MRC Announces Planned Expansion

Doctor Jesse Dalton's students found him on the beach that afternoon. He was sitting on the beach, looking out at the water. They had followed the trail of blood. Candy and Mako had almost expected the sight, when he had not returned with Aquiline. The students were less prepared. Jesse Dalton, "Doc," the son of an actor still known for starring as an older ladies' man, usually co-starring with his wife, Dr. Stacy Grey, was crying. He wasn't sobbing, but they could see traces of tears that lined his face. He had lost her again.

Candy instantly took action, firmly hushing all who thought to venture a comment that would only make him feel worse. One mutter of "more than one fish in the sea" was almost met by a very sharp retort, but Candy knew better. Explaining that there was only one remaining mermaid of that age was not at all likely to keep her professional and credible reputation as a journalist intact.

Expansion Confirmed: Four New Centers Created, 67 Positions Available

Everyone noticed that, after the day no one ever seemed to mention, the doctor was stranger than even before. The jokes were weaker, and he didn't always remember to laugh at his own comments. He was less tolerant of mistakes, often severely upbraiding someone for the smallest of slips. He was solitary to the point of being almost a recluse, and buried himself in a new project that would cure the sickest of mammals. Even these changes were not the most obvious.

Anonymous Dancer Amazes Crowds at Sri Lanka Science Convention

He had always loved the sea. For twenty-nine years, he had endured teasing about his preoccupation with waves and the shore. Now, what had been a fascination bordered on an obsession. The amount of time spent restlessly pacing the beach lessened gradually, until he spent only the briefest of times on the shore, staring at the water. She would come back. She had promised. He could almost hear phantom lips pressing against his, lips that tasted of salt. They would pull away after the briefest of contacts, but the sensation lasted longer than that.

Survivors of Shipwreck Claim Mermaid Rescue

He found a postcard in the mail. It could have been one of the many fan letters he received, praising work or asking about applications to one of the new MRC buildings that would open in two years. It showed a sunrise, one over the ocean. There was no caption, and there were only two short lines made in pictures. There was a girl added to a fish, a squid that was half woman, and a dagger between them. She had added a heart in the place where a concluding wish usually went, with nothing else. He knew what she meant, or at least he hoped he did.

Giant Squid Tentacle Structure Analyzed by Dr. Jesse Dalton

He presented his findings at a conference. He gave no specifics as to where he thought of the ideas. Not the most open-minded of scientists believed that a giant squid of that size would come into such shallow water. He wasn't about to explain that he had only been attacked through a few extremely unlikely circumstances. Instead, he said that he based the work on watching similar animals, such as octopi and smaller squid.

Art Museum Finds Donation from Mystery Benefactor: Ancient Dagger Valued at Millions

Jesse taught a few classes from the MRC. He would have gone to the university to lecture, but no administrator minded going through the paperwork obstacle course to approve courses being taught there. All colleges in the area sent students, and some from out of state participated through long-distance learning, with video cameras and voice recorders aimed at his lecture hall. He taught everything himself, except for sharks. For all matters involving sharks, he deferred to Mako. He would not claim to know more than Mako about those fish.

Examination of Dagger Reveals Traces of Blood: DNA Testing Required

Maddie's cooking show became almost primetime, a remarkable feat for such a show. She married a man she met in New York, one nothing like her last husband. He appeared on her show, shyly at first, with only the shortest of jokes. Soon, he became nearly as popular as her, and the change of name reflected his new importance in the show. Maddie and Chad's Cooking Hour was an odd mix of comedy, drama, and, of course, cooking that was broadcast in other countries. She gave the vast majority of the wealth to charity, and was never above catering for large crowds. There was one other difference about her show, one that set it apart from all others of its type. Maddie did all preparation and cleanup herself, accepting help only from Chad.

Remote Island Receives Needed Delivery of Supplies from Mystery Woman

Mako started a new division of the MRC Rescue Group, one tailored to sharks. He had a smaller group, with only three total making up the team. All three were majoring in marine biology with an emphasis on sharks, and Mako was an expert. There were fewer calls for rescuing a shark stuck in shallows. Beached sharks were almost guaranteed to be dead, but some stuck in tide pools or with a sand bar between them and the ocean could be saved. There were further protests by prejudiced citizens, but Jesse made it clear that the program had his complete confidence.

Blood on Museum's Dagger Belongs to a Woman with Unclear Genetic Makeup

Candy frowned at the headline for the latest edition of the paper. The Ocean's Monthly was a specialized newspaper, and the many topics inside were written by her staff of reporters. As editor-in-chief, she had full access to sources cited for articles. The scientists analyzing the blade could say nothing else for the moment, and Candy didn't bother to call Jesse. He was in bad enough shape. She already knew from her tell-tales in the MRC that he wasn't sleeping well, and the students were concerned. It was odd, in her opinion based on memories from college, for college students to worry someone was not sleeping enough. Teasing him about dates or lack of them was an old joke, but this was something completely different.

She did not know that Sophia brought out her copy, showing Jesse without knowing the significance, until she received a telephone call. He asked for a specific favor, and she pulled a few reporters' strings. Ten minutes later, a picture from the museum shot out of his fax machine, and he knew that the dagger had belonged to Lille.

MRC Gala to Celebrate Opening of New Centers

Dr. Jesse Dalton was the West Coast's most famous marine biologist. His papers of various topics were all translated into every language still spoken in the scientific world. He had inspired eight new courses at the local college. His dolphin-rescue program, with a whale-only team as well as Mako's group, was receiving donations from all over the world. Schoolteachers thought that such donations were an excellent class project, an idea publicized by commercials featuring Derek Dalton. Jesse was not told of his father's plan until a donator commented about the lovely commercial.

Jesse had organized the gala, or at least was said to have done so. Between Candy, Mako, Maddie, and his students, all he had to do was decide on a black or grey tie. Candy took care of all public relations and advertising, adding a complimentary article in the Ocean's Monthly along with a few other ads in major papers. Mako handled any especially indignant people after they reached their limits on tickets. Any more people would not fit within the boundaries of the property without falling off a bluff or into the road. Maddie insisted on providing all food. His students did everything else, running errands, decorating, scheduling research times, figuring out which people would be on call for which parts of the party, and badgering him to let them handle it.

The day of the gala, he barely knew what was going on. Sophia briefed him, detailing which members of the press would be there. One high-powered newspaper reporter, who once had taken an interview deftly to a mute girl, was on the roster of attendees, and a few cameras would be allowed in for one of the society shows. No matter how much the people at the MRC hated being stared at, free publicity was free publicity. There would be a band, with a prodigy of Howard Sage's directing. The venerable conductor had retired years ago, but would attend as a paying guest.

It was a beautiful June night, so the gala would be held mostly outside. This lessened the chance of any priceless experiments being irreparably broken, and the view was enough to make up for not being inside the famous center. The bluff overlooking the ocean featured a circular deck, framed with rose bushes transplanted from the home Jesse had grown up in. Tables were set up along one side, and the miniscule orchestra had a pavilion of its own. Everything was planned, down to who would keep out unwanted guests. Danielle would be in charge of that. She was the best at it, calming while firmly keeping the uninvited outside the gates.

Jesse withdrew from the crowd after a token round of small talk with about every guest. Few noticed his retreat to a less prickly part of the shrubbery. He was not nearly as embracing of crowds as he had been a few years ago. Now, he knew that most people only spoke to celebrities, or listened to what they said, to further their own dreams of being a celebrity. But if everybody only wanted to be a celebrity, they would only ignore each other. Being famous wasn't nearly as fun, once he thought it out.

He was just glad that most of the Plastic Wrap crowd had not been invited. The name had been coined by an annoyed Mako still fascinated with a few modern conveniences. His friends forgot Mako had ever been in any form but human until he was amazed by something they took for granted. The Plastic Wrap group was made of fanatic women, and a few men that took tabloid rumors seriously, who felt he needed a relationship, and was creating a fictitious girlfriend to escape commitment. Danielle took care of them. She was the primary driver of the teams, and he would miss her after she graduated. For now, she was on bouncer duty.

Jesse had not noticed anyone looking for him for the last half hour. He was probably safe, now. He was not at all ready to field the favored questions of reporters. Why wasn't he married? Did he have a girlfriend? Would he appear in a television show seeking the perfect mate for him? His only responses were no comment, yes, and never, respectively. He was thirty-one, and that did not mean he would never settle down. He still was waiting on a promise, but wondered how long was too long. After all, she hadn't sent anything but a postcard in more than two years.

"Ready for a final appearance?"

Jesse still was not used to how quietly Mako could move. "Not yet." For a person once only at ease as the center of attention among a large crowd, he was extremely introverted. Crowds made him feel almost claustrophobic, though he knew that wasn't the exact word for what he felt. "My dad came, and Stacy's new hobby is finding me a 'nice girl' to take home." He had tried to explain that he had a girlfriend, but the extenuating circumstances made giving all details difficult. "Were there any problems at the gate?"

"Just the usual," Mako assured him. Danielle had shared only one incident, as that woman had looked especially out of place. The carefully guarded purse was not a good sign, and Mako was watching for the woman Danielle mentioned. It would not be a good idea to ignore a warning. The woman had mentioned him by name, and had clutched a handbag so no one could look inside. She was another piece of Plastic Wrap, as the students had dubbed the many women who were trying to catch the eye of America's Most Eligible Bachelor.

The Plastic Wrap crowd fit their name. They were, with very few exceptions in the form of doctors who admired his work instead of money or fame, shallow, transparent, and very prone to clinging. It could take as long as an hour to get rid of one, as they had a single-minded tenacity that would be admirable, if not exasperating.

Mako didn't dwell on the odd woman, instead keeping a sharp lookout for a red dress and the woman inside it. "She'll be back, Jesse. It might take her awhile, but she would never live on without you." Mako meant his words to be comforting, but he still remembered a shark's way. The truth was brutal, but necessary to survival. "If she doesn't come back, she's probably dead," he clarified. Mako was not known for uplifting statements. Candy did all motivational speaking necessary for the couple. He gave tactlessly forward statements. It was no small wonder that she had a much more public position in the MRC.

"Thanks, Mako. You're a regular ray of radioactive sunshine." Jesse was used to abrupt pure truth by now, but some things he would just rather not consider. Candy hadn't sent him a copy of the article, but he had received a high-quality picture of a certain dagger in the mail. There were advantages to having a widely-known name. The blood was partly a woman's, but which one? There were only two choices, and both had blood that the scientists would term odd.

He looked through the crowds. There was a pair of possible Plastic Wrap, by their surveillance of the crowd, lack of a date or wedding bands, and the autograph books not entirely hidden in their small purses. His father was speaking to a director, and Stacy was in a conversation with Mako about how resuscitation techniques applied to sharks. He knew, or at least had a fairly certain guess, that this was so by the odd movements both were making. If they weren't demonstrating CPR, they had just invented an extremely bizarre series of dance steps.

He was only one step onto the circular area the dance was being held in before the two women he had seen proved their identity. They made several blatant insinuations, which he ignored as he gave each an autograph. Candy rescued him that time, escorting him away from two annoyed fans. Her stern glares kept them at bay, but they would strike again, given the chance.

"Just one autograph?" a particularly devoted fan pleaded.

"No," Candy snapped irritably, dispatching the last bit of Plastic Wrap with a firm frown. The fans never failed to annoy her. She never had been one for media attention and paparazzi, and these women could learn about a few basic principles such as modesty and restraint.

Candy's cell phone rang just after she left the crowd. With an apologetic glance met with a wave of his hand, she took the call. Few people had this number. Candy had two phones- one for general use and friends, and one to only be called in the case of emergencies or urgent stories.

"Good and bad news, Jesse." She snapped her phone shut after only a few terse words. "They analyzed the blood on that dagger a student showed you. The good news is that there's blood guessed to belong to a squid on it. The bad news is that there's blood that's partly fish."

"So, there's no way to know until the victor shows herself." He had thought it would be too easy, to simply know who had won. He had guessed that Aquiline would fight Sirene, but not that he would find such information.

"Exactly. I'm sorry to say it, but you'll just have to keep waiting." Candy checked her watch. "I need to get to the office for the rest of the facts. The blood is about two weeks old. It shouldn't be much longer." The suspense would be over, after two and a half years.

"I've gotten better at the waiting game, but I can't spend my whole life doing this." He had to move on sometime. There was always the possibility that she had died. There was a second more frightening one, but he still could block it from conscious thought. She had only agreed to the usual bargain because his life was in danger. She could have forced herself to love him, and lost that talent. "I think I'll go talk to Stacy now, and tell her that the girlfriend she insists is fictional should send news soon. Either way, I hope to have definite news within a month." He sounded like the person he had been years ago- fourteen, to be exact.

Candy watched him go. I swear he had this learned years ago, she thought, not trusting the crowds around her enough to speak out loud. A stray comment could cause all sorts of scandal, taken out of context. Love doesn't follow time like he does. She let out a surprised laugh at herself. She was being too philosophical. It was time to go find Mako. The music playing was quick, and there was nothing like a dance for shedding deep thoughts from the mind.