Riley leaned her cheek on a closed fist and fought back a yawn. She was certainly tired, but she was also not quite keen on falling asleep just yet. She yearned for Sophie’s return, if for no other reason than to know she was alright. She had no concept of time in this room, and knew that if she napped, she would lose track even further, and she hated not knowing if Sophie had been gone too long or not.

She scratched absently at the skin around her one set of spines and flicked the tip of her tail. Her fins were dangling over the side of the cot and swaying in mid-air, and it almost reminded her of the sensation of drifting them through the water. It was dry, and she silently hankered for a refreshing swim. She did not imagine she was going to get the opportunity any time soon, however. At least, not within a proper body of water. She winced as she considered what sort of holding tank would be in her future.

Riley had heard stories from Luna and Katie about their time with Lemuria, and it would not surprise her to find a tiny glass box waiting for her to be forced into it. She shuddered. She really did not do well with enclosed spaces, no matter how loathe she was to admit it, and she knew such an event would not go well. But she had made her choice and there was no option to back out of it now, and she did not desire too regardless.

A low, ghosting moan startled Riley from her brooding and she shook her head to clear it. She glanced over to Katie, who had been the source of the noise. The girl’s nose had wrinkled and her eyes were swimming behind closed lids. The beeping machine was beginning to sound off at faster intervals now, and Riley watched as Katie’s eyes finally fluttered open.

From what she understood, Katie had been unconscious for at least half a moon now, so it was no surprise that she immediately squinted and closed her eyes again. Riley remained silent, not wanting to disturb her friend. It was probably incredibly disorienting to wake up as Katie was after so long asleep, and even longer in the clutches of a delirious sickness.

It was only when Katie began to tug at the straps holding her down that Riley intervened. She did not blame her friend for her reaction – she hated the restrictive restraints as well – but she did not wish her to panic and potentially disrupt her recuperation.

She reached out and touched Katie’s shoulder, only to pull back in surprise as Katie shrieked. “I am sorry,” Riley apologized. “I did not mean to frighten you. How are you feeling?” She dragged herself closer to lean over Katie. It gave her an almost upside down view of her friend, but it was the best positioning she could manage without dragging herself onto Katie’s cot and potentially jarring the other girl.

Katie’s brown-green eyes were sparkling with confusion. She did not yet seem to be fully comprehending her surroundings. Riley waiting patiently and silently for her to wake up a bit more.

Katie’s brows furrowed together and she smacked her lips before responding. “Like I’ve been turned inside out,” she muttered. “Everything hurts.”

“Well I should think so,” Riley replied. “You have been asleep for half a moon. But you are awake, and that is good enough a sign for me that you are getting better. You had everyone very worried for you.”

“Even you?” Katie asked.

Riley scoffed and shook her head. “I never worry,” she countered with her tongue poking between her fangs. “It was obvious you were merely looking for attention.”

“Clearly,” Katie muttered dryly, though she still seemed amused.

Riley’s smile slipped however, and she yielded the game. “I was very worried,” she admitted. “I thought you were going to die.”

“Me too,” Katie agreed. “I still feel like I got trampled by a herd of horses, but at least I can breathe again. Suffocating was the worst part of it. Did they find out what was wrong?”

Riley nodded. “Yes, although I do not understand all of what was explained. But you grew so ill because you needed something inside of us. That our bodies make but yours does not.”

“The omega fluid?” Katie inquired. “The stuff Lemuria used from Luna to make me this way? How did Lewis and Dr. Seaton make that?”

Riley flicked her fins and shook her head. “I do not know who Dr. Seaton is, but yes, the omega fluid was what you needed. It is what is being fed to you now,” she continued. She nodded at the bag of fluid dripping down into Katie via a tube. “Lewis had no part in this, but they took the fluid from me. Luna is not here.”

“From you? But they get that from…”

“The spine?” Riley offered when Katie trailed off. “Yes, I am aware.”

Katie’s face crumpled and the rest of her body sagged with her. She suddenly smelled sharply of sorrow. “I’m sorry, Riley. That had to be incredibly painful…thank you.”

Riley hummed her agreement. It had hurt, but it was a meager pain in the grand scheme of her life, and a sacrifice she was more than willing to make in order to save the life before her.

“But wait…Luna isn’t here? Where are we? Riley, who did your spinal tap?”

Riley winced and then forced a small smile back onto her face, though she knew she only managed a grim upturn of her lips. “We are at the marine park, Katie. Sophie brought you here to separate you from Luna so that she would remain hidden.”

The look of confusion on Katie’s face lingered for quite a while and she did not reply. Riley frowned and began to wonder if she should be concerned. It was not quite so surprising, she supposed, given how long Katie had been ill and then unconscious. She was probably experiencing a sensory overload.

“Are you alright?” she asked, still feeling the need to clarify.

Katie’s eyebrows dipped together and she scowled. Her fin flicked at the end of the cot and landed with a solid thumping sound that betrayed the other girl’s frustration. “The marine park…but that’s not right. I-we were…no…” The bewilderment on Katie’s face warped into a wide, gaping horror and she glanced up at Riley with tear-filled, enlarged eyes. “Riley, tell me she didn’t do it,” she begged. “Mo-Sophie, she didn’t call Lemuria?”

Riley shrugged apologetically. “It was the only way to save you.”

Katie shook her head and fat, crystal tears began to seep from the corners of her eyes to trickle down her face. “No. No, Riley no. You can’t be here, you have to go. If they’re here, then you’re in danger. You and Mom, and everyone else. You have to go, please.”

Riley clucked her tongue to interrupt Katie’s frantic rant. She shook her head. “No, I am where I need to be,” she corrected softly. “It will be alright.”

Katie’s nostrils were flaring and she began to tug in earnest at the restraints holding her down. All the while, her tears fell faster and the beeping from the bedside machine grew frantic. The panic rolling off Katie was making Riley’s scales prickle. She knew there was no immediate danger, but the fear of a podmate often urged the senses to react with fight or flight. Riley’s tail lashed and she twisted her head away to hiss into the air as a release of tension.

Taking a breath, Riley carefully dragged herself off her own cot and onto Katie’s. She winced as her hip jarred – it had stiffened up on her again – and cautiously twisted so that she would not hit her friend.

Katie was still writhing and yanking at her bonds. “Please undo them!” she pleaded.

Determined to quell the panic attack, Riley flopped her tail down over Katie’s in hopes the weight would be soothing, or at the very least make it more difficult for her to thrash. She was already panting and pale, and Riley was worried she would overwork herself. She reached out and pressed two fingers to Katie’s lips to silence her.

“You were tossing about in your sleep, that is why the straps are there. Do not fret too much. You are still sick, and you still need to rest.”

“But I-” Katie started to mumble.

Riley shook her head and a low rumbling began to build in her chest again. She felt a little woozy from how much deep purring she had been doing lately – as it tended to be more draining to soothe others than to simply hum happiness or satisfaction – but that was a meager consequence to her.

“Just sleep,” she urged. “Worry about the rest when you are better.”

“When did you become so concerned with proper rest?” Katie inquired blearily.

Riley shrugged. “Since the people I love started overworking themselves?”

Katie snorted. “Hypocrite,” she taunted, though a yawn split her lips and distorted the word as she spoke.

Riley’s grin widened and she chuckled. “Perhaps,” she agreed. “But I am not wrong, and you do need to rest.”

“Okay,” Katie relented. She yawned again and her eyes were already beginning to droop. “Riley?”

“Hmm?”

Katie chewed her lip and hesitated, so Riley kept her gaze trained patiently on the other girl. “I know this is probably going to sound really weak, but…will you stay here? I just…I’m afraid of being alone.”

Riley watched as Katie’s fingers began to curl into fists and loosen again repeatedly, and her tense posture caused sympathy to swell in Riley’s chest. After a moment, she shuffled her tail and nodded. Her hip hurt, and staying curled on the edge of the cot was going to make her all the more sore, but Katie’s plea was far more important. “I will not leave,” she promised.

More tears watered in Katie’s eyes and she nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered before she closed her eyes. Riley hummed and curled up beside her. She was tired too, but she made sure to wait until she heard Katie’s breathing deepen before she allowed herself to relax too.

***

All at once, Riley’s senses snapped back into awareness. She tensed and cracked open one eye as she listened. She could hear approaching footsteps coming towards them. Whoever they belonged to was walking quickly, and their steps fell heavily, with a weird sharp clack to them. Sophie never sounded like that when she walked, and Riley had already memorized the sound of the scientist’s approach to know it was not him either.

She remained motionlessly sprawled beside Katie as she waited. She did not wish to disturb the other Mer unnecessarily, and felt that in this situation where she could not flee or effectively fight, the element of surprise would be her most effective tactic.

Her senses were on high alert when the lock clicked and the doorknob turned, but she gave off the illusion of slumber when the barrier finally creaked open. There was a pause in sounds, but then the sharp clacking resumed as the person made their way around the cot. Riley slit one eye open again, but could not see the intruder without rolling over. She parted her lips to drink in the scent. It was an unfamiliar one, and Riley nearly gagged on the unpleasant, sharp odor that accompanied it. It was as if they had piled on a bunch of chemical scents to mask their own, and it was far from pleasant. Riley’s eyes watered and she squeezed them shut again.

The person began mumbling something under their breath. Riley could hear just fine, but it was nonsensical babble to her about numbers and charts. It did not sound like the person fully knew what they were saying either, and Riley guessed they were perhaps just reading the data from the machines still hooked up to Katie and monitoring her well-being.

“It’s too hot down here,” the woman behind them growled. “At least we should be shipping back out soon. And you’re a pretty one, look at those fins.” There was a delay in the woman’s speech and Riley just barely felt her fingers ghost over her tailfins before she shifted in her ‘sleep’ and pulled them away. The touch had sent a shudder rippling through Riley, and she did not appreciate how it made her hip throb. She was really going to have to say something about that soon, though she loathed the idea of admitting such a weakness around people like this one.

Riley was not surprised when the woman’s touch returned, and she ground her teeth in her jaw before emitting a low growl deep in her throat. It was the only warning she had the patience to give at this point.

What did surprise her was that – instead of backing off or getting angry – the woman began to chuckle. Her fingers moved away from Riley’s fins only to begin casually stroking her hair. “Yes, you’re very scary,” she mocked in a cooing tone. “It’s alright, there’s no need to be fussy. We’ll get you socialized properly soon enough.”

Riley rolled her eyes and sighed obviously. She sat up, ignoring how the woman’s nails tangled in her hair and pulled at her scalp as she did. Her hip was still incredibly stiff, but she managed to twist herself enough to meet the woman’s gaze.

She had long black hair pulled into a tight weave – not dissimilar to how Katie often wore hers – but her dark brown eyes were narrowed with a haughty spark.

“What do you want?” Riley growled.

The woman clucked her tongue. “Dr. Auldon mentioned you were a bit…grouchy. There’s no need to be hostile.”

“I will decide that once you have told me who you are and why you are here,” Riley snapped back. Grouchy. She scoffed at the term. She would show this intruder what grouchy actually meant.

The woman’s smile widened, and she pulled her fingers free of Riley’s locks only to pat her on the head. “My name is Jenny,” she introduced. “But you won’t need to use it often. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together though. You really are in need of some proper socialization. When we get back home, I’ll have to work on your manners and getting you tamed properly.”

At the statement, a rough bark of laughter ripped its way free from Riley’s throat and she shoved her face closer to Jenny’s. “Right. Good luck with that. Now what do you want? You’re going to disturb her.”

Jenny leaned to the side to peer at Katie and shrugged, her smile widening. “Aww, have you got a soft spot for Bailey then?” she cooed.

Riley hissed at the woman’s mockery. “She is my friend, and her name is Katie.”

Again, the woman shrugged. “Bailey, Katie, what’s the difference? You’re all still just animals, and I’ll call you whatever I like. Still, your friendship makes this easier.” She snapped her fingers loudly, and the door opened again. A man came in pushing a gurney, and Riley eyed it warily. “I’m actually here for you; Dr. Auldon wants to run some tests. So be a good little mermaid and I’ll be far less tempted to wake Bailey, much less punish her. She did run away like a naughty, disloyal pet after all. But you might be able to make amends for her.”

Riley’s hackles raised and she snarled. “Leave her alone,” she hissed furiously. “You have done enough to the members of my family for me to justify ripping your throat out. You do not want to push me to act.”

Jenny merely clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Get on the gurney,” she advised. “Behave yourself, and I’ll leave Bailey alone. She still needs to recover, so we’re not inclined to bother her much now, true. However, getting you to comply is viewed as more important, so you can come along quietly, or Bailey can face the consequences for you.”

Riley hesitated. She was not keen on the idea of leaving Katie, nor did she like allowing this woman to get what she wanted, but she also had to admit to herself that she was scared.

She did not know where Sophie was or if she was okay, and she was not certain that they would leave Katie alone once she was away from her. She also had no idea what the scientist wanted with her. She always considered herself strong and brave, and she had known the potential consequences before she came, but now that she was facing them down; she was no longer certain she could hold up against them. She had at least thought she would have more time to prepare.

She glanced hesitantly at Katie and then reluctantly bowed her head. Regardless of the fears and uncertainties, or her hatred of allowing them to control her, she was not willing to risk Katie’s well-being. Especially not when the girl was tied down and sick, and unconscious again. If she had merely been sleeping, the commotion would have woken her by now. It was a hard thing to accept, but for the first time in her life, she knew she had to comply and bide her time, rather than bluntly opposing the threats that lay before her.

“So, what’s it going to be?” Jenny taunted. The grin on her lips pulled wider to reveal her teeth, and it made Riley yearn to lunge at her. Still, she knew that would not help the situation and – if anything – would probably just land those she cared about in a worse predicament.

Without feeling she had much other choice, Riley looked away and bowed her head. “I will come,” she agreed in a subdued voice.

“Good choice,” Jenny praised.

Though she had to wrestle with the urge to growl, Riley remained limp and silent as the man – none too gently – dragged her off the cot and half flung her onto the gurney. Riley winced as it jarred her body, but she bit her lip and said nothing. She peered at the woman with narrowed, hate-filled eyes as she walked alongside the gurney while the man pushed it out of the room. Jenny paused only to relock the door on their way out, and then they were off down the hall.

Riley was a little surprised they did not attempt to cover her tail or conceal her in any way like Sophie usually insisted she do. She assumed that Lemuria would be just as hesitant to have the general public learn of her presence – that it would probably create more issues for them – and yet it was as if they did not care at all.

Since there was not much else she could do, Riley made a point of memorizing the various turns they took on the journey. She wanted to ensure they brought her back to Katie afterwards, though she was not sure exactly how she would react if they did not, but she at least wanted to be aware of her surroundings.

Finally, they arrived, and Riley was pushed into a new room. This one was large and full of equipment that looked only half set up. She did not miss the large white cylinder with the gurney bed feeding into it, and her heart squeezed. A tight space was possibly the worst thing they could force her to endure.

The scientist – she had to start remembering that his name was Dr. Auldon – was standing in the room with his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled at her as they entered the room and the gurney lurched to a stop. “Excellent. I trust there were no problems?” he inquired as his gaze slid from her to Jenny.

“She was hardly any trouble at all, though I do see what you meant about the grumpy attitude. Seems all bark and no bite though.”

Riley’s attention whipped to the woman and her fingers curled into fists. She would be happy to correct that statement.

“While I’m glad there was no conflicts, Miss Barnes, I do believe that a small degree more of respect is necessary when dealing with our mermaids, and this one is no exception. Suzie’s bite could have been deadly if she had truly put her heart into it, and this one is older and stronger. Though she’ll regret the choice to bite, it might be wise to avoid the risk altogether.”

“Of course, Sir,” Jenny agreed, though Riley scowled at the dark undertone in her voice. It seemed the woman genuinely enjoyed making a mockery of others and did not like being scolded for it. Riley huffed her annoyance and looked away.

“You may go now, Miss Barnes – both of you – I can handle things from here. I suppose now would be an ideal time for you to take a lunch break. Come back here in an hour.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jenny agreed. Riley returned her attention to the scientist before her as the retreating footsteps faded away behind her. Nothing had happened yet, but she could not help shifting her weight as unease began to prickle along her scales.

For a few minutes, the scientist said nothing to her as he began rummaging through a box of supplies. He was not alone in the room, and Riley kept an eye on the two others hauling things in through a set of double doors on the far side of the room. Each time the doors opened, Riley got a whiff of the outside air, though it was clogged with gas and fumes, and she could not actually see outside.

At one point, they stopped coming and going, and began assembling some of the things they had brought in, though Riley knew what none of it was, nor what any of it did. She got a little too engrossed in watching them as she waited, that Dr. Auldon’s approach went unnoticed until he was practically at her side. He was holding a long, thick needle filled with a strange red fluid that made Riley cringe when she finally did notice him. “What is that?” she inquired, though part of her did not anticipate an answer, and another part wondered if she would regret receiving one at all.

The scientist made a motion with his hand for her to roll onto her side, which she reluctantly complied with. She was here now and there was no going back, and she figured that if she acted out now, they would still make good on their promise to make Katie suffer for it. “It’s merely a dye,” the scientist explained as he rubbed a ball of sharp smelling cotton over her bad hip. Riley grimaced as she assumed that would be where she would be getting pricked. “It’s harmless, just to help the bones display better when we take pictures. Now stay still,” he warned.

Riley looked away, but her body tensed as she felt the needle pierce her flesh. The metal itself did not truly hurt at first, until she felt it push into the bone. She ground her teeth so she would not cry out as the man deposited the ‘dye’ into her already aching hip bone.

“One more time,” he stated after withdrawing the needle. “I just want a biopsy.”

Riley did not know what a biopsy was, but she did know that the second puncture hurt far worse, and it took all of her self-control to remain still on the gurney until the invading object was removed.

“So, you can be disciplined when you want to; I’m impressed by your resolve,” he commented casually. She refused to look at him and give him the satisfaction of the tears watering in her gaze as he walked away. She chewed her lip and swallowed the pain back until she had control of herself once more.

If Dr. Auldon had noticed how her resolve had been shaken, he did not comment on it, and instead pushed her further into the room. Though she had been anticipating it, her heart plummeted into her gut as he pulled the gurney up beside the other medical bed; the one attached to the large mechanical tube. “Get on,” he urged. “Lay flat on your back.”

Riley hesitated and her heart thrummed wildly in her chest. “Must I?” she clarified as she turned to face him. She hated that her voice had cracked and become barely more than a squeak, but her uncertainty was getting the better of her.

Dr. Auldon nodded. “The sooner you do, the quicker I’ll take you back. Thus far, it seems Dr. Patter has been competent at his work, but he is only a veterinarian and I want a better look at that hip of yours to ensure it was handled correctly. Given what I’ve observed of your posture and motility the past few days, I would assume not; it has been causing your problems?”

Riley frowned. Of all the reasons, that was not one she was expecting. Surely, he did not truly care if she was comfortable or not? So far, it felt he had gone out of his way to ensure the opposite. While she hesitated, the scientist began to tap his foot impatiently. “Are we going to have a problem?” he inquired.

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head. She had already promised herself she would play the long game and play along for now, and she was not about to go back on her decision. Still, at the idea of being trapped within the device, her arms shook as she dragged herself over onto the more padded bed of the machine. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling with flaring nostrils and a heaving chest. She was not even fully sure that she would be put inside, but just the idea of the small space was making her chest tighten with anxiety.

It did not help that the scientist stepped forward and leaned over her. He held up a strange contraption that had two large circles and a curved strap holding them together. “This machine is very loud, so I’m going to put these on you. Under no circumstances are you to take them off, which I wouldn’t recommend regardless unless you wish to deafen yourself,” he advised.

Riley bit her lip in hopes of keeping the panicked tears out of her eyes as she nodded her understanding. The scientist settled the contraption over her head so that each of the circles covered her ears. It took less than a heartbeat for Riley to loathe them. The world around her was almost completely silenced and she had never in her life experienced such dampened hearing. It made her skin crawl.

The scientist seemed to anticipate this because he said nothing more to her. Instead, he stepped away and began fiddling with a panel on the side of the machine.

Riley wished she had better composure, but she was fairly sure that she squeaked when the bed lurched and then slid into place within the tube. Lights flickered and the bed itself shook for a moment, and Riley could hear the faint hum from behind the sound mufflers over her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip hard enough that she tasted blood.

Tears swelled behind her lids and her nails dug into her palms as she curled her fingers into fists. It took every scrap of willpower not to roll over and lurch out of the device and onto the floor. Her breathing came in shallow bursts and she could barely think straight.

“Relax,” Dr. Auldon’s voice crackled in her ears, making her jump. “Breathe. It won’t be long. I know you have an aversion to enclosed spaces, but surely you can handle a few minutes?”

The tone felt mocking, but rather than actually making fun of her, it almost felt like he was trying to get a rise out of her in order to distract her. It did not really help. She sipped at air and kept her eyes shut, though just knowing she was trapped was sending her into a fit.

She had no idea how long she had been inside the machine, but a droning whine began to scream in her ears and – even with her eyes closed – her world began to spin.

The bed jolted and – believing that it was pulling her out – she made the mistake of opening her eyes. The walls seemed to be closing in on her and Riley began to truly panic. She felt her gills flare before pain erupted in her chest as she struggled to breathe properly. She coughed and squirmed, and thought maybe the scientist was talking again, but the words were lost to her anxious haze.

What was probably only a few moments felt like an eternity before the sound suppressors were being removed from her ears and Riley finally opened her eyes. The room was bright, too bright, and she squinted. She was still gasping, but she could feel the hysteria fading.

The scientist was leaning over her with scrunched brows and a deep frown on his features. “You really are claustrophobic,” he commented. “Interesting.”

“I am glad you can find it so amusing,” Riley rasped bitterly as she sat up and twisted back onto her front. It felt better to be able to sit up at least.

“Quite the contrary,” he replied. He paused to adjust his glasses on his nose. “It’s rather impractical. You are an asset, and a valuable one. I don’t particularly enjoy the notion that being closed in can send you into such a spiral. I do wonder if perhaps you can be trained out of the phobia. It’s certainly something to look into.”

Riley did not respond. She hated these panic attacks and knew that it was not a simple vulnerability to have, but she also was terrified of how he might intend to train her out of it. She shuddered, then started as his hand fell on her head. He patted her hair awkwardly – as though he was not quite certain how to offer comfort and frowned. “At the very least, we’ll have to be cautious about penning you in until there’s a safe solution.”

Riley nodded and could not stop the spiral of relief and gratitude at the mention of keeping her in open spaces. She had far too hard a time dealing with feeling trapped.

She kept her head bowed and did not look up until she saw his hand move. Her attention shifted to it and her brows furrowed together as she watched him set a small plate down on the edge of the bed. There was a handful of oysters on it, as well as some large shrimp.

Riley glanced up at him and her confusion must have showed because he raised an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I suppose not,” she replied as she glanced at the food again.

“If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t eaten today. What’s the matter, I thought you liked shellfish?”

“I do,” Riley confirmed. “But I thought you said…” she trailed off when he gave her a hard look and she decided it best to drop the subject. She fumbled with awkward silence for a few heartbeats before finally simply adding a quiet “thank you.”

He hummed his approval and walked away. "Don't go getting confused that it's to reward you," he stated after a moment. "It was simply quickest to dethaw."

Riley frowned at the odd statement, not quite understanding why he would care what she took out of the situation, but ultimately, she shrugged it off. She could see him looking at something outside her vision, but she decided it was best to simply focus on the meal and not push her luck.

When she cracked open the first oyster, she gave it a cautious sniff. It smelled alright – and she supposed there were easier ways to drug her – but habit made her wary. She was beginning to feel a little spoiled on her favorite food, but she was never one to turn down any form of proper sustenance. Her belly rumbled appreciatively and focusing on the food allowed her to forget her nerves and anxieties for a little bit.