The Cohen Clover
Angie Mae Kline
copyright comidacomida 2020

Angie Mae Kline grew up just about as far away from the seas and oceans as was conceivably possible in the mid-west of the United States.  She had learned to swim first and foremost not out of necessity, but because her parents were looking for something for her to do.  She didn't like any of the usual track and field sports most kids her age had been into, and so swimming it was.  She was ten; it was easy for her to remember because she had been in fifth grade.  Almost ten years had passed since then, but to her it felt like a lifetime-- perhaps two or three.  Regardless, that experience was a world away.  Literally.

For the nearly two years Angie Mae had been enrolled in the Unity Programme she had practically been surrounded by water.  First, she spent a year a aboard the cruise-ship like Land Earth Unity Centre, learning all of the scholastic knowledge she'd need to interact with the dolphin-like people of the strange copy of the Earth she knew, Water Earth.  After a year, her life became more complex when she was partnered with an actual Phin.  Walker was his name, and he was among the top of his class.  It was then her second life really began.

It was Walker who helped her with truly understanding the Phin, and they became fast friends.  Having been raised an only child, in many ways her time with him felt like finally having a sibling.  He had been one of the best things to happen to her; unfortunately, the ways of the Phins were not the same as that of Humans, and before a year had passed, Walker was taken from her in an act of violence.  She had very nearly given up at that point, and had almost quit the Centre.

She and her class had left the Earth she'd known by that point, and she was surrounded by the Phins on Water Earth, required to follow their rules and customs.  Despite not being the kind of person to grow homesick, she found herself longing to surrender, escape, and flee back to Land Earth where things weren't so full of confusion and sorrow-- it would have made all she'd gone through be for nothing, however, and, thanks to her friends, she weathered it, and stuck it out.  Doing so had changed her life anew.

Angie Mae once believed that what was presented to her was the whole story, but she had become much more jaded thanks to the lessons she learned in her year at the Unity Centre on Water Earth.  It was a large building constructed much like a jellyfish; a dome floated just above water level with long arms extended deep below it into the ocean holding the various classrooms and dorms.  One entire hallway was dedicated to a secret class in which she'd found herself with her second partner Roller. 

That class told only a select few students things that few other Humans knew.  Why?  Because the people in charge thought that humanity wasn't ready.  Despite her belief that information existed to be shared, Angie Mae couldn't completely disagree with the assessment.  Humans had a hard enough time working together with other Humans; knowing everything could have very well made it nigh impossible to interact with Phins.  Despite knowing that it was the only reasonable course of action, she hated keeping the secrets nonetheless, but it was not a problem considering she hadn't gone back to Land Earth after graduating.

Like many in her top secret advanced class, Angie Mae had been tapped as a resource, recruited by none other than the famed physicist Nathan Cohen himself.  Although he was in his 60s, Angie Mae had been surprised at how down-to-earth, easygoing, and relaxed he was-- nothing like how she imagined a world-altering theorist.  Out of her entire class, Angie Mae ended up not only recruited by him, but actually working WITH him.  It was an honor, and a dream come true.  Every day she expected to wake up from it, but just over a year of mornings opening her eyes in bed found her exactly where she'd gone to sleep: Station Zero.

The settlement was the first of its kind: a human outpost on Water Earth.  As the first permanent town for the transplanted Land Earthers, Station Zero still used a lot of elements of Phin architecture with the most prominent contribution being the fact that the entire facility was housed atop an artificial island.  At just over 1000 sq kilometers, Island Zero, as it was called by Humans was almost 10% larger than the largest man made projects on Land Earth and, unlike the land reclamation Humans used, the Phins had created Island Zero to float.

An engineering marvel which exceeded humanity's own knowledge, the project had begun years before Humans had made contact with the Phins but wasn't completed until several years after the peace accord that had created the Unity Programme.  Angie Mae had never actually learned why the Phins had originally constructed Island Zero (known as Brown Bubble Island to them), but it had been gifted for Human use without any objection or reservation from the original architects, the Tikk.  The young woman often caught herself thinking about the white bodied, long-beaked Phin; not only did the majority of the Phin present at Station Zero come from their sub-species, but they were also the ones responsible for Walker's death.

Even nearly two years later, Angie Mae had not fully overcome the emotions she felt whenever she considered the events that had taken her first partner from her but a year among the Tikk she had somehow been able to let the blame go.  It had taken time, of course, but also a lot of soul-searching, patience, understanding, and Aiden Cohen.  Not only was Aiden Nathan's grand nephew, but he was also a Tikk, and, between learning more truths about water earth and spending so much time around him, she was making headway in being able to get past her knee-jerk reaction about losing Walker.

It was a call from Aiden in fact that pulled her out of her musings.  "Angie Mae?  It's your turn!"

Looking up from the open binder in front of her, Angie Mae took in the sights in the Station Zero rec room.  'The Parlor' as it was called, reminded her of the turn-of-millennia pizza parlors her dad used to take the family to when she was growing up.  A centralized food counter took up a third of the room where simple, quick meals could be prepared with a third of it reserved for Phin cuisine, a third for Human, and the final third combined meals from both species and a variety of cultures in an amazing cross-fusion.  Off to the right were a selection of three old arcade machines, and that was where most of her pod hung out.

Pods were more of a Phin social structure, but Angie Mae and her other Human classmates had formed one along with their Phin partners, and it had withstood the test of time.  Aiden, and his Human cousin Heather were closest to Angie Mae and presenting her with a turn at the controls; beyond them at the next console were Max and his orca-like Amplus partner Carver joined by Greg and his Album partner Hunter playing a four player game.  The third arcade machine was occupied by Charlie and her bottle-nose-like Longos partner-and-Husband Clicker.  They all looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Behind them stood Angel and Seraph, each holding a child; Seraph, an imposing Longos only a little smaller than Carver was watching after Charlie and Clicker's child Jared while Angel cradled their own son, a cute little human boy they'd named Cherub.  The first time Angie Mae heard the name she winced; it was a little too contrived that they'd stuck with their 'heavenly' theme, but her opinion didn't matter and, in time, she'd come to smile rather than scowl.  It helped that Cherub was just as smiley and dynamic as his mother.

Angel was a mother.  The thought gave Angie Mae a moment's pause.  Not even two years ago she thought she had fully believed that only a female was capable of being a mother.  Certainly, she rationalized, a male could be motherly, but to be a mother required physical female sexual characteristics.  Phins were different of course, and that understanding paved the way in her mind, allowing her to overcome her mental calcification.  Angel had indeed carried their calf to term and, despite giving birth via a cesarean section, he was no less a mother than, Charie, for example.

Heather approaching snapped the young woman out of her meandering thoughts.  "Angie Mae?  Is everything alright?"

Aiden joined the two of them, and the Cohen cousins sat down at the table across from her.  Aiden cocked his head to the side at a slight angle. "Are you not interested in joining us for a game or two?  It IS your turn, if you would like."

Letting out a deep sigh, Angie Mae looked at them, then back down to the binder on the table in front of her.  "It's alright... I'm still trying to get caught up on this data..."

Until joining the Special Projects research team at Station Zero it had literally been years since she'd dealt with a collection of paper since almost all institutions preferred to use data tablets, but Nathan was dedicated to strict use of physical format with the only electronic versions stored as a way to print off copies.  It made sense, of course, especially considering the sensitivity of their studies, but the extra security often left her feeling restricted and drained.

Nathan usually didn't let the binders leave the research building, even for the short, 40-something-meter trip to The Parlor.  He also didn't make it a habit of letting interns check out binders, but there had been changes in the recent months.  To begin, Angie Mae had progressed from intern to a formal status of research assistant.  Although the new position included bonuses such as enough trust to bring a binder anywhere within the Unity outpost at Station Zero it also increased her workload, and she didn't like falling behind.

Heather and Aiden, however, weren't willing to leave it at that.  Heather reached over and pressed her hand onto the text of the page Angie Mae was reviewing.  "Give it a rest, Angie Mae... you know what Uncle Nathan says about putting in more than 12 hours a day."

The young woman looked up at her fellow researcher, tactfully using one of her superior's many quotes "You mean 'The job isn't over until we know everything and knowing everything will never happen.'?"

Aiden let out a click-trill laugh and he got an elbow from Heather for the sound.  The Tikk opened and shut his beak before providing what Angie Mae knew was the 'correct' quote. "If you can't get it done in 12 hours a day they either you aren't using your time wisely or you have too much on your plate."

Heather moved her hand off of the page until it was resting atop Angie Mae's "You keep asking Uncle Nathan for more responsibilities.  If you're having to do this every night rather than taking time to relax and unwind maybe it's time to stop taking on so much."

Although Angie Mae found it hard to argue against Heather since she had a point, the junior researcher still couldn't agree.  "Nathan will end up working himself to death if we DON'T take things from him.  Between the thermal conduction variances between transfer sites and his hypothesis on how the transfer of energy could be used to confirm the theory of absolute space and time, he--"

Angel plopped himself down on the bench at the table right next to Angie Mae. "Hey girl, what's this supposed t' be?  Can'chu see the sign, chica?"

The black man didn't have to bother pointing; they all knew about the large sign posted on the far wall written in huge block letters (and slightly smaller Phin alphabet) that clearly denoted WORK FREE ZONE.  Smiling around the gathering of her friends, she finally relented, surprising herself with how thankful she was when it came to their intervention; she HAD been working herself particularly hard as of late.  Offering everyone a smile, she closed the binder.  "Right.  I just finished."

Charlie, Clicker, and Seraph joined them as well.  Seraph had returned Jared to his parents and once he sat down next to Angel he accepted the contently sleeping baby from his Human partner.  The large Longos gently rocked the baby as he spoke quietly in English, motioning with his beak toward the food counter. "Max and Carver are getting dinner, they'll be right over.

The discussion started right up among everyone gathered at the table but Angie Mae's attention drifted over to the Amplus ordering food and the young man standing beside him.  It had taken awhile for Angie Mae to figure out Carver, and only a little less time to come to understand Max, but they were probably two of her closest friends; she was glad that they were at Station Zero with her, even if they worked in Integrated Studies instead of with her at Special Projects.  As she stared, Max glanced back toward the table and raised a hand to her in greeting when their eyes met; his other hand continued resting on his gravid belly.

To her best recollection, Max was almost six months along, though, truth be told, he looked almost ready to pop.  Then again it wasn't exactly easy to tell since Human males weren't really built to hold a child but based on what she'd heard, Max and Carver were expecting an Amplus calf, which explained how the poor guy had grown so large.  Her natural inclination was to worry but, then again, the birthing doctors that were available at Station Zero checked him three times a week so she knew that her concern was baseless.  Smiling, she waved back.

Angie Mae always had a hard time not smiling whenever Max did; his moods were often infectious and it always hurt to see him down.  He was usually skilled at hiding his emotions, usually coming across as neutral at best, or cold at worst.  Perhaps, she reasoned, that was why it was so easy to empathize with him-- he only really ever showed his feelings when they were so close to overflowing that it was impossible to do anything but.  It also helped that they had been through so much; they'd laughed and cried together over the course of their time at the Unity Programme.  Fortunately for them both, once they were at Station Zero there was a lot more of the former than the latter, and it was a welcome relief.

When the last two members of their group joined them it wasn't without a degree of fanfare; not only did they get meals for themselves, but Carver's broad arms carried more than enough to be shared with the entire table.  Charie, who was closest, took a plate of nachos and slid some stir fried shrimp to Clicker with a mindful "Thank you.  That's very generous." 

Angel reached out and grabbed what looked like two Phin-fusion kelp burritos, passing one to Seraph with an emphatic "Always such a gentleman!  Thank yas, Teeds."

Angie Mae had to ask Max once about the nickname Angel had supplied to Carver, and it was all she could do to avoid cracking up when he'd told her.  It made so much sense and so little sense at the same time that she had no other possible response for it. "It's an abbreviation for Tall, Dark, and Monochromatic-- TDM, or 'Teeds' for short." 

Aiden was much more reluctant. "You really did not have to put yourselves out like that... I'm sure all of us here can get our own meals if we're hungry."

Carver sat back in his chair, still leaving the large collection of food available. "It's alright... my mom send extra credits to us this month and told me to make sure that we did something nice for the Pod.

Angie Mae had only ever met Carver's mom Watcher a few times but what little interaction they had left her with the impression that Watcher was a really nice guy.  She had never met Carver's father, and the Album never spoke about him so she knew better than to ask, but from what she knew of Watcher, the snacks were probably the ideal way to use the extra funds.  She took a plate of crab'n'mac'n'cheese.  "Please be sure to tell him thank you for me, Carver."

He offered her a very Amplus-like smile.  "Of course!"

As little as a year prior Carver used to frighten her and it took her some time to get over that.  She had a general phobia of large creatures, even friendly ones, but, for some reason, her time with the Amplus made her immune to his size, and she found him far more calming than worrying.  As far as she knew, he was the only exception, and it struck a powerful chord in her in a way that was as meaningful to her as it was comforting for her to know that Max was being so well cared for.

Eventually Aiden and Heather took a plate for themselves, and Greg pulled two plates out of the remainder for himself and Hunter, leaving only two plates for Max and Carver.  The bowl of Laminaria topped with chili had been held back from the general collection available, and the Amplus slid it to Max. "Here you go."

The young man dug right in, ravenous.  Meanwhile, Carver took a bite of his sandwich, watching the table across from himself where Angel sat staring at Max.  Eventually the black man cleared his voice and pointed. "Damn, Boo... you definitely got the craving bad, huh?"

Although Angie Mae didn't know quite as much about the Human/Phin pregnancies as the Integrated Study workers, she knew enough to be aware that Humans pregnant with calves considered it as common a craving as many Human moms thought about pickles and ice cream.  Max just laughed, blushing faintly as he finished chewing and swallowing.  "Yeah... guess we didn't even need the scans to know it'd be a calf, huh?  What about you, Angel?  You didn't have cravings like this when you were pregnant with Cherub, huh?"

The black man shook his head. "Nope... chocolate chip ice cream with hot sauce... I knew right away that mi chiquito was gonna be full-on latin spice!"

Everyone around the table chuckled at Angel's usual flamboyant escapades but, as things slowly trailed off and returned to normal, different side conversations picked up.  While they were all interesting in their own right, a hush ultimately fell on the table when Hunter said something about a new influx of graduates from the Unity Programme while he was talking to Clicker.  Angie Mae inserted herself into the discussion, looking around Charlie to ask "We're getting more graduates from the Centre?"

Clicker offered a double-click of acknowledgement before gesturing off in the rough direction of the Station Zero docks and started to say something before Hunter interrupted. "We were talking with Civil Loader earlier today and he said that we'd be getting a skiff at the end of the week."

Out of all of the laborers at Station Zero, Civil Loader was the one that Angie Mae knew the best; not only was he the foreman for the work detail, but, as Nathan Cohen's son he also happened to be family to the Cohen cousins.  She'd spent a lot of time talking to him and he, like Aiden, had helped her dispel some of her reservations regarding the Tikk.  Civil Loader, or Kenneth Cohen, as he was also known was a very intelligent Phin, an beyond friendly.  She also knew for a fact that he loved to gossip, something that Nathan, as his mother, often tried to get him to reel in.

She snapped out of her reverie and, like everyone else at the table, leaned closer to press Hunter for more information.  It was Seraph who actually made the request. "Did you hear anything else?  Do you know who's joining us from the Centre?  Did he say anything about what to expe--?"

Nathan Cohen's unmistakable voice interrupted the gathering. "I see that we're exploring rumor and gossip tonight, are we?"

From anyone else the rhetorical question would probably have been accompanied by a snide or sardonic tone but in Nathan's case there was no small amount of good-humored mirth to it.  Regardless, everyone sat up immediately as they tried to act casual but, to Angie Mae, at least, they all looked more than a little guilty.  A moment later she came to the realization that she probably appeared the same, and her face reddened.

The head researcher took a seat with the pod right next to Angie Mae.  He reached out and tapped the binder on the bench between them.  "Getting a good use out of E-19?"

All of the binders in Special Projects had a letter and number designation; most letters between 'A' and 'Z' averaged 20 volumes, with a total of 522 binders.  Each individual volume had somewhere between two hundred to four hundred pages, so the research material was not insignificant.  Nathan, however, always made it a point to remember where each and every one could be located and he didn't need a reference table to know where to look for information within the set.  It only made sense since he was the one who had written them.

Angie Mae's hand went down to rest on the binder, immediately speaking up. "I think I may have found a variance in the--"

He raised a finger to silence her. "Ah!" And gestured to the huge sign on the far wall.  Both Aiden and Heather glanced at one another; they were obviously bemused.  Nathan then leaned a little closer to Angie Mae and noted in a conspiratory voice "You can tell me tomorrow, first thing, right?"

Although there was no water present in The Parlor, a sound very reminiscent of a fluke slapping down caught everyone's attention.   As one, the occupants of the table turned to the side entrance through which Nathan had come to find another individual present.  Although the rest of her pod was taken aback at what they saw, Angie Mae was only mildly surprised since she knew him. "Anin?"

Anin Quick-Brow was an Ikali, a bipedal Otter man who was scarcely five foot tall.  Although he was technically her partner, she had only worked with him irregularly as a study intern. According to Nathan, since she had ascended to the rank of Research Assistant they would be seeing more of one another; Angie Mae hardly expected it to be so sudden, and yet there he was, standing in The Parlor with everyone else.

Like everyone else, Anin wore a wetsuit, though his was a much lighter color and accentuated the slightly different curvature of his sinewy form.  Despite having only worked with him perhaps once or twice a week, the impression she'd got of the Otter was that he was outgoing and friendly, but he stood a little awkwardly, black, webbed paws wringing in front of himself as his blonde whiskers twitched.  His black eyes gazed out from the sandy-brown fur of his face as he first regarded her, then Dr. Cohen, and then her again. "H-hello, Angie Mae.  Dr. Nathan Cohen.  Everyone."

Nathan smiled, and held a hand out wide in a welcoming gesture to the Ikali. "Ah, Anin.  I'm glad you were able to make it.  Please, join us."

The Otter had a distinct gait to him, one that Angie Mae had come to understand was distinctly Ikali.  His body swayed as he approached, weight transferring heavily from foot to foot as his head offset the way his tail made little s-curves behind him with each step.  Rather than stopping at the bench he nimbly climbed up onto it and sat down right beside Nathan, even going so far as to press the whole side of his body against the man;  Dr. Cohen responded by wrapping his arm around the Otter. 

Under Nathan's care, Anin seemed to recover a little of his more perky personality as he proclaimed. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you.  I am Anin Quick-Brow, junior researcher with Dr. Nathan Cohen, and I am Angie Mae Kline's Ikali partner."

Angie Mae also noted how his whiskers quirked up when he smiled wide, and he presented a paw in a fingers-splayed, web-on-display wave.  The wave was a very human gesture, and one she'd explained to him at least three times; she was surprised and joyful to see how naturally he used it.  Despite how little time she got with her Ikali partner, she enjoyed it, and was hopeful that Nathan would eventually let her introduce him to the rest of her Pod. 

Dr. Cohen reinforced that exact thought with his next statement. "Anin was working alongside Angie Mae as an intern and, like her, he was promoted to a junior researcher and, since he's completed his integration training, he's allowed into the use general area now.  I think the socialization will be good for him... and for all of you."

Max was immediately concerned. "Uh... Dr. Cohen?  We've learned about Phins... not about Ikali.  Are you sure--?"

Nathan held up a hand. "Max... it's fine.  Anin is one of our best Ikali students, and he's proven himself capable when it comes to interacting with both Phins and Humans.  Anin... are you alright?"

The Otter was cuddled up against the Doctor, peeking out at everyone from beneath Nathan's arm; it was obvious all of the new faces was taking a toll on him.  Although she'd always thought of Anin as incredibly social and outgoing, she also realized that she'd only ever seen him introduced to one newcomer at a time, and always while surrounded by people he already knew.  She recalled that Ikali didn't usually do so well around large groups of strangers, and so she got up and walked around to the Otter's other side and sat down next to him. 

She rested a hand on his shoulder, pointing with the other as she spoke.  "Everyone here are members of my pod, Anin. You know Aiden and Heather.  That's Carver and that's Max Snyder.  Over there is Charlice Brenner and Clicker.  That's Hunter and that's Greg, and there's Seraph and Angel.  The little one with Clicker is Jared, and the one Angel is holding is Cherub.  These are all my friends."

Anin looked around the table, peering out from behind Nathan, black eyes blinking as he took in the sites. "It is a pleasure to meet everyone."

Charlie let out a little squeak. "Oh my god... he's SO cute!"

Clicker interjected "And she goes by Charlie, not Charlice."

Heather countered "He doesn't know Charlie, and the Ikali always use proper names for strangers, Clicker."

A little more of what Angie Mae knew to be Anin's real personality poked out from behind his shyness as his whiskers quirked in a fresh smile. "If everyone here is a friend of Angie Mae then I'm sure I'll call her Charlie in no time."

Smiling as well, Angie Mae looked around at everyone. "Anin just finished his lessons in a specialized class for Ikali here at Station Zero.  The Unity Programme should have a proper Unity Programme starting up on Riparian Earth this year."

Nathan nodded. "Precisely why we're expecting new recruits to join us."

Greg, having been quiet most of the evening, spoke up. "From the Unity Centre?"

Dr. Cohen shook his head.  "Two, yes-- Andy and Swimmer will be added to the roster here but--"

Nathan was unable to continue as discussion, cheers, and cries of happiness burst out all around the table.  Anin pulled away from everyone, pushing himself into Dr. Cohen's side.  Angie Mae looked down at him feeling sorry for the poor Ikali; cheers and applause weren't common among his people.

Fortunately it didn't last long as Nathan brought the commotion to an end as he continued his statement "But there are three more joining us from the Academy."

Max seemed surprised. "The Academy?  The one here at Station Zero?"

Greg paused at that. "The Academy?"

Nathan held up a hand and silenced everyone with a gesture.  "The Gora Ridge Academy on Land Earth.  It's similar to the one here on Water Earth."

Everything clicked and Angie Mae sat up straighter. "Isn't that where you had the Programme send Roller?"

The man was all smiles as he turned to regard her. "Yes, and he's one of the graduates joining us at the end of the week."