Aquata Cove Ch. 40

EEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEPEEP

"AHHHH!" Merrick squirmed as is the noise had physically tackled him against the wall – with his hands bound, he is unable to cover his ears. Several guards rushed in, and gagged Merrick's mouth and held tightly onto his arms.

"What do we do with him, sir?" Asked one of the guards. Nigel stopped the noise.

"Just throw him into the tank for now! I'll decide later. Run the standard protocal for Keith too!" Nigel shook his head as he looked at Keith's lifeless body, "Just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could ya."

~~~

Nigel strode down the hall towards the cell where Adam is strapped for the Shock Therapy. He squinted his eyes, before widening with anger as he saw a head of curly blonde hair through the window, "God's sake," He ran down the hall, "ERIN!!!"

He burst through the doors, to find his assistant helping a very shaky Adam off of the table, and onto a wheelchair held by Daniel.

"Miss Conally, what do you think you're doing?!" Nigel demanded.

"It's alright, you're going to be ok..." Erin said softly. "That's it, take it easy." Adam sobbed and grunted as she put him in the chair, still shaking horribly from the ordeal.

"Conally, you are dismissed!" Nigel declared as he took some long steps to her, "I am relieving you of-" Erin whirled around, and SLAPPED Nigel's undamaged cheek, "AHH!" He staggered to the side. He put his hand onto his face as he looked at her.

"What in the hell is the matter with you?!" Erin shouted, "SHOCK THERAPY?!"

"There is no other way, Conally!" Nigel retorted, "You are overstepping your boundaries this time-"

"That's rich, coming from you!" Erin said, "You are in a WHOLE mess of trouble, do you understand me! You have gone TOO far, Nigel!"

"You don't have the authority for ANYTHING, Conally! Just stay out of my way or-"

"Or WHAT?! Huh?? 'I'll lose everything dear and precious to me'? Enough with the bullshit, Nigel!" She said, "Listen to me carefully, Nigel. It's one thing to capture and interrogate a merman! He's considered an unclassified animal, and I can't change that!" Erin backed up, and pointed to Adam in the wheelchair, "But Adam is an adult American Citizen with human rights, and you cannot – repeat – CANNOT treat him this way! He has NO criminal record, has not been ordered by a court to be here, you just flat out abducted him from his job!"

"I have just about had it with you, Conally." Nigel said, "I AM the law here! What I say goes, and you, Missy, have crossed the line."

"You're not even listening to me, are you?!" Erin asked, "And that's why you're going down, you hear me?" She turned to the guard, "Lets go, Daniel. Now." Obediently, Daniel pushed the wheelchair around Nigel, and through the door that Erin in holding open.

"You don't quite grasp the situation, Conally!" Nigel called out.

"Whatever!" She retorted.

"You're going to regret this!!"

"Shut it before I push your jellyfish wound into the shore!" Erin yelled right before throwing the door behind her.

~~~

"MMMM! MRRRRMMMHHH!" Merrick struggled as the two guards dragged him into the tank room. One of the other guards started to work the controls of the tank, while another opened the sliding hatch. Merrick seethed through his gag as they brought him closer and closer, determined to kill all of these guards off as well.

When they were up to it, they forced the merman into the tank, before quickly removing the cuffs, and slamming the hatch shut! Merrick yanked the gag out of his mouth as he whipped around, and banged on the tank, yelling like a crazed criminal at them.

"Jesus Christ..." Said Sarah as she looked at the merman as the water began to pour into the tank, "He killed Keith... Just by screaming?"

"LET ME OUT!" Merrick screamed, "LET ME OUT NOW, YOU MONSTERS!!" Merrick's flesh soon melded into blue and silver. Once he was completely submerged, Merrick began to screech in the water while still clawing and banging on the glass tank.

~~~

"Nnnnhh... Ghhennnnn..." Adam trembled and whimpered terribly as Daniel and Erin carefully moved him to the bed.

"Careful... Easy now..." Erin said lowly.

"I got him." Daniel said as he gently placed Adam's head onto the pillow.

"He's..." Adam's eyes remained closed, "He's not an animal..." Adam whimpered thickly, "He's not an animal, he's my Merrick..."

"I know, I'm sorry..." Erin said.

"Please, just please..." Adam held back a sob while still squirming on the bed, "Just please get us out of here..." He sobbed as tears continued to flow from his eyes. "Or just him... Please, he's... He's suffered too much..."

"Don't worry, it's ok..." Erin stroked Adam's forehead, "I'm putting an end to this. It might take me a few days, a week tops. But I'm getting the both of you out of here."

"NNnnggh... Thank you..." Adam cried. He cringed and shook as Erin and Daniel left Adam to recover. After looking the door, Erin looked at Daniel, who was beginning to sob himself.

"Daniel."

"Just..." He huffed, "I have a boyfriend too, and..." He shook his head, "I can't talk about it, Erin..." He managed to say. He strode away, wiping at his eyes.

"Right..." Erin muttered as her eyes cast down, "Then I've got some work to do..." With that, she walked down the hall.

~~~

"What a shame..." Dr Kaiser said as he placed his electrodes into their container, "All this time of waiting to use you, only to have it end too soon." He closed the box, and placed it on the shelf, and locked the cabinet door.

He walked down the lab, and glanced at a table, and saw some compound notes. "... Ah, young Jacob's tear notes. Odd that he would leave them lying here, unattended..." He picked up one of the sheets of paper, and examined it, "And unfinished..." He commented.

"Hmmm... These figures look very interesting..." Kaiser sat down, and put the paper back. Picking up the pencil, he drew in some of the blank points on the paper, "Hmmm... If I was to add this to that, then wouldn't..."

Kaiser spent the next hour experimenting with some of the tears, combining, mixing, and editing their very substance. "Remarkable..." He said, "Not only has he pinpointed the very chemicals that make up these tears... But it seems like..."

After a few more doses and mixes, Kaiser gasped as he saw the results.

"This... This is incredible..." His very core is shaken as the doctor started preparations, "If this works... This is unbelievable!"

~~~

"Reeewwr~" Roxas meowed as he jumped up onto the counter, where Yuri was in the middle of chopping strawberries. She sighed as she looked over on the kitchen counter - it's a letter for Adam. She usually NEVER opens anyone else's mail, but the mailing address is from Hamburg, Germany, where his grandparents live.

[Dear Adam,

By God, it's been too long since I left you hour house. I sincerely hope you haven't gone and wreck the place up! I swear I be havin your legs strung up over me old doorway if you turned it turned it into a feckin party house!

Heh heh heh! Just kiddin, love. I forgot to mention that I got your last batch of photographs. They're bloody gorgeous! You better be thinking of takin some Photography classes, you hear me?? And your boyfriend is quite the looker!

Germany is amazing by the way! Mind you, it's a lot better than it was when we first got here - Understood fuck-all since I didn't know the language.

Granddad's doing great too – the bastard, pisses me off. The meat shop has to get new walls, so I'm stuck with him when we come over for the week. Well, what can ya do – except feckin kill'em. Please don't ask me why I love him so much.

Can't wait to see you!

Love,

Granny]

"Oh Adam..." Yuri muttered, "What're we going to do?"

The door opened, and in comes Jamal. He walks to the kitchen, and goes straight for the fridge. He takes out a wrapped up sandwich, and a vanilla soda. He sits at the table, and starts eating, not even a word to Yuri.

"... Hi Jamal." Yuri said.

"Hey." He replied.

"... How was work?"

"Fine."

"... How's Nick doing?"

"We still ain't speakin." Jamal and Nick had a fight since Jamal's attitude has been less than agreeable, "He don't even go to the club no more."

"I see..."

"... So when're the grandparents comin over?"

"Tomorrow." Yuri said, fighting back the urge to cry, "They're coming to visit tomorrow, and he's..." She put a hand to her brow.

"..." Jamal stood up, and picked his keys back up, "I'm out."

"Jamal, wait!" Yuri said.

"What, Yuri, what?" He raised his voice, "I don't talk, aight? I got a lot on my mind."

"And so do I!" She said.

"Wut? You worried about yo exams?? Well I got probl'ms too! Not sleepin, workin myself over to keep up with the bills! Adam's grandparents are comin over, and they only see me as a criminal, Yuri! A hard-ass criminal! And my officer is comin next week, and Adam's not around to sign for me! When that happens, I'm out fo REAL!"

"And you think I don't know that?!" She crossed her arms, "I've got a lot on my mind too, and no one to talk to! Ryo's off to Japan for the next month, everyone at the hospital's too busy. All I do is study until I pass out, I've got NO social life, any friend I have is unavailable! Ever since Adam and Merrick disappeared, I just..." She lowered and shook her head.

"Yuri..."

"No." Yuri looked up, "You know what? FINE! Just go!" She started to tear up as she turned around. "I can't stand you like this, so just go on and get the hell out of here!!" She walked into the kitchen, putting her hands on her face and sobbing.

There was a long pause between the two. Yuri couldn't help by cry silently, until Jamal came up to her, and hugged her. She turned around and put her arms around him.

"Is all my fault, Yuri..." Jamal whimpered, "Is all my fault..."

"No it's not, you jerk..." She replied.

"I just wish they were here..." He groaned, "He's like my brother, gurl... He IS my brotha..."

"I know, Jamal..."

"I'm sorry, Yuri..." He mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Jamal... It's ok..." Yuri whimpered.

TAC TAC TAC

Roxas's ears perked up as his head turned. He jumped off the counter, and went over to the glass sliding door.

TAC TAC TAC

"Reeeeeerrrrrr!" The cat mewed as it pawed at the glass.

"Hang on," Yuri sniffled, "Roxas wants to go out." They parted, and Yuri walked through the living room, and over to the glass door, "What the heck?"

"Wut?" Jamal wiped his eyes, and traced back to Yuri.

"There's a big seagull on our porch." She said. As soon as Jamal had caught up, the bird flew up on a post. She looked on the grey and white bird, and noticed that it has a yellow flower tied to its leg.

Yuri opened the door, and Roxas immediately slinks out. He took a position, and lowered himself as he aimed for the gull.

EEYA! EEYA!

The seagull jumped at Yuri and Jamal!

"AHH!"

"HEY!"

Roxas jumped up at it, and managed to scare it away from them. The seagull screeched before flying off.

"What the hell?!" Jamal scowled.

"Hey, Jamal, look." Yuri nudged him, and pointed at the beach.

"... Wait a sec, don't we know her?"

Over by the beach is a dark woman. Dressed in rags and leaves, with long black hair containing dried up flowers, and wearing a large sea turtle shell on her head as a sunhat.

Atarah held her arm out, and the seagull had flown across the sky, and perched upon her arm. Yuri and Jamal leave the house, and walk over to the woman while she gently strokes the gull's wing.