A steady, methodical beeping began to cut through the dead haze surrounding Sophie. She blearily reached out an arm and began to fumble for her phone to silence her alarm.

“What are you looking for?” Riley’s voice echoed in Sophie’s head and she lurched awake with a cough. She rolled over to find the Mer teen sprawled out beside her on the cot. Her scaly tail was curled around Sophie’s ankles and pressed up against her. It was warmer than she’d expected.

“I’m just trying to quiet the alarm,” she replied as she continued hunting for the device.

“Alarm?” Riley echoed.

Sophie nodded. “Yeah, the beeping,” she explained.

“Sophie…that is Katie’s machine, remember?” Riley replied.

Sophie frowned and then it dawned on her that she was not in a bedroom. Everything came flooding back and she pushed herself fully upright and turned to stare at Riley properly. The girl’s hair was a little messy and she looked a little pale, but otherwise seemed unharmed. “How long did I sleep?”

Riley shrugged. “It is hard to tell exactly how much time has passed in this room without windows, but at least a couple of days.”

“Days!?” Sophie choked.

“It is okay,” Riley assured her. “We are fine, and you needed it. I woke you a while ago to eat something, do you not remember?”

“Not at all,” Sophie admitted. “Where’s Dr. Auldon?”

Riley shrugged. “Actually, he has mostly left us alone after you fell asleep. I warned him if he woke you, I would take a hand off. I do not think he truly took me seriously, but he mostly comes in to change Katie’s fluid bag and check the machines. Someone else came in a little while ago with food. I did not know him, and he seemed shocked to see me. He was worried about you though; thought maybe I had attacked you. It got resolved, and everything else has been fine. The scientist took Katie’s breathing tube out. She looks a lot better, but she has not woken up yet,” the girl explained.

At the mention, Sophie’s attention drifted to Katie. Riley was right, she did look better. She looked a lot better. The heart monitor was droning steadily, but the rest of the life support had been removed. Her color was nearly back to normal and even the gray in her fin had begun to fade, being overcome with the original purple. Her tail still looked a mess, but it seemed like there were more scales on it now.

Sophie frowned at the sight of the restraints. One on each wrist and one going across her chest. “Did Dr. Auldon do that?” she growled. She slipped off the cot and moved to undo them.

“No, Sophie wait,” Riley called. She had leaned forward as if to stop her, and Sophie raised an eyebrow curiously. Riley shrugged. “I do not like it either, but while she has not woken, Katie has been tossing and turning in her sleep. He did that so she would not roll off the cot and pull her fluid tube out or hurt herself. It is probably for the best.”

Sophie sighed and nodded. She reached out and gently stroked Katie’s cheek with a thumb. She was desperate to see Katie open her eyes, to know that her daughter was going to be alright, but she also dreaded the very same. The moment Katie woke, life changed. She and Riley were in incredible danger and Sophie wasn’t sure she was going to be able to protect them from it. She’d need help if she was going to get them out of here, and Katie still needed to be hooked up to IV fluids and monitoring machines.

While she hoped that Dr. Auldon wouldn’t feel inclined to attempt moving them until Katie had fully recovered, she wouldn’t put it past the man to take that sort of risk.

Sophie paused in her cathartic motion. She may not live here anymore, but this was still her marine park, still her home, and still her staff who had known her for years as fair and kind. Many of them were always ready to offer help or support or well-wishes regardless of what was going on in her life, and she made a point to inquire and support their personal lives as well. She had come here with the mentality that she was on her own, but that wasn’t the case. Dr. Auldon had told her that perceiving she had the homefield advantage was irrelevant. But she hadn’t viewed it as a homefield advantage, just a last place she had to go, especially after Riley showed up.

But she did have that advantage, in more ways than one, and while she felt terrible at the idea of putting more people at risk, if she was going to protect her daughters, she needed to use every resource at her disposal.

Chewing her lip, she stepped away from Katie and glanced at Riley. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She really did feel backed against a wall and worried that she was perhaps behaving like a cornered animal rashly lashing out. She couldn’t afford to be hasty. “I don’t want to leave you two alone,” Sophie said slowly, pondering her words as she spoke. “But there’s something I should do. I won’t be gone long. If I lock the door, are you okay in here?”

Riley nodded immediately. “Of course. I will keep an eye on Katie. But you are not going to do anything that would put you at risk, right?”

It was certainly a different side of Riley to see her so cautious and concerned. Sophie found it rather distressing, knowing that it was only their current precarious situation and all their fears that was causing the behavioral change in the Mer. While Sophie often chastised her for being reckless or foolhardy and urged her to think and to take better care of herself, she loved Riley’s wild, energetic personality and never truly wanted her to change. Riley was smart, she did think, she just never seemed to care to live her life in fear. It was admirable, and Sophie loathed how that had been stripped from her now.

She stepped up to the cot once more and took one of Riley’s hands in both of her own. “Riley, you and Katie are always going to come first in my world, no matter what,” she began. When Riley’s lips parted to argue, Sophie cut her off by leaning close and kissing her brow. She shushed her softly. “I know what you’re afraid of. I’m scared too. But I’m more afraid of losing the two of you. It was very brave of you to confide all of your worries the other day, Riley. I haven’t forgotten them and I don’t intend to throw my life away. I really don’t. My daughters need me and I’m no good to them in the grave, and besides,” she paused to push some of Riley’s hair off her face. “I’d like to get to see you both grow up and start families of your own someday. But I need you to know that I will never choose myself over either of you, you understand that?”

“Yes,” Riley admitted, though there were tears watering in her gaze again. “But I disagree. They will not kill us; we are what they want. You are unnecessary to them and irreplaceable to me, and to Katie. Just this once, choose yourself. Katie is going to be okay, she is getting better and even if she wasn’t there is nothing more that you could do. Go. Please go. Go so that they do not have the chance to take you from us and so that there is someone we can depend on still out there fighting for us. Because you love us and we love you, please get away now, while you can.”

Sophie wrapped Riley in a tight hug. “Not just yet,” she refused. “There’s something I need to do first. I need to see if I can enlist some help. Katie does seem to be on the mend, and it probably won’t be long before she’s safe to move. I need to see if I can get you away from here before Dr. Auldon decides that he wants to move you.”

When she pulled away, she frowned at the sight of Riley’s expression. The girl had furrowed brows and something dark swimming in her gaze that Sophie couldn’t identify. After a moment, it cleared and Riley sagged.

“Riley? I promise you that all I’m going to do is see. If it’s not going to work or is too risky, I won’t do it. I’ll back off and disappear, and I won’t rest until the two of you are safe again. But I need you to trust me, yeah?”

“I do,” Riley replied. “I do not trust them. There is something more going on. I cannot quite figure out what it is, but there is something in the air that is making my scales crawl. Please be careful?”

Sophie nodded. “I will, I promise. If anything happens, you know how to use the call button?” Sophie pointed to the small device along the side of Katie’s cot. Once Riley nodded her confirmation, Sophie kissed the girl on the brow again and wiped at a stray tear. “Don’t cry. Be brave for me, okay? I’ll be back soon.”

She gave her another quick hug and then left. She made sure to turn her key in the lock and test the handle before she made her way further down the hall.

Loathe as she was to delay things any longer than necessary, Sophie knew she needed to make a stop upstairs. Several of the rentable apartments were still empty, and she was in desperate need of a shower. She couldn’t show up among her staff and colleagues looking a mess if she was going to maintain their respect and gain their assistance.

She took the stairs rather than lingering to wait on the elevator, and let herself into the first open room she came across. While the apartments were small, but nice, there was something a bit eerie about the desolate space she found herself in. Her footsteps echoed as she made her way down the hall. Because only a few of the apartments were used by employees and their families who needed to stay longer – most of the on-call rescue team primarily – the rest were offered to visiting partners; guest lecturers when they hosted seminars and day-class, out of area interns and graduate students, and businesses who sometimes rented space for hosting events. This meant they tended to stock complimentary necessities including non-perishable foods, clean sheets and pillows, and basic toiletries. Sophie made a note that she’d have to have this one restocked, but she was grateful it meant she didn’t have to hunt for soap or shampoo to clean herself up with.

She didn’t have any more spare clothes with her, so she tossed hers into the machine on a rapid cycle, then showered quickly and swapped them over to the dryer. While she waited, she brushed the worst of the tangles out of her curls so that it wouldn’t knot, and then got herself a glass of water. She also found some peanut butter and crackers in the cupboard, and while that was hardly something she’d consider a meal, she couldn’t run on fumes forever. After promising Riley she would take better care of herself, she forced herself to take a few moments to eat something. She only managed a couple before putting everything away. Her stomach was in a knot and while she knew it was the stress, food was only making her feel ill.

After retrieving her clothes and dressing, Sophie felt a little better about facing further challenges. She made her way downstairs and into the park properly. It was a busy day, with swarms of families marching their way along the various pathways to the different tanks and attractions. It dawned on Sophie that she didn’t even know what day of the week it was anymore.

It was a little frustrating, having to weave her way through the crowds rather than simply hurry along at the urgent pace she wanted to use, but it couldn’t be helped. In the back of her mind, she worried about Katie and Riley locked up in that room. She had the only key, had made sure that her staff knew that no one was permitted to enter if it was locked. Not without her. No one also included Dr. Auldon, but she didn’t trust the man at all, and couldn’t help worrying she’d overlooked something.

The first person she ran into on her frantic search for aid was the manager she’d put in place a few weeks ago. She nearly walked right by him in her frantic daze, but his face lit up when he saw her.

“Oh, Miss Brooks, hello,” he greeted warmly as he hurried over. This path was less crowded with park patrons, but there were still a few milling about. “I’d heard you were going to be here for a few days, but I’d thought perhaps you’d already left. Sorry if things have been a little noisy today – what with all the Lemuria workers unloading and all – but I wasn’t actually expecting you to still be here. Honestly, I didn’t anticipate seeing you again so soon regardless. I thought you mentioned you had some family issues to deal with.”

“I did. I do,” Sophie corrected herself. “It’s a long story…wait…what do you mean ‘Lemuria workers’?” Sophie demanded as his words sunk in and her heart began to pound.

“Oh, did you not get my email? I’m sorry. Isn’t it exciting though? The Lemuria Institution has rented space here for the next two weeks. The entire east wing of the science department in fact. They’ve paid us a very generous sum and I have them using the back gates to come and go so that the guests aren’t disturbed, but apparently there’s a really big project going on that they’ve needed local space for, and they came here of all places.”

Sophie felt physically ill as the man spoke. “Mr. Berthens, I-”

“Please, Miss Brooks, Elijah is fine,” he interrupted.

Sophie forced a smile. She liked the man well enough. He was competent and understanding, and had a background in marine research, so she was confident he had the park’s – and its animals – best interests at heart, but she was growing frustrated by the lack of answers. “Elijah, what is the name on the forms?” she asked, despite already anticipating the answer. She was going to strangle Auldon with her bare hands.

“Oh, umm, one moment,” he replied. He pulled out his phone and Sophie waited patiently as he checked. Or rather, as patiently as a rabid animal might. “Let’s see, the name of authorization is Dr. Richard Patron,” Elijah reported. His grin widened. “It’s amazing to think of a man like that being here. He’s got quite the prestige in his field. Apparently he worked on the research and care development of those mermaids that Lemuria rescued. Can you believe that such creatures actually exist? It still blows my mind.”

“Dr. Patron…” Sophie echoed as horror swept through her. She knew the name, and it was worse than what she had been expecting.

“That’s right,” Elijah confirmed. “Miss Brooks, is something wrong? Forgive me, but you really don’t look so good all of a sudden? Maybe you need to sit down?”

Sophie shook her head, both to refuse his suggestion and to jar her thoughts back to reality. “No, I’m fine. Can we get rid of them?”

Elijah frowned. “Get rid of them? Why would we want to? This is great publicity for the park. And besides, they’re already here and the contract is legal.”

Sophie growled under her breath and sighed. “Fine, whatever. Look, Elijah; I’m sorry for being short, but keep them to the east wing, alright? Those rooms I reserved off limits in the west are still just that, off-limits. I don’t care how much money or prestige they’re willing to throw at us, that area stays free of anyone that I don’t personally accompany, alright?”

“Of course, Miss Brooks,” he agreed. “I’m sorry if this has upset you, I thought you would be pleased.”

She forced another smiled. “You did nothing wrong. I’m sorry. It’s been a stressful week and I need the west wing for personal business, so I wasn’t anticipating having to contend with another institution also using the premises is all. Do you know where they’re congregating? I’d like to meet those in charge of their venture.”

“I believe Dr. Patron and a few of his colleagues should be down by the loading docks. They were moving in some equipment and such today. I really have to get back to the office, but did you need anything else? I really am sorry for the mix-up.”

“It’s fine, thank you,” Sophie assured him. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She couldn’t do this alone, but she hadn’t known Elijah all that long. So, while she itched to tell him the truth, she hesitated. He seemed so smitten with Lemuria that he might not understand. More than anything, she wished Lewis were here. Even before they got together, he was always the first person she went to when she had a problem. She missed him terribly now.

Elijah lingered for a moment, shuffling his weight and smiling awkwardly before he finally bid her a good day and shuffled off. She sighed. At the very least, it was a very public day and she was well known as the owner here. They couldn’t pull anything so long as she kept to public areas, and she needed to see what was going on for herself.

Turning on her heel, she began hurrying towards the docks.

Halfway there, she ran into Dr. Auldon, who smiled at her with that same smug expression twinkling in his gaze. “Miss Brooks, how lovely to see you up and about. You really shouldn’t push yourself so hard that you collapse like that; I was concerned for you.”

“Cut the crap,” she hissed furiously. “You don’t give a damn about me. What is your goon squad doing here?”

“Goon squad,” Dr. Auldon echoed. “Whatever do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” she snarled.

His expression morphed from mock confusion to a satisfied grin. “Ah, you mean the rented space? I assure you we’ve gone through all the legal channels. Everything was arranged with the manager you appointed. I hope there’s no problem, we’re not breaking any rules.”

Sophie’s fingers clenched into a fist and she growled through gritted teeth. He was right, with a signed contract there was nothing she could do to throw them out.

“I assure you, Miss Brooks, this is for the best. In fact, I thought you’d be pleased. Setting up camp here means you get a little more time with the mermaids. I’d much rather this than try to ship them back to America with Katherine in such an uncertain condition, wouldn’t you agree?”

Reluctantly, Sophie slumped and nodded. She couldn’t argue with him, as much as she wanted to. “I don’t like that you brought them here.”

“Of course not,” he agreed. “But it had to happen, Miss Brooks. As much as you openly choose to loathe me – as is your right – my hands are just as tied as yours. I’m not heading this retrieval, you know.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Walk with me,” Dr. Auldon suggested with a wave of his hand. Still, the look in his eyes told her she had anything but a choice. With another sigh, she followed him. “We really have gotten off on the wrong foot you know. While our opinions may differ, we both want the same thing; the wellbeing of those mermaids. Miss Brooks, you cannot truly think that a landlocked life is good for them? They need water to thrive, and the ocean is a dangerous place. It’s proven almost too dangerous even for the one who grew up in it, what of the two who have no experience defending themselves? And without knowing the cause of her decline, we have to assume it’s inevitable that Katherine will experience another such crash in her life. She is better off in the care of professionals.”

“You’re right, we do have differing opinions,” Sophie replied. “Because I think we both know that those girls were never, even for a moment, safe with you or that place. You abused them, tormented them, and physically tortured them to get what you wanted. They were underfed and traumatized, and that’s no life for anyone to live, tail or no.”

“Miss Brooks, I had no control over the younger mermaid’s fate those years she was alone with us. I personally do not condone the treatment she endured. Not truly. It was entirely unnecessary to break her spirit as completely as my colleague did. And I am grateful to you – and to your daughter – for pulling some of a long-buried personality back out of her. I don’t want a broken toy, Miss Brooks, I never did. Lemuria needs specimens that can obey, yes, but still retain the will to live. We may have been hasty with Katherine, but I’m sure you can understand the precarious position we were in with her. She needed to be taught her place quickly, and that required some…more forceful training techniques. Things will be different this time.”

“I almost wish I believed you, but I don’t,” Sophie replied. “What about Riley? You’ve already threatened her twice with the same.”

“That one is going to be a handful,” he conceded. “Intimidation can be a very excellent training tool, but I have no true desire to mutilate her either. They each have the opportunity to choose their own fates, Miss Brooks. Compliance is the best course of action, and I’d suggest you remind them of that.”

“I won’t help you,” she refused.

“Pity,” he replied. “Your cooperation would be valuable enough to spare your life at the very least. There’s no need for further bloodshed, Miss Brooks.”

Sophie didn’t bother with a response to that. She chewed her lip, thinking back to everything that had happened over the past several days. It had quickly spiraled out of her control. “Tell me something else,” she said finally. “That dietary concentrate that you had for Riley…I know you used our lab and supplies for later doses, but why did you have that first one with you? You couldn’t have known she was going to be here or that it would be needed.”

Dr. Auldon hummed in agreement. “I didn’t know,” he agreed. “To be frank, I didn’t anticipate using it on your mermaid at all, Miss Brooks. That was intended for the green one.”

“Green one?” Sophie repeated.

“Yes, the mother. Rachel or something yours said her name was?”

“Rebecca,” Sophie corrected. “Why would you need to extract spinal fluid from her?”

“For you,” Dr. Auldon replied.

He said it so simply, but it stunned Sophie to the point where she forgot to continue walking. He paused too, and regarded her calmly. “Me?” she repeated.

Dr. Auldon sighed. “Yes. Miss Brooks, it has not gone unnoticed that you have an incredible knack for garnering the trust of these animals. Katherine I can understand, but you seem to have also become a figure of safety and security for the little one, and for some reason, yours didn’t see fit to slit your throat and also grew to quickly trust you. Right now, you are an incredible thorn in our side and you pose enough risks that my board would rather have you six feet under as soon as possible,” he explained.

“So you’ve mentioned,” Sophie replied dryly. “What’s your point?”

“My point is that despite being an annoyance, you’re also a useful one. See, if we control you, we control three of five total specimens, and we do intend to collect all five. You could be an incredible asset to have in a tank.”

Sophie’s heart skipped a beat and she began to stammer as she attempted to speak. “You want to…make me a Mer too? Could you even?”

“Theoretically, yes,” he agreed. “Either you survive the transformation and can live out your days effectively silenced but with the creatures you’ve deemed your family, or you die in the process and were at the very least useful for further research. Either outcome feels far more useful to me than simply putting a bullet in your breast, yes?” He patted her on the shoulder. “So perhaps consider that before you do anything hasty, that you do still have a chance to live through this.”

Sophie shook her head. The man was insane, and she would prefer to keep her legs, but at least she knew he wasn’t intent on murdering her right away.

She wasn’t sure exactly why she was still following him, but when he resumed walking, so did she. “I’m glad I finally seem to have gotten your attention properly. It would be incredibly wasteful to kill you, Miss Brooks, but I can only sway my superiors if you’re willing to step back and allow us to do our work. I understand it’s difficult for you and that you’ve become incredibly attached, but this is your one – and I do mean one – chance to remain with them.”

“If I survive,” Sophie muttered pointedly.

The scientist shrugged. “There is a medium of risk, but we learned quite a bit from Katherine.”

Sophie didn’t bother justifying that comment with a response. They’d made their way over to the east wing of the sciences department, and Sophie hesitated as Dr. Auldon held the door open for her. “If I wanted you dead, Miss Brooks, I would have done it while you were passed out earlier,” he reminded her.

She sighed and stepped through the doorway. Things seemed relatively quiet. There were a couple of people milling about in the main area, looking at the various educational displays. Further down the hall, the employees only area had been sectioned off. Dr. Auldon began heading towards that.

“Where are we going?” Sophie asked finally. “I should get back to Riley and Katie now.”

“Soon,” Dr. Auldon replied with a wave of his hand. “I have an alert set up to her monitor. We’ll know if anything goes wrong with Katherine.”

As they continued walking, they came across a woman up ahead. Her back was to them, with her black hair braided back off her face, and she was issuing instructions to a rather lanky boy laden with heavy boxes in his arms. He scurried off as they approached.

“Ah, Miss Barnes, there you are,” Dr. Auldon greeted.

The woman turned and nodded at him. “Dr. Auldon,” she greeted. Sophie frowned as she looked at the woman, finding that she looked quite familiar. “Everything has been unloaded, Sir. We’re just in the process of getting some of the equipment set up now.”

“Good,” Dr. Auldon agreed. “I was just taking Miss Brooks down to see where we’ve set up. Reassure her a little. Will you accompany us?”

“Of course,” the woman agreed.

“I know you,” Sophie muttered with a frown. She struggled to place where for a moment before it struck her. Momentarily forgetting that she was no longer wearing it, Sophie’s hand came up instinctively to where her locket used to hang. This woman had brought it to her. Sophie’s eyes narrowed while the other woman merely grinned.

“Jenny Barnes,” she introduced, jutting a hand out towards her. “I have to say, I don’t love it here. Too much heat, really. Dry as a desert out there, but I suppose it’s an acquired taste? I didn’t really spend much time at this place last time – thankfully – but I have to say I’m almost impressed. This park isn’t half bad, at least, for one run by a hick from down under.”

“Excuse me?” Sophie growled. Her brow quirked with offense.

The other woman’s grin widened and she shrugged. “Don’t take it personally, really. I’m sure it’s considered quite lovely around here. We’re just used to something a bit more…professional. A bit more grand scale, that’s all.”

Sophie stared at the woman. She was amazed at her gall. Her name was familiar from Katie’s story too, and Sophie had never cared for weasely types.

Before she could respond, however, both of her unwanted escorts stopped in front of a set of double doors. Sophie glanced at the sign beside the door. It was one of their larger classrooms. They often used it for the science classes schools frequently brought through on fieldtrips. It was an odd choice, and worry gnawed at her gut at what she would find beyond. Equipment, probably, but she didn’t quite trust them. She glanced at Dr. Auldon, who gestured with a clear ‘after you’ motion.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sophie took a breath and strode forward through the double doors. Immediately, she pulled up short, and her heart stalled and dropped into the pit of her stomach. She was surrounded by holding tanks, and none of them were empty. In the middle of the room were two wooden chairs, and sitting in one of them, with wide, horrified eyes, was Lewis.

His arms were tied behind the chair – and his ankles secured to the front legs – and he jerked his body against the ropes when he saw her. “Sophie! Go!” he yelled.

Even if she’d wanted to react, Jenny and Dr. Auldon came in behind her, and Sophie felt the hard barrel of a gun dig into her spine. She stiffened instinctively.