{"sf1_id":820764,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 41","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":5611,"posted_at":"2015-02-18T00:27:00.000Z","tags":["Gay love","Human","Mermaid","cliff hanger","escape","merman","rescue"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/820764-aquata-cove-chapter-41","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/820764","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=820764\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata Cove\nChapter 41: Thirst For Help\n \n \n \nA van drives in the dark road, bypassing thick trees on\neither side of the, with only the moon as a source of light, as the headlights\nof the vehicle are shut off.\n \n\"Are we there yet?\" Came a light voice.\n \n\"Hell if I know,\" Answered a deeper voice, \"She only said to\nkeep moving until we find a large block. Dudn't she know from buildings?\"\n \n\"I can... Feel somting\" Came a foreign accent, \"Eet ees vedy\nhard to hold... We might be close...\"\n \n\"How can ya tell? Ya's psychic or sumtin?\" Came a raspy,\nIrish voice.\n \n\"No, I eesn't, psycheec.\"\n \n\"Can't we go any faster?\" Said the lighter voice again, \"I'm\ngoing to have a heartattack if we don't get there soon.\"\n \n\"Anyone near by?\" \n \n\"...\" There came a short pause, \"No hyuman nears,\" Said the\nother voice, \"I feel contained lightning right forward. Eet ees vedy\ndeestracting\"\n \n\"Contained lightnin?\" The Irish voice said, \"What teh feck\ndoes that mean?\"\n \n\"I think she means the building,\" The light voice said.\n\"Lets find someplace to park, and make our way there. It shouldn't be too far\nnow.\"\n \n\"Aight.\" The dark voice replied. The van turned from the\nlone road, and road carefully into the woods.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nThe clock reads 2:13 am, and the scratching of pen and paper\netches in the room as Erin writes down on the requested forms she had. It's\nbeen a few days since Adam's shock treatment. From what Kaiser had reported, he\ndid NOT go easy. It's a miracle Adam can still walk after what he was put\nthrough.\n \nAs she said, Erin had taken steps to report Nigel for all\nthe cruelty he has dealt out - given the chance, she'd have him done away with\na long time ago, and his stunt with the electro-shock has given her JUST the\nedge she needs to report him. \n \nHowever, like ALL allegations and paperwork, it takes time\nto receive the needed applications from the fax machine, and God forbid these\nsorts of papers could just be sent and printed off an email - confidentiality\nis a bitch sometimes. Not to mention having to force the necessary people to\nwrite and sign as witnesses - Nigel has been the warden of the Agency of\nOceanic research for almost 20 years, and he has ruled this building with an\nIron Fist. He has everyone so afraid of him, they barely have room in their\nheads for opinions. \n \nErin shook her head, reflecting that she too was so afraid of him, so damn meek\nas to do nothing while Nigel tortured these two innocent men.\n \nAnd now she finally has the means to write up a report. The\npen stroked and moved as she began to write in the margin for what Nigel\nQuinlan is being accused.\n \n \n[Nigel Quinlan, through testimony of many of the employ of\nthe Agency of Oceanic Research, thus the evidence attached, is guilty of\nviolation of the 8th Amendment: Administration of Cruel and Unusual\nPunishment of]\n \n \nShe paused. Erin glanced her eyes at another folder full of\nspecial paperwork she had requested - these ones in particular, having needed a\nlot of strings to pull. After taking a few seconds, she continued writing.\n \n \n[two American Citizens, both of which have committed absolutely\nno crime, carry no criminal records]...\n \nErin took a moment to yawn. She's been busy all day and\nnight, committing every minute she has to trying to get Adam and Merrick to\nwalk free out of the Agency. She only hopes Merrick can forgive her long enough\nto leave this place.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Dammit... For God's sake...\" Jacob irked as he searched high\nand low in the lab, careful not to disturb any of the equipment. Daniel walked\nin, not surprised to see his boyfriend in the deserted lab at this time of\nnight, holding a couple of Red Bulls in his hands.\n \n\"Hey, Jacob,\" Daniel said. He noticed Jacob looking\nflustered and agitated as he moved about the lab. \"What's going on?\"\n \n\"I can't find my notes.\" Jacob said, \"I've been looking for\nthem for the past few days, and I can't find them anywhere!\" \n \n\"Which notes would they be?\" \n \n\"The analyses and the chemical pin-points on the merman\ntears,\" Jacob continued searching.\n \n\"Where did you last see them?\" Daniel asked as he set aside\nthe drinks, and began glancing around too.\n \n\"Right on THIS table!\" Jacob said as he patted the spot\nwhere he last was working on the notes, \"I took the rest of the day off because\nI felt terrible about what's been going on, and I forgot to put them away, and\nthey've disappeared!\"\n \n\"Maybe one of the other scientists took them to work on?\"\nThe guard suggested.\n \n\"No, none of them would even think about picking up someone\nelse's work around here.\"\n \n\"What about Dr Kaiser? Did he scold you for not putting your\nfindings away?\"\n \n\"He probably might have, but he's been too busy in his study\nto unlock the door.\" He said, \"Could you help me? Tell the other guards to try\nand find them?\"\n \n\"You got it,\" Daniel said as he picked up his communicator.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Mnnnhhh...\" Adam rolled to his side as he blinked slowly.\nEver since Nigel had him electrocuted, he's been stuck in this little room. The\nstaff were at least nice enough to keep feeding up at least.\n \nHe can't get the image of Merrick in his head. His poor\nmerman, half butchered and half bandaged. He nearly killed him in cold blood -\ntwice! Even if they manage to escape this awful place, how is he going to make\nthings better now? Merrick's mental state seems so delicate and destructive\nnow. What if he wakes up one morning, and Merrick just starts screaming and\nripping him apart? What if he goes after Yuri and Jamal? Is there any way to\nheal him, both physically AND mentally?\n \nAdam cringed as he moaned, his eyes feeling sore.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick growled as he smoothly loomed and circled around in\nthe tank. Swimming is the only way to keep his mind focused, and to ease the\nboredom - his mind circulating every memory of his time in Adam's house,\npressing it firmly in the front of his head to keep from thinking of anything\nelse.\n \nThe humans barely have enough courage to come in here, and\ndrop a fish into the tank for him to eat. At least they were tasty, but the\nbones littered the tank's bottom, since the humans are terrified that he'll\nstrike them dead if they even try to take him out.\n \nHe feels so much pain and hatred right now... Cowards doing\nthe bidding of a monster, they're all monsters. The only demon who meant\nanything to him in this prison is that Erin, and she was almost as bad as that\nNigel - Lying monsters are always the worst. What sets her apart from Nigel is\nthe fact that she at least sheds tears for him.\n \nMerrick continued to swim in circles in the tank, managing\nto keep his wrath under control.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nIn the outside of the Agency, the lights are beginning to\nswitch off. As each light turned off, four black figures quickly snuck in the\nplentiful shadows. They headed towards a lone door on the back of the building\n- possibly either a back door, or an emergency exit.\n \nEach figure is wearing black clothing, and a ski mask with\nonly eyeholes into it. One by one, they made it to the wall.\n \n\"You sure you ready fo this, Double-O 70?\" The tallest\nfigure whispered. The thicker figure chuckled.\n \n\"Shon, yur talkin to a lady who snuck out of her house more\nthan any spider trou a hole - I broke in and out of places you wouldn't even\ntink of!\" The Irish voice said proudly.\n \n\"Aight. What bout chu, Pink? Meds?\"\n \n\"Lets just hurry,\" The light voice said, \"We've waisted\nenough time.\"\n\n\"I ees ready.\" Said the thick voice.\n \nThe taller figure nodded, before he held up a phone, and\nswitched on its light. It shone a lock without a doorknob. The shorter figure\nwalked in, brandishing a hairpin in her gloved fingers, and inserted it into\nthe keyhole.\n \nWithin seconds, the door clicked, and the door creaked open,\n\"Heh heh!\" The Irish whispered, \"Ain't a door alive can keep ME out!\" She\nmumbled. \n \n\"Aight. Pink, you first.\" Said the tall figure, \"We'll\nfollow close behind.\"\n \n\"Yees.\" The other figure nodded before stepping in -\nslipping deliberately in with a smooth grace. Meds hissed as the hinges of the\ndoors squeaked, as she quickly slipped in. OO70 stepped into, before J-Man\nsnuck in last, and closed the door, placing a pebble to keep it ajar JUST\nenough to keep it hidden.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nSarah the guard sighs as she watches the security cameras.\nNothing on, as usual - besides the fact that she was ordered to overlook any\nand everything that Erin does when going to visit the merman. \n \nShe gets up to begin her break, when her communicator\nactivated. She took it from her belt, and held it up to her mouth, \"Responding.\"\n \n\"There seems to be a breach at the North-East exit. Could\nyou check it out?\"\n \n\"Alright.\" Sarah typed onto the keyboard of the computer,\nand brought up the cameras at the North-East Sector of the facility. Everything\nis so dark, she can barely make out anything-\n \n\"Hhh!\" She spotted a four dark figures scurrying down a\nhallway on one of the monitors. She retyped on the keyboard, and brought up\nmore of the angles from a handful of cameras. The burglars could be seen\nappearing, running into random screens. She picked up her walkie, and pressed\nthe button. =KSSSH= \"...\"\n \n\"=Yes?=\" Said the other side. Sarah hesitated. The figures\nhid behind a wall, as one of the scientists happened to be passing through,\n\"=Well?=\"\n \n\"... It's nothing.\" Sarah said as she spotted the figures in\nanother monitor, \"I don't see anything out of the ordinary.\"\n \n\"=Yeah, it was probably just a glitch or something.=\" Said\nthe other guard, \"=I'll keep you posted.=\"\n \n\"Over and out...\" Sarah said before she put the communicator\nback on her belt. She groaned a bit as she put her hands on her head and\nwatched as the four dark intruders make their way through the maze of the\nAgency. \"I hope they're what I think they are...\" She mumbled. Every fiber of her\nbeing is telling her to follow protocol, and report this new development, \"...\nAhhhh jeeez...\" She nervously moaned. If she lets this slide, and gets caught,\nshe'll lose a LOT more than just her job...\n \n\"Dammit, just please make this quick...\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nThe four intruders jogged down each dark hallway. They stopped\nto give OO70 a moment to catch her breath. Meds came over to her to make sure\nshe is all right, bringing up her ski mask just over her mouth to give her some\nair.\n\n\"Which way, Pink?\" J-Man asked as he looked to the one who is leading them.\nPink holds her hands out, her eyes closed as she focused out on sensing the\ntrace of their target.\n \n\"... I feel heem.\"\n \n\"Aight. You ready, OO70?\"\n \n\"Aye,\" She panted. Meds helped her up, and they continued\non.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n*Click-CHK* The lock opened to the hairpin, and the four of\nthem quickly entered. They looked as light in the tank illuminated the contents\n- a paled blue and silver merman curled up at the bottom of the tank, with fish\nbones littering the tank.\n \n\"There he is.\" J-Man said. Meds came up to the tank, and gasped\nas she looked. Merrick's body seemed so... Ravaged. A lot of scales are scattered\nalong with the fish bones. The majority of his tail is a little flayed, with\nhis tailfin half butchered, torn apart, \"Aw man... What did they do to you, man...\"\n \n\"This is so awful...\" Meds whimpered as her eyes watered up.\n \n\"Aight,\" J-Man walked up to the tank, and knocked on the\nglass a few times.\n \n\"Stop that!\" OO70 said.\n \n\"Wut? I'm bein careful.\" \n \n\"Fish don't like tat, Shon!\"\n \n\"He gotta know we here, lady.\" J-Man muttered. He slapped\nthe tank a few more times, before Merrick's arm moved, and his fist SLAMMED\nagainst the glass, creating a very loud THUD. They jumped as Merrick's arm went\nback down.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Humans...\" Merrick growled, \"Is it not enough they have\ncaused me pain? Now they disrupt slumber...\" He flinched as the humans persisted\non knocking on the tank. \"By the DEPTHS that's annoying!!\"\n \nThen, the knocking started to go into the rhythm of 'Under\nThe Sea' from Little Mermaid. He growled as he swam up, his tail unfurling and\nundulating up. He turned his gaze to where he was just sleeping, and saw humans\nhere that he does not recognize - if they're even humans! They look like\ncreatures born of shadows!\n \nOne of them pulled up the blackness from his head, and\nshowed a face with dark skin, brown eyes, and thick lips. \n \nMerrick gasped as he swam down, his eyes widening in shock.\n\"Jamal!\" Another one of the dark creatures came up beside him, and pulled up\nthe darkness from her face, revealing a very fair complexion and narrow eyes,\n\"Yuri!\" They both waved to him as he started to cry.\n \n\n~~~\n \n \nMerrick pressed his palms against the glass, whimpering and\nmoaning in his merfolk sounds.\n \n\"Lord, have mercy...\" OO70 gasped as she saw the aquatic\ncreature push against the glass. A real live merman... He looks so tattered and\ndamaged. Who would do such a thing to a beautiful creature?\n \nJ-Man put his ski mask back on. Merrick swam to the side,\nand patted his hand onto the closed hatch. \"Ah man...\" J-Man commented as he\nlooked at Merrick's hand. They're supposed to be webbed, but it looks like\nsomeone had severed all of the webbing on both of his hands, \"I think this is\nwhere he gets out.\" He walked around, and felt at the hatch, and at the lock.\n \nOO70 came up with her trusty hairpin, and fiddled with it,\n\"Eghh...\" She growled. The pin won't go into the metal tab. After about 5 minutes\nof trying, she shook her head, \"No use, hairpins don't work on these.\" She\nsaid.\n \n\"Aight. Pink,\" J-Man turned to the other person, \"You got\nthis?\"\n \n\"Yees\" Pink said as she came up to the hatch while taking\noff one of her black gloves, and held two fingers straight, aimed at the little\nlock. A sharp light shot from her fingertips, and seared at the lock like a\nsmall blowtorch. Merrick swam to the middle of the tank to keep out of the way,\nwhile OO70 went to the door, and peered out of it.\n \nMeds went over to the large mechanism between the full tank,\nand the empty tank. She hesitated as she looked over the machine, \"What the\nheck IS this thing??\" J-Man walked to the thick wheel. He put his hands on it,\nand grunted as he tried to turn it.\n \n\"HRRRRRGGGGG\" It wouldn't budge. J-Man tried it in both\ndirections, but it still won't move, \"Gah, dammit.\" Meds walked to the other\ntank, which is completely dry and empty.\n\n\"... I think this tank keeps the water from there...\" She said as she pointed to\nthe tank Merrick is occupying, \"If anything I'm thinking it right, this is\nprobably what they kept him in while they...\" Meds shook her head, \"And this\nthing...\" She indicated the machine, \"Filters the water...\"\n\n\"Any shot we get it up and running?\" J-Man asked.\n \n\"No clue,\" Meds replied, \"This looks so complicated... Like\nthe controls of an airplane or something.\"\n \n\"Gurl, ain't you used to this kinda tech? Don't they have\nthis stuff at he uh...\" He Fumbled for the words, \"School?\"\n\n\"Nothing like this.\" Meds said.\n \n\"Aight. Pink?\" He asked.\n \n\"Ees...\" Pink looked, and scowled at the lock. The metal is\nglowing, but shows no signs of melting, \"No good.\"\n \n\"Maybe cut the glass?\"\n\n\"No!\" Meds said, \"J-Man, that'll just flood everywhere! This is a COVERT\noperation!\"\n\n\"What else can we do?\"\n \n*SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP* \n \nOO70 clicked her fingers four times as she strode away from\nthe door.\n \n\"Aw shit, hide!\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"What??\" Merrick watched as the hour figures ran off to\ndifferent spots, \"No, stop!\" He swam around, trying to spot them, \"Don't leave!\nWhere are you?!\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Dammit...\" Jacob groaned as he strolled down the hall. He and\nDaniel have been looking all over the place for his notes, but he can't find so\nmuch as a single page.\n \nHe sighed as he walked past the door to the tank room, but\nstopped. He looked, and noticed that the door is slightly ajar.\n \n'That's odd...' He thought to himself. Jacob opened the door,\nand entered into the tank room. He immediately noticed that the merman is\nswimming quickly around in his tank, \"Huh?\" He approached the machine, \"What's\ngotten you all riled up?\" He idly asked.\n \nThe merman saw him, and glared at him. Merrick swam to the\nback of the cramped tank, his eyes locked onto the scientist. \n \nJacob came up to the tank, and looked at the lock. It's\ncompletely black, as well as the glass around it. He looked up at the curled up\nmerman, before backing away, and trotting over to the door. \n \n \nAfter he left, OO70, Meds, Pink, and J-Man came out of hiding.\nOO70 returned to her post on keeping watch, while Meds and J-Man went to the\nmachine, and Pink returned to torch the lock.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nErin finished the report on a court order for Nigel, and she\nplaced them into an envelope. She put a stamp onto the corner of it, and wrote\nin the address. \"Now...\" Just when she picked up another folder with more\npaperwork in it, she glanced at one of the monitors that were in this room -\nalmost all of the offices in the Agency has monitors and surveillance. Nigel\nalways had a thing for omnipotence. \n \n\"What??\" She stood up, and saw that four intruders have\nentered the tank room! \"Oh damn,\" She scowled as she put the other paperwork\naway, and stood up. It figures that this office is clear on the other side of\nthe whole building!\n \n \n~~~\n \n\"It's no good.\" Meds said, \"This thing needs a password.\"\nShe finally figured out how to turn on the machine, but is no closer to making\nit work. \n \n\"C'mon, you're smart, gur- Meds!\" J-Man said as he kept\ntrying to turn the wheel, \"Shouldn't you know this kinda stuff?\"\n \n\"I don't work here, J-Man. And if I hear a stereotype joke\nright now, I'm going to slap you.\" She said. \"Pink, any luck?\"\n \n\"No,\" Pink said as she held her hand as she tried to cut the\nsharp flare into the tank itself, against Meds' advice, since the lock doesn't\nshow any signs of melting, \"Eet won't go hot.\" Her hands shook as the prolonged\nattempts were beginning to put a strain on her.\n \n\"Dammit...\" J-Man said. He put a hand onto the tank, \"Hang in\nthere, kid,\" He said as Merrick looked at them with begging eyes.\n \n \n*SNAP SNAP SNAP SNAP*\n \n \nOO70 clicked her fingers again as she trotted carefully away\nfrom the door.\n \n\"Are you kidding me?\" Meds said as they once again had to\nhide, making this the fifth time they had to hide.\n \n \nAs soon as they all found hiding places, a security guard\nwalked into the tank room, along with the scientist from before. He strode to\nthe middle of the room, and put his hands on his hips.\n \n\"Alright, let's cut the Hide-\u0026-Seek,\" He said, \"We know\nyou're in here. You've broken an entering, and you're trespassing on government\nproperty. Come out with your hands up.\" He ordered. It took a few moments\nbefore J-Man, Meds, Pink, and OO70 came out of their hiding places, holding\ntheir hands up. \n \nDaniel smirked, \"Alright, now relax, I've just always wanted\nto say that.\" He walked to the tank, and took a look at the singed lock, \"You\nguys weren't going to get anywhere with this without a key.\" He turned to the\nscientist, \"Jacob? You wanna...\"\n \n\"On it.\" Jacob said as he went to the machine, and began\ntyping in the password.\n \n\"Wait,\" J-Man said, \"You helpin?\"\n \n\"You're not going to arrest us?\" Meds asked.\n \n\"We're probably going to get in huge trouble for this...\"\nJacob said as he worked a few of the knobs, \"But... It's complicated.\"\n \n\"We didn't sign up for this,\" Daniel said, \"And besides, the\nboss is getting written up for... A few things he's done here.\"  He adjusted his cap, \"You know, we're\nnot supposed to be interfering and all, but I think the guilt was gonna kill us\nbefore our boss had a chance anyway.\"\n \n\"What teh fuck kind of place IS tis?!\" OO70 asked.\n \n\"It's a research facility established and supported by the\nU.S. Government,\" Jacob said as he worked a few more switches, \"That pretty\nmuch gives the higher-ups the idea that they can get away with a lot of things...\nAnd they have...\" He stepped back, \"Ok, you can turn it now.\"\n \nJ-Man took the wheel, and grunted as he finally moved,\n\"Yeah, THERE we go.\" As he turned it, the machine started to rumble awake. Meds\neeped as the contraption got louder.\n \n \n~~~\n \n\nMerrick looked up as he could feel the water disappear! Could this really be\nhappening?! Is he finally getting out of here?!\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Can't we make this thing quiet?!\" She asked.\n \n\"No, maintenance already checked it out.\" Daniel said, \"The\nonly to make it quiet is to get a new one.\" \n \n\"Er, you may want to get some towels,\" Jacob said, \"The air\npumps are broken too, so there's no other way to dry him.\"\n \n\"We got it handled.\" Meds said as Pink stood by.\n \n\"Stand back. Recently, he's been VERY volatile\" Daniel said\nas he went to the hatch, and inserted the key. He unlocked the door, and pulled\nit open. \n \nMerrick reached out as he pulled himself. Pink hissed as she\ndrew her fake neon fingernails down his back. Merrick shuddered as water\ncollected and ran off of his body. His injured blue flesh turned peach colored,\nthe mangled fins on his head turned into matted blonde hair. He grunted as they\nhelped him to his feet. \n \nHe whimpered as he ran straight for J-Man, and hugged him,\n\"You came!\" He sobbed as J-Man hugged him back. Meds came up, and embraced him\ntoo. \"Please, get us out of here!\"\n \n\"We workin on that.\"\n \n\"A-And you!\" Merrick went over to Pink, and pulled off her\nski mask. Merrick sobbed as he smiled, shaking his head, \"Never in all of my\nlife have I ever thought I would be glad to see you!\" \n \nBelinda grinned and snickered as Merrick cried with joy. He\nturned around to the other humans. \n \n\"Wait,\" Jacob went to Belinda, \"Aren't you...\" He blinked, \"Do\nyou, by any chance spend a lot of time at the Kele-Kolika Pier?\"\n \n\"Yees, I do,\" Belinda said as she nodded.\n \n\"We have a file on you too.\"\n \n\"What?\"\n\"What?\"\n\"What?\"\n \nJamal, Yuri, and Belinda said at once.\n \n\"We've had a few suspicions on you whether or not you're a\nmermaid,\" Jacob said, \"We need to get all of you out right now.\"\n \n\"Wait!\" Merrick said, \"Th-They have Adam too! He's-\"\n \n\"We know,\" Yuri said, \"We're going to get him out too.\nHere,\" Yuri then produced a pair of blue satin boxers, \"Put this one real\nquick.\"\n \n\"Alright, I can take you to him,\" Daniel said as Merrick\nbent over, and pulled up the smooth undershorts, \"But we need to make it fast.\"\nAll of them left the tank room in a hurry.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nAdam sighed as he curled up on the cot. He can barely sleep\nanymore... Just thinking about what they've done to Merrick. \n \nWhy hasn't anyone stand up for him yet? Sure, that woman\nstopped that crazy doctor from blowing his mind up with electricity, and she\nsaid that they'll be out of here in a week... But why would anyone even think\nabout allowing such madness? How could ANYONE condone this? Is Nigel really\nthis desperate? Anyone in their right mind could figure out what Nigel is\ntrying to do is impossible to achieve in the few years he has left.\n \nHe jolted as he heard the lock of his door click. He sat up\nwhile the door opened, and gasped as Merrick came rushing in. \"Merrick!\" Just\nwhen he stood up, he gruffed as he felt Merrick embrace him tightly. Adam\nstarted to sob as he held onto his lover, just hearing Merrick's soft cries.\n \n\"Are you ok?!\" Merrick asked through his tears, \"I saw them...\nThey put lightning into your body, are you ok!\"\n \n\"I'm fine, Merrick, I'm fine.\" Adam croaked as he held\ntighter.\n \n\"Ye FECKIN igiot!\" Came a loud, raspy voice, followed by a\nswipe at Adam's head.\n \n\"Ow! Hey!\" He staggered, and saw his grandmother, wearing\nblack clothes, and holding a ski mask in her hand, \"Gramma?! What are you-\"\n \n\"When were you going to tell me about HIM, eh?!\" She said as\nher old eyes watered, \"And when were ya plannin to tell me you were arrested,\neh??\" She sobbed a little, \"I haven't seen ye for years, and you git yourself\nin trouble??\"\n \n\"Gramma, I didn't, I just, it's complicated,\" Adam stammered\nbefore he hugged her.\n \n\"When we git home, I'm gonna feckin kill ye, making me so\nworried.\" \n \n\"We're leaving???\" Adam asked, still unable to believe is\ngrandma is here, just out of the blue. He looked over, and saw one of the\nsecurity guards, a scientist, and three other burglars. The figures in black\npulled up their ski masks, and revealed themselves as Jamal, Yuri, and Belinda,\n\"Jamal! Yuri?!\" He smiled excitedly, \"How did you find us?!\"\n \n\"No time,\" Daniel said, \"You guys need to go now!\" Adam\nlooked at the guard in disbelief.\n \n\"Wait, you're actually getting us out?\"\n \n\"Yes, now we need to MOVE.\" He said. \n \nAs they left, Grandma took out an old black cat cutout, and\nput it on the cot. Back when she was a teenager to young adult, she used to\nbreak into all sorts of places - shops, houses, and the like, and steal various\nitems, leaving behind a black cat calling card. She'd return the items the next\nday on the doorstep, but it was just the thrill of breaking into houses without\never being caught that she loved. This rescue mission is just like old times.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nWhile Jacob had left to tend to a few loose ends, Daniel\nquickly escorted Adam holding Merrick's hand, Jamal, Yuri, Belinda, and Grandma\nto the exit where they came from. Daniel had reported a fake breach on the\nother side of the building, so no one would disturb them - which went easier\nthan expected, as Sarah didn't question the situation at all.\n \n'Almost there...' Merrick thought as sparkling tears seeped\nfrom his eyes, 'This spiraling nightmare... Is almost over...'\n \n\"Wait!\" Everyone halted as Erin had suddenly ran from the\nhall with them, blocking the door, \"You can't go yet...\" She said.\n \n\"Erin...\" Merrick shook his head as a mixture of anger and\nsorrow filled his chest. He let go of Adam's hand, and walked to her, his fists\nclenching.\n \n\"I'm sorry to do this, but I-\"\n \n\"NO!\" Merrick said, \"I don't know when you started deceiving\nme... Or if I can ever forgive any human in this dwelling,\" He told her, his eyes\nnarrowing, \"But if you have any sense of honesty and mercy in your heart...\"\nMerrick's throat began to growl again, \"Step aside.\"\n \n\"M-Merrick,\" Adam came up to him, sensing that he's about to\ndo something VERY dangerous.\n \n\"If you would let me finish,\" Erin said, holding up a small\nbox, \"I'm sorry to do this, but I can't let you go yet... Without these...\" She\nheld the box up to Adam. \n \n\"Huh?\" He accepted the box, and opened it. He blinked as he\nsaw the contents of the box: The shirt, shorts, socks, and shoes he was wearing\nwhen the agents brought him here, along with his belt, wallet, and cellphone.\n \n\"And this...\" Erin said as she took Merrick's hand, and put\nback his silver bracelet - the only thing he had when he was abducted, the\nlittle trinket Adam bought him on their very first date to the pier. Merrick\nlooked up at her, \"I don't blame you if you never forgive me, or anyone here.\nEverything I did, I did because you don't deserve to be here, or what they put\nyou through. If I had my way, I would have let you go home on Day One. And just\nknow that Nigel is going to answer for everything he's done, and I will NEVER\nlet him do this ever again.\"\n \nMerrick sniffled as he moved in, and hugged her. \"I won't\nforget...\" He cried as he stepped back, \"I won't forget what you've done for me...\"\nWhatever humans do, or bow to, whatever they're forced to do, Merrick at least\nnow as a feeling that Erin wasn't completely dishonest.\n \nDaniel opened the door, finding it already unlocked, and let\neveryone out.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick cried freely as the group ran through the half\ndeserted parking lot, holding Adam's hand tightly. Adam too felt emotional as\nthey quickly made their way in the night. He could barely stand, let alone run,\njust from feeling the air rushing around him for the first time in weeks! The\nnight sky as NEVER looked more beautiful! The moon is as bright and luminous as\never.\n \nAfter so long of undergoing possible search entries,\npinpointing the mail locations of the video messages, Yuri's worry now can come\nto an end - Adam is one of her very best friends - they've been together ever\nsince their teen years. She and him have always , and Merrick is like her sassy\ngay friends that always could carry a conversation - that merman has more in\ncommon with her than she ever could have thought.\n \nDespite the escapades that he had to try and ease the\nuncertainty and fear, and with him and Nick breaking up, Jamal has never felt\nmore alone... Not since his childhood in Los Angeles. His type just lashes out to\nhide his pain. Merrick was always good to hang and talk openly about personal\nstuff - naked chatting was always a great few hours. And Adam is more than a\nsigner to vouch for him because of his probation - he's has always been more of\na family to him than his own kin ever was.\n \nThough they never quite saw eye-to-eye, Belinda and Merrick\ncan respect each other. Belinda is the only way Merrick is able to make small\ntrips past the shore, as she is able to repel the Capricorn, and he has more\nthan once helped her. The pier was never the same either, without Adam around.\n \nAfter an entire moon... Adam and Merrick are going home...\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nErin and Daniel walk down the hall after the exit had been\nclosed.\n \n\"So,\" Erin said, \"What are you going to do once this place\ncloses?\"\n \n\"Same old same old,\" He replied, \"Probably gonna be a guard\nelse where - heck, I might sign up for the police.\"\n \n\"Me... I'm still not sure.\" Erin looked around, \"This place is\nlikely going to be demolished. I'd hate to see it go to waste...\"\n \n\"There's enough resources here to do anything, isn't there?\"\nDaniel said, \"Why not use it as a warehouse or something?\"\n \n\"It's not that simple-\"\n \n \nWEEEOOOEEEEOOOEEEEOOOEEEEOOO\n \n \n\"HOLY SHIT!\" Daniel jumped as red lights flashed everywhere.\n \n\"What the heck?!\" Erin shouted as she turned it around.\n \n\"Who turned on the alarm?!\" Daniel said.\n \n\"I don't know!\" Erin yelled, \"They must've triggered a line\noutside!\"\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/814735-aquata-cove-chapter-40.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/820817-aquata-cove-chapter-42.json"}