Chapter 8: Rest Period

Jack was busy reading a report from his daughter, Tina. She was in Romania, at the moment, studying dragons.

She was his only child and the only family he had left and she spent all of her time on foreign continents studying one mythical creature after another. None of the humanoid ones, those were interesting but not so much as the non-humanoid mythics. Dragons being one of those things.

Jack just considered himself lucky that her chosen proffession enabled him to keep in contact. Tina wasn't a very communicative person. Her reports, and the call on his birthday and Christmas, were the only time she contacted him. She loved him, she just didn't show it.

At all.

However, Jack loved her and respected her need to do what she wanted. Even if that meant he rarely saw her or even heard her voice.

The phone on his desk rang and he answered it without looking at the ID.

"Jack Cross." he said promptly.

"I'm disappointed in you, Jack."

Jack unconsciously sat up a little straighter and the report fell from his hand. "Mr. Ozera."

Victor Ozera was the leader of MCRC. He was the one who shook hands with the politicians, he was the face of the entire organization. A human dragon himself, he was renowned for always getting what he wanted.

"You've been keeping secrets from me again, Jack."

"No, sir." Jack said calmly. "I've told you everything in my reports."

"Don't lie, Jack. It's rude. Especially since we both know it."

"I have nothing to hide, sir." Jack said, confidant.

"Really? Tell me then, Jack, what are three MCRC Observer class ships doing in the mid-Atlantic?"

"They're on a merfolk-human relations mission." Jack said immediately. "Just like many Observers before them."

"Don't insult my intelligence, Jack. You don't need three Observers for one such mission. You also don't need three, one unmanned, subs for such a mission. Nor is the head of the oceanic criminal division, Kai Hudders, usually requested for such missions. And such missions are usually held around shipwrecks, known or suspected, not in a location that I know for a fact no ship is reported to be in."

"How did you-"

"Now, I'll ask again, Jack. What are three MCRC Observer class ships doing in the mid-Atlantic?"

Jack was astonished. "How did you find out?"

"I didn't get to where I am today by listening to what everyone told me and not checking myself, Jack. Don't make me ask again."

Jack hesitated but he finally gave in. He always did when it came to the director. "They're there doing some undercover research on something Kai's people found on the ocean floor."

"What kind of 'something'?"

"Lights." Jack answered. "That's all we know of it for now. I'll report in when Kai's people get more information."

There was a pause.

"Very well. But don't disappoint me again, Jack. There are others who could do your job just as well."

Mr. Ozera hung up, leaving Jack sitting at his desk cursing the air.

It was only a half-hollow threat. If there was someone who could do Jack's job better, Mr. Ozera would have them there and not Jack. And Jack himself made sure he was always giving his best for MCRC, it was his life right next to his Tina who didn't need him any more anyway.

But Jack also knew that Mr. Ozera would cut off his nose to spite his face, especially if his nose proved more of a hindrance than a help. He would replace Jack if he decided that he had had enough of him. And since MCRC was Jack's life, right next to his Tina, it would be a crippling blow.

He didn't like him, but Jack could admit, Mr. Ozera was the best leader MCRC had ever had.

XXXXXXXXX

The unmanned subs had a battery life of about ten hours. Two to get to the ocean floor and back, five for searching and sample collecting, and one left over just in case. But after each dive, the subs couldn't be re-submerged for 24 hours. That gave maintenance time to recharge the battery, fix any problems or potential problems, and gave the operators time to rest.

If anything went wrong on the ocean floor, they could say good-bye to the sub and those subs cost a lot of money. So maintence was required after each and every dive.

Giving Kai time to re-investigate the lights.

A specially prepared camera was all he took as he jumped off of the ship that morning. It was a much better resolution camera than the one the first picture had been taken by. And it was ready for the deep sea. He swam around under the ship a bit, testing the focus and range of the camera underwater as he waited for his fins to reform.

Taking the original, non-doubled, CBI injections enabled him to walk amongst humans. Made with changer blood, they enabled him to split his tail into legs or merge his legs back into his tail at whim.

Changers were considered a non-humanoid mythic species. The humanoid mythics were only those mythics that could mate with humans, i.e. merfolk, elves, and fairies. Non-humanoid mythics, i.e. dragons, thunderbirds, and changers, could not. Some non-humanoids, like changers, were of human intelligence, most weren't.

The changers, however, could shift their bodies to match the species that surrounded them, within their own body mass. Changers could be a human or a merperson. But if they tried to change into something like a mouse, they would end up being a mouse within their own body mass, in other words, enormous.

That shifting ability, born in their DNA, could be taken, adjusted, then inserted into a humanoid mythic enabling them to be, mostly, human.

The injections Kai took meant he could, at will, split his tail or merge his legs. It took several minutes, even changers couldn't complete it instantaneously. But the more often he did it, the quicker he could do it. He was down to only 3 minutes from the split of his first gill to the last scale forming on his fin.

It wasn't hard, it took no thought at all. It was a matter of will alone. He willed his legs to merge and, if nothing prevented them from doing so, they merged. The same with the split of his fin. Once in motion, the CBI's took over and completed it.

It was called Daun's Second Law of Changers, Daun being the scientist who created CBI's and done more research on it than anyone. The second law stated that the change was an all-or-nothing response. It either happened completely or it didn't happen.

So all Kai had to do was will it to happen, then try not to show his discomfort as his bones, muscles, and tissues reorganized themselves into their new shape. It was painful, the first month, but the pain had gradually lessened to only complete discomfort.

Once his original form was set, he turned and he dived down past the ship towards the lights below.

He was hoping the higher resolution camera, with the better focus, could capture more than the camera his first man had.

Adara was already down there waiting for him to arrive. He would pass the camera to her, she would swim down as far as she could, snap the picture, then return with him to the ships.

He didn't really think that it would help. The bottom of the sea, at ten thousand feet, was completely black. No light reached that place whatsoever. The photo wouldn't be able to be lit up in a lab to reveal what you couldn't see because all it would capture would be the lights and the black. Even if he used flash, it wouldn't do anything. The darkness of the sea swallowed up light.

The journy to the bottom took about 2 hours for the sub. But the the little under three mile swim took a little less than half that for Kai at a comfortable swim.

He wouldn't really be trying it, except that Kyma had suggested it halfway through the exploration with the subs yesterday. She didn't think it would work either but, as she said, 'you never know'. It was in her nature to exhaust every route possible, starting with the easiest.

XXXXXXXXXX

"...and done." Ilia sat back triumphantly, smiling at Joe. "You look, beautiful."

Joe, only after much nagging, had allowed Ilia to do her make up.

"You would look so pretty, I promise!" she had sworn multiple times before Joe had given in.

Ilia was a girl's girl. Joe was pretty sure she held a stereotypical slumber party as a teenager including make overs, nail painting, and hair braiding.

"What do you think?" she asked, pulling out her mirror and handing it to Joe.

"Wow." Joe said, turning her face side to side, admiring Ilia's work. Her brown eyes looked brighter somehow and her lips and cheeks had a delicately flushed look. The look was impressive. "I like it."

Ilia squealed in happiness. "I told you. I am a master of the womanly arts."

"I'll take your word for it." Joe said, passing her the mirror back.

"If you would only let me chose your clothes-"

"No." Joe cut her off before she could continue. "Shorts and a bathing suit are enough for a ship deck."

"Boring." Ilia sighed but she gave it up as a bad job. "But the make up is bad ass, right?"

"You're a genius with eyeshadow." Joe stroked her ego obligingly.

"I'm not to bad with a tattoo needle either." Ilia winked.

"What?" Joe looked surprised. "I didn't peg you as the tattoo artist type."

"I didn't say I was an artist, I said I wasn't bad." Ilia said. "I've got this killer tat of wings on my back from my prison mate."

"Woh!" Joe stopped her. "When were you in prison?"

"Oh, don't look so shocked." Ilia laughed. "We were in jail, not actual prison. Well, I was. She was in prison or getting transferred or something. She taught me how to make home made tats. I'm really good, too. Five tats to my record, no infections."

"That's illegal. I'm sure." Joe said dryly. "Not to mention dangerous."

"I use good needles." Ilia defended herself. "And I can do one bad ass butterfly."

Joe laughed as she shook her head in disbelief.

"And a flower." she continued. "As long as you don't care if it's a little lopsided."

They fell silent as Joe looked off into the ocean.

It was vast and blue and incredible. There was nothing around as far as she could see but the two other ships with them. The waves rolled by them, timeless and unending, crashing against the hull and moving on their merry way.

And somewhere, down there, Kai was diving down to take a picture she had mentioned in passing. She didn't think he would have taken it so seriously. Then again, if he hadn't, the possibility of it would have bugged her until she could know for sure.

But that he would actually do what she asked just because she asked it...? It was a great concept. She had dated a guy once who wouldn't get off his damn Game Box if the apartment was on fire. That Kai would swim to the bottom of the ocean for her was incredibly nice.

"Thinking about Kai?" Ilia asked suddenly making Joe blush more.

"What makes you say that?" she asked quickly as she looked away from the water.

"It's pretty obvious." Ilia laughed. "I know that look anywhere."

"He's a great guy." Joe said. The thought of him made butterflies dance in her belly and her groin hot. Overall, it made her feel a bit...reckless. And the words he said to her during the sub dive yesterday came back to her.

"Hey, Ilia, do you have what you need to make a tattoo with you?" she asked her friend, wanting to do this before the reckless feeling left her and her sense came back.

"No." Ilia said suspiciously. "But I can get what I don't have. Why?"

"I want you to do me a favor." Joe grinned.