Page 25 of Music of the Ocean

But he hadn’t been hurt or abused.

The adrenaline crash had left him hollowed out, every bone and nerve jangling. As soon as they’d reached this room, the creature had answered some questions, then ordered him to rest. Then, slept on the floor. Had its tentacles curled around him in its sleep?

His initial instinct had been to rail against what was happening, to demand answers, to fight his way free and try to find some path back to his shuttle, back to his ship.

But Saxby hadn’t been able to keep his eyes open, much less mount a coherent argument. He was so tired. The kind of tired that felt cellular, as if the exhaustion started in his bones and radiated outward.

And it wasn’t over. Saxby could sense it in his blood, in the way his limbs had gone from jittery to leaden, in the way his thoughts sloshed through his head aimlessly. He’d tried to focus on the conversation earlier, but he’d found himself dozing off and unable to stop himself.

He wasn’t sure if it was sleep or hallucination, but there was a moment where he swore he felt the creature’s hand stroke his forehead, smoothing his brow in a gesture so human it hurt to remember.

What was even stranger was that Saxby hadn’t really wanted to resist. He hadn’t wanted to run. Wasn’t that the point? To escape? To get out? He should’ve been plotting an exit, cataloguing potential weaknesses, calculating the timing he’d need to get to the surface.

Instead, he was letting an alien lull him to sleep. No, not just letting. Wanting it. Craving it, even. And he was too tired to care. Fuck, what time was it anyhow? It was still dark, so he guessed it was night.

How did night and day work down here on the damned floor of the ocean anyhow? The pressure should’ve killed him. A lot of what was happening should’ve killed him, but here he was, snuggling a damned tentacle.

Yeah, that was a freak-out for another time. The fatigue was so bad right now. Fuck getting back to the Federation, his orders, the idea of escape. He let it all go and drifted back to sleep.

GOOD MORNING.

Saxby woke with the creature’s face hovering over him, those eerie eyes glowing with predatory focus, yet concern showed on the creature’s face. It was concern, right?

Did the alien even feel things the way humans did? Saxby’s mind scrabbled for the right answer and failed. But his pulse had finally settled, and his breath had evened out to something close to normal.

The hollow inside Saxby’s chest had filled with a new sensation, one he couldn’t name. It wasn’t exactly calm, safety, or relief. It was a kind of belonging, thin and tenuous but unmistakable.

Is it? Morning, I mean. It’s hard to tell down here. Besides, how did you know I was awake?

Because you project everything that hits your mind, but I can teach you how to shield so that your every thought isn’t broadcasted for all to hear. Plus, shielding will also help you protect yourself so not every creature here has access to your mind.

Saxby nodded. He knew there were some species that had telekinesis as their form of communication, but he only knew the bare basics about them. Now he wished he’d paid closer attention.

But never in a million years had he dreamed he’d end up in this kind of situation. And speaking of that? Questions. He had about a million of them. Mentally, he sighed. He really needed a name for the creature. One that he could pronounce, at least.

Saxby wiggled, and the creature let him go. Floating over to an odd opening in the room that kind of resembled a porthole, Saxby studied the city splayed out beneath him, a fractal map of tunnels and halls and organically grown towers, all alive with chemical light.

He should be terrified, but there was only the odd pulse of adrenaline moving through his newly oxygenated body, numbed by the slow creep of inevitability.

The entity hovered next to him, and Saxby turned toward it. Its face was so nearly human. Then, a thin membrane, clear as glass, flickered across its eyes when it blinked.

Well, that put an end to that thought. So close to being human, yet not. He needed to remember that. His gaze traveled down the creature’s body. The color of its skin was simply amazing. Such a beautiful indigo.

Saxby blinked. What a perfect name.

The entity raised a scaled eyebrow. Indigo?

Um, yeah. If that’s okay. There’s no way I can pronounce your real name, and this kind of fits. I can’t keep calling you the creature or the entity in my head.

Indigo nodded. I like it. I would be honored to carry the name you have given me.

Okay, Indigo, time to play twenty questions. And before you ask, that means I have questions I need answered. First and foremost is why me.

Indigo tilted his head. Well, first and foremost, the simplest answer is because you touched the water. Any living thing that meets the ocean is remade. There is no other way. This planet was never meant for surface dwellers. The water takes and keeps what is offered.

Saxby’s mind flashed to the first probe, the burn in his hand, the taste of metal in his mouth. This all had started at that moment, then.

Saxby remembered the rumors of a colony disappearing, no survivors, just empty beaches. No one ever found the bodies. A colony was sent here. From my planet. It was a long time ago, I think. They became this. They became part of the ocean.