The light in his eyes made him wince and his head pulsed with an oncoming migraine. Blinking, he tried to sit up, but found he couldn't move. Looking, he was shocked to see his arms strapped down to a bed, as were his legs. Glancing around, terror began to grip him. He was in some sort of lab! All around him were people wearing lab coats and working with unfamiliar scientific equipment. An older man with a gray mustache stepped into view, a manila folder in his hands.

"Cody? How are you feeling?" The man shone a small but bright light in eyes.

He didn't answer. Cody didn't know who these people were or what had happened. He was focusing more on not having a panic attack. This was his biggest fear. If they did any sort of testing, they'd know that he wasn't human. They probably already knew and that's why he was there. The thought made is stomach churn.

"It's a little disorienting at first, I know." The man gave him a sympathetic smile.

Cody still didn't respond. Who was this guy? Where was he? He pulled against the straps holding him down.

"I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable, but we can't risk you shocking anyone. You've caused plenty of problems already."

Shocking… Cody froze and stared at the man wide eyed. What did they know? The fear in his body flooded him and he felt the electricity dance on his fingers.

"Calm down. Take a few deep breaths. No one here is going to hurt you." The man walked away.

Cody watched him and tried to figure out what they wanted. It was true that no one was poking at him and they all seemed to be focused elsewhere. As they gave him space he was able to bring his heart rate down a little.

"Chris, how's he doing?" A middle aged woman walked through a set of double doors at the far side of the room.

"Just fine. A little scared, but can't blame the kid," said Chris.

The lady walked up to the bed Cody was strapped to and stared down at him, her face expressionless. Whoever she was, Cody did not like this lady at all.

"Chris, where's Jess?" Abigail looked over at the doctor.

"Bryce went to fetch him a few minutes ago," said Dr. May. He walked up to Cody again.

Jess? Were these the people who had kidnapped his friend? He could feel his charge building in his hands again.

"Now, none of that," said Abigail, her voice an iceberg in its coldness.

Cody flinched and watched as she looked through the file Dr. May handed her. The charge in his hands dissipated momentarily as he fought to bring himself under control.

"Everything looks normal," said Abigail, frowning. "Any info from his bloodwork yet?"

"Lindy is still working on it," said Dr. May.

Bloodwork? Cody pulled on the restraints. They had his blood. It was over. He needed to get out of there!

"Cody!" Jess's voice carried clearly over the room as he ran up to the bed.

'Jess!' thought Cody, making sure he directed his thoughts just to his friend.

"Are you okay?" Asked Jess. He stared at the restraints and then glared at Abigail. "Are you serious?"

Cody stared around him and then noticed the guy who had walked in with Jess. It was the guy who had attacked him at his door! Tugging harder at the restraints, he looked wide eyed at Jess.

'You got to help me Jess! We need to get out of here!' Cody thought to him, desperation filling his mind.

Jess stared down at his best friend, then looked away. "I can't."

'What? Come on!' Cody was really panicking now and his charge was building again.

"Didn't you tell him why he's here?" Jess looked at his mom accusingly.

"That wasn't your mom's call," said Dr. May. "I was hoping to have him calmed down before I did." He rubbed a hand through his hair. "I see that's not going to be the case."

'Mom?' Cody looked at Jess, then at Abigail, then back at his friend. 'Jess?'

Finally meeting his eyes, Jess slumped his shoulders. "Abigail is my mom."

Abigail didn't smile, but rather shook her head. "We don't have time for pleasantries. Chris, I'm going to check on Sean. Please get this situation sorted now."

Jess and Cody watched her walk away. Cody was bewildered. Did she say Sean? He was here too?

"Cody, we need your help," said Dr. May, drawing the attention back to himself.

Cody still didn't respond, rather glaring at his best friend. Jess wasn't meeting his eyes again. What had his friend done? Was he in cohorts with these people? He did want to believe it.

Dr. May placed a hand on the merman's shoulder. "This will be easier if you'll talk to me."

Jess adjusted his glasses then finally looked back up. "They know everything, Cody. They've known for a long time."

The young merman could almost feel his heart stutter to a stop for a second, before it picked up at a rapid pace. He must have heard wrong. These people knew his secret? He looked up at Dr. May. Scientists knew what he was? He let his head fall back against the bed and gave a final jerk with his wrists against the straps. No!

'Please. I just want to go home,' thought Cody. He let the thought reach anyone who was close enough.

The whole room seemed to stop and stare at him.

"I know, but it's a matter of life and death," said Dr. May. "Your friend Sean is not doing so well, and you're the cause."

'Where's Sean? Why is he here?'

Jess pulled up a stool and sat by the bed. "He's changing. Into a merman."

"What did you do on the beach two nights ago?" Asked Dr. May. He had a notebook open, ready to jot things down.

'When Sean attacked me?' Cody closed his eyes, and laid his head back. His brain was pounding, and bright spots were dancing behind his eyelids. He wasn't used to talking to this Dr. May and it was quickly taking a toll on him.

"What you did to him was far worse than the punch to the face he gave you," said Dr. May. "What I mean, more specifically, is what did you do to his body?"

Cody shook his head. 'He should be fine. I took the electricity out of him. He had some welts on his wrists, but he was fine.'

"Don't lie to us, young man!" Dr. May tapped the notebook with his pen, a warning in his voice.

He'd had enough. Opening his eyes, Cody stared at Dr. May, and then he thought about what had happened the other night with Sean.

The older man staggered back a little as his mind was bombarded with pictures and feelings. It was like he was there, on the beach. He could feel the panic of watching Sean go into shock, then the relief as Cody was able to pull the energy out of him. Annoyance as Sean woke up and called him names, then fear of having a tail again.

Dr. May collapsed into a chair, rubbing his pounding head. "That…" he gasped.

"Cody, go easy on him!" Jess jumped down from his stool and helped Dr. May sit up straight.

Barely hearing them, Cody shook his head in pain. He wasn't feeling well at all, his body shaking. His joints and bones were aching, and that tug in his gut was back. The urge to go swimming was nearly overwhelming.

"Cody?" Jess was resting a hand on his shoulder again. "Hey, I'm sorry."

'Jess, what's happening? Why are you doing this to me?' Cody squinted at him. 'Please…'

"That was incredible," exclaimed Dr. May. He still sat in the chair, but now he was furiously writing in his notebook. "Jess, go grab your mother. I have an idea to save Sean."

Looking down at his best friend one more time, Jess nodded and then walked out of the room. Within a minute he was back, his mom following closely behind.

"Chris, what is it?" Abigail looked almost hopeful.

"It was fascinating. He showed me exactly what happened. We had it all wrong!" He walked over to a computer. "The reason Cody drug Sean into the ocean was to pull the charge out. I don't think he finished the process."

"So if we put them both back in the water, you think he'll be able to pull the charge completely from Sean's body?" Abigail pushed her glasses back up her nose. "It's possible, theoretically."

Jess was sitting back on the stool, watching his mom and Dr. May. Cody still had his eyes closed, a pained expression on his face.

"Alright, move Sean to the pool please." She snapped her fingers and a few of the scientists who had been working at other stations jumped into action.

"Bryce and Lindy, help Cody to the pool as well," said Abigail.

Cody opened his eyes as the bed began to move. Pool? They went through a set of doors then down a short hallway. The smell of ocean was unmistakable as they entered into a large natatorium. The young merman stared at the large pool and his stomach dropped. It was sea water. His gut tugged and the terror built in him again.

'No!' he blasted the thought out to anyone who was within range. He pulled at the restraints furiously, his charge flashing from his hands as Bryce and Lindy jumped back.

"Hey, Cody, calm down!" Jess tried to get close but he was afraid of getting shocked.

'I can't!' He looked at the water again, still pulling and pushing. 'Let me go!'

"Stop struggling or we put you out," said Abigail. She held a syringe in her hand.

Cody shook his head violently. 'Please! Don't do this! Jess, help me!'

More yelling came from the other side of the pool and everyone turned to see Sean struggling against the people who were wheeling him in.

"Take me back! I told you, I can't breathe!" Sean gasped after his shout, his lungs struggling in the open air.

All the fight went out of Cody as soon as he saw Sean.

Abigail noticed the young merman's expression. "Take a good look, Cody. You did that."

Sean was brought to the edge of the pool and then lowered into the water. He quickly disappeared under the surface and didn't come back up.

'I…' Cody met the doctor's eyes. 'I...'

Shaking her head, Abigail put the the syringe back in her pocket. Walking forward she loosened the restraints around Cody's ankles.

"When a merperson shocks a human, it affects them. Your kind should have told you this before they ever let you come near land." She moved up to his wrists. "When you shocked Sean, you not only almost killed him, but you caused his body to start changing into what you are now."

Cody shook his head. 'The Elders didn't say anything… it can't be.'

"You saw him," said Abigail, her voice cutting. She let Cody sit up and stared him down. "He's changing but it's too much for his body to handle. If you don't stop it and pull that charge out of him, he's going to die."

'What?' He looked back at the water. 'It can't…' He looked around at all the people who had gathered, including Jess. 'What is this place? Who are you guys?'

Jess stepped forward. "It's a research center. Everyone here has been affected by merpeople."

'I don't…' Cody stared at his best friend. 'Jess?'

"When you shocked me last year to save me from drowning, it did more than you knew. Jess's cheeks reddened and he looked down. "I can hold my breath for over eight minutes now."

Cody was shocked and horrified. He stared down at his hands, his wrists swollen and red from his struggles. He was hurting the people around him. Why didn't his mother tell him? Why didn't anyone warn him? He had just wanted to come home! He looked at the pool again. The tug in his stomach had expanded to his body and he winced. Just being this close to ocean water was instigating his change. He was about to lose his humanity all over again.

'Sean, he's…' Cody looked back at Abigail.

"He's changing. He's probably down at the bottom of the pool, doubled over in pain. You're the only one who can help him." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Now, you can get in on your own, or we can force you. Either way, we aren't going to let that young man die. Not if you can do something about it."

Hesitantly, Cody climbed off the bed and stepped forward until he could stare down into the water. Sure enough, he could see Sean in there, his arms wrapped around his chest as he sat at the bottom of the pool. His stomach tugged him forward and he almost dove in. Scales were already growing on his wrists.

'What are you going to do to me afterward?' Cody looked back at the scientists who had gathered around.

"That depends on if you can actually help him," said Abigail. With a sigh, she shrugged off her lab coat, a dive suit on underneath.

Cody watched a few others tug off their own lab coats, also clad in dive suits.

'All of you are really like me?' Asked Cody.

"We're nothing like you," said Abigail, disdainfully. "We're human. We've just been affected by your kind, some more than others. Now, if you don't mind, Sean is running out of time. Let's see if Dr. May's theory is right."

Abigail stepped forward and gave the young merman a push to the chest.

Cody didn't stop himself from tumbling into the water. He hit the surface with a splash and let himself sink, his swim bladder kicking in. He floated in the water, a few feet below the surface, and stared up at Jess leaning over the side.

This was it. He could feel it in his gut as his toes began to stretch and pull. He'd been right in assuming that this last change to human hadn't felt very permanent. One day. That's all he'd had. Most of it had been spent in bed or worrying about the people around him. Now, he'd never get to go to school again, or swim on the team. He'd never again be able to walk along the boardwalk with Sam's hand in his. His mom and dad were going to have to say goodbye to him once more.

Sorrow filled him as he watched his feet elongated, the toes turning to cartilage and the webbing stretching. Fins grew on his wrists as scales covered his palms and began to climb up from his ankles. His knees wobbled then also turned to cartilage as his legs began to knit themselves together.

The split of his shorts was the final note as his human life truly slipped away from him. Cody could feel it this time. His tail felt strong as he pulled the tattered remains of his shorts from around him. Feeling weighed down, he pulled his shirt over his head and let it drift away. Looking around, he found dozens of people in the water, staring at him. One of them had a camera and had been recording everything. He was horrified. Never had he felt so inhuman before.

If he could have cried, he would have.

With a powerful flick of his tail, Cody swam down to where Sean sat.

Sean was staring at his former friend, eyes wide in amazement. He'd just watched Cody turn into a merman. His scales flashed a silver blue as he sat at the bottom of the pool, tail tucked under him, a frown on his face.

'Sean, I...' Cody hung his head, his cheeks red with shame. 'I didn't know I could do this. I shouldn't…' his thoughts trailed off.

Not responding, as he didn't know how to talk underwater, Sean kept a steady stare on the merman. He was so otherworldly. It was hard to believe this was really who Cody was.

'I'm going to fix this.' Cody held up his hands, a strange halo of energy pulsed from his palms, radiating out like a halo.

Sean, without understanding why, brought up his own hands. His bones seemed to thrum with the energy building in his body. While it thrummed the pain was also building and he had to bite his lip as the same energy emerged from his own hands.

Cody hesitated, unsure. From what Dr. May had said in the lab, he needed to pull the charge out of Sean. All of it. That should return him to normal.

Slowly he let his hands drift towards Sean's until they were only an inch apart. He could feel the energy pulsing around them.

Eyes wide, Sean stared at Cody, unmoving.

With a nod, Cody clasped Sean's hands in his, interlacing their fingers. Time felt frozen as their charges melded into one. Suddenly Cody felt something very, very wrong. As he started to tug Sean's charge towards him he could feel the other boy's energy start to collapse. He was too far gone. To take the charge from him now would definitely kill him.

Cody met Sean's gaze in that split second. If he tried to make him human, as he was now, he wouldn't survive. This wasn't something he could undo. He only had one choice left and he knew it was going to mean major consequences. But wasn't Sean dying worse than all of that?

His mind made up, Cody sent a surge of electricity into Sean's body. The energy around their hands flashed in a brilliant light display.

Sean was the first to react, the pain in his body suddenly gone. He stared at his webbed hands and finned arms. Then at the tail that had suddenly replaced his legs. Like Cody's tail, it was mostly silver, but with green accents instead of blue. He couldn't quite understand what he was seeing, his mind trying to process the fact that he was still breathing water and had a tail. An actual fish tail where legs where just moments before.

Cody tentatively reached over and placed a scaled hand on his shoulder. Images easily filled Sean's mind and he felt from Cody why he'd done it. He understood, it was the only way to save his life. That didn't mean he wasn't completely pissed off.

In that moment, Cody and Sean traded between them all the horror and anger they both felt about the situation, compounded with regret and sorrow from Cody.

A loud bang echoed in the water and Cody suddenly flinched as a sharp pain hit his shoulder. Both of the merman stared at the dart that now stuck out of his skin.

Cody's limbs went limp as the scientists swarmed around the both of them. Sean didn't fight them, too in awe and shock with what had just happened. He let them guide him to the surface after Cody. He was feeling too many emotions at once to be able to process any of them.

Jess followed his mom and the other scientists as they hauled both mermen back onto stretchers, Cody unconscious and Sean not responding to any of the questions he was being asked. What had just happened? He'd seen the flash and it had looked suspiciously like the one when his friend had changed into a merman. Now Sean had a tail as well? That wasn't supposed to happen.

At the doors leading to the lab with the tanks, Bryce stood there, waiting for him. "I'm to take you back to your room," he said.

"I want to see Cody. Why did you guys tranquilize him?" Jess tried to push past Bryce but was easily stopped.

"There's nothing you can do to help right now," said Bryce. He grabbed Jess by the collar bone, and forcefully turned him around. "Dr. Wheatley will let you know when you're needed.

Jess glanced back over his shoulder as Bryce pushed him down the hall.

-TSLOF-

Sean stared out of his tank to the one next to his. The one in which Cody was floating, unconscious. Abigail and Dr. May were having a heated discussion, both gesturing wildly at their computer screens. They'd draw blood from both of the boys before they'd been placed in the tanks, and Sean assumed they were arguing over the results.

He wished he could be out there, yelling with them. He'd been furious when the shock of what happened had worn off. That was a few hours ago. Now it was late and was just the two doctors left.

His anger had tamped down and now he was left with a begrudging curiosity. He'd been in so much pain earlier; it was strange to suddenly feel so good. Sean stared down at his tail. It was the strangest thing to flick it and feel how fluid the water flowed around him. If he was still in that large pool, he would have been testing his limits.

All his life, his dad had been pushing him to become some world renowned swim star. He loved the sport and he especially loved competing. There was nothing like the rush of out pacing his opponents. Diving off the start block at the sound of the buzzer was exhilarating and he loved the adrenaline rush. Mostly he just enjoyed swimming and being in the water.

Now, it looked like he couldn't do anything but swim. Sean flexed his tail again, watching the scales flash in the bright lights of the lab. He stared at his wrists and even played with the weird fins that grew there. This new body of his was built for speed.

He opened his mouth to call for the doctors' attention, and stopped as only bubbles spewed out. That was right. Just like Cody, he was now mute. He felt his throat. It felt the same, but his voice was obviously gone. Cody could communicate with his mind, but did Sean know how that worked? Definitely not. How in the world was he supposed to 'think' what he wanted to say to other people? It didn't make any sense to him. With Cody out cold, there wasn't exactly anyone around offering to teach him.

That bugged him as well. No one was talking to him. Now that he wasn't dying, he'd become like Jess, pushed to the side until he could be useful. He didn't like it. This was his life, after all. They needed to wake up Cody and get him to actually fix this. He looked over at his former friend, floating listlessly in the opposite tank.

Why had Cody even done it? There'd been a split moment when their hands had connected that he'd felt even worse than before. Then this huge burst of energy had filled him and he'd felt more amazing than ever before. Had Cody known something? Why hadn't he fixed this?

He didn't trust him. Everything in his life was now over. His anger was burning hot in his chest again and he spun a sporadic circle in the cramped space of his tank. Gah! He just wanted to swim off all the pent up frustration he had.

'Just let me swim!' He thought as loud as he could in his mind and pictured the pool.

"Young man!" Dr. May clutched his head.

Abigail had her hands grasped over her ears, a vain attempt to block the sudden yell that had echoed through her mind.

Dr. May walked over to Sean's tank, rubbing his temples. "I know this is very frustrating and confusing, but you need to bear with us."

Sean shook his head and crossed his arms, agitated by the way the fins on his wrists got in the way. He once again thought of the large pool and tried to force that image into Dr. May's mind.

The doctor winced, closing his eyes. "Please, don't do that!" Dr. May rubbed his temples furiously. "You don't know how to control it yet and that's extremely painful."

"It's probably for the best," said Abigail, walking over. "He's not who we need answers from anyways. Though, with how things turned out, I don't know if I trust Cody to be awake."

Dr. May shook his head. "We need both of them in the tanks until I can figure out how Cody even managed this. It doesn't make any sense! No one in all of Sea Haven has ever been affected to this extreme before. It shouldn't be possible!"

"Chris, Sean is a victim, like the rest of us. If swimming will help him come to terms with what's happened to him, then we need allow it." Abigail pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Bryce and Lindy. "Hold on a few minutes, Sean. If you're positive, we will help you back into the pool. You can stay there as long as you like."

Sean sagged in his tank in relief, nodding his surety. He couldn't figure these guys out. One minute they were so cold and removed, the next they acted like they had a mission to save the world. What was up with these people? He half pitied Cody for getting on their bad side.

Soon, Sean was being lowered back into the pool. Lindy and Bryce gave him strange looks the whole time, unsure of what to make of him.

In the water, the new merman let himself sink, amazed at how well he could control his buoyancy. He could stay almost motionless without floating off haphazardly. Testing his tail, he gave it a strong flick and shot forward. What power! This was nothing like swimming with training fins. His muscles stretched and coiled smoothly from his hips down to where his ankles once were. Easily adopting a dolphin kick, he sped around the pool. All anger was momentarily forgotten as he pushed himself, relishing in the feel of the water flowing around him as if he was part of it.

After an hour, his muscles burned and quivered. Dropping his speed, he swam cool down laps, slowly making his way closer to the bottom of the pool. He didn't notice Abigail watching him, or the notebook she'd been writing in. Sean was too impressed with himself to notice much of anything. His stomach growled with hunger, but he ignored that as well. He had so much to think about, but as soon as he stretched out at the bottom of the pool exhaustion overcame him.

This had definitely been the craziest day of his life. He'd gone from being told he could die to being part fish. That part still disgusted him a little, but in his tired state he couldn't help but feel maybe it wasn't so bad. Yawning, he stretched his arms behind his head and tried to make himself comfortable. Last night, when he'd fallen asleep underwater, it had been an accident. It had horrified him when he'd realized what had happened. Now, it felt too natural to breathe the liquid into his lungs, the water exiting the same way.

With another yawn, Sean wondered how he was going to tell his dad. Heck, how would he even see his dad? Dreams of swimming through vast forests of seaweed soon overcame him and he easily fell asleep.

I hope you are all enjoying this crazy ride. Trust me, there is much more in store. Stick around and make yourselves comfortable cause the fun is just getting started. Happy swimming!