Chapter 88

"I see you're prepared."

I couldn't help but comment on the cable that went straight down where the depth of the reservoir increased sharply. And this cable was obviously not intended here by those who flooded the valley.

"...and I also wondered what the hell is floating on the surface, like before it was not like this..."

"Panam helped me. I had to come here a couple of times in my spare time to prepare..."

We were just approaching the cable.

"Now let's be careful, the rope will make it easier to get down, especially for a beginner."

"Roger that..."

I grabbed the rope and we began our dive to the bottom of the reservoir. We didn't speak during the dive, just watched the light from the headlamps that illuminated the space in front of us. It was not until we were at the bottom that Judy broke the silence.

"Here's my home town... welcome to Laguna Bend..."

I shuddered as I heard a car honking in the distance, and children scattering with joyful clamor. It was difficult to distinguish any particular voice, as well as the essence of their clamor, but I recognized that there were both boy's and girl's voices.

"Yes, when I was a kid, it was very lively. but personally I thought it was like a prison..."

A sadness came over me and a feeling of being in some confined space.

"At the time I didn't realize what a good place this town was and when they decided to flood it I was genuinely happy about it..."

This time, mixed feelings from joy and anticipation came over me...

"Bah, we're going to live in the City of Dreams, aren't we?"

The voice was definitely Judy's, but it sounded so childish...

"Did you say something?"

"Huh? I said I was excited."

"No, that's not what I mean..."

I shook my head.

"...you..."

I was silent for a few seconds.

"...Judy, please check the synchronization level, because I heard you addressing your grandmother..."

"What?"

I could hear the extreme surprise in Judy's voice, and then I could feel the ah-haul she was beginning to feel.

"Fuck... eighty percent! That's, like. that's fucking beyond our calculations!"

"Okay, uh. why don't you just focus on me."

I closed my eyes and focused on the memories I'd inherited from David. I chose one of the happiest ones, of Gloria taking him-me-to the now-closed roller coaster... I remembered the wind hitting my face and him-I squealed with delight, with Gloria laughing merrily nearby...

"Well, son, did you like it?"

"Yes mom!"

"That's good, if you study well, I'll have something else in mind at the end of the school year..."

"Uh, uh. am I hearing voices?"

Judy was very unsure of what she was saying. It was understandable, admitting to something like that was a rather unconventional move. The only saving grace was that I'd said something similar recently, albeit in a slightly different way.

"Childish boyish and adult female?"

"Yeah, uh. it was you and, uh. your mom?"

"Yeah..."

I nodded my head.

I focused on the memory of how...

"You went somewhere..."

"The roller coaster, the one that's closed now."

"I see..."

"Now let's continue, I'll listen and focus on you and you tell me about your city."

"Okay, uh. but are you sure, uh. we didn't count on this, and, uh."

"Judy, this kind of thing cannot be calculated, not with our knowledge. In order to calculate such reactions to synchronization one would have to have a much deeper knowledge of both medicine-biology and chromium... But I think nothing bad will happen. Still, in the same Basilisk the pilot's adjustment is much more profound than what we can even theoretically have. We studied this issue and took some of the data on co-tuning from there.

"Uh, uh. okay."

You could hear the uncertainty in Judy's voice and emotions, but she still decided to continue.

"Yeah..."

It took Judy a few minutes to recover a little, after which she continued.

"Back then...like I said, I didn't appreciate the place and it wasn't until I lived in Knight City for a few years that I realized Laguna Bend was many times better and more honest."

"You're under arrest for stealing a fire truck."

"But I didn't steal it! I found it in a junkyard and I fixed it!"

"Well, yeah... "a ragamuffin like you fixed it?""

"But it's true!"

Judy's emotions of resentment, misunderstanding, anger, it was a cocktail! It was just awful! Apparently that was the moment she realized that Laguna Bend was much better. But there was nothing she could do, because the city was flooded and she had already been sent to prison...

"Then... then there were the Clouds, the Helms, but that's another story. And we still have time to see the city, and we have time to--

Judy checked the sensor on her wrist.

"...about two hours, but better be back in an hour and a half..."

"Whatever you say, you're in charge."

"Okay, then let's go..."

We sailed some distance and stopped next to the building from which the sign had fallen.

"This is Diner Flo's, the best food place in town. Of course the hamburgers were too greasy, but that's what I think now, but before..."

I could taste those burgers on my tongue. And I have to admit, they were really greasy. Very greasy, but good enough. I would eat them, though. you could try to make something like that.

I looked thoughtfully at the sign.

"Yeah, that's an interesting flavor of your childhood."

"And your, uh."

I closed my eyes to focus better, and I remembered Gloria cooking the potatoes. It was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted in my past, and I was of the same opinion.

"Strange... a kind of ambivalent feeling, but both of them perceive the best flavor of childhood... potatoes?"

"Not just any potatoes, but the brownie potatoes that Gloria made."

"Hmm. I could taste it on my tongue."

"I felt your burgers too."

"How do you like them?"

"Well, maybe your memories are a little too vivid because it was a long time ago and your mind has sharpened some things, but overall, not bad taste. I think I'll treat you to a burger of my own soon."

"What about fries?"

I could taste the potatoes on my tongue, a little too salty for my taste, but well enough fried.

"Will do..."

I grinned.

"...and fries and Idaho."

"And onion rings?"

There was hope in Panam's voice, and in his emotions.

"And them too..."

"Okay..."

I was literally bathed in anticipation and gratitude. And that was new to me. No, I've been verbally thanked, kissed on the cheeks and lips, but to be thanked like that... directly in emotion.

It felt good, so I tried to answer her in a similar move by focusing on my feelings for her...

"Oh..."

I felt shock and confusion from my girl. She was even somewhat lost in space, which was evident from her movements.

"You..."

She was confused, but at the same moment she was very happy and answered me with the same step and now I was lost in her emotions and the vulgar flow of gratitude seemed a pitiful drop compared to what I felt now.

"Wow..."

"It's your own fault..."

There was a sense of embarrassment in Judy's voice and emotion.

"I'm not really complaining. It's just. it's such an incredible feeling to not just know that you love me and tell me that I love you, but to give you my emotions and feel your..."

"Yeah. it feels good."

Judy turned slightly and swam on, I could feel her embarrassment and desire to finish soon, but at the same time she didn't want this to end.

"And this is my grandparents' house. It was my grandfather who taught me everything I know about technology. He was more of a practitioner than a theorist, so he taught me mostly through practical examples. You need to fix a watch? He would call me in and show me in practice what was being done and how, and also tell me what part was needed for what."

"Look Judy, this part here is called a connecting rod and it's used to convert the rotary motion of the crankshaft into the forward motion of the piston."

Uh...

"Uh-huh?

Apparently sensing my confusion Judy interrupted and decided to clarify with me what exactly caused me such emotions.

"I'm just wondering why you're talking about clockwork, but recall the time your grandfather taught you how to fix a car?"

"I don't know..."

She shrugged.

"And does it really matter?"

"No... I shook my head, it's more important what you experience, and you literally get an emotional high from memories like that."

"Well, childhood. the best time."

"Shall we go inside?"

"Come on!"

Judy was nostalgic and excited, and then she started toward the front door of the house, but I stopped her.

"Careful, the house has been under water for a long time and we have to be careful, so I'll go first..."

"Okay..."

Judy nodded, and I activated the optics first and looked around the house, but it was in pretty good condition. At least as far as the optics, which weren't designed for that sort of thing, would allow me to see.

I slowly and carefully opened the door and swam into the building.

"Well, everything seems to be intact."

"I'm going in..."

Judy floated into the house.

"О..."

We sailed through the hallway.

"...this is the dining room, we used to gather here, me, grandma and grandpa. Mostly for dinner, and we'd talk about the day. When I was a kid, I used to get really pissed off at these gatherings, I thought I was such an important and grown-up lady and sitting next to my grandparents...

"Judy come back to the table!"

"I've already eaten!"

"But your grandfather and I haven't finished eating yet, and there's a rule in this house... Dinner is family time and we only get up from the table together."

"Be-be-be-be!"

There was a flare of irritation from Judy, followed by embarrassment, only while the first emotion was kind of distant, indicating that it was a memory, the second... it was vivid.

"Did you feel it?"

"Yeah, you weren't much of a party person."

"No, uh. I love my grandparents very much and I loved them back then, too, but..."

"But you thought it was more important for a grown girl to be out there."

"Yeah, uh. do you want to see my room?"

"Come on."

I grinned, and we sailed to the second floor where was Judy's room in which

"I'm confused..."

"What?"

It sounded a bit strained, so I had to turn around slightly.

"Knowing you, I pictured your room. more boyish."

"Uh-huh?

She looked around the room, the walls of which were painted pink, and yes, and the linens tucked on the bed... Oh, and the heart-shaped pillows... She felt embarrassed.

"Well. I thought it was cool at the time to make my room all girly."

She reeked of embarrassment and...

I grinned.

"You're lying!"

Judy turned abruptly on the spot and swam for the exit of the house, with a look of embarrassment wafting from her...