He'd packed his bags shortly after he got home, his hands shaking from the adrenalin and emotion from his confrontation with the girls. He'd thrown up three times before he'd finished the tedious task, his last bout with the toilet bringing up nothing but bile and the small amount of juice he'd manage to drink after getting home.
He continued to feel nauseous.
He could still feel the imprint of Zane's fingers on his arm, where the guy had gripped him fiercely as he'd tried to understand what was going on.
To be honest, Lewis hadn't expected Zane to follow him. He hadn't expected the other boy to be perceptive enough to determine that something wasn't right with Lewis, and he certainly hadn't expected him to call Lewis on it.
He hadn't given his friend enough credit. He should have been working to alienate him as well as the girls these last two weeks. But it was too late now, and hopefully Zane would just accept that Lewis was an ass and then focus on his own life; and keep the girls out of trouble. It would have been easier if Zane had continued to be the self-absorbed rich kid he'd successfully portrayed his entire life until two years ago.
Regardless, Lewis had pointedly packed two suitcases and his laptop and pulled his bus ticket from under the magnet on the fridge. He'd said goodbye to his mum, who'd just waved him off and told him to have fun at school. His dad had said goodbye last week before heading out to Europe, for who knew how long, on a business trip. And it had been done.
Lewis was almost sick again by the gate to his home, before he'd taken a few deep breaths and put on his game face, and headed pointedly to the docks. He needed to be in control for this confrontation. He needed to be sharp, and cunning, and convincing.
He didn't want to be doing this at all. But he had made the commitment, the sacrifice, weeks ago when he'd jumped into the moon pool on Mako Island. He had gone this far and he wasn't about to back off now.
Especially not now that he'd seen Denman's minions spying on the girls even more then usual this last week. There was only one reason she would be increasing the numbers in this game of hers, and that was if she was planning on making a move. It had been hell to sit still, aware of the eyes that watched them. Aware that he had managed to gain more and more of their attention slowly over the last week. It was a victory he didn't want, and needed.
It had a ball of terror lodged in his throat that had been there since the last full moon, one that had been difficult to breathe around.
The suitcases were heavy, packed as full as he could make them, an obvious attempt to take as many things with him to 'university' as possible. Their plastic handles were slippery in his sweaty palms, and their wheels sounded ridiculously loud as he pulled them down street after street. Nobody else took notice of him as he moved along, the heat of the day finally breaking around the supper hour, until he was finally at the marina.
He'd felt eyes on him the entire way, but for once he hadn't been able to determine where they had been coming from. When he hit the dock, noting that there were no employees anywhere to be seen, he moved straight to the far end. To the place where he knew Linda Denman had her massive boat moored, rocking gently on the water as the slowly setting sun bathed it in a soft light.
He paused by its side, sitting his luggage upright carefully and wiping his palms on his knee length khaki shorts. He swallowed thickly as he stared at the big boats rear deck, cases of science equipment securely sealed and stacked were piled neatly all around, along with nets and ropes and a big plastic tub that was no doubt intended to the creatures they captured during their excursions around the waters.
He took a step forward, and then hesitated. Then took a breath and squared his shoulders, preparing to step onto the ship to confront the Doctor once and for all, when a deep, rough voice sounded behind him.
Lewis whirled around in shock, and almost tripped over his own legs as he stared at the well dressed, well muscled man that stood too close for comfort. He hadn't heard his approach at all.
It was the same man he'd seen following him around these last few days. The one that had witnessed his argument that afternoon with his friends. Lewis swallowed nervously and then pulled on a veneer of self-confidence that he didn't feel at all as he addressed his stalker.
"I'm here to see Dr. Denman," he announced, and crossed his arms, before uncrossing them, and then crossing them again The man stared at him a long moment, his lips twitching every now and then.
"You have an appointment?"
"No, but it's important, and I'm sure she's always eager to speak with me," Lewis tried on an air of cockiness and the man smirked at him, dark green eyes cool as he watched him.
"You think you have something she'd care to hear? She's a busy woman, after all."
"Yes well, she usually makes time for me," he stammered.
"Quit playing and let him on Gil, we don't have time for this crap," another guy called out and Lewis looked beyond 'Gil' now to see another man, dressed in what was probably Denman's current crew uniform of blue shirt and tan pants. He'd been blocking the only dry exit off the dock for Lewis and he hadn't even noticed. His alarm must have been obvious as Gil actually smirked at him before gesturing toward the small ship. Lewis bit at his lip and looked pointedly at his bags.
"You'll keep an eye on those for me right? I'll need them when I'm done here," he announced.
"Sure kid," the other guy assured him as he stepped up to join them and Lewis finally turned to climb onto the ship, aware that the only people around watching him do so, were the two men currently flanking him. It wasn't difficult to appear uncertain as he stepped onto the decking, and then moved to the cabins stairs and into a surprisingly large room. The only light coming from tiny portholes and the open door.
He froze as two other men in the blue and khaki uniforms looked up at his arrival.
"Get the good Doctor for us Will? This boy here wants to speak to her," Gil announced in his deep voice and placed an overly warm hand on Lewis's shoulder, pushing him further into the room. Lewis shrugged off the hand and stepped away from him, pointedly glaring his distaste but the guy seemed unfazed from the look, his lip curled in a faint grin as he stood and pointedly blocked the door.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise," a melodious, feminine voice carried to his ears and Lewis spun around, still aware of Gil at his back, to look down at Dr. Linda Denman for the second time in as many weeks. She smiled up at him pleasantly enough, but there was a calculating coolness in her gaze that, as usual, always put him on guard when he was around here these days. He crossed his arms and tried to adopt a stern look. He found it easier to master it now, being eighteen and well past his awkward, lanky stage.
"Is it really?" He asked, letting his disbelief show and she smiled, shaking her head at his gall.
"I suppose not." She agreed pleasantly enough, before picking up a bottle of water and taking a casual drink from it. He shifted uneasily on his feet, eyeing it a moment before pulling his gaze away. She watched him carefully as she finished, licking at her lips. "So, what is it that you feel the need to discuss this time Lewis? I do hope it's not more of the 'same-old same-old'" she waved her hand in a few tiny circles.
"If by 'same-old' you mean me telling you to leave the girls alone, then I'm afraid it is."
"How valiant of you," she said dryly and he glared at her harder, trying to show her with body language how serious he was.
"They have nothing you want and you know that," he insisted and she nodded in general agreement.
"Yes, you said as much a few weeks ago and, just like then, I'm well aware that they gave up their mermaid abilities the last time we all met."
"You make it sound like we all went out for a pleasant meal," he snapped at her, not bothering to control his disgust. "Not like you tried to kidnap them and turn them into lab pets."
"It was wrong of me to do that," she declared, but it was easy to read the insincerity in her tone. "And I'm well aware of the situation I forced them into, giving up their powers like that," and there she did sound somewhat regretful.
"So why are you still following them around everywhere? If you know that they're no longer mermaids then you should just leave them alone! Let them get on with their lives!" He insisted, and then watched warily as she picked the water bottle up again and took another drink. He was well aware of her watching his reactions carefully as she drank and he quickly averted his gaze, making it look like he was trying to not be concerned about it. She swallowed and then shook her head at him, somewhat incredulous.
"Lewis, who said it was them I was watching?"
"What?" he asked and it wasn't difficult to put sudden apprehension in his voice. "Of course you were watching them," he insisted, and darted his eyes to note that the two people who had been down here when he'd first arrived, had moved a bit closer to him. He frowned at them.
"Well, yes, at first," she admitted with a tiny shrug. "I really did have research to do in the area and checking in to make sure they hadn't regained any of their underwater abilities wasn't exactly out of my way. You, an aspiring scientist, should be well aware that you recheck your data as many times as possible before coming to a final conclusion."
"I'm glad to hear you'll let them get on with their lives then," he announced, and then tried to stand even taller in her presence, which didn't do much since he was practically on the tip of his toes as it was. "Well then," he gave her a weak smile, "I guess I'll be on my way then," and he turned to find Gil still blocking the doorway, and the other man from outside sitting on the only steps into the room just behind him. He glared at them. "Excuse me," he said and made to move forward, but Gil just crossed his big, ropey arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to try and get by.
So. It was time then, for all his planning to come together. The last two weeks of sleepless nights and sick fear all boiled down to this moment. They were on to him, and Denman finally had a new target to take her obsessive attention off of Cleo and Rikki and Emma. Which basically left him with the only two options he had known this would come down to: try to escape and lead them on a merry chase for a long time to come, or fail in escaping and become their newest pet project.
He'd never been one to take things lying down.
He turned back to Denman, narrowing his eyes in anger.
"What is this? Our talk is over, I've said what I wanted. Now, let me go, I have a bus to catch."
"That's right. ANU on a full scholarship, that's very impressive."
"Yes," he puffed out his chest, "and I have a special pre-orientation tomorrow afternoon that I can't miss, he looked pointedly back at Gil and brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes, "so if you don't mind, I'd like to leave now."
"Lewis," she shook her head at him, her eyes cool and calculating. "Did you really think that we wouldn't notice?" She asked, her tone condescending as she watched him and he tensed even further.
"Notice?" He took a careful step away from Gil and the stairs, but by now the other two men had stepped much closer and there wasn't a lot of room left for him to move to. "Notice what? There's nothing to notice I'm sure," he glanced around for something he could use as a weapon if he needed it, and came up empty handed. He balled his hands into fists instead. "Let's not do anything hasty here," he tried to keep the fear out of his voice, "I don't know what you think you've 'noticed' but I guarantee it's nothing interesting. I just want to head off to school."
"It was stupid of me to have never properly checked it in the past. I suppose that was a shortcoming on my behalf, and of course I realize that you probably didn't receive your own transformation until after the first time we met-"
"Transformation?" he barked out a sharp laugh and his back hit the wall, his shirt sliding against the nautical maps. "Are we talking puberty here? Because that definately happened before we ever met."
"Don't talk to me like an idiot Lewis, we've been watching you these last few days and your rather obvious avoidance of water was a very telling sign. Of course," she held the water bottle out towards him, "you could just pour a little on you hand, prove to us that we're wrong and we'll let you head off to school, no harm no foul." He instinctively shied away from the water in her presence, and then cringed at her delighted laugh.
"Linda, don't do this," he pleaded and she shook her head at him, finally growing tired of this game she was playing and nodding to one of her men. He turned to look in their direction just in time to get a bucket full of water right in his face. He reared back in panic, already feeling the brilliant, sharp tingle begin to spread through his entire body as the transformation began to take place. His back hit the wall again and he lunged to the side, taking a desperate step even as his legs turned numb on him and then he was crashing loudly to the ground with a yell.
"Don't let him get hurt!" Denman snapped out as she stood back and he saw Gil and another man lunge towards him. He swung wildly with his fists, satisfied when he connected solidly with one of them and they grunted in pain. For a brief instant his vision went white and he felt his eyes roll up on him as warmth flooded his entire body. Then he blinked, still on the ground, and looked up to find them all staring down at him, their eyes wide with astonishment even though they had been expecting exactly this.
He tried to use their amazement to his advantage and he reached out to grip at the tables bolted down leg, and pulled himself a little further from them, trying and failing to use his fin to help push him along. The bloody thing was useless out of water.
One of the men stepped towards him and he instinctively kicked out, and was somewhat shocked when he connected and the man gave a sharp cry as he was swept off his feet. Lewis dragged himself another half meter away before he heard the sound of someone stepping around the table to cut him off and he looked over his shoulder to see Gil standing there, rope in his hand and a greedy glint in his eyes.
"Don't do this! Please," he begged now, knowing that his chance to escape was gone. He looked up at Denman, but she was completely unmoved by his plea, staring down at him in utter glee.
"Cut off those pants and get rid of that awful shirt," she ordered immediately. "I want to see him." Before he could move the man he'd knocked down had practically sat on his tail, pinning it and then two more people had his arms in strong grips. He tried to thrash, tried to get loose but he knew it was useless.
It was Gil who crouched down beside him, a shining knife in his hand and Lewis went very still as he brought it close to his flesh and slipped it under the waist of his now ruined shorts. With one material leg lying limp and empty beneath him and the other completely split up the side, unable to accommodate the width of his fin, it was only the work of one cut before the light material was pulled away and his shirt was roughly torn off his body. He felt completely naked in a way he'd never experienced before, exposed in a way he'd never imagined and then they were lifting him bodily off the ground.
To his horror they moved him only high enough to place him on the now bare table in the centre of the room, displaying him even more fully. He struggled again, and even managed to get one arm loose briefly, taking a wild lunge to roll off its surface before his limb was recaptured and pinned down. A rope was carefully slipped over his neck, and the pressure over his windpipe as it was pulled tight had him freezing in place immediately. His chest rose and fell with each panicked breath.
"There we go," Gil's deep, satisfied voice rumbled above his head. "No more struggling now Lewis, you understand?" He asked softly and Lewis forced back tears and tried to take calming breaths. The hands on his flesh loosened but didn't let go. For a long moment there was absolute silence.
"You are absolutely magnificent Lewis," Denman said softly, and he jerked as she gently lay a hand at his waist, right where skin became scale. He didn't say anything and she trailed her hand down slowly, feeling. He shuddered.
He tried to control his disgust and fear.
This was his goal (sort of). Him being here. Not the girls. Never them. Him. He could do this.
He wanted to throw up but there was nothing left in his stomach.
He knew what he looked like, his tail was strong, smooth. It fluctuated between being black, a deep blue, and a gunmetal silver that could catch any angle of the suns rays. Right now he was mostly black, just the silver pebbled into the dark, scaly flesh and he could feel his fin hanging off the table, angling towards the ground in humiliation. Then someone touched it, and he jerked reflexively and fanned it out instinctively, making it large and intimidating and this just seemed to thrill them all even more as they grabbed at it and held it up gently to inspect it closer.
"Easy there little guppy," Gil breathed out quietly behind him, briefly adding more pressure to keep Lewis under his control, as if Lewis could forget who was in charge here. He swallowed convulsively and kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see them.
"Look at his elbows," one guy said, and lifted the arm he held to display the fin that ran up the back of it from above his wrist to his tricep. He made sure to keep the thing tucked in tight as the guy pulled at it, trying to spread it away from his body.
"Leave it for now," Denman ordered and he complied immediately. "Roll him, I want to see his back. You're doing very well Lewis," she added on, as though her gentle encouragement would make this seem less abusive. He was turned to his side, hands pressing in and the table cold and hard beneath him as they examined the fin that began at the base of his neck and didn't stop until his tail started. He tucked it in tightly, using all the still unfamiliar muscles he could to hold it in place.
"Will you let us see it?" She asked gently.
"Fuck you," his hissed at her through clenched teeth, breathing hard through his nose. There was another long moment of silence before he was rolled back onto his back. He kept his eyes firmly closed and his head turned away.
"Please try to understand Lewis, we're doing this in the name of science. One day what you tell us, what you are, could help millions of people." He said nothing, just clenched his teeth harder, and she sighed.
"Put him in the large tank in the back room and fill it halfway. Bind his hands for now and make sure someone is watching him at all times. Remember he's smart, and I will not lose another opportunity like this because we haven't thought everything through."
"His bags are on board Doc," one of the men announced, "and we're clear to launch."
"Great, we'll be at the lab by tomorrow night, and then we can work on getting him into a more secure holding area."
"Won't they be worried about him disappearing?" Another asked and Lewis could practically feel her shaking her head as she gently placed a hand on his chest. He flinched under its coolness.
"After the way he left his friends I doubt they'll wonder for a while yet, and by the time they do they won't know where he's gone, and his family probably won't expect to hear from him for months. We'll send a letter to the university in the morning, declining his acceptance." She paused and brushed a hand through his damp hair. "You probably had no idea how well this had been set up for us when you woke up this morning hm? Poor thing."
He growled at her. He hadn't even known he could growl.
"Dr. Rickman? How about we give him something to help him rest now, he could probably use it," she ordered and it was only a minute later that he felt a pin prick his arm. The last thing he was aware of were the hands on his body, lifting him gently to carry further into the bowls of the ship.