Page 46 of Tyton: The Spider and the Dragonfly (Tyton #1)

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hat the fuck is that!” Callie pointed at a pair of eyes watching from high in the black spruce trees.

“That’s a mountain lion.” Sesi kept walking, she didn’t bother to look up.

“We’re not in the mountains, are we?” Talia asked.

Sesi shook her head. “It’s just a name.”

“Why am I the only one concerned about this?” Callie hissed as if the mountain lion might hear.

“Because I saw it.” Sesi’s footsteps crunched against the dry branches. “If you can see it, it’s not hunting you.”

“What if there’s more! More we can’t see!” Callie started to panic.

“They’re solo and territorial. They’re not like wolves.”

“So, like Talia.” Callie grinned.

Talia threw a pinecone at her. “I thought I was a dragonfly.”

“You can be two things,” Callie insisted.

Sesi threaded her fingers through Talia’s “She’s a very complex person.” She kissed her shoulder.

“What about the kids? We can’t live here if there are mountain lions around.”

“They only try to go after people when there isn’t enough other prey. Deer, rabbits and foxes have overrun everything since wolves and bears went extinct.”

Callie looked at Sesi sceptically.

“Obviously, we’ll have to be careful,” she added. “But life will still be easier below the tree line. Once we find the right spot.”

Callie exchanged glances with Talia. She knew Talia was nervous about leaving the city after their fishing adventure.

“It’s okay,” she said, taking Talia’s other hand. “Sesi will be with us. My mom said she would come. We’ll be within reach of the geostationary sats all year and Sparx is archiving the net in case we can’t. We’ll still have AI learning pods for the stuff we don’t know.”

“We’ll also have a lab and a DocPod. It’ll be useless in a generation, but it should keep you alive long enough to stab any mountain lions that threaten Pinga and Lusa.”

Talia grunted.

“Jenni said she’d stay in the lab. She got really excited about the idea,” Sesi said.

“Doesn’t Siku need to stay to make sure no-one finds out about NovAITech. Did they break up?”

Sesi shook her head. “They’re just independent. The spot I told you about is up ahead.”

They emerged into a clearing near a lake.

Several deer in the distance glanced up at them, decided they were no threat, and returned to grazing.

Sesi pointed out the locations of future wind power stations, the MobilePods for housing, the lab, water purification, Hexaline printing station and solar arrays.

Callie noticed Talia’s legs twitching, like she was about to pounce. She squeezed her hand. “I’m just as nervous as you.”

Sesi stopped the tour to look at her two city girls. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s a lot.”

Talia laughed. “Yeah, it is. I don’t really see a better option though.”

Sesi slipped her arms around Talia’s waist. “You always were good at keeping your head down and powering through. I just hope that I’m making it a bit easier for you.” She took Callie in her other arm. “Both of you.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Callie chuckled.

“Mountain lions,” Talia nodded confidently. Sesi knew better, but decided to keep her mouth shut.

“I’ll take the lions over being in the city when it collapses,” Callie mused. “How long do you think we have?”

Sesi shrugged. “If we can make it another year, we can have all of this set up and hopefully make contact with another group of uninfected travellers.”

“You think there’s still people further south? I thought Sparx and Tornit didn’t find any last year.” Callie bit a nail.

“They only made it as far south as Edmonton,” Sesi pulled Callie’s hands away from her face. “That’s hardly south.”

“But they said the river had dried up. I can’t imagine anything further south than that being more than desert.”

“Maybe,” Sesi agreed.

“If we do find travellers, they’d better be friendly,” Talia growled.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have a cache of IntelArms.” Sesi pulled Talia closer. “And we’ll be erasing the flight data after the MobilePods are delivered.”

“IntelArms only work if you’re targeting people with biosigs. We’ll need to train the kids to use proper rifles. And knives.” Talia stared up at the sky, planning defence strategies.

“Did anyone tell you you’re hot when you get violent?” Callie bit Talia’s shoulder.

“Ow!” Talia yelped and then flashed her lopsided smile. “You’ve come a long way from being skittish about killing.” She lunged at Callie, but Callie squealed and ran toward the lake. Sesi followed after.

Callie ran in splashing and shrieking “Why is the water so cold! It’s so hot out!”

Talia slapped the water, dousing Callie. “It’s not hot! Your Thermabulle is still on.”

Callie looked around her, noticing the water steaming in a circle. Sesi stepped into the lake, the water parting elegantly for her, as though she belonged to it.

She stood on her tiptoes, draping her arms around Talia’s neck. “She’s right, you are hot when you’re violent.” Callie deactivated her Thermabulle and slid her arms around Sesi’s waist, sinking her teeth into her shoulder.

“You’re bitey lately,” Sesi remarked, tilting her head back into Callie. Talia took the opportunity to trail kisses along Sesi’s throat.

“It’s because you won’t let me bite my nails.” Callie bit again.

Sesi turned to kiss Callie. Talia peeled off her wet top. Half-naked in the water, she looked like a goddess. Callie moved a strand of wet hair from her face.

“This is decidedly unfair.” Sesi lectured. “Strip.” Callie obeyed.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” Talia smirked.

“Please?” Callie gazed up at her, grey eyes sparkling like the sunlight reflected on the water.

“Much better.” Talia lifted her shirt off. With her tiny breasts and tall, wiry frame, she was the polar opposite of Sesi. Both of them were the most beautiful women Callie had ever seen. “How did I get so lucky?” she wondered aloud.

Sesi was not going to miss her cue. She pushed her back to the shore, a wide expanse of smooth, green rock before devouring her mouth. The sun-warmed stone on her back and her head in Talia’s lap felt wild and exotic – like a return to some sort of natural state, despite the nanoids in her blood.

Sesi trailed kisses down her body and Talia’s fingers followed, holding her breasts like fragile objects for Sesi’s adoration. She shivered, raising gooseflesh in the gentle breeze coming off the lake. Talia smoothed her skin, keeping her warm.

Fingers found their mark, sinking into a familiar rhythm and Sesi swirled her tongue around a hardened bud. Talia’s nails provided the slightest hint of pain, the contrast of sensations that she loved so much.

Even as she cried out, the deer took no notice. They existed as just another part of the environment. There was no other way to be. The Earth would not give them a third chance. Whether they had even earned their second chance still remained to be seen.

The three women lay naked on the rock for another hour before Sesi said they should return. They had another month before the sun would remain constant in the sky and flying a transport back in the dark was beyond Sesi’s skill level, even if it was AI navigated.

“Thank you.” she brushed Talia’s air-dried hair away from her face. “Both of you. I know this was a lot to ask and I feel like I came at this with a lot less planning than I usually do.”

“Because you never wanted kids?” Callie offered.

Sesi nodded.

Callie shifted. Her muscles were sore from laying on a rock for the past couple of hours. “You’re not going to become one of those moms who tell other women that they’ll want kids even if they say they don’t, will you?”

“Oh god. Please hit me if I ever say that to another woman.”

Callie’s eyes widened. She would never.

Talia grinned.

Cat bounced Pinga on her knee while Lusa slept in her bassinet, head lolled to the side. A scrap of Tornit’s sealskin coat leftover from when Talia had modified it to accommodate heat sinks mostly obscured her from view. Tiny snot bubbles expanded and contracted as she breathed.

Callie rushed forward to scoop her up. “How can something so disgusting be so adorable.”

“She’s half Talia, you know.” Sesi shot Talia a playful glance.

“I’ll make her pay for it later,” Talia winked.

“Not in front of my mom.” Callie frowned.

Talia ignored her and took Pinga from Cat. Pinga squealed with delight. “Thanks for watching them, Cat.”

“Mom,” Cat corrected. “I’ll also accept grandma .” Cat stood on her tiptoes to kiss Talia’s cheek. Talia allowed it.

Callie slipped her arm around her waist and brought her close. Talia still felt discomfort around her mom’s affection. “Thanks, baby.” she whispered. Pinga gurgled. She still had Sesi’s eyes, but more of Callie’s complexion and hair.

Talia brushed it away from her face. “Do you think she’ll get your freckles?”

“God, I hope not.” Callie flustered. “I sunburn too easily. Even this far north.”

Lusa started to stir. Callie rocked her as she woke, but it didn’t take her long to start crying. “Someone’s hungry,” Callie announced, passing her to Sesi. Talia’s bright mahogany eyes stared back at her as she fed, but she had Sesi’s hair.

“This certainly seems easier with three of you looking after them.” Cat remarked.

“And you.” Callie hugged her mom. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Are you kidding?” Cat hugged back. “You won’t be able to keep me away!” Cat stole Pinga back from Talia which was just as well since Pinga had spit up all over her. “There are burp cloths behind the counter,” she called, walking away with her prize.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” Talia stared at the cream-coloured liquid coating her top, looking decidedly less badass than she normally did. “I thought they wore the bibs, not us .”

Callie dabbed at it. “It looks good on you.” But Talia’s attention was elsewhere.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Talia gazed longingly at Sesi.

Sesi held the baby to her breast. Lusa was rapidly dozing off again, but not quite ready to unlatch. She glowed like the focal point of a Caravaggio.

“You’re just staring at her tits,” Callie nudged her with her shoulder.

Talia shoved her back. “Still counts,” she muttered.

Cat returned with Talia’s burp cloth and draped it over her shoulder. Talia made to take Pinga back, but Cat quickly turned and walked away.

“Then, why did you give me this, Ca…” Cat shot her a look. “ Mom . Sorry.”

Cat smiled.

Callie took a very sleepy Lusa from Sesi and handed her to Talia.

“Oh,” Talia mumbled.

Sesi stood and joined them, bunting her head against Callie, who she could reach, and slipping her arm around Talia’s waist.

“Come here, Mom,” Callie said, but Cat raised an eyebrow. Callie rolled her eyes. “I promise, no-one will try to take Pinga from you.” Cat grinned and slipped into the embrace.

Callie thought that with this much love and beauty between the six of them, the Earth might just give them another chance.