Lindsay sat in what was one of three restaurants/cafes in New Atlantis, it was the middle of the day and therefor most people where at work. The older children where in the one room school house only a few buildings down, only those who either had a day off or worked in the evening or risked working at night where about. She looked down at her stone cup full of what in the human world would be called a slime but was what merfolk used for drinks. She took a deep pull on it, as the fruity liquid ran down her throat passing by her gills without going out of them and then to her stomach. It was a mix of different corals, seaweed and others which basically made a something a kin to a fruit smoothly.
Suddenly it hit her, it has been 18 months since they arrived in Atlantis after that stupid shard broke in the living room and her life was something she could never had imagined back then. She looked around, strangely this place had become home, she knew everyone who called Atlantis home, not hard considering there was only now 120 people who called Atlantis home. She knew some better than others but she knew them all and all of them knew her in some way or another.
She finished the drink and placed the stone glass down.
“Do you need another one Lindsay?” inquired the waitress
“Yes, thanks Maria.” Answered Lindsay as she pulled out a copper coin from a bag which hung on her belt and placed it down. Maria took the coin and within a few minutes another fruit drink was before her.
It took a while but the six of them seemed to have fitted into Atlantis society, the easiest one to adjust was actually her sister Barbara. It somewhat understandable, she had been studying structure engineering in school and therefor had been all but thrown into work and there was a lot of work for her. Atlantis was in ruins, and they had no structural engineers before she arrived and therefor when she arrived the council could do stuff they could not before. Since she was in so high demand the she was basically swimming in the gold, silver and copper coins which were used in Atlantis.
Barbara’s then girlfriend, now wife Stacy had adjusted well as well. Her skills as a lawyer while not as useful in such a small population was still useful because of her skills in researching was being put to good use in researching the records left behind by the ancient Atlantean.
The only issue that she knew which was going on between her sister and her sister-in-law was the search for a merman to be a sperm doner so that they could start a family. The issue was that since the level of technology in Atlantis was limited the only way a lesbian couple could have a kid was sleeping with a merman. That was not much of an issue, both Barbara and Stacy where bisexual but finding a merman they both liked and who agreed to father a kid was a challenge.
Next to Barbara, James had likely adjusted the best for basically the same reason. He had been in medical school and as such he was thrown in to work with the two doctors who treated everyone in Atlantis. He was almost as busy as Barbara and made almost as much money. He and Elizabeth where still together and where now in fact engaged but were waiting a bit for the wedding itself.
For Elizabeth her business major helped very little and at first she was sent to work in the fields like Lindsay and Oscar where. However, her summer office work at her families business where she helped managed shipping manifests helped her and she was now second in charge of managing the food storage and other supplies for the whole community. It was a government job and did not pay as much as she would have liked but she was making ok money.
The two who had adjusted the worse, were herself and Oscar. Both had been freshmen in college and therefor didn’t have much useful skills to help them in this new world. Oscar was studying to be a geologist and had it as a hobby for a while and that helped a little but not much. He helped Barbara a bit but he clearly a junior in helping her. As for herself, there was not much use for graphic designers and so she found herself working in the fields, picking crops and helping feed the people of this new society. She would be out there today, but it was her day off and she had other duties right now.
She felt a slight mummer as she looked down at the large piece of fabric which traveled from her shoulder down to her hip before coming back around. She looked down and smiled at the small little figure with brown hair, green eyes and a red and green tail had waken up and was looking up at her with a smile which melted her heart.
“So you are finally awake my little Christmas present.” cooed Lindsay to her and Oscar’s son, he had been born only a few months ago on what they believed to be Christmas day and because of his green and red tail pattern it was a nickname she had given him. She moved a bit and gave the baby merman her breast, she smiled while she never wanted to be a 21-year-old mother she couldn’t think of being without her son and without her soon to be husband Oscar. The world had changed so much since she became a mermaid but she couldn’t imagine not sleeping beside Oscar every night with their son asleep in a crib beside them.
“Sis…” said Barbara as she swam up to the table. Lindsay raised a finger to her lips telling her sister to quiet down. Barbara moved up and looked at Lindsay then down at her feeding nephew, Lindsay didn't mind her sister seeing her just no one else...besides Oscar that was. “Ah…sorry, and sorry little guy.”
“It’s alright.” Said Lindsay as she adjusted her cover a bit to hide her bare breast to the public, however some mermaids did go bare breasted at all times any how so it wasn’t anything strange. Still she wasn’t that type of mermaid, she actually did think of herself as a mermaid not a human anymore. “So why did you want to speak to me?”
“Well, I got news.” Said Barbara as she sat down and ordered a drink of her own.
“Well, what is it?” inquired Lindsay
“You know that Atlantean machine which guards the tunnel leading out of here?” inquired Barbara
Lindsay nodded; she knew of that massive Atlantean Machine which had turned rogue thousands of years ago. It guarded the entrance to a large tunnel which everyone believed lead from Atlantis which sat in an underground doom and out into the Mediterranean Sea. Sea creatures could pass by the machine without a care, but any merperson who came close ended up either dead or turned back into a human which while underwater was the same thing. It was one of 19 machines which still roomed the city at night and forced them down into the bunkers at least once every 10 days. It was however the only one not to move and to remain on day and night.
“I know what of it.” Stated Lindsay “What of it?”
“We finished a tunnel which goes around it.” Whispered Barbara as Lindsay’s eyes widened. “The Council already has sent a team out to make contact with the surface world.”
“My God.” Said Lindsay as the realization of what could happen filled her, they could make contact with the human world. Tell everyone Atlantis is real, tell their parents they where alive and maybe find a way to become human again or at least move somewhere better. But there was also the chance some government, some religious group could attack them, or try to kill them.
“We should know in a few days.” Said Barbara