Hidden by the Sea

[The Writing Owl]

"Welcome to marine lab 288! Here we deal with the more... unusual things found in the sea." Researcher Rollie said, smiling. He was showing the new guy around the lab. There were many different sea creatures and machines. The whole lab was a thousand leagues under the water. Being so deep down under the water gave the researchers a way to study the fish that lived in the darkest parts of the ocean as well as the different organisms that grew there.

Rollie stopped in front of a large door labeled, 'Specimen 632'. "This is where you will be working. Tough luck. This one is a bit... rough. Well, good luck."

He stepped aside. The door opened to A small room that was connected to what looked like a large sphere. Nothing seemed to be in the sphere except for some strange corals and black seaweed that shouldn't be growing at how deep they were underwater.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert blinked his eyes at the quick walk through and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He walked over to the door using the extendable id card to slide through the card port. The little red light changed to green with a beep and clanks sounded loudly as the locks opened and the door opened for him. 'What have I gotten myself into?' he asked to himself as he moved past the door. The room was considerably cooler than the rest of the place and he looked around. It was like something out of the movies.

There was lab equipment and a rather large sphere in center of the room. He hadn't been briefed on what his job would entail just yet but it had piqued his interest. He moved into his office and sat his briefcase down as well as his two rather large suitcases. He was going to be living here for the duration of his assignment. His office led back to his dormitory. A simple one bed, one dresser set up with bathroom and shower off of that. He sat on down at his desk and looked at the folder marked classified before him. He opened it up his eyes widening at the single word that stood out, mermaid.

 

[The Writing Owl]

A pair of black eyes watched him walk into the room. A young mermaid slowly swum out of her hiding place. She pushed against the glass, wanting to know if this was going to be another stupid human. She knew that humans didn't respond to her native language. They couldn't hear it. She remembered a song she heard one of the females sing. She wasn't sure if the song would work in getting him to come out of the room, but it was worth a try.

She cleared her throat and started to sing, "Upon one summer morning, I carefully did stray down by the walls of Wapping where I met a sailor gay... Conversing with a young lass, who seemed to be in pain saying, "William, when you go I fear, you'll n'er return again. My heart is pierced by Cupid. I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold."

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Rob looked down at the words as if this was all a hoax. No way was the government looking left and right for someone to fill this top secret position and offering him a six figure salary for mythical creatures. He was about to stalk out to find his superior when he heard a melody. The voice of something singing and he looked around as if he was losing his mind. He closed the file pushing it away from him before standing and peeking out the doorway towards the large metal doors.

There was nothing there and he turned his head, his azure eyes searching for where the sound was coming from. His gaze looked at the sphere and black eyes peered back at him. There within the water was a creature. He blinked his eyes a few times making sure he wasn't losing his wits about the first day on the job. He stepped out moving ever so slowly towards the sphere. "Holy shit." he said in a whisper as he was merely three feet away from the glass. There staring back at him was nothing else than a mermaid. His jaw was agape and he hadn't taken a breath since seeing her. Everything he had read, all the circumstantial evidence that history had was now all in shambles. They were real.

 

[The Writing Owl]

The mermaid smiled as she leaned against the glass. It was working! She needed to get him closer. She needed to see if he was like the other researchers. If he was, she would make sure he was fired. She showed herself for now, her purple tail keeping her afloat. The song got him out. It might get him closer. She tried to remember the lyrics, pushing away from the glass to do a quick somersault before swimming back.

She started to sing again. "His hair it hangs in ringlets, his eyes as black as coal. My happiness attend him, wherever he may go. From Tower Hill to Blackwall, I'll wander weep and moan all for my jolly sailor, 'till he return home. My heart is pierced by Cupid. I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold."

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert ran his fingers through his hair and then his hand framed his jaw before falling to his side. She moved back away from the glass and he stepped closer to see better and she was back, five inches from him she sang. It was melodic and beautiful and he imagined all the sailors that had stories of sirens, were definitely talking about mermaids. Every book he had read as a child, as a young sailor himself and during college in marine biology was real. He felt as if the world made more sense now.

She wasn't what he imagined a mermaid to be. She had the upper torso of a woman, with gills along her sides and the lower half made of scales. Her tail was long and billowy. It flowed around her almost as a dress skirt would. She was breathtaking and her eyes were so enticing he could barely keep himself from looking at her. Of course he probably looked like a crazed human gawking at her from behind the glass.

 

[The Writing Owl]

The mermaid tilted her head. She tried to remember how to speak the human language. "Who..." She started. She growled and pushed away from the glass. She couldn't remember the rest of the question. She could ask in her mother language, but he wouldn't understand. She swum around for a bit before coming back, running a hand through her purple hair like she had seen the man do. It calmed her. She took a deep breath and asked again. "Who?" She pointed to him, trying to communicate.

He was good-looking for a human. His black hair and blue eyes made her want to break out of the glass that separated them. She wanted to speak to him then take him back with her and drown him. Alright, she was hungry. She wondered when her food would be coming as she waited for the man's answer.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

[I literally choked when I read the part about drowning him lmao]

Robert watched her still completely baffled over what on earth he had gotten himself into. What in the hell was the government doing with a mermaid? He could imagine maybe a crazed lab dissecting her... his eyes shut tight at the thought. She was a marvel. The newest world wonder. There must be more of them. Everything blew through his mind and he was feeling a tad lightheaded. He watched as she spoke one word and he blinked his eyes.

She looked angry for a second and pushed off the glass swimming strikingly fast away. He stood there unable to move not knowing what he had done wrong. She was back soon and pointed to him with the single word, "Who?" He licked his dry lips and pointed to himself. "Dr. Robert Hughes." he said clearly. He shook his head and pointed again. "Rob." he pointed to her through the glass his finger coming to rest on it, "You?"

 

[The Writing Owl]

(Hungry mermaids gonna be hungry. :P)

Kai gave him an exasperated look. She wasn't stupid. "Kai." She said. She remembered something a pair of humans said in front of her. "Nice to meet you, Robert." She gave him a smile. She suddenly looked toward the east part of the sphere. Dinner was here. She waited, tensing a bit. Slowly, a large tuna fish swam over. It seemed innocent enough. It was the only fish in the tank though.

Kai shot at it. The small claws that were her fingernails dug into it as she ate it, red blood floating toward the top of the sphere. She didn't care that the human would think of her as a savage. They already did anyway. They thought she was a stupid animal, something they could study. Yet, she had outsmarted all of Roberts predecessors and caused them to lose their jobs.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

[lol]

Robert looked as her face contorted in an expression he could only understand as exasperation. He felt like an oaf, much like in the movie Tarzan when they're introducing themselves. He didn't think she would have understood it any other way but as the minutes passed he was getting a better picture. She was intelligent and was only showing what she wanted to. He was already blown away and wanted to understand everything about them. It wasn't even to better himself in the community of scientists. It didn't matter if he never breathed what he saw before him today to a soul in his entire life. All he wanted was a chance to understand. To learn about the mythical creatures.

He watched as a single fish was sent into the sphere... it was a tank... a prison. His face angered at the thought and he watched her as she hunted and ate the fish. What in the hell was going on in this place? Why were they keeping her hostage? Why were they feeding her as if she was a pet? It was all angering him and he watched on. There was so much unknown and he was going to demand answers soon. By the looks of it Kai was hungry and she enjoyed tuna... or at least that's how it looked like. He crossed his arms, one of his hands coming up to rest his chin on. "Hmm." he said walking around the sphere watching her from different angles. It was a large tank but either way... that was a prison for this creature of sea. She had probably seen near almost all the world and yet here she lay, trapped in a bubble. But my... was she beautiful.

 

[The Writing Owl]

Kai finished the fish, a bit of blood staining her lips. She let the remains of the fish float to the bottom with the rest of them. She swam around the sphere for a few times before noticing a strange machine. It looked like it was made out of the same material as her arm bracelet was. She called out to Robert, "Oi!" After he walked over, she pointed at the machine, wanting him to use it. It had a strange word on it that she didn't know. It was spelled T, R, A, N, S, L, A, T, E.

Kai got impatient when he didn't do what she asked right away so she pointed again, giving a small trill in the back of her throat. It sounded like a song bird when she trilled. She circled around the area, waiting for the human to get the hint.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert looked up when she called to him. He looked at her as she motioned towards something. He looked that way and back at her. What did she want him to do? One of the top marine biologists of his time and he would probably be the dope to listen to every word she said and end up losing his job. Hell as the moment stood if he could free her he would. He was just so curious. He looked down at a weird machine that sat right beside the sphere. It said translate. Maybe this would make it easier to communicate. He pressed the button not sure if it would translate whatever he said or hers. Some lights lit up and he spoke into the microphone. "Hello?" he asked unsure.

 

[The Writing Owl]

Kai flinched, letting out a small scream. He shocked her! That mother-effer shocked her! "Atlantis damn you, what was that for?!" She asked, wrapping her arms around her waist. Though she was speaking in her native language, all he heard was English. She tried to touch her arm where the shock originated from but whimpered, a burning sensation running up her arm. It hurt whenever she moved it or when the water touched it. So, it hurt all of the time.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert jumped at her scream. He didn't know what he had done and guilt shot through him. He looked from the machine to the bracelet on her arm. It seemed to be made of the same material. It might be a transponder already infused into her body. What kind of barbaric contraption was this? He looked at her through worried eyes and shrugged. "I have no idea but I understand you now... Maybe it just zapped you when turning on? I definitely want to take a better look at this.... are you all right Kai?" he asked watching as she whimpered. He felt responsible

 

[The Writing Owl]

"It hurts..." Kai said quietly, looking like she was going to cry right then and there if the tank wasn't already full of water. She leaned against the glass, whimpering more. She was in serious pain. The skin around the bracelet was red and nearly bleeding. She looked up at Robert, begging him to let her out. She wanted the offending metal off, and she wanted something to help with the pain. Of course, the other researchers were 'fascinated' and just watched her writhe in pain. She wanted out.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert knew nothing about her. He didn't know about her body. If she could breathe outside of the sphere or what on earth he could do to get that damn bracelet off of her. Her eyes longed... plead for him to help and he could feel his chest tightening in despair. His eyes looked around to what he could do. There was a staircase that led down somewhere and he quickly ran down. The room he entered looked horrific. There was a metal sealed door that opened up to a different room with a pool that had an opening with a sealed door that connected to the sphere. He blinked his eyes looking for a way to open that sealed door so she could move into the pool area and he could help her. He put his badge up to the door's coder and it opened. He was amazed and he ran into the other room with the pool. There was a control panel on the wall and a pad. He looked it over pressing his palm against it. The machine lit up and a bell sounded as the door was opened and water filled the pool halfway. He turned to the sphere touching at the glass and pointing for her to move into the pool area.

 

[The Writing Owl]

Kai nodded and quickly swam down. Once she reached the pool, she poked her head above the water. She looked at him, her gills closing so she could breathe with her lungs. She swam to the shallow end. "Help..." She whimpered, holding her injured arm. Her tail was out of the water mostly. The purple scales shone in the dim light. Her black, pupilless eyes begged him to help her.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert knew that she could kill him very well as soon as she wanted to and he took the chance. He ran over to her, the water coming up to his thighs as he moved as close as he could to her. His hand hesitated slightly as he reached out holding it trying his hardest not to cause her any more pain. He could see the bracelet was infused into her arm and was probably connected by nano technology to the radial nerve.

"This might hurt. I will do my best not to hurt you." he said looking into her black eyes before pulling an instrument from his lab pocket. It looked like a scalpel scissor hybrid. He tried to bend the metal without it yanking at her flesh. He didn't want to cut her. Once the metal was bent far back enough the only thing left was to pull after he made sure it wasn't bent inwards and would rip her arm. He kept his hand steady and looked her in the eyes hoping that it was just held together without an actual connection to the nerve. "Bare with me." he whispered as he pulled the metal piece out of her. It was a full two inches deep and the ending had a microchip with sensors that just buffed up to the nerve.

 

[The Writing Owl]

Kai whimpered. Her tail hit the water a bit, splashing him. She kept her eyes on him. She wanted to swim away to stop the pain, but she knew that wouldn't happen. She just had to bare with him. "It hurts... It hurts so much..." She whispered, hoping to ease the pain on herself by whining about it. She felt her tail spasm randomly, covering them both in water.

 

[Metal_Baby_Lulu]

Robert hate the thought of causing her pain. He threw the piece towards the ground over by the door and felt at her hand hoping that was all within it. He didn't know how her body worked of what he could give her for pain. Bandaging it wouldn't really work with her being underwater. One thing he learned though, she could breathe normally with her gills shut. His hand held her wound, a gauze coming up to wipe at blood.

"I'm so sorry. Had I known it would hurt you I wouldn't have hit that blasted button. You probably won't be able to talk to me now that was definitely an internal translator meshed right into your nervous system. Lord what have these brutes done to you." he said talking mostly to himself but aloud as he did when his mind couldn't catch up.