V. Exchange
They never thought they'd get used to captivity, but Emma and Cleo were fast learning the in and outs of existing as research topics. Their diet took some time to accept. Emma had no problem consuming raw and squirmy fish, but Cleo took longer to grow hungry enough to eat. And she still did so reluctantly.
While the others slept as a pod in nooks of the rock formation, the two friends could not conceive of sleeping underwater, and kept to the surface. Nixie sometimes joined them as they rested halfway above water with their tails beneath the lapping waves.
Nixie proved a formidable ally—Emma was not ready to call her a friend as Cleo did—but there was no denying her usefulness. She knew the number of mermaids in their aquatic prison, she knew most of their stories, and which ones were best to avoid. She knew how to stay under Denman's radar by playing nice, but above all that, she knew how impossible escape was.
"You can point your hand at things until it falls off, but it won't do you any good."
Emma met her remark with a scowl. "One day, they might make a mistake, or our powers could come back on their own. I'm not gonna miss it because I stopped trying."
Nixie shrugged. She moved on to Cleo, who had made it a whole ten feet from land over the past week. "Tell me more about the land boy you're in love with."
"I'm not..." Cleo could find nothing satisfactory to avert her gaze with, so finally she looked down. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on. I barely know you, and it's obvious you love him. Not a day goes by where you don't worry about him. 'Are you sure he'll be safe?'" she imitated Cleo's mopey tone, "'What if he doesn't like wirrah? Do you think he has his own tank, or is he with other mermaids?' I want to know what's so special about him."
Emma interrupted, "We have more important things to worry about right now."
"More important than love?" Nixie was incredulous. "Don't you worry about the survival of your species?"
"What are you talking about?" Emma asked impatiently.
"Well... love is everything. According to our lore, only a match of true love will produce a male. That's why there are so few mermen. Natural born mermen, I mean. Accidents at the moon pool don't count."
"How do you find your true love?" Cleo asked.
"Same way you find a guppy in a whirlpool. Magic."
"If there are so many more girls than guys," Emma added, "Not everyone gets a true love."
Nixie nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course. That's why our pods are so important."
"Emma," Cleo called in concern. "What about our pod? What about Rikki?"
Emma had no answer.
"Hey, don't worry," Nixie tried, "Since figuring out she can get mermen from the moon pool, I'm sure the crazy doctor lady devotes all her time to trapping land boys into her experiments. I doubt she's got time to brainwash your friend. She hasn't even been around here much, lately."
Somehow, that was not comforting to Cleo.
-x-
If it was possible for a mermaid to be allergic to water, Rikki was fairly confident she was on her way there. It was cold when she surfaced, but beneath she felt as if her limbs and torso grew wrinkly no matter how normal they looked when she drew them out of the water to stare at them. And she had a lot of time to stare.
Dr. Denman seemed to be proficient in psychological torture as well as the physical. It was like she knew how much worse the endless boredom was to Rikki than any of the initial procedures. She had no knowledge of whether she progressed in Denman's estimation or not, as the doctor made only occasional visits to the container Rikki was kept in, and conversation was little more than Rikki spouting insults and Denman marking a checklist.
Rikki was near the breaking point when an unexpected call was taken in her hearing.
"Hello!" she heard Denman answer somewhere beyond the darkness. And then there was a condescending sigh. "I told you, this is a research facility, not a pet store. We don't sell our mermaids. I only called to see if you'd be interested in making an investment... Yes, of course. I understand... That is a generous offer. Well, I think you understand the position I'm in."
Rikki strained to hear better, but if she leaned much further she might fall out of the tank, and the fall would definitely do more than break a bone or two.
"Very good. No, we'll keep her here until he returns. You'll pay for the additional care as she's in need of rehabilitation. I don't think you quite understand," she said sternly, "Every mermaid needs work. I'm offering you the one I think best suited to your needs. But I can assure you, you won't be disappointed with the results. And where else are you going to get a mermaid?" Denman laughed. "I'm so glad you see it my way! There'll be a lot of paperwork to sign... I trust you'll be discreet? No, Monday doesn't work for me. I'll see you Tuesday, five 'o clock sharp."
There was a rustle, the click-clack of her heels, and then Denman was standing in the lamplight, looking happier than Lewis with a microscope.
"It looks like you may be the financial kick-start we've been hoping for," she said, tapping on the glass. Congratulations, Number Seventeen."
Rikki realised she was meant to hear the conversation. It was all another test. She was sick to death of these games. She'd do anything to make some change in her routine. For the first time, she said nothing.
"No snarky comeback today? Are we finally learning manners? I'm glad to see it. That means we can move you to a better facility. Mr. Bennett expects the finest quality, and I'd rather you not look so droopy. Your tail's losing colour, you know."
"What's Mr. Bennett got to do with this?" Rikki couldn't help but ask.
Dr. Denman smirked, and let out a slight chuckle. "Mr. Bennett has just purchased you as an exotic pet for his son. Don't grimace like that, Seventeen; you're so pretty when you smile."
Rikki was cheated of her rebuttal by one of the drones in lab coats bringing Denman a report. She raised a single eyebrow in interest.
"Shouldn't we be sharing these results with someone?" he asked, refusing to acknowledge Rikki's sudden need to clear her throat very loudly.
"And risk getting shut down? No way. We haven't collected nearly enough data for any journal to be interested. Of course the mermaids would catch their attention, but we need to be on top of things before any information is released as common knowledge. We have to be so far into it that we're the leading experts in the field. We need this head start."
"So what do we do about funds in the meantime?"
"We sell it."
"Sell what? The mermaids?"
"No. The act. We'll sell them as an act. Plenty of marine parks would fork over a fortune for a live mermaid show."
"But they aren't acting."
"Exactly."
"How…?"
"We'll offer sponsors a private viewing before they invest. The highest bidder wins."
"What if the mermaids act out?"
"You act like I was born yesterday." She looked ready to hit him over the head with the chart. "Don't you think I've sorted all of this out? If they can't be trained to perform properly, we'll make it part of the act. Mermaids in Distress, or whatever catchy thing you want to call it. The people will believe anything if we tell them it's part of the show. And before you open your mouth to ask about potential family members recognizing a daughter, I'm not stupid enough to sell the show to local parks. We're going to the United States. California has some large marine parks. We'll start there."
"Sorry, one more question. When we're ready to release our findings… our real findings, is anyone going to support us?" His eyes flickered in Rikki's direction. "I mean with the kidnap and all?"
"They're not human beings anymore, Porter. They're like fish we've simply relocated for research. Though you make a valid point. Some people may be squeamish at first. That's why I'm counting on Mr. Bennett to back me up when this goes public. Which is why... he'll be the only one with his own mermaid."
She looked Rikki dead in the eye, but she addressed the man next to her. "Get her ready."
Author's Note:
It seems Rikki gets to leave Denman's clutches after all! Though not in the way she was hoping...