Author's Note:
- Originally thought that this will have a tragic ending, but after poking at the ideas for a bit, it looks better if I keep this light and happy. Rejoice for having narrowly avoided death, dear Evan :p (Took time because I had to rewrite this entire chapter to make those adjustments.)
- Introduced a new structure in this chapter, so I just labeled Giorgio & Evan's first conversation in the previous chapter as 'Meeting 1'. Planning to have a total of around 10 meetings. Hoping that they don't sound choppy x'D
Dr. Frankenstein's Notes
9/1/1992 [Bottlenose Dolphin Behavior]
- Lives in groups in warm oceans. Adult males live mostly alone or in small groups.
- Communicates through burst-pulsed sounds, whistles, and body language.
- Normally rises to the surface to breathe two to three times per minute, but can remain submerged for up to 20 minutes.
- Eats fish, shrimps, squid, mollusks, and cuttlefish.
- May exhibit altruistic behavior towards other animals, but can also behave aggressively towards other males during mating season, sharks, and smaller dolphins.
- Sometimes shows curiosity towards humans.
【Meeting 2】
"Vision and hearing are alright, but blood pressure's a little low and you're quite underfed. It'll be nice to eat properly and have some exercise," Dr. Victor Lavenza explained kindly to Evan, who was sitting at the edge of the pool among his medical equipment.
Victor was a leading scientist and doctor of the VSSE, assigned to monitor Evan's health and ensure his full recovery. He was to give Evan a checkup at least once a week until his health stabilized.
"Thank you," Giorgio said, standing next to both Evan and Victor with folded arms, watching the checkup.
Evan nodded lightly as well. Giorgio noted the young man's obvious nervousness as he sat among all the medical apparatus. Evan hadn't spoken a word since the checkup started, having refused to even have a checkup if Giorgio wasn't around. Giorgio put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"Will that be all?" Giorgio asked Victor.
"Yes. I'm a little worried about one thing, though," Victor said as he tidied his things, "Our diagnosis is set to the standards of an average 'human'. At the moment, there's no way we can tell if Mr. Bernard's body functions the same way as us, unless..."
"Unless...?" Giorgio asked.
"Unless you let us keep him in the VSSE labs for awhile, so we can monitor and study how different he is," he said, before looking at Evan with interest, "Would Mr. Bernard be okay with that? It's for his own good."
Giorgio felt Evan hold tightly onto his leg, shifting quite uncomfortably. So Giorgio answered for him.
"Sorry, Dr. Lavenza. I think we'll keep him here for now."
"Heh, alright," Victor said, "In that case, keep a close eye on him and call me if he starts feeling unwell, would you? I'll be in the labs as usual."
Finished with gathering his things, Victor excused himself politely and left. Evan relaxed, looking up at Giorgio.
"You stood up for me!" He exclaimed happily.
"You were shaking like a leaf," Giorgio joked, laughing a little with Evan before continuing.
"That wasn't so hard, was it? Thanks for agreeing to have a checkup. Now I can at least be sure that you're not half-dead."
"Hehe..." Evan scratched his head, feeling a little guilty for having made Giorgio worry.
"Since you've done your best, I got you something," Giorgio said, heading over to his bag that was lying on a chair.
"...?" Evan looked at him curiously. Giorgio walked back to him with two lunchboxes.
"You said that they've been feeding you only raw fishes in the labs. Thought that you might as well have some proper food, so I made you my signature dish."
Evan gasped with excitement. "You can cook?! What is it? What is it?"
"Lasagna," Giorgio replied, opening one of the lunchboxes to show the freshly made cuisine inside. "Guaranteed to be tasty enough to put any other top-level chef to shame."
Evan's eyes shone brightly. He felt as though he had just gone from rags to riches. How glad he was to have Giorgio around.
【Meeting 3】
Despite being quite busy with work, Giorgio did his best to make some time to see Evan consistently, making sure that he was well-provided with his daily needs. It took awhile, but Evan slowly managed to adjust to his new life. He seemed to be excited whenever Giorgio showed up.
"I don't think I can live without you!" Evan laughed.
"Oh, come now, Evan, I'm pretty sure you can," Giorgio said, sitting at the edge of the pool. "Read in the reports that you were an independent kid before they caught you. That, and you were quite extroverted with a lot of friends."
Giorgio thought about that last point for a moment. From what he had heard from the other agents, Evan certainly wasn't keen on meeting anyone else, diving and hiding away in the deeper parts of the pool whenever someone came to check on him. Had his captors traumatized him badly enough to flip his personality entirely? Feeling a little worried, Giorgio decided to pry a little.
"You said that you're okay with having just me, but you're actually feeling a little lonely, aren't you? Being an extrovert and all."
"That's..." Evan replied, his voice sounding a little defensive, "That's different now."
"Don't you want more friends?"
"Giorgio, stop that," Evan insisted. He swam a little away, folding his arms and turning his back on Giorgio. Giorgio let him be for awhile, before calling out to him.
"Evan," he said, holding out a hand to him.
Evan didn't reply.
Giorgio called him again. Knowing that Giorgio was just worried, Evan sighed and swam back, taking Giorgio's hand. He held onto it without looking up at him, a sad expression on his face.
"You're scared, aren't you?" Giorgio asked.
"..." Evan stayed silent for awhile, before nodding wordlessly. Giorgio smiled at him gently.
"Well, let me tell you. We're all nice people here and no one's going to hurt you," he reassured him, "If you don't mind trying to take the leap, I'll be there to help you along the way."
"Giorgio..." Evan said with hesitance. Even so, he didn't have the heart to turn down Giorgio's kindness and efforts, so he trusted him and agreed.
"Alright."
【Meeting 4】
Alan and Wesley were amongst the most flexible agents when it came to making friends and new contacts. Giorgio had worked with them on several occasions and knew them well, so it wasn't surprising that they were the ones he turned to for help.
When Alan and Wesley arrived at the pool, they found Giorgio standing there, but Evan was nowhere in sight.
"So... Where's the mermaid?" Alan asked, scanning the pool.
"Under you," Giorgio pointed out for him.
Alan and Wesley looked down, finding Evan curled up shyly underwater. Giorgio squatted down, sticking his hand into the water and beckoning.
"It's alright, Evan. Alan and Wesley are probably the nicest agents around. You can trust them."
Evan resurfaced slowly. Alan gave him a bright grin and greeted him.
"Hey there! My name's Alan and this is Wesley," he introduced, kneeling down.
"Evan," Evan introduced himself as well, smiling back nervously.
"You look great! Guess Giorgio's been treating you well," Alan said, starting up a conversation.
Despite his anxiety, Evan managed to make himself talk and keep up the conversation for awhile. But then somewhere in the middle, he trailed off and broke down, turning away with his face buried in his hands.
"Giorgio, I'm so sorry, I can'tー...!" He said, shaking his head.
"Whoa, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Alan said frantically. Wesley laughed.
"Oh, Alan, your dashing looks are enough to make anyone nervous," he joked, "Now, if you'd step aside. I guess it's time to take out the secret weapon."
"Huh?" Alan looked at him with surprise. Giorgio raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Yes, Evan, look what I have for you," Wesley called out, reaching into his half-open bag.
Evan looked up at him cautiously, quite afraid of what might show up. Giorgio and Alan held their breaths. Then from his bag, Wesley pulled out a...
Cat.
"Meow~" The white cat made a sweet, musical meow, catching Evan's attention with its bell-like voice.
"My pet cat, Sir Lancelot," Wesley introduced, kneeling down and putting the cat at the edge of the pool, "He's pretty nice, and is one of those house cats who actually loves the water. You can pet him."
Lancelot meowed again cutely. Evan showed some interest, leaning against the edge of the pool and studying the cat. Lancelot walked towards him and nuzzled his face, before rubbing himself against Evan.
"Aww, he's so soft and cute," Evan said, petting the cat.
"Isn't he?" Wesley said proudly.
"Wesー... Wesley...!" Alan called out.
"Hm?"
"Can Iー Can I pet him, too? Can I?!" Alan asked, unable to mask his excitement. Wesley laughed, knowing how Alan always found his pets irresistible whenever he came to visit his house.
"Ask Evan!" Wesley told him with a grin.
Alan turned towards Evan immediately, looking at him with puppy eyes. Evan glanced at Giorgio, who simply smiled and nodded at him.
"Well... Of course!" Evan said, overcoming his nervousness and smiling back at Alan.
"Thank you!" Alan said happily.
Wesley and Giorgio watched the two bond over the cat. Looking at each other, they mentally gave each other a high five.
Mission complete!
【Meeting 5】
After befriending Alan and Wesley, Evan seemed to have gained some confidence and became less reluctant to communicate with others. A few other agents dropped by in their free time, either out of curiosity, or simply because they were worried about whether he was doing well as a civilian living in the HQ. Having friendly interactions with all of them, Evan thought that people weren't so bad, after all.
Giorgio came for another visit after a particularly difficult mission, sitting down at the edge of the pool with a sigh.
"Giorgio," Evan called out worriedly as he swam towards him. "You look tired. Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Giorgio replied, "Just need a bit of a break."
"You should rest in your room. You don't have to force yourself to come here just for me, you know...?" Evan said, looking away and feeling a little guilty.
"Well, being here and having someone to talk to makes me feel better," Giorgio replied.
"Hm? You really think so?" Evan asked, looking up at him again and feeling a little happy. Giorgio nodded. Evan smiled, before swimming away to play with his beachball.
"Still, though, I appreciate that you're helping me a lot, but... Don't you think that this is all just going in one direction? I don't want to just stay on the receiving end without ever giving anything back," he said, tossing the beachball at Giorgio.
"Well, I'm the one who said that I wanted to help you," Giorgio said, catching the ball with one hand before tossing it back, "I'm not particularly expecting anything in return."
Evan caught the ball. "It doesn't feel right for me, though. I feel like I'm just freeloading on everything. You've gotta have something I can help with!" He insisted, throwing the ball back.
Giorgio caught it, holding it for awhile as he looked up at the ceiling and thought. "I don't know. What can you do for me from inside this pool?" He threw the ball back at Evan.
Evan caught it and held it, thinking hard. Giorgio watched him, wondering what he'd come up with. Evan's frown deepened with every passing second, before his brain finally overheated and he gave up.
"I don't know! You think of something!" He yelled desperately, throwing the ball hard at Giorgio, inadvertently hitting him in the face.
"Agent Bruno, you seem to always be wet whenever I see you nowadays. Everything alright in the pool?" Agent Robert Baxter asked, a little worried for his junior.
"We have a very playful mermaid, is all," Giorgio said, trying to tidy his wet hair.
Giorgio had been asking around, trying to see if anyone had any bright ideas about how Evan could make himself useful. Finding a job for Evan would certainly help with his integration into the community as well, so it was in Giorgio's best interest. He had begun by first asking the agents close to him, before the search led to asking those he wasn't familiar with. Eventually, he ended up asking the senior agents.
"I've asked everywhere and I'm at the end of my tether. Heard that you came from the U.S. Navy SEALs, so I thought you might have some idea of what to do in the water. I'd certainly appreciate it if you could come up with somethingーanything," Giorgio said, rubbing his temples as he explained his situation.
"You certainly look like you need a break, Agent Bruno," Robert advised. Even so, he was impressed by how hard Giorgio was working, so he decided to try his best to help. Thinking back about his past experiences in the navy, inspiration struck him.
"Well, I might have the perfect idea."
【Meeting 6】
"4 minutes and 56 seconds! Too slow! Are you swimming for recreation?!" Robert yelled at Evan as he reached the edge of the swimming pool after swimming a lap.
"Huh?! But that's as fast as I can swim!" Evan complained, getting nowhere near what was expected of him.
The idea that struck Robert was to train Evan so that he could spar with the other VSSE agents in the pool. It would be a good exercise to prepare for sea-related missions. The idea had come when he thought back about how the U.S. had a Navy Marine Mammal Program, where dolphins and sea lions were trained to protect ports and Navy assets.
"If you want to be of help, then you've got to be faster and stronger. We're all elite soldiers here!" Robert reminded him.
"Giorgio, too?" Evan asked curiously, looking very interested.
"Agent Bruno, too! Best in the Italian police force. You'd better aim to get at least as ripped and as fast as he is! Swim another lap!"
"Yessir!" Evan replied excitedly, diving back into the water.
Giorgio walked up to Robert.
"Agent Baxter, thanks. I really appreciate the help," Giorgio said.
"Don't worry about it," Robert said, "Haven't been to the pool for awhile. Reminds me of my training days. Good old times..."
Giorgio smiled at Robert as he reminisced. Evan made it to the other side of the pool, turning around and pushing himself off the pool wall, swimming back elegantly.
"You're certainly putting a lot of effort into helping him, Agent Bruno," Robert commented, "Thought you were more of a loner."
"Well," Giorgio began, "Let's just say that he reminded me of something in the past. There was a time when I was all alone in the world, and then someone stepped in with a helping hand."
"I see..." Robert nodded. He had heard that Giorgio was adopted as a child, although he was unsure of what had befallen his family. He must have drawn some similarities between that and Evan's situation.
"Best of luck to you, then. I'll help with what I can," he said.
After his first training with Robert, Evan laid half-dead at the edge of the pool. Giorgio knelt next to him, massaging his stiff back.
"Aahhh, that felt so good! Keep pressing that part," Evan groaned with satisfaction. "Sheesh! Do you guys train like that all the time? Bet that was twice as much exercise as what you guys actually do. How mean!"
"Actually, that's just a quarter of the VSSE's daily training for newcomers," Giorgio corrected him. Evan felt as though his soul had left him. Giorgio laughed.
"You'll get better, Evan. Agent Baxter said that you had potential," he said. "By the way, they finished the plans for your private tank awhile back and have started building it. Look forward to it."
Evan smiled back at him, feeling quite grateful.
"Hey, Giorgio."
"...?"
"I just wanna say... thanks... You know, for always being there for me and helping me out," Evan said, turning to face him. "I was so scared of everything when I first came here, but look at how things are nowーI have people I can talk with, play with and train with, as well as people I can call 'friends'. And it's all thanks to you!"
"Oh, come now, you're making it sound bigger than it is," Giorgio said, looking away shyly as he wasn't used to being praised so much. Evan shook his head, eyes shining brightly.
"But that's really how I feel! I won't let your hard work go to wasteーI'll do my best for you!"
Giorgio smiled a little, feeling Evan's strong trust. Guess he'd just have to roll with it.
"Heh, you'd better keep that promise then. I'm looking forward to seeing you getting along perfectly with everyone," he said. Evan nodded with a grin.
Unbeknown to them, someone was lurking in the shadows, keeping a close eye on them.
