Chapter Text
The day had started off much like any other. Mark and Caketon swam below the giant whale shark that was their partner. Hidden in his shadow, the two didn’t have much to be afraid of.
Yet, there was always the growing tension between them and the empty ocean. Merfolk were nomadic, they were constantly moving, never able to stay in the same place very long. So, they didn’t run into many other merfolk, and if they did, they never chatted long. It was dangerous to be in large groups, attracted too much attention. Stay close to the bottom of the ocean, breach if you need to, then go back down to safety.
Despite not normally seeing many merfolk across their travels, all had noticed the disappearances. Merfolk who had been bonded wandered the oceans, helplessly looking for their loved ones. Some told stories of land-dweller ships capturing them, taking merfolk from their pods.
No one travelled alone.
Ever.
In fear of never being seen again, taken to the sky, to the land where no merfolk survives. As far as they know at least. Rumors spread that land-dwellers are killing merfolk for some old war that no one cares to remember.
Truthfully, that was the least of Mark’s worries. He was hungry, his stomach growled. Stereo looked down, concerned for his pod member. His mouth formed a straight line as he scanned the ocean floor, desperately searching for anything they could eat.
Caketon was the one to find something of interest, patches of seaweed. The three dipped below to get what they could before having to move on.
Perhaps that was where it all went wrong, Mark being hungry, too focused on feeding his appetite to remember to stay close to his pod.
Venturing further away, he saw something sparkling beneath the sand. Maybe it was a gem? A smile appeared, imagine his partners with a gem. A gem he found all on his own. They’d be so happy to have another item to add to their collection. But as he approached it seemed to grow further away. Tilting his head, he followed the moving sparkling object.
When he finally caught it, he was confused, this didn’t feel like any gem he had ever seen.
Then shadows danced over his arms, he looked up. Too late. A weighted net had already been dropped on him. He called for his partners, for anyone nearby, but by the time they arrived, he was already on the distant boat.
Placed in a small tank, he couldn’t even move his limbs as he tried to twist about. His mind raced, he could feel through the partnered-bond that Stereo and Caketon knew he was gone, he could feel their anxiety. But he could hardly focus on that when multiple large gloved hands grabbed his wrists and tail as another held down his head. Water splashed, he tried to bite the feathered land-dwellers, but couldn’t get past the gloves. Something was placed around his neck, then something on his tail. The item on his tail began to blink red, a large antenna stuck out of the top. He splashed more, desperate to escape the hands. What were they putting on him? Why were they doing this?
Was he about to die? What about Stereo and Caketon? What would they think happened to him? He had to get back to them– They had to know he was okay, that he’d never leave them. He wouldn’t let them have the opportunity to feel that pain.
He relaxed his body only slightly, fooling the feathered land-dwellers. Then he pushed against them, some of their hands left his body, he twisted above the water, chomping down on a hand with such vicious anger he hadn’t even thought possible. There was a scream, shouting followed as he pushed the tank over, shattered glass spilled, but he didn’t notice any of it, even when it clung to his tail. Racing from below the deck, he arrived on top. More of these land-dwellers threatened to grab him, force him back into a tank.
He dodged their attempts until he reached the side, diving back below the water. He called, desperate singing, hoping to hear his partner’s responses. Swimming every direction, calling more and more desperate.
Until they arrived, Caketon pulled him into a tight hug, scolding him for swimming off. They had been worried, scared that he’d been taken. Then they saw the collar around his neck and the odd beeping device attached to his tail. The glass shards still sticking in a few areas. Stereo felt a wave of agony wash over him. He hadn’t protected his partner like he should’ve. Because of his negligence, Mark had been hurt, almost killed by land-dwellers. Stereo held out his hand, allowing Caketon and Mark to rest in his palms as he reassured them that he’d keep them safe.
A promise that was broken nearly as soon as it was said.
A harpoon hurtled through the water, catching Stereo’s arm. In a hurry, Stereo held his partners to his chest, shielding them from the oncoming attacks. They could hear angry shouting from above, a language they didn’t know and had no interest in learning. They needed to get away, to find safety.
But everywhere they went, that ship followed. Almost like they were being tracked.
It didn’t take long for Mark to be captured once again, ripped from his partners’ hands. Stereo hid Caketon beneath a rock formation, promising to be back. He swam after Mark, just as his partner breached the surface, Stereo rose from the waters himself. His hands on the boat’s sides, threatening to tip it completely over. His large tail making a tsunami of waves, crashing against the boat. There was too much movement on the deck, he couldn’t see Mark. Where had they taken him? Anger rushed through his body.
Where
Was
He?
His hands cracked the side, almost busting the hull. He wouldn’t leave without Mark.
They were a pod, a family, a bonded-trio. They weren’t meant to be a part. No one would get away with taking one of his partners. He’d sink the whole boat if he had to.
More shouting, more commands he couldn’t recognize. He tried to pick the ship up, out of the water, threatening to rip in two.
But then there was this awful noise and this intense pain his eye. He dropped the boat, clutching one of his eyes. More noise, more gunfire. Rubber bullets hit his body, to a merperson his size it wasn’t deadly, but it was awfully painful. Each shot stung, he couldn’t even see what he was supposed to be grabbing anymore. Ropes wrapped around him, tranquilizer darts fired. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t feel.
Caketon watched in horror as he saw Stereo drop to the water’s surface, limp and with a wounded eye. He wasn’t sure what he could do, if Stereo couldn’t defeat them what could he do? But he had to try. He raced to the surface, desperately trying to pull and bite off the ropes holding Stereo. But the rope was too large, and he wasn’t strong enough to pull anything off. He clung to the rope as long as he could but the ship was moving, the motor turning the fan blades. Stereo’s body was drug behind the ship, the force from the blade swept Caketon, and any of the lingering rope and rubber bullets, away from his partners. Trapped beneath the heavy weight of the ropes he could all but watch as Stereo’s silhouette blurred into the distant sea-scape.
It took hours for him to gnaw through the heavy, thick rope. By that time, his partners were long gone. He knew they were alive, but for how long? How long until those sick, legged-freaks decided to kill his partners?
He spent hours searching, calling, singing, hoping for a response. Maybe they had escaped like Mark had before? But the sun was setting and he hadn’t found anything. The only thing he had to go off was a vague direction. Try as he might, he had never been a good navigator. He didn’t even know if he was going in the right direction anymore.
As night crept in, Caketon realized something. He hadn’t slept alone in a very, very long time. Stereo was always there to wrap them up in his hands, or let them sleep on his back, truly anywhere they wanted. But he was alone now, hopelessly alone.
It turned into days of Caketon searching until he finally found the location where they must have been dragged to. Though by that time, he hadn’t been taking care of himself. Fishing lines and hooks wrapped his body, he had been too concerned with finding them to fiddle around with the debris stuck to him. It didn’t matter, anyway. The ocean had been so unkept that whatever he pulled off would just be placed on him again. Normally he had his partners to help…
He stared at the distant building, his eyes barely above the water. Flashing lights and a blue woman on a billboard was the first thing he saw. Letters he didn’t recognize flashed across the billboard, then he saw photos.
Photos of his Stereo.
His Stereo and Mark being placed in a tank.
Like some sort of attraction.
’ N E W ! W O W ! B I G ! F E I S T Y !’
He didn’t know those words. But he knew he was mad.
His head dipped below the water. He’d get them out. He’d rescue them… he had to.
Somehow.