Page 3 of Fionn
"Don't follow me," I told the catfish. "You won't be able to breathe in there."
It stared at me as if considering my words, then started to playfully bump against some shelves.
I took a deep gulp of stale water and prepared for whatever awaited me on the other side, then swam into the airlock. A contact plate on the floor was glimmering in a gentle pink. I lowered myself onto it. A strange fanfare made me look up in confusion. Not a sound I'd expected. This system had to be old, really old.
My greenskin felt the pull of the water before I could see the water levels sink. It started slowly, barely noticeable, before the current increased, drawing the water from the airlock. The process took a lot longer than it would have in a modern building. By the time my head was in the air, my hair heavy with water, I was impatient. Whoever was on the other side of the airlock would have heard it activating. They'd know they'd soon have company and had ample time to get rid of any incriminating evidence. Breaking into the Archives was a crime in itself, but theft or destruction of public property would carry a higher sentence.
Finally, the last puddle of water disappeared into the porous floor. I automatically arranged my greenskin over my crotch. Most finfolk didn't care much about that, but my clutch-mother had always instilled a healthy amount of modesty into all her charges. I shook the sonic gun to dry it. The sonic pulse wouldn't be as effective in air, but I was glad to have a weapon. For confidence. Just in case.
With another fanfare, the second portal opened, revealing a brightly lit room full of metal shelves covered in boxes, data chip tins and even a few old-fashioned kelp books. I took in my surroundings in a fraction of a second while searching for the intruder at the same time. At the end of the room, on the left side almost hidden from view by a shelf, lay an opened tin.
"Come out with your hands in the air!" I shouted with as much authority as I could muster. "I know you're here! There is no way out!"
A rustle from behind the shelf. My fingers tightened around the gun. I didn't know if I could truly shoot someone.
"Don't shoot!" a male called out. His shaky voice sounded vaguely familiar.
"Come out slowly!"
And he did. A young finman stepped into the light, staring at me with just as much surprise as had to reflect on my own face.
"Kelon?" I exclaimed. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Do I know you, guard?" he asked, a frown marring his exceptional beauty.
I wasn't surprised he didn't remember me. Kelon had always existed in a sphere of his own. One of the richest finmen in the city - not due to anything he'd done himself - he hadn't swum in the same circles as me in a long time.
"Fionn," I said, trying to keep the resentment from my voice. "We were in the same-"
"Clutch school! Yes! You have changed, Fionn."
I repressed a snarky response. So had he. Back then, he'd been a chubby finboy with few friends and even fewer achievements. He'd had little going for himself - until he got adopted by a Matriarch and his fortune had changed forever. I’d seen him on chat shows and in the latest gossip reels, pretending he’d always been one of the upper class. I knew better.
"What are you doing here?" I repeated rather than continuing with the small talk.
Kelon had the decency to look ashamed. "Searching for something. Not that it's any business of yours."
I laughed sharply. "I guard the Archives. It's every business of mine. What was so important that you had to break in? And why couldn't you just make an appointment with one of the archivists? Speaking of breaking in, how did you get in?"
He looked at me shrewdly as if to decide how much to tell me. Then, his brows shot up as he came to some sort of realisation.
"You’re the same age as me. You were on the Panel!"
"What does that have to do with you?"
Kelon grinned. "You didn't get a mate. Neither did I."
I was aware of that. All of Finfolkaheem had gossiped about the Panel’s decision. As the adopted son of a Matriarch, everyone had assumed he'd be given the opportunity to have a mate. Yet the Panel had rejected him. Rumour was that they'd had to show that they were impartial, no matter what family you came from. It had quieted the discontent for a bit, but not for long. Too many young males were rejected by the Panel every mooncrossing. Too many of us were desperate for a mate.
"I read something," Kelon said slowly. I was tempted to tease him about that - he'd hated reading as a finboy - but I kept quiet, letting him tell me his story. "There is a planet with females that are compatible with us. Yet the record I read didn't mention a name or coordinates. There has to be something about it in the Archives. Has to be."
"An entire planet full of females?"
"Well, that's what it said. But it was an old record. Things may have changed by now. Maybe they have the same issue we have. But they might not. Only one way to find out."
"Why-"
A crackle in my ear warned me before Commander Myke's voice rang out. "Do you have an update, guard?"
