Everything I Am - Orm Marius/Ocean Master

Chapter Seven - Outbreak

After another pretty sleepless night, Aurelia was taking a nice hot shower to try and wake herself up. She heard the door creak open behind her and moments later two warm arms wrapped around her middle and a naked body pressed against her from behind. 

"Ooo, good morning," she chuckled. 

"Good morning." Orm nuzzled her neck. 

With going back to work and the new realities of parenthood on top of that, she and Orm had not had any time to themselves. And not only that, post-giving birth, her sex drive had been all over the place, but she was definitely in the mood this morning. 

Things were just heating up when a chirpy beeping noise sounded from their room, the little device that the Council used to communicate with them when they were on land. Looks like they were being summoned. 

It was like the Council knew the worst times to contact them, and then proceeded to do so, Date night? Summoned. She was taking some time for herself? Summoned. Family game night? Summoned. She and Orm were getting it on? Summoned. 

The two pulled away from each other and groaned, the moment broken. 

"Rats - we'll have to be quick then," she said.

"Aurelia-" He appeared regretful, but the truth was, they had to go. 

She pouted. "Fine. But this had better be so important."

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"A plague outbreak?"

Faster than she would have liked, they were dressed and back in Atlantis, back in the Council Chamber more specifically, and Karshon and the rest of the Members had just delivered a bombshell. 

And okay, so it turned out it really was quite important. Like really important. 

"Like the Renaissance?" she asked. 

"There hasn't been an outbreak like this in centuries." Orm said.  "So why now?"

"Increased ocean acidity, decreased oxygen levels, toxic algal blooms, take your pick," Karshon responded. "At first just a few people became sick, and it was easy to overlook, but now it is becoming quickly widespread, and all because your precious Surface has been poisoning our atmosphere for the last century."

Right, humans and their Industrial Revolution, their modernization. 

"Is it contagious?" Orm pressed, all business. "Do we need to enact quarantine measures in the medical wings?"

"It does not appear to be contagious, My King, at least not as of yet. And we can only hope and pray that it will stay that way. But we cannot be too cautious - something My Queen does not seem to understand or realize, or take seriously enough."

Okay, that was a big jab.  Point for Lady Karshon and the Council. 

"Hey, you can't expect the Surface to care about us if they aren't allowed to connect with us, and us to them," she argued. "Yes they now know we exist, but we need to do more. If you want to be part of the conversation, we need to take our seat at the table. We are a nation of this planet as well, just as they are."

"Your Majesty is well aware of the Council's position on this."

Yup, well, well aware. Here we go again...  "We can't back out of the partnership, especially not now with this new outbreak. Listen, we can talk to their scientists and combine our technologies to reverse the damage that's already been done, and stop any more from happening." She turned to Orm in his seat next to her. "Babe, you're a scientist, this could work, right?"