"No."
"Well, here, check it out." He had Sarah at the other side of the table. He turned it on, and got the plastic puck ready. He put it on the white surface, and snapped it suddenly to send it racing across! Merrick jumped from the fast shot across the table before him. Sarah blocked the puck with a thrust of her mallet, making it shoot back to Jacob.
"The GOAL is TO block the PUCK from coming INTO THE slit!" Jacob hit the puck again, and sent it claking into Sarah's goal, "Get it?"
"I think so..." Merrick replied. He and Sarah took places. He tilted his head, and put a hand onto the table. His eyes widened as he could feel the tiny flow of air from the many dots all over the table. He smile as he waved his hand around the airs several times.
"Yeah, kinda cool, isn't it?" Jacob asked with a smile. Merrick grabbed his mallet, and saw Jacob get another puck onto the surface, "Ready?" Merrick nodded, and Jacob hit the puck. Merrick's reflexes kicked in, and darted his mallet to the side. The puck hit and bounded off of the mallet, and raced back to Jacob. Jacob blocked the puck again, before Merrick sent it flying over to the goal. Jacob looked up, dumbfounded from the quick defeat. A couple of the other people looked, and turned. Jacob hasn't lost a game of Air Hockey ever since he joined the Agency a couple of years ago.
"Whoa..." Merrick smirked as the scientist brought another puck onto the surface. The two of them came into a locked battle. The other people gathered and watched as Merrick's quick hand blocked the puck every single time.
~~~
"Yes, these creatures DO exist," Merrick said with a nod when one of the scientists asked about the Loch Ness Monster, "Although, we call them 'Niseags'. They're dangerous in the ocean, but the ones in the waters you stated are a lot more calm."
"Wait," Said the scientist, "There's more than one, alive?? In existence???"
"Yes, there is." Merrick answered.
"But how? We have never found evidence that suggests a continued species."
"I was once told that you humans know very little about the ocean," He stated, "How can ANYONE be so conclusive about a world they don't know?"
~~~
TAC TAC TAC, CLICK CLICK
"Ahh!" Merrick gritted his teeth as the yellow ball on the screen died again.
WOO WOoo woo – WAP WAP
Pacman vanished once more into the digital blackness after falling prey to orange ghost.
"I just can't win this thing!" Merrick said as Sarah started the game again.
"But aggravatingly addictive, isn't it?"
"YEEES!" Merrick answered while he worked at the game again.
~~~
"But he wouldn't leave," Merrick said, "He tried to save me as I was being sucked in, but I knew he'd only get swallowed too." He shook his head, "So I just told him to warn the pod, and get out of there..." He looked up at the captivated humans, "Next thing I knew, I let myself fall into the darkness, into the Ghost Whale's jaws."
"And after that? What did it look like on the inside?" Jacob inquired.
"I don't know." Merrick said, "All I saw was darkness..."
"So, how did you get out?"
"... It was my Mother." Merrick said, "I don't know how, but she turned the Ghost Whale inside out. I remember I was suddenly surrounded by all sorts of deepfish, swimming away from the ribs of a whale as fast as they can. And I saw my best friend's mate holding my sister. My Mother came up behind me, and guided me away from the skeleton."
"And what happened to the Ghost Whale?"
"It disappeared. The moon came back, and it disappeared. There is the possibility that since it has seen my Mother, it'll eventually come back for her."
"That kind of sounds like a Japanese legend." Said one of the scientists.
"Trust me," Merrick said, "I WISH it was just a legend."
~~~
Daniel and Merrick make their way down the hall, towards the tank room.
"Thank you, for today." Merrick said, "Almost made me forgot why I'm here..." Daniel smiled as he unlocked the cell door, and escorted Merrick to the empty tank.
"No problem..." He really wishes he could let this kid go free. He really does.
Daniel unlocked the cuffs before Merrick climbed into the tank. Daniel turned the crank, and the machine roared into life to filter and transfer the water back into Merrick's tank. Daniel watched as the tank filled up, and Merrick soon transformed again.
He waved goodbye, and left to lock the place up for the night.
---The Next Morning---
Merrick loops around the tank. It may be smaller than he'd like, but it's just big enough for him to move and get a little excise. Though some long-distance swimming would feel really great right about now, or maybe at lease some fish and an otter to have for company.
As he looped around, he noticed the door of the room had opened. He frowned and growled as Nigel walked into the room with one of the guards.
"Having fun?" Nigel asked, knowing full-well Merrick can't hear him in the tank. Daniel went to the machine to adjust and switch the notches to activate the machine, and turn the wheel to have the water drain the tank.
It didn't take long for the water to disappear from Merrick's tank, but he was still was in his true form.
"Why is he still like this? What happened to the air pumps?" Nigel asked. Daniel tapped and tinked at the air control, yet the air motors are not working.
"I think it might be broken. I can't get it to work."
"Fine. Call one of the other guards and get some towels. I'll wait in the appointed room." With that, Nigel turned and left.
~~~
Merrick grunts as he is pinned down and restrained tightly in this broad, empty room, with a large tub of water held overhead by some grotesque contraption.
"Now, we're going to try something a little different," Nigel said, "It's a VERY old tactic, but it's more or less efficient either way."
"And what would that be?" Merrick asked.
"It's an ancient technique called the Chinese Water Torture." He began, "It's simple, but it can take forever. See," Nigel gestured for the container, "What this thing does is drip a single drop of water every 30 seconds. The victim is left there for hours at a time – even a full day, if the will is strong, until they beg for it to stop."
"..." Merrick scoffed, "Where's the torment in that? It's just water, not lava or anything. It can't do any damage."
"Maybe not physically." Nigel said, before he knelt down, "But that's not the Water Torture is for. It's the consistency that does the damage." Nigel said in his low, death-tone, "Nothing else is happening, no one else is around. It's just you, and the water that keeps dripping and dripping and dripping to no end. Meanwhile, you're not moving, no food, no trips to the toilet. You're just forced here... Until you go mad. In our experience, it doesn't take more than a couple of hours for the victim to start begging like an insane asylum."
"So that's your brilliant plan?" Merrick sneered, "Leave a merman here with a water machine for hours until I lose my mind? YOU'RE the one who's insane, Human."
"Heh." Nigel said, "We'll see, won't we, Merrick." Nigel stood up, and left the room. The scientist there, turned on the machine, and a single, cold drop of water fell from the contraption. A dot of blue appeared at the center of Merrick's forehead where the drop touched him. The scientist left, taking a look of pity upon the blonde male, and left him.
--- 10 Hours Later ---
Nigel smiled with glee as he looks over the two, detailed pages of the information Erin had strung together. "Nice..." He commented, "Very nice..."
"This is all of the information I've gotten together..." Erin said, her eyes sunken, her skin looking poor, her hair lacking its usual graceful curl style.
"This bit about the Ghost Whale is fascinating," Nigel said, "A phantom sperm whale appearing during a New Moon. I wonder what other sorts of creatures..." He looked, and noticed his assistant yawning and rubbing her eyes, "Erin, you doing ok?"
"Yes, I..." She yawned again, and continued, "I just haven't been sleeping well lately. I've just been feeling out of sorts."
"Well, I hope you get yourself together so..." Nigel stopped. He felt his chest as that racking came upon him again.
"Sir?"
"Hggm- Ehhggmm!" Nigel coughed, "One moment," Nigel grabbed for a paper towel, and began coughing horrendously.
"Mr- Nigel, are you alright?!" Erin said as she came up to him. Nigel's eyes clenched shut as he gagged violently into the bit of paper. He leaned and hacked nonstop for two and a half minutes.
Erin gasped as she saw the paper towel half covered in blood. "Mr Quinlan, you-"
"Nigel," He said, coughing a little again, "And I'm fine," His voice his distorted from the rough session he had just had.
"No, you're not fine," Erin persisted, "We need you to-"
"KNOW your place," Nigel snapped, giving her a deadly gaze, "I. Am. Fine." He snarled lethally, like an old injured wolf ready to rip her arm off. Erin shook, but nodded slowly. "Good. Now, let's see how the damn fish is fairing."
~~~
Nigel and Erin go to the chamber of which Merrick is being detained for the Chinese Water Torture, with the scientist over looking the session. "So, how's the treatment going?" The scientist looked Nigel, looking a little unease, "Is he showing any signs of breaking?" He asked roughly.
"Um... N-No..." The scientist responded.
"What??" Nigel looked, and saw that Merrick's head is completely wet – soaked and fish-like. His eyes and gills are closed, and the look of utmost tranquility portrays on his face, "What." Nigel yanked the door opened, and burst into the room. Merrick opened his eyes to see his flustered captor glaring at him.
The merman smiled softly, "Is this really supposed to be a torture?" He asked, "I have never felt more peaceful in my life." The look of cold fury in Nigel's face gives Merrick a huge feeling of amused satisfaction, "I told you, Human." Merrick said, "I'm a creature of water. What made you think that this sort of torture would EVER work on me?"
"Get him in the interrogation room. One hour." Nigel said before he turned and left.
"Foolish savage." Merrick mumbled. He looked up at Erin, still smiling calmly, "Is he a Redneck too?"
Erin couldn't help but chuckle – Keith was REALLY pissed off when she last saw him.
~~~
Merrick is escorted, as usual, into the interrogation room, where that old, condescending human waits at the table, with a pitcher of water, a single glass, and a box. Merrick's eyes stayed locked on that pitcher – sure, he's doing fine with the water in the tank, but it's distilled, as opposed to the fresh morsel in the pitcher – like a breath of fresh air after sleeping in a stuffy garage.
He was seated down to face Nigel once more, leering at Nigel. Nigel poured himself a glass of water, like always, and set it aside.
"So. Merrick," Nigel began, "What can you tell me about merfolk fashion?"
"Nothing. A lot less than what you humans insist on throwing on yourselves. It's a wonder how you're able to move at all."
"Heh heh heh, yeah. I suppose you're right. I'm just wondering," Nigel opened the box, and pulled out a picture of The Little Mermaid's VHS poster, "She how this mermaid wears these purple shells over her breasts?"
"You mean that ridiculous rendition of merfolk?" He said with his arms crossed, "I swear, some of you humans are just impossible."
"Fair enough, but I'm asking about what merfolk WEAR." Nigel said
"I know. I'm still not answering."
"I see..." Instead of drinking the water, as Merrick expected, Nigel put his hand into the box, "I ask because, I found these, and..." Nigel took out a large scallop shell fragment with silver designs etched onto it. Merrick's eyes locked onto as his stomach sank. Nigel placed it onto the table, and took out a few large shards of the shell, and placed them carefully on the table, arranged so to show how it would look like before it was broken.
"There's another one too – a pair." Nigel said as he took another half broken shell out of the box, and placed its other half onto the table. Merrick took one of the pieces, and looked at the shell, tracing his fingertips along the ornate, silver designs.
"They seem to mean something to you..." Nigel commented as he watched Merrick closely, watching as he held the broken shell, "Huh, Merrick?"
Merrick's eyes watered as he remembered when he pulled himself from the beach. When the mark on the back of his neck prickled on his flesh, still fresh from his mother's magic. It was pouring rain, and he... He threw these shells off of him. They broke to pieces on a rock. He recalls having to drag himself from the beach, pulling himself to Adam's dwelling, with it constantly raining the whole time.
"Or," Nigel said. Merrick looked up, his heart racing, "How about these?" Nigel lifted up a belt of small shark teeth, strung together by old, but firm fishing line. Two of them. Merrick took one of the tooth belts. He remembers ripping these off his body, and thrusting them away from him as well. These tooth belts have been mended since then.
The merman held these precious, painful remnants together – the broken white and silver shell and the crusty line of shark teeth.
"So how about it, Merrick?" Nigel asked. Merrick's blue eyes immediately glared at the old human, "How often did you wear these items?"
Merrick swung his arm, and sent the shell flying to the wall to his right. It smashed into pieces from the impact, "These mean NOTHING." Merrick said, his fiery blue eyes locked onto Nigel's.
"Heh, yeah..." Nigel said calmly, "I suppose you don't, considering." Merrick tensed as he glared at him more.
"Considering what?"
"Considering how long you stay at a human house." Nigel said, "We've been watching you for a long time, and in all of the year and a half you have been living there, not once have you gone into the ocean." He explained. Merrick's eyes narrowed, "I'm lead to believe that you, at one point in time, had a family." Merrick's fist clenched around the tooth-belt, "And yet, you remain out of the ocean, away from your kind. Did you decide you'd rather live with a human than be with your family?" Tears of rage seeped from Merrick's eyes as he breathed deeply.
Nigel put the box aside, and picked up the glass of water. "Now, next question, and I'll give you a drink." Merrick didn't say a word.
"How about that tattoo of yours?"
Those blue eyes widened. Nigel smiled softly, "Humans have tattoos all the time. It's their way of decorating their skin. But what does it mean to merfolk?" The blonde's angry silence was all that came from the younger man, "I notice it's an ornate design of a heart. What does that mean, Merrick Piscien?" Merrick felt himself shake with bloodlust, "Is it a mark of honor among merfolk?"
"Shut. Your. Mouth." Merrick said, barely able to contain his wrath.
"A mark of honor, or not?" Nigel said, "And a heart. Were you, say..." Nigel quirked a smile, "The best lover of your pod, perhaps?" He asked. A few drops of blood seeped between Merrick's fingers, where he was gripping the shark-tooth belt.
"Not gonna answer me? You look a little tense. Correct me if I'm wrong, please." Nigel said.
"Every spot of you is wrong, Human." Merrick snarled, feeling his throat thicken.
"Alright then." Nigel brought the glass of water to his chapped lips.
"KEEEEEEEEEEGGGHHHHHHH!"
KEEK-KSSHHH!
Klickak-keehh
A loud, wild screech came from Merrick's mouth. The glass cup and pitcher shattered into shards, "Ahhh!" Nigel jumbled in his seat as the icy water spilled from the sudden burst of glass. The guards had flinched from the noise, backed up against the wall for the moment.
Nigel starred at Merrick through half-squinted eyes. Merrick's throat is rumbling and hissing lowly as he glared at him with eyes of hatred. He looked down at the many shards of glass on the table. He picked up the biggest of the wreck, and examined it. Every inch of it is cracked, with very small reminder of the perfect surface it once had.
"Now..." He said as he turned it over, and looked at the door. The small, rectangular window of the door is shattered as well, "That is interesting..."
"Let..." Merrick seethed, "Me. Go." He snarled lethally. Nigel smirked and shook his head.
"Oh no, Mr Piscien." He stood up, "Or should I say, Merrick THE Piscien."
Merrick gasped as he looked up at Nigel, "How do you-"
"I think I'm going to go with Plan B now." Nigel said. He snapped his fingers, and the two guards that are in the room seized his arms.
"What are you doing now?!" Merrick demanded. Nigel ignored him, and brought a walkie to his mouth.
"Prepare the Reef Tank, and all of the needed facilities and equipment. We're doing this the 'Natural' way."
"What are you talking about?!" Merrick yelled, "Just let me go! Let me go before I KILL YOU!!!" He roared as the guards took him away, kicking and screaming. "I SWEAR BY THE LEVIATHAN, I WILL KILL YOU!!" Nigel just kept walking his opposite direction, not even turning his head, "YOU MONSTER! FACE ME NOW!!!"
---The Next Day---
"Rrrgh! Nnggh!" Because Merrick has revealed he can emit dangerous sound waves, he is now required to be escorted with his mouth sealed. Two new guards are taking him to a new direction of the Agency's building. Merrick eventually stopped struggling, and just walked until they came to a pair of large doors.
One guard kept Merrick bound, while the other went to open the doors. Once unlocked, the guards took him out, where he felt the first rush of fresh air in almost an entire moon.
The smell of the ocean immediately met with Merrick's nostrils. He gasped as he looked over the ocean, the wonderful, beautiful ocean. He struggled harshly against the guards, whimpering and groaning as if the sea itself is pulling him like a magnet. The guards can barely keep a grip on him, he's so strong.
"Dang it, cool your jets!" Said the guard as he yanked Merrick back. They forced Merrick over to this small area with testing facilities, monitoring machines, and other various equipment. Merrick growled as he spotted Nigel overseeing the scientists priming their contraptions.
Then again, are they letting him go?
Merrick could barely hold himself still as the scientists placed several conductors and electrodes around his body – one on his forehead, one on his throat, one on his chest and belly, two for each arm, two for each hand as well, one on his right thigh, and another on his left calf. These things stick to him firmly, and they tingle a little. Merrick can feel some lightning channeling inside them, and peaking inside him on a small degree.
"Ok, so this is what we're going to do," Nigel said, "We're going to examine you in your natural habitat. Know what that means?" Merrick shook his head, still unable to speak, "It means we're going to study you in the ocean." Merrick rolled his eyes, "Oh, you think you're actually going home." Merrick stared at him, "Well, you're not. Sorry." Merrick scoffed around his gag – these stupid humans are underestimating his speed. "We're going to examine you for a few hours, and then you're going back into the tank." Nigel instructed.
The guard took Merrick to the edge of the rock. He removed the gag, and shoved Merrick off before he can say a word.
Merrick dove straight into the water, and kicked his tail hard.
~~~
"We have a visual." Said one of the scientists as a 3-D image of the merman appeared on several of the 20 screens set up in their area. Nigel looked it over, and nodded. The other screens turned on, and showed the reef, seaweed, and oceanic environment. Two of them showed Merrick racing by. Another one saw him up above, while another saw him
"So far so good." He said, "How far as he traveled?"
"... 748 yards, sir." Said another scientist. Nigel raised his eyebrows.
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