Oh, brilliant. I love this so much! You do so many wonderful things to define the world, and yet define it in such a way that the missing essential details make everything even scarier. Like, in the way that a little information is scarier than a full diagnosis, even if the full diagnosis is fatal. Not knowing who, how, or why and having zero control over anything but their own continued existence...jeez. I love how that desperation spools out through the sex, but the sex doesn't overwhelm the real grist of the story.

And the other thing I adore completely is that John quotes Milton at the end and is really okay with putting everything in the hands of whatever higher power is out there. It makes really nice sense for him, especially given that he chose Atlantis on a coin toss and has lived with a mystical connection with the city for however long it's been by this point in their lives. If anyone has an access point for blind faith turning out okay, it's John. So yeah, definitely worked for me.