Captivity - 8 -

Image is just a simple shade medium. I was originally going for a comic book look, but got this instead. It's not bad.

This chapter bothers me a bit. Though I think it has more to do with there being a lot of dialogue. But its a necessary chapter in order to keep the plot moving.
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Chapter 8
The Game

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             It was a troubling thought that left the phantom mer swashing about the waters of his tank. Throughout the weeks since he’d started learning to spell, he’d begun attempting to sound off the words he’d learned. However, he found himself all but unable to pronounce them. Mouthing the syllables as humans did was easy enough, but it seemed as though he was missing some key thing that would unlock the elusive sounds.

             Finding that he was unsuccessful by the usual methods, he resulted to trying his own. Most of these attempts resulted in bizarre contortions that left his handlers concerned for his wellbeing. Whenever he felt he was close to replicating a sound, he’d repeat it over and over, usually causing such a racket to where the center was forced to close on days when they could not hide the noise.

              Because of these days, Nate found it was probably wiser to find other methods of communication, as the commotion was beginning to raise questions among the visitors, and among the new science classes; mainly as the screeches and squawks brought a tortured animal to mind. Thus with a reluctant sigh, he turned this information over to his niece on the task of finding a new method for themselves, as well as their unusual friend.

 

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             “So tell me again why it is that you’ve been looking up sign language?” Tucker pondered whilst stuffing another handful of jerky into his mouth, much to Sam’s disgust.

             Since they first introduction, the techno geek had made himself quite at home now that his girlfriend wasn’t concerned about inviting him over anymore. Aside from his eating habits, Sam didn’t have much to complain about, and the male’s fondness for video games brought with it a childish stress reliever.

             The only one to really complain was Danny, whom whenever he caught the teen’s scent on her clothes would become increasingly agitated and attempt to sniff out the competition with no success. Thankfully it wasn’t something she would have to worry about as the two of them were practically in two different worlds.

             Giving a sigh and a shake of her head, she continued to search for content on the matter at hand, “A friend of mine is mute, so I wanted to lend a hand.”

             “I didn’t know you had a friend like that.”

             “They don’t go to the university,” her tone had been far sharper than she had meant it to be, as Tucker quickly raised his hands in submission. At least he wasn’t going to nag her about it. Her roommate on the other hand, was another matter.

             “So, what’s his name?” Valery mused as she flopped down upon her bed next to her boyfriend. The teen had gone back to stuffing his face full of the dried meat.

             “I never said it was a guy,” Sam defended.

             “You didn’t have to. I could see it in your eyes,” she fluttered her eyes for emphasis, only earning a scowl in return.

             “It’s not like that…”

             “Oh! I bet he works at the Aquarium! That’s why you’re always there! When do I get to meet him?” Val gasped, bouncing excitedly, causing her mattress to groan from the abuse.

             However, instead of the usual sigh and relent, the goth proceeded to slam her laptop shut and leave the room without another word.

             “I think you over did it...”

             “Ya think?!”

 

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             “So tell me again why we followed her to the aquarium?” Tucker frowned, his eyes wandering their surroundings with a nervous gaze. It wasn’t that he feared the creatures within the many tanks surrounding them, but rather the sheer devastation the water could bring to his precious electronics. He probably should have forgone that last horror film as the thought of the glass shattering made him shudder.

             “Quit whining already. I figured I should apologize to her…”

             “I think it’s just cause you want to see who this guy is.”

             Val just rolled her eyes at the reprimand and pressed on.

             The two meandered down the major halls with no success in finding their quarry. Eventually they were left standing before the doors to the employee’s only sector. A heavy tug upon the handle identified it as locked much to their frustration, and the primary point of access being the scan lock on the nearby wall.

             “Tucker, think you can hack this one?”

             “Technically that’s illegal…”

             “And has that ever stopped you before?”

             “…Fine,” He hissed, trying to keep his voice down as he eyed their surroundings warily before pulling out his pda to begin remotely hacking the lock. Yet just as he punched into the security’s mainframe, the handheld beeped unpleasantly causing them both to jump in fright.

             “What was that?”

             “Someone is hacking my system through the mainframe!” Tuck grimaced, attempting to fight back, only to find that he was all but locked out from the controls, “Damn they’re good…”

             “Can’t you do something?” Valery grit her teeth, growing more and more wary of the surrounding hall. While there wasn’t anyone in the current vicinity, that didn’t mean someone could possible stumble across them.

             What answered her was another resounding beep from the pda before the screen opened up a private chat window and began typing out a message that made their skin crawl.

             ‘There’s no need for that…’

             The two teens held a hushed breath while the screen continued to display another entry.

             ‘You simply could have asked…’

             And with that, the padlock flashed green, the door unlocking with a satisfied click. The pda then gave one last beep before returning itself to the proper user controls, leaving the last message in bold upon the screen.

             ‘I will be watching…’

             “This is honestly creepy,” Tucker grimaced as he viewed over the final message before turning his attention back towards the door. Yup, definitely shouldn’t have watched that last movie; now he had all sorts of creepy crawly feelings along his spine. But, this was no movie; this was very much real; and it left the question as to what was really going on, “You still want to go through with this?”

             “I swear if this is her way of getting back at us then I’m gonna be mad,” Val grit her teeth, swearing that the camera on the wall had just shifted in their direction. It left a growing sense of unease, but that wasn’t about to stop her from reaching her goal, if it was even here.

             Pushing through the doors and pressing their way down the halls, they found that the back way was mostly bare, as if everyone was running about elsewhere. Yet with the number of halls and rooms, it was a wonder as to why they hadn’t gotten lost and run into anyone. It seemed that answer was in the hands of their mystery hacker, for as they moved along, only certain doors would open, the light flickering green. It eventually led them along a complex maze of rooms and halls, until the next available door opened up into a narrow stairway.

             “I wonder where they’re leading us…?” The young tech eyed the camera nervously before making his way up the stairs. They were too far in to turn back now.

             The figure at their desk smirked whilst watching the screens. Fingers interlaced as their gaze followed the teens to their destination. Now was the moment… the decision maker that drove them from here… Would it fall through? Or would it succeed..? They let themselves lean back within their chair.

             “It’s your move, my friend…”

             The stairs wound themselves up the narrow stretch, before it opened up into a large enclosed patio.

             “I think we’re above the main exhibit,” Valery let her gaze wander in curiosity. So far they hadn’t been led into anyone, thus she felt it was safe to give it a look. Yet, one thing was very odd…

              “Didn’t they say this place was under construction?”

             The place showed no signs of it, if anything it was very much complete, from the paint on the walls, to the sound of the water moving about the tank. It left the question as to why it hadn’t been opened, or why a hacker had led them in.

             Eventually her eyes landed on the initial reason for their intrusion, finding Sam sitting by the water’s edge, “Hey, there she..”

             She wasn’t able to finish her sentence as she found her boyfriend’s hands silencing her.

             “Shh.. look.” He whispered, gesturing towards the reason for his caution.

             Out of the water it rose; with ebony scales and shining white sails, a creature of myth and legend coiled itself upon the concrete next to their gothic friend; it left them gawking at the sight.

             “What the actual fuck?!”

 

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Sam smiled softly down at the waters below, watching as her mermian friend swam about her feet, “You know, sometimes even though you can’t really understand me; I still feel like you do better than most.”

             Danny cooed along comfortingly, sensing her distress. The soft sounds brought up a soft smile to her lips and she patted the ground beside her.  The mer complied with her request and pulled himself up out of the water to sit with her, whining softly as she spoke to him, her hand eventually coming up to pet his head, to which he nuzzled affectionately.  So far she hadn’t denied the attention he asked for and thus he willingly sought its comfort.

             A startled gasp drew him out of his attention seeking phase as pupils narrowed into slits, searching for the source of the disturbance.  He caught sight of it by the entrance and made his warning loud and clear with a guttural, reptilian like hiss.

             The response was not missed by his human companion as she inquired upon his sudden change in behavior before turning towards the source of his distress.

             “What or how did you get in here?!” she stared; almost flabbergasted before her face grew with a seriousness the two were didn’t believe was possible, “What. Are. You. Doing. Here.”

             The words ground out; a threat hanging on each syllable. It was only further emphasized by the knife Sam flicked out of her pocket; the blade flashing dangerously.

             “Whoa! Whoa! Calm Down! We just came to apologize for earlier!” Valery raised her hands defensively, now eying the weapon more than anything; likely deciding on the best way to remove it from the goth’s hands.

             “Honest! We don’t want trouble!” Tucker added on, wary of the brandished weapon, but finding his eyes wavering over towards the snapping, snarling jaws of the black scaled beast. While he had a vague idea of what the creature was, the whole concept seemed so skewed and unreal that he couldn’t help the question that tumbled from his lips, “What… exactly is that thing..?”

             By this point Sam had already come to the conclusion that there was no means to reverse the situation, or un-see what had already been seen; the knife scare hadn’t been enough to run them off,  thus it left her with the dilemma of sharing secrets or killing them off and she wasn’t willing to spill that sort of blood. It was more a matter of keeping them from spreading their discovery all across town. Pointing the knife she frowned deeply, mulling over what to do at this point, there was no turning back, and she had to ensure this didn’t get out.

             “Before I tell you anything, nothing you see here, leaves here, got it?”

             The two of them nodded nervously, coming to similar conclusions that all the pieces had led them to this and that it wasn’t a secret easily shared; for the knife jab and the snarl of the monster gnashing its teeth warned of a short future if they didn’t comply.

             The heeded warning was enough, as Sam heaved a heavy sigh and finally pocketed the blade. In all honestly, she didn’t want to have to use it and was grateful that she didn’t have to. Her mermian friend however, still remained tense and willing to strike; an expected reaction to strangers. One of the many reasons it had all remained hidden for so long.

             “So, what is he?” Tucker gulped, eying the creature with a skittish gaze, whom returned the favor with a less friendly one.

             Sam hunched down in attempts to console the mer’s ruffled scales. Her uncle was going to have an absolute fit once he found out about this, but there truly was no real way out of this.

             “His name is Danny. My uncle ended up finding him along the reefs south of here,” she continued to sooth the now named beast to no real avail; the two teens watching in wary fascination.

             “I didn’t think mermaids even existed. That’s what he is, right?” Valery peered at the beast with a growing curiosity. Now that the situation had simmered down, it felt safer to express such interest.

             “Well, he’s certainly no maid…” Sam attempted a grin of humor, only to be shot down by the creature’s mock lunge, earning a yelp from the teens, “Danny! No!”

             She brought herself around in front of him. Even though Tucker and Valery were away from the water and thus out of harm’s way, she couldn’t risk him actually harming someone. It would have similar consequences to if she had attacked them, and only bring with it further harm.

             “No,” She repeated, her voice stern, adding emphasis to its meaning. The mer in turn, snarled, flashing his fangs in defiance until Sam brought herself into his face, almost overbearingly and repeated herself. The word eventually sunk in along with the domineering posture and he relented, ears lowering, but his stare holding. Though he’d come to comprehend the scolding word for what it was, and thus obeyed it, did not mean he was willing to back down on something so unfamiliar until his own judgment was certain of it.

              The uneasy tension held for several minutes before Sam heaved a sigh, knowing she would have to produce more substantial evidence to trust them before this argument could be won.

             “Did I offend him or something?” Valery huffed, crossing her arms in attempts to quell her obvious shaking, to which her boyfriend just rolled his eyes. She was always trying to appear braver than she sometimes was.

             “No, you didn’t. He just doesn’t know you yet,” An idea sparking in the goth’s head had her gaze spinning over towards the fridges that stored the tank’s food. It was a long shot, but hopefully a step in the right direction. Food had been the first step for the center towards gaining Danny’s trust. Perhaps it could lead them in the right direction for getting him to open up to new people.

             Her gaze wandered over towards her aquatic friend. The mer was still bristling visibly, but for the most part was keeping his complaints to himself. However, she could see the familiar look in his eyes; how his pupils focused in on their alleged target. It was a look he gave right before he struck, something her uncle had become acquainted with over the few short months. Bless the man’s soul that he knew how to handle himself in those kinds of situations; but the same could not be certain of her two friends. This was something that would have to be a slow and easy process.

             “Tucker, can you go over to that fridge there? You should find some fish already prepared in a pail,” She gestured towards the fridge, keeping a hand in front of the calculating mer in case the movement spooked him.

             For the most part, Danny ignored her, focusing in on the male intruder as he made his way over towards what the mer had come to associate as a food source. Bristling all the while as the teen returned with the ‘stolen’ goods.

             “Ok, now crouch down over there, slowly, and toss one of the fish over,” Sam pointed over to a spot about six or seven feet off. It was close, close enough to unnerve her aquatic friend, but just far enough out of reach from an initial strike, keeping the young man safe.

             Doing as asked, Tucker tossed the fish over, remaining a few paces further back out of caution. Valery held wary of this as well. Though unfamiliar with the animal herself, she knew the look in the mer’s eyes; an aggressive, calculating stare. One wrong move and it would strike. Sam seemed to know this too, as she tensed the moment the fish was tossed, realizing that something was off.

             The fish landed just before the mer’s claws, but the creature made no move to acknowledge the offering. He still bristled, half showing his teeth, still glowering over at the strangers much like he had the scientists upon his original arrival. He didn’t know these people, or what harm they could cause, what things they would jab at him, or take away what was his…

             It was a split second motion, from the mer’s lunge, to Sam’s defense. In the next second, the creature found himself flat on his back, a startled yelp his and the strangers’ response. His first reaction was to snarl and attempt to defend his exposed underbelly, but he found himself pinned and staring up into the fierce lavender gaze of his human female, the sheer intensity of those eyes halted his original defense as he lowered his ears in true submission. This wasn’t a simple scolding. It was a full on display of dominance Sam was holding over him; that there was no argument to her decision; that he was to obey it. A soft whine was his acknowledgement and she relented, letting the poor beast up; his form instantly rolling over into a defensive position, backing away like a beaten dog. Apparently it was an acceptable response as Sam found it safe to turn her eyes away from him.

             “You alright?” she turned her gaze towards Tucker.

             He nodded, still too lost for breath for words, able to comprehend her words, though his focus remained on the now sulking animal like a deer in the headlights. Valery on the other hand had taken on a defensive position, glowering at the offending creature. The mer just flashed his teeth in response before shrinking back at Sam’s scolding look.

             In the end Sam could only sigh and shake her head. This was going nowhere. So far all that had had been accomplished was upsetting her friends on both sides of the spectrum, “Maybe we should get something to drink…”

 

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             To say that he was frustrated was an understatement. For most of the afternoon, Nate had spent his time running over the system with the security team.

             Over the past few days, the center had been fighting a number of small scale breaches, including a number of camera and computer overrides, and file copies. Yet no real material had been stolen, no banking information, no true research information. It left the question as to what this hacker(s) wanted, and why?

             That afternoon had been the oddest one, and the most disturbing out of all the cyber-attacks thus far; a full system override, locking staff in and out of corridors, while unlocking an entire pathway that had led to the very center of their operation. It had left the security team running about like chickens with their heads cut off.

             With the alarm bells ringing in his head, Nate had bolted his way towards the main exhibit, fearing for the worst, only to have his way barred and he was forced to try an alternate route. In the end, the only corridors he was able to get through had led him around and into the security room. And there he stood, tapping his fingers along the desk, a frown creasing his brow as he stared down at the screen. By the time he’d gotten there, whoever had been in the system had backed out, allowing them to regain control.

             From the screens, he could see that their secreted mer was still safe within the confines of the main exhibit, mind the bucket of fish the creature’s head was in, chowing away. It was a temporary sigh of relief, seeing as the only other one that Danny would accept food from was Sam. But the oddity of it was that she never left the bucket on its own. She was always hands on when it came to feeding him, finding that it helped socialize and overall lead to a friendly disposition. For the most part it had been a successful endeavor, but it left the question as to where she was and why. It just seemed too out of routine for her.

             His eyes scanned to the other camera displays, eventually finding her down in the café plaza with a couple of friends.  As out of habit as it was for her reclusive nature, it was good to see her socializing with other people. Though, Danny would likely be vying for attention as a result. Nate mused, knowing he probably should stop by to check up on the mer in a short while.

             For now, he should probably contact Vlad about upgrading to a better security system…