Chapter Text
It was almost dawn by the time the hunt had finally ceased. They had been watching the mer’s journey past the Hawaiian Islands for years, at first simply observing how he seemed to be the leader of the six he travelled with. Bigger, stronger, faster. All physical signs that he was in charge yet he interacted with the other mer as though he were equal to them, despite them clearly showing he was their leader, their guide. The pod was small, only seven individuals, yet it always made the same journey west through the archipelago into the Pacific beyond. Nobody knew where they had come from or where they went after, but it was believed they either went west to breed or visit a warmer place when winter came.
The Averton Facility of Marine Research was situated on the southwestern coast of the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i. The climate was relatively harsh and unforgiving, but there was little public travel to the island which left the marine biologists residing there in peace. The huge estate had been half built from a small cliff edge to reach out into the ocean itself, housed nearly fifteen hundred staff and was, for all intents and purposes, a simple conservation centre. The biodiversity of the Pacific surrounding the Hawaiian archipelago was of great interest to those studying the marine life there, and when merfolk activity was first discovered in early 1920’s, it didn’t take long for an entire scientific centre of study to be created. It was one thing on the outside, but another within.
The Averton family who founded it were still in charge, or at least, the current eldest son was, Jamie Averton. His father and grandfathers before him were stepping stones to the future he imagined in the study of mer, adding monumental discoveries of their kind to the history books. As a whole they were no simple fish; they had a culture of their own, a language, a hierarchy system and sometimes intricate mating bonds forged over years of monogamous courtship. People knew they were breeding somewhere, but did not truly know where until Jamie’s extensive searching brought it into the light.
Jamie did not consider himself a cruel man by nature, more a man who simply got things done in the name of science. He had been releasing the sonar signal into the waters facing further southwest to try and lure the particular travelling pod of merfolk for seven consecutive years, trying different pitches, different angles, all in the hope it would bring them closer so he could truly take a good look at the prize he simply had to claim.
The leader, the alpha type, the boss, now thrashing like the fish out of water he was in the industrial nets made to capture sharks, was all wild strength and coppery bronze scales. His fins, from the dorsal that began at the nape of his neck and ending halfway down his tail, the powerful caudal that he swung at those getting too close, were a glittering gold like the treasures found in the Valley of the Kings. He was beyond pissed off at being fooled, sizzling rage quickly exploding, tearing skin from bone as one assistant got too close and had a chunk taken out of their arm. The crimson liquid gushed forth from the bicep, accompanied by pained screams that Jamie was sure he would be hearing in his quieter moments for the next several days. An animalistic hiss, like that of a snake, erupted from the depths of merman’s chest. Sharper teeth than he expected to see, but it would take more than that to truly surprise Jamie these days.
The nets were hauled up, the mechanical whirring sound of the winch quickly retracting piercing the air and pulling the captured mer out of the water to cease his incessant splashing. Blood dripped from his mouth over olive skin, eyes a similar colour to the gold of his fins shining in the early morning light with a hatred so volatile, Jamie was sure if looks could kill, he would most certainly be dead. But they did not and he was not. Instead, Jamie signalled the man controlling the haulage to stop momentarily, which he did without protest. The merman, twisting around on himself to try and fully face Jamie, was suspended in the air just above the containment tank that he would be used to move him to his more permanent enclosure.
When he got close enough, Jamie saw every detail. He could smell the salt of the sea that seemed to drip in endless rivulets into the tank of water below him. It shone on a tanned complexion, the merman’s face lined with the hardships of a life on a watery road, eyes crinkling at the edges as he squinted against the glare of the rising sun. Hazarding a guess, he had to be in his mid to late forties, older than he seemed to be from afar but it would have to do. His hair, the colour of sand, was beginning to thin a little at the sides by pointed ears, just marking the change of turning to white. Yet despite these signs, Jamie felt sure that catching this merman was worth it. It was thought that merfolk lived similar lengths of life to humans, so he was perfectly viable.
Golden eyes blinked at him, a third eyelid sweeping back and forth to clear them of water now that he was out of it. The gills on the sides of his neck pulsed harshly from exertion as he drew breath. Jamie dared a step closer despite the voices of concern. The net was too narrow to fit his arms through, but there was no telling what else he might be capable of.
“I know you can understand me, creature.” The mer tilted his head, eyes of gold never leaving those of brown. “If you co-operate, no harm will come to you. If you don’t and you cause a fuss, your time here will be nothing but torment for you. It’s up to you to decide which route you prefer to take.” The mer did not respond, blinking slowly with his head at a slight angle, eyes narrowed.
Jamie backed away, nodding to the operator to lower the net down into the tank, its metal doors already sliding closed so when the net was released, they would snap shut. He meant to turn away, to head back into the office and make some calls, but the sun caught the glimmering bronze scales of the merman’s tail and Jamie did a double-take at the beauty of it. Merfolk truly were astounding creatures.
What Jamie did not expect to see, was the look on the merman’s face just before the doors closed and he was shut into darkness.
A grin, showing no teeth and only pulling up one side of his mouth, eyes almost glowing but surely that was just the sunlight? He looked…evil. Like he knew something that Jamie did not.
One thing was for certain; this merman would be trouble.
***
Elio could feel the heaviness of the air above the surface the very moment he opened his eyes that morning. The sun was shining despite thirty feet down in his sea cave where the light blanched a little at the bottom, but it wasn’t as bright a day as it usually was for Hawaii.
A storm was coming.
Elio pushed himself upright, stomach already growling at him for breakfast. Untangling the stray bits of kelp that always ended up catching in his tail as he slept, Elio stretched and made his way of out of the cave to the surface. Sure enough, Cecile was there to greet him.
“Bonjour, mon cœur!” She called to him. “Did you sleep well?”
“Oh yeah, would have stayed sleeping if my stomach hadn’t woken me up.” Elio drifted to the shallows where Cecile stood, a plastic tub in her hands. She smiled at him, pulling off the lid and kneeling down in the sand. Elio pulled himself up and out of the water, practically beaching himself in the sand as he sat next to Cecile.
“Good, because I brought your favourite,” she revealed the contents to him and Elio felt himself salivate.
“You brought squid!”
“I did,” Cecile ruffled his chocolate brown hair, shaking the water from it loose. “Bon appétit.”
“Thanks! Oh wait…merci. Did I say it right?”
“You did, you’re getting really good with your pronunciation. I’ll have to step up my game with some new words for you.” Elio doubted he could really keep up with how Cecile spoke her native French; he had heard her speak with some other colleagues at the facility that spoke back the same and despite picking the language up quicker than average, she spoke so fast he could barely understand a single word.
It was early in the day, the staff on duty only just starting to arrive. Soon, the Averton facility would be buzzing with life and people going about their day. Elio knew no different, as he feasted on fresh squid and glanced around the enclosure he had spent his entire life in. It was for all intents and purposes, as he had come to learn, a tank. However, it had everything he needed. The sea cave was at the deepest point of the enclosure, then there was the sandy bay he was sitting on now with Cecile. Further down the shore the sand turned into fine shale, perfect for scratching and exfoliating his scales. Palm trees and exotic ferns lined one side of the tank, the ledge they grew from just wide enough to walk on as to be maintained by the required staff. As certain points of the day, they provided shade for Elio to rest in as right underneath them, a rocky crevice jutted out from the water. He had spent many an hour in the shade reading a book Cecile had brought him. The bottom of the tank was a mix of exposed ceramic floor and sand that drifted down from the beach with the artificial currents that swept through the salt water. Once a month, Elio had to stay out of the way of the divers who came and tidied the tank bottom up, taking away all the sand while the dry version was added to the shore.
It was a process, part of his life, like everything else here, yet Elio knew no different.
“I think a storm is coming soon,” Elio gestured at the sky with one finger. “The air feels…different. Heavy.” He didn’t know how to describe the feeling he got when the weather changed, but Cecile had always confirmed when he was correct. The only downside was that a storm meant she wouldn’t be able to sit on his beach and relax lest she get drenched in the strangely cold water that fell from the sky.
Elio regarded Cecile as she slowly ate what she called a “flapjack” that she retrieved and unwrapped from her back pocket. Her greying hair was falling out of its usually neat bun. Her soft blue eyes staring off into the distance, looking at everything and nothing while she idly chewed the flavoured oats. Today, she looked distracted and tired, if the bags under her eyes were anything to go by. It didn’t suit her, it looked so out of place.
“Cecile? Is something wrong?”
She snapped to attention at the question. “Oh no, I’m fine. I’ve just been working late into the night a lot recently, so I guess I’m tired.”
“Working on anything good?” Cecile often shared with Elio her recent studies and interests, but instead of coming right out and explaining like she normally did, she faltered.
“Nothing too exciting,” she replied eventually. “Some stuff on a new species of anemone.” That didn’t sound entirely true, but Elio felt it rude to question Cecile further. If something was wrong, she would eventually speak about it when she was ready.
After Elio had finished the squid, the conversation flowed easily between him and the woman he saw as a surrogate mother. Cecile had always been there for him, one of the few faces on a human that truly stood out in the crowd. His life had been one of scrupulous study from as far back as he could remember, yet Cecile always comforted him when it became too much. She had taught him to speak, read and write in English, one of the most widely spoken of the human languages. He remembers swimming to her when he was very small, knelt down like she was in the sand of the enclosure, and she would sit him in her lap as she read aloud a book about dragons and heroic knights. Elio had learnt nearly everything he knew now from the woman who sat next to him, but she certainly had her moments of mystery. Perhaps all humans were like that, sharing much but always keeping something to themselves.
When Cecile left to start her working day a couple of hours later, the sun had fully risen on its morning voyage across the sky. Fluffy clouds chased it, signalling the onset of rain for later on.
Something didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t just related to the weather. When Elio sniffed at the air, felt its heaviness on his tongue, he shivered. He could smell something in the air, something different from the scents he usually picked up. Despite not being able to see it, he had always been able to smell the salt of the ocean beyond the facility’s walls. Cecile once explained just how close it really was, a sad smile on her face as she had done so, yet Elio didn’t know why. But now, there was something almost sweet in the air. It caused that shiver down his spine and the quickening of his heart, yet he couldn’t place its origin. Foreign beyond understanding, Elio did his best to ignore it, to not think about it for the rest of the day until it when evening came and a dinner of swordfish was prepared for him. When the night finally set in, the scent had disappeared altogether as if it had never been at all.
It wasn’t natural and the wrongness of it steeled his resolve to ask Cecile about it in the morning. Settled in the warmth and cosy embrace of his sea cave, Elio played over the questions he would ask in his mind until blurry dreams of an expanse of water so great he couldn’t see the bottom came to take him.
***
Cecile’s heart was hammering in her chest as she walked the long hallway to Jamie Averton’s office. Windows lined either side of it, giving a splendid view of the island the facility clung to at the southwestern edge of. The island itself was thinly inhabited, a little under seven and a half thousand people calling it home. From this high vantage point, the nearest town of Kaunakakai could be seen to the east.
Tapping lightly on the door, a solemn voice from the other side granted permission, and Cecile stepped inside.
“Ah, there you are,” Jamie, practically living in the white lab coat and scrubs for the last couple of weeks, beckoned Cecile over. “Have a seat.” He pointed at the chair opposite his desk.
In the back of her mind, Cecile knew she wasn’t in any trouble, but being summoned by the boss always gave her a nagging feeling down her spine. She was old enough to be Jamie’s mother, had even worked with the late Frank Averton, and she saw many of his son’s qualities in Jamie. But he was cold, too cold for a warm place like Hawaii, too emotionless when it came to the delicate nature of their study.
“How I can I help?” She asked, forcing a smile to her lips.
Jamie didn’t say anything immediately, stood with his hands clasped behind his back and stared out of the bay window like he could see something Cecile could not. From that direction, all there was, was the endless blue of the South Pacific.
“The capture was a success,” he began, “the new mer is in the holding tank on the mezzanine floor. I would like you to take a look as soon as possible.”
Cecile briefly closed her eyes. This went against everything that they stood for, taking a mer from the ocean, yet Jamie didn’t see it that way. It was all in the name of science and to study merfolk properly, he declared they needed a new specimen; he was no longer satisfied with Elio himself.
“Congratulations,” the word was forced out, yet Cecile put every effort into making it sound genuine. “Did it all go according to plan?”
Jamie turned at the question, brows drawn a little. “One assistant got too close, had a chunk taken out of his bicep. Nothing that some stitches won’t fix.” Cecile nodded, unsure of what to make of Jamie’s blasé attitude to one of his staff getting injured on the job.
“Is there anything specific you would like me to do?” She queried. “With the mer himself, I mean?”
“No. For now, just give him a look over. Due to his volatile nature, we have had to secure his jaw so he cannot open it completely. It has to be that way, unless you want to lose some fingers.” Cecile couldn’t help the frown that she felt cross her face. She was sure if Jamie’s father knew what his son had done, he would turn in his grave at the audacity of it. Capturing merfolk was illegal, but Jamie was in charge now and he made the rules. And flouted them. “Don’t worry,” he continued when Cecile said nothing. “We do feed him, or at least, we try to. We have to sedate him to remove the contraption, but since he arrived here, he has yet to eat anything.” Jamie finally sat at his desk opposite Cecile, running a hand through loose hair.
“I’ll take a look right now.” She could feel the conversation coming to its end, and she certainly didn’t have any questions for Jamie that he would answer freely. Everyone knew how he had captured this merman, but nobody truly yet the reason why.
Cecile stood, got as far as opening the door and was about to close it behind her when Jamie called out.
“Cecile?”
“Yes?”
“Not a word of this to Elio. He must not know yet. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Jamie nodded and with that order out in the open, Cecile shut the door and walked as briskly yet as calmly as she could manage back across the glass hallway to the central hub of the Averton Facility. There were other marine biologists milling about and flipping through papers as they walked, janitors cleaning the already shining black tiled floor and the receptionists at the front desk taking calls and welcoming those in the waiting area. A lot of the smiling faces and cheery banter was genuine, but so much of it was not. Just how many people here knew what was really going on? Certainly not the bunch of school children flown in from Honolulu on a field trip to the one of the best marine research centres in the United States. Its tropical, out of the way location simply made it all the more desirable to visit.
The elevator was emptied as everyone with her in it got off at different floors until Cecile was all alone. The mezzanine floor needed her pass to be scanned over the sensor below the collection of buttons to other designated floors. It was completely underground, just a desolate hallway with a handful of rooms containing computer equipment, files and other classified pieces of information. It was the room at the end of the hallway that was the largest, where the holding tank was located. Its broad metal doors looking incredibly uninviting as Cecile scanned her pass again, hearing the mechanical whirring of its many bolts unlocking and sliding out of the way before the doors slowly swung open.
The oval shaped room was almost completely in darkness, it was only when Cecile stepped foot inside that the automated lights flared to life. What was Jamie thinking, keeping the merman down in here in the dark? Her heels clacked softly on the concrete floor, seemingly echoing off the walls and making them appear louder than they really were. Apart from that, the only other sound to be heard was a steady beeps and ticks from the machinery located next to the holding tank.
The water seemed to be murky, a dark green in colour with four fluorescent lamps angled just so, pointing into the centre of the water. Cecile remembered the tank being created, a solid square hardly bigger than the bathroom in her apartment. It was tall, nine feet if she recalled correctly and lined with steel to help contain the water pressure from within. Looking up, Cecile noticed that there literal metal bars over the top.
With a sinking feeling she knew, that this wasn’t a holding tank. It was a glorified prison cell. The merman couldn’t jump out, was apparently muzzled like a dog and was kept in relative darkness.
Delicate bubbles floated to the surface from a pump filter, keeping what oxygen it could within so their captive could breathe. Cecile briefly looked at it, frowned when she noticed the oxygen levels were a little below what was comfortable. Was that intentional? A few presses of some buttons and it was elevated, the pump instantly whirring faster, which caused a rush of bubbles, an exhale of breath if Cecile knew anything about merfolk, and she only got a step closer to the glass before a dark shape flung itself against it.
A thump shook the glass with such force the water inside the tank trembled, splashing a little over the side, the sound of it hitting the floor was like a crack of a whip. Cecile leapt back, gasping audibly as she ducked out of the way of the water, and when she turned back she locked eyes with those of the richest gold.
The merman had flattened his webbed hands against the glass, tensing his fingers to scratch at it with his claws. The lower half of his face was covered by a metal mask, little holes providing some space to move his jaw and were enough for Cecile to see sharp teeth flashing at her. It was secured with taut leather straps that met into a buckled padlock at the back of his head. From where Cecile was standing, she could easily see they were pulled tight to his skin, undoubtedly leaving marks underneath. Otherwise, he was just as she had heard him described and briefly seen on the video footage of his previous years’ migration. Bronze scales, gold fins and tanned skin, if he were human she would guess his origin of somewhere warm, like South America. To Cecile’s intrigue, his hair seemed to be greying a little at the sides with age, yet his physique remained strong, muscles in his arms and stomach bunching as he tensed.
It was then Cecile heard a peculiar hissing, distorted somewhat from travelling through water and glass, but she heard it nonetheless. She had heard Elio make a similar noise when he was but a child and having a temper tantrum. He hadn’t produced it for a long time, so to hear it again brought memories back that she was glad to recall, if only for a moment. Without thinking about the action, Cecile raised her hands as if in surrender. It had often worked with Elio when he was very young, and she doubted it would truly set the merman at ease, but it was worth a shot. To her surprise, the hissing stopped, yet the glare of daggers did not.
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing and Cecile felt herself being sized up. She made to move to her right to take a better look at that impressive tail, yet he shifted along the glass with her, blinking slowly. When she went the other way, he did the same again. He was clearly messing with her, making things difficult, and she couldn’t blame him when he was being taken for a ride himself. She stood for a few moment more, crossing her arms loosely over her chest and feeling a small smile come to her lips. She felt sorry for him, of course she did, but if he was always going to be difficult then things would undoubtedly be made more challenging for him in the long run.
Cecile moved to check a few of the reports the computers set up next to the tank had recorded; average blood pressure, resting heart rate, several blood tests. There were other bits of information such as his weight and length, but a blank space as to what his name was. Merfolk had names, just like humans, so what was his?
Cecile smirked to herself, of course he wasn’t going to talk, much like he wasn’t eating. A tough nut to crack.
“Giving him trouble, huh?” She asked herself more than the merman, but she nonetheless looked at him when she spoke. Pointed ears twitched at the sound of her voice. “For what it’s worth, which I can imagine isn’t very much, I am sorry.” She turned up the oxygen level a little more, just because. “I am sorry this has happened to you. But if you co-operate, even just a little, I can try and make life a bit easier for you.” The merman slowly sank to the bottom of the tank, tail folded as one would sit with their legs tucked underneath them, fingers interlaced in his lap. Now he was sitting up properly, Cecile could see the strength he held in his body, it showed across his chest and rippled in his abdominal muscles. It was no wonder Jamie had been so focused on capturing him. He was quite different to Elio’s slim build.
She turned to leave, the censor activated lights already detecting she had left the room by the time she had gotten to the door. When they switched off, leaving only the fluorescent lamps over the water, she spared a glance over her shoulder.
But the merman had already moved to the back of the tank, disappearing from sight once again.