Chapter 13 #2
Tish was in no condition to try and form a coherent sentence. Instead, she kissed the tips of both sets of fingers and then placed them on Xaber and Mace’s lips.
They stayed like that for a long, wonderful moment that her heart recognized as a memory in the making. Whatever happened, she’d carry it with her for the rest of her life.
When they set out again, things were slightly different. They walked closer together, every touch and glance rekindling the flames of desire. It was as if they were in a world of their own, as isolated from the rest of the station as the bio-dome they walked through.
The hot, dry area wasn’t as large as the woodsy section they’d just been in, and before long, they stepped through another pair of doors and into a new section.
According to the signs, it was a rainforest biome. She’d already guessed as much, given the oppressive humidity that made each breath feel like she was inhaling steam instead of air.
They were surrounded by green and blue foliage that seemed to press against the barriers.
Trees rose up to form a canopy overhead, with only occasional glimpses of the simulated sky.
The sound of birdsong blended with the whispers created as a breeze blew through the leaves and branches, filling the space with a surprising amount of noise.
As she read the description of this area, an alert flashed at the top of the sign. “Precipitation cycle will begin in three minutes. Seek shelter or exit this exhibit if you do not wish to participate.”
She frowned at the flashing words. “What’s a precipitation event?”
“You’ll see in about three minutes,” Mace said cheerfully.
Xaber groaned. “Seriously? That’s your surprise?”
“It is.”
“But what is it?” she demanded.
The system assumed she had spoken to it. “All biomes contain plants that require water. For both aesthetic and practical reasons, this is done by simulating weather systems. Precipitation can be either rain or snow. In this area, all precipitation is delivered as rain.”
A distant rumbling sound rolled across the zone. “Did someone just fire up a jump engine?” she asked. “What is that?”
Xaber laughed. “I get it now. This is something else you’ve never experienced. Nice work, Mace.” He grinned at his batch-brother and then looked down at her. “That’s thunder. I think we’re about to experience a simulated storm.”
“Oh. Oh, wow! That would be amazing.” She took a step forward.
Mace followed, but Xaber stayed put.
“Come on. It’s only water,” she teased the reluctant male. “Or will you rust if you get wet?”
He growled at her, but he smiled as he did it. “Your sass has been duly noted and will be addressed later, mechanic.”
She grinned and tugged at his arm. “I’m not afraid of you, cyborg. This will be fun. I’ve never experienced weather before.”
Xaber looked down in surprise. “Never? I get that you’ve been on a station your whole life, but you’ve never been in a sim-pod?”
“Where I’m from, those have one use, and it’s not to experience the weather. Even if they’d offered that kind of programming, there’s no way I’d use one of those things unless it had been completely sterilized.”
Another peal of thunder boomed, this one louder than the last. The overhead lighting dimmed, and dark, swirling clouds appeared above the greenery.
The wind picked up, and she swore it felt cooler than a moment ago.
She had a passing thought that one day she’d love to see the mechanisms that made this place work.
Then, the rain started, and she was too lost in wonder to think at all.
She expected it to start slowly. It didn’t.
Big, heavy water drops came down in a rush, the noise filling her ears.
She laughed into the noise, her head tipped up so the raindrops fell on her face.
Mace and Xaber still held her hands, but she stepped back from them so she could raise her arms a little.
A strange sense of joy filled her, as if the rain had washed away all her worries. She closed her eyes, letting her tears blend with the water falling from above. She had no idea why she was crying, but it felt good, so she let it happen. No one would notice anyway.
“You’re crazy,” Xaber murmured from somewhere close.
“Never said I wasn’t,” she replied without opening her eyes.
“I like your kind of crazy,” Mace said.
“Me too,” Xaber agreed and squeezed her fingers.
They went quiet after that. They stood together in the rain. Curious as to what they were doing, she cracked open one eye to peek. Mace had his head back and eyes closed. Xaber held his free hand out to catch the drops in his cupped fingers.
“Memories?” she asked.
Xaber nodded. “Good ones. The first time I saw a rainstorm. I’d forgotten until now. We all danced around like idiots, stomping in puddles and laughing. None of us had broken our conditioning yet. That day was the first time we did something just for the fun of it.”
“I remember it, too.” Mace opened his eyes and looked around. “I’d never heard any of us laugh before.”
“Was that when it all changed for you?” she asked.
“It was the beginning of it. Yeah,” Xaber said. “And I think this is the start of something, too.”
She nodded because she was afraid that anything she said would come out sounding trite or silly. She didn’t want to ruin this moment.
After a few more minutes, the novelty wore off, and she finally registered that she was drenched. Water dripped from her hair, and her clothes were plastered to her body. They walked to the nearby shelter before talking again.
“I think that’s enough nature for tonight,” Xaber announced as he ran a hand through his soaking wet hair.
“Xay, why don’t you take Tix back to the True to dry off. You can get our fabricator to make you something to wear for the rest of the date. If that works? While you do that, I’ll pick up dinner for us. I got some recommendations on where to find the best Pheran street food.”
It was a good plan, but there was a problem.
“That sounds good, but I need to stop by my hotel first. All my possessions are in a locker in the lobby, and I doubt it’s safe to leave them there all night.”
“Why?” Xaber asked.
“Explain,” Mace said.
She did. When she was done, they looked at each other and then down at her. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Mace asked.
“Because I didn’t want to spoil the mood. Plus, this is my problem, not yours. I know you two don’t like getting involved in other beings’ issues.”
“We’re making it our problem, and we’re going to deal with it,” Xaber stated. “You and I will pick up dinner on the way back to the ship. Mace is going to get your stuff back.”
“Everything, including the scrip you’re owed.” Mace looked like he was ready to punch a hole through the nearest bulkhead or anyone who got in his way.
“Thank you.” She hugged Mace and then Xaber. She was relieved to have their help, and a little embarrassed by it, too.
“I told you before, little temptress, your battles are my battles.”
“Our battles,” Xaber corrected.
Mace stomped through the rain in one direction. Xaber led her back to the previous area, the arid one. “We’ll dry off a bit before we go back to the True. You look amazing right now, but no one but us gets to see you looking this hot. It will only cause problems.”
“Speaking of problems, how traumatized is the manager of that hotel going to be once Mace shows up?” she asked.
Xaber shrugged. “That depends on how quickly she accepts the situation and hands over your refund.” He winked at her. “Don’t worry. Mace hasn’t killed anyone…lately.”
“He had better not. I was promised dessert.”
“We’ll keep that promise.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You are the dessert tonight, mechanic. And we’re going to eat you up.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Holy fraxx. Nothing had ever sounded so good.