{"sf1_id":812915,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 39","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":10584,"posted_at":"2015-01-29T06:47:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Human","Romance","Tragedy","homosexual","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/812915-aquata-cove-chapter-39","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/812915","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=812915\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata CoveChapter 39: Reunion   Adam zipped up his leather jacket while his shoes crunched\non the gravel. Merrick follows closely, before playfully groping Adam's jean\nrump. He smirked and turned around, right before Merrick kissed him.  \"Come on~!\" Merrick said, \"Just skip work and stay home with\nme all day! I wanna see you do that, um... What did Jamal call it again?\" He\npondered, \"A strip-tease?\" Adam laughed. \"Babe, I'm no professional stripper. And the Captain will\nhave my balls for bait if I played hooky.\" \"Awwwww!\" The merman moaned, \"I've seen some of the humans\ndancing at the place Jamal works in. Wanna see YOU up there!\"  \"Hahahaha!\" Adam lightly slapped Merrick's cheek, \"You fishy\npervert~\" Merrick giggled as he kissed him again. \"MAYBE, sweetie.\" Adam said\nas he stroked Merrick's blonde hair, \"I'll think about it...\" Merrick smiled as\nhe felt Adam's freshly shaven cheek. Adam smiled softly as he nudged his lover. Merrick gently lapped Adam's lips, very softly rubbing his\ntongue on the upper lip, pushing his lips on his lower lip, \"Mmmm....\" Adam\ntilted his head and rolled his lower jaw to deliver a passionate push into the\nkiss. He put his arms over Merrick's bare shoulders as he closed his eyes.\nMerrick moaned weakly again as he put his other hand on the back of Adam's\nhead, before their tongues met in their conjoined mouths. Adam slowly ended the kiss, one lap at a time. He rubbed his\nforehead against the other as their noses touched. \"I love you.\" Adam whispered. \"I love you too.\" Merrick responded.  Adam backed up, and rubbed Merrick's shoulder, \"I'll be back\nin the afternoon.\" \n\"Ok~\"  Adam took out his helmet, put it on, and straddled onto his\nmotorcycle. He turned the keys to roar it into life, revved it a few times,\nbefore setting his feet to it, and driving off. He glanced at his rear mirror,\nand chuckled as he saw his boyfriend waving Goodbye from the driftwood\nwall-fence around the house.  ~~~  \"Ok, if you can please sign this for me?\" Adam said as he\nheld out his clipboard for the manager of the Claws \u0026 Hammers restaurant,\nhaving made the last delivery of live crabs on the first two hours of the day. \"Thank you,\" He said as he signed for them, and gave Adam a\n$5 tip. \"Thank YOU sir, and have a nice day.\" Adam tipped his cap to\nhim, climbed back into his cart, and drove back along the dock. He parked the\nsmall vehicle along with the other carts, and hopped off. He sighed as he took\noff his cap to loosen up his hair, before putting it back on. Break time - he's\ngoing to hit the dock for a quick catch for his break before getting back to\nwork. He walked along the Fish House, when he heard the Captain\nranting, \"Uh-oh...\" He muttered, \"Whose in trouble now.\" He mumbled.  \"Look, I ain't turning over any of my Fishboys to some\nfancy-suit flunkies, ya got it?\" Adam passed by the Captain's office, just thinking about\ngoing fishing. \"Sir, we simply need to have Adam Bryant come with us.\" Adam\nfroze in his tracks. \"Why? Has he done sumthin wrong?\" \"That information is classified.\" \"Then you ain't gittin' him. Simple as that. Now git out.\"\nThe Captain growled. \"We are not leaving, sir, until Mr Bryant comes along with\nus.\" \"Then grab a seat, kids. Cause you in for a loooong day.\" \"Sir, I should warn you we have a warrant to seize him from\nyour establishment, whether you let him or not.\" \"Yeah? Well I got a Restrainin Order for the two of yas.\" CLICK-CLACK \"It's called a Harpoon!\" The Captain said. Adam gasped, and\nhurried into the room. \"Captain, wait!\" He said. Two men in black suits turned, and\nsaw Adam come in. One of them turned completely around, looking directly at\nhim. \"Who are you, sir?\" \"I'm Adam. Adam Bryant?\" \"Alright,\" The man brought out a badge, \"Agent Kevin Tyler,\nI'm with the Agency of Oceanic Research. I'm going to have to ask that you come\nwith us.\" \"What?\"\n\"Ohhhh, no ya don't!\" Captain moved over, and stood in front of Adam, \"I ain't\nletting a couple of suits drag one of MY employees to God knows where! You just\nget back in yur van, get the bloody blazes outta here!\" \"Sir, we should warn you as well,\" The other man said, \"We\nare authorized to close your establishment if you fail to cooperate. We will\nclose this whole place down if that's what it takes.\" \"Yeah, go ahead and try it, ya grunts,\" Captain snarled,\n\"I'll first string the two of yas up for tresspassin!\" \"Captain, stop, it's ok.\" Adam said as he stepped around the\nold, fat seadog. \"Just, I'll hear them out, this probably won't take long\" \"Adam,\" Captain put his large hand on Adam's shoulder, \"Ya\ndon't have ta do this. My gut's tellin me these suits ain't no good.\" \"It's ok, Captain...\" Adam said, \"I'll be back in a couple of\nhours, don't worry about me.\" \"Adam... I don't trust these guys...\" \"I'll be ok, Captain.\" Adam said calmly. Captain sighed\ndeeply, before patting Adam's shoulder. \"Alright. But I better see yur skinny ass by tomorrow, or\nI'll have yur ass on a hook.\" \"Yessir.\" Adam nodded. He turned and faced the men, \"I'll\ncome with you, but can I at least get changed first?\" \"Yes, but we'll escort you to the lockerrooms.\" \"Fine...\" Adam turned, and left the office, with the two men\nin suits following closely behind. Captain shook his head as he was left on his\nown. Something tells him in his head that he should've fought harder to keep\nAdam here...  ~~~  Adam is walking down the hall with two security guards. As\nsoon as he arrived, they had him change his clothes right on the spot, and\nwatched right to where he stripped to his underwear, and had him put on a stiff\nwhite garment - it kind of felt like an inmate uniform. They confiscated his\nshirt, jacket, pants, his shoes, even his keys, wallet, and cell phone. They came to a door, which opened to a plain old cell, with\na small bathroom and shower connected to it, a meager cot at one of the walls.\n\"This is where you'll be staying.\" \"Wait, wait, hold on,\" Adam turned around, \"Will you please\ntell me what's going on? I feel like I'm being arrested here.\" \"You're not in trouble with the law, but we do need you\ndetained here until further notice.\" \"But WHY? Why am I here?\" Adam asked, \"I'm no Marine\nBiologist, or Ichthyologist, or any kind of expert. I'm just a delivery guy for\nfish.\" \"That information is classified.\" \"Oh come ON!\" Adam complained, \"You won't even tell me that\nmuch?\" \"I'm not authorized, Mr Bryant. In.\" The guard said as he\ngestured for the cell. Adam sighed as he obediently entered the cell. While one\nguard locked the door, another picked up his communicator.  ~~~  \"This facility in particular,\" Said Nigel to the young\nblonde male, \"researches new and undiscovered animals of the ocean. We learn\ntheir biology, their anatomy, how they function, and how they influence the\nocean.\" \"And what does that have to do with me?\" Merrick asked. \"Heh heh heh.\" Nigel raised a brow, \"Do you REALLY need to\nask?\" Merrick sighed, as Nigel reached into his coat, and withdrew three\nphotographs. He laid them out for Merrick to see. One was of a beachhouse with\na driftwood wall, with Adam carrying a naked Merrick over off the rock. The\nnext one was Merrick laughing, wearing a white fishnet tanktop and white jersey\nshorts on a dock, and the third is of a blue and silver merman, laying down\nupon a rock over at Aquata Cove's waterfall, \"We've been tracing you for a long\ntime, Merrick.\" Merrick stares at the three pictures - a cold heat played\nacross his face as a dark chill fluttered about his body. His arms shook as he\nsat still, just looking at these photos. He glared up at Nigel with defensive\neyes - there's only one thing he can perceive that could have taken these\npictures, \"Are you the government? Adam told me of you - you're the\nall-controlling power that humans bow to without choice. You group of humans do\nall you want without concern of the people.\" \"Hahahaha, not exactly, Merrick,\" Nigel said, \"Agency of\nOceanic Research-\" A small beeping rang out from the man's coat, \"Oh, excuse\nme,\" He took out his phone, and put it to his ear, \"Yes?\"   \"We have secured Adam Bryant, sir. He's in Cell #05\" Said\nthe guard. \"... Alright, that's good\" \"We will keep a close eye on him, and see if he shows any\nphysical anomalies.\"  \"... Carry on.\" Nigel closed his phone, and put it in his\npocket. \"What was that?\" Merrick asked. \"Just maintenance check, it's nothing,\" Nigel said, \"Now,\nwhere was I?\"  ~~~  Adam huffed as he looked around his cell. It's sort of\ncramped, and there's really nothing else in here other than the bed and the\nbathroom, not even a nightstand. \"Can I at least get a TV or something??\" He called out. No\nresponse, \"I'll settle for a coloring book!\" No answered. Adam groaned as he\nrolled into the cot, and just looked up at the ceiling.  ~~~ \nAdam huffed as he bounced the racket ball against the door, catching it, and\nthrowing it again. An old security guard was nice enough to give him this\nlittle ball to play with. Yeah, that's a show of human decency - give him a\nlittle ball to... Bounce around a cramped room. Hey, at least he could take it to\nthe bath and pretend it's a round rubber duck. He bounced it once against the door. Twice against the door.\nThrice. He was about to throw it once again, when he heard the door click from\nthe other side. The door opened to a guard. \"Alright, let's go. We've got a job for you.\"  \"Oook?\" Adam said as he got up, and followed the guard out\nof his room.  ~~~  Adam had a dread feeling as he looked upon a desk full of\nFish House cans, hooks, tackle kits, oil containers, and what seemed to be\nfrozen or fresh game fish and shrimp. \"We have arranged for you to sustain your employment with\nthe Fish House Cannery,\" The guard said, \"You are to report here and\nmanufacture the merchandise here while you are detained.\" \"Wait, how long am I supposed to be doing this?\" Adam asked. \"As I recall, it is a FULL-time job. So I would assess for 8\nhours.\" \"What??\" Adam groaned as he looked at all of the hooks,\nmaterials, and various supplies. Long, tedious, boring, perpetually\nnever-ending, \"What if I run out? Can I at least leave for break?\" \"You're not authorized to go about on your own. If you wish\nto go somewhere, one of us have to be with you at all times.\" \"Why? What's this all about?\" Adam asked, \"You guys locked\nme in here for about 2 days now! What about my roommates? One of them is a\nconvicted felon under the law, and I have to be there for when his monthly\ncouncilor stops by for a progress report!\" \"I'm sorry, but I'm not at liberty to say anything about\nyour home.\" \"Why not?!\" He said out, \"As far as they know, I fell off\nthe face of the Earth!\"\n\"We've notified them that you have been detained for classified reasons. The\nonly thing you need to worry about is putting this merchandise together.\" The\nguard reported. \"Please, just tell me SOMETHING!\" Adam persisted, \"Am I in\ntrouble with the law or something? I feel like I've been arrested and put in\njail!\" \"No, you haven't. We just need you here. When the time is\nright, we'll notify you.\" \"Hmph...\" Adam shook his head, \"Great. Fantastic.\" Adam huffed\nas he went to the desk.  \"Someone will come and bring you lunch in a few hours.\" \"Great.\" Adam said as he took a sardine can, and opened one\nof the frozen boxes. The guard, shook his head, feeling bad that he's now\nallowed to fill this guy in on what's going on, but Nigel will have his ass if\nhe lets in one clue.  ---Ten Days Of Captivity---  \"Nnnnnhhhh...\" Adam groaned as he worked the next fly hook,\nand placed it into the container with other colorful fly hooks. KGH \"Gah!\" Adam hissed as a sharp bit of metal severed his skin\non his finger, \"Dammit...\" He took up the Neosporin tube, and a band-aid to patch\nhis finger up, \"Guess this is karma punishing me for stealing the occasional\nthing for Belinda.\" He mumbled tom himself. Once he finished up the pack of Fish House fly-hooks, he\nleaned back in his chair, and sighed. \"Nnnnhhhhh...\" He moaned as he closed his\neyes, \"What am I doing here...\" He leaned his back a little further, until the\nedge of the chair pushed against his spine. K-KKCCL \"Ah yeah...\" He said as he cracked his back. He stayed at the\nposition for a couple of minutes, just pushing for that meaningless few moments\nof procrastination, \"Well...\" He leaned back forward, and continued on the next\nset of fly-hook materials, \"At least the Captain can't complain that no one's\non Canning Duty...\"  ---Three Weeks Of Captivity---  Yuri walks into the house, carrying in the email. She sighs\nas Roxas purrs and nudges her legs, \"Hey, Roxy...\" She said as she put the\nenvelopes onto the coffee table, and picks up a pair of scissors for the\npackage that was in the mailbox.  It's been half a month since Merrick disappeared on that\nday. Jamal has been more than a little aggressive since that day. He apologizes\nif his attitude becomes too hostile, but Yuri can tell what it is: He blames\nhimself for Merrick's disappearance, and he feels guilty about not standing up\nfor him. Heck if Jamal, like any other man, ever feels the urge to share his\npersonal feelings with anyone, let alone a roommate. Because of that, he's been\nworking overtime at the club, just to keep himself busy. And then there's Adam's absence. Yuri received a phone call\nthat Adam has volunteered for various treatment tests, but something's not\nright. Both Merrick AND Adam disappeared on the same day. She can't help but\nsuspect this has something to do with merfolk...  Yuri cut out the package, and pulled out a DVD jacket, with\na bare disk in it. She took it out, and slid the DVD into the PS3. It\nactivated, and it showed someone fumbling, and then Adam sitting in front of\nthe screen.  =\"Hey guys.\" He said. Adam tilted his head back, and\nscratched into his hair, \"So... It's like, Day 17 since I was...\" He shrugged, \"I\ndunno, captured?\" He said, \"Detained, arrested, I don't know.\" = Once per week, Yuri and Jamal receive a DVD message from\nAdam. Of course, Yuri always Googles the mail address, but it's never the same\nlocation. Whoever's doing this clearly doesn't want to be found. = \"So uh... Nothing to report, as usual. Just making\nmerchandise for the Fish House, which is ALWAYS long and boring... Oh God...\" He\nmoaned, \"And knowing the Captain, this isn't going to bother changing the\nrotation of Canning Duty.\" He sighed and scratched his unshaven face.  \"They still won't tell me what the hell I'm doing here,\nstill have to beg for a newspaper, let alone a razor. At least they're nice\nenough to give me a meal everyday. But one of the guards at least took me\nfishing once in the middle of the night, so THAT was a big event. BESIDES the\npart where this random seagull tackled me out of nowhere!\" He chuckled,\n\"They're still taking small blood samples each week, doing some sort of study\nand all, but have no idea what's going on. They've had me doing a little\nexercise in these weird labs, having me swim laps in an indoor pool for some\nreason, while attaching some suction cup things on random places of my body.\"\nHe blushed at that recalling that each time he goes into the labs for strange\ntests, they have him either strip naked or down to white brief underwear that\nthey provide for him, \"Really wish you were here, Yuri. You can at least tell\nme what they're doing - as no one here will tell me jack-squat. \"Anyway, just letting you guys know I'm ok, and still alive.\nYuri, keep up with your studies, even though you're already an amazing medic.\nJamal, make sure you have plenty of condoms, I'm sure Nick will be waiting for\nyou when you screwed all the girls at the Waltz. And Merrick,\" He smiled, \"I\nlove you, sweetie. I'm keeping you in my thoughts every single day that I'm\nhere. I miss you so, so much... Jamal, if he's not watching this, give him this\nfor me, please,\" Adam put two fingers to his lips, kissed them, and put them to\nthe camera's lens for a second. \"I miss you all. Hope everything's ok on your end. Bye\"= Yuri sighed as she put her hands on her forehead. Roxas\nmewled as he hopped up on her lap, to whom, Yuri wrapped her arms around, and\nheld her cat close. With Ryo busy with his own schedule, Jamal taking on extra\nwork, Adam and Merrick both missing, it gets so lonely around here nowadays.  ---27 Days Of Captivity----  \"Rrrrgggh... HHHRRRnngg... HHHnnngg...\" With his feet tucked under\nthe cot, his hands behind his head, his bottom to the floor, Adam passes the\ntime by working out by himself. Not that he ever went to a gym to keep in\nshape, but his arms and legs have been feeling restless. '297... 298... 299... 300...' He huffed as he laid himself down,\npanting. He breathed in and out for several minutes before getting up, and\nrolling into the cot, exhausted. He slowly dozed off, still confined in his\nstuffy white inmate uniform.  ~o~o~o~  Faceless colors whirl and dance to unheard sounds and\nrhythms in the darkness. Adam groans as he feels himself flow down a slow river\nof wind. He feels as if he is falling through the void, endlessly speeding\nthrough nothingness, yet it feels as though he's going nowhere at all. Nothing\nmakes sense, it's all a bottomless blur. Within the entire blur of infinite space and clouds, Adam\ncan make out a bright streak of light. He smiles peacefully as he can recognize\nthe light as his one and only love. His angel of the sea drifts in the endless\nvoid, glowing a brilliant golden light. Adam reaches for his love, but from just one move of the\narm, he just seemed to move away. Bright blue droplets twinkle from his love's\nclosed eyes, and his color immediately changed. His golden light shimmered into\nsilver, shrouded in blueness. His legs extended into a fish-like tail as he\nfell through this empty sky. Adam gasps as bits and pieces of his merman sparkled as they\nbroke away. The merman swam slowly through the void as his form drifted and\nvapor away into the spiraling mist of naught. Adam opened his mouth to call for\nMerrick, to tell him he's turning into diamond dust, yet nothing came out. His\nbody can't move, he's falling headfirst into an endless darkness, with Merrick\ncontinuing to whither into starlight. The merman swam around, and spoon spotted Adam. His eyes lit\nup like a pair LED light bulbs. A vicious aura overcame the merman before he\nsuddenly shot to the human. Adam screamed in silence as his love's jaws pried\nwide open to ravage him!  ~o~o~o~   \"Hhh!!!\" Adam awoke suddenly. His heart is pounding rapidly\nin his chest as he distinctly remembers the flash of terror in his sleep. He\ncan feel himself sweat while tears brimmed around his eyes. Shaking, he rolled\nonto his back and looked at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, and groaned sadly,\n\"Nnnnnhhh... Merrick...\" He held back a little cry, \"I miss you, baby...\" Whenever he\nhad a bad dream, he could just cuddle up close to Merrick, and find comfort in\nhis fear. The door of his room clicked, and opened up. He quirked up,\nand saw an older man step in. He kept down his impulse to stare at the obvious\nbandages that occupied half of the man's face. Outside the doorway is a woman\nin office attire, and short blond curly hair, and another a skinny,\norange-haired security guard. \"Good morning, Mr Bryant.\" Said the older man. Adam turned his head, and looked at the old man standing at\nthe doorway, with his face half bandaged. He moved his legs over on the bed,\nand sat up, looking rather irritable, \"Hi... Who are you?\" He asked. \"My name is Nigel Quinlan, and I am the head of the Agency\nof Oceanic Research.\" \"So you're the boss here?\" The young man asked, standing up. \"Yes, that is correct.\"  \"Ok, great.\" Adam crossed his arms, \"So is someone finally\ngoing to tell me why I've been sitting around, doing nothing all month long?\" \"Yes,\" Nigel smiled softly, \"We are ready for you now.\"  ~~~  Showered and fed, Adam now sits in a smaller room, at a\ntable with a box on Nigel's end of the table. \"Ok, Mr Bryant. Can I call you Adam?\" He asked. Adam\nshrugged. \"Sure, I guess.\" \"Alright, lets get down to Brass Tax.\" Nigel began, \"This is\nthe Agency of Oceanic Research.\" \"... Ok...\" \"Heh. You seem confused, Adam.\" Nigel said.\n\"Yes, I am.\" Adam retorted, glaring at the man, \"And pissed off too. I've been\nsitting locked-up around a dingy cell like a criminal, filling up cans and\nhooks for my job for hours and hours at a time, I haven't seen a second of\nsunlight the whole time I've been here, and I don't even know what the hell I'm\ndoing here! I've got a life! I've got friends who're probably worried sick\nabout me! I have a boyfriend, sitting at home and crying his eyes out because I\njust up and vanished! WHY AM I HERE?!\" Adam demanded, \"I'm not a Marine\nBiologist, I don't study fish, I'm nobody!!\" \"Hmph,\" Nigel gave a soft smile, \"Oh, I think you know more\nthan you're letting on...\" He leaned forward, \"Have you ever considered taking up\nPhotography Classes, Adam?\" \"What?\" \"Because we found some interesting photographs from this old\ntreasure of ours...\" Nigel picked up, and placed an old camera on the table.\nAdam's face felt cold as he looked at the old-fashioned contraption - a bulky\ncamera so out of its time, it practically belongs in a museum. The initials\n'H.D.' written on the top of it. \"That's...\" Adam took the camera, \"This is my grandfather's\ncamera!!\" He looked back up at that half-bandaged face, \"What are YOU doing\nwith it?!\" \"We found it broken almost 7 years ago when we were\nfollowing a lead on an undiscovered sea animal.\" Nigel reported, \"We've seized\nit for evidence, and we've taken the liberty of repairing it and developing the\npictures inside it.\" \"And it didn't occur to you to give it back to my grampa?!\"\nAdam said, \"He wouldn't even LOOK at me for a week after I lost it!\" \"For that, I offer my humblest apologies. Our search for\nthis creature has taken a lot of set backs, but we're closer than we've ever\nbeen before.\" \"So what's the creature? And what does it have to do with\nme?\" \"Hmhmhmhmph, tell me, Adam,\" Nigel leaned forward, \"What do\nyou know about mermaids?\" Adam blinked, showing a confused expression, when he really\nfeels his stomach turning inside out. \"So that's it?\" Adam responded, \"You mean to tell me you've\nbeen keeping me locked up for a whole month for a fairytale?\" \"I notice your tone has calmed down, Adam.\" Nigel said with\na smirk, \"I can already tell that you're a terrible liar.\" Adam sighed as he\nlooked aside. \"Fine, you got me. But I don't know anything.\" Adam said,\ncrossing his arms, \"I've only seen one in my life, and that's it.\" \"Have you now?\" Nigel asked as he plucked up a photograph,\n\"Well, did she look anything like this?\" He placed the picture in front of him.\nAdam gazed at the image, making out a red and purple mermaid sitting on a rock\nin the middle of the water. No doubt about it - Merrick says all Sirens are\nthat color. \"Yes, that's the one.\" No point in denying this one anyway. \"Interesting.\" Nigel said, \"What else is interesting is that\nyou claim this was your grandfather's camera - very important from the sound of\nit - and yet we found it discarded on the ground. It's a miracle the film\nwasn't damaged at all.\" He raised a brow, \"What would make you leave behind\nsuch a precious item of your grandfather's?\" \"... To be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure myself...\"\nWhich is half true. That was the day he and Merrick first met, and he says that\nAdam was hypnotized by a Siren's singing, but it just seems like a big blur to\nhim now, up until he woke up in a watery cavern with a young naked teen. \"Are you sure about that?\" Nigel asked. \"Yeah... Why?\" \"You sure you don't have any... informatives about the blue\nworld, Adam?\" 'Does he mean Belinda?' Adam thought, 'How much can I cover\nthis up?' \"No, I don't know a damn thing.\" Adam denied, \"The only\nmermaid I've ever seen is on that picture.\" \"Alright. So you've never seen any other mermaid...\" Nigel\ntook out another photo, \"But, how about something a little more... Masculine?\" He\nplaces the other photograph onto the first one - a blue and silver merman,\nsitting upon a rock over at Aquata Cove's waterfall, \"Have you seen this merman\nbefore?\" Adam felt his stomach sink lower as he looked at it. His\nface feels so much heat and pressure just from looking at it, as if a secret\nhas been found out about him for the first time ever. \"... No...\" This one pained Adam to say, \"I've never seen him\nbefore in my life...\" \"Hmph.\" Nigel sneered at him, \"You ARE a terrible liar. I'd\nhate to see you in a poker game.\"  \"What, why?\" \"Because he seems to know you.\"  Adam's face felt stone cold from that statement, \"Wait... You've\ntalked with him?\" \"To put it loosely. I try and talk, but he doesn't like to\ncooperate.\" \"What do you mean??\" \"Here at the Agency of Oceanic Research, we strive to learn\nevery mysterious sea creature that dwells in the ocean. And for the first time\nin human history, we have a living, breathing, and intelligent merman in our\nmidst. Think of all the possibilities of such a creature could present to the\nhuman race! Think of everything we could achieve if we formed bonds and ties to\nsociety in the ocean!\" \"Fat chance of that.\" Adam commented. \"HAhhh\" Nigel shook his head, sighing, \"Can no one really\nsee the beauty of my vision?\" \"No, I meant that contact with humans of any kind is\nstrictly forbidden. Even a single word towards any human is grounds for\nbanishment right there.\" \"Really.\" Nigel raised a brow, \"And how would you even know\nthat? Not five minutes ago, you claimed ignorance about the existence merfolk.\" \"Yeah, I think we're passed that,\" Adam said, \"Alright,\ncards on the table. Yes, that merman is my boyfriend, and I know about merfolk.\nWhat I want to know is where and when you questioned my boyfriend.\" \"Are you sure you want to know?\" Nigel asked. \"Stop talking in riddles!\" Adam demanded, \"What did you mean\nwhen you said that he doesn't like to cooperate?\" \"We've kept him detained here for as long as you. I've asked\nhim many, many questions about his kind, but he refuses to help me whatsoever.\" \"Hmph. Wise move.\" Adam said, feeling his anger grow as he\nglared at the old man, just learning his own lover has been contained in this\nprison. \"Excuse me?\"\n\"In case you haven't noticed,\" Adam said, \"We don't have the best track record\nfor affiliating with other people.\" \"Once again, ye of little faith,\" Nigel responded, \"How do\nwe know if we don't even try. You and he seem to work just fine, and one of you\nis human enough.\" \"I'm not a nation wanting to rule over anybody.\" Adam said,\n\"I think merfolk are fine the way they are - AWAY from all the drama and chaos\nof human society.\" \"Worse statements have been said to greater feats achieved,\nMr Bryant.\" Nigel said wisely. \"Whatever. Now where IS he?!\" \"You want to see him?\" \"YES I want to see him!!\" Adam shouted, \"I've been locked up\nhere for a month, and according to you, so has he!! He hasn't seen me for so\nlong, he's probably been terrified the whole time! Alone, being bombarded with\nall sorts of questions, probably kept in a tank like a pet Beta Fish! Are there\nanyone else you're keeping prisoner here, while I'm at it?!\" \"Heh heh, no.\" Nigel said, \"Just me and the employees.\" \"Then take me to see him! Now!\" \"I'm not so sure you want to see him right now.\" Nigel\ncalmly said. \"What do you mean?\" \"Over the time he's been here, there have been some...\nComplications...\" \"Like what?\" \"Recently, we had put him in a huge tank that allowed him to\nswim a mile out to sea,\" Nigel pointed to the gauze and bandage on his face,\n\"See right here? After the tests, he slapped me with Box Jellyfish stingers. I\nalmost died, right on the spot.\" \"What...\" Adam gazed in shock at Nigel, \"No... I've known him\nfor years... He would NEVER do such a thing!\" \"Really.\" Nigel untied the bandages around his head, and\nlifted the white fabric off of his wound. Adam gasped as he looked at the raw\nred flesh streaked along the man's cheek, \"And I suppose this could be an\nallergic reaction to a new shaving cream I've been using?\" He rewrapped his\ninjury. \"Listen, I know him,\" Adam said, still shocked at what he\njust saw and heard, \"He's a kind, gentle, and understanding guy. He would never\nharm anybody unless he had a good reason.\" \"If you really want to see him,\" Nigel picked up the walkie\nfrom his belt, \"You can ask him yourself.\"  Adam breathed deeply, before nodding.  ~~~  A couple of guards escorted Adam down the hall. As they\nwalked, Adam's chest feels like it's about to explode. He hasn't seen Merrick\nin a whole month, and now he's just finding out that he's been trapped here\njust like him.  'Poor Merrick...' Adam thought. Curled up in a tank, all\nalone, no one but scientists poking and prodding him for a month, away from\neveryone he knows and loves. It's like the movie Splash in real life! 'How are\nwe going to get out?' Adam shook as one of the guards stopped at a door. First, he\nunlocked it, and took out a strange device. Once Keith entered into the room, a\nweird, low-rhythm sound came from inside. \"What's that noise?\" Adam asked. \"During the research, they found out the merman reacts and\nassociate with sound. They were able to make a noise to keep him from moving.\"\nSaid the guard. \"Keep him from moving?? How? Why???\" \"I don't know, I'm no egghead. We were just told to unlock\nhim when we take you to him.\" \"Unlock him???\" Adam said, right before the guard came out. \"Fagfish is all ready...\" Keith said, \"We're going to be out\nhere in the meantime.\" \"Ok...\" Adam walked to the door, and entered the room, and\nbarely noticed the guards closing it shut behind him. Adam gasped as he looked at Merrick - backed up against the\nwall, sitting with his face down to his knees, and his arms around his legs.\nAdam covered his mouth as Merrick sat there, shaking, mumbling lowly in a dark\ntone. \"Oh my God...\" Adam whimpered as he observed his lover wrapped\nin many bandages. His eyes teared up as he looked at the blond hair - once\nvibrant and bright, now matted with several red spots on his scalp. He huffed\nas he made out the cuts on the sides of his head, around the ears in\nparticular.  ---8 Years Ago---  Adam paces on the rocks over above the grotto. It's been six\nmonths since he met a merman! I real, live merman! It's been so long since he's\nlast seen this guy; he's still not sure whether or not it was real to begin\nwith! But he has noticed that he can hold his breath underwater for up to an\nhour. That's how he and this Merrick managed to escape that cave anyhow. He looks towards the crystal clear water again, and gasped\nas he saw a large shape glide its way into the pool from the rocky entrance.\nAdam skidded to the edge of the rock, onto the one closest to the water, before\nthe spiky-fin head broke the surface. He looked and grinned as he saw the human\ncrawling up to the water. \"You... You came!\" The merman said. \"Yeah... So did you!\" Adam responded, his chest pounding with\nexcitement, \"I still can't believe you're real.\" \"So you... You remember me? ... Adam?\"  \"Yes! You're name's... Merrick, right?\" \"Yes, it is!\" The merman nodded with glee. Merrick put his\nhand out, and Adam took it. They both smiled as Adam's hand examined Merrick's\nwebbed one.  --- ---  Adam shook with horror as he looked at Merrick's\nindividually wrapped fingers, which also joined his hands in the bandages,\nwrapped up all up to his elbows. He also spotted the chains next to him on\neither side, with the discarded cuffs on either side. \"Oh baby...\" Adam whined as\nhe looked at his muttering lover. \"Humans...\" Merrick mumbled indistinctly, barely audible at\nall, \"Humans... Everything...\"  ~~~  Nigel watches closely onto the surveillance screens, keeping\nhis ears sharp as he observes the two males.   ---7 Years Ago---  \"Adam...\" Merrick said as he blushed, \"I... I don't know how it\nis with humans...\" \"What do you mean, babe?\" Adam asked as they sat with each\nother in the luminous cove. \"That's another thing,\" Merrick pointed out, \"That's not my\nname.\" \"I know.\" \"So, why do you keep calling me that? This is the fourth\nmoon we've met, and... Recently, you call me these strange names - Babe, Baby,\nSweetie... I don't get it.\" \"Oh, uhh...\" Adam blushed as he scratched the back of his\nhead, \"See... Those are just terms of endearment... Some humans call each other\nlittle nicknames when they...\" He chuckled nervously, \"Well, I call you those\nthings because... I like you...\" \"Huh?\" \"Or... I don't know...\" Adam looked at the naked blonde teen, \"I\nknow we've only met a few times, whenever either of us have the time, but...\"\nAdam smiled sheepishly, \"... I think I love you...\"  Merrick's sapphire blue eyes beamed up at him with\nhappiness. \"Every morning, I wake up thinking about you... You're on my mind\nalmost constantly, I-I can't stop thinking about you...\" Adam continued, \"The\ndays just seem slower ever since I met you, because I keep anticipating our\nnext meeting...\" Adam looked away, totally embarrassed, \"I-I understand if I\nsound really stupid right now, I just-\" \"N-No!\" The blonde crawled a little, \"I-I actually...\" Adam\nlooked back at him, feeling a little surprised, \"I...\" Merrick blushed as he\nlooked at the human, \"I feel the same... I... I love you... Adam...\" Adam smiled with\nglee as he looked at the humanized merman. \"Since...\" Merrick nodded, and looked up at Adam, \"Since the day I met\nyou...\"  --- ---  \"Humans... Are beasts of...\" Merrick snarled as he stayed in his\nspot, still trembling in pain and spiraling hatred. \"Merrick...?\" Those blue eyes looked up at the human wearing white sails\non his body.  Adam cringed as he saw Merrick's blue, pinkish eyes. \"Oh my God...\" Adam croaked as he trembled head-to-foot,\n\"Merrick...\" \"... Humaaannn...\" Merrick growled as his fingers tightened and\npressed onto his leg.  ---6 Years Ago---  Merrick and Adam snuggle on the smooth, stone floor of the\nglowing cavern. Both men are naked, sweating, and spent. A discarded condom\nwrapper and a slimy white rubber tossed carelessly aside. Merrick moaned as his\nass still feels the satisfying sting deep inside him as he cuddled against his\nlover. \"Mmmm...\" Merrick murred as his hand rubbed and interlaced\nwith Adam's hand as they snuggled together. Adam has his eyes closed as he had\nhis head back, \"What was that thing for again?\" Merrick asked lowly, \"What was\nit protecting?\" \"Don't worry about that...\" Adam groaned, his dick feeling a\nlittle sore from the harsh pounding he did into Merrick's beautiful bottom,\n\"Just a... Human thing for sex, you know...\" \"Mmm...\" Merrick kissed Adam's smooth chin as he cuddled\nclose. \"I'm glad...\" Adam said, \"That I gave you my... First time...\" \"First time?\" Merrick asked while resting peacefully on\nAdam's chest like a pillow. \"Never mind... It's not important... I just love you, Merrick...\"\"I love you too...\" \"I know... We're always having to wait so long to see each\nother, but...\" Adam huddled in his boyfriend lovingly, \"We'll always be together...\nRight?\" Merrick's hand tightened around Adam's, \"... Yes...\" Merrick\nkissed Adam's chest, \"Always...\"  --- ---  \"Merrick?\" Adam said, sniffling as he slowly came closer,\nshuddering as he looked at his legs, which held a lot of red blotches where the\nskin has been severely damaged, and his butchered feet. \"Merrick... It's me... Adam...\" \"Humans...\" Merrick mumbled, \"Are liars...\" \"Merrick... Can you hear me?\" Adam said once again. \"Humans... Want... Everything...\" \"Merrick...\" Adam's voice is so thick with emotion as he crept\ncloser, \"Merrick, are you...\" \"...\" Merrick's body tensed as Adam approached closer, \"Stay\nback...\" He whispered harshly, so Adam could hear. \"Merrick... It's me...\" Adam's heart is breaking... Shard by\nshard. \"Don't touch me...\" Merrick growled as he looked up, \"Or I'll\nKILL you.\" Adam's stomach lurched at the death threat. \"Mah... Merrick,\nplease...\" Adam begged softly, moving a hand toward the blond, \"We have to-\" Adam\nplaced his hand on Merrick's shoulder. WHHHH! CRACK! \"GAHHHH!!\" Adam screamed as he was knocked onto the floor.\nHe curled and seized his knee - it feels like it was broken in half! \"MERRICK!\"\nHe moaned, \"Why did you- GGHHEEHHH!\" Merrick's arm slowly lowered, his index and middle knuckles\nfirmly stuck out, as they have struck a severe blow to Adam's kneecap.   Keith smirks outside their door. The other guard takes his\ncommunicator, and holds it to his mouth, \"Mr Bryant has been injured, sir.\nShould we separate them?\" \"Negative.\" Nigel responded on the other side, \"Let's see\nhow this plays out...\" \"Sir, with all-\" \"DON'T.\" Nigel interrupted. The guard opened his mouth to\nprotest, but sighed and obeyed, putting the communicator back onto his belt.   \"Nnnnhhh!\" Adam panted and whined in pain. He looked, and\nsaw Merrick glaring at him, but not making eye contact as he slowly stood up on\nhis legs. Merrick's mouth opened like a ravenous tiger, \"Merrick-\" \"HHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGHHHHHH!!\" \"AHHHH!\" Adam covered his ears as the merman fiendish,\nunleashed a blood-curdling roar. The shriek ended almost as soon as it began.\nAdam whined and grunted as he tried to move away, while still looking at his\nlover. \"Merrick! It's me! Adam! Look at me!!\" \"Monster...\" Merrick snarled, \"You would dare...\"   Nigel studied closer as the merman advanced closer to Adam.   In Merrick's eyes, all he can see is white hot fury, and\nanother human, who would dare touch him after everything they have done to him.\nHe can't even look at this monster's face. \"Merrick, stop!\" Adam pleaded as he was backed up against\nthe wall. \"Humans... Are monsters...\" \"Merrick, listen to me!\" Adam said, shaking with terror as\nhe attempted to stand himself up, careful not to even touch the leg with the\nbusted knee, \"It's me! Your Adam! I'm your boyfriend! I love you!\" \"LIAR!!\" Merrick sent a punch to Adam's stomach, before\ngrabbing his throat. Adam gagged as he felt Merrick's hand press on his neck,\n\"You would dare...\" Merrick's arm pressed on him, and Adam felt his feet leave\nthe floor.     \"Interesting...\" Nigel said as he watched the merman lift Adam\nup against the wall by his throat, \"He's a lot stronger than I thought...\" He\nmumbled, noting the face that Adam's build is taller and a little wider than\nMerrick's own figure.   \"You would dare...\" Merrick's hollow, wrath-filled blue eyes\nlooked up at Adam's face, \"Talk about him... After everything you humans have\ndone...\" Sparkling tears flowed down his cheeks. \"Merrick...\" Adam panted, his hands trying to hard to pry\nMerrick's bandaged fingers off, \"It's me... You save me from the... Siren...!\" \"These words... Are your last... Human monster...\" Merrick growled\nas he held Adam a little higher, and tightening his grip. \"I-I...\" Adam's voice is hoarse from the firm one-handed\nchokehold. \"Monsters...\" Merrick pushed his palm against Adam's Apple,\n\"Deserve to die.\"  \"Merrick... I'm the mistake... You never should've made...\" Adam\nwheezed out, \"But I... Love... You...\" \"...\" Adam's sense is beginning to fade, \"... Adam?\" Came a\nsoftened voice.  Suddenly, Adam felt himself drop from the wall. He gasped\nand coughed as he cringed on the floor, clutching his neck from the harsh\npressure, still feeling dizzy. Adam's body tensed as it attempted to recover\nitself. \"... Adam...\" Merrick looked down in horror at the human,\nlooking directly at his head, \"Adam, my Adam...\" He fell to his knees as Adam\nattempted to compose himself. \"You're my Adam...\" His voice shook as he looked at\nhis long-seen mate. \"Merrick...\" Adam coughed a few times, still rubbing his neck,\n\"Why...\" He can barely speak, both from emotion and physical pain, \"What happened\nto you...\" The next thing Adam feels is a pair of arms wrapped tightly\naround him, \"ADAAAAAMMMMM!!!\" Merrick shrieked. The merman sobbed hysterically\nas he clutched onto his human, \"Ahhhhaahhhhh!\" Merrick cried uncontrollably as\nhe held onto his boyfriend. Adam, pushing the pain of his busted knee out of\nhis head, hugged Merrick back tightly, with emotion running down his cheeks as\nwell as he held Merrick close. \"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!\" Adam sobbed as Merrick tightened\nhis arms.  Keith rolled his eyes as he heard the noise and drama from\ninside the cell, while the other guard kept himself stoic, feeling a little\noverwhelmed himself from the powerful hurt those two men probably feel. \"I'm sorry, Merrick!\" Adam said, \"I'm so sorry!\" \"Hahhh... Ihhh\" Merrick wept, \"I almost killed you...\" He\ncringed as he clutched onto Adam's uniform, \"I was going to KILL you!\" Merrick\nwhispered harshly. \"I know, baby, I know, I'm sorry,\" Tears ran down his face\nas he squeezed his lover tightly, \"Oh baby, wha...\" Adam put his hands on\nMerrick's face, and held it up, \"Oh Merrick,\" His eyes are bloodshot, darkened\nfrom lack of sleep, his skin is pale, and those cuts around and near his ears\nlook deep, \"What have they done??\" Merrick pulled his face away and sobbed into\nAdam's chest. Adam looked at the door, and roared, \"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!?!\"\nMerrick cringed and cried more. Keith hit the door twice.  ~~~  \"If you have a shred, any kind of trace, of human decency.\"\nErin said behind Nigel as they watched the heart-breaking scene, \"You stop this\ninsanity right now.\" Her voice thickened as she struggled to contain her\nemotion. \"Miss Conally...\" Nigel said, his hand turning to a fist, \"For\nthe last time...\" He turned, and gave her a very deadly glare, \"Know your place,\nand keep silent, or I will rip you apart...\" Erin glared at him as she shook her head.  ~~~  \"Adam...\" Merrick sobbed, \"My Adam...\" His hands tightened\naround the stiff fabric, \"You can't...\" He shook his head against Adam's chest,\n\"You can't see me like this...\" \"Merrick...\" \"Not now... Not when I almost ended you...\" \"I don't care, baby...\" Adam moved Merrick closer to him, \"I love\nyou, I'm so sorry... I couldn't protect you.\" \"No...\" Merrick shook his head again, his voice a little\nmuffled, \"You didn't do this... You didn't do this to me... Please don't... You found\nme... You always find me...\" \"No, Merrick,\" Adam said, \"They've kept me here too, and I'm\njust now finding out why.\" \"Adam...\" Merrick sniffled as they huddled closer, \"They want\nto know everything about merfolk.\" \"Yeah... I figured...\" Adam mumbled as he stroked Merrick's\nback. \"I won't let them know anything, but they won't stop torturing\nme... They won't stop asking, testing, lying, ripping, hurting me...\" Merrick's\ngrip tightened on Adam's uniform, \"They won't stop, they won't stop, they won't\nstop, they won't stop, theywon'tstop, theywon'tstop,\ntheywon'tstoptheywon'tstoptheywon'tstop -\" \"M-Merrick!\"  Merrick stopped himself, gasping and whimpering as if he\nalmost choked himself. He shook his head as he pushed against his love's chest. \"Merrick, what if you just tell them a few things?\" Adam\ninquired.  ~~~  \"Theeerre we go...\" Nigel said, nodding.  ~~~  \"Just tell them a few facts, and maybe they'll let us go-\" \"NO!\" Merrick sobbed, \"They won't!\" He cried as he pushed\ncloser, \"Adam... They've tricked me!\" He held up his bandaged hand, \"They took me\napart... That should be enough for them...\" Merrick whimpered as he put down his\narm, \"And then they feigned kindness... They reached out, and I gave them answers\nthey didn't even ask for... And it all went straight to HIM!!\" He whimpered as he\ncurled up, \"Adam...\" Merrick sobbed in fear \"They will never... Let us go...\" \"Merrick... They will, they have to...\" Adam shook his head as\nhe caressed the merman, \"Please... They have to let us go...\" Merrick whimpered as\nhe clutched onto Adam, \"... If you won't tell them then...\" Adam said, \"I will-\" \"NO!!\" Merrick demanded, \"No, Adam, PLEASE!!\" He shook his\nhead harshly. \"Think about it!!\" He begged, \"Humans society connecting with\nmerfolk! You told me all about what happens when humans make those sorts of\nconnections!\" \"Merrick, look at you!\" Adam cried, \"They've butchered you\nup, and they've kept me in the dark all month! Is it really worth all of this\npain?!\" \"I don't care!\" Merrick said, \"Adam, please don't tell them\nanything, please!!\" \n~~~  \"I think we finally got ourselves a Trump Card...\" Nigel said. \"Nig- Mr Quinlan,\" Erin said, \"Please, just put a stop to\nthis-\" Nigel ignored her, and brought a walkie to his mouth,\n\"Alright, separate them. Take Mr Bryant to the interrogation room, and I want\nhim securely bound.\"  ~~~  \"Merrick...\" Adam croaked as he held tight onto Merrick,\n\"Please... They've done enough to-\" The door unlocked, and opened up. Keith and the other guard\nstepped in, inspiring a surge of fear into Merrick. \"Time's up.\" \"No!\" Merrick said. \"Visiting hours are over, Faggots.\" \"NOO!\" Merrick clung to Adam tightly, and Adam held onto\nMerrick as best as he could too. \"Don't make this harder than it has to be.\"  \"I'm so sorry for this.\" The guard said as he pushed his\nbaton between the two males. \"NOOO!! STOP IT!!\" Merrick demanded.\n\"LEAVE US ALONE!!\" Adam shouted as Keith wrapped his arms around his torso, and\nhis shoulders, and pried his arms off.\"ADAM!!!\" Merrick exclaimed as his human was dragged away from him, holding\nonto his hand as long as he could, \"DON'T go, pleeeaaassee!!!\" \"Merrick!\" Adam winced as his hand was slipping, \"GGhhhhh!\"\nThe other guard yanked Merrick back, and their hands disconnected.\n\"NOOOO!!!\" \"Let get go of me!!\" Adam struggled and writhed in pain as\nhe knee seared with agony, \"Let me go, you bastards!!\"\n\"Calm down, Drama Queen,\" Keith said as he pulled Adam away towards the door. \"I almost killed him!!\" Merrick yelled in tears as his mate\nwas taken away, \"I don't want to kill him! I DON'T WANT TO KILL HIM!!!\" He\nyelled as he kicked and writhed the best he could.   Adam cried and struggled more as this homophobic guard\nlocked his hands in handcuffs, still hearing Merrick's cries and shrieks from\noutside the cell. \"Merrick...\" He whimpered, \"I'm sorry...\" \"Egh, don't get all-\" \"EEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYEEEEEEEHHHHHHHH!!\" Came the sound of a\nravenous war cry. Adam jumped as he heard a man scream in pain, before the\nother guard was thrown out the cell, and crashed on the wall. Merrick appeared\nsoon after, snarling as he sank his fist into the guard, breaking several ribs.\n\"Humans are monsters! ALL OF YOU!!!\" He proclaimed.\n\"Merrick, stop it!!\" Adam called. The injured merman turned his attention to\nAdam and Keith. \"Monsters...\" He let go of the guards, and sprinted right at\nAdam, \"DESERVE TO DIE!!!\"  Adam stood, terrified as his one and only love charged at\nhim, his eyes blaring in the low light like illuminated cat eyes, his jaws\nopening up as he zero'd in on them. \"MERRICK, NOOO!\"  EEEPEEPEEPEEEPEEPEEEPEEPEEEPEEPEEEPEEPEEEPEEP A loud, strange, chirping noise rang out in the hall. The\nguard Merrick has just pulverized is holding his gadget out and emitting the\nharsh noise. \"AHHHHH!!\" Merrick clutched his ears, screaming in pain as\nthe fell to his knees, subdued by the new sound. \"S-Stop!\" Adam wept as he watched his Merrick writhe and\ncover his ears, \"STOP IT!! You're hurting him!!\"\n\"You WANT him to eat you alive?!\" Keith said as he yanked Adam back. More guards sprinted in as Merrick groaned in agony of the\ncontinuous noise. They yanked him up to his feet, and dragged him back, with\nhim barely moving at all. \"YOU'RE GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!!!\" Once Merrick was locked back in his cell, the noise stopped.\nAdam cried as he was carried away, forced to limp as Keith lead him to the\ninterrogation room.  ~~~  \"JUST LET US GO ALREADY!!\" Adam roared, standing up, his\nfists clenched as he seethed at Nigel, \"What are you trying to prove?!\" Try as\nhe must, his wrists are no match for the titanium cuffs that bind him to the\ntable. \"A lot.\" He simply replied. \"What, how much of a great tormentor you are?!\nCongratulations, YOU MADE YOUR POINT!!\" \"No I haven't, and I will tell you if you will just calm\ndown.\" Nigel said sternly. Adam breathed deeply, glaring at total hatred at\nthis man. Eventually, Adam forced himself to sit down. \"Fine. Tell me why you're doing this... Why are you torturing\nhim?\" \"I have a dream, Mr Bryant. And I'm very, very short on\ntime...\" Nigel said as he turned around, and looked out the window of the\ninterrogation room - this one has a view of the sea. \"When I was about 6 years old, I saw a mermaid. She looked\nreal enough to me, but who can recall from so long ago?\" Adam said nothing, but\nlistened, \"Of course, I can't wait to tell any and everyone who would listen.\"\nNigel shook his head, \"As you can guess, on how cruel kids can be...\" He sighed,\n\"Of course, I made myself a laughing stock of the whole school, from the 2nd\ngrade, to the 6th grade, when I finally stopped hearing about.\" \"So lemme guess,\" Adam said aggressively, \"You swore revenge\non everyone who laughed at you, and devoted your life to revealing the\nexistence of merfolk.\" \"Hmph.\" Nigel huffed, \"That WOULD be the end result,\nwouldn't it.\" He said. The old man shook his head, and turned back to Adam,\n\"No, eventually it got out of my head, but I did take up Cryptozoology - my own\nlittle way of searching without anyone really knowing what I was looking for -\nI did not want anyone getting in my way, or mocking me for my passion. \"As you can imagine, Cryptozoology doesn't provide much of a\nliving, and I couldn't let anyone know what I was after, so I focused my time\nand energy to Marine Biology. Half-way through my education, my parents\nenlisted me in the Navy. And thus began the decline of my heath...\" \"What?\" Nigel walked back to the window, and gazed longingly into\nthe ocean, \"Through all of my dedication and hard work, I was given the\nHonorary Privilege to run the Agency of Oceanic Research. A government funded\nfacility where we research and study new, exotic creatures of the deep. Yet\nsadly...\" He took a deep, ragid breath, \"A few years ago, I was diagnosed with an\nold, severe case of Mesothelioma. I'll spare you all the technical mumbo jumbo,\nand call it Lung Cancer. I can thank the Navy ships for that.\" He coughed a\nlittle, \"Even with treatment and kemo... I have 5 to 10 years left to live.\" \"Well you're not exactly a Spring Chicken.\" Adam retorted\ncoldly. \"Hmph,\" Nigel turned back around, and approached the table.\nHe put his hands on the table, and looked down at the young man, \"Tell me\nsomething, Adam. Have you ever gone to the doctor, and discover that your life\nhas an expiration date? Have you ever looked in the mirror, and think to\nyourself that that can be very well the last time you ever see yourself?\nEverything you are, everything you were, everything you were going to be, every\ngoal and aspiration snatched up away from you in just a blink of black.\" He\nglared at Adam bitterly, \"Regardless of age, would you ever want to know how\nmuch precious time you have on God's green earth.\" \"And how does that excuse the way you've been abusing my\nboyfriend?!\" \"The ends justify the means, Adam.\" Nigel said, getting up,\n\"I have a real live merman, here, in my facility. Tell me though, what do you\nthink will happen if I made this discovery public?\" Adam shook his head and\nshrugged, \"An uproar, that's what. If I were to reveal to the world that I have\ncontained a real merman, everything would be seized, the papers would overload\nwith news, skeptics will take every once of the day blabbing about how much of\na hoax it is, debunking every once of evidence that is shoved right in their\nfaces.\" Nigel shook his head, \"No... I simply don't have that kind of time. And\nbesides, with doing something like that, the news would be old in a year, and\nwhat would I have to show for it?\" \"So you're mocking and maiming the love of my life because\nyou're short on time,\" Adam said, \"But WHY?? What are you trying to achieve???\" \"I want to make my mark on history.\" Nigel said, \"I want to\nbe the man who not only discovered the existence of merfolk. Oh no, I want to\nbe so much, much more.\" \"What, you want to be a merman yourself?\" \"If you would let me finish.\" Nigel retorted, \"I'm taking\nwhatever steps necessary to get every ounce of information I can get, from any\nsource. The guards have spoke with him in turn, my assistant has accumulated\nvery fine details, and my scientists are in the process of analyzing Merrick's\ngenetic code. \"But it's not enough, you see. I must learn any and\neverything about the culture, their religion, their different body types, I\nmust find MORE merfolk to question, and break down THEIR DNA, but I must know\nwhere they are, where they go, how to speak with them, everything there is to\nknow about merfolk!\" \"Why??\" Adam said with disgust, \"What do you hope to accomplish??\" Nigel gave a smile \"With what little time I have left, I\nwill do everything in my power to become the Ambassador of the 7 Seas.\" He\nstated, \"I will go down in history as the man who created bonds and ties\nbetween humans and merfolk. I will establish society into the deep blue see. I\nwill pave roads into the trenches, where we could never wander into before!\" \"So that's your plan?!\" Adam snapped, \"You're torturing my\nMerrick for an impossible dream?!\" \"Nothing. Is impossible, Adam. You have your proof sitting\nin a cell. You and your boyfriend is living proof that humans and merfolk CAN\nwork and live together.\" \"Not in YOUR lifetime!\" Adam said, \"And not in MINE either!\nI told you, contact with humans is strictly forbidden, Nigel!\" \"Perhaps. But I know they worship and obey the will of their\ngoddess. I believe they refer to Her as the Sea Mother?\" \"They'll NEVER believe you!\" Adam snarled as he rose up, his\nbindings snapping straight, \"Even if you convince them to even LOOK at you,\nthere are mermaids out there that can always tell when you're lying!\" \"Oh I'm sure there are, but I'm sure they'd never cross the\nword of their goddess.\" \"Did you even hear me?! Besides, they won't even talk, or\nlook at you!!\" \"That is why as soon as I find them, I will set the better\nexample. I will establish myself as a man of peace, who can and will provide\nwith anything they want to know about us.\" \"You're delusional!\" Adam shouted, \"In all my years I've\nknown Merrick, I've learned that merfolk believe in completely ridiculous\natrocities about humans! They think we can make weapons out of hot lava! They\nthink we're masters of the skies! They believe that a single human can destroy\nand reshape mountains at any given time!\" \"Even so, Adam,\" Nigel said, \"I have come too far to give up\nnow.\" \"Even if your dream was possible, what YOU want to do would\ntake more than 10 years!\" \"So you understand why I've done what I have to.\" Nigel said\nbitterly. \"No, I don't!\" Adam said. \"Really.\" Nigel leaned down, \"Tell me. When all of your\ndreams and aspirations have completely vanished, wouldn't YOU do whatever it\ntakes to make them come true?\" \"Not if it meant mercilessly torturing an innocent person!\"\nAdam spat out. \"Well, that's one opinion. But at least now that you're here,\nI can get things back on track.\" \"You...\" He hesitated, \"I won't let you use me!\" \"Of course you will.\" Nigel said, \"I'm sure you don't want\nanything else to happen to your Merrick?\"\n\"You bastard!\" Adam growled as fresh tears formed in his eyes, \"I love him with\nall my heart, but he doesn't care happens to him! He'll die if it meant\nprotecting his kind! He'll sacrifice himself 100 times over if it meant keeping\nall that holds dear from falling apart! And if I have to lose him because of\nthat,\" His chains snapped straight again, \"I'll kill you first before he has a\nchance to die!\" \"Such drama.\" Nigel said, shaking his head. \"I think I need\nto show you a little something...\"  ~~~  Adam is escorted down a flight of stairs, with one guard\nkeeping behind him, and two medics following closely. Nigel has the only key to\nthe door they are about to enter, \"I like to call this my...\" Nigel said,\n\"Mausoleum Museum.\" He chuckled at that, before unlocking the door. They entered, and Adam shuddered as he looked around, half\nin awe, and half in fear as he looked at the many glass cases, domes, and\ncoffins, all of which contain one or few extremely strange sea creatures. \"Are these your previous... 'Guests'?\" Adam asked. This place\nis like a freezer, it's so cold. \"You COULD say that. Another way I'd put it are discoveries\nthis Agency has found over the years. We learn all we can about them, and bring\nthem to this secret garden right here.\"  Adam turned his head, spotting an octopus with spiky skin,\nabout 6 feet in circumference, pinned up in a glass case on the wall. He saw a\ndome with a spiral-formation of dead fish that are almost completely\ntransparent. Another model he spotted was the strange Ruffle Shark. He gasped\nas he spotted a familiar creature in a large glass case - a bunyip. Almost like\nthe one that belongs to Atarah, only this one is larger. \"Ah, here's one you might be familiar with,\" Nigel said as\nhe came to one of the glass coffins. Adam gasped as he looked upon a dead\nmermaid - one of the Primate mermaids from the documentary, The Body Found. It\nlay there, freshly preserved inside the coffin. \"Sometimes, when I'm not\ncoughing up a bucket of blood, I like to come down here, and look at all these\ntreasures.\" Adam irked as he closed his eyes. This icy room just makes him feel\nlike he's in Death's lounge room. \"But that's not the one I like most.\" Nigel said. \"My\nfavorite... Is over here.\" They walked to another glass coffin, but this time, he\nopened it. Adam quaked as he gazed upon the creature - a reptilian being with\ndark green scales, pale yellow underbelly down its front, and along its long,\ncoiled, snake-like tail. Its hands are long and sharp, and the face looks\nnear-human, with a head full of smaller, clearly dead snakes. \"Ain't she a beauty?\" Nigel said as he gently caressed the\ncorpse's head, \"A living myth, just like your boyfriend.\" \"I-Is that... Is that Medusa?\" Adam asked. Nigel chuckled at\nthat. \"Oh, I doubt that. Might be a descendant though - I\ndiscovered this one myself 5 years ago off in a rocky area near Athens,\nGreece.\" 'Merrick did mention that merfolk mutate when there's a\nSolar Eclipse,' Adam thought to himself, 'Maybe this thing - if there's more of\nthem - came from ancient Greek times from mutant Holsiens...' \"Did you interrogate uh... Her too?\" Adam asked. Nigel smirked\nand shook his head. \"It's a little difficult to question a dead girl, wouldn't\nyou agree?\" \"You killed her?\" \"No, actually, I founder her recently deceased on that\ntrip.\" He tilted her head to the side a little, \"Interestingly enough, some of\nthe snakes on her head were still alive when I found her. It took a few hours\nbefore they died too, one by one. Sad, really.\" Adam breathed deeply as he\nfought the urge to shed tears. This sick monster is just pawing around this poor\ndead creature like she was a puppet. \"You want to know what I love most about her?\" Nigel asked.\nHe tilted the gorgon's head up, and put two fingertips to its eyes, and moved\nthem up. \"Hhhh!!\" Adam gasped as he looked into those silver,\nreflective orbs. \"Her eyes are most enchanting.\" He said. Adam immediately felt a cold wave hit his body. His\nbreathing suddenly became extremely difficult - he's unable to take a breath!\nHis hands started to lose feeling, along with his feet. His legs turned to\njelly as he fell back, and collapsed right on the floor! He gagged and gasped\nraspy huffs as his torso quickly lost all feeling, up to his chest, until his\nvery face felt like cold clay.  As the young man rasped and huffed, Nigel closed the\ngorgon's eyes, and closed the glass coffin. He walked around the coffin, and\nsquat himself down to Adam/ \"Mythology states that the gaze of a Gorgon would turn its\nvictims into stone. Well, maybe in ancient times, maybe they did, and maybe\nthey didn't.\" Adam can still hear and see him, but his body is completely numb.\nHe lay there, unable to breathe at all! \"But the science of it is just\nfascinating. See, instead of turning to stone, the victim's brain actually\nshuts itself down after seeing a refraction of light from the Gorgon's eyes.\nThe victim would become entirely paralyzed. So, either they died from\nsuffocation, or they were eaten alive, completely painless.\" Adam's face began to turn blue as he remained there,\nhelpless, \"Alright, get the valve in him, and get the stretcher ready. When you\ncome back up, bring him to the life support.\" One of the medics knelt down, and put Adam to a bag-valve\nmask, and started pumping hair into him, while the other began to set up the\nstretcher.  ~~~  Adam shook a little as he lay on the bed, still unable to\nmove or feel, only an inch from gagging up a lung with a plastic tube down his\nthroat. A respirator gently rises up, and pushed down, pushing air into his\nlungs as he lay there, paralyzed. His eyes looked, and watched Nigel come in, looking very\ngrim \"Alright, now here's what we're going to do,\" He said, \"First, while\nyou're immobile, we're going to take another blood sample - it's that time of\nthe week again.\" \"And then, when you have some feeling back in you, we're\ngoing to inject a dose of Sodium Pentothol.\" Nigel said as he held up a small,\nglass bottle. Adam looked at him with expressionless eyes - he can't even move\nhis eyebrows, \"The more commonly referred term is 'Truth Serum'. \" Adam\ninwardly gasped. \"As I said, I am very short on time, so I can't afford to\nplay Mr Nice Guy. So when you recover tomorrow, you are going to tell me\neverything you know about merfolk whether you like it or not.\" Nigel placed the\nbottle on a small metal table, and turned to leave, just as a doctor came in,\nwith a needle and a pouch to take the blood sample.","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/809381-aquata-cove-chapter-38.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/814735-aquata-cove-chapter-40.json"}