Sapphire Mermaid

Six year old Darrin stood mesmerized by the underwater view outside thick glass. Whales and other creatures didn't captivate him like the mermaid who sat on a rock. He kept waving and finally got her attention. "Mommy, come quick! The mermaid is coming!" By the time his mom and dad pressed close, the mermaid was at the glass. "Look, her hand is following mine on the glass!"

"It's not natural," said a bespectacled man at one side. "She was on that rock better than ten minutes. Nobody can hold their breath that long. There wasn't even the first bubble out of her mouth."

"Maybe she was oxygen-saturated," opined Darrin's dad. By now the count was thirteen minutes. The mermaid crossed arms and gazed back, equally curious. A few folks took pictures.

Suddenly she swam away, did a loop, kept her eye on some disturbance. It turned out to be a diver come to investigate. But the mermaid darted out of view, leaving the diver turning this way and that, at a loss. Behind the crowd, two men in suits also took pictures, using cameras that needed no flash bulb.

Metropolis

On the opposite coast, Supergirl set a sizzling pace above trees, keeping alert for low-flying planes that would fare badly in a collision. She swept up and over a mountain chain, couldn't resist trailing a hand along the river surface, sending up a high plume of water. Might as well have some fun before the trouble started, whatever it was. Clark's call had sounded urgent, and Kara had no doubt it involved Binia, recently released from the phantom zone on an unjust charge. A haze of smog heralded distant skyscrapers. Rustic solitude gave way to the noise and bustle of the city outskirts; railroads, harbors, warehouses, factories. Rather than follow the main drag, Supergirl soared above the Daily Planet building, looping back toward Perry White's office.

The entire staff was on hand when she floated through tall blue louvers.

"Supergirl!" Lois rushed to offer a hug. "Now maybe Clark and Perry will stop being so mysterious and tell us what's going on."

"I can guess," Kara said. "It's Binia. She doesn't know what to do with herself. Am I right, Clark?"

Clark adjusted his glasses. "Correct. Perry's been on the wire with other outlets. He'll give you the lowdown."

Perry stood behind his desk, hands clasped behind him. "At Superman's request, I sat on the story about Binia being released from the phantom zone. What a story that might have been!" He shook his head. "I'm not sure if her secret is out, but she's drawing a lot of attention from various power players." He pointed out Georgia on a wall map. "Six Forks Palladium. It's a futuristic mix of aquatics park and sporting goods store. Three mermaids perform daily in a main tank, which has branches that let the girls roam the whole store. One of them has earned a reputation for holding her breath for an impossibly long time. She has black hair and a sapphire costume."

"Jeepers," Jimmy said. "Binia has black hair."

"That's where it gets confusing." Perry passed around some production stills. Three mermaids posed with fins in the water while sitting on a concrete island. A blonde wore a white suit that became purple at the flukes. The black-haired one wore blue-sapphire, and a redhead wore emerald. "The blonde is Binia, the raven hair is Sirtis, and the redhead is Ellie."

"Hold on," Kara said. "The blonde is not Binia. The one in blue is."

Clark studied his photo. "I see what happened. The blonde had the stage name Binia, so our Binia changed hers to Sirtis. At least for the show."

"So what's the problem?" Lois asked.

"The problem," Perry said, sitting, "is who she's getting noticed by and why. Among the contenders are the CIA, the underworld, and the Russians. The CIA isn't talking. Do they see Sirtis as a threat? Not likely, given the other players involved. They all want her to do something."

"Right," Lois agreed. "Jimmy and I can be on the next plane to catch a show, then ask Sirtis what she knows."

Clark set his photo aside. "That's sure to turn out the usual way. You and Jim get yourselves captured, and Superman has to come to the rescue."

Before they could object, Kara jumped in. "Clark, why don't we go chat. You can give me an idea how Superman feels about this, and what he wants me for."

Presently in Clark's office, Kara took the wall sofa. "Deja vu, Kal. This is where we first met. You were even leaning on your desk like that."

Clark smiled. "I'll get right to the point. I have a request from Batman over in Gotham. He's up against some exotic weapons of unknown origin."

"Could there be a connection?" Kara looked down in thought. "Binia wouldn't knowingly have a hand in this." She looked up. "What went wrong?"

Clark paced, hands in pockets. "She strikes me as having a free spirit, one that couldn't survive behind a desk, microscope, or control panel. She's more the artist type, more interested in nature and fairy tales."

"Then I'll approach it from that angle. What about Jimmy and Lois?"

"The palladium won't object to publicity. Why not keep one eye on them incognito, since Supergirl would steal the spotlight."

Kara saw even more possibilities, like two mermaids who could stay under all day. It all depended on how reasonable Binia was. "I can get there eight hours ahead of Lois, maybe catch Binia before the show. I'll tell the staff I'm an old friend."

Six Forks, Georgia

Kara wore a brown wig in hopes of not being spotted by Binia. She had miscalculated in assuming a delay in showtime. The girls were in the water as the facility opened at eight. Country music set an outdoors theme in the various departments. Fishing boats hung overhead to save floor space; dummies sported hunting gear; racks of rifles and fishing rods lined the back walls.

As Kara neared the mermaid center, country gave way to a more ethereal sound of music, accented by a rushing waterfall. A waist-high plexiglass barrier surrounded an immense white tank having a central, stepped island with a treasure chest. A hanging curtain was designated "Mermaid Cove", which Kara's X-ray vision revealed as an outfitting and food area, accessed by a central water channel. The girls could sit on the side, not needing to wrestle the costumes off. Presently they played with toys like a submarine they sailed back and forth in the depths.

Next came the coin toss, a favorite with kids, some held in their parents' arms. "No copper," the sign said. "We want silver! Arrr!" The mermaids scooped coins off the bottom with small tin shovels, putting them in sieved buckets, which they brought up to dump into the treasure chest. Synchronized swimming topped off the current set. Part of it involved a high dive off a slide. Finally, Sirtis awed the crowd with a high jump through a hoop, which Kara knew involved a bit of flying. It was another thing they were going to discuss.

Kara saw her chance when the girls exited a branch that divided to meander all through the complex. The channels had domed glass covers and foot bridges for shoppers to cross. Sirtis was completing a circuit in the remote lumber area where Kara waited, having removed the wig. She looked down, arms crossed.

Sirtis lifted the clear cover, sitting in neck-deep water. "I knew you would not approve, and so you have sought me out."

"Actually," Kara said, squatting, "I can appreciate your artistic bent. But why here?"

Sirtis' hair billowed in the current. "The act was struggling. I showed the managers what I could do, and now I have a way to earn a living. Do not worry—no one knows what I am."

"You're the leader?"

"No, that is Binia, though it feels odd to call another by my name." Sirtis looked up askance. "Has this caused a problem?"

"Only the attention it's drawing from some unsavory types. By the way—why don't the girls' skin get all pruny being in water all day?"

"We use an additive invented by Professor Periwinkle."

A puzzle piece just fell into place. "Periwinkle. The eccentric old guy whose inventions give Superman so much trouble."

Sirtis nodded. "A strange man asked me about him, but I knew too little to answer. He said the professor needs a super magnet for his new invention, and I could help him get one."

Alarm bells went off for Kara, even before the rear door opened to admit a man armed with an exotic weapon.