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The children lit up with intrigue, with Cian leaping from the chair and Triat soon to follow.
“What is it, Dad? What is it?” they exclaimed, pulling at his arm.
Mia grinned down at them, enjoying the way Tharon was framing the latest expedition. The night before, after the sex that sent her across the galaxy, they lay next to each other and discussed what the next option would be to ensure Mia and the children’s protection.
“You have so much land here,” Mia had said, lying nude with Tharon's head on her chest. “Maybe if there was a way you could build a bunker of some kind?”
She wasn't sure if what she meant would be translated properly, but judging by the way Tharon nodded against her chest, he completely understood.
“There is an empty space here where I had planned to do such a thing in the past, but life got in the way.”
They decided together that the wording of what they referred to as a bunker would be far too bleak and cerebral for the children, so they agreed to sugarcoat it, at least a little. They’d think of it as a way to not only protect themselves but also to stimulate their minds in a different fashion.
Neither of the kids was stupid, but Tharon had said he wanted to avoid exposing them to the cruel coldness of war. It was a desire Mia could appreciate.
So, after breakfast, Mia took the children to where the bunker was being created. It was at an outcrop of land that Tharon owned, surrounded by trees that were the color of fresh candy apples. They used futuristic machines to dig a hole in the ground, with Mia holding the kid’s hands, watching them marvel at the wonders of technology.
Back on Earth, the construction of something like a bunker would take months. There would be permits to apply for, workers to hire, structures to be ordered, rules to be followed, and a lot of steps that Mia could only imagine would have to take place.
But she wasn't on Earth anymore. She was in the company of Tor’vians, and here, machines that glistened like gunmetal dug soil from the ground in less than five minutes. Here, permits were cast aside, and plumbing and electrical services were installed instantaneously.
Watching the Tor'vians work was akin to watching a magic show. Except from where she stood, the magic was real.
They finished the entire construction of the bunker in a day, but the design elements were left for the children and Mia. Tharon had military matters to deal with, so she spoke with the workers who installed a water supply system, a generator, and air purifiers before they were given permission to enter. Then, the workers cleared out, leaving Mia and the children alone to examine the structure.
It looked nothing like Mia imagined it would. When she thought of bunkers, she thought of the brutalism of the world wars, with concrete functionality and efficacy that sacrificed aesthetics. But what she was looking at, with the two children in tow, was rather a perfect blend of everything rolled into one.
The door stood solidly, twinkling in the dying light, laid out flat against the ground. She approached it, holding decorations that the kids had chosen to make the space more personal, while the children brought their own favorite toys as well as food and snacks.
Mia stared at it, utterly beguiled. It had the appearance of a door, but it was on the ground and didn't have a door handle. She narrowed her eyes, puzzling over it.
“Press the entryway button,” Cian said a tad gruffly.
Mia turned with her hands full, somewhat amused. “The entryway button?”
Cian sighed, then stepped in front of Mia. She crouched and slid three fingers along the sides of the door panel, then took a big step back. Triat followed suit.
“Watch out!”
Cian pushed Mia backward as the door pivoted up from the ground, moving from horizontal to vertical like a bridge on Earth that rose to allow ships to pass through. It then popped open while a stream of lights illuminated the path.
Cian and Triat ran inside, their snacks and toys bouncing in their arms while the lights flicked on following their steps. Mia felt cautious as she stepped in. The door slowly shut behind her, plaguing her for a millisecond with claustrophobic anxiety.
But then something even more miraculous happened. As if in response to her fear, the chrome that plated the walls slowly dissipated into a transparent glass, showing the reddening crimson sky above. Mia gawked at the sight.
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
“Come on, Mia!” Triat yelled.
She followed their voices, finding spectacular rooms along the way that were minimalist but luxurious as well. There was no doubt they would be safe inside and also vastly entertained.
She moved past a room that looked like a phone wiring room from the 1950s. It was the only place that gave that war-era vibe. It brought back her anxiety, but only for a few seconds until Triat took her by the hand, tugging her to their playroom.
“Mia, look at this.”
An entire playground had been erected in a matter of hours. Both the kids had dropped what they had brought in and were playing on what looked like futuristic monkey bars and a slide.
Mia played with them for a bit, then checked out the rest of the place. It was bigger than her apartment on Earth. The pantry was stocked, as was the fridge, with a connecting water supply that ran overhead.
