Chapter 42
Forty-Two
Proteus
Proteus guided many of the clones toward the new facility, his massive body clearing the way in case anything might attack them. It wouldn't, but many of the clones felt better having someone of his size watching over them. Most of them had never even been in the ocean. At least not like this.
The undine that surrounded them, breathed for them, were still terrifying to many humans that still lived in the cities.
They agreed to come to this place because they would have a better chance at life, but it was still all very new to them.
The sea. The undine. The city they were soon going to be living in.
The facilities were ready for them. And this one in particular was better set up than the rest. The team of people who were at the head of this entire operation had learned from every single settlement.
These clones were going to the third settlement in the four years it had taken them to ready themselves. The facilities weren't huge. They weren't cities. That much was certain. But fifty people away from Beta was a start.
This was the first area that was entirely set up with the clones. Of course they would have support from many others, and they wouldn't be isolated by any means. But it was their home, and no one else's.
Ellie waited for them. He crested the water first, making sure she was standing there with a grin on her face and two thumbs up to tell him that she'd gone through the entire place with her team multiple times. Nothing was coming in or out. They were safe here.
Maybe for the first time in their lives.
If there was ever a facility he was going to like, it was this one.
The main area they came into was surrounded by pretty green tile that almost looked like they were stepping onto a meadow.
Ellie had gotten Mira to send over a bunch of absolutely useless plants, and even salvaged a few from right outside of the building to turn the entire area into greenery.
She could only do that because the main atrium here still had a glass ceiling. Somehow, after all the rain and hail and storms, the glass had survived. And today it was wonderfully sunny, if a bit warm, for the clones to walk into their new home.
He gestured to the undine, and they all brought the humans up with them. The tentacles attached at their necks were still disgusting to him, but at least he no longer felt woozy when he watched an undine detach from the people they were carrying.
"Welcome!" Ellie said to every single person she helped out of the water.
A long line of people stood beside her. One of them handed out towels.
Another person had a guidebook to give the newcomers once they were dry.
The next person would grab the hand of the person, and any family or friends if they wished, and bring them on a tour of the facility.
This one was smaller than the others, but it didn't need to be big.
He waited until the last person was handed off to their guide, and then swam close to the edge of the water. "I have a surprise for you."
"For me?" Ellie said, pressing a hand to her chest. "What surprise would that be?"
Proteus already had his hand in the water, gesturing for someone to come up last.
Ellie enjoyed traveling with him. There was a part of her that yearned for adventure more than the average human, and he loved that about her.
But their travels brought her away from all the other humans.
Yes, she got to welcome people into their new homes, and that often made her feel good.
But nothing compared to seeing her actual friends.
A bright mass of red hair appeared before Mira crested the water. She pulled her rebreather off immediately, a bright grin on her face as she yanked herself out of the water with ease.
Ellie laughed, shocked to see Mira so far away from the domes. "What are you doing here? Did you swim with Proteus?"
Mira shook her head. "No, you know I have my own ride in the ocean."
"Then why are you wearing the re—” Ellie lost everything she might have said when Arges came out of the water too.
Cradled in his arms was the smallest little girl.
Even Proteus felt a certain way when he looked at that head of dark hair.
She was so pretty. Those big black eyes were unnatural in a human face and blinked up at Ellie.
Then, she reached out her chubby arms with a gurgling noise she exclusively made every time she saw her aunt.
Ellie reached for the child with a squeal that almost matched the little girl's.
Avaia was the very first human and undine hybrid.
She looked more human than undine, in Proteus's opinion.
She had two legs. Two arms. One heart, which was thoroughly disappointing.
Her dark hair curled when it was dry, but it was rarely dry.
Her father mostly tried to keep her in the water so she could learn to use her gills.
Yes, gills.
Though she didn't have any on her ribs, the little girl did have gills on her neck.
She wasn't very good at using them, though.
Learning how to go from air to water had been trying.
Obviously, she needed to be on land with her mother to be cared for, as Avaia was far more similar to humans than undine in that way.
She'd even had a live birth, not inside of a purse. The process had been horrific, but Proteus had to be there because Ellie had insisted on being there.
He still heard Mira’s screams in his sleep sometimes. It terrified him.
But Mira was alive, and so was Avaia, and now everyone was in love with the child. Even him. Proteus could admit that the little girl had wriggled her way into his heart just like she had everyone else's.
Mostly when she did this. Because Avaia loved Ellie, and that was something he could agree with the child on.
"Why are you here?" Ellie cooed, picking her up and swinging her into her arms. "You should be at home in bed, tiny one!"
Avaia didn't speak yet, maybe something to do with not having the same genetics as everyone else, but she watched Ellie's mouth like she understood every word.
Mira laughed at the question. "We thought we would come visit her favorite auntie. It's time to get out into the world more, don't you think?"
The two women launched into a conversation about babies, something that Proteus was very much not interested in, but then he realized Arges was looking at him. The blue undine threw an arm over his shoulders and gestured at the vision in front of them.
"I never thought my life would look this good," he said. "Did you?"
Those dead organs inside his chest thudded hard against his ribs. "No, I didn't. But we are so damn lucky to have found them."