One. She heard Dr. Auldon’s footsteps clacking on the tiled floor as he began making his way around to her. She ignored his approach. She could pull the plug faster than he could stop her anyways.

Two. The sound of her own drumming heartbeat began to drown out the rest of the world until it felt like she was trapped in a roaring vortex. Her throat closed and she was certain she was going to be sick by the end of it all.

Three. The door opened and Sophie looked up.

Her fingers were still wrapped around the head of the cord, and Sophie had already begun to pull when the sound of the door swinging open pulled her attention away for a fraction of a second. The small distraction was enough, and Sophie physically felt the blood bleed from her face as she froze and stared with widened eyes at the doorway. The doorway and the blonde, wheelchair bound girl in it.

Sophie’s heart stalled in her chest. What was she doing here? She couldn’t be here, not now of all times. Sophie opened her mouth, but only a small croak left her throat as she attempted to speak. Riley’s hair was strewn about her shoulders, dripping water over the over-large t-shirt she had pulled on. It was rumpled, and Sophie imagined the teen had thrown it on hastily, as the blanket Sophie had left with the chair down by the underwater entrance was also full of folds that hung off the sides and barely concealed her scales.

Riley’s light blue eyes fixed on her first, and while her brows were narrowed with concern, Sophie thought she could see a glimmer of relief shining in the icy irises. Sophie felt anything but.

Then Riley’s gaze flicked to the scientist and darkened like a sudden tempest. Just as quickly – and rather impressively – her features softened to an almost professional indifference and her focus returned to Sophie. “I finished the analysis on the tissue samples,” she reported. “I was hoping Dr. Patter was in to perhaps look over my work? Will he be back today?”

The inquiry stunned Sophie for a moment – her brain was still trying to catch up to Riley’s sudden arrival in the first place – before she caught onto the ruse and shook her head. “No,” she replied, finally having found her voice. “He won’t. But now’s not a good time,” she warned.

It was too late, of course, as Dr. Auldon had already turned to examine her. “And who are you?” he inquired with interest lacing his tone.

Riley’s smile widened and she extended a hand towards the scientist. “Carmen,” she replied without missing a beat. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Carmen is one of Lewis’ interns. Fifth year in marine microbiology. She’s interning here while studying the buildup of toxins in marine mammals. Carmen, this is Dr. Auldon.”

Riley smiled and dipped her head at the man.

“You look a little young to be starting your masters already,” Dr. Auldon observed.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Riley replied.

“Yes they can,” Dr. Auldon agreed. “Did you go for a swim on your way over?”

Riley glanced down at her soaked shirt and sopping hair. “Oh, no,” she said as she waved a hand as if waving away the notion. “I had to go by the dolphin tank. Their new routine is coming along well, but…I guess I got too close.”

“So, it would seem,” Dr. Auldon hummed, though his tone was dry.

A frown replaced the civil smile on Riley’s features. “I am sorry but working at a marine park tends to come with the hazard of getting wet occasionally. If it bothers you-”

“Oh no,” Dr. Auldon placated. “Not at all. It is only water. No, a wet shirt hardly bothers me, but being lied to does. Carmen, was it? I would have sworn you went by Riley.”

Up until that point, Riley had been smiling and speaking with carefully curled lips. She never could conceal her long fangs properly, but once Auldon spoke, Sophie watched in horror as Riley’s lips pulled back into a wide grin that flashed the ivory incisors clearly. “True,” she conceded. “But given the circumstances, you can hardly fault me wanting to decoy my identity.”

Dr. Auldon had already started to step towards her, and Sophie straightened up, hastening with the desire to put herself between the scientist and the Mer. She was too late, however, as the scientist grabbed Riley firmly by the face and bent to meet her gaze. “You’ll come to learn I’ll fault you for whatever I want, and you’d best be honest and obedient,” he warned.

“Let her go,” Sophie growled. Shockingly, it was Riley that held up a hand to stop her.

“It is alright, Sophie,” she said calmly. That same hand came up to catch Dr. Auldon by the wrist, and Sophie saw her fingers curl so her long nails were digging in. “Careful. I am not six years old, nor am I a frightened human girl with no idea how to utilize the natural weapons of our bodies. You are outmatched this time, and I would love nothing more than to tear your throat out.”

“Then why haven’t you?” Dr. Auldon countered.

“Because I need you to save my friend,” Riley bit back. In one fluid movement, she ripped her face from his grasp and nodded towards Katie’s prone form.

“We were just discussing the problem with that,” Dr. Auldon told her.

“I know. You want Luna. She is not here, and I will kill you before I let you get your hands on her again.”

“Then we are at the same impasse,” Dr. Auldon shrugged.

Sophie sighed and tightened her grip around the cord she was still clutching. “Riley,” she spoke firmly to catch the Mer’s attention. “Go home. Please.”

“Yes,” Dr. Auldon agreed. “Go and show me where your little nest is. I’ll find it eventually, might as well speed up the process and keep the family all together.”

Riley bared her fangs and pulled her lips into a warped snarl as she hissed at him. Sophie had always found the sound intimidating, but the scientist didn’t so much as flinch.

“Miss Brooks, I would advise you to step away from that plug now. I understand your desire to protect your daughter by giving her a peaceful death, but I assure you; if you pull that plug, diplomacy flies out the window. I cannot spare her in the field without Suzie, but given some time back at my own lab, I may be able to get her body functioning again. If not, she’s still valuable for her autopsy, but either way, I will be wanting my subject back alive.” Dr. Auldon’s gaze was firm and hard as he stared her down. Despite the threat in his words, Sophie despised how nonchalant his demeanor seemed, with his hands folded casually behind his back. He made no move to step towards her or actually stop her, as if he just expected to be obeyed.

She wanted to yank the cord free just to spite him and spare her daughter further indecencies, but diplomacy was crucial with Riley in the room. Taking a shaky breath, she reluctantly released the cord and took a few steps back away from the wall. As she did, she glanced at Katie’s face and was slammed with the jarring mental image of her daughter’s limp body flayed out on an autopsy table. It was her breaking point and the room spun. A soft whine left her lips and her knees buckled from under her.

“Sophie!” Riley’s panicked tone broke through the haze descending on Sophie, but only barely. Then she heard a loud bang, and Riley was on the floor beside her in a few seconds.

Hitting the floor had jarred Sophie, and her vision was still swimming, one shaky arm barely supporting her upper torso while her legs splayed out beneath her.

Riley’s hair and skin were still wet, but she was warm and sturdy, and when her arms wrapped around Sophie, the woman didn’t protest slumping against her slightly. Riley didn’t seem to mind. If anything, her grip hugged tighter. A rumbling hum rose in Riley’s throat and Sophie could feel it vibrating in her chest as Riley maintained a tight grip.

Though she still felt woozy, the strange purr was helping calm her a little, and Sophie took a breath as she bit back tears. “I’m okay,” she promised the Mer in a soft whisper. Riley only hugged her tighter in response.

After a moment, the blonde teen pulled away and twisted to glance back at the scientist, who Sophie finally noticed had not moved or seemed to care in the slightest. If anything, his only focus was studying Riley’s brightly colored tailfins as they lay flopped on the tiled floor.

Riley cleared her throat with a sound that was more like a growl than anything. “That thing you need from Luna…it exists within all of us?”

“Theoretically, yes,” Dr. Auldon replied as he crouched down over Riley’s tail. “Fascinating,” he murmured. He reached out a hand and Riley responded by tugging her tail up close to her body so that her fins were out of his reach.

She growled again. “So, you could take it from me instead?”

“No,” Dr. Auldon refused. “That would be incredibly risky. You are an entirely different genetic host and there is no telling what drastic reactions Katherine’s body could have.”

“Luna and I are related,” Riley pointed out. “And I am closer in age to Katie. Surely if you are willing to use the blood of a twelve-cycle Mer in a sixteen-cycle human, then that of one only a cycle older should be preferable, yes?”

“I don’t think you understand how genetics work,” Dr. Auldon responded dryly. “I would only consider it if you were identical twins, and you aren’t.”

When Riley frowned and her brows furrowed, Sophie gently squeezed the girl’s shoulder. “It’s more complicated than simply matching blood types, Riley. Katie already has two strands of DNA woven together. What Dr. Auldon is trying to say is that it’s dangerous to add a third, regardless of similarities. You would have to be virtually identical to Luna for it to work.”

Riley nodded. “I understand what he is saying,” she agreed. “But I do not understand the reluctance to try. Dangerous is not impossible, and she is dying either way.” Riley’s eyes were wide and glistening as she spoke, and then she twisted back to stare at Dr. Auldon. “Her scent is that of sickness and death, and while I do not know how the machines are sustaining her, I know that they will not for very much longer. If you truly do wish for her to live, what is the harm in taking the risk? The worst that could happen is it kills her, yes? That is the guarantee if we do not try.”

Sophie nodded and rubbed Riley’s shoulder. There was a lump rising in her throat at Riley’s insistence. Spinal fluid extraction had to be an excruciating process, and Riley had not known Katie for very long. “Is it possible? If there’s a chance, we should take it. It’s just a question of whether or not you can do it.”

Dr. Auldon sighed and shoved his glasses up onto his forehead to massage his temples. “Theoretically, yes. Getting Katherine on an IV of omega fluid should support a physical recovery. We have found the Mer DNA to be far more dominant. It will take over with no trouble. The risk lies in whether the DNA of this Mer will be stronger than Suzie’s. If it is, given her radically different physique, it may force more extreme mutations that will either warp and debilitate Katherine, or cause her to perish entirely. If it isn’t, then it should simply act as a booster, much like a blood transfusion. Either way, it may be too late for a full recovery.”

“You’ve come all this way to get her back already,” Sophie reminded.

There was a long lapse of silence between the three of them, broken only by the sound of Riley’s scales sliding over the tiled floor as she shifted her weight. “I’ll need to do some bloodwork,” Dr. Auldon said finally. “And a physical examination.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “More lying still?” she groaned. “Fine.”

Sophie shook her head and gathered the Mer up in her arms. The wheelchair she had previously been sitting in was pushed against the wall and fallen on its side. It must have happened when Riley launched herself out of it earlier.

Instead of bothering with it, Sophie plopped her down in the wooden chair she herself had been using the past few days. “Just sit still and let him do what he needs to,” she requested softly. She tucked a stray strand of Riley’s hair back behind her ear and then stood up and backed out of the way. Dr. Auldon had set his briefcase down on a corner of the bed Katie wasn’t occupying. He opened it and pulled out a stethoscope first.

Though she was hovering purposefully to hopefully make Riley feel a bit more secure that someone was watching over her, Sophie could see the nervous expression on the Mer’s face. While the scientist was prepping, Sophie stepped forward again and leaned close to press her forehead against Riley’s. The Mer’s eyes closed and she hummed softly.

“Just relax, I won’t leave you,” Sophie promised. She spoke so quietly, she was surprised she even spoke at all, but she knew Riley had heard. Then she hooked her fingers into the bottom of Riley’s shirt and carefully pulled it up over her head. She needed to grill the teen later to find out how and why she was here, and ensure everyone else was safe, but she couldn’t do it in front of Auldon. For now, she simply gave Riley a look that told her they needed to talk later. Riley blinked slowly, then dipped her head once.

Dr. Auldon cleared his throat, and Sophie reluctantly stepped aside. The man knelt down in front of Riley and pressed the end of the stethoscope to her chest. “Take a deep breath,” he instructed her. “You know how to count?”

“Yes.” Riley’s response was bitter, and Sophie did not blame her. She hated how casually Dr. Auldon seemed to treat a girl – who had just held an intelligent conversation with him – like she was an animal with little more intelligence than an infant.

“Then take a deep breath and count to five before you exhale. Do it silently,” he ordered firmly.

Riley rolled her eyes, but obeyed. Sophie watched her chest expand, and a few seconds later, her breath whooshed out in one rapid huff. On his instruction, she did it again.

“Your heart is stronger than your cousin’s,” he reported in a dismissive tone as though he was not truly talking to her.

Regardless, Riley leaned in close with narrowed eyes. “Perhaps that is because I am more active and did not spend my growth years underfed in a tank too small to move in,” she hissed.

Dr. Auldon’s features split into a wide grin and he reached up to pat Riley on the head. “That’s right, such a clever little fish. A more active mermaid is going to have a stronger heartbeat. But wild mermaids are more prone to infection and injury than those housed in a safe, secure environment,” he taunted in a condescending tone while poking the large scar on Riley’s hip.

The Mer flinched, and then bared her fangs and growled. “Because no injuries ever befell my cousin,” she retorted with enough venom in her tone that Sophie flinched back too. She understood Riley’s rage; Luna’s life was a horror story come true.

“She lived in a controlled environment with some of the best medical care available; she never faced any dangers such as bleeding out in the water because she got into a fight.”

“Enough,” Sophie cut in. She’d had more than enough of the scientist and she wanted nothing more than to throw him out so she would never have to look at him again. But while she knew she needed to let him do his job, she did not have to allow him to make a mockery of the Mer sacrificing part of herself to save another. “Please, Dr. Auldon, we are on a time constraint. Just get what you need.”

“Patience, Miss Brooks. I would like to properly evaluate the health and strength of this mermaid before I put her at risk to save a condemned one.” He grabbed one of Riley’s arms and began squeezing the bicep, pinching every few centimeters as he worked his way down the arm. “Good muscle tone,” he observed as he passed the elbow and continued down.

Riley squirmed slightly and while she did not protest, Sophie observed the look on her face indicated she would much rather pull away.

Dr. Auldon frowned when he reached the middle of her forearm. “What’s this?” he muttered. He began stretching the skin as he probed with a finger. After a moment, a small bit of his fingernail dipped into a grove and Riley hissed sharply and yanked her arm from his grasp. “An injury?”

“No,” Riley growled back as she rubbed her arm. “A pouch, and not for fingers.” She continued to rub the skin for a moment longer, and then stretched her arm back out. The skin flaps parted slightly as her spines raised up out of them, stretching the vibrant membrane into view as she flexed it.

“Ah, I was wondering about those. I’d heard them mentioned a few times. You were supposed to have another set, were you not?” he probed as his eyes began wandering her tail.

Riley shifted her weight and sighed. The scaled ridges running down the sides of her tail rustled and then began to pull away. Sophie always found it interesting how perfectly the membrane of her gliders folded up against her tail, covered by the scaled ‘arm’ that stretched their length. It acted as a perfect protection against the delicate fins.

“You are going to make a fascinating subject to study for sure,” Dr. Auldon decided. He reached back into his briefcase and removed a tourniquet and a syringe for the blood sample. Riley was frowning from his comment, but she stuck her arm out towards him without being prompted. Sophie suspected she did not like having him give her instructions. Her spines on this arm were still pulled in, but Sophie didn’t miss how the other set was flexing open and closed. She winced. She’d come to read some of Riley’s body language, and the girl was nerve wracked. Sophie hated that she was under so much stress.

If the scientist noticed her anxiety, he didn’t seem to care as he tightened the blue rubber band around Riley’s upper arm. After a quick swipe of a cotton swap, he pricked her with the needle. Riley kept her gaze glaring at the scientist as he drew blood, but Sophie thought she looked a little ill. She could probably see the needle in her peripheral vision, and Sophie knew how squeamish stitches made her.

Thankfully, Dr. Auldon moved with clinical speed and efficiency, and before Sophie could step forward to distract Riley, he’d already tugged the syringe free from her flesh. Still, Sophie came around Riley’s other side with a cotton ball from the small jar she’d found earlier beneath the little sink in the room. She pressed it to Riley’s skin – where the teen hadn’t seemed to notice blood beading up where the needle was removed – and gave her a backwards half-hug as she did. She could feel the tension in Riley’s shoulders and it made her mind up for her on what to do in the situation.

“I’ll have to get the readout on this,” Dr. Auldon decided. “If it all looks clear and good, I’ll do the extraction when I get back.”

Sophie nodded once, but didn’t answer him. He knew where he was going, and she didn’t want to leave her girls alone.

He didn’t seem to expect her to tag along anyways, as he’d already walked out before Sophie would have had a chance to stand back up properly. Once he was gone, she darted around the chair and tugged Riley forcefully into her embrace. “What are you doing here?”

“I came back to-”

“Oh no,” Sophie wound up cutting her off as a realization struck her. “No. You track people, not places…Your family…with everything going on, it didn’t even occur to me that you would try to follow me and-”

“Sophie.” Riley’s calm tone cut through Sophie’s rant and she paused to glance at the Mer. “They are fine. Your friend found us. They are with Luna now.”

Instantly, Sophie sagged with relief. At least there weren’t more Mer in danger. “Wait, if they’re with Luna…you knew then, what was going on? Why did you come, Riley? Why did they let you come?”

Riley grinned cheekily and puffed out her chest. “Come now, Sophie,” she teased. “Did you think they could have stopped me?”

“It’s not funny,” Sophie replied sharply, though she felt a squeeze of guilt as she watched Riley’s smile falter. She didn’t want to yell at the girl, but she was truly cross with her. “This is dangerous, Riley.”

“I know,” Riley agreed solemnly. “But I had to come. I could not simply sit and wait while a big part of my family was at risk.” There was a fiery determination flickering in her pale blue gaze that made Sophie’s anger falter for a moment. Riley was reckless and headstrong, but she was far from stupid and her bravery was commendable.

Sophie sighed and swiped some hair off her face. “It means a lot, Riley, that you care this much and that you want to help. But the best thing you can do right now is to get out of here before he comes back. Putting yourself in danger too only gives them one more Mer to take back with them. Please don’t make me worry about you too, okay? Come on.” She lifted the wheelchair up from where it was still fallen against the wall. If she was quick, she might still be able to smuggle Riley back out the way she had come in.

“No.” Riley’s voice was calm and firm, but it felt like the first crack of thunder from an approaching storm. Sophie tensed as she turned back to see the girl shaking her head. “I will not leave, Sophie. You heard what that man said. If I leave, Katie is going to die. I will not allow my friend to die because I was too cowardly to face a risk.”

Sophie bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut as they began to sting and fill with more tears. “She’s already gone, Riley,” she gasped, her chest heaving as she forced the painful words out. “I just couldn’t accept it. But I should have – she begged me to – and I won’t let her death also bring the capture of you too. You need to go. Please,” Sophie’s voice broke and died in a whine as she pleaded with the stubborn Mer. She knew there was no way she could physically keep Riley from coming back, she needed to hope reason would get through to her.

There were tears glistening in Riley’s gaze too, and she reached out a hand to grasp Sophie’s wrist. “If there is a chance, I am going to take it. She means too much to you, to Luna, and I would have the chance to know her better. I am staying.”

Sophie’s heart sunk into the pit of her gut and her shaking legs gave out once more as she sagged back to the floor. She shouldn’t have pursued this option; it was only going to cause more harm than good.

She heard the chair creak as Riley slithered out of it and Sophie embraced her again. “Okay,” she finally caved. “I guess I don’t really have a choice but to let you try. But Riley, you need to promise me that after the extraction – at the first opportunity – you will get away. You cannot stay here. If she survives, Katie’s only protection is that they need at least two of you. With you here, they can cart you both off and hunt down your family later. You have to go as soon as you can.”

Sophie jumped as Riley began to laugh. It was a sinister chuckle laced with a grim, bitter sorrow. “No, Sophie. That will not protect her, it will condemn her.” Riley untangled herself from their hug and her warped expression fixated on Sophie. “They will take her either way. I think you already know that. They need two of us for their attraction – their tank and performances – in order to appease your people. But they do not need two of us to keep her. They will haul her back to their labs and she will be what Luna once was. Especially after this collapse. They will want to know how and why her body faltered this severely. She was created for their marine park, but it would have prevented them from studying her then; they will not blink to do so now. Now that they have one, they must have two. That is her only protection now,” Riley explained with a sad shrug.

Sophie’s heart was pounding in her chest as she listened. Her lips parted with dismay. It was likely all true. “You already knew that,” Sophie whispered. “You didn’t come here to check up on us.”

Riley shook her head. “I did not know you would need me to make her better, but I knew what would happen if they succeeded in healing her. I know what being here means, and it is a consequence I choose to accept.”

Sophie shook her head. “You know if you do this, you’re selling yourself into captivity. I don’t know what they’d do to you or when we would be able to get you back out. You’re claustrophobic and wild and energetic. You would be in a bad way trapped in a tank.”

Riley smiled then, her ivory fangs flashing brightly. “I am also a survivor. I will make do, and they will not find me quite so easy to control as a frightened girl or a helpless child. They need two, Sophie. They need two, and I will not let the second be Luna. I wish Katie could be spared the fate as well, but it is too late now for that. But I will protect her from a worse fate. It will be okay.”

There was a long pause before Riley leaned in to hug her again. “All my life I have been viewed as reckless and foolish, and it is true that I sometimes have the habit of leaping in without thinking or living on a whim. Luck alone has saved me more than once. I know that. But this is one time that I am not acting recklessly. I knew the dangers and the certainties before I left, and I am not afraid of them. I have thought it through, and my decision is set. Trust that this is for the best. Trust me.”

Sophie pulled Riley closer and squeezed until she heard Riley wheeze slightly. She didn’t loosen her grip – couldn’t – as she hugged the Mer and pressed her nose into the side of Riley’s neck. “You stupid, foolish, selfless…”

Riley hummed. “I love you too, Sophie,” she whispered. “It will be okay.”

Sophie ground her teeth so that she wouldn’t burst into loud sobs. “When this is all over, I am locking you away where you’re safe and can’t cause me any more panic attacks,” she threatened.

Riley hummed again. “And we will play chess all through the seasons. That sounds nice,” she agreed, though Sophie didn’t miss the broken strangle in her tone. She didn’t expect it to ever happen. More tears streaked down Sophie’s cheeks, but she shook them off and pulled Riley just a little bit closer. For now, this moment was all that mattered.