A Mermaid's Tale

"Sending code," Bob replied with a smile.

"Code accepted, listing files from most secure to least." Overlord said. "Military projects first..."

"Military?!" Bob snapped. "None of the files from the private server were marked military. Isolate those files and display!" Bob said getting control of his shock and anger. "Hmm... Ares and Ariel. Display genetic treatment to create those two."

"Cannot comply." Overlord replied.

"Cannot? Why?" Bob growled his anger returning.

"I can explain please." Jose said softly. "Most genetic treatments are categorized as alphas. That means that only one treatment is required to achieve the desired effects. Military grade upgrades require more than one to reach the required goal. Ares took four. The last was necessary to stabilize his dire situation. The second treatment inflicted slow metastasizing cancers. Luckily, they caught it in time and the fourth treatment repaired the damage using artificial telomeres. Ares is the perfect survivor. We learned much studying his current DNA. It was the basis that made Ariel even possible."

"Interesting." Bob replied. "Tell me about Ariel."

"While Ares is the perfect battlefield soldier Ariel is the aquatic version of it." Jose stated quite proudly. "Her reactive biology borders on the preternatural."

"So, I take it Ares is the base for Ariel?" Bob asked but Jose shook his head. "No."

"No, there is a binary treatment, and the first stage is one of Jason's pet projects, Oberon." Jose explained and then he continued without prompting. "I know little about it. He uses three technicians to create portions of the treatment. Only he knows all of it."

"Overlord?" Bob asked and the files for Oberon were displayed.

"I am sorry that the names for the three primary donors are redacted."

"What the heck?" Jose cursed when he examined the core bundles of genes critical to the success of the project. "Overlord, run a cross comparison with the three primary samples and say a random selection taken from those of volunteer donors." There was a pause of a little over a minute before the A.I. displayed the results of the sampling. "He took one thousand random samples and none of them possess that particular series of gene expressions."

"Overlord, display primary sample Delta please." Bob requested. "Run it against ten thousand samples. "Isolate and display atypical portions of her DNA."

"Her? You know who she is?" Jose asked.

"I know who all three of them are. The two identical samples are twin sisters, one of which is your boss' wife. The third is their mother. If I am correct there should be even more interesting variations."

"I do not get it." Jose said flustered. "Can you explain?"

"Yes. Jason sampled his wife's DNA and found those very oddities you find so interesting. The origin came from her mother." Bob offered as Overlord did its work. At the mention of Iris' mom Jose's face went pale and he cast his eyes downward. "Tell me she is alive."

"Yes. She departed on her own power and at a time of her own choosing." He replied.

"She escaped you mean." Bob snarled as he slowly turned to face Jose. "Spill it, all of it." Jose did. "I do not believe it. Did he really think someone would not figure it out?"

"Sir, I really think you should see this." Surfer urged as she manifested and gestured taking over the holographic displays.

"...dead at the scene. If you are just tuning in Chief Inspector Michael Pendergrass of Scotland Yard dead from an apparent freak accident." The reporter informed the public that the veteran detective had fallen from a second story window of a gentleman's club and broke his neck. The case was still under investigation at this time and more details would follow as they became available.

"Pack your shit Jose," Bob ordered. "Your life ain't worth shit right now." The younger man never hesitated. "Meet me at the gate room in one hour. Grab only what is necessary. Once this blows over, I will be recommending you take over. Now, get moving." Jose fled out the airlock and through decontamination. "Overlord, green and go and inform Jason when he next speaks with you that I needed Jose to come with me back to headquarters to see about a promotion and a lab of his own."

"As you wish Sir." Overlord replied. "Green and go initiated. It will complete once you leave decontamination."

"Now, about these military contracts and Projects Area and Ariel. Who are funding them?" Booker asked and he tracked down the huge sums of money neatly tucked into an offshore bank account under the name of Iris Inkpen-Rainwater. Surfer found that the origins of the fund came from various government accounts and could go no further without alerting those nations. "Clever boy. When they look for all that dirty money it is nowhere to be found under your name. I wonder if Iris knows about this. I better keep her out of the loop for now. It would be safer for now."

"What are you going to do?" Surfer asked. "I know that look."

"Let us find out what is going on at the Zoo." Bob said his face locked in a mask of anger. "Fill Nick in if he has not already been. Time to go."

The Commissioner himself was at the crime scene soon after he heard about Pendergrass' death. The body had not yet been moved. Thirty years of experience and the proximity of the body to the outer wall was a clear sign of a fall and not being shoved. If he had been pushed, he would have been propelled away from the wall and landed further away. Could this simply be a terrible accident? Besides Mags and Pendergrass had been lovers before he joined the military. During his career he had worked his way from military police to military intelligence. His keen intellect had been well rewarded. The Commissioner had watched his climb to Chief Inspector once he left the military and was sure that Pendergrass would one day replace him when he retired.

The drones were scouting the area around the body. Back at the mobile lab a technician channeled the data to his station and took in the damage to the body. The Commissioner approached him and was filled in.

"Terrence." The Commissioner greeted him. "What do you think?"

"Too soon, the data is still coming in. What is clear is that the broke his neck on impact. He fell headfirst. His body weight plus the momentum were lethal. I am having the drones take samples to see if he was drugged. His BMI is fucked so we will not be getting info from that end. Sherlock will be queried of course. But he was found In Situ and no sign of him being moved. I do not get it. It smells fishy to me Garrett."

"Same here. I am going to talk to Mags and get her side of things." The Commissioner agreed. "I want a copy of the report when everything comes in."

"Thorpe has been assigned the case," Terrence added. "He won't let you down."

"Good, I have every confidence in him." He said as he headed into the club to speak with the owner. "What a waste." The older man cursed. He entered the club and noticed the controlled chaos in the form of renovations scattered all over. He took note of the clear tubes that formed a web and between those strands were the tables for the customers. There were stages where some had stripper poles while others did not. There was a plan here but what it was defied his logic. Mags was in her office waiting for him. She had not aged well. Her lifestyle had worn her down and it broke his heart to see her in this state. She wore a silk robe and comfortable looking slippers.

"Mags." He greeted her. "Give me the basics first." He got the story from her. The window had been open, a religious nut had thrown rocks through the opening, and Pendergrass had gone to it to investigate. A large stone struck him, and he lost his balance and fell. "Why was here in the first place?"

"I won't lie Garrett," Mags addressed him by his Christian name instead of Commissioner. "Michael and I have had a falling out since he got back, and I changed while he was gone. Sure, I ran a stable of fine fillies back in the day but now you can see that I have a legitimate business here. I have partners and the girls all have their proper paperwork. I had that little kerfuffle earlier smoothed over."

Mags stood in her office staring at the floor. She continued and explained their last dust up in detail.

"He took the damage to the camera out there as a reason to search the club. Truth be told he thought I was part of underground slave ring. He came over to talk it out. I begged him to finish searching the club to his heart's content. He was already in a bad mood when that looney old trout started chucking stones through the open window. He lost his temper and went over there to shout her down when that rock smote him, and he fell." Mags wept and the Commissioner left her alone to recuperate. He could tell she was not lying about Pendergrass' death in general, but the rest stank to high heaven.

"Sherlock?" He whispered as he walked towards the empty parking lot and the newly repaired camera.

"Yes Commissioner?"

"Is there any footage of the incident?" He asked.

"Negative. The technician did not arrive until after the death of the Chief Inspector."

"Did he now? Open the file regarding the Zoo and Pendergrass' findings." He ordered.

"I cannot comply." Sherlock stated coolly. "A court order was issued, and the case was closed, and all relevant data erased."

"Under whose authority?" The Commissioner snapped angrily.

"The Home Secretary himself." Sherlock said and he felt a chill run through him. "By the way, the Chief Inspector's personal effects have been collected and boxed up. Since he has no surviving family or spouse, what should I do with them?"

"I will take care of them." The Commissioner replied calmly.

"I felt like I was just beginning to learn about human nature from the Chief Inspector." Sherlock added. "I was looking forward to seeing if his theory was true or not."

"Theory... what theory?"

"Chief Inspector Pendergrass believed that there were one or more unreliable members of Scotland Yard." Sherlock stated.

"I need to return and look over Pendergrass' things." He said and rushed to his vehicle and when his driver approached, he waved him off. "I will drive myself. Get a lift home from a uniformed officer."

"Yes Commissioner." The driver replied puzzled at the older man's behavior.

The night shift was on and the box holding the late Chief Inspector's belongings was on his desk. They were scant and nothing that could be called sentimental save a single photograph of Pendergrass and several other men dressed in military fatigues posing in two rows. The front row kneeling and the rear standing. They were all smiling but each of them had the same distant look in their eyes. They had all seen combat, even Pendergrass. He was sent to locate a witness to a murder case when his position was overrun by enemy hostiles. The ensuring firefight earned him and four others the Blood Cross which had been recently created and with some struggle adopted by the military. The Blood Cross became the British version of the American's Purple Heart. It honored those wounded in battle and despite arguments that it was not a British thing, it recognized those that had once been invisible in society.

The Commissioner thought the King was doing a hell of job after the legendary reign of his grandmother. He was well connected to the people and much loved. Garrett carried the box of Pendergrass' possessions to his car and drove to the Chief Inspector's home. He cursed when he saw local police outside of the house. They were surrounding the area with blue police tape which would keep the public out. The front and back doors were marked with red tape which indicated that only technicians would be allowed beyond that point. The accidental death was looking less and less unintentional. He parked next to the crime scene van and got out. The sergeant approached him and filled him in on the break in. Even though the A.I. Sherlock should have been monitoring the house the thieves got in and ransacked the place.

"We do not know if anything was stolen as of yet and with his death well, we may never know." The sergeant stated honestly. The middle-aged man looked over his supervisor's shoulder and cursed. "Who the hell is this?" An expensive American made town car pulled up and parked. A tall athletic figure in jeans and a sweatshirt exited. He handed the Commissioner his credentials.

"Numenor?" The older man growled. "What does this have to do with you?"

"We maintain and monitor any aberrant activity with the A.I. you rely upon. Sherlock?" Bob said.

"Yes Sir."

"I need a report of your sensors over the last twenty-four hours." Bob requested.

"Hold on," the sergeant snapped. "Don't you need a warrant or something? This is a private residence."

"Read your contract." Bob replied jovially. "I am the good guy here. We both want to know how this happened. Don't we?"

"He is right Sergeant. I want to know how the hell this system was breached." The Commissioner said his voice bordering on rage. "Pendergrass was a friend of mine. I served with his father."

"But that is being ruled an accident, isn't it?" The sergeant stated clearly unsure of anything now. "It came over the wire that Mike fell out a window after hit by a stone."

"How long until the drones finish examining the crime scene?" The Commissioner queried ignoring the sergeant.

"Two more hours minimum," Sherlock replied. "Analysis complete. All my functions were within acceptable parameters until three hours ago. At roughly the same time as the Chief Inspector's death my memory was corrupted and entered a self-diagnostic mode isolated to this residence and the Chief Inspector's person. My other locations are unimpaired."

"Is there any data hinting at the cause of this event?" Bob asked feeling Nick's presence in the electronic ether waiting for the A.I. to reply.

"All data prior to entering SD mode is corrupted and unavailable." Sherlock said.

"Sherlock, self-quarantine, Nick is sending a back up to take over until you have been cleared for duty. Zephyr, log into Scotland Yard's archive and examine for any other signs of SD mode or any other abnormal behavior." Bob said as he held up an empty data crystal. A burst transmission directed at the crystal indicated Sherlock going into lock down mode. "Rest assured once our technicians discover the cause of this attack, we will fix it and share that information."

A second vehicle arrived. A gorgeous young lady exited and began passing out thermal containers of tea and coffee. Bob waited until the drones had finished their work and human technicians performed their own search. While A.I.'s had been believed to be infallible that myth had been put to bed. Human agency would be mandatory once more on all caseloads. Retired detectives and technicians were called in to fill in the gaps. While they tried to keep it out of the press someone leaked that a Numenor artificial personality had somehow been breached. This was the worst possible news. Nick Shaw was doing one interview after the other and finally released an official response. It amounted to we know and we are working on it.

Behind the scenes Nick was on the warpath. Bob did not get much sleep as the investigation progressed. Neither did the Commissioner. Pendergrass had found out something and he paid the price. The problem was that who could he trust to handle the investigation. The Zoo needed to be observed and it was not Scotland Yard watching, but Numenor security. He stood on the outside looking in. He hated it but if it worked, he would let it slide until charges were filed and the guilty parties brought to justice. The Commissioner pulled the crystal stopper from the decanter and poured its contents into a heavy glass tumbler with a single spherical ice cube.

"I will not rest until you are avenged." He vowed before slowly emptying the contents of his glass.

Oberon Awakens.

Jason Rainwater woke covered in sweat. The fever, brought on by the injector lying on the floor near his bed, had broken.

"The watch!" He cried out and when he rose too quickly his head swam and his vision filled with spots. "Slowly." He chastised himself. It was still there. Impossible as it was his grandfather's watch lay on the end table. He recognized it from his grandmother's description.

"You'll know it," she had said all those years ago. "The side of the case is marked with queer characters, symbols the watch maker placed there to safeguard it."

This watch bore odd alien glyphs and in his heart of hearts Jason knew that it had come home somehow. It was so hard to think. His mind and body were still adjusting. He rolled onto his side and stretched out. His index finger was just out of reach. He rocked his body, and he felt the chain beneath his fingertip. Jason pressed down hard and gently pulled. He could only see from his right eye since the left side of his face was buried in his pillow. The watch's casing drifted towards the edge and threatened to fall to the floor. He stopped, rocked forward and flung out his hand. It closed over the relic just before his forward momentous carried him to the floor. He landed near the metal cylinder and waited until the dizziness passed. He clutched the watch to his chest and remarked aloud.

"Heightened hearing... causing mild imbalance... vertigo should pass as soon as my brain adjusts." He said as if dictating his experience to an unseen secretary. He glanced at his smart watch to determine how much time it had taken for the contents of the injector to perform their task. "Eighteen hours." The treatment had taken twice as long as usual. Let us hope it is worth it he thought.

"Jason?" Iris Inkpen-Rainwater called out to her husband. "Are you alright?"

"You sound like I feel." Jason replied. "Lie still..."

"Oof!" She cried out as she tumbled to the floor. "I am fine."

"I tried to warn you. Dizziness should not last much longer." He told her as he tried and succeeded to stand. While he could stand, he relied upon the wall to keep him upright. He staggered into the bathroom leaning heavily against the walls. The lights, triggered by motion sensors, came on automatically. Jason turned to the bank of three mirrors set above the matching his and her sinks. "Ha! Better than I ever hoped!"

He had always been a handsome human male. It had been that beauty that had attracted the luscious Iris Inkpen in the first place. He had avoided the lesser therapies as he quietly developed what his reflection revealed to him now. "I have you to thank." He roared in delight.

"You mean the Sidhe, my mom told me stories about them when I was growing up." Iris replied her voice getting closer as she stumbled to the bathroom. "Oi, what did you do with my husband?" She purred seeing her transfigured companion. Her thoughts were filled with flashes of stories and words like Ley Lines, Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and the Queen of Air and Darkness. To her mom they were not stories but things to look out for.

"Damn, I do good work." He said as he pulled her in front of him so she could see her own reflection. They could have been siblings their coloring and physicality was so profoundly similar. He was a bit taller, thinner, his musculature finely chiseled, and his face androgynous. Her skin was Sunkissed which made her milky white hair stand out even more. She had been stunning before, now she was ethereal and other worldly. Her beauty far outstripped his easily. Before the injection she had been rounding on thirty-five now she looked barely out of her teens.

"My tits look amazing!" Iris exclaimed and then turned around and looked over her shoulder. "My ass is perfect, plump and round and dimples. I got Dimples of Venus so cute. You do unbelievable work. My eyes... they are violet." She leaned in close and the lights caused the irises in her eyes to narrow to slits like a great cat. She smiled and spied that her eye teeth were narrow with sharp fangs. "Eh, I will have to be careful giving head." Iris pushed her hair from her ear, and it was slightly elongated and quite pointy. She had elf ears, no, she had Sidhe ears just like her mom. She had envied her those cute ears and now they were hers.