Chapter 3: A Line in the Sand

10 years later...

The three adolescent shark pups swam the length of the tank. They circled it lazily, swimming in a single file line. It was an odd occurrence, something that would never be seen in the wild, not with each being a different species. The lantern shark was less than a foot long and swam first in line. In the middle was a sawshark, about 3 foot long. The last was a blacktip reef, who was already almost 7 foot long. It looked like some bizarre eating chain as they swam, the larger eating the smaller and so on. They continued, around and around the tank. There was no sign of aggression between them.

"We received a report of some small sharks caught in some fishing nets." He said, standing back from the monitors and looking rather bored. "They were all a little... hurt in the ordeal. We brought them here to rehabilitate and study them. Any information we can learn about them might help."

"Do you plan to release them back into the wild?" Asked a second man, whose eyes never left the monitors.

"We're unsure as of now." The first answered. "They're all quite young and show signs of malnourishment. We're unsure if they could survive in the wild."

"Sad."

They stood in the control room of the large research building. It was the only building on the small privately owned island off the coast in the Sorna sea. The one wall of the small room was covered in screens, all displaying different angles of all the cameras all over the island. Several screens were along the coast, keeping watch on trespassers. A few were located in various rooms of the research building, all empty. But most of the cameras were pointed at the various tanks all over the island. All of those tanks were currently empty except for the largest that took up almost half the island by itself. The two men were watching the live feeds, both of their concentration on the few that showed that large tank.

One was dressed in a white lab coat and stood back, looking bored. He rolled his eyes at the other and shook his head dismissively. He hadn't exactly been happy when the other showed up unannounced. But he wasn't exactly in the position to turn the annoying man away.

The other man, dressed in a pristine business suit, had his full attention on the monitors. He had no idea about the looks and jeers directed at him. His excitement was too evident by the large smile on his face. "I've never seen anything like this! You said they were found together?"

The scientist rolled his eyes again. "Yes." He said, his voice holding more animation than his expression. "All very distinctly different species. The lantern shark alone is cause enough for alarm."

"Why?" The business man asked curiously.

"He's a third larger than a normal one." The scientist answered. "Lantern sharks are the smallest of the shark species. The longest one ever found was just under 8 inches long. They also naturally glow because they have these small glandular organs that appear as glowing spots on their bodies called photophores. Which is present in deep sea dwelling fish. Which they are." He tilted his head. "1000 or so feet under the surface. Also they're from the other side of the world. There's never been any spotted in the Sorna sea before, not on any records."

"Interesting." The oblivious man moved closer to the screens. "What about the other two?"

The scientist stared blankly for a moment. He really shouldn't be surprised. The man was a rich business man first, above all else. Or honestly, that may have been all he was. Why should he really know anything about sharks? Just because he was half one or whatever they really were. He breathed out and shook his head. This whole fake scheme was ridiculous. Being forced to parade around like he really cared about finding and helping these rare shark people. But Henry Wu wasn't in it for helping them, as the other man thought. That was far from the case. He'd been recruited by Vic Hoskins, after being shown a video of the very man he was now conversing with transforming into a rather large shark. Henry was intrigued, to put it mildly. Vic needed help, he'd said. He needed a scientist to help him. He was getting nowhere in finding more. He'd lucked into finding Simon Masrani. But he was more oblivious than Vic about everything.

Vic was in it for the money. Henry was in for the fame. And Simon was in it to simply find others like him, if they existed. He was adopted at a young age, having been found abandoned on a beach when he was barely 5. He could barely speak. He had no memories of any of it or of before. It wasn't until the first time he swam in the ocean on holiday with his parents when he was a teenager that he found out he wasn't exactly human. He transformed right there, beside their boat, and his mother had fainted. After the initial panic and Simon figuring out how to shift back, that's when his parents explained that they'd found him and adopted him. They had no clue where he'd come from. Or what he was. But they said they would always love him just the same.

Simon had spent years searching but found no trace. He honestly had no clue what he was even looking for. So he put all hopes behind him and instead joined in his father's business, where he excelled. He made his first million before his 25th birthday and by his 30th, he had his first billion. After that, he hardly paid attention. Money was just something he had a lot of. He could do anything he wanted. But what he wanted most... was to belong.

So Simon once again started looking for more like him. He lucked out when he happened across an old message board on the internet, of a fisherman who claimed his boat was attacked by giant shark people. The message board was long dead and in an archived state. But that meant little when Simon had unlimited funds. He got an old email address that led to an IP address that led to an old apartment and eventually, it led him to Vic Hoskins. He tracked the man down and showed him what he was without any hesitation. And he told Vic his plan to build a sanctuary, some place for them to be safe. He already bought an island and he could give Vic whatever the man needed and wanted to help find more.

"Dr. Wu?" Simon glanced back and wrinkled his forehead in concern.

Henry shook his head and smiled. "Yes, yes. Uh... the sawshark being found in these waters isn't unheard of. They're not very common but not exactly rare either. Their elongated snouts are lined with teeth, hence the name saw. They use it to slash into their prey or predators. Their snouts also have sensory organs that help with detection of smaller fish or squids hiding in sand. They usually stay in more shallow waters closer to the ocean floor."

"Any abnormalities?" Simon asked.

Henry shook his head. "None that I can find. Size seems average. It's hard to gauge his actual age but he seems in normal range."

Simon's eyes fell on the last one. "The largest is a blacktip reef shark?" He asked, glancing back.

Henry nodded. "Yes, she's a blacktip. They're classified as near threatened on the endangered list. Less common in the area than the sawshark, but still not unheard of. They stick mostly to coastal areas. They're named for the black tips at the end of their dorsal and caudal fins. They're very fast and energetic and can leap out of the water, usually spinning a few times, at speeds of 21 feet per second."

"Impressive." Simon said. "The flea is the best jumper in the world compared to its size. They can jump 220 times their own body length and 150 times their body height."

Henry stared at the man for a moment. "Yes. Very good." He said with a patronizing tone.

But Simon just smiled and looked back at the screen, not catching it. "They can jump around 30,000 times in a row and have an acceleration rate 50 times greater than a rocket blasting off."

Henry continued to stare at the man, unsure if he was just crazy with his random knowledge of fleas or… no. Henry was certain he was crazy. He cleared his throat and continued, mindlessly droning on. "They have relatively small eyes for their size and their gills are rather long. They usually pose little threat to humans unless food is involved. Then they become highly aggressive and will attack." He paused for a moment. "They're one of the few shark species that are highly social and are known to travel in large groups of all ages and genders. But in the case of an absence of males, females can undergo asexual reproduction..." He trailed off and turned away. He reached for a clipboard and stepped closer to a different row of screens. He actually wasn't doing anything. He was just growing tired of giving shark lessons to the man and hoped to chase him off if he appeared busy.

"Wow. Amazing!" Simon breathed out. "But you're sure they aren't... like me..."

Henry rolled his eyes and nodded his head as he turned. "They've been here a week now and we've been monitoring them closely at all times of the day. Their behavior is odd, but they've shown no signs of understanding when spoken to or even acknowledging our presence. They haven't transformed or done anything out of the ordinary, just nothing. They've given no indication that they're anything other than normal. Just a weird fluke in nature."

Simon breathed out and shook his head sadly for a moment. Another dead end. He was used to it at this point. But still, when he arrived and saw the oddity in the tank, he hoped. "What are their names?"

Henry glanced over at him. "They don't have names."

Simon spun around, his eyes wide. "They don't have names?"

Henry shook his head. "No."

"That's sad." He turned back to the monitors. "I will name them." He announced. Henry wasn't sure if the man was serious or not and Simon didn't give him a chance to question it. He left the control room and headed through the research lab. He was practically running by the time he was outside, weaving around the perimeter of the smaller tanks until he reached the largest one. Simon had never been around other sharks before, people or animal ones. At least not closely. He'd been to a few aquariums that had smaller common species like the sandtiger, nurse, zebra, and even blacktip sharks.

He slowed as the trio swam past. He smiled and waved and turned to follow, walking in time with them as they swam around. "Hello. I'm Simon." He said, waving again and smiling. "This is actually my island. I bought it and I created this place to help me find other people like me. I'm part shark, I guess. I'm actually not quite sure." He talked to them like he expected them to understand.

The trio of young sharks had slowed. The sawshark swam out of formation and towards the edge of the tank. Simon's smile widened and he knelt down on the pavement, not sparing a second thought to scuffing up his fancy suit. He stuck his hand in the water and the sawshark swam right by, inches from him. Simon smiled and reached, stretching his fingers out as far as he could to brush against the shark's fin as he swam by. "You're just so precious." He smiled. "I'm going to name you... Stiggy."

The tiny lantern shark zipped by, whipping his tail. He cut in between the newly dubbed Stiggy and Simon.

Simon got a closer look and noticed the black stripes under the slightly glowing yellow dots. He let out a laugh. "You're either very protective or needy."

The lantern shark zipped by again and whipped his tail harder and timing it perfectly to splash water up into Simon's face.

Simon wiped at his face and let out a laugh. "Feisty. You're Onyx."

The last one was the blacktip. But she hadn't come any closer. She stopped when the others did, but she circled slowly right there, in the center of the tank. She seemed almost nervous.

"Maisie." Simon said, nodding his head as he decided. "But don't be scared of me. I'm sort of like you." He said as he stood back up. He started pulling off his suit jacket.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Henry Wu watched their naive benefactor talk with the sharks like the idiot he was. Then Henry watched as the man stripped down to almost nothing and jumped into the water. Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head. But he quickly plugged in a drive and recorded everything. Henry had no clue how the man could be so stupid.

It was clear to everyone who talked to Vic Hoskins. The guy was crazy obsessed. He had no intent whatsoever of finding the shark people to help them. There wasn't a single molecule of altruism in Vic's whole body. His sole purpose was to exploit. He wanted the fame and money. He wanted to prove to everyone who laughed at him over the years that he wasn't crazy, that these weird, sick, twisted, mutant people were real! And that they needed to be destroyed for ruining his life! Simon Masrani was a freak accident. Vic had been speechless when the mutant tracked him down. And Vic was ready, right then, to smash the coffee cup he'd been drinking from into the guy's head, knock him out, and alert the media. But Simon confessed he knew nothing about his kind. He knew less than Vic had. And he had money! That was the most important part. He had all the money in the world and offered it to Vic to help him. Vic planned to use up everything Simon offered to him. And if in the end he couldn't find more, he would just use Simon himself.

The door slammed open and Vic Hoskins stormed in, making more noise than necessary. Henry didn't even glance back as Vic angrily marched right up to him. "Okay, where is he?" He snapped loudly. "I saw his boat."

Henry just pointed to the screen.

Vic's eyes widened. "What?! Why'd the fuck you let him in?!" He snapped loudly.

"He owns the island." Henry answered, watching as the oversized large whale shark flopped about in the tank. It was rather funny looking, Henry had to admit. The tank was designed and made to fit the whale shark. But it wouldn't hold a real one comfortably for any amount of time. Simon barely had room to turn.

Vic narrowed his eyes. "But I'm in charge!"

Henry smirked and glanced at him sideways. "Are you sure?"

Vic ignored the snide comment and crossed his arms. "What's he doing with them?"

"Said they needed names." Henry answered.

Vic shook his head. "They're animals. They don't need names." He mumbled. "What'd you tell him?"

"That they were found caught in nets." Henry explained. "And we're rehabilitating them for release."

Vic snorted and let out a laugh. "Yeah, that's funny. We're keeping 'em long enough to make sure they ain't freaks. After that, they're being dissected. Anything we can learn from 'em will help."

Henry nodded slowly. "I would learn more by dissecting Simon."

Vic shook his head. "I told you, the second they die, they go all fake human again."

"So you say." Henry sneered.

Vic glared at him. "Yeah, I fucken say! Plus, I like him sticking around. He's more worth it to us alive."

Henry tilted his head. "Until he gets in our way."

"When that happens, then you can dissect him." Vic promised.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

It was still daylight for a little while longer. Daylight meant two things; work or beach. Work happened early in the morning, before the sun was out. They were on call at all times, being the fastest and most efficient coast guard rescue team in the area, but their official time usually started around 4 am. They made their rounds, answered calls, checked in with their base on the mainland. But mostly they stuck to the water. Their 25ft response boat was their second home and it was the fastest boat around. Mostly their calls were search and rescue. Sometimes they dealt in drug trafficking or illegal poaching. Most days, though, they just cruised around until it was time to go home.

Home involved a privately owned island. The waters around it were frequently visited by endangered species of sharks, it was reported. It was deemed breeding and birthing grounds and was closed off to the public as a sanctuary. No one was allowed in or around the waters, except for the coast guard. And the man who privately owned it, of course. But he hardly visited. He bought it many years ago and pretty much left it in the care of the current school that called it home. It was meant to be a safe haven for any of their kind that wanted it.

Work for the day was done, unless they got called. So it was beach time. Which meant they laid on the beach, usually dozing in the sun, until it was nighttime. Sometimes they slept in the small cluster of huts located in the center of the island. But usually, they just stayed on the beach, the closest to the water they could get without actually being in it.

"I don't like it, Owen." He stepped up beside his friend, his brother, and blocked the sun, shrouding the sleeping man in shadows. "I have a bad feeling."

Owen opened his eyes and squinted in the dark. "Go away, Barry." He lifted his arm lazily and waved it.

"I saw him." The man said gravely.

Owen threw his arm over his face, covering his eyes. "What are you babbling on about?"

"I saw him." Barry repeated, his voice just as dire. "When we were at the docks. You blew it off but I know I saw him!"

Owen snorted and threw his arm off dramatically. He jumped up and brushed the sand from his bare chest and shorts. He had filled out nicely in the years since the run in with the very man Barry spoke about. They both had. Tall, broad shouldered, and muscular, they turned heads everywhere they went. Owen shook his head as he looked out at the horizon. There was nothing but water, no matter what way he looked. "You imagined it."

Barry narrowed his eyes. "I know that man's smell anywhere. You would, too, if you weren't so careless."

Owen rolled his eyes and stepped away from his friend. "You worry too much." He said nonchalantly.

"And you don't worry enough!" Barry snapped, following and falling into step with him.

"Because you worry enough for both of us." Owen said with a laugh. Barry narrowed his eyes and reached out to stop his friend. He pulled Owen back and forced him to turn to face him. He opened his mouth but never got to finish.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"

They stepped apart and turned just in time to see the teenage redhead literally fling herself at Owen. Owen caught her easily and swung her up into his arms. He let out a laugh and twirled her around. "Echo, you're getting too old to do this."

"Never!" She giggled and held onto him tightly.

Barry let out a laugh and shook his head. "Like you would ever really tell her no."

Echo giggled again as Owen slowed and set her down. She bounced on her feet and waved at Barry. "Hi, uncle Barry!" She was dressed in a loose sundress and she spun around, letting the skirt twirl.

"Hey, kiddo." Barry reached out and ruffled her hair.

She ducked away and darted down the beach.

"Echo, where are your sisters?" Owen called after her.

"Right here." Three other girls, the same age, walked towards the men. The four were sisters, born at the same time. But they didn't exactly look identical. Delta was the tallest of the four, with long brown hair she usually kept in a ponytail. She was also the strongest and wouldn't be caught dead in a dress. Charlie was the shortest and most soft spoken, with light blonde hair she kept shoulder length. She was the fastest of her sisters on land. Blue had short black hair with a stripe dyed blue. She was the fastest in water and only an inch taller than Charlie. But she was the leader amongst her sisters. She was the one that all looked up to, so to speak. She was the fiercest and would fight anyone to the last of her breath to defend her family.

"We just didn't run like idiots." Blue called loudly as the group walked closer.

Echo spun around and stuck her tongue out. In many ways, Echo was still very much childlike. She still enjoyed dolls and her favorite toy was a stuffed fish plushie. She had an innocence about her beyond their 14 years and everyone would admit that she was spoiled. But she had a heart just as big as her curly red hair that made her seem taller than Delta.

Delta stuck her tongue out right back and wagged her head. Blue glanced sideways at her and frowned. Charlie just giggled.

"Hungry!" Echo called. "Now!" She stamped her foot impatiently in the sand.

Blue crossed her arms and shook her head. "Sorry, dad." She breathed out, looking up at Owen. "How was work?"

Owen shrugged. "Fine. Nothing special. Just another day."

"Oh yeah?" Delta tilted her head. "Then why does uncle Barry look like a crab pinched his pectoral fin?"

Owen pushed in between Charlie and Blue and wrapped his arms around all three of them. He squeezed them against him and started walking them away. "Uncle Barry always looks like that."

"HUNGRY!" Echo called again. "RIGHT NOW!"

Owen glanced at the sky. It was still darkening and the moon wasn't quite out yet. But it was close enough. "Alright, alright." He called, letting the other sisters go. He stepped away from them and clapped his hands together. "Into the water with all of you!"

"Yay!" Echo screamed and immediately ran towards the water.

"Echo!" Charlie took off at a run after her. "Take your dress off first! I'm tired of sewing up your ripped clothes!"

Owen let out a laugh as he watched them all run towards the water. He turned his back as they started to undress and he looked at Barry. "You coming out tonight?"

Barry averted his eyes as well and shook his head. "No. I'll stay and guard the island."

Owen let out a laugh. "That's Lowery's job. Come out with us tonight."

Barry shook his head again. "Lowery can keep watch over the surveillance cameras and satellite scanners. I'll keep my eyes on the beach."

"Dad!" Delta called from the water's edge. "Echo already sharked up and swam off. Blue's following."

Owen shook his head and waved his arm. "I'm coming, Delta. Go ahead." He looked back at Barry. "Fine. Suit yourself, brother. We'll bring you back some dinner." He turned and headed after Delta.