They took a cab into the city, leaving the helicopter at the airport.
Jason had circled around ORCA for a while and taken a few runs with the onboard radar. He took some notes and widened the circles until he was out of range for ORCA's sensors. This would be just enough to be convincing.
"Wow, I totally forgot, Cairns is soo big!" Excited, Mera watched the passing buildings. Neri, who sat between them, tightened her grip on Jason's hand. Her face showed both, curiosity and unease. Brett sat next to the driver, directing him to a mall near to the beach.
"But I remember it more crowded."
The streets were not empty, but indeed less crowded than usual. The shops they drove by were open but barely visited.
"Where have you guys been in the last couple of weeks?" the taxi driver asked in a disbelieving tone. "The sudden meltdown of the ice caps, the rising sea level, the strange red cloud in the ocean? Lots of people thought Earth is going down!"
"But it's all gone now," Brett answered. "The Red Virus is defeated and the sea temperature is down to normal again."
The taxi driver examined their uniforms. "You guys are from ORCA? Well, I guess you know, what you're talking about, living out there. But people here don't believe it's really over. They're sort of waiting for the next catastrophe."
"They live in fear?" Neri asked, sad and horrified at the same time.
"You're lucky. This a good day to visit the city. People started to work again and the shops re-opened. But five days ago, you still could have seen the traces of pillaging."
Neri darted a confused glance at Jason. "Pillaging?" she formed silent.
"Robbing. In times of panic, people take everything they can," Jason whispered so quietly, only Neri could hear.
"Earth People tend a lot to panic," Jason added later, then they watched the cab drive away. "This is why the presence of the Ocean People on earth, the whole story with Malakat and the pyramid, has to stay a secret for now."
"Earth People are younger than Ocean People in evolution," Mera explained. "But even they couldn't see the whole picture, or above this sick plan of Malakat. And now they are just as scared as Earth People."
Neri took her sister's hand. "Courage, sister."
Mera smiled back. "Yes, sister."
Brett and Jason exchanged looks. "Come on," Brett said with a happier tone. "We're here to find some distraction. Can we talk about something else than politics, just for one afternoon?"
"Yes," Mera agreed with a wide smile. "You are right. I want to buy a pretty blue dress for Mother. She likes blue."
Brett made a relieved gesture with his hands against the sky. "So let's go!"
Jason laid his arm around Neri's shoulder when walking down the street. She leant against him, her arm around his waist, carefully setting one foot after the other. She just didn't like shoes.
Their younger siblings lead the way. Mera glanced back and grinned, seeing Jason and Neri in close embrace. She winked at him, then turned back. Neri and Jason exchanged smiles. Walking along, he could still feel her glance on his face. The butterflies in his stomach danced a happy dance.
Keeping a low profile wasn't that easy when being the only costumers. It took several shops and boutiques to get the necessary items. The nice shop assistants swarmed around them like bees, brought them dresses, shirts, scarves and shoes. A young guy with black hair in an asymmetric, stylish hair cut, very likely like Zoe's back then in the old days, brought a dark sweater and held it up to Jason. Jason tried to stop him with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you, Miles," Jason said with a short glimpse to his badge, "but we're just here for the girls."
Miles twitched his lips with a look of disapproval when looking up and down at Jason.
"It's just a working uniform," Jason explained.
"Anyway dear," Miles shrugged. "as much, as I am into men in uniform and as much, as I have to admit, you look just stunning in it, I really wanna see you in this."
Jason hesitated.
"Come on, Jase," Brett grinned. "The president is paying anyway. By the way," he held up a red t-shirt with a wild pattern, "Miles, what do you think of this for me?"
Miles obviously didn't like to be called away from Jason but went for Brett all professional. "Maybe the green one, honey. Red with your hair is … stingy."
Jason looked at the dark sweater in his hands. It looked indeed very nice and felt very soft.
"Oh, Neri, look!" Mera exclaimed and pointed to a black dress with a glittering stripe, formed like a wave, from shoulder to the hem of the skirt in the colours of the ocean. "This is just perfect for you."
She grabbed a silk blouse in turquoise with a thin scarf and some classic black trousers. "And this!"
Jason's mouth was suddenly dry when imagining Neri in those. Of course, he liked her best when she was wearing her usual dress because she was all comfortable in it. But sooner or later, they all had to lay down their habits for a more grown-up look. In a few weeks, they would be all part of an official representing unit.
Mera knew her sister and had spotted just the right thing. Neri took the dress and her eyes met Jason's with a questioning expression. He nodded and smiled.
Miles broke the eye contact with some skinny jeans. He grinned and pointed to the changing rooms. "Chop-chop, get in there, handsome!"
"Listen to this man," Brett advised enthusiastically, watching himself in different angles in the mirror in his new green t-shirt, which soft coloured pattern mixed up perfectly with the nice beige scarf around his neck. "That guy's a genius!"
Jason felt himself turning slightly red by the glance Miles shot at him in those... very skinny jeans. "I don't know," he murmured.
"Fiddlesticks!" snapped Miles. "Wait here. I'll fetch something else."
Thoughtful, Jason looked at his reflection. The working-out in the gym was paying out. Miles was right, his butt looked nice in those jeans. Would Neri notice? Did she even bother?
One or two cubicles away, he heard Mera giggling. "Serious competition, Neri!"
"What do you mean?" Neri sounded confused.
"Well," Mera explained. "this Miles guy his hitting hard on Jason. He seems so determined to get him out of his clothes. Not, that he ever had any chance -" she continued, when Neri didn't respond. "Not the way, Jason looks at you."
Jason changed quickly and left the cubicle. This was obviously not for him to hear. Mera was younger than Neri but had to grow up more quickly. Living so long on Earth, she was more familiar with … the physical part of a relationship between humans. Jason realised, he had never really thought about, how things worked with the Ocean People. Maybe, Neri and he wouldn't even be able to … get physical. They looked just the same, but their metabolisms were totally different. In, probably, not too distant future Neri and he would have to have the talk again, but about each other.
Strange thought.
But on the other side, they had just started to kiss and cuddle a little bit. Vancouver, planned press conferences, negotiations and meetings. It could take years for them, to find time for themselves.
Jason approached Miles, who was looking at some white, elegant shirts for him, and shook off this train of thoughts. Certainly, he put way too much into it. When the time was right, it would probably come to them naturally.