The day off is over for the group in its entirety, but that doesn’t mean
that the fun is over for everyone. They still have at least another week and
a half before the trip to Croatia can take place, so some are preparing for
that, but not everyone. Marie and Angela are back to work. Ramses and Heath
are off buying various things for the mission; probably too much, in the
end. This is a good opportunity for Mateo and Leona to spend some alone time
together. They never really did have a honeymoon. They’ve decided to head
for Bermuda. They’re only going to stay for a few nights, and it’s not only
about the vacation. Back in the main sequence, anyone who wants full and
permanent immortality, is required to drink from eleven sources of water, in
the proper order, and within a particular time frame. Each is from a
different location, and not necessarily in the same time period. The second
type of water is called Existence. Along with the eighth water, Time, it’s
not inherent to the process of being immortal, but in preventing one’s
immortality from being undone by a time travel event. If a seeker goes out
and finds all the other ten waters, but a time traveler goes back and kills
their grandfather before he can have children, all of it will be erased from
history.
Existence is found in what’s known as the Bermuda Triangle. According to
what the team learned about it, the triangle isn’t special on its own. There
are a number of perfectly reasonable explanations for why ships and planes
have historically gone missing in the area, the number one being that it’s a
heavily trafficked region of the world in the first place. Asking why such
things seem to happen so much more often there than other places would be
like wondering why people tend to die of heatstroke in the desert and never
at all in Antarctica. Apparently the mystique and misconceptions about the
Bermuda Triangle imbued it with its power, but no one has ever heard of it
being able to do anything, except for being the source of one of the
immortality waters.
No one on the team has ever been anywhere near Bermuda, or its triangle, so
it’s on a special section of Mateo’s list for locations that they have
simply heard of, but to which they have no personal connections. They
probably won’t find anything, which is precisely why it makes sense to cross
it off the list now, rather than dedicating too much effort to it. Leona is
in charge of piloting The Olimpia out there for them. Mateo was sort of
wrong in believing it to be completely automated. It is, to be sure, but not
in the way he was thinking. It’s not something that can be operated by any
idiot with a pulse. It takes a lot of training, or enough comparable
experience to figure it out. Heath has such training, and Leona is just
smart.
The two of them land in a safe area without any traffic, drive to the
resort, and wait in line to check in. They were surprised that there were
any vacancies at such short notice, but happy to get what they wanted. The
concierge perks up when she sees them. “One moment please.” She runs off,
and returns with another woman.
“Dominus Matic, we are honored that you chose to stay at Sutton Bermuda
West. We have placed you in the Prometheus Suite, but if it’s not to your
liking, we do have an Emperor Suite available at the Sutton East. Just say
the word, and we’ll transfer you.”
Leona shuts her eyes, and pinches her nose. This is what she was worried
about.
“Oh, uh...thanks. The Prometheus will be fine. Or really any room.”
“Glad to hear it. Follow me, I’ll take you there personally.”
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