Page 78 of Zalis
“What are you doing here?” Zalis was pleased to see Gemma—he was always pleased—but this was not a good location for a social visit. His duties had kept them apart. No matter how quickly he tried to complete the day’s tasks, there was also one more node needing to be rewired or a critical power supply to be replaced.
It was most disagreeable.
Gemma held up a container. “Lunch.”
Or a meal.
“Look, I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said.
“You have seen me.” Fleetingly. He returned to their quarters late at night and left early. Often, she had been asleep. When she was awake, he skipped the pleasantries and focused on sharing pleasure. The lingering taste of her on his tongue was the only way he could endure this mission.
“Call me old -fashioned, I’d like a conversation, and I thought a picnic would be nice,” Gemma said, a blush on her cheeks as if she could sense his thoughts. “Besides, you got to eat. When was the last time you had a proper meal?”
“My nutrition is adequate.”
“You deserve better than adequate. I messaged you that I was coming, by the way. If you checked your messages, you would have known I was coming.”
“Communications are unreliable underground.” Which was an issue he was meant to fix.
Zalis stared in disbelief as Gemma spread a blanket on the ground and unpacked a feast. The containers of food never stopped, each filled with delights both savory and sweet. He recognized the sliced melons and was intrigued by the bundles wrapped in wax paper. His mouth watered from the aroma. There were smaller bowls of various cold vegetables. The scent of oil and vinegar tickled his nose. Finally, Gemma pulled off the lid on a waxed cardboard box, revealing cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles.
Gemma licked a bit of frosting from her thumb.
Zalis couldn’t help himself and growled.
“What? My hands are clean,” she said, her face flushed red and lowering her hand. “Fine, they were clean. I have some wipes. Hang on.” She pulled out a packet from a side pocket and cleaned her hands.
“You should not be here.”
Gemma patted the empty spot on the blanket next to her. “Are you sure your nutrition is adequate? You’re repeating yourself. Sit. Eat.”
“I mean here, in my workspace. This area is restricted.”
“And yet my security key opened the door just fine.” she replied. When Zalis did not move, she added, “It’s just lunch, Zalis.”
“You bypassed the mechanism. You do not have clearance to be here.”
She smiled in that clever and bitter way he adored and held out a forkful of the oil-and-vinegar-coated vegetables. “Cucumber and feta salad? Try some. The feta came from the matter reconstructor but it tastes alright, I think. I mean, how can you mess up anything in a salt brine?”
“The rules are for your safety. They are necessary. They are not suggestions to be ignored. There are many hazards in these tunnels. I will list them in excruciating detail?—”
Gemma sighed, setting down her salad. “Fine, I hear you. I just thought an underground picnic sounded fun. Whimsical. It sounded like something you would enjoy.”
Zalis softened. “I do find it an intriguing experience.”
Her smile returned. “Right? Anyone can have a boring old picnic in a park. We get all this—” She waved a hand at the tunnel. “Dark and dank. Vanessa told me there might be a strain of glow-in-the-dark mushrooms down here and we should definitely not touch any.”
“Do not tell me how you bypassed security.”
Gemma raised and lowered a shoulder in a shrug. “I just told the two guys at the gate that I was bringing you lunch.”
Zalis lowered himself to the blanket. “I asked not to be informed. Now I must follow up on this breach of protocol.”
“Gonna lay the smackdown for this breach of protocol?”
“No one will be smacked,” he said, horrified at the notion. “Physical discipline is only effective for short term results. There are more effective ways to modify long -term behavior.”
“This is a muffuletta sandwich. I baked the bread and Emry made the olive spread. It’s delicious, if I do say so myself.” Gemma placed an object wrapped in wax paper in his hands.
