{"sf1_id":809380,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 37","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":10048,"posted_at":"2015-01-19T12:52:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Human","Romance","Story Progression","homosexual","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/809380-aquata-cove-chapter-37","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/809380","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=809380\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata Cove\nChapter 37: Boundaries\n \n \n \nMerrick sighs as his gills wavered on the sides of his head.\nIt's been 25 suns since his captivity. It's almost been a whole moon since he's\nseen Adam's wonderful face...\n \nAfter the first while Merrick was here, he felt as if he\ncan't trust a single human in this place - Nigel especially. It's not like that\nman is entirely bad. Merrick can see a lot of pain in that man's eyes, behind\nthat endless hole of ambition and apathy. If he was a good man before, it sure\ndoesn't show now. That foolish man still drags Merrick into that small room to\nask him question after question after question. Will that old cod never learn?\n \nSome of the humans are actually friendly, not just Erin.\nWhenever Merrick is taken in to the laboratory for tests, one of the scientists\nsneaks in a small, colorful item for Merrick can eat - it's round and has a\nwhite stick attached to it, one of those candies he's seen at that sweetshop at\nthe pier on occasion. \nSome of the security guards aren't all bad either. Most of\nthem don't care; they're just mindless soldiers following orders. Others are\nrather rough in their actions though, as if they fear or despise Merrick, like\nhe's some kind of animal who will go on a rampage if they let him too loose.  Some of them, however, are kindly and\nunderstanding - once in a while, they sneak into the tank room, and smuggle\nsome extra food for Merrick. \nOf course, he's made requests to go home, or even contact\nAdam somehow. Alas, no one is authorized to take him home, and everyone says\nthere are no 'phone' things anywhere in the building, and all personale are\nstrictly prohibited from bringing any 'cellular device' within the premises of\nthe Agency - the only one allowed is Nigel. \n \nAnd from the way these humans talk, bending even one rule\ncan put them in very deep trouble. Sounds like the Sacred Laws, only less\nstrict.\n \n \n \nThe door of the room clicked. Merrick's eyes darted to the\nmovement in the refracted image, and saw one of the human guards enter. Merrick\ngroaned irritably; it's Keith - one of the guards that are stationed in the\nroom where Nigel interrogates Merrick. This piece of work doesn't seem to like\nMerrick at all. He takes pleasure in taunting him, and keeps calling him weird\nnames.\n \n\"Aight, Fagfish,\" Keith said as he worked the large machine.\nThe contraption rumbled into life, and began draining the water in the tank.\nMerrick looked up as the surface began to lower down. While one tube sucked in\nall of the water, a few others blew in hot, dry air. Merrick growled as the\nwater drained quickly from his tank.\n \n\"Yeah yeah,\" Keith said as the merman stayed as low as he\ncan, \"Lets cut the drama, Ariel.\" In no time, the last gallon of water was\nslipped into the holes of the drain bottom, and the air whirling around Merrick\nhad dried him into human form. Keith unsealed the door, and clapped the merman\nin irons. \"Mr Quinlan hasn't arrived yet, so you and I are gonna wait here.\"\n \n\"Whatever.\" Merrick retorted.\n \n\"Don't get an attitude with me, Missy,\" Keith said, \"I've\nhad a very bad morning.\"\n \n\"I can imagine,\" Merrick replied, \"You still can't even get\nmy name right.\"\n \n\"Oh, I'm gettin it right,\" Keith rolled his tongue below his\nbottom lip, \"Sissy-Boy.\" Merrick leered angrily at him.\n \n\"... What do you even mean?\" He asked. \n \n\"Mean what?\" Keith smirked.\n \n\"You call me so many names, and I don't even understand\nyou.\" He can't explain why, but anything this human says just makes him feel\nangry - more so than Nigel, believe it or not.\n \n\"Yeah, well,\" Keith shrugged, \"I don't get you either.\"\n \n\"And what does that mean?\"\n \n\"I just don't get how you can get with guys. It just ain't\nnormal, you know?\"\n \n\"Really.\"\n \n\"Yeah. Think about it, Fagfish; can two men make a baby?\nHm?\" Keith asked, raising his brows.\n \n\"True, no two of the same gender can make offspring, but\nI've heard that humans can take in stray children - adoption, isn't it?\"\n \n\"Sure, but that ain't good for the kid either way?\"\n \n\"And why not?\"\n \n\"Look, a kid needs a mommy, and a daddy to function\nnormally,\" Keith stated, \"Simple as that.\"\n \n\"And? You haven't explained how that is.\"\n \n\"Because the kid needs things from both moms AND dads. Two\ndads or two moms are just gonna screw the kid up.\"\n \n\"That sounds ridiculous.\" Merrick said\n \n\"Hey, it's not the kid's fault they choose to fuck men.\" Keith\nmentioned. Merrick felt a tinge of anger.\n \n\"... You think...\" His blue eyes locked onto Keith's greys, \"You\nthink I chose to love Adam...\"\n \n\"Well,\" Keith shook his head and shrugged, \"You wouldn't be\nhere if you didn't, would ya?\"\n \n\"You REALLY believe the act of loving men is a CHOICE?\"\nMerrick asked, \"Where would you even get such an idea?\"\n \n\"Like I said, you could have just walked away, and left him\nbehind, and you'd still be in the ocean, fuckin mermaids, probably.\" Merrick's\nfist clenched tightly, \"Nope. You decided you wanted a man in your ass, and\nlook where ya are now.\"\n \n\"I can assure you,\" Merrick's eyes outlined with tears, \"It\nis NOT a choice. I didn't CHOOSE to lose everything I had for him.\"\n \n\"See?\" Keith sneered at him, \"If you went with mermaids,\nyou'd still be alright with life, huh?\"\n \n\"...\" Merrick blinked for a moment, \"... You're one of the\nstupid humans, aren't you?\" Keith's sneer faded almost instantly.\n \n\"What you say, Ariel?\"\n \n\"You,\" Merrick began, \"Are one of the stupid humans. Aren't\nyou?\" Merrick smirked as Keith's face turned into a focused frown.\n \n\"You gonna push your buttons, Sea Queer?\"\n \n\"Jamal - the human who lives with me and Adam - once told me\nabout these types of humans who are uneducated, and can barely string two\nthoughts at one time.\" The angrier Keith looked, the more at ease Merrick felt,\n\"What were they called again?\"\n \n\"You shut your cock-sucking mouth, Faggot.\" Keith said,\nbecoming very lethal very quick. He took the baton from his belt, and pressed\nit to Merrick's chest as the merman leaned his back against the tank.\n \n\"Oh yeah...\" Merrick said, \"They're called Rednecks, aren't\nthey? Hicks? It's sooo hard to tell the difference...\"\n \n\"I'm WARNING you, Fagfish,\" Keith hissed as he seethed with\nwrath, \"Keep talkin... I swear to J.H. Christ, I'm warning you.\"\n \n\"Look at you,\" Merrick shook his head, \"Shaking with rage\nfrom a few words. Savage beasts with no mind, that's what you all are-\"\n \nKeith drew his fist back, launched it at Merrick's face.\nMerrick yanked his cuffs up, and knocked the baton up. With one hand, Merrick\npalmed Keith's fist, and the other hand broke free of the UNLOCKED cuff.\nWhirling around, Keith found himself flying in a half circle, and his face\nslammed RIGHT onto the tank.\n \n\"GHHHFF!\" Keith grunted as his arm twisted around, and held\nat his back, while Merrick held down his other wrist.\n\n\"See? You can't even make sure I'm restrained. You really are a stupid one,\naren't you?\"\n \n\"Let go, you fuckin Tuna! Let go or I whoop your queer ass!\"\n \n\"Of course, Yuri - she's ANOTHER human who lives with us,\ntraining to be a healer-\"\n \n\"Yeah, a Nigger and a Chink, you gotta hell of a-\" Merrick\ngrabbed the back of his head, and banged it against the glass twice,\n\"KFFSSSHH!\"\n \n\"And SHE said,\" Merrick interrupted; he knows those words\nare offensive, and just hearing them makes his blood boil more, \"That the word\n'Rednecks' is politically incorrect. It might make someone angry.\"\n \n\"Get off me before I beat the shit outta you!\" Keith\nsnarled.\n \n\"You know what I think, Human?\" Merrick panted as he felt\nrage surge inside him, \"I think you're every bit of what Jamal described,\"\nMerrick ground the human's face against the tank, \"A low, stinking, stupid,\nrancid, angry, inbred-\"\n \nKeith thrust his leg back, and kicked Merrick's knee. \"Ah!!\"\nThe merman staggered back, giving Keith a chance to counterattack. Keith\nwhipped around, and made to clock Merrick in the face. The Adra Triton's eyes\nlocked onto Keith's form, and locked his first two knuckles into place. With a\nlightning quick move, Merrick cracked Keith's fist-wrist.\n \n\"GHAAAHHH!\" Keith shouted in pain as he was thrown off\nbalance for only a second. Merrick took that second to flatten his hand, and\nchucked at Keith's neck, and sent that man crashing to the floor. Before he\ncould react at all, Merrick's leg planted RIGHT onto the back of his knees, one\nhand pining down Keith's other wrist, and the other grasping Keith's orange\nhair.\n \n\"Redneck.\" Merrick growled.\n \n\"I'mma kill you, Pussy-Ass Bitch!\" Keith snarled, which\nturned into a grunt and a small nosebleed when Merrick bashed his head into the\nfloor. Merrick lowered his head right next to Keith's ear.\n \n\"In the sea,\" Merrick hissed, \"I was the second greatest\nhunter of my pod,\" Keith squirmed and grunted as his free wrist seared with\npain, \"Eclipsed ONLY by my Father.\"\n \n\"I don't givva shit, Faggot!\" Keith stubbornly goaded.\n \n\"I don't need a weapon,\" Merrick continued, \"I can kill any\ncreature with just ONE strike,\" He snarled, \"Especially a brainless savage like\nyou.\" Keith spat some blood as he continued to struggle violently, \"So\nenlighten me, Human,\" Merrick smirked as he yanked Keith's hair up, \"Exactly\nhow am I inferior to you simply by finding males attractive, hm?\" Merrick's\nfingers tightened into that orange hair, \"How does my Adam fucking my ass make\nme sink below you, when I can reduce you to a mangled lump on the ground? How\nam I a NOTHING just because I swallow his dick every time the sun rises?\"\n\n\"Fuck you, Fagfish!\" Keith spat out, \"Get the fuck off me so I can kick your\nroyal queer ass!\"\n \n\"Ok, that's enough.\" Came a third voice. Merrick looked up,\nand saw Daniel entering from the door, \"I know he has it coming, but I'm gonna\nneed you to get off him.\" He said. Merrick leered at him, before quickly\ngetting up from Keith. \n \nKeith scrambled, and grabbed his baton. He advanced toward\nMerrick with it raised, \"WHOA, whoa whoa whoa whoa,\" Daniel grabbed his arm,\nand pulled him back, \"Easy there, Keith. You already tried that, didn't work.\"\nKeith turned around, his eyes bulging with disbelief. \n \n\"You was watching,\" Keith said, \"You was watching, and you\ndidn't even come to help me?!\"\n \n\"Help you what? You were provoking him. Are you really\nsurprised he got at you? If he was restrained, you probably-\"\n \n\"He was gonna kill me, you know that-\" He attempted to\npoint, but his sprained wrist stopped him, \"Goddammit piece of shit!\" He\nsnarled as his wrist pounded with pain.\n \n\"Why don't you get patched up, I'll take over.\" Daniel\nstated. Keith grumbled as he exited the place.\n \n\"Useless waste of flesh...\" Merrick mumbled as Daniel\napproached him.\n \n\"I know, I know,\" Daniel said as he clicked the other cuff\nonto Merrick's wrist. They sat down at the table, and waited. A pause went by\nbefore Merrick broke the silence.\n \n\"So what about that other human?\"\n \n\"Hm?\"\n \n\"That man with the glasses and white coat. He's one of\nthose, 'Scientists', right?\" Merrick said. Daniel felt his face go a little\nhot.\n \n\"I- Wait- What?? What do you mean?\"\n \n\"Did you CHOOSE to be with him?\" Merrick asked without\nlooking at him.\n \n\"I um... I don't know what you mean-\"\n \n\"Oh, don't lie to me.\" Merrick shook his head, \"I've seen\nthe two of you...\" Daniel sighed, before he mumbled.\n \n\"No one's supposed to know about us, actually...\"\n \n\"Why? Is being gay forbidden here too? Otherwise you get\nkicked out of here?\"\n \n\"Not particularly; I was kicked out already when I came out\nof the closet 15 years ago...\" Daniel kept his tone low, \"But it's a solid policy\nthat relations don't happen between the staff here. Otherwise we get into\nserious trouble.\"\n \n\"Yet you and him kiss every opportunity you get, don't you...\"\nMerrick asked.\n \n\"...Yeah...\"\n \n\"See, you didn't choose, did you?\"\n \n\"No...\" Daniel said, \"After a while of working as a security\nguard, I bumped into him one time between the halls.\" Daniel adjusted his cap,\n\"I knew it was wrong to even think about going out with someone from the\nAgency, but he was just so damn adorable...\" Merrick cracked a smile as Daniel\nspoke, \"I avoided him as much as I could, but he's a workaholic. If he could\nhave a bed in the laboratory, he'd live in there. Kept bumping into him, and\neventually...\" Daniel blushed, \"We uh... Bumped into each other again... In the\nshowers here...\" Merrick giggled at that, \"One thing led to another and... I asked\nhim out, after we kissed in the shower...\" Merrick put his forearm over his lap\nto cover up his stirring member, \"We want to move in together, but if we change\nour addresses, that would be a dead give-away... So I just stay at his place most\nof the time, and I have to keep paying rent for an apartment I barely live in\nanymore.\"\n \n\"... You said you were, 'kicked out when you came out of the\ncloset',\" Merrick turned his head, \"Does that mean you were banished from your\nfamily?\"\n \nDaniel sighed, and nodded, \"Yeah... My parents were religious,\nand... They gave me a choice. I could either go to Straight Camp and be\nconverted, or I could get out.\"\n \n\"Yes...\" Merrick sniffled, \"I know how you feel.\"\n \n\"What,\" Daniel turned to the merman, \"Were you kicked out\ntoo?\" Merrick nodded, and wiped a little tear.\n \n\"I was banished from my pod...\" Merrick held himself steady,\n\"I mated with a male, and with a human. That's two of our Laws right there...\" He\nshook his head and put his hand over his eyes, \"I had a second chance... I could\nhave stayed with my pod... I could have stayed with them...\" \n \n\"But you loved him too much...\" Daniel added. Merrick steadied\nhimself again.\n \n\"Staying with my pod would have meant never seeing my Adam\nagain... And I couldn't live with that, even if I tried - and I have.\"\n \n\"Yeah, it's always the same...\" Daniel said, \"Being gay is\nwrong because that's what God says. A man and a-\"\n \n\"What?\"\n \n\"That's why most people think being gay is wrong - because\nthey claim it's the will of God that only a man and woman get together, and\ndoing so is an abomination to God.\"\n \n\"That's not why I was banished, though.\" Merrick said as he\nshook his head, \"I was banished because I broke two of our Laws. These Laws\nweren't instigated by the Sea Mother,\" Merrick stated.\n \n\"Sea Mother? Is that what merfolk worship? What, is She your\ngoddess or something?\"\n \n\"Yes,\" Merrick said, \"To mate with that of the same gender\nis not a question of morality - it has NOTHING to do with the Sea Mother's\nwill. It's simply one of the Laws that were established centuries ago. That's\nall. We would NEVER use Her name as a means to justify whatever we do or\nthink.\"\n \n\"Yeah, well.\" Daniel shrugged, \"It's the exact opposite with\nus. Homosexuality is taboo because the 'Word of God' says so.\"\n \n\"Well, for all I know, that's the case,\" Merrick said, \"I\ndon't know much of anything about the Land Father.\"\n \n\"Land Father?\" Daniel asked.\n \n\"It's what we merfolk call the human god,\" Merrick answered,\n\"We are told that the Land Father doesn't know how to love. So maybe he's\njealous that it comes easy for some humans...\"\n \n\"Heck if I know,\" Daniel said, \"I stopped caring about the\nsubject a long time ago.\" \n \n \nJust then, Daniel's talkie made a noise, \"Oop, hang on,\"\nDaniel stood up, walked a little way, and held is walkie up to his ear, \"Yeah?\"\nMerrick tried to listen in, but he can't hear a thing, \"Oh? So... Ok, so not today\nthen... Understood, thanks.\" Daniel put his walkie back on his utility belt, and\nturned back to Merrick.\n \n\"That was Erin. It looks like Mr Quinlan's not coming in\ntoday. He has a Dr appointment, and it's going to take all day.\"\n \n\"Ah. So... Am I going back in the tank?\"\n \n\"Well,\" Daniel scratched his cheek, \"That's what I'm\nSUPPOSED to do...\" He said, \"But I bet you'd get bored in there...\" Merrick nodded,\n\"How bout I take you to the Wreck Room, huh?\"\n \n\"What's a Wreck Room?\" Merrick asked as he tilted his head.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nErin sighs as she types away on the computer. Nigel isn't\ncoming in today, but that doesn't mean she can stop working as his assistant. \n \n \n[-Mermaids can sing, mermen cannot. Mermen can talk to\nanimals, mermaids cannot. \n-Merrick is a prince, his father and mother are the leaders\nof his 'pod'. The Pod is the group of merfolk, and his sister is the princess. \n-Merrick used a trident - does his father wield one as well?\n-His mother is potentially very powerful - he said she once\nconjured a lightning storm.\n-Merfolk revere the moon - Merrick claims to be religious\nand spiritual, as he says he dearly wants to pray to the moon for peace.\n-Merfolk find their mates during a lunar eclipse, and fell\nin love with 'Adam' by accident, it seems.\n-Merfolk need to eat and prepare their bodies to be able to\nswim in different waters, yet Merrick claims he is able to do so easily without\npreparation.\n-This one mermaid, Belinda, is]\n \n \nShe paused. Erin hesitated, as she turned, and looked at the\nfile with the pictures of the tan woman with pink hair. She shook her head, and\nheld down the Backspace key until Belinda's bit was erased.\n \n \n[-A pod is kept together by a merman or mermaid with powers\nto trace each member of the pod - A shepherd, maybe?\n-Merrick speaks as if he is no longer a part of the pod -\ncould he be a rogue?\n-Merrick becomes tense when I mentioned his tattoo - the\nheart behind his neck.]\n \n \nThis is only half of the information she has learned from\nMerrick. Erin sighed as she stopped typing, and leaned down. She put her face\nto the desk, and put her hands on the back of her head. Her hands moved to her\nface, and rubbed her forehead and eyebrows. She held her forehead, and\nwhimpered silently as her stomach panged with guilt.\n \nAs Nigel 'nicely' interrogates and tortures Merrick, she\ncomes as the messenger of peace, and just talk with him, brings him treats,\nplay the understanding spirit of kindness, and secretly remember every word he\nsays, and watch every single surveillance video every day and night.\n \nA tear moves from her eyes as she digs her fingers into her\nhair.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"This place has a lot of work going on,\" Daniel said, \"Half\nthe time, some of us have to stay here. All work and no play can get a bit...\nUneasy.\" He escorts Merrick with his cuffs equipped onto him. \n \n\"So this is just a place for humans at work to play?\"\n \n\"Yeah, more or less.\" Daniel opened the door, and took\nMerrick in. \"Hey, look whose comin to the party!\" \n \nA few of the other guards, and a couple of scientists\nsitting around a couple of pizza boxes looked, and smiled as they see Daniel\nenter. The room had a couple of plasma-screen TV's, a few large machines with a\nglass wall and many kinds of colorful snack times behind it, a few old arcade\ngames, and a couple of large, bulky tables here and there.\n \n\"Hey Daniel!\" Said Sarah, one of the security guards\npresent. Her eyes went to the naked blonde male with him, \"Wait... Isn't that-\"\n \n\"Yeah, it's him,\" Daniel closed the door, \"Mr Quinlan's out\ntoday, so I thought Merrick can hang with us for a while!\"\n \n\"Daniel, you know he's not supposed to be in here!\" One of\nthe scientists said.\n \n\"Ah come on, few hours with us won't change anything.\"\nDaniel said, \"Plus he's chained, what's he gonna do?\"\n \n\"I guess...\"\n \n\"Eh, loosen up,\" Said another one of the guards, \"C'mere,\nsit over here.\" He got picked up one of the paper plates and added a couple of\nslices of pizza onto it, as well as taking up a soda. Like a hesitant cat,\nMerrick walked over to the couch. He looked at the guard offering him the food.\n \n\"Wait... I was already fed today. I thought I was only allowed\none ration.\"\n\n\"Well, don't tell Mr Quinlan then.\" The guard said. Merrick smiled as he sat\ndown, with the plate on his lap, \"There ya go, relax, kid.\" Merrick's stomach\ngrowled as he moved up one of the slices to his mouth.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Ever played Air Hockey before?\" Jacob asked as he and\nMerrick looked at one of the large, bulky tables. One of the rare times that\nJacob is anywhere else besides the laboratory.\n \n\"No.\"\n \n\"Well, here, check it out.\" He had Sarah at the other side\nof the table. He turned it on, and got the plastic puck ready. He put it on the\nwhite surface, and snapped it suddenly to send it racing across! Merrick jumped\nfrom the fast shot across the table before him. Sarah blocked the puck with a\nthrust of her mallet, making it shoot back to Jacob.\n \n\"The GOAL is TO block the PUCK from coming INTO THE slit!\"\nJacob hit the puck again, and sent it claking into Sarah's goal, \"Get it?\"\n \n\"I think so...\" Merrick replied. He and Sarah took places. He tilted his head,\nand put a hand onto the table. His eyes widened as he could feel the tiny flow\nof air from the many dots all over the table. He smile as he waved his hand\naround the airs several times. \n \n\"Yeah, kinda cool, isn't it?\" Jacob asked with a smile.\nMerrick grabbed his mallet, and saw Jacob get another puck onto the surface,\n\"Ready?\"  Merrick nodded, and Jacob\nhit the puck. Merrick's reflexes kicked in, and darted his mallet to the side.\nThe puck hit and bounded off of the mallet, and raced back to Jacob. Jacob\nblocked the puck again, before Merrick sent it flying over to the goal. Jacob\nlooked up, dumbfounded from the quick defeat. A couple of the other people\nlooked, and turned. Jacob hasn't lost a game of Air Hockey ever since he joined\nthe Agency a couple of years ago.\n \n\"Whoa...\" Merrick smirked as the scientist brought another\npuck onto the surface. The two of them came into a locked battle. The other\npeople gathered and watched as Merrick's quick hand blocked the puck every\nsingle time.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Yes, these creatures DO exist,\" Merrick said with a nod\nwhen one of the scientists asked about the Loch Ness Monster, \"Although, we\ncall them 'Niseags'. They're dangerous in the ocean, but the ones in the waters\nyou stated are a lot more calm.\"\n \n\"Wait,\" Said the scientist, \"There's more than one, alive??\nIn existence???\"\n \n\"Yes, there is.\" Merrick answered.\n \n\"But how? We have never found evidence that suggests a\ncontinued species.\"\n \n\"I was once told that you humans know very little about the\nocean,\" He stated, \"How can ANYONE be so conclusive about a world they don't\nknow?\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nTAC TAC TAC, CLICK CLICK\n \n\"Ahh!\" Merrick gritted his teeth as the yellow ball on the\nscreen died again.\n \nWOO WOoo woo - WAP WAP \n \nPacman vanished once more into the digital blackness after\nfalling prey to orange ghost.\n \n\"I just can't win this thing!\" Merrick said as Sarah started\nthe game again.\n \n\"But aggravatingly addictive, isn't it?\"\n \n\"YEEES!\" Merrick answered while he worked at the game again.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"But he wouldn't leave,\" Merrick said, \"He tried to save me\nas I was being sucked in, but I knew he'd only get swallowed too.\" He shook his\nhead, \"So I just told him to warn the pod, and get out of there...\" He looked up\nat the captivated humans, \"Next thing I knew, I let myself fall into the darkness,\ninto the Ghost Whale's jaws.\"\n \n\"And after that? What did it look like on the inside?\" Jacob\ninquired.\n \n\"I don't know.\" Merrick said, \"All I saw was darkness...\"\n \n\"So, how did you get out?\"\n \n\"... It was my Mother.\" Merrick said, \"I don't know how, but\nshe turned the Ghost Whale inside out. I remember I was suddenly surrounded by\nall sorts of deepfish, swimming away from the ribs of a whale as fast as they\ncan. And I saw my best friend's mate holding my sister. My Mother came up\nbehind me, and guided me away from the skeleton.\"\n \n\"And what happened to the Ghost Whale?\"\n \n\"It disappeared. The moon came back, and it disappeared.\nThere is the possibility that since it has seen my Mother, it'll eventually\ncome back for her.\"\n \n\"That kind of sounds like a Japanese legend.\" Said one of\nthe scientists.\n\n \n\"Trust me,\" Merrick said, \"I WISH it was just a legend.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nDaniel and Merrick make their way down the hall, towards the\ntank room. \n \n\"Thank you, for today.\" Merrick said, \"Almost made me forgot\nwhy I'm here...\" Daniel smiled as he unlocked the cell door, and escorted Merrick\nto the empty tank. \n \n\"No problem...\" He really wishes he could let this kid go\nfree. He really does.\n \nDaniel unlocked the cuffs before Merrick climbed into the\ntank. Daniel turned the crank, and the machine roared into life to filter and\ntransfer the water back into Merrick's tank. Daniel watched as the tank filled\nup, and Merrick soon transformed again.\n \nHe waved goodbye, and left to lock the place up for the\nnight.\n \n \n---The Next Morning---\n \n \nMerrick loops around the tank. It may be smaller than he'd\nlike, but it's just big enough for him to move and get a little excise. Though\nsome long-distance swimming would feel really great right about now, or maybe\nat lease some fish and an otter to have for company.\n \nAs he looped around, he noticed the door of the room had\nopened. He frowned and growled as Nigel walked into the room with one of the\nguards.\n \n \n\"Having fun?\" Nigel asked, knowing full-well Merrick can't\nhear him in the tank. Daniel went to the machine to adjust and switch the\nnotches to activate the machine, and turn the wheel to have the water drain the\ntank.\n \nIt didn't take long for the water to disappear from\nMerrick's tank, but he was still was in his true form. \n \n\"Why is he still like this? What happened to the air pumps?\"\nNigel asked. Daniel tapped and tinked at the air control, yet the air motors\nare not working.\n \n\"I think it might be broken. I can't get it to work.\"\n \n\"Fine. Call one of the other guards and get some towels.\nI'll wait in the appointed room.\" With that, Nigel turned and left.\n \n\n~~~\n \n \nMerrick grunts as he is pinned down and restrained tightly\nin this broad, empty room, with a large tub of water held overhead by some\ngrotesque contraption. \n \n\"Now, we're going to try something a little different,\"\nNigel said, \"It's a VERY old tactic, but it's more or less efficient either\nway.\"\n \n\"And what would that be?\" Merrick asked.\n \n\"It's an ancient technique called the Chinese Water\nTorture.\" He began, \"It's simple, but it can take forever. See,\" Nigel gestured\nfor the container, \"What this thing does is drip a single drop of water every\n30 seconds. The victim is left there for hours at a time - even a full day, if\nthe will is strong, until they beg for it to stop.\"\n \n\"...\" Merrick scoffed, \"Where's the torment in that? It's just\nwater, not lava or anything. It can't do any damage.\"\n \n\"Maybe not physically.\" Nigel said, before he knelt down,\n\"But that's not the Water Torture is for. It's the consistency that does the\ndamage.\" Nigel said in his low, death-tone, \"Nothing else is happening, no one\nelse is around. It's just you, and the water that keeps dripping and dripping\nand dripping to no end. Meanwhile, you're not moving, no food, no trips to the\ntoilet. You're just forced here... Until you go mad. In our experience, it\ndoesn't take more than a couple of hours for the victim to start begging like\nan insane asylum.\"\n \n\"So that's your brilliant plan?\" Merrick sneered, \"Leave a\nmerman here with a water machine for hours until I lose my mind? YOU'RE the one\nwho's insane, Human.\"\n \n\"Heh.\" Nigel said, \"We'll see, won't we, Merrick.\" Nigel\nstood up, and left the room. The scientist there, turned on the machine, and a\nsingle, cold drop of water fell from the contraption. A dot of blue appeared at\nthe center of Merrick's forehead where the drop touched him. The scientist\nleft, taking a look of pity upon the blonde male, and left him.\n \n \n--- 10 Hours Later ---\n \n\nNigel smiled with glee as he looks over the two, detailed pages of the\ninformation Erin had strung together. \"Nice...\" He commented, \"Very nice...\"\n \n\"This is all of the information I've gotten together...\" Erin\nsaid, her eyes sunken, her skin looking poor, her hair lacking its usual\ngraceful curl style.\n \n\"This bit about the Ghost Whale is fascinating,\" Nigel said,\n\"A phantom sperm whale appearing during a New Moon. I wonder what other sorts\nof creatures...\" He looked, and noticed his assistant yawning and rubbing her\neyes, \"Erin, you doing ok?\"\n \n\"Yes, I...\" She yawned again, and continued, \"I just haven't\nbeen sleeping well lately. I've just been feeling out of sorts.\"\n \n\"Well, I hope you get yourself together so...\" Nigel stopped.\nHe felt his chest as that racking came upon him again.\n \n\"Sir?\" \n \n\"Hggm- Ehhggmm!\" Nigel coughed, \"One moment,\" Nigel grabbed\nfor a paper towel, and began coughing horrendously.\n \n\"Mr- Nigel, are you alright?!\" Erin said as she came up to\nhim. Nigel's eyes clenched shut as he gagged violently into the bit of paper.\nHe leaned and hacked nonstop for two and a half minutes. \n \nErin gasped as she saw the paper towel half covered in\nblood. \"Mr Quinlan, you-\"\n \n\"Nigel,\" He said, coughing a little again, \"And I'm fine,\"\nHis voice his distorted from the rough session he had just had.\n \n\"No, you're not fine,\" Erin persisted, \"We need you to-\"\n \n\"KNOW your place,\" Nigel snapped, giving her a deadly gaze,\n\"I. Am. Fine.\" He snarled lethally, like an old injured wolf ready to rip her\narm off. Erin shook, but nodded slowly. \"Good. Now, let's see how the damn fish\nis fairing.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nNigel and Erin go to the chamber of which Merrick is being\ndetained for the Chinese Water Torture, with the scientist over looking the\nsession. \"So, how's the treatment going?\" The scientist looked Nigel, looking a\nlittle unease, \"Is he showing any signs of breaking?\" He asked roughly.\n \n\"Um... N-No...\" The scientist responded.\n \n\"What??\" Nigel looked, and saw that Merrick's head is\ncompletely wet - soaked and fish-like. His eyes and gills are closed, and the\nlook of utmost tranquility portrays on his face, \"What.\" Nigel yanked the door\nopened, and burst into the room. Merrick opened his eyes to see his flustered\ncaptor glaring at him.\n \nThe merman smiled softly, \"Is this really supposed to be a\ntorture?\" He asked, \"I have never felt more peaceful in my life.\" The look of\ncold fury in Nigel's face gives Merrick a huge feeling of amused satisfaction,\n\"I told you, Human.\" Merrick said, \"I'm a creature of water. What made you\nthink that this sort of torture would EVER work on me?\"\n \n\"Get him in the interrogation room. One hour.\" Nigel said\nbefore he turned and left.\n \n\"Foolish savage.\" Merrick mumbled. He looked up at Erin,\nstill smiling calmly, \"Is he a Redneck too?\"\n \nErin couldn't help but chuckle - Keith was REALLY pissed off\nwhen she last saw him.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick is escorted, as usual, into the interrogation room,\nwhere that old, condescending human waits at the table, with a pitcher of\nwater, a single glass, and a box. Merrick's eyes stayed locked on that pitcher\n- sure, he's doing fine with the water in the tank, but it's distilled, as\nopposed to the fresh morsel in the pitcher - like a breath of fresh air after\nsleeping in a stuffy garage.\n \nHe was seated down to face Nigel once more, leering at\nNigel. Nigel poured himself a glass of water, like always, and set it aside.\n \n\"So. Merrick,\" Nigel began, \"What can you tell me about\nmerfolk fashion?\"\n \n\"Nothing. A lot less than what you humans insist on throwing\non yourselves. It's a wonder how you're able to move at all.\"\n \n\"Heh heh heh, yeah. I suppose you're right. I'm just\nwondering,\" Nigel opened the box, and pulled out a picture of The Little\nMermaid's VHS poster, \"She how this mermaid wears these purple shells over her\nbreasts?\"\n \n\"You mean that ridiculous rendition of merfolk?\" He said\nwith his arms crossed, \"I swear, some of you humans are just impossible.\"\n \n\"Fair enough, but I'm asking about what merfolk WEAR.\" Nigel\nsaid\n \n\"I know. I'm still not answering.\"\n \n\"I see...\" Instead of drinking the water, as Merrick expected,\nNigel put his hand into the box, \"I ask because, I found these, and...\" Nigel\ntook out a large scallop shell fragment with silver designs etched onto it.\nMerrick's eyes locked onto as his stomach sank. Nigel placed it onto the table,\nand took out a few large shards of the shell, and placed them carefully on the\ntable, arranged so to show how it would look like before it was broken.\n \n\"There's another one too - a pair.\" Nigel said as he took\nanother half broken shell out of the box, and placed its other half onto the\ntable. Merrick took one of the pieces, and looked at the shell, tracing his fingertips\nalong the ornate, silver designs.\n \n\"They seem to mean something to you...\" Nigel commented as he\nwatched Merrick closely, watching as he held the broken shell, \"Huh, Merrick?\"\n \nMerrick's eyes watered as he remembered when he pulled\nhimself from the beach. When the mark on the back of his neck prickled on his\nflesh, still fresh from his mother's magic. It was pouring rain, and he... He\nthrew these shells off of him. They broke to pieces on a rock. He recalls\nhaving to drag himself from the beach, pulling himself to Adam's dwelling, with\nit constantly raining the whole time.\n \n\"Or,\" Nigel said. Merrick looked up, his heart racing, \"How\nabout these?\" Nigel lifted up a belt of small shark teeth, strung together by\nold, but firm fishing line. Two of them. Merrick took one of the tooth belts.\nHe remembers ripping these off his body, and thrusting them away from him as\nwell. These tooth belts have been mended since then.\n \nThe merman held these precious, painful remnants together -\nthe broken white and silver shell and the crusty line of shark teeth.\n \n\"So how about it, Merrick?\" Nigel asked. Merrick's blue eyes\nimmediately glared at the old human, \"How often did you wear these items?\"\n \nMerrick swung his arm, and sent the shell flying to the wall\nto his right. It smashed into pieces from the impact, \"These mean NOTHING.\"\nMerrick said, his fiery blue eyes locked onto Nigel's.\n \n\"Heh, yeah...\" Nigel said calmly, \"I suppose you don't,\nconsidering.\" Merrick tensed as he glared at him more.\n \n\"Considering what?\"\n \n\"Considering how long you stay at a human house.\" Nigel\nsaid, \"We've been watching you for a long time, and in all of the year and a\nhalf you have been living there, not once have you gone into the ocean.\" He\nexplained. Merrick's eyes narrowed, \"I'm lead to believe that you, at one point\nin time, had a family.\" Merrick's fist clenched around the tooth-belt, \"And\nyet, you remain out of the ocean, away from your kind. Did you decide you'd\nrather live with a human than be with your family?\" Tears of rage seeped from\nMerrick's eyes as he breathed deeply. \n \nNigel put the box aside, and picked up the glass of water.\n\"Now, next question, and I'll give you a drink.\" Merrick didn't say a word.\n \n\"How about that tattoo of yours?\"\n \nThose blue eyes widened. Nigel smiled softly, \"Humans have\ntattoos all the time. It's their way of decorating their skin. But what does it\nmean to merfolk?\" The blonde's angry silence was all that came from the younger\nman, \"I notice it's an ornate design of a heart. What does that mean, Merrick\nPiscien?\" Merrick felt himself shake with bloodlust, \"Is it a mark of honor\namong merfolk?\"\n \n\"Shut. Your. Mouth.\" Merrick said, barely able to contain\nhis wrath.\n \n\"A mark of honor, or not?\" Nigel said, \"And a heart. Were\nyou, say...\" Nigel quirked a smile, \"The best lover of your pod, perhaps?\" He\nasked. A few drops of blood seeped between Merrick's fingers, where he was\ngripping the shark-tooth belt.\n \n\"Not gonna answer me? You look a little tense. Correct me if\nI'm wrong, please.\" Nigel said.\n \n\"Every spot of you is wrong, Human.\" Merrick snarled,\nfeeling his throat thicken.\n \n\"Alright then.\" Nigel brought the glass of water to his\nchapped lips.\n \n\"KEEEEEEEEEEGGGHHHHHHH!\"\n \nKEEK-KSSHHH!\nKlickak-keehh\n \nA loud, wild screech came from Merrick's mouth. The glass\ncup and pitcher shattered into shards, \"Ahhh!\" Nigel jumbled in his seat as the\nicy water spilled from the sudden burst of glass. The guards had flinched from\nthe noise, backed up against the wall for the moment.\n \nNigel starred at Merrick through half-squinted eyes. Merrick's\nthroat is rumbling and hissing lowly as he glared at him with eyes of hatred.\nHe looked down at the many shards of glass on the table. He picked up the\nbiggest of the wreck, and examined it. Every inch of it is cracked, with very\nsmall reminder of the perfect surface it once had.\n \n\"Now...\" He said as he turned it over, and looked at the door.\nThe small, rectangular window of the door is shattered as well, \"That is\ninteresting...\"\n \n\"Let...\" Merrick seethed, \"Me. Go.\" He snarled lethally. Nigel\nsmirked and shook his head.\n \n\"Oh no, Mr Piscien.\" He stood up, \"Or should I say, Merrick\nTHE Piscien.\"\n \nMerrick gasped as he looked up at Nigel, \"How do you-\"\n \n\"I think I'm going to go with Plan B now.\" Nigel said. He\nsnapped his fingers, and the two guards that are in the room seized his arms.\n \n\"What are you doing now?!\" Merrick demanded. Nigel ignored\nhim, and brought a walkie to his mouth.\n \n\"Prepare the Reef Tank, and all of the needed facilities and\nequipment. We're doing this the 'Natural' way.\"\n \n\"What are you talking about?!\" Merrick yelled, \"Just let me\ngo! Let me go before I KILL YOU!!!\" He roared as the guards took him away,\nkicking and screaming. \"I SWEAR BY THE LEVIATHAN, I WILL KILL YOU!!\" Nigel just\nkept walking his opposite direction, not even turning his head, \"YOU MONSTER!\nFACE ME NOW!!!\"\n \n \n \n---The Next Day---\n \n \n\"Rrrgh! Nnggh!\" Because Merrick has revealed he can emit\ndangerous sound waves, he is now required to be escorted with his mouth sealed.\nTwo new guards are taking him to a new direction of the Agency's building.\nMerrick eventually stopped struggling, and just walked until they came to a\npair of large doors. \n \nOne guard kept Merrick bound, while the other went to open\nthe doors. Once unlocked, the guards took him out, where he felt the first rush\nof fresh air in almost an entire moon.\n \nThe smell of the ocean immediately met with Merrick's\nnostrils. He gasped as he looked over the ocean, the wonderful, beautiful\nocean. He struggled harshly against the guards, whimpering and groaning as if\nthe sea itself is pulling him like a magnet. The guards can barely keep a grip\non him, he's so strong.\n \n\"Dang it, cool your jets!\" Said the guard as he yanked\nMerrick back. They forced Merrick over to this small area with testing\nfacilities, monitoring machines, and other various equipment. Merrick growled\nas he spotted Nigel overseeing the scientists priming their contraptions. \n\nThen again, are they letting him go?\n \nMerrick could barely hold himself still as the scientists\nplaced several conductors and electrodes around his body - one on his forehead,\none on his throat, one on his chest and belly, two for each arm, two for each\nhand as well, one on his right thigh, and another on his left calf. These\nthings stick to him firmly, and they tingle a little. Merrick can feel some\nlightning channeling inside them, and peaking inside him on a small degree. \n \n\"Ok, so this is what we're going to do,\" Nigel said, \"We're going to examine\nyou in your natural habitat. Know what that means?\" Merrick shook his head,\nstill unable to speak, \"It means we're going to study you in the ocean.\"\nMerrick rolled his eyes, \"Oh, you think you're actually going home.\" Merrick\nstared at him, \"Well, you're not. Sorry.\" Merrick scoffed around his gag -\nthese stupid humans are underestimating his speed. \"We're going to examine you\nfor a few hours, and then you're going back into the tank.\" Nigel instructed.\n \nThe guard took Merrick to the edge of the rock. He removed\nthe gag, and shoved Merrick off before he can say a word.\n \nMerrick dove straight into the water, and kicked his tail\nhard.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"We have a visual.\" Said one of the scientists as a 3-D\nimage of the merman appeared on several of the 20 screens set up in their area.\nNigel looked it over, and nodded. The other screens turned on, and showed the\nreef, seaweed, and oceanic environment. Two of them showed Merrick racing by.\nAnother one saw him up above, while another saw him \n \n\"So far so good.\" He said, \"How far as he traveled?\"\n \n\"... 748 yards, sir.\" Said another scientist. Nigel raised his\neyebrows.\n \n\"He's fast. Keep a close eye on everything.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick sent a signal up ahead. He flew through the water,\nwaving his tail up and down as much as he can, 'Hang on, Adam,' He thought to\nhimself, 'I'm coming!' He swam quickly as he savored the much-adored taste of\nthe ocean.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMonitoring his throat, the scientist compared it to other\nanalyses, \"He's emitting a very subtle soundwave as he's moving. I think it\nmight be a type of sonar, sir.\"\n \n\"Interesting...\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nAs Merrick moved, he can sense many strange... Energy clusters\naround. It's agitating his senses a little. He signaled over and over again,\nand eventually traced one of the clusters. He swam towards the source, and\nfound an odd-looking crab. He narrowed his eyes as he came up close to it. It's\nnot moving at all, it's just staring at him. Usually crabs scurry to the side\nif you get too close.\n \nOne of its eyes moved slowly to the side. Merrick's throat\nflexed as he emitted a scraggly noise directly at the crab. Not even a\nreaction.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Heh. Looks like he's on to us...\" Nigel said with a sneer at\nMerrick's face looms closer to one of the hidden radio cameras. The merman's\nface winced, as the machines show that he is cracking a high-frequency noise.\nSuddenly, that screen distorted, and lost its signal.\n \n\"Sir, we've lost visual on one of the cameras!\"\n \n\"That's fine. There are too many cameras to break for him to\nbother with.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Human tricks...\" Merrick mumbled. He swam forth, and signaled\nagain. Something doesn't feel right. Whenever he's in the ocean, can feel the\nvastness of the sea itself. But now the ocean feels... Cramped. \n \nMerrick swam around, and gasped as he saw a shark in the\ndistance - a LIVE one. It swam closer and closer to him, its teeth looking\nready to attack.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Well now...\" Nigel said he watched Merrick in one place, and\nthe shark in another, \"Did we order a shark?\"\n \n\"No, sir,\" Said another scientist, \"It must've been in the\narea when we set things up here.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nThe shark increased its speed at Merrick, getting ready to\nstrike. Merrick looped out of the way of the shark's path rumbling a strange\nsound as the shark turned its way towards the merman.\n \nHowever, the shark immediately slowed down as Merrick swam\nabout it, signaling it with strange noises that seemed to have a mellowing\neffect on the predator.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Hm... Looks like he CAN talk to animals...\" Nigel muttered as\nthe merman swam around the shark, which seemed to have lost interest in\ndevouring him.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nThe shark was soon convinced to swim in another direction.\nMerrick kicked his tail a little too fast, as he almost ran into a Box\nJellyfish. He whirled around it, signaling the Jelly several times over, and\neven made to push it.\n \nHe has a few suspicions about the situation. Something\ndoesn't feel right in this, and if he's right about this...\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"What is he doing...\" Nigel said as he watched Merrick loop\naround the Jellyfish, and pushed it away.\n \n\"Sir, he's almost reached the edge,\" Reported one of the\nscientists, \"Should I rise the mechanism?\"\n \n\"Yes\" Nigel replied, \"Wouldn't want him jumping over...\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nAs he traveled further, Merrick's signals became less and\nless reaching. As a matter of face, they kept bouncing his own sound back at\nhim.\n \n \nRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHH\n \n \nMerrick gasped as he felt the moan of a large machine, all\naround him. He swam faster and faster, until his signals came up right onto his\nface!\n \nHe thrust his hand out, and his palm hit a solid wall!\n \n\"What?!\" Merrick's eyes widened, as he felt around an\ninvisible wall, \"No\" He swam to the right and felt the invisible wall again,\n\"No. No, no no! PLEASE don't do this to me!\" He whimpered as he swam further to\nthe side, keeping a webbed hand long the wall. \"No!!\"\n \nMerrick swam until his arm fell through. He found a\nperfectly round opening on the glass wall, but immediately concluded that it is\nway too small for him to fit. He put his face to it, and signaled loud.\n \n\"HEEELLLLPPPPP! HEEELLLLP MEEE! I AM A PISCIEN MERMAN! I\nHAVE BEEN CAPTURED BY HUMANS! HELP ME!!\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"What's he doing now?\" Nigel said as the merman let out\nstrange cries from the very edge of the Reef Tank.\n \n\"I think he might be calling for others.\" The scientist\nsaid, \"Should we bring him in?\"\n \n\"No, let him be...\" Nigel said, \"The more the merrier, after\nall...\"\n \nOne mile long, one mile wide, or measured for the area, the\nReef Tank his a piece of natural ocean for the Agency to study any particular\nsea creature out in a natural environment.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"MOTHER!!!\" Merrick called out, white wisps starting to come\nfrom his eyes as can sense no mermaid or merman anywhere close by, \"FATHER!!\nPLEASE ANSWER ME!!\" He called out. There is not a single trace. Merfolk would\nnever come near a place with just such energy reading as this glass box,\n\"SISTER!! BRISHEN!! ANYONE!!!!\" He called as he wept.\n \n\"ANYONE!! PLEASE ANSWER ME!!\" Merrick's calls became lower\nand lower as he lowered his head.\n \n\"Anyone...\" He moaned, \"Adam...\"\n \n \nSuddenly, he felt something. He gasped as he looked up, but\nhe immediately backed away, \"No... Here too...\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Sir, his heart levels are elevating dramatically.\" Said one\nof the scientists, \"His adrenaline is going crazy.\"\n \n\"What's going on...\" Nigel pondered.\n~~~\n \n \n\"You... You know I'm here as well?\" Merrick muttered as he\ndrifted back. Out in the distance, coming closer is a green, reptilian sea\ncreature. It propelled itself with a spiraling tail, and claw-like flippers.\nIts golden eyes glowed in the dark blue, before its whirled, straight-standing\nhorns on its goat-like head.\n \n\"By the Depths...\" Merrick muttered as the creature reached\nthe small opening. His heart pounded as the creature stared at him with one of\nits eyes, \"It can't be...\"\n\nThe Capricorn looked at the merman as it is unable to reach him from behind the\nglass.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nBZZZZT-KSSSHH-BZZZZT\n \n\"Sir, several of our cameras are starting to fail.\"\n \n\"Is he causing this? Is he making them fritz out?\"\n \n\"Negative. The merman is staying quiet for the timing\nbeing.\"\n \nNigel leered at one of the screens, \"...\" He can barely spot a\nstrange animal on the buzzing, fuzzy screens.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Why...\" Merrick drifted backward more, \"You look different...\nEach time I see you, YOU look different!!\" He said at the Capricorn. The\ncreature responded with an eerie bleat that Merrick can't understand.\n \n\"Can you help me?!\" Merrick begged, \"The humans have been\ntorturing me!\" Again, the Capricorn didn't show any indication that it\nunderstood him. \"If you can't save me without guiding me to death, then stay\naway!!\" \n \nTerror got the better of him, and Merrick swam the other\ndirection.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Sir, he's returning!\" One of the scientists said. Half of\nthe screens are still malfunctioning and can't maintain a clear image, \"The\nreadings suggests that he's terrified.\"\n \n\"Huh, so it looks like Fagfish IS afraid of something.\"\nKeith said.\n \n\"Lets head to the shore,\" Nigel said, \"We've got plenty of\ndata, but I want to know why he's so scared.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick kicked his tail as hard as he can to the shallower\nwaters. Whether he's moving back to those humans or not, he doesn't care! \n \n'I'd rather endure and survive to see Adam than die\nmercifully by the Capricorn!' He thought.\n \nSoon, Merrick swam up to the beach, and pulled himself out\nof the tides with the rocks and sand. He panted as he laid himself down onto a\nboulder. He growled and moaned as he heard the humans quickly approaching. He\nrumbled lowly as he readied his right hand...\n \n \n\"Merrick!\" Nigel called out as he came to the aquatic male,\n\"What happened?!\" Merrick didn't respond. He just simply laid there, his eyes\nclosed, as if he fainted, \"You're not fooling me,\" Nigel knelt down and shook\nhim.\n \n\"What happened out there?! What did you see??\" He urged him,\n\"You were out there, and suddenly you were terrified, WHAT did you see?!\"\n \n\"Ngghh...\" Merrick groaned. \n \n\"WHAT WAS OUT THERE?!\"\n \nMerrick's eyes flew open and glared at Nigel, \"RgghhAAA!\"\nHis hand flew up, and slapped Nigel RIGHT on the face!\n \n\"GHAAHH!\" Nigel cried in pain as the slap threw him off the\nmerman. The old man fell to the sand, and clutched his face, \"AAHHH! What have\nyou d- AHHHH!\"\n \n\"Mr Quinlan!\" One of the humans came up to them, and went to\nNigel, \"Mr Quinlan, what's going-\" He pulled his hands away, and he gasped as\nhe saw several transparent lines around Nigel's left cheek, ear, and along his\nneck, outline by red.\n \n\"Oh my God, MEDIC! Get the Medic over here! NOW!!!\" He\ncalled out. He looked at Merrick's hand, and saw the same jellyfish tentacles\naround his wrist as well, yet they have no effect on the merman's shimmering\nblue flesh.\n \nNigel writhed and wailed in pain as the stingers quickly\ntook their toll on him. A medical human came knelt on the sand and quickly\nrummaged through his equipment, \"What is it?! What are we dealing with?!\"\n \n\"Box Jellyfish! Hurry!\"\n \nMerrick sneered as Nigel coughed and gagged, a spurt of\nblood splashed from his mouth.\n \n\"Night-night, Faggot!!\" Merrick whipped around, and saw\nKeith. Before he can say anything, Keith took a blunt object to the merman, and\neverything went black.\n \n \n-=-=-=-\n \n \n\"NNnnngghhh...\" Merrick moaned. His head hurts, a lot. He\nslowly opened his eyes, squinting as he is surround by a lot of light. He can\nfeel his wrists and tail held down. He groaned as he could make out a humanoid\nface.\n \n\"Well...\" Came that familiar, raspy voice, \"Finally awake?\"\nNigel asked. Merrick's eyes adjusted, and focused in. Nigel's face is heavily\npatched up - gauze is tied down on his cheek, his left ear is wrapped up, and\nhis neck is securely fastened.\n \n\"Nigel...\" Merrick smirked, \"Are you alright? You look rather\nbroken.\"\n \n\"Thanks to you, I nearly died.\" Nigel said, \"Jellyfish venom.\nWhat kind of a cheap trick was that?\"\n \n\"Aw, I'm sorry, Nigel,\" Merrick groaned, \"Next time, I'll\nkill you quickly so you won't be so uncomfortable.\"\n \n\"Hmph.\" Nigel stared a deathly gaze over the merman, \"You\nthink you're funny, don't ya?\" He said as he suddenly grabbed Merrick's neck,\n\"You think you're SO hilarious, don't ya???\" Merrick gagged slightly as Nigel\npressed his fingers around his throat, \"Well I hope ya got a good laugh!\" He\nlet go of Merrick a little too soon, remembering to compose himself.\n \n\"You know, I overlooked that little stunt you pulled with\nKeith because he provoked you. And I even was kind enough to ignore your little\nsession in the Wreck Room when I was out the other day.\" Nigel seethed, \"And\nthen you try to kill me?\"\n \n\"That is the penalty for doing what you've done to me.\"\nMerrick growled, \"If you would have just let me go, I wouldn't have given you\nanother thought.\"\n \n\"Hmph, yeah well,\" There came some light footsteps, \"Now\nyou've gone and made things worse for yourself.\"\n \n\"What?\"\n \n\"Hello again, Merrick.\" Came a calm, poisonous tone. Merrick\ngasped as he turned his head, and saw Dr Kaiser right next to him.\n \n\"No, not you!\"\n \n\"On behalf of the entire Agency of Oceanic Research,\" Kaiser\nsmiled under his paper mask, \"I thank you for your most generous donation...\"\n \n\"What? What are you talking about???\" Merrick struggled in\nhis bonds.\n \n\"The lab is out of samples, Merrick,\" Nigel explained, \"They\nneed more. A LOT more.\"\n \n\"What... No...\" Merrick shook his head, \"No!\"\n \n\"This is the penalty for doing what you did to me, Merrick.\"\nNigel said, \"And once you're done here, you can spend another warm night in the\nheat cell.\"\n \n\"NOO!!\" The merman flailed on the table, \"Stop this now!\nJUST LET ME GO!!\"\n \n\"Dr Kaiser,\" Nigel said as he straightened out, \"Get any and\neverything you need off of him to get some results. Just keep alive and MOSTLY\nin one piece.\"\n \n\"I'll contain my excitement...\" Kaiser said as he pulled a\ntray of shiny, very sharp tools to him. He looked to the terrified merman as he\npicked up a scalpel, \"And unfortunately, Nigel has forbid me from using any\naesthetics. The faster we get this done-\"\n \n\"LET ME GO!!!\" Merrick shrieked as Nigel walked out the\ndoor, \"LET ME GO, YOU MONSTER! LET ME GO OR I'LL KILL YOU!!!\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nErin walks towards the lab with some folders - he had sent\nin a request to have a door-window repaired, and she needs his signature to\nauthorize it. She spots Nigel coming her way, along with hearing some yelling,\n\"Oh, Nigel, I-\" She gasped as she saw his face heavily bandaged, \"Oh my God,\nNigel! What happened to you??\"\n \n\"Oh this?\" Nigel felt his gauze, \"Just Merrick's idea of a\nlittle prank.\"\n \n\"Nigel, what does that mean-\" She jumped as she heard a loud\nscreech from the lab, which was hushed just as suddenly. \"What was that?!\"\n \n\"Just being fussy. Now, do you have the order forms to\nrepair the door?\"\n \n\"Nigel, what is going on?!\" Erin said.\n \n\"The lab needs more samples, and Merrick is just a crybaby.\"\n \n\"What?!\" Erin looked to the door, and gasped, \"You mean\nthey're dissecting him?!\"\n \n\"Not yet.\" Nigel said, \"But he's REALLY pushing his luck\nnow.\"\n \n\"Nigel, you can't do this!!\" Erin exclaimed, \"He's a living\nbeing, he has rights-\"\n \n\"Rights?!\" Nigel yelled. He grabbed Erin's shoulder firmly.\nShe grunted in pain as his grip pushed to the point of breaking, spraining, or\ndislocating her shoulder if she made the wrong move. He forced her back and\npinned Erin against the wall. Getting right up to her face, he seethed with\nrage.\n \n\"IT is not a human, Miss Conally! IT is a fish! IT is an\nundiscovered fish! IT does not know its place! I am at my wits end with IT, so\nI am doing as I see fit to get my answers! And I am in a VERY foul mood, so if\nyou want to keep your job, your life, and all that is dear to you, I highly\nsuggest you don't even THINK about lecturing me on how to run my Agency!\"\n\nNigel let her go, and stormed down the hall. Shaking head to foot, Erin threw\nthe folders to the floor, and went to the doors. She pushed at the heavy lab\ndoors, but alas found them locked. \"No...\" She banged on the doors as the\nscientists crowed around the merman. \"Open the door! LET ME IN!!\" Erin fought\nthe doors for several minutes, but they would not open. \"HEEEYY! STOP!!!\" She\ncried out, \"LISTEN TO ME!!\"\n \nNone of them would even look at the door. Erin sobbed as she\nwatched the white tailfin cringe and tense. \"Gawwd...\" She sniffled and put her\nforehead against the door's window, \"I'm sorry, Merrick...\" She cried as she can\nstill distinctly make out the muffled screams of the merman, \"I'm sorry... I'm\nsorry... I'm sorry...\" She cried as she stood helpless to stop the scientists\naround the merman.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/805573-aquata-cove-chapter-36.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/809381-aquata-cove-chapter-38.json"}