Chapter 16 #2
It was his damned fluke, she realized. It was flicking in the water and that was what kept her afloat, but it was also what was twitching the thick muscles of his tail against a very sensitive part of her body.
"All done!" she announced, as if anyone cared that she was finished.
Stupidly, she jolted herself off his tail.
Pushing until she was clinging onto a few of his scales and desperately grappling for the lip of the floor.
She hadn't even noticed the icy temperature as she hauled herself out.
All she wanted was to put that suit back on, and to ignore the feelings that had been building inside of her body.
If she ignored them, they weren't real. If she pretended that he didn't make her feel that way, then it wasn't serious.
"Oh good!" Pilot said, completely oblivious to what had just occurred. "Allow me."
She yanked her suit on while the droid clanked around wherever he was. She didn't know if Proteus was looking and shouldn't have cared. But something had awakened in her, and she almost wanted him to look. She wanted to feel the weight of his eyes on her limbs, to know if he liked what he saw.
These were beastly feelings, and they had no place in her mind.
She was a clone, nothing more, nothing less.
A tool to be used. She had seen the other clones servicing people before.
Many of Malcolm’s friends, and Malcolm himself, had their way with clones that looked identical to her. Ellie had seen them many times.
But she had one purpose. And it wasn't this.
A hologram of a woman burst to life right in front of her as she pulled the last sleeve up and over her shoulder. Letting out a little shriek, she would have fallen back into the water if Proteus hadn't planted his hand firmly on her back and shoved her through the hologram.
She staggered forward, catching herself before she fell on her face, and then reeled around to see him staring at the hologram with clear recognition in his eyes. As if that wasn't enough, the hologram appeared to be speaking directly to him.
"Proteus, if you're seeing this, I'm likely long dead." The woman was looking at the water, as though expecting that was where he would be. "The equipment is being prepped to see how long it can last, but I know your own people would never let you come back without a fight."
The hologram turned, walking straight through Ellie and toward the back corner of the facility.
"This is the weakest area. We assume the storms will affect this wall first. We've moved everything to the opposite side and built as many structures behind this place as we could to strengthen the wall.
It's the best we can do on such short notice. "
The opposite wall had seemed to be better than the others.
There was still a lot of sand over there, but it had been pushed in that direction by the wind.
If they could board up the other side, or just let the sand keep clogging that wall, she could move most of the sand and uncover the equipment they’d stored on the safer side.
"But Proteus, just know that if you're back, then that's because of our research.
We won't stop looking for you. I know the others have created their own little world underneath the sea, but if history has taught me anything, it's that humans will stop at nothing to control what they do not deserve.
" The woman brushed her hair back from her face.
"I wish I were there to help you, but we both know that would be walking in the same footsteps as the others.
I will welcome my death. Even earn it, if you believe what others have said about me. "
The hologram smiled at where Proteus was, and something ugly burned in her chest. Maybe it was the expression on the woman's face. Ellie wasn't all that sure. But there was a fondness there, a familiarity that made Ellie want to turn the hologram off.
He'd been trapped underneath the ocean for centuries, and no one had gone to find him. This woman, whoever she was, was claiming to be the person who had saved him. But how could they prove that? No one could ever know who had actually saved Proteus.
"She was one of the scientists who performed most of the experiments.
She had a vision of creating a better world, not just for your kind, but for everyone.
" Proteus finally looked at Ellie. The uncomfortable expression was already gone from his face, and she had a feeling it was the other woman who had given him such ease.
Ellie should be better. She had no idea who this woman was, what she had done, or her relationship with Proteus. This jealousy was unlike her and must be in some way related to the feeling she’d experienced in the water.
Again, this was not her function. Not her job.
She swallowed her pride and said, "She must have been an impressive woman."
"She was. Then she died, and the world wept." His gaze turned in the direction of the rest of the hidden equipment. "I am ready to work whenever you are, Ellie. I am eager to discover what she left me."
An ache bloomed in her chest, but she turned her tired body toward the sand once more. Perhaps a little labor would do her good. Perhaps she could forget how horrible it had felt discovering someone else had known him first.