Ellie had been told her entire life that she was only a copy of a great woman and that she wasn't needed. She didn't even exist if she peered too closely at herself.
But this sea god told her she did exist. She was breathing, she was here. That meant she had worth and value. It was more than anyone else had ever given her.
"Ellie?" Pilot asked, tapping on her hand.
"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"
Proteus pulled himself out of the water, all glowing bones and scaly skin. "Do we need to fix the broken parts, and can we then turn everything on remotely?"
Right, that was the question.
"Fixing the broken parts means going to other facilities. There’s a map here, and it appears those are the ones that are part of this complicated locking system. Once we fix what’s been broken there, the solar power, the hydro power, the electricity from those facilities seems to power this," she replied. "We'll still need to be in the main building to turn everything on, which Irealize complicates things. But it requires certain codes to be put in, and unfortunately, I don't think just anyone could put them in."
"Why is that?"
He wasn't going to like this. "The requirement is a human voice. I have to be the one, or another human, to say the code that will allow everything to turn on."
She winced as he cursed and turned toward the hatch. She fully expected him to slip back into the water, enraged at what she had said, and disappear for hours on end. He tended to do that when something went wrong.
What a refreshing change from her old life. Malcolm had merely raged in front of her. Breaking glass beakers and uncaring if she was caught in the crossfire of broken glass. Her pod would save her, he always said. And sometimes it did.
"Fine," Proteus muttered. "I will call in some help then."
"Are you sure you want to contact the People of Water?" Pilot asked. It skittered over to the hatch, almost as if it was trying to prevent him from leaving. "We are not prepared yet to make them believe that you are a god. I think we should wait."
"I'm not contacting the People of Water."
Were they talking about the undine? That must be what they called themselves. She'd always been fascinated with them, of course. But she hadn't thought to see a live one up close.
Was he one of them? Now that she was thinking of it, he really didn't seem like he was one of them. He looked different from any of the creatures she had seen under the waves, and that was saying something.
Proteus headed into the water, dropping beneath the surface but not quite leaving. Ellie could see his head still and the dark locks of his hair that somehow looked like kelp. Then a rumble started from underneath the water until the surface looked like itwas boiling. The sound was strange and low, like the keening call of a whale, that he sent out into the sea.
"What is that?" she asked.
"He's summoning someone," Pilot replied, sounding exhausted. "You might as well relax for a bit. This will take some time."
Relaxing wasn't something she knew how to do. A little confused, she walked over to her pod and hit a few buttons. In the bottom, there were survival rations that could keep her alive for a month or so. She didn't want to be a bother, after all. The liquid packets were an entire day’s worth of nutrients, and she hadn't sucked one down yet.
In the simulation, there had been solid food. She'd eaten apples and all manner of delicious meats and cheeses. But here, and every time she was awake, she ate this.
Sucking on the bag, she turned to find Pilot staring at her.
"What?" she asked.
"What in the world do you have in your mouth?"
"Nutritional paste?" she said, although the words might have come across like a question.
Pilot made a sound that almost made it seem like he was disgusted. But there was no way she had disgusted a droid with what she was eating! He ate... well, she didn't think they ate. He used oil to keep himself running, so that had to be nearly just as bad.
Turning away from him, she covered her mouth so he wouldn't even get a glimpse of what she was eating. She finished swallowing right about the same time that Proteus poked his head back up out of the water. And then came the rush of the ocean as he pulled himself through the hatch.
She hated when he did that. Her feet always got wet, and the water was so icy cold it made her toes feel like they were going tofall off. Disgruntled, she sat back down in her chair and crossed her legs so her toes were at least wedged into her thighs.
"What message did you send?" she asked.
"That we needed assistance. We are at a depth that will make it hard for anyone to come here, but there are a few who can still manage these pressures."
