around the lab, not stopping. Hopefully, to the CTR viewers, it looks like we are doing something we’re supposed to. Domes are big enough that while it feels like everyone knows everyone, that’s not the case. There’s nothing to say that the two of us aren’t Braesen scientists. And if I stand in front of Holter, hopefully no one will notice he’s the Hero of Hestertåtten. Because there are still a few people who haven’t read the articles about Holter.
Now, granted, everyone in the city knows about Nico. You’d have to be living under a coral reef to not know who he is. Another good reason we forced him to go straight to the sister’s apartment.
We pass by a lab bench. Test tubes spin in a centrifuge. Holter pauses while casually stopping to tie his shoe. He nods at me and we turn, going back to the elevator.
Years of missions have my heart beating at a near constant rate, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be glad when we have our whole pod back at Glyden. The only good thing about this mission is— Okay, two things. One, I don’t have to kill anyone, and two, it’s keeping me from worrying about my sister.
Holter hits the button for the lobby. I furrow my brow at him. The sisters live on the twenty-seventh floor of the dome.
“I’ve got a stomachache.” He has his block out. “Go get them as fast as reasonable without drawing attention.”
“All right.” I open my eyes wide in a plea for information.
“Later. Just don’t let them stay there. I’m calling in some favors. This can’t wait.”
“Okay.” I watch as the door closes. Holter doesn’t have a stomachache. I nod and push the button for the sisters’ floor. It opens with a ding. It’s far from a penthouse. Twelve doors circle the elevator. I find theirs and give a firm knock.
A blonde with a tight set of braids answers the door. “I’m Elandra; that’s my sister Liora. You must be Eros. “Where’s Holter?” She looks into the hallway.
“He must have had some bad shrimp at breakfast. He headed back to the omada.” I glance around the apartment. It’s nice but not overly so. It lacks the warmth and coziness that Sunshine has made in our apartment in barely any time at all. The table’s spread with takeout. “But I’m starving.”
“Eros.” Sunshine takes my arm.
“Do you think I could have a picture with you and the trident? With Annabelle, of course, and Eros too,” Liora asks.
Nico frowns. “Sure.”
“Here, I’ll take it,” I offer.
Elandra hands me her block. And I take the three thousand photos that Marina would want. My toenails cut into my shoes. I have to pretend nothing is wrong. Nothing may be wrong. Well, with Marina. There’s something fishy going on downstairs, that’s for sure. And the fact that people haven’t discovered what’s going on in the cavern beneath the dome or even know about it widely is beyond me.
“I got some good ones.” A bold-faced lie. Nico’s face is twisted up, and I’m guessing he’d rather fight another giant eel than be in the sisters’ company any longer. I try to give the block back to Liora, but she’s too busy ushering us to the table to notice.
Nico looks like me and my brothers when we were little and forced to sit through a dinner my parents threw for dignitaries—bored and frustrated. But then, that’s his normal expression. Nico doesn’t stop his ugly mug frown when I stop pointing the block at him either.
What happens is a message comes through. “You’re so lucky to have Poseidon and his mates at your apartment,” I say as I hand the block back to Liora like I haven’t read her message.
But I must admit, I wonder if these two were plants brought into whatever was going on downstairs. Used to lure Sunshine to their dome. I’ve become an expert judge of character, or at least I’ve become good at picking up on bad acting. The sisters aren’t hiding anything.
I take Sunshine’s gloved hand. Neither of them have said anything about her wearing gloves. A lot of mermaids do, even though being fertile is considered a private thing, something you don’t have to share with others unless you want to.
But we need to get out of here, back to Holter. I give Sunshine a smile. Not a smirk, a smile. “Oh, you know I’m hungry too. Everything smells so delicious.”
Her eyebrow cocks and I nod. She gets it. Operation ‘eat and run’ has commenced.
The food smells okay. Delicious? No. Not when you’ve gotten used to eating Holter’s food. Not when you’re wondering what favors he’s calling in. Fuck. I want out of this apartment. But Holter wouldn’t have said as fast as reasonable if he thought Sunshine was in danger. Nico inhales his food. He doesn’t care what etiquette is. Hell, if Holter had given him the message, we would never have eaten here.
