Chapter 25: For the Glory of Science

"What is your name?" Dr. Denman asked Sara. They were both sitting down opposite each other across Denman's desk on her ship. Elliot and Laura flanked Denman, while Blake stood behind Sara, hands placed on the back of her chair. Although Sara had agreed to this whole thing, it almost felt like a standoff; the three of them against Sara and Blake.

"Why? So you can reveal who I am to the world?" Sara fired back immediately.

"No, but like I said, it may indeed happen one day. Having a name attached to you will be better for people to show your humanity. I'm no business person, but that is a good part of marketing yourself. Plus it'll make you more a subject and not a specimen when it comes to research. It may be a small change in word, but it's a big change in semantics," Denman explained. "I know you may still be angry, and I understand. But it's better if we can work together and don't fight each other at every turn."

"Fine. My name is Sara Meyer. Sara has no "H" too. Make sure to get that right," Sara replied hesitantly.

Denman scribbled it down onto the notepad in front of her. "And, I'm going to assume you were born a normal human female."

"I AM a normal human female," Sara retorted.

"I understand that. More than you might realize. However, what is considered normal in this world is not turning into a mermaid when you touch water. So, when we discuss 'normal' that is what we are referring to for sake of context," Denman responded, then scribbled something down in her notes. "And so, where are you from?"

Sara sighed, annoyed with it all. "Gibbon, Nebraska. In America."

"When did you come to Australia and why?"

"I came here about three to four months ago, give or take. I came with my mother and father after my father got a new and higher paying job here. And so here I am in Gold Coast."

"How did you become a mermaid? And how long have you been one?"

Sara gulped. "I went on a boat trip a few days after I moved her. One thing lead to another, and I was in the right place at the right time, and I became a mermaid."

Denman looked skeptically at Sara. "One thing led to another?"

"That is technically the truth. Look this is supposed to get clarity for me. If the info of how I became a mermaid fell into the wrong hands, there's no telling what evil things would happen. So instead, I'd rather keep it to myself."

Denman nodded slowly. "Fine then. I won't question you about it then. Anyway, next… So, you've been a mermaid for around the same time you've been here… Are there any other existing mermaids that you are currently aware of? Or are you the only one?"

Sara froze. As well, she felt Blake's grip tighten on the back of her chair. She spoke slowly and confidently. "Not that I know of. But, considering you met some mermaids before, it wouldn't surprise me if there were or are some others out there." Throwing that out there seemed like a cheap attempt, but it was what Sara could come up with on such short notice.

"Duly noted," Denman replied flatly, continuing her notes. "Ok Sara, if you don't mind, I'd like to take some measurements of you in your human form." Sara scowled at the phrase 'human form'. She thought she was human no matter what, even though she was a mermaid. "And then, we will take some more measurements when you're in your mermaid form to see what has changed in between."

"Ok, let's do it," Sara agreed. Denman grabbed a tape measure out of her . With Sara's permission, Denman measured Sara's height, marking 1.78 meters. She followed it up with several measurements of weight, arm length, leg length, torso length, girth, and a variety of others. Elliot and Laura grabbed other devices for Denman in which she used to check Sara's blood pressure, heart rate, and reflexes. Ha, this is just like a physical at the doctor's office, no big deal. Sara chuckled to herself.

Denman then handed Sara a glass of water. "Here. Do the transformation yourself when you're ready," Denman put in. Sara nodded, now feeling a bit more nervous. This was what she was dreading the most. Sara looked at Blake for support, and he nodded in response. She dipped her hand into the water, and layed down. Ten seconds later, her tail appeared, flowing away from her. "Whoa…" Elliot and Laura spoke simultaneously.

"I'm glad I could be the spectacle for you two," Sara chastised loudly, now feeling more annoyed than anything.

The two of them shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry Ms. Meyer," Elliot spoke. "This is just too cool… I'm sorry for acting odd."

"Ms. Meyer? Really? Just call me Sara. It's fine," Sara replied, yet she rolled her eyes. Denman went ahead and measured again. This time, from head to the tip of her tail, Sara was around seven feet in length. A surprised Denman marked these down in her notebook. Most of her upper body was unchanged in terms of size although.

It was when it came down to her heart rate that Denman was baffled. "This is remarkable!" Denman exclaimed, surprising Sara. "Your heart rate is extremely low. We're looking at six beats per minute. With your heart rate being so low, and yet you still functioning normally, it stands to reason that you can extract more oxygen from the air, which would allow you to hold your breath for much longer periods. I can't wait till we get to that point!"

Sara just shrugged. When the measurements were up, Laura passed a towel down to Sara, who dried herself quickly. She could've used her powers, but she didn't want to display her full hand of abilities just yet. Denman barked orders at Laura and Elliot, who pulled up the anchor and readied the ship for departure. "What are we doing next?" Sara asked.

"We're going out to sea, away from prying eyes. Then, I would like you to get into the water where we can do some more preliminary tests on things like how long you can hold your breath, how fast you are in the water. That kind of thing," Denman explained.

Sara just went to the railing, staring out over the marina as the ship began to depart. She sighed, a bit stressed out. Although she should've felt ok about finding out more about her, she just felt like everything was going too fast. She felt like she was almost out of control, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Blake came over and stood next to her on the railing. "How are you feeling?" he asked Sara.

"A bit overwhelmed honestly," Sara admitted. "When I became a… mermaid… I never thought about what the future would be. But now… I don't know. It just feels like so much is happening right now, and none of it is under my control. I have to trust all of these people not to reveal my secret, and I've got to keep all of this from Mia and Katy. I just…. It's a lot to take in."

"Have faith in the process. It'll all turn out ok," Blake reassured her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Damn I wish I had your confidence," Sara joked, allowing herself to smile. Whatever happened, at least she had his friendship to help her with everything. "Thank you Blake for being here with me."

Blake smiled back at her. "Anything for a friend," he replied.

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Farley was standing near the edge of the Marina. He had gone on an errand for his father. He looked onward as a ship was heading its way out toward the open ocean, when he happened to notice Sara on the boat. What is Sara doing out there? He questioned. He had not heard from her since they left school that day. Now, she was on some seemingly boat heading toward open ocean. Did she not know she could be splashed?

The kicker was that right next to Sara, a bit too close, was Blake, with his hand on her shoulder. What is he doing with Sara? Farley was in no mood for any of that. He put it in the back of his mind and continued on his way.

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Soon, the Redemption was out to sea, free from eyesight of any curious onlookers, and Dr. Denman cut the engine. When they were stopped, Elliot threw the anchor overboard while Laura grabbed some equipment and moved it to a working space near the rear of the boat. Blake became increasingly curious on Denman's previous research. He even asked her a few questions on the previous mermaids, but she only gave vague and unclear answers.

"So, what's next on the list?" Sara asked, trying to be nonchalant.

Denman looked up and down her clipboard. "So, I want to start by testing how long you can hold your breath both as a human and as a mermaid. We can then see if there's any kind of correlation between the two," She explained.

"Aye Aye Captain!" Sara mocked, putting on a mock salute, "All for the glory of Science!"

Denman rolled her eyes. "I know you're being facetious, but still, it's important to have a baseline test on your abilities."

Sara nodded reluctantly. They started on the boat. Sara held her breath as long as she could, but it was just barely a minute before she gave in and started breathing heavily in and out, her lungs regaining precious oxygen. "Don't hurt yourself," Denman warned.

"I probably won't," Sara joked. "Now what?"

"I'll need you to get into the water and go under the surface. Only come back up when you feel yourself need to take a breath," Denman instructed.

"Yeah? And what's to stop me from swimming away from the boat and escaping as soon as I get in the water," Sara challenged.

Denman sighed. "I suppose you could. But, you'd never get the answers you want, we still know about your secret, and your friend Blake will still be on this boat. I think your little rebelliousness is honorable, but we can't work well together if you're constantly trying to undermine this. Please Sara."

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "Alright fine. I'll work better." Sara jumped off the deck and into the ocean waters, keeping above the surface as her tail appeared. Elliot and Laura still looked wide-eyed at her. Sara glared at them angrily, and the two of them tried their best to act normal. "Ready to time me?" She asked Denman, who looked down at her over the side next to Blake.

"Start whenever you're ready," Denman instructed.

Sara nodded. She dove beneath the waves, coming to a rest some ten feet below the water's surface. It was peaceful underneath the water. For a moment, Sara forgot about the predicament she was in. No longer did she worry about Denman, Elliot, Laura, the research, or any of it. Here, she felt completely relaxed. She closed her eyes and drifted, happy to be free from any stress. Being a mermaid was amazing for her.

Hey Sara! We're heading to Mako if you want to come with! Katy contacted her. The telepathic message jerked Sara out of her relaxation. She spun quickly back and forth, but couldn't see anything in the waters around her. Katy must have been talking to her from somewhere farther away, possibly on the way to Mako Island.

Sorry Katy! I'm a bit busy at the moment so I won't be able to make it. Sara sent to Katy, hoping to stall. She couldn't let Katy and Mia know about her deal with Dr. Denman.

But… You're in your tail? Katy questioned.

Sara panicked, thinking of an excuse. Uhh… Just happened to be in it at the time. All is fine. I'll get you later though! I'll need a swim to Mako later! I promise! She rambled quickly

Uh… Ok… Katy trailed off, unsure of what to think of Sara's answer. I guess Mia and I will see you then!

Of course! See ya! Sara severed the connection. She couldn't talk about what she was actually doing for sure. She hoped the lie would hold tight. Sara returned to her relaxed position, or as best as she could. She was still worried about lying to Katy and Mia, but she felt it was for the best that they stay ignorant about what was going on.

Some time later, Sara felt the tinge of needing to breathe. She had no idea how long she had been under the water. Making her way toward the back of the boat, she surfaced, much to the surprise of the four people still there. "How long was that?" Sara asked, treading water lightly.

Denman hurriedly checked her watch. "You were under for… twenty-seven minutes and forty-three seconds! That's incredible!" She exclaimed.

"Bah, that was easy," Sara boasted. "In an emergency, I could've stayed down there for longer."

"That's good for a preliminary test on your time underwater," Denman checked her notes. "Do you know how fast you are in the water at all?"

Sara shrugged. "I've never really checked. I know I'm pretty fast, but besides that I really don't know. I actually want to find out." Sara had to admit she was curious now on how quickly she could swim.

Denman half smiled. "I agree. And besides, didn't I tell you that you'd want to know more about your abilities." She handed Sara rope with a buoy on it. "This rope is one hundred meters long. The buoy has a sensor in it. When you're ready, hit this button to start the timer and race outward. When it hits the end of the rope, the buoy will automatically detach, stopping the timer. From there, we'll have the time it takes for you to go one hundred meters, and we can calculate your speed from there."

"Seems easy enough," Sara spoke, turning to face the ocean.

"Whenever you're ready."

Sara calmed her nerves, steadying herself. When she was ready, she slammed down the button and shot forward in the water. Every muscle in her body burned as she pushed her tail to the limit. It was no time at all when she felt the buoy clip off from the rope. Sara released her muscles, gliding to a stop. When she recovered, Sara turned back and slowly returned to the boat.

Denman looked in shock when Sara resurfaced at the Redemption."Sara… That was three seconds to go one hundred meters. That's over thirty meters per second!" Denman exclaimed.

"Uh…. Great? I don't know how fast that is…" Sara pondered.

"That's about seventy miles per hour or so. Give or take the error on translating units," Laura interjected.

Now it was Sara's turn to be shocked. She gasped at how fast she had just swam, as fast as a car on the highway. "That's… I had no idea I could swim that fast!" She exclaimed.

Elliot and Blake helped Sara out of the ocean and onto the boat, where she rested on her back for a moment. Denman knelt by her. "Sara, I really hope to help you out with all of this. I'm guessing you want to swim farther and faster, stay under longer, and go deeper. While I'm unsure how best to train you, I will hope to uncover more about what is going on with your body. I'm in this with you and for you," She explained.

Sara nodded her head. "I understand… And, I'd like to learn more about my condition as much as you do," Sara agreed.

Denman sighed. "I say that because the next tests might be more uncomfortable for you."

Sara gulped. "What are you going to do to me?"

"I'm not going to dissect you, if that's what you're worried about. However, I need qualitative data on your tail, which means I will have to feel it with my hands and write down a description of it. Ok? In addition, I need to take a sample of the scales on your tail which I can run better tests on without actually running them on you and your tail directly," Denman explained. "Is that alright with you."

"I suppose so. If that's the best way to do the right research, then it's what I have to do," Sara relented.

Denman nodded, starting to run her hand along the side of Sara's tail, feeling the scales beneath her fingers. "Hmmm…. Rough yet smooth, and somewhat slimy, probably to help mitigate drag when gliding through the water, yet enough friction so you can generate thrust with each of your fin strokes. Ingenious."

Denman went back to her notes and began frantically scribbling down onto the paper. Sara looked up at Blake for support, but he only shrugged his shoulders. Denman returned with a pair of tweezers in her hand. Sara had a guess what they would be used for. "Now, this might be the more uncomfortable part. I'm going to have to acquire one of your scales. I will try to not cause any discomfort if I can, but this is just forewarning," Denman notified.

Sara nodded reluctantly. For support, Blake came over and grabbed her hand, giving her a place to squeeze in case of pain. "Ok. I'm ready whenever… Ow!" Sara exclaimed. Denman had taken a scale using the distraction. It wasn't too painful, more surprising to Sara.

Denman held up the scale, turning it, allowing the sun to glitter off the orange surface of it. "Magnificent…" She trailed off. "It's beauty is hard to ignore."

"Thanks I guess," Sara joked. "Glad my tail could be beautiful."

"I will get you the answers you desire Sara. I promise it," Denman declared.

Sara smiled and nodded. She completely doubted Dr. Denman's self confidence. Yet still, if she could answer more questions about Sara's mermaid condition, it would be better for her. And that's all that Sara needed.