{"sf1_id":814735,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 40","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":5810,"posted_at":"2015-02-03T11:43:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Human","Love","Plot Twist","Romance","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/814735-aquata-cove-chapter-40","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/814735","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=814735\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata Cove\nChapter 40: At Wit's End\n \n \n \nDoctor Kaiser leans on the wall with his arms crossed as his\npredator-like eyes leered through his glasses at the files that lay on the\ntable. Another scientist nervously fiddles with her notes, fearing that Nigel\nwill snap her head off the very second she opens her mouth, while Keith clinks\naround with his old butterfly knife, completely calm and collected.\n \nNigel paces around the room, his eyes full of silent rage as\nhe glances at the surveillance screens. Brimming with frustration and anger,\neach sight of Adam turning in his sleep, or Merrick looming in his tank, brings\nhim nothing but white-hot fury.\n \n\"Well,\" Kaiser said softly, \"This is getting us nowhere.\"\n \n\"...\" Nigel stopped in his tracks as he looked at the various\nX-Rays, \"And what do you suggest we do, Kaiser?\"\n \n\"I believe we are up a creek without a with these young\nmen,\" The doctor said, \"Maybe it is time to begin the hunt anew? Perhaps we\nshould question Mr Bryant's bedfellows.\"\n \n\"Don't you think I've thought about that?\" Nigel said, \"From\nwhat I've done with Adam, I'm at my limits on any further conduct. I'm facing\nenough noise as it is, with Miss Conally constantly nagging me.\"\n \n\"What about Miss Pink then?\" Keith said, referring to the\nvery few files that they have on Belinda - which consists of nothing more than\na written profile and a few photographs.\n \n\"Haven't you been listening, Keith?\" Nigel growled, \"If I\npull another abduction like with Adam, I'm finished. If that woman turns out to\nbe a citizen, that's it.\"\n \n\"What if she ain't?\" Keith said, \"S'ppose she a mermaid.\nWouldn't that be progress?\"\n \n\"And what if she's not?\" Nigel said, \"Get it through that\nthick skull of yours - I am on thin ice.\"\n \n\"How bout this,\" Keith continued, \"I go to the pier we spotted\nher at. I get a cup of water. I throw it in her face. She changes, we take her\nin,\" Keith stated. \"What do ya think?\"\n \n\"I think you need to keep your goddamn mouth shut.\" Nigel\nreplied.\n \n\"Hey, just tryin to help here.\"\n \n\"Hmph.\"\n \n\"Um...\" Said the meek scientist, who barely has worked up the\nnerve to utter a single sound, \"What if we tried the Water Torture with him?\"\nNigel turned to her, giving her an evil gaze of death, \"A-Adam, I mean...\" She\nshook as his eyes reduced her to a meager mouse.\n \n\"The Water Torture.\" Nigel turned his attention to the girl,\n\"After spending 10 hours of it on the merman, only for him to sneer at my face,\nyou want to try that on his boyfriend.\" He walked up to her, towering in rage\nover the young scientist.\n \n\"I-It's just...\" Taking a bold move, the female spoke on, \"You\nhaven't done anything more since you had him paralyzed... Sir.\"\n \n\"Are you really going to sit there in your seat,\" Nigel\nbegan as his arm began to rise, \"And tell me how to run my detainees, you\nlittle, useless, simpering-\" His arm backed up, and thrust at the quivering\nscientist.\n \nKHH!\n \nNigel's wrist is grabbed by a rubber-gloved hand, belonging\nto Dr Kaiser. Nigel's eyes of rage stared right into Kaiser's dead gaze.\n \n\"Nigel, say and do whatever you want to anything else,\"\nKaiser said very softly, \"But I will not have my protégés harmed out of\naggression\" Those glazed eyes narrowed, \"Not even by your hand.\" Nigel yanked\nhis hand away. He turned around, and threw a chair from across the room. The\nscientist eeped as she observed the mild violence. \"Jessica, why don't you go\nto the labs, and see if they have anything for us.\" \n \nWithout saying another word, she dashed out of the office.\nKeith snickered at the mere drama of the moment.\n \n\"Now really, Nigel,\" Kaiser said, \"She was only trying to\nsort out your-\"\n \n\"Then she should have come up with a better answer!!!\" Nigel\nyelled, \"What in the hell were you bringing a fledgling like HER for anyway?!\" \n \n\"You ordered me to come in here, and I was still in the\nprocess of setting up shop. It was her turn to sort the files, and you know I\ncan't leave anything unlocked and vulnerable.\"\n \n\"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!\" Nigel roared.\n \n\"Hey hey,\" Keith said, \"Take it easy, bossman.\"\n \n\"And you shut your goddamn hole!\" Nigel said as he pointed,\n\"You're lucky I even keep you around, if it weren't for your efficiency.\"\n \n\"Pfff,\" Keith shrugged, \"You wanna tell me why you're all\nbent outta shape? Last I heard, havin the Fagfish's personal ass-fucker was\ngonna make things easier.\" \n \n\"It was!\" Nigel retorted, \"We've pumped him with enough\nSodium Pentothal to get his whole goddamn life story!!! Yet he hasn't even\ngiven a slightest bit of anything I'm inquiring!\" \n \n\"Oook?\" Keith said.\n \n\"You're such a goddamn idiot!\" Nigel threw up his arms and\nwalked away.\n \n\"Sodium Pentothal,\" Kaiser said, turning to Keith,\n\"Otherwise known as 'Truth Serum', is a drug that basically makes someone\ntalkative, and utterly honest - the idea is to make them high in a way where\nthey openly talk just about anything.\"\n \n\"Now see, that's MY kinda language!\" Keith commented as\nNigel shook his head, \"So what's the problem?\"\n \n\"We've administered 50ml of the Truth Serum into Adam's\nblood stream - that's five small bottles a little bigger than a shot glass,\"\nKaiser continued, \"And not only is it not having the desired results, but he\nshows absolutely no behavioral effects from the injections. We may as well have\ninjected him with his vaccinations while we were at it.\"\n \n\"Well, this is all news to me.\" Keith said.\n \n\"Usually, I'd be very fascinated to examine as to how a\nliving human being could have such immunity,\" Kaiser turned his head to Nigel,\n\"Were someone would give me some time to do my work my way.\"\n\n\"Don't start with me, Kaiser.\" Nigel snarled.\n \n*KSSSH* \"=Dr Kaiser?=\" Came a voice on the doctor's walkie.\nHe picked it up, and held it to his mouth.\n \n\"Yes? What is it?\"\n \n\"=We may have found something interesting about Mr Bryant's\nblood.=\"\n \n\"Very well. We'll be there presently.\" Dr Kaiser put back\nhis communicator, and gestured for Nigel, \"Shall we?\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nNigel and Kaiser entered the lab, where the other scientists\nwere at work. They walked to one in particular, who has a sample of Adam's\nblood.\n \n\"First few times, I thought I had accidentally been studying\nthe merman's blood. However, it's Adam's blood, and these are still the\nresults.\"\n \n\"How do you mean?\"\n \n\"Well, I've studied his blood, and introduced it to a drop\nof the Sodium Pentothal, as well as a few other compounds.\" Nigel looked into\nthe microscope, \"Just like with the merman, Adam's blood seems to defuse any\nforeign substances that are injected right into the bloodstream.\" The enzymes\nof the blood eat away at the tiny drop of serum on the small glass slate, \"It's\nbroken down into useless proteins within minutes, sir.\"\n \n\"So what are you saying?\" Nigel asked, \"He has fish blood\nnow?\"\n \n\"N-No, it's still human blood. But it has astounding\nimmunity over most of the chemicals I've put into it.\" The scientist said, \"I\nthink it also worth mentioning that the previous paralysis victim needed over 24\nhours to recover, while Adam here showed signs of trembling within 90 minutes,\nand he was able to move his arms within 3 hours after that.\"\n \n\"My, that IS impressive.\" Kaiser commented, \"To have such an\ninteresting biology...\" He turned to Nigel, who really looked at a loss for\nwords, \"So what do you propose next, Nigel? If chemical warfare is not going to\nwork, what can we do?\"\n \n\"...\" Heavy with frustration, Nigel's fists clenched, \"I\nstopped playing nice a long time ago...\" He muttered. He straightened up, and\nturned to Kaiser, \"Now the gloves are officially off...\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nJacob's pencil shook slightly as he had paused in drawing\nthe possible compounds of Merrick's tears. It's such a strange and wonderful\nsubstance, but he can't even enjoy the thrill of breaking down and developing\non it from what's been going on. He's so close to forming a new chemical from\nit. Just a few hypotheses away from discovering a new possible element!\n \n\"...\" He sighed as he put down the pencil. He still has\ntrouble sleeping. Merrick's muffled cries and screams are still resonating\ninside his head. He can still remember seeing the helpless aquatic creature as\nhis colleagues crowded around him, cutting, plucking, and skinning him bit by\nbit.\n \n\"I can't...\" Jacob muttered. He can't think right now.  Hell, he doesn't even think he can\ncontinue this work anymore... \n \nHe got up, and walked away from the table, shaking his head\nas he went.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Nnngh!\" Adam grunted as his arms were strapped down with\nthick, wide belts, along with his legs, ankles, and over his torso, \"What are\nyou doing now?!\" He demanded as they even bound his head to the table. A masked\ndoctor takes a needle pilled with muscle relaxant, and lines it up to Adam's\narm. He grunts in pain as the needle pushes through his skin, and injects the\nchemical.\n \n\"I am getting sick and tired of all this drama, Mr Bryant,\"\nNigel said as he came in. Adam looked up at him, from his awkward position on\nthe table, \"Since neither of you will cooperate, I have to resort to drastic\nmeasures.\"\n \n\"Please, just let us go!\" Adam begged, \"Haven't you done\nenough to us?!\"\n \n\"No.\" Nigel answered, \"I will never have done enough until I\nget the answers I need.\"\n \n\"You're wasting your time!\" Adam said, \"You're killing us\nfor nothing!!\"\n \n\"I wouldn't have to be killing you two if you would just\nhelp an old man achieve a dream in jeopardy.\" He calmly said.\n \n\"So sorry I'm late.\" Kaiser said as he brought in some\nold-fashioned looking equipment. Adam looked as best he can, his stomach\nfeeling like its about to be sick.\n \n\"What's that??\"\n \n\"You know, when I was a young man - younger than yourself, I\nmight add,\" Kaiser said, \"I was working at one of those Ex-Gay Ministries.\nMother insisted.\" He said. Adam looked with terror into those glasses, \"Oh, not\nthat I really believe that homosexuality is a sin - frankly, I couldn't care\nless. It was just some of the methods they used - call me dark, but half the\ntime, I had to keep myself from laughing at all of the staff's idiotic\nidealism. Those self-righteous fools all came across like clowns to me.\n \n\"In particular, I was fascinated by a rather nasty old\ntreatment of theirs...\" He said as he stroked the box next to him, \"They believed\nthat homosexuality can be cured through the administration of Electro-Shock\nTherapy...\" Under his paper mask, Kaiser was grinning, \"Once again, I don't care\none way or the other over the subject of homosexuality, but just the sheer\nscience of it. It always bothered me how such lunatics could be allowed to\nwield such magnificent equipment...\" He giggled very lowly, \"I was eventually\nfired because I was caught making a dead frog move again using the tech.\nHahaha, the way they ranted and raged at me was so hilarious...\"\n \nTCK. The device buzzed quietly into life, priming up for\nuse.\n \nAdam turned his eyes back to Nigel in fear, \"No! You\nwouldn't! NOO!\"\n \n\"The gloves are off, Adam,\" Nigel said darkly. He leaned\ncloser so his face was right next to Adam, with Dr Kaiser picking up a rubber\nblock, \"Are you going to help me, or not?\" \n \nAdam's eyes watered as he breathed deeply, his heart going\nwild in his ribs. It's so tempting to just give in now. If it was anyone else,\nhe would tell everything he knew. Even imagining Merrick - poor, poor Merrick,\nwho has suffered so much already - is enough to make him break down into pieces.\nOne fact, maybe two, heck - repeat everything that went on inside of Aquata\nCove. To tell this ruthless man all that Merrick has told him. To have all of\nthe pain from this Agency end, the idea of going home, holding hands with his\nmerman. To cradle the love of his life in his arms, doing his best to ease the\nsuffering...\n \nMerrick would never forgive him.\n \nTaking a deep breath, a single tear ran down the side of his\nface, \"Go to hell...\" He groaned as his lower lip trembled.\n \nNigel sighed as he shook his head, \"Alright. Have it your\nway.\" Adam glared at him while a thick, rubber mouthpiece was shoved into his\nmouth, prying his jaws open. \"Kaiser,\" Nigel said, \"He's all yours.\"\n \n\"Don't worry...\" Kaiser said as he dipped each electrode into\nthe conductive jelly, \"I'll be gentle...\" Adam breathed harshly through his nose\nas he could sense the doctor getting ready to shock him. A whine sounded in his\nthroat as he closed his eyes tightly.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick leaned on the wall with his wrists cuffed together,\nglaring at Keith as he stood armed and ready to strike anytime, but looking\ncompletely content.\n \n\"Is there any reason why I have to be near you?\" Merrick\nasked, \"I'd rather be alone in the tank than have to look at you for more than\na moment.\"\n \n\"Tough luck, Fagfish.\" Keith answered.\n \n\"And stop calling me that.\" \n \n\"Or wut?\" Keith said, relishing the name-calling,\n\"Fagfiii~sh?\"\n \n\"Want a reminder of how I can beat you?\" \n \n\"Hmph,\" Keith pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Merrick,\n\"Try anything, and I'll blast your goddamn brains out, Faggot.\"\n \n\"Can't imagine your Nigel would be pleased with you doing\nsomething like that to me, Redneck.\"\n \n\"Yeah, go on and keep talkin.\" Keith said, \"I'm just here\nto-\" His communicator flashed up, and he brought it to his ear, \"Yeah? ... Ah, ok\nthen.\" He put it down, and looked at the dry merman, \"That was Nigel. Says he's\ngotta good show for ya.\"\n \n\"And what could that mean?\" Merrick asked. Keith chuckled at\nhim.\n \n\"Tell me, Ariel. You ever heard of Shock Therapy?\"\n \n\"No. And that's not my name, Redneck.\"\n \n\"Shock Therapy is where they strap a patient down, and\nelectrocute them. One use for it is to cure homosexuality, or dealing with kids\non bad behavior.\"\n \n\"Yeah, not getting it. Try again.\"\n \n\"It means, they put lightning in yer body, and it shocks ya.\"\n \n\"So? What does that have to do with me?\" Merrick blinked,\nand glared daggers at Keith, and taking a stance, \"It's not like I would even\nlet you do that to me.\"\n \n\"Hahaha, it ain't got nuthin to do with you. Nigel reckon\nyou git killed if we put you to it.\"\n \n\"Alright, so why are you still talking?\"\n \n\"Like I said,\" Keith picked up a remote, and turned on the\nTV that was in the room, \"He gotta good show for you.\" \n \nMerrick looked at the screen, and saw a human on a table,\nsquirming wildly as his body convulses, but seems unable to move. He gasps as\nhe came closer to the TV, \"No...\" He looked closely at the human's face, and felt\nan icy surge of fear run through his heart. \"Adam?\"\n \n\"Can't risk eletracutin a fish. So they's goin with a guy,\nain't they?\"\n \n\"What are they doing to him?!\" He demanded as a pair of\nhands placed onto either side of Adam's head, before his upper body erected up,\n\"ADAM!!!\" \n \n\"I told you before, Fagfish. They's puttin lightning in his\nbrain, and fryin him up in the inside...\"\n \nTears welled in Merrick's eyes as he saw Adam's body\nthrashing about, strapped down onto the table, \"STOP IT!!\" He yelled, \"He's\ndone nothing to you!! STOP HURTING HIM!!\"\n \n\"They can't here you, Ariel.\" Keith said with a smirk, \"It's\njust a TV.\" Merrick huffed and sobbed as he helplessly watched his lover suffer\nat the human's hands.\n \n\"And it's aaallll on you, fishbrains.\" Keith continued, \"You\nhad been a good little faggot, and tell Nigel everything that he wanted, you\ntwo Sodomites could be walkin outta here alive.\" Sparkling tears seemed from\nMerrick's eyes as he cried, \"But noooo. You just had to keep kickin and\nscreamin, and now he's gotta teach yall a lesson about respect.\" Merrick put\nhis hand on the screen as Adam's body twitched and tensed.\n \n\"Adam... Don't die...\"\n \n\"This could all have been avoided if you was just a good lil\nfairy.\"\n\n\"No!\" Merrick watched as the scientist placed the tools to Adam's temples once\nagain, \"LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!\"\n \n\"I told ya, they can't hear you.\" Keith said. Merrick cried\nas Adam's torso once again arched.\n \n\"ADAAAMM!!\"\n \n\"You can make this stop, Ariel.\" Keith said as he got his\ncommunicator out. Merrick slipped his hand off the screen. \"Alls ya have to do\nis tell me ya ready to talk, and you and your assfucker can be right outta\nhere.\"\n \n\"...\" Merrick began to shake, \"Shut up...\"\n \n\"Hm? What'chu say?\" Keith inquired, \"You ready to talk now?\"\n \n\"...\" Merrick turned around, his eyes darkened with rage,\n\"Shut your repulsive face...\"\n \n\"Now now, Ariel...\" Keith taunted, \"Lets not get ugly.\"\nMerrick slowly turned around, his eyes narrowed at the human, seething with\nwrath.\n \n\"That... Is not...\" He took a hard step, \"MY NAME!!!\" He roared.\nKeith snapped the gun right up, aimed right at Merrick's head.\n \n\"You stay back now, Fagfish.\" Keith threatened. \"One wrong\nmove, and you're shark bait, ya got me??\"\n \n\"... Fine...\" Merrick's throat began to rumble, purring like a\npredator on the hunt, \"I will not move...\"\n \n\"Don't try any funny moves now, Fagfish...\" \n \n\"Release him...\" Merrick growled, \"You tell them to release my\nAdam immediately... Or else pray to your God.\" \n \n\"I'm warning you.\" Keith cocked his pistol, \"You sit your\nqueer ass down, lil mermaid.\"\n \n\"... You have wasted my mercy.\" Merrick's teeth bore as he\ntook a deep breath.\n \n \n~~\n \n \n\"MMMMMGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!\" Adam screamed with his mouth\nfull of the rubber block, his body convulsed wildly on the table as the\nelectricity coursed through his body. \n \nThrough all the mind-numbing agony, he kept thinking of only\nMerrick's happy face. All the times they've spend together. \n \n \nSwimming in the grotto, that perverted fish yanking off his\ntrunks everytime he jumps in, he has no idea why he bothers with them.\nCollecting trinkets and shells to keep in the little chest they set up in the\ncove. All those times they've kissed and made love in that crystal cavern. The\nvery moment Merrick taught himself to walk just to please Adam. Cuddling with\njoy when Atarah had cured Merrick of the oil. Comforting him after he was\nbanished, then celebrating his birthday with him. There has to be more times\nthan that!!\n \n \nAfter almost a whole minute, Adam's body eased down again.\nHis chest jumped up and down as he breathed harshly through his nose. Tears\npoured from his closed eyes as he endured the endless spiral of electric pain.\nHis cries were muffled in with the mouthpiece as he shook terribly on the\ntable.\n \nNigel came in close again, and leaned down, \"You're at your\nlimit, Adam.\" He muttered coldly, \"One more dose, and you'll be knocked out for\nthe rest of the day, not to mention any brain damage that might occur.\" Adam\ngroaned loudly as his body still buzzed with agony. \"Now I'll ask again. Will\nyou help me now?\"\n \n\"Mmmhmff,\" Adam shook his head back and forth, refusing him\nonce again. Nigel shook his head.\n \n\"You boys really are gluttons for punishment, aren't you?\"\nNigel stood up, and nodded to Kaiser, \"One last shock. And we'll try the\nroutine again in the morning.\"\n \n\"Yessir-\"\n \n \n\"KEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!\"\n\n \nA thunderous screech roared throughout the entire building.\nEverybody jumped as the lights flickered from the long sound. \n \n\"What in the world was that?!\" Nigel demanded.\n \n\"What's going on? What's happening?!\" Kaiser said. \n \nNigel picked up his walkie and turned it on \"Keith, what was\nthat noise?! What it Merrick?\" There came no answer. \"Keith! This is your\ncommanding officer! What is your status?!\" Again, no answer. \"GODDAMMIT ANSWER\nME!!\" Once more, there was no response on the other side. \"Alright, Kaiser,\nturn off the machine until I get back!\"\n \n\"Very well.\" Kaiser complied, and turned off the electric\nbox, while Nigel stormed out of the place, and called for half a dozen guards\nto meet him.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Keith!\" Nigel said as he burst into the cell where he\nordered Keith to detain Merrick. He looked down, and gasped as he saw his best\nguard on the floor, with his gun near his hands. Keith's eyes were open,\nlifeless. A stream of blood is slowly oozing out of both ears, and drool leaks\nout of his ajar mouth. \n \nNigel's eyes darted to see Merrick, snarling a dark rumble\nas he glared up at them. Just as Merrick took another deep breath, Nigel drew\nout the sound-gadget, and emited the same horrible chirping noise.\n \nEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEP\n \n\"AHHHH!\" Merrick squirmed as is the noise had physically\ntackled him against the wall - with his hands bound, he is unable to cover his\nears. Several guards rushed in, and gagged Merrick's mouth and held tightly\nonto his arms.\n \n\"What do we do with him, sir?\" Asked one of the guards.\nNigel stopped the noise.\n \n\"Just throw him into the tank for now! I'll decide later.\nRun the standard protocal for Keith too!\" Nigel shook his head as he looked at\nKeith's lifeless body, \"Just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could ya.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nNigel strode down the hall towards the cell where Adam is\nstrapped for the Shock Therapy. He squinted his eyes, before widening with\nanger as he saw a head of curly blonde hair through the window, \"God's sake,\"\nHe ran down the hall, \"ERIN!!!\"\n \nHe burst through the doors, to find his assistant helping a\nvery shaky Adam off of the table, and onto a wheelchair held by Daniel.\n \n\"Miss Conally, what do you think you're doing?!\" Nigel\ndemanded.\n\"It's alright, you're going to be ok...\" Erin said softly.\n\"That's it, take it easy.\" Adam sobbed and grunted as she put him in the chair,\nstill shaking horribly from the ordeal.\n \n\"Conally, you are dismissed!\" Nigel declared as he took some long steps to her,\n\"I am relieving you of-\" Erin whirled around, and SLAPPED Nigel's undamaged\ncheek, \"AHH!\" He staggered to the side. He put his hand onto his face as he\nlooked at her.\n \n\"What in the hell is the matter with you?!\" Erin shouted,\n\"SHOCK THERAPY?!\"\n\n\"There is no other way, Conally!\" Nigel retorted, \"You are overstepping your\nboundaries this time-\"\n \n\"That's rich, coming from you!\" Erin said, \"You are in a\nWHOLE mess of trouble, do you understand me! You have gone TOO far, Nigel!\"\n \n\"You don't have the authority for ANYTHING, Conally! Just\nstay out of my way or-\"\n \n\"Or WHAT?! Huh?? 'I'll lose everything dear and precious to\nme'? Enough with the bullshit, Nigel!\" She said, \"Listen to me carefully,\nNigel. It's one thing to capture and interrogate a merman! He's considered an\nunclassified animal, and I can't change that!\" Erin backed up, and pointed to\nAdam in the wheelchair, \"But Adam is an adult American Citizen with human\nrights, and you cannot - repeat - CANNOT treat him this way! He has NO criminal\nrecord, has not been ordered by a court to be here, you just flat out abducted\nhim from his job!\"\n \n\"I have just about had it with you, Conally.\" Nigel said, \"I\nAM the law here! What I say goes, and you, Missy, have crossed the line.\"\n \n\"You're not even listening to me, are you?!\" Erin asked,\n\"And that's why you're going down, you hear me?\" She turned to the guard, \"Lets\ngo, Daniel. Now.\" Obediently, Daniel pushed the wheelchair around Nigel, and\nthrough the door that Erin in holding open.\n \n\"You don't quite grasp the situation, Conally!\" Nigel called\nout.\n \n\"Whatever!\" She retorted.\n \n\"You're going to regret this!!\"\n\n\"Shut it before I push your jellyfish wound into the shore!\" Erin yelled right\nbefore throwing the door behind her.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"MMMM! MRRRRMMMHHH!\" Merrick struggled as the two guards\ndragged him into the tank room. One of the other guards started to work the\ncontrols of the tank, while another opened the sliding hatch. Merrick seethed\nthrough his gag as they brought him closer and closer, determined to kill all\nof these guards off as well.\n \nWhen they were up to it, they forced the merman into the\ntank, before quickly removing the cuffs, and slamming the hatch shut! Merrick\nyanked the gag out of his mouth as he whipped around, and banged on the tank,\nyelling like a crazed criminal at them.\n \n\"Jesus Christ...\" Said Sarah as she looked at the merman as\nthe water began to pour into the tank, \"He killed Keith... Just by screaming?\"\n \n\"LET ME OUT!\" Merrick screamed, \"LET ME OUT NOW, YOU\nMONSTERS!!\" Merrick's flesh soon melded into blue and silver. Once he was\ncompletely submerged, Merrick began to screech in the water while still clawing\nand banging on the glass tank.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Nnnnhh... Ghhennnnn...\" Adam trembled and whimpered terribly as\nDaniel and Erin carefully moved him to the bed.\n \n\"Careful... Easy now...\" Erin said lowly.\n \n\"I got him.\" Daniel said as he gently placed Adam's head\nonto the pillow.\n \n\"He's...\" Adam's eyes remained closed, \"He's not an animal...\"\nAdam whimpered thickly, \"He's not an animal, he's my Merrick...\"\n\n\"I know, I'm sorry...\" Erin said.\n \n\"Please, just please...\" Adam held back a sob while still\nsquirming on the bed, \"Just please get us out of here...\" He sobbed as tears\ncontinued to flow from his eyes. \"Or just him... Please, he's... He's suffered too\nmuch...\"\n \n\"Don't worry, it's ok...\" Erin stroked Adam's forehead, \"I'm\nputting an end to this. It might take me a few days, a week tops. But I'm\ngetting the both of you out of here.\"\n \n\"NNnnggh... Thank you...\" Adam cried. He cringed and shook as Erin and Daniel left\nAdam to recover. After looking the door, Erin looked at Daniel, who was\nbeginning to sob himself.\n \n\"Daniel.\"\n \n\"Just...\" He huffed, \"I have a boyfriend too, and...\" He shook\nhis head, \"I can't talk about it, Erin...\" He managed to say. He strode away,\nwiping at his eyes.\n \n\"Right...\" Erin muttered as her eyes cast down, \"Then I've got\nsome work to do...\" With that, she walked down the hall.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"What a shame...\" Dr Kaiser said as he placed his electrodes\ninto their container, \"All this time of waiting to use you, only to have it end\ntoo soon.\" He closed the box, and placed it on the shelf, and locked the\ncabinet door. \n \nHe walked down the lab, and glanced at a table, and saw some\ncompound notes. \"... Ah, young Jacob's tear notes. Odd that he would leave them\nlying here, unattended...\" He picked up one of the sheets of paper, and examined\nit, \"And unfinished...\" He commented. \n \n\"Hmmm... These figures look very interesting...\" Kaiser sat\ndown, and put the paper back. Picking up the pencil, he drew in some of the\nblank points on the paper, \"Hmmm... If I was to add this to that, then wouldn't...\"\n \n \nKaiser spent the next hour experimenting with some of the\ntears, combining, mixing, and editing their very substance. \"Remarkable...\" He\nsaid, \"Not only has he pinpointed the very chemicals that make up these tears...\nBut it seems like...\"\n \nAfter a few more doses and mixes, Kaiser gasped as he saw\nthe results.\n \n\"This... This is incredible...\" His very core is shaken as the\ndoctor started preparations, \"If this works... This is unbelievable!\" \n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Reeewwr~\" Roxas meowed as he jumped up onto the counter,\nwhere Yuri was in the middle of chopping strawberries. She sighed as she looked\nover on the kitchen counter - it's a letter for Adam. She usually NEVER opens\nanyone else's mail, but the mailing address is from Hamburg, Germany, where his\ngrandparents live.\n \n \n[Dear Adam,\nBy God, it's been too long since I left you hour house. I\nsincerely hope you haven't gone and wreck the place up! I swear I be havin your\nlegs strung up over me old doorway if you turned it turned it into a feckin\nparty house!\nHeh heh heh! Just kiddin, love. I forgot to mention that I\ngot your last batch of photographs. They're bloody gorgeous! You better be\nthinking of takin some Photography classes, you hear me?? And your boyfriend is\nquite the looker!\nGermany is amazing by the way! Mind you, it's a lot better\nthan it was when we first got here - Understood fuck-all since I didn't know the\nlanguage. \nGranddad's doing great too - the bastard, pisses me off. The\nmeat shop has to get new walls, so I'm stuck with him when we come over for the\nweek. Well, what can ya do - except feckin kill'em. Please don't ask me why I\nlove him so much.\nCan't wait to see you!\nLove,\nGranny]\n \n \n\"Oh Adam...\" Yuri muttered, \"What're we going to do?\"\n \nThe door opened, and in comes Jamal. He walks to the\nkitchen, and goes straight for the fridge. He takes out a wrapped up sandwich,\nand a vanilla soda. He sits at the table, and starts eating, not even a word to\nYuri.\n \n\"... Hi Jamal.\" Yuri said.\n\n\"Hey.\" He replied.\n \n\"... How was work?\"\n \n\"Fine.\"\n \n\"... How's Nick doing?\"\n \n\"We still ain't speakin.\" Jamal and Nick had a fight since\nJamal's attitude has been less than agreeable, \"He don't even go to the club no\nmore.\"\n \n\"I see...\"\n \n\"... So when're the grandparents comin over?\"\n \n\"Tomorrow.\" Yuri said, fighting back the urge to cry,\n\"They're coming to visit tomorrow, and he's...\" She put a hand to her brow. \n \n\"...\" Jamal stood up, and picked his keys back up, \"I'm out.\"\n\n\"Jamal, wait!\" Yuri said.\n \n\"What, Yuri, what?\" He raised his voice, \"I don't talk,\naight? I got a lot on my mind.\"\n\n\"And so do I!\" She said.\n \n\"Wut? You worried about yo exams?? Well I got probl'ms too!\nNot sleepin, workin myself over to keep up with the bills! Adam's grandparents\nare comin over, and they only see me as a criminal, Yuri! A hard-ass criminal!\nAnd my officer is comin next week, and Adam's not around to sign for me! When\nthat happens, I'm out fo REAL!\" \n \n\"And you think I don't know that?!\" She crossed her arms,\n\"I've got a lot on my mind too, and no one to talk to! Ryo's off to Japan for\nthe next month, everyone at the hospital's too busy. All I do is study until I\npass out, I've got NO social life, any friend I have is unavailable! Ever since\nAdam and Merrick disappeared, I just...\" She lowered and shook her head.\n \n\"Yuri...\" \n \n\"No.\" Yuri looked up, \"You know what? FINE! Just go!\" She\nstarted to tear up as she turned around. \"I can't stand you like this, so just\ngo on and get the hell out of here!!\" She walked into the kitchen, putting her\nhands on her face and sobbing.\n \nThere was a long pause between the two. Yuri couldn't help\nby cry silently, until Jamal came up to her, and hugged her. She turned around\nand put her arms around him.\n \n\"Is all my fault, Yuri...\" Jamal whimpered, \"Is all my fault...\"\n \n\"No it's not, you jerk...\" She replied.\n \n\"I just wish they were here...\" He groaned, \"He's like my\nbrother, gurl... He IS my brotha...\"\n \n\"I know, Jamal...\" \n \n\"I'm sorry, Yuri...\" He mumbled, \"I'm sorry.\"\n \n\"It's ok, Jamal... It's ok...\" Yuri whimpered.\n \n \n \nTAC TAC TAC\n \n \nRoxas's ears perked up as his head turned. He jumped off the\ncounter, and went over to the glass sliding door. \n \n \nTAC TAC TAC\n \n \n\"Reeeeeerrrrrr!\" The cat mewed as it pawed at the glass.\n \n\"Hang on,\" Yuri sniffled, \"Roxas wants to go out.\" They\nparted, and Yuri walked through the living room, and over to the glass door,\n\"What the heck?\"\n \n\"Wut?\" Jamal wiped his eyes, and traced back to Yuri.\n \n\"There's a big seagull on our porch.\" She said. As soon as\nJamal had caught up, the bird flew up on a post. She looked on the grey and\nwhite bird, and noticed that it has a yellow flower tied to its leg.\n \nYuri opened the door, and Roxas immediately slinks out. He\ntook a position, and lowered himself as he aimed for the gull. \n \nEEYA! EEYA! \n \nThe seagull jumped at Yuri and Jamal!\n \n\"AHH!\"\n \n\"HEY!\"\n \nRoxas jumped up at it, and managed to scare it away from\nthem. The seagull screeched before flying off.\n \n\"What the hell?!\" Jamal scowled. \n \n\"Hey, Jamal, look.\" Yuri nudged him, and pointed at the\nbeach.\n \n\"... Wait a sec, don't we know her?\"\n \n \nOver by the beach is a dark woman. Dressed in rags and\nleaves, with long black hair containing dried up flowers, and wearing a large\nsea turtle shell on her head as a sunhat.\n \nAtarah held her arm out, and the seagull had flown across\nthe sky, and perched upon her arm. Yuri and Jamal leave the house, and walk\nover to the woman while she gently strokes the gull's wing.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/812915-aquata-cove-chapter-39.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/820764-aquata-cove-chapter-41.json"}