Page 64 of Claimed By the Deep
As his truck disappears up the winding path from the cove, Meri turns to me with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. "Ready to cast off?"
"More than ready."
I take the wheel of Between Worlds with the same rush I once felt breaking Earth's atmosphere in my original vessel. This time, however, I'm not arriving as a stranger, but departing as someone who belongs.
The engine purrs to life beneath my hands—a sound I've come to associate with freedom rather than the human technology I once viewed as primitive. Meri moves around the deck with practiced efficiency, casting off lines and securing equipment for our journey. Her movements flow with the confidence of someone born to the water, each action precise yet natural.
As we glide away from the dock, leaving the sheltered cove that has been our sanctuary and workshop these past months,I feel a peculiar sensation in my chest—a lightness I haven't experienced since before the crash. For nearly a century, I've been tethered to secrecy and isolation, my existence defined by what I must hide and where I cannot go.
Today, those limitations fall away with each foot of distance we put between ourselves and shore.
"Where to, Captain?" Meri asks, joining me at the helm. Her smile contains the same liberation I feel—the boundless horizon now represents possibility rather than restriction.
"Anywhere," I reply, the truth of it almost overwhelming. "Everywhere. The entire coastline is ours to explore."
She leans against me, fitting perfectly against my side. "I vote we head north first. The waters off Nova Scotia should be warming now, and there are shipwrecks there that haven't been touched in centuries."
"Nova Scotia it is."
As the mainland recedes behind us and open water stretches ahead, I find myself in the unprecedented position of having exactly what I want. Not just survival, not just adaptation, but genuine belonging. A home that moves with us, accommodating both our natures. A partner who sees me fully, without fear or reservation. A future limited only by imagination rather than biology.
The spring breeze carries the scent of salt and possibility. Below deck, the moon pool awaits, ready to receive my true form whenever I choose to shift. Above, the sun shines on a day unlike any I've experienced in my very long life.
I am no longer a survivor, an observer, a being caught between worlds.
I am home.
Meridian
TWENTY EIGHT
Basking in the summer sun, I take the wheel of Between Worlds with the same rush I get diving into uncharted waters. This is it. Our maiden voyage. My hands feel steady on the controls as I guide us away from Fergus's cove, the custom vessel responding to my touch like she was built for me. Which she was, in a way. For us.
"We're clear," I announce as we pass the final marker buoy. My pulse kicks up as open ocean stretches before us. "Open water ahead."
"Perfect." Cyreus moves closer, keeping his human form balanced as the boat cuts through the swells. Even looking human, there's something about how he moves that no person could ever copy. I've gotten good at spotting when this form starts draining him, but right now, he looks almost relaxed.
"How does she handle?" he asks, watching my hands work the controls.
"Like a dream." The specialized propulsion system responds to the lightest touch, giving me control my old salvage boat never dreamed of. "Your design makes a hell of a difference."
"A fortunate adaptation of principles from my people's vessels." His eyes track our wake with that engineer's precision I've come to recognize. "Efficient energy use was essential for interstellar travel. The same principles work at smaller scales too."
"You know it was nice to share that info with Fergus," I say with a half-smile. "He's going to make millions off the patents."
Cyreus looks startled, then shifts to something between embarrassed and modest. "The technological principles themselves aren't exactly revolutionary by Earth standards. It's just the application that's... unique."
"Don't sell yourself short," I counter, adjusting our course slightly. "Fergus hasn't stopped grinning since you explained the propulsion system. Said it was the most elegant solution to drag reduction he's seen in fifty years of boat building."
Cyreus dips his head in that subtle way I've come to recognize as his version of embarrassment. "Knowledge should be shared when it helps people who've shown kindness."
Once we reach our planned coordinates—far enough from shore for privacy but close enough to get back if needed—I cut the engine and engage the stabilization system. Between Worlds settles into a gentle rocking that feels more natural than mechanical. Six months of construction, countless designrevisions, and three near-disasters with that research vessel—all of it leading to this moment.
"Now what?" I ask, though the heat building low in my belly makes it pretty obvious what I'm thinking. It's been nearly two weeks since we've had any real privacy, with Fergus and the builders working overtime to finish the final systems.
"Now," Cyreus says, moving toward the companionway that leads below deck, "I think it's time to properly test all systems. Particularly the interface between our separate environments."
I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. "A thorough systems check does seem appropriate for a maiden voyage."
