| Part 0 and Prologue | Kinetic Energy | Metastable Equilibrium | Paradigm Shift | Epilogue |
August 2022
The rough ground crunched comfortingly beneath Kershia's heavy walking boots as she strode out across the rugged landscape. Looking about her cheerfully, she noted the thick, swirling cloud formations that covered the lower mountain in a mass of dancing colours. Ahead and to her right, she could see the bright sunlight as it played upon the craggy outcrop. The knowledge that her goal was in sight brought a spring to her step and a smile to her face, as she marched onward.
Kershia stretched her legs and filled her lungs with the clean fresh air of Hawaii. It was the first chance she'd had to escape the stuffiness of the London Lab in months. Her job had become more demanding than ever of late, and even more so since the refugees returning from Adonesia had added to her list of those awaiting relocation. She hardly had time to see her friends these days, let alone find a few moments to unwind. But somehow, the familiar sights and sounds of this most sacred of places allowed her to throw off that stress and drink in the sheer joy of being alive.
As she neared her target, Kershia's pace quickened further, sending her scrambling into the hollow in the lee of the large rock outcrop. Just the place I need, she thought, already relishing the idea of a few hours uninterrupted work using the palmtop stowed securely in her backpack.
Her smile broadened.
Her solitude had become a celebration.
Quizzical blue eyes met hers and the expression of the other woman mirrored the pleasure that Kershia felt. "Hello, Abby." Kershia greeted her new-found companion warmly. "What brings you all way to Mauna Loa?"
Abby shrugged and, putting her own laptop aside, patted the ground. Cheerfully, Kershia flopped down onto the hard stone beside her old friend. There was a moment of quiet as each woman listened to the sounds of the mountain, their low-level telepathic link comfortable and familiar as they adjusted to each other's presence.
Eventually it was Abby who broke the companionable silence. "It looks a bit different to how I remember it."
Kershia nodded. "Yes, I guess we were a bit too preoccupied with surviving to notice how far the eruption had spread." She looked around her, letting her eyes trace the sinuous patterns frozen into the lava flow that surrounded them, and sighed. "I reckon we were lucky to even get out alive."
"Luck had nothing to do with it." Abby's eyes sparkled with delight as they shared the private joke. "Still..." she paused to look around again. "The rock does seem to have weathered."
"Time changes everything, Abby. Nothing, not even the Earth itself, can stand still forever. It's certainly been a while. Nine years, isn't it?"
Abby's eyes widened and she glanced down at her laptop, double-checking the date. "Ten years, to be precise. Ten years to the day!"
Kershia shook her head in disbelief. "No, it can't be. Could we both have decided...?" Her tone became whimsical as the ideas floated through her mind. Then, raising her eyes skyward, she spoke loudly as if the mountain itself could hear her words. "Pele, you old devil... you did this!"
A gust of wind washed over them, cooling them and bringing with it the sweet smell of the forests below. They both chuckled, feeling refreshed and free in one another's company.
It was several minutes before Kershia shifted, looking down curiously at the diagrams and figures displayed on the open laptop. "What are you working on?"
"Nothing of importance," Abby shrugged. "Not nearly as important as catching up with an old and very dear friend." She stared into Kershia's eyes. "How are you, Kersh? How are things on the relocation committee?"
Kershia shrugged half-heartedly, avoiding the question. "Okay, I suppose, but I'd much rather talk about you and Marc. How have things been since Thomas moved in with you? It must be...what? Four or five months now?"
Abby laughed, rolling her eyes. "Is that all?" she asked wryly. "It feels like an age!"
Kershia studied her friend with a sympathetic smile. "Adjusting to being together again after so long must be hard enough, without having a teenager skulking about the place."
Abby chuckled, shaking her head. "Everything is just fine, Thomas is old enough now to appreciate when we need our privacy. Marc's been tutoring him, and he's showing quite a talent for pyrokinesis." Her smile faltered for a moment before returning. "It's helping Marc to retrain his telepathy too." She glanced at Kershia and nodded thoughtfully before continuing. "What about Emina? Have you heard much from her since she returned to Spionica with the other children?"
"I got a hastily scribbled note last month, detailing all their little misdemeanours. You know what Emina's like -" Kershia pulled a face, taking on an odd expression and mimicking the old matron's movements and accent. "Children are born to try our patience; if they weren't naughty they wouldn't be children!"
Abby laughed aloud at Kershia's poor imitation. She opened her shields completely, sharing her happiness that the Malthus children had found their place in the world at long last. Unwittingly, Kershia lowered her own shields in response, and Abby took the opportunity to peek a little more closely into Kershia's mind. "How are you finding it working so closely with David?" she asked out of the blue, the question throwing Kershia off guard for a few seconds.
Tilting her head to one side, Kershia studied her friend's face. "Have you always been this nose...?" She sighed. "To be honest, Abby, things are a little... strained. I think he accepts that it's all over between us, but there is always this... barrier. Every day we tackle the outcome of some incident that occurred in one or other of the camps. And it is a constant reminder of the gulf between us. We have work to do, important work, and we always make it our priority, but there is still this feeling that he's holding something back from me..."
"Can you blame him? It must be very difficult to face up to the terrible things he did in the Camps, and even before that. Under the circumstances, it's hardly surprising he can't forgive himself. David is a proud man. He probably feels that it was his actions which destroyed your relationship, and can't forgive himself for that either."
"I know...I know. But seeing, and feeling, his distress is difficult at times. Sometimes I think all the baggage we carry around is getting in the way of doing a proper job, but what can we do about it?" She shrugged. "At least you have Marc - someone to come home to each evening."
Abby's eyes widened and a mischievous grin spread across her face. "And you don't? Come on, Kershia, admit it - you've been seeing someone else for years now."
"I don't know..." Kershia's head dropped in resignation. "Were we that obvious? How long have you known?"
"Since the beginning." Abby saw Kershia's eyes widen, and simultaneously felt her locking down her inner thoughts. She shook her head in amused disbelief. "Oh, come off it, Kersh! You and Jimmy must have realised that that sort of thing couldn't go unnoticed in the close confines of Luna." She suddenly became thoughtful. "Back then it was just..." She struggled to find the appropriate words. "Just something physical. Where do the two of you stand now?" She paused, her expression darkening to something like anger. "I still can't quite believe Jimmy left the Labs completely. I know he never really accepted the idea of trusting the Saps, but to go underground...? It's as if he's just waiting for all our efforts to collapse into nothing." She sighed and turned back to her friend. "I'm surprised you even know where to find him! Working under cover, as he does, must make it difficult to continue any proper sort of relationship."
Now Kershia looked defensive as she made her response. "We get by well enough. I wouldn't call it a proper relationship, not yet, anyhow. Jimmy and me have an understanding; he expects nothing of me, makes no emotional demands... For the present that's all either of us need."
Abby patted her friend's hand apologetically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound judgemental. As long as you are happy, Kershia, then that's good enough for me."
Kershia smiled gratefully. "On to happier news then," she said firmly, changing the subject. She grinned. "Have Roger and Steph been in touch yet? They're planning a party for after the baby is born."
Abby laughed aloud. "Oh yes, just try and keep us away! Travin and Josh have already told us they're going too. You know Josh is determined to be the child's godfather? I don't think he'll take no for an answer."
Kershia laughed too, imagining the enthusiastic young man trying to manage a screaming infant. "As long as he's volunteering for baby-sitting duties at the same time, I don't think Roger will object. To be honest, I think he's still a little wide-eyed at the prospect of being a father. Particularly in his first year back on the force."
"An openly declared TP in the Metropolitan Police." Abby shook her head, whistling through her teeth. "Who would have thought it? Tell me honestly, Kersh - if I'd told you ten years ago that we'd be sitting here today with our people no longer in hiding, and no longer having to hide, you'd have thought I was mad, wouldn't you?"
Kershia grinned and punched her friend playfully on the arm. "If you'd just told me you were a TP, it would have been a good start!"
Abby's eyes widened in mock-indignation.
"And you're a fine one to talk! There were two of us here that day." She gazed across the barren landscape, its bleak majesty the starting point for so much that had happened since. "We came here to find our way, to work out where we were going. And look how far we've travelled since."
Kershia nodded. Her face fell as Abby stood, brushing the volcanic dust off her clothing. "You're going so soon?"
"Duty calls." Abby shrugged. "There are places I have to go, and people I have to see before the day's out. I just wanted to come here to get away for a bit."
Kershia nodded again, standing herself. She picked up her bag, the palmtop it contained untouched, her report unwritten. Still, there was no need to hide herself away now. Thanks to this chance encounter she felt reinvigorated and ready to face the world once again.
Turning to face the distant, steaming peak of Mauna Loa, Kershia inclined her head, bowing respectfully to the mountain spirit. Again, a gust of wind caught them, ruffling their clothing and tossing Kershia's dark hair around her eyes and face. She batted it away with a rueful smile. "Thanks, Pele."
Abby laughed as they jaunted, the ripple of sound reaching Kershia's mind as well as her ears.
(Strange weather we're having!)
| Part 0 and Prologue | Kinetic Energy | Metastable Equilibrium | Paradigm Shift | Epilogue |