XIX. Final Showdown

She hadn't bothered to keep them in the crates. The man shouldering the unidentified, but enormous gun of sorts was enough to ensure Lewis and Cleo didn't flop over the side and try to swim for it. Their eyes darted back and forth from the skyline they sped towards, to the stone-faced armed guard, and back to each other in fear.

When they were out in open water, presumably where hungry, pelagic sharks were known to live, Denman had the boat stall. Lewis had studied a little about criminal psychology. Enough to know that Denman was in a panic, and more likely to make mistakes. He was keenly aware that she'd forgotten their last dose of magic suppressants, and was counting down the time when... when he might finally have an advantage. It was a foolish hope that kept his heart beating erratically, to the point of him fearing Denman would catch on to his plan by the sheer noise of the thump, thump, thump; but he continued to hope, praying that whatever he could do would be enough to save them.

Denman opened what looked like a med-kit and retrieved a serum from within. She went towards Cleo; jaw set, eyes cold.

"Wait... Denman, we can talk about this," Lewis said, fingers stretched with the attempt to do something to the ocean around them, "Do you really want to throw away your last chance? Think about it. With two viable breeders, you can start over anywhere. Doesn't have to be Australia, or California... we can go anywhere. Without us... you might not find another specimen. Everyone's on their guard, now!"

She had stopped to listen, only so much as to keep the needle poised just over Cleo's vein. The point was touching her skin, and required only the slightest push to pierce through. Lewis had no idea what was in the serum; tranquilizers, poison... whatever it was, it couldn't be good. His hands were shaking with the energy he focused on the water. Something had to happen soon!

"You make a compelling argument, Lewis. I always did appreciate you for that. Unfortunately, as long as I have you two, you're a liability." She pushed the needle into Cleo's arm, making her yelp and start to sniffle.

"No! Denman, you don't have to rent us out to theme parks, or anywhere we'd be recognised. We can be exclusively for study!"

Denman laughed, dragging Cleo up by under her arms. Her eyes had gone glassy from the drugs, and her arms hung limp at her sides. Lewis desperately hoped she wasn't dying. "Martin, put it flush against her chest," Denman ordered. "The shock has to reach her heart. No mistakes, this time."

"They'll keep looking for you!" he cried, his voice rough from the sobs he held back as his mind screamed at the ocean to save them, "It won't matter if we're dead; they'll still find you! You saw what they did to your hired hands..." Lewis hadn't, being stuck in the crate, but by the smell, the smoke, and the reaction from Denman, it wasn't hard to deduce, "Think of how much worse it'll be when they find out you've killed us!"

Denman seemed to falter, but it was only a second before her resolve returned. She nodded to the muscle with the weapon to Cleo's chest. Lewis grit his teeth so hard, his head grew sore. He kept up his useless cry to the water flowing under and around them, begging it to turn into icy shards that would shoot up and stab the man from behind.

The gun clattered to the ground, and the man stumbled backwards, as if jerked back by some invisible line. His face mirrored that of Lewis's only moments ago, when Denman had stuck Cleo with the needle and he fell hard on his posterior, writhing in pain.

Denman looked irritated, then shocked, and then terrified. She dropped Cleo, who paralysed as she was, could only fall helplessly on her back. She exclaimed at the knock to her head, and began to cry. Denman was frantically sifting through the medical kit she'd brought, looking for some specific antidote, it seemed.

It was then Lewis saw the gelatinous blob that had wrapped a wispy tendril around Martin's leg, and left a vivid red line in its wake. Lewis congratulated the jellyfish silently, wishing it safely back in the waters. To his great astonishment, it released the leg, and with some inexplicable power, pulsed and shimmied itself back over the side of the boat.

Lewis glanced up to see if Denman had noticed, but she was still tearing the box of supplies apart.

He once more turned his thoughts to the ocean, but this time redirected his focus to the creatures that might be near, rather than the water itself.

He was surprised to discover a whole host of little pulses, waiting for his direction, and a slew of large pulses, too. He tested his power on one of the larger pulses, and nearly screamed as loud as Denman when a shark leapt over the boat, snapping its jaw, and sending a saltwater spray all over her.

Before he could think twice, the ability had chosen another pulse to command, and a thick, brightly coloured tentacle had wrapped itself around Denman's arm, and was pulling her to the side of the boat. "The hell!?"she rasped, but was too terrified even to scream. It attached another tentacle to her other arm when her feet became an obstacle, and took her over the side. Lewis felt the collection of large pulses merge into a flickering mass below. He didn't need to scoot himself to the other end of the boat to see the stream of blood spreading through the water.

Lewis let go of the pulses; small and large together, and dragged himself to Cleo. He lifted her head to cradle her over his arm. "Can you hear me?" he whispered. "Cleo... talk to me, please."

She moaned, and shifted her head a little. Martin wasn't moving, and already his skin looked more blue than tan. Somehow, the sight of his lifeless body was a comfort. Lewis eyed the shock gun he'd dropped when the jellyfish had stung him, and he pulled Cleo even tighter against him.

A strange but beautiful calm had settled over the boat, but he knew it would soon turn cold. He kissed Cleo twice, and set her down as gently as he could before setting to work.

They reached the docks before nightfall. It was out of the way—not fully isolated like the one Denman used, but it was hope.

Lewis hadn't thought about it, but the cool evening and their smooth driving had kept them from any additional ocean spray. As the bow tapped against the dock, Lewis looked back to a recovering Cleo, and they smiled to each other as their tails bubbled away, and each were once again in possession of human legs.

Their borrowed craft was not the only one secured at the docks, and Lewis was glad he'd disposed of Martin before they'd encountered another human soul.

Lewis took the lead, as wobbly-legged they helped one another out of the boat, and barely made it off the dock without dropping to their knees. He asked the wondering fisherman where they might find a place to stay with promise of future payment, and maybe a warm meal, and access to a phone for the same.

He knew it was so important to keep their secret, especially now, and he should stay alert and on his guard at every moment in case a stray drop of water turned them helpless once again. But as the fisherman's truck rattled down the rocky roads, and Cleo curled her legs blissfully beneath her and nuzzled against his dry shirt, Lewis let himself breathe a heavy sigh of relief, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note: Well, dear readers, you have reached the end. I have one Epilogue coming up in which all the endings are told. After that... well, I'm trying to get myself back into the writing groove, so I'm not sure what projects may be posted next. Almost certainly another American Girl fanfiction, but I've no more H2O ideas at present. I hope you've all enjoyed this darker twist to the tale! I'll miss all your wonderful reviews! You've been amazing!