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And when it was all over, they stood there with legal documents in front of them, and Athena only looked at them.
“I don’t know my last name,” she said.
“Yes, you do,” Cameron said. “You’re Athena McKenzie.”
And it took her breath away. Because he had not only given her this. He was not only protecting her. He was showing her to the world, making her real. And he had given her a name. She knew, right in that moment, that whatever happened between the two of them, whether they parted ways after this, and she never saw him again, she would keep that name. She would.
And she signed the paper.
Athena McKenzie.
“We will have documents made for you eventually, in that name. It will make things easier for you.”
“Thank you. How...”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Money accomplishes many things. And it most certainly buys an identity if you’ve need of it.”
“Thank you, Cameron.”
When they finished, they walked back down the path together. There was no wedding party. There was nothing. Just the two of them.
And they were married now. Husband and wife. She felt it. Felt connected to him.
And she felt compelled then, by something, to reach out and put her hand on his forearm. “How is the bite wound?”
He stopped walking and looked at her. “It’s fine. I have been injured much more severely than that.”
“But you were injured protecting me. And I am very sorry. I’m sorry that I ran.”
“Ididyell at you.”
“Yes, you did,” she said. “But I didn’t have a plan. I had seen that vulnerable spot in the wall and I thought that I might exploit it to my own ends if I needed to. And then I... I didn’t give you a chance. You did tell me not to go there, and I did.”
“It’s true.”
“Why did you want to keep me away from there?”
“Because it is where I stay. It is mine. And I don’t allow anyone there.”
“Because...”
“Because there is nothing in there but old artifacts and memories. And none of it is worth showing to another person.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And I did not wish to encounter you until I was ready. I told you, I have not seen another person face-to-face for ten years. I knew that I needed to do it. I knew that. And now I have seen you and the priest. These are allnecessities.”
“Yes, because you must see people at the launch. And it’s important to you, isn’t it?”
“I have been perfecting this technology for ten years. People will be able to adapt it to their own homes. To their own needs. I am working on a system that can be intuitive enough for someone who uses sign language. For someone who needs an adaptive home. For someone who just wants convenience, certainly, but... I know and understand what can happen in life, to change the course of things for you. There are many ways that technology can improve the quality of life for anyone.”
“It has for you. It has allowed you to keep contact with the outside world in some ways, but keep separate from it.”
“Perhaps.”
“I think it has,” she said. “And you’re going to be telling investors about this?”
“Yes. And potential buyers. Big clients, who will buy these systems for resorts and large companies. For housing developments. I do not want the system to be prohibitively expensive, rather what I want is for people who have a need to be able to access it. And for those who perhaps want something that is simply frills, then that will be more reasonably priced. But, I feel that it is not so much to ask for those who want frills to pay more.”
