Unexpected Circumstances
Moments later, Nami arrived at the laboratory. Outside, it was buzzing with electricity and crammed with exotic instruments. Out of courtesy, the red-headed inspector knocked on the door, but no response. She then tried turning the knob. The knob was loose for some reason, so she pushed it opened.
"Funny. For a paranoid scientist, this Daryl guy is very careless." Nami said to herself.
Inside, she found the laboratory to be filled with many beakers and test tubes in a disorganized manner, along with a blackboard and a bunch of random posters.
"Well, one thing's clear: The guy can't clean after himself. Though I guess I'm not one to judge." Nami said with a groan. "Aside from the usual chemicals and junk Scientists carry around, I don't see anything suspicious so far. Guess I better search for that supposed trap door."
For awhile, she dug through the big mess. Eventually, she came across a steel trapdoor.
"This has got to be it! Alright, then…"
Nami braced herself as she tried to open the trap door with full strength.
"Ugh! Man, this IS locked shut! Fine, I'm not exactly proud of my strength to begin with. I feel strange having to act like a thief, but I guess it's my only option."
Nami got out a Swiss army knife while searching for a lock. After spotting it, she used a lock pick from the tool set and started picking at the lock. After a few moments, she finally got it loose and removed it, placing it in clear sight for later. Nami then slowly opened the door, revealing a set of stairs. The curious inspector shrugged as she ventured further into the laboratory.
As she walked down the long flight of stairs, Nami started hearing playful humming.
"That voice… it sounds like a girl's voice! Well, that's a shame. For a minute, I was thinking Pattywack might've been hiding down here, but most females aren't exactly this relaxed around that madman." Nami thought to herself.
After finally reaching the bottom, Nami found the underground room to be surprisingly well-kept. Instead of finding signs of malevolent experimentation, she found what looked more like a living room with steel tiles.
"Hmm… a neatly-placed bookshelf, a bed, and a kitchen? Is THIS where Daryl spends the night? But it's… so unbelievably clean compared to upstairs! Does he have a secret housewife hanging out around here?" Nami asked herself.
Suddenly, she heard a frantic splash. Nami turned her head to an area next to the kitchen to find a bathtub, some more kitchen tools, and a nervous looking young lady with short green hair and big midnight blue eyes. She also wore what appeared to be pink coral hair clips in her hair.
"A girl? Is she---"
"S-s-s-s-s-stay away!!!" The girl shrieked.
"No, don't panic. Everything is okay. I'm Inspector Nami Granger, an FBI agent. I came here under orders to check for a kidnapping, so don't worry. I'm here to get you out nice and safe…" Nami told her gently in an attempt to calm her down.
"N-no… stay away." The girl cried.
Nami looked at her with pitying eyes. "Poor girl. She must be so paranoid after being held against her will in such a strange place for so long." She thought to herself.
The desperate investigator decided to waste no time.
"I'm sorry to do this to you, kid, but I promise you'll thank me later." Nami said.
She proceeded to scoop up the girl out of the tub and looked frantically for a cloth to wrap her up in.
"It would be a bad idea to take get you out of here butt naked, so---"
"Let go of me, human!" The girl said while slapping her away.
"Hey! Stop that kid, I'm trying to save--- WHAT THE?!"
Nami's jaw looked unhinged as she saw the girl from the waste down with what appeared to be an orange fish tail.
At this point, both females glared at each other while shaking wildly.
"No… this is just… this can't be right. What did Daryl do this girl?" Nami thought in horror.
"Listen, I'm not sure what this crazy scientist has done, but I swear to you that he's going to pay for---"
"That nice man did nothing to me!" The girl shouted angrily at her.
Nami felt rather awkward with the girl's conviction.
"Uh… you don't happen to be an experiment he created then---"
"No! I was born this way by natural causes and proud of it!" the girl cried.
Nami left speechless at this point.
The two ladies exchanged awkward glances once more.
"Should I… should I trust this human? It seemed like she was genuinely trying to help me as soon as she saw me, but… I can tell she broke in. Daryl's almost never around at this time, and he never arranged me to meet anybody today. But she's so confused right now." The fin girl thought to herself.
"Born this way? Naturally? I don't get it! Is this creepy experiment's mind warped? But she doesn't seem to see Daryl as a Father. So then, are the MORE of her outside of here?" Nami thought in panic.
"Maybe… I should explain." The girl spoke reluctant. "I normally don't trust humans, but… I have this feeling you're a good person."
"You… you called me a "human" just now, didn't you? If you claim to be born naturally, and are offended at being considered an experiment, what are you supposed to be anyway?" Nami asked.
"Truthfully, I'm… a mermaid. Kind of like in those "fantasy" books Daryl showed me. He said in your surface world that we're "mystical creatures"." The girl answered.
"Mer…maid?" Nami barely uttered.
The girl nodded slowly.
"Oh… right. Why didn't that come to me sooner? Now that I think of it, mermaids are supposed to be half-human half-fish, with the human half being on the top. I mean, it would be silly to see the upper body of a fish with the legs of a human, wouldn't it?" Nami thought to herself.
"I wasn't born from anything Daryl has done. I… was washed ashore here. My original home is in the ocean with my sister Shayla and my Mommy." She explained. "Don't you dare say anything else mean about Daryl! He's a nice man!"
"Uh… right, sure." Nami said hesitantly.
"I mean it!" The girl shouted.
"Maybe… I should meet Daryl face to face. I mean, I can't really say anything about this whole incident, but I should probably get my own feel of the man." Nami thought.
"Fine, fine! I won't!" Nami cried back before sighing.
The inspector inhaled a few more breaths while the mermaid stared at her curiously.
"You said your name was Nami… right? I already told you about my family and stuff, so I guess I should start introducing myself. Right…" The nervous mermaid uttered. "M-my name is Leia Emelone, nice to meet you."
"Same here." Nami said with a surprising smile. "By the way, how DID you get washed ashore here?"
"Oh, that." Leia said with a shaky voice. "Actually, it was a storm. A violent one. In fact, so violent, it felt almost unnatural…"
"Really? Unnatural?" Nami repeated.
She then started looking around the lab for something suspicious.
"Maybe this Daryl still might pose a threat. It's possible he could've developed weather or wind machine and use it in some generic plot to rule the world, or get revenge of some jerks who picked on him, or something typical." Nami thought to herself.
"You needn't searched." Leia uttered. "I wasn't so trustworthy of him myself when I first awoke here, so I snooped around here myself. I'm not TOO familiar with surface world dwellings, but there wasn't anything around capable of commanding the tides, except a contraption he called fan, but it's far too weak. Besides, I already know what caused it. My family warned me of a Witch that dwelled in a valley. This must be that valley, so…"
"A witch? Again? Huh, that hippie Gustafa said something about seeing a witch around here. I know the guy is likely to be running around huffed up on something, but maybe he wasn't dreaming up the witch stuff… maybe." Nami speculated.
"It's true! Back home, our family has a bunch of history books that speak of the infamous Witch Princess and her longtime rivalry with another being called the Harvest Goddess! I know it may sound a little off to you, but a lot of the stuff you consider fantasy is confirmed fact to us mermaids!" Leia argued.
Nami sighed as she looked at her finned friend. "Well, having my arguer as a mermaid certainly blows much of reality out of the water." She thought to herself.
"So, you say this Witch Princess conjured the storm?" Nami asked.
"YES! It had to be her! The Witch Princess is said to cause trickery and misfortune with her incredible power for amusement! This is no doubt her work!" Leia cried.
Nami shrugged. "I really don't know what to say. This whole mermaid thing is still a shock to me. I mean, this Witch Princess sounds like trouble, but… I don't know. Has she caused any direct trouble to the village warranting criminal activity?" she asked.
"Not that I know of. Unfortunately, I've been down here so long without outside contact, so I'm not the best person to ask. However, Daryl did say the "ecosystem" or something has been faring relatively poorly as of late, whatever that means. Maybe the Witch Princess did something to upset the balance of Nature." Leia answered.
"Sorry about this, but I really can't look into this any further with that sort of vagueness about it. By the way, I'm after a criminal known as Nicholas Pattywack, otherwise known as the "Purple Ferret". He's a standoffish young man about yay high and with platinum hair and dark. Murderous and wears purple all over. Ever seen waltz around here?" Nami asked.
Leia shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I've seen a thief named Steiner secretly sneak around here once, who had platinum hair, but he had aqua eyes and was very discreet. I only caught him walking about because I was very quiet as well."
"Thanks, anyway." Nami said.
"Hmm…. Well, this Steiner guy kinda sounds like Nack. And he's a thief, to boot. They don't seem like the same person, but… could they be connected, even related somehow?" Nami thought to herself.
"So, uh… are you sure you want to be left here? I mean, it must seem pretty cramped compared to the ocean, and I'm sure Daryl will understand if you left a note about going back, assuming that he's the nice guy you say he is." Nami said.
"He IS a nice guy!" Leia insisted. "And, no… I don't know the safest way back to the Ocean yet. Besides, I… I still need some recovery time, and it would be nice if I could better know this place while I'm here."
"Hmm… well, that's bold of you. Okay, I guess I'll come back here every once in awhile to see how you're doing. If you're ever bothered or harassed in any way, I'll be here to get you out, alright?" Nami said.
"Don't worry. I know Daryl isn't someone to do harmful things, but thanks for the offer" Leia grinned back.
Nami nodded back, and headed towards the stairs.
"Umm…. Can you please promise not to tell any other human about me being here? I'm still anxious about meeting more humans, and I'm still quite afraid…. So…"
"I understand." Nami replied. "Although the guys in charge of me will be curious about this, I promise you that we'll keep your secret safe." She said.
"Thank you again." Leia said in deep gratitude.
Not a moment too soon, Nami rushed up the stairs. Apparently, the upstairs was a little darker than from earlier. It turned out that that nightnime has just about come.
"Oh, great. I've been out and about for THAT long?" Nami said to herself.
Suddenly, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Nami quickly whipped it out.
"Alex?" Nami said in her cell phone.
"Good Afternoon, Inspector Granger. So, how did the search go? Did you find any illegal activity?" Alex asked.
"No, sorry. I just came back from the secret locked door, and I apparently found something…. Unsual." Nami answered.
"Unusual?" Alex asked. "Is it something beyond human comprehension? An unusual scientific creation or monstrosity?"
"Umm….. it's… hard to say." Nami answered back hestiantly.
"Oh, I see. Is it of the "fantasy" sort?" Alex asked.
"WHAT?" Nami exclaimed.
"Can Alex read my mind or something? I swear, maybe micro-camera on me or something. He knows too much for one not observing my movements." Nami thought to herself.
"Well, one of the supposed witnesses claimed they saw what appeared to be a mermaid loitering about, but he thought it was a dream or chemical-based hallucination so---"
"Leia already nearly blew her cover once?" Nami thought.
"You said he saw what looked like a MERMAID? Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Nami exclaimed.
"Honestly, you did seem like the skeptic type… for anything "magical". Truth be told, we get a few actual cases like this on a regular basis. Of course, we only offer these as "special cases' for those who can keep it under wraps. So then, can I trust you with the same obligation then? If you believe me and have indeed found a mermaid back there?"Alex asked.
Nami paused for a long time before being able to give her answer.
"Sure." She answered simply.
"Not like anybody else would believe me, anyway." She thought to herself.
"Good. So, was it---"
"Yes it was. A Green-haired one with an orange tail." Nami answered awkwardly.
"I see… so, did this mermaid happen to mention how she was brought there?" Alex asked.
"Yes. She said she was swept away in a storm, and that she was safely brought to the lab by the scientist in question. She claims that a "Witch Princess" had somehow caused it." Nami informed her boss.
"Witch Princess? And you said she has the ability to create storms?" Alex asked.
"Er… yes. The mermaid claimed she does for "fun", it seems." Nami confirmed.
"…That certainly sounds like trouble. Perhaps you would like to investigate this further? She does fit in with the Lab Mystery case you've just performed. Alex said.
"Yeah, sorry about that, but I don't think I can handle it. If Mermaids and faeries and pixies are real, witches sound like big trouble. I don't know a THING about this magic stuff, and I doubt a bucket of water will make this Princess melt." Nami admitted.
"I see… Very well, you are dismissed on that matter for now, then. In the mean time, you may continue your pursuit of Pattywack if you wish." Alex said.
"Well, that's nice, I guess." Nami replied in relief. "Wait a minute, you weren't playing with me with all this fantasy stuff, are you? Do you think everyone connected to the case is losing their mind or something? Don't lie to me!"
"No, of course not. It would be wrong to simply write it off as a mental irregularity. As I said, we've had a long history concerning such cases, but I can see you're not quite ready to handle that sort of information." Alex said in a very serious voice. "Anyway, I suggest you go rest up for now. You sound very stressed, Inspector Granger."
Nami sighed. "Fine, fine! I'll do that! Inspector Granger Out." She said before hanging up.
The disoriented agent placed the phone in her pocket once again before placing the lock right back on the trap door. She then walked towards the exit and opened up, noticing a starry night sky.
"Well, it's nighttime now. Maybe I should check out that Bar to relax with a drink. The sign did say they should be open about now." She said to herself.
And so, Nami casually left the laboratory as she headed straight for Blue Bar.