Chapter 12


(Natsu)

I seriously couldn't believe my eyes when I first laid eyes on her.

I had gotten impatient with waiting when after Gray had already stepped out of the shadows, there was no sound of gunfire or scuffling so I knew the coast was clear. But I wasn't expecting anything close to what I was looking at now.

There, before us was a giant glass container filled with slightly tinted green water and what really got my jaw to drop was the beautiful mermaid who was staring right back at me with a similar shocked expression. Her golden blond hair tinted a nasty shade but even though, it flowed around her face in a beautiful and alluring way.

A heavy silence ran across the air until Gray elbowed me in the rib, I jerked at the jab and quickly shifted back into leader mode. I did the hand chop motion towards the door giving Gray his orders to keep watch for any unwanted guest. Gray spared the legendary creature one last glance before moving his way to the double doors.

I returned my sights on the mermaid in the now much lowered liquid content, the bullet hole was obviously the reason and the stuff leaking out looked heavy and slow to escape. The mermaid looked frightened when she dunked back down under the unknown substance. She franticly tried to cover up the gapping hole in the glass with her two small hands.

My mind raced about what to do and how to make sense of everything but it seems like time wasn't on our hands as a massive crack jetted upwards from the bleeding hole. The young mermaid looked up and then back at me with eyes that clearly knew what was to come next.

I had instinctively moved forward in worry, I wanted to help but stop mid way and froze at the realization that I didn't know what to do. Usually I would have some ridiculous plans pilling up in the back of my mind but this time I was completely stumped.

The glass tube screeched sharply that it almost made my ears bleed; the mermaid looked at me with fear and then the glass shattered and the container lid fell.

I couldn't tell if the mermaid got crushed or not as the liquid and shattered glass scattered everywhere, in the corner of my eye I saw flash of golden hair. I followed it until the body of a half human girl and a fish came to a stop. Her tail looked like it just went through a cheese gratter and shards or glass stuck into her sides; from fin to shoulder.

When she stopped sliding she shot up clearly ignoring her pain and looked at me directly in the eye and said three words that made my adrenaline shoot through the roof.

"Please. Save me."

~*O*~

Gray and I each had an arm over our shoulders as we moved as fast as we could through the concret hall. I checked the map at every turn and split in the path, trying to make our way back to the others. The poor mermaid has been in and out of consciousness since we picked her off the floor. Every now and then she would mumble a name and something along the lines like 'it was her duty'.

We turned yet another corner when Gajeel's voice crackled in our earpieces.

"Salamander, we got a serious problem." Gajeel's voice sounded strain, as if he was struggling to hold something off. Grays face became haunted and my own; serious.

"Explain the situation Iron Eater. Are you in contact with the enemy now?" My voice low.

In our ear pieces, sounds of what could be a punch followed by a smack that strongly sounded like Gajeel hitting his opponent with the back of his gun. came through. The radio went silent for a moment then the familiar crackling came back along with Gajeels out of breath voice.

"You got that right! Who ever these guys are, they ain't our ally. From the surveillance feed I can see them killing off anyone who's here, regardless if they've come to save the animals or not."

"So you're telling us they just up and joined the fray when it's not even their fight? They've got to be here for a reason." Gray spoked out.

"..."

"Look I ain't got all the answers, I'm just reporting." Gajeel finally retorted back with a bit of annoyance in his deep voice.

"Levy...got to...sav..ee.." Gray and I looked at the semi conscious girl between us.

"Who's that?" Gajeel pointed out.

I gave a look to Gray and he looked me with the same knowing eyes; with smirks on our lips we replied.

"A rare animal."

~*o*~

With much more rush we finally made it back to the same room we left Elfman in; before abruptly entering I let go of the girl to make sure no one had ambushed the big man and was just waiting for us to return.

I knock on the door with 3 consecutive knocks followed by 4 more with two-second intervals. No reply.

"Beast, it's us. Salamander and Ice, we're coming in."

I twisted the knob and slowly pushed the metal door, gun at the ready. The room was dark but most certainly not silent. The mixture of heavy breaths, whining, whimpering and growling, made it rather hard to hear anything. It was no wonder Elfman didn't hear his knock nor his voice. Hence the moment Beast sensed a presence behind him, he swung around with his twitchy finger on the trig of his weapon.

4-6 shots were accidentally fired and I had to literally jump out of the way landing rather ungracefully on my stomach. Gray ducked just in time to miss one that was dead set to hit right between the eyes.

"Watch it Beast! You trying to kill us!?" Gray barked over the animal's voices.

Elfman let go of his weapon and it crashed to the ground in a heap, his eyes wide and shocked at what he just done.

I got back on my feet and brushed off the thick layer of dust that clung to my bulletproof vest. Elfman passed me a worried look as if I was going to scold him for shooting at us but at the moment we should be more concerned with moving all the current animals we have now, out.

"CODE: BLACk, I repeat; CODE: BALCK!" Gajeel's voice boomed through all of our earpieces.

I quick moved to the door and to check for any near by threat then signaled the two others to get into advantageous positions if confronted.

"Copy that. Code:Black, bomb threat confirmed?"

"...*Static ..."

"Iron Eater, confirm!?" I said again more forcibly, as if willing him to just answer.

"Fuck me!...*(more static) ... We got...to ...outside now! They're...with the radio waves... Shit! SALAMANDER GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!"


So its been a while since I last updated, obviously. I hope you can forgive me.

At the moment I don't have all that much to say but thanks for all the support up until now, it has urdged me to continue and try writing again after having writers block for a long time.

If my writing is a little astatic, sorry, its has been a while.

I decided to pick this one first before picking up on Recovery, that one is a little be more complicated than this one (LOL)