"Impressed?" I asked, gripping the edge of the concrete tunnel. I grinned up at the man crouched in the opening, Steve Rogers. My friend. His face was bright with wonder, as he marveled at my tail.
"Very!" He said, his face pulling into a wide smile. I felt good, liked this kind of attention. I didn't feel afraid, nor did I feel like I was on display. I felt powerful.
"Back up!" I told Steve. He jumped up, giving me enough room to get into the tunnel. I sunk down into the canal a bit, and then pumped my tail as hard as I could. I gained a decent bit of air, landing hard on my gut in the tunnel. I still had to drag myself in the rest of the way, but it was a good start. Suddenly, Steve's hands were under my arms. He awkwardly pulled me in the rest of the way, out of the open.
"Thanks for that…" I mumbled, rolling over on my hip a bit. I concentrated on heat, aiming at the layer of water that coated my body. The water started to steam, evaporating off of my skin and scales. I flinched; this part always stung.
"Does drying off like that hurt?" Steve asked, picking up on my discomfort. I nodded.
"Yeah, but it's faster and easier than towels." As the last drops dried off, I felt a bubbling ripple wash over me, and my scales gave way to legs.
"Wow…" Steve said softly, under his breath. I don't think he meant to say it, or he didn't think I'd hear it, but it felt cool to be so… Awesome. He helped me to my feet, and we climbed out of the trapdoor entrance.
"Don't you worry about someone seeing you when you're climbing out of the tunnel?" Steve asked me. It was a fair question, and he did bring up a good point.
"Yeah, but I don't have anywhere else to go. I need to swim, I can't just sit in my bathtub all day!" I felt a little rude specifying like that, but I didn't have any options. Steve was quiet, thinking. I decided against interrupting his thoughts. Concealing the entrance to the tunnel again.
I looked up to the sky, and I thought I saw something moving. I frowned. It vanished. Must have been some animal, a rat or a pigeon. Little else lived here, except for the stray cats and dogs.
"What are you looking at?" Steve asked, startling me.
"I thought I saw something, but it must have been a bird or something. It's gone now." Steve seemed worried all of a sudden.
"A bird?"
"Yeah," I laughed, "A pigeon or something. It looked too big to be a pigeon honestly, but what else could it be? The only hawks in the area live in Central Park!" Steve's expression didn't seem relieved. I felt a sinking feeling in my gut.
"Steve, are you okay?" He jumped, putting on a cheerful expression.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" It looked and sounded forced. I didn't believe a word of it, and that scared me.
"What aren't you telling me?" I asked. He was silent, his expression grim. He looked guilty, like he'd done something wrong.
"Steve!" I shouted, "What did you do!?" Steve squeezed his eyes shut and put a hand over his face. Regret. Whatever happened, he felt terrible about it. I, on the other hand, was starting to panic.
"Steve, please!" I begged, tears starting to sting my eyes.
"We're being monitored." Steve said, his voice monotone. My heart dropped into my stomach.
"What…?" I breathed.
"You're being monitored."
"But… By who?"
"They're called S.H. .D… They work to defend the world against those that would do it harm. After I saw you the first time, I asked the director, a friend of mine, if they'd ever heard of mermaids before. They didn't want to risk you being a threat." Steve explained. He'd told on me, and I was being watched by a global defense program? I felt my skin turn clammy, and I shivered.
"They wanted information, they didn't know whether to treat you as an enemy or a potential recruit. They wanted information, information that I have not given them. I was told that if I didn't, they would get that information in less than ideal ways, and I didn't want that for you. I wanted to be your friend, and I didn't want to hurt you, but they didn't leave me any choice. I'm sorry." I sat down quietly on the ground and retreated into my thoughts.
These people, the director, are friends of Steve? He didn't know me when he asked them; he was innocent in that matter. He wanted to be my friend? What was he protecting me from? Did I even want to know? How much did these people know about me? I started to feel sick.
"I supposed I owe you some answers, don't I? It's the least I can do to make it up to you, Jackie." Steve's voice interrupted my train of thought, which in retrospect would probably have made me vomit.
"I want to meet this director guy…" I croaked, "If he wants to figure out if I'm an enemy, he can do it person." Steve nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a spy earpiece. He forced a smile at me as he fitted it in his ear. Pressing a button, he started to speak.
"I need a car sent to my location, I need to pay a visit to Direction Fury. I have Jacqueline Thompson with me." I felt a lump rise in my throat.
"You guys know my full name?" I asked nervously.
"Yeah. I'm going to let you in on my secret, and why I'm so important to S.H.I. ." I looked up expectantly, "I'm Captain America."
"What."
"I was fighting in World War II when the plane I was flying crashed in the arctic. I was frozen in the ice for 70 years before S.H.I.E.L.D. found me, alive. They thawed me out, gave me a place to live, money, and information about this world, but it's still strange. I'm a man out of time." I shook my head in disbelief.
"So after all these years the one friend I can trust is old enough to be my great-grandfather? AND a superhero?" I laughed as a black car with tinted windows pulled up in front of us. The window rolled down to reveal a serious looking man with an eye-patch.
"So," The man said, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
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Sorry about how short this chapter is! It was pretty hard to write, and my head is full of new story ideas centered on the Elder Scrolls game series! I've been addicted to Skyrim, and I recently got Oblivion again. Learning about lore, and world mechanics and trying to come up with some really in-depth story ideas. Of course, I have to get somewhere with Mermaid In Manhattan before I even think about getting started on a new story! Anyway, I love getting feedback from you guys; it's stuff like this that gets me pumped about writing! Love you all so much!
