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It’s so bright. And quiet. Every day starts and ends the same. The fluorescent lights are switched on to stimulate a regular circadian rhythm, but it could never hold a candle to the true sunrise as it bathes the ocean in its orange glow. This is all you have managed to hold onto. Even the faces of your family have become blurred over time, unable to be recalled from memory. One by one, they were taken away, whereabouts never disclosed. For all you know, they could be dead. It helps not to think about it. Feeding time is soon. You shouldn’t miss out. You need your strength.
You lazily swim from the bottom of the tank upwards to the surface where one of the attendants begins spilling an assortment of chum into your tank. Morsels of clam and oyster flesh float into the water, clouded by a blob of salty brine, all pre-shucked so that you aren’t given any sharp objects. They are clever in doing so. You nearly killed yourself when the last of your relatives disappeared and they were careless to leave you alone with the remains of a crab carcass. You still have a scar where you tried to drive the thin shell into your wrist. The cloud of brine floats in the water much like your blood did that day. It obstructs your vision and fills the immediate area with the scent of bitter decay. Now’s not the time to lose your appetite. Hurry up. Eat .
You pluck the bits from where they float, swimming back down to your little corner of sanctity. This confinement is a gentle reprieve from the scum encrusted walls and rising acidic levels of the water. It’s been far too long since your tank has had a thorough once-over, leaving you to grow slimy patches of algae along your fins matted deep into your scales.
The only true escape is sleep. You slurp down the oysters hungrily then curl up under a ceramic replica of a coral structure, as cold and lifeless as everything else. This cycle repeats three times a day only to continue the next. And the next. Until you die.
Amidst your dreamless slumber, the resounding splash of something much larger than the spillage of chum enters your tank. Then again. And again. Over and over until you count at least six consistent dunks being deposited into the space. The water sways you back and forth but soon calms when you spot a pile of finned silhouettes settling at the tank’s floor.
You approach quietly, careful not to startle anyone. They descend lifelessly to the bare floor, disrupting the silt as they land. The glimmer of sparkling scales catches the light just right and you recognize the pattern. This is the first time you have seen even a mere remnant of your kind in ages. Excitement takes its hold, but it is muted by apprehension. You fight through the discomfort, urging yourself to make your introductions, no matter how uncouth they might be.
“Urgh… My head…” One of them speaks up. A girl, just like you, though the rest of her pod remains motionless, still unconscious. “What is this place?”
“From the looks of it, your new home.” You whisper from the shadows.
“AHH!!” She shrieks, petrified at the thought of someone else lurking where she can’t see. “Who’s there?”
Her sudden and piercing inflection effectively rouses the others as they begrudgingly whine about their discomforts, save for one of them disregarding his own to protectively coil around the girl. His long fins swathe in the darkened waves as he tucks her behind himself. Glaring at you with a look of helplessness and rage, the skeletal markings on his face contort with his expressions. “Get away from her!”
“Look I- I don’t mean any harm.” You raise your arms with palms directed at them, making a show of submission to hopefully quell his nerves. “This is my home, and… from the looks of it, it’s yours now too.”
“What are you talking about?” He keeps his distance, acting as a defensive barricade between you and his pod. “Who are you? What is this place?”
“Hunter, it would appear that we have been captured and deposited into an unkempt aquarium.” Someone behind him interjects. His silhouette is bathed in black, but you can see a minor glare emitting from a pair of goggles.
“Are we gonna be stuck here forever?” The little voice asks.
“No, Omega.” Hunter caresses her cheek, soothing her with his tender attention. “We’ll figure a way out. We always do.”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” The objection to their plans came so easily. You cannot fathom what it means to be ‘out’ anymore.
“Oh yeah? What do you know?” A rather boisterous member challenges your opposition, displeased with your cynicism. He dexterously swims forward, pushing past those standing in his way to aggressively address you. He towers above, broad and powerful, but also very cranky. One of his eyes resembles a pearl, fogged out with a web of scars extending along the side of his head. This is certainly intimidating, but you remain steadfast in his intolerant disposition.
“Easy, Wrecker.” Hunter stops him from advancing any closer, saving you from his wrath. “Maybe she knows something we don’t.”
“It’s just not worth it.” You explain, shaking your head in disappointment. “There was a time where I had a pod almost as big as yours. Not anymore.”
“What happened to them?” Omega squeaks in concern.
“ If they’re alive,” you pause, adding a despondent gravity to your words, “they’re kept in other aquariums like this one.”
“Why?” She persists.
“Well, to be observed, of course.” You ripple your body to propel towards the massive pane of glass. You lay your palm directly on the reinforced surface, urging them to look at the sets of doors perched at either side of the room. Through the obscurity, they all make out images of informational excerpts pertaining to their procreation, anatomy, eating habits and more. The walls are decorated with crude pictures of coral reefs and flourishing seabeds, a sad depiction of the true deep blue. “Humans are incredibly fascinated with our kind. So, in exchange for being reduced to an exhibit, they keep us fed and alive and safe.”
“Sure seems like they’re holding up their end of the bargain, alright.” Another member steps forward with a circular marking decorating his occipital, the furrow of his brow disrupting its flow.
“No amount of creature comforts will allow me to sit back and let my pod be torn apart.” Hunter recedes back into the shadows, regrouping with the others to devise a plan. “Echo, take Crosshair and Tech with you to locate weak points in the aquarium. Omega, Wrecker, come with me to the surface to see if we have any ground to stand on.”
Everyone’s names have been revealed, a rather informal introduction if you’ve ever experienced one. They all part ways and explore every corner of the tank while you follow Hunter up to the surface.
“Stand? But that’s impossible!” Your warnings fall on deaf ears as they traverse all the way to the top of the tank where the mirror-like ripples reflect your features right back at you. You can see the webbing of fins and scales that decorate your form, shimmering against the refracted rays of light, albeit dulled by your infirm condition. You watch as Hunter breaks the surface tension, emerging his face from the barrier of the water. He looks from side to side, realizing you might be right.
“It’s no use. They have this place locked up pretty tight.” Hunter begins brainstorming possible ways to circumvent this issue. “The platform is really small. Only one of us would be able to make the change before having access to the outside, and even then, we’re cutting it close.”
“What change?” This foreign terminology is lost on you.
“You’ve never made the change before?” Wrecker scoffs, chastising you for your remedial grasp of abilities. “Show her, Omega.”
Without another word, Hunter and Wrecker move aside to allow for her to breach. She swims in a tight spiral, her fin shining hues ranging from fuchsia to gold. Soon, she’s nothing but a blur as she gains enough momentum to leap out of the water, landing directly on the little platform the attendants walk on to spill their buckets of chum. Hunter and Wrecker encouragingly watch, but you’re a little slow in your own ambitions.
This challenges every level of indoctrination you’ve choked down in your life. On the one hand, you remain safe but miserable, while the other unlocks countless avenues into the unknown. After a long period of decision-making, you mimic the motives of these newcomers, poking your head out to see what has come of Omega.
The air is dry as it hits your face, burning your eyes so you rapidly blink to keep them moistened. It reeks of humans. A sickening scent that inflicts you with an annoying headache. The dim lighting that surrounds the tank casts Omega in a muted green. She lays across the platform, her fin still dangling over the edge. She scoots away from the lapping waves, waiting for something to happen. She shakes off the excess drippings of water, expediting her drying process. Then, it’s as if something magical overcomes her.
Her scales and webbing begin to recede, transitioning into an amphibious anatomy where a pair of legs have appeared in place of her fin. She is clothed, armored in fact, no doubt dressed in the very gear she had on when she was captured. Having been sheltered for so many years, you had no idea that you possess this power. Did your family know? Did they look down upon this transition of self? Did they lie to you to keep you contained?
“H-how did she do that?” You ask them, dumbfounded by Omega’s expertise. She jumps around, skips, runs in place. She even tries to open the door that leads to the supply closets, but it’s been thoroughly sealed. After a few moments of her demonstration, Hunter calls her back while Wrecker explains.
“You seriously didn’t know?” He asks, and you shake your head, eyes as wide as saucers. “And here I thought I was still learning.”
“Alright, Omega.” Hunter calls. “Hop back in.”
“But Hunter, it’s been forever since I got to stretch my legs.” She pleads with him, but it doesn’t work.
“We can’t leave her hanging.” Hunter lightly scolds her. “You gotta show her how you change back.”
“Fair enough.” Omega shrugs, skipping forward with all her might to execute a perfect cannonball, splashing everyone in the process.
“I didn’t mean like that !” Hunter swims down, smirking at Wrecker when he receives a humorous elbow from his brother. A blur of bubbles engulfs Omega, practically boiling off like a chemical reaction upon dunking herself. Once they simmer away, she is back to her normal appearance.
“See? It happens when we interact with water.” Omega raises her arm above the surface, shaking off the droplets until the breeze of the air conditioner dries out her skin again. Her beautiful fins once again disappear, and the dull skin tones of her human form take their place. She submerges her arm to conclude her demonstration, showing you how it fizzes as her scales grow back. “Try it!”
“Maybe we should take things slow, huh?” Hunter counsels against this, but you’re itching to feel the transition yourself.
“What’s all this splashing about?” Tech makes himself known with Crosshair and Echo in tow.
“She’s never done the change before.” Wrecker spills the beans like scorching hot gossip. “Omega was showing her how.”
“How could she have lived this long and not done it?” Echo wonders aloud, contemplating how bland your life must be.
“You should let her try it.” Crosshair interjects. “She’s gonna need to adapt fast if we want to get out of here in one piece.”
“I never said I was coming with you.” You correct them, still unconvinced with their motives.
“Look, up there, you can be one of them and no one will ever know.” Hunter adds, hoping to persuade you. “You can live your own life. Make your own rules.”
“Doesn’t seem like it was working out too well for you .” The bitter counter is surprising even for you. You’ve never known this side of yourself. Defensive over what exactly? Remaining a prisoner?
“We were targeted.” Hunter sighs begrudgingly. “That’s different.”
“That’s just it.” You create space between you and Hunter’s pod, unwilling to ingratiate yourself with them. “We’re all targeted. At least here, I know how my days will start and end.”
“Just,” Hunter gestures towards the platform, urging you to see for yourself, “Try it.”
You grumble under your breath, swimming up to the edge of the platform. The ground is hard and abrasive. You can’t find a good place to position your hands. Hoisting yourself up is a different challenge altogether. The water is where you feel weightless, but now it’s like you’re being held down by a ton of bricks. It’s not a graceful maneuver, but you manage to squirm onto the platform, gasping for breath as your lungs get used to cycling the oxygen.
“That’s it! A little farther!” Omega cheers you on from the proverbial sidelines, pushing your fin the rest of the way onto the platform. You cough and pant, lying on your back as you hardly have the strength to even lift your head. Though, these few seconds of reprieve did not prepare you for the striking sensation of your very anatomy being altered. Your skin crawls as the moisture of your scales are replaced by the parched exterior of skin. To preserve your decency, a makeshift set of clothing also emerges, composed of kelp and clumps of seaweed. Your features change to excessive lengths, giving you a full head of textured hair to occupy your scalp as opposed to your fins. The shiny steel door gives you a crude image of what you look like, haunting and unfamiliar.
“AHHHH!” You shriek, shoving yourself off the platform and back into the water. Omega laughs at your expense, and you float down, embarrassed by your own reaction.
“You’ll get used to it.” Omega chuckles, stabilizing you to ease a bit of the lingering vertigo.
“You still want me to tag along, don’t you?” The clarifying mention tells Omega that you understand what’s at stake for them, but you have your own incentives to consider.
“Please?” She begs. “There’s a whole world out there you deserve to experience.”
“I’ll have to sleep on it.” You lethargically swim away, tucking yourself under your coral display.
“But wait!” Omega tries to go after you, but Hunter stops her from doing so, keeping her at his side.
“Leave her be, Omega.” Hunter beckons her, recognizing that you need time to process this. “It’s asking a lot for someone to leave everything they know.”
Crosshair’s own ears perk up at this impression. He shares a knowing glance with his brother, both he and Crosshair communicating only in a manner they understand.
“Come on.” Echo leads Omega to the other side of the tank where she joins Tech and the others. “Let’s all have a rest. We’ll pick back up in the morning.”
Omega is the first to wake. The fluorescent lights hanging from the fixtures along the ceiling switch on in a bothersome blink. There is no gradual warmth to delicately rouse her. Just like you, she’s expected to follow the same cycles. The scent in the tank grows sharp with chum. She wakes everyone up to partake, but notices that you’re still lying curled up under the synthetic coral structure.
“They already pulled it from the shell?” Wrecker complains, plucking bits of clam and oyster flesh from where it floats. “Shucking it is the best part.”
“Hey, has anyone seen her come out of there yet?” Omega asks, puzzled by your lack of appearance.
“Not yet.” Echo discloses. “I figured she wanted to sleep in after the night she had.”
“I’ll go check on her.” Omega insists, making her way towards your little hidey-hole.
“Woah, woah. Hold on there.” Hunter stops her from acting on her impulses once more, urging that she rethink this. “You can’t just go where you’re not invited, Omega.”
Omega rounds up her own portions of shellfish, prepared to give them to you as an offering while also standing up to Hunter’s cordial expectations. “She still needs to eat breakfast, Hunter.”
Omega dodges around him, swimming away to the coral structure you’re holed up in. She lays eyes on you, approaching slowly with her peace offering in hand.
“Hey… I know you probably want to be left alone but, ah !” Omega gasps, stopping short of touching you on the shoulder. She can see that some of your fins are weakened and frayed, the color drained from their tips with reddened and inflamed scales, practically breaking right off you. You shiver and tremble as you sleep, plagued with feverish pain. Despite this, Omega does not rouse you, concerned with your need for rest. Instead, she urgently fetches assistance.
“Guys! Come quick! I think something is wrong with her!” She summons them and they promptly meet her in front of your coral abode.
“Wrong how?” Echo asks, but Omega leads them stealthily into your lair.
“Does this look right to you?” She whispers, pointing to the evidence of deterioration in your features that were undetectable in the dark of night.
“Hmmm.” Tech examines you, looking you over thoroughly before drawing an unmitigated conclusion. “I’ve seen this before. It’s curable, but a nasty infection once it takes hold.”
“Wha… what’s going on?” You wake up surrounded by Omega’s brothers peering over her shoulders at you. “What are you doing here?”
“It was feeding time, and you didn’t wake up.” Omega admits. “I thought something was wrong and sure enough…”
“You have contracted fin rot.” Tech announces with an astute adjustment of his goggles. You can see him in a much better light now. His scales shimmer with a vibrant yellow, speckled with black spots much like a notable eel, meanwhile Echo is sporting a royal cobalt appearance with pearlescent stripes throughout. Both are magnificent and remarkably beautiful alongside Omega’s heavily saturated sunset hues. “If left untreated, you could perish.”
“How do we treat it?” Omega asks, wanting to soothe you with a pet of her palm to your head but Echo grabs hold of her wrist, cautioning her against it.
“A thorough cleaning of this tank would really help.” Echo mutters distastefully. “But by the looks of it, that’s not going to happen.”
“Th-they clean everything biannually.” You stutter through your speech weakly. “If I c-can just hold out until then-”
“No!” Hunter exclaims from the entranceway of the coral structure. The brilliance of his scarlet frame offset by his inky markings captures your attention. Crosshair is lingering close behind, his complementary appearance gleaming a dynamic emerald while Wrecker leans more on the warmer scale of things, his complexion resembling auburn citrus. “Don’t you get it? You will die if you stay here. You think they’re keeping you alive, but they’re just killing you slowly.”
“I can’t just leave .” You deny Hunter’s influence, opposing with conjecture of your own. “I was always told the tank is better than the trench.”
“What trench?” Crosshair inquires about your curious phrasing.
“The ocean. The surface. The unknown.” You wince at the thought. “All of it.”
“Who told you that nonsense?” Echo propels the interrogation further.
“My parents. They never wanted to give humans the satisfaction of becoming butchered trophies.” You sniffle, struggling to conceal your grief at the mention of their memory.
“Listen to yourself. You might be content in this dingy bubble, but we’re not.” Hunter’s rather aggressive tactics might just be exactly what are required. There’s no beating around the bush with him. He tells you what he means, straightforward and shameless. It’s the sort of wake-up call you never knew you needed. “Regardless… If you decide to change your mind, we won’t leave you behind.”
“Wait, what are you doing?” You question him now, wondering where he’s off to in such a hurry.
“To look for a weak point.” He turns, his eyes scanning every corner of the tank with a methodical pivot of his head. His nose wiggles, as if he’s concentrating on identifying every scent his receptors are capable of picking up. “There has to be one.”
“Hunter, we already looked over every inch of the place.” Crosshair shakes his head, annoyed.
“Well, we are doing it again.” The glint of fierce determination in his eyes ignites that flame within you again, a spark of inspiration. Hope. “Let’s go.”
Omega knows she should keep her distance to protect herself from infection, but she is magnetized to you. She lingers when the others have long departed, Hunter calling after her when she doesn’t exit the coral structure with them. “Omega!”
“Sorry…” She whispers, accelerating to catch up to them.
You lie here beneath the coral, except, the longer you stare at the faux decor, you can see the paint chipping away, revealing the bare ceramic. Dragging your index finger along the cracked separation, you pick at the paint more and more until you reveal a fractured imperfection hidden beneath. Continuing in this plight, you have removed a great amount of the paint, revealing an excess of loose enamel. Sharp sections break off, narrow and easily nestled into one’s palm. You collect these pieces in a growing pile, then think of ways to reinforce their handling.
You uproot a medium-sized patch of wilted kelp, yanking strands off the plant to weave along the base of these makeshift blades. They’re rather oblong and none are uniform by any stretch of the word, but they will offer each and every one of you an advantage if confronted by hostels during the escape.
Your mind blanks out, consumed with the task you’ve given yourself, you forget how long you’ve been covertly working to provide yourself as well as your new friends with the necessary tools needed to stand a chance. Omega peeks into the structure, expecting you to be humbly sleeping in your coil, but is pleased to find you hovering over something she cannot see, your back facing her.
“I have good news and bad news.” Omega starts nonchalantly, still trying to maintain her buddy status with you amidst her challenging associates. “The bad news is that the tank really is locked up tight, but the good news is that there is a window of time the humans leave that storage area open. Crosshair kept watch from afar and noticed that there’s about five minutes where they skip using the digital keys to get in and out.”
You don’t turn around, aware of the very window she speaks of.
“Didn’t you hear me? This is the weakness we’ve been looking for!” She exclaims, but you never stray from your project. “They are too occupied carrying in buckets of shellfish to reach for it! So, the door must be deactivated from a control panel nearby.”
Omega finally loses her patience, swimming up to see what it is you’re doing. She locks eyes with the assortment of blades, all woven with leathery kelp handles. There’s one for each of you. “Wait, does this mean you’re coming with us?”
“You don’t expect me to go through all this effort for nothing, do you?” You smirk at her, the sarcasm creating a humorous familiarity you can finally embrace now that you’ve begun to tear down those isolating walls you’ve built.
“I knew you’d come around!” Omega tries to leap at you for a hug, but you impede her efforts, imploring her to refrain until your condition improves a bit. Just as you share this exchange, Hunter enters the structure and takes a gander at your collection.
“You tell her the news?” The question greets Omega, and she smiles gleefully.
“Sure did!” She confirms. “We have something for you too!”
“Oh, well it’s uhm… it’s nothing.” You offer him one of the makeshift blades, handing it to him with the kelp-woven hilt pointed at him. “Just thought we shouldn’t go out there empty handed.”
“You… made these?” He’s genuinely impressed, looking over the object as if it were a precious antique.
“There’s enough for all of us!” Omega scoops them up and holds them out for Hunter to observe. “I’m gonna go give them out!”
Omega departs and it’s only you left alone with Hunter beneath the shade of the faux coral. “I’m sorry I snapped at you before. I just… I can tell that you’re not happy here.”
“I think you realized that before I did.” You admit, twisting the sharp point of your blade into the gravel you’re seated upon.
“I’m glad you changed your mind.” Hunter smiles, his kind eyes offering you the incentive you need to carry on for yourself for once.
“I am too.” You ripple your body upward, projecting yourself to meet his eye level. “So, what’s the game plan?”
“I was actually wondering if you wanted to take the lead.” He proposes and you’re officially thrown for a loop. It’s funny though; an idea pops in your head that is bound to work.
“How soon did you say this window of time is approaching?”
“Within the next few minutes.” He discloses.
“Good.” This side of you is not one you recognize, but you embrace it all the same. “Gather the others and follow my lead.”
Rounding everyone up, you linger towards the surface near the platform you and Omega were having your fun on the night prior. They await your careful commands, operating in complete faith of your judgement.
“Now, Hunter!” You deliver his cue, and he effortlessly tosses his own ceramic dagger at the overhead security camera fixed above the exit door. The device fizzles and sparks, dying out just as the door opens, one of the attendants struggling with a heaping bucket of shellfish in need of being shucked. You lay your arms over the edge, desperately clinging to the platform. The attendant tries to ignore you, setting the bucket down and logging the restock on his clipboard.
“P-please… Sir… Can you spare any antibiotics?” You dryly cough, theatrically playing up your sluggish symptoms.
“If this is about that pesky fin rot of yours, I told you last time. It’s just an allergic reaction to something you ate.”
“I’m begging you, sir… I don’t think I can make it another night.”
“It’ll go away on its own.” He dismisses coldly.
“You’re not listening!” Omega splashes some water onto the platform as she ascends to plead for your case. “She missed feeding time this morning. She’s not going to last long if she stops eating!”
“Urghh. Fine .” He grumbles, acquiescing to get closer. “Let me take a look.”
Just as he crouches down to examine you, you reach for the collar of his coat, yanking him towards yourself while brandishing your own ceramic dagger against his jugular. “Now, I want you to listen carefully. I could slit your throat and take the access card I know you keep in your back pocket. Or you could hand it over yourself. Your choice.”
A miniscule bead of his blood blooms from where you’re digging the tip of your dagger into his supple flesh. Human skin is so fragile compared to the rough exterior of plated scales. You could end him right here and now if you wanted, but your conscience isn’t one to call in sick.
You instead use a non-lethal method to subdue him, locking him into a firm chokehold until he drifts into unconsciousness. “It’s clear!”
Your announcement to the rest has them soaring to meet you, perching at the platform’s edge. Omega is the first to breach the waters, repeating the process she demonstrated to you the night prior. You shakily climb up, still not used to the overbearing weight you must shoulder through the transition. Omega winces as she watches you, knowing how uncomfortable it must be. Once you’ve gathered yourself, it makes the transition that much easier. Your aquatic anatomy recedes to reveal your human counterpart, but you’re in no condition to leave anywhere yet.
“Omega, keep that door open so everyone has room.” You toss the access card over to her while you grapple with the attendant’s clothes, stripping him down to his boxers and undershirt so that you can more easily blend in. The task proves to be more difficult than you thought as this dead weight attests to being a stubborn hindrance.
Sure enough, they all make it onto the platform one by one, converting to their bipedal forms when Wrecker makes a rather helpful find tucked inside a tall set of lockers. “I guess this is where they keep their spare uniforms.”
“Grab one.” Hunter suggests as he retrieves his own blade from the shattered camera before taking a unisex windbreaker off the hook on the wall. “We move as a unit, clear?”
“Crystal!” Omega salutes enthusiastically.
With you fighting to adapt to your new legs, you cling to Wrecker as he supports your wobbly walk through the facility. Going just a few yards down the corridor leading from the tank, Tech recognizes something that he can use to his advantage. “Foolish to leave this unattended.”
“Think you can hack into the surveillance system?” You ask, unbeknownst to his infinite mental capacity.
“I am going to assume that is a rhetorical question.” He types away on the illuminated console, too fast for you to even keep up with. A few chirps and a series of blips later, the mechanical whirring of the entire surveillance system comes to a halt and the room falls silent.
“You’ll learn soon enough not to doubt us.” Crosshair smirks at you, a visage of pride forming on his face when Tech brings the group one step closer to freedom.
“Where are we headed next?” Omega inquires into exactly what you were about to ask. Listening intently, you await further instruction.
“While I was disarming their security system, I happened to take a gander at the blueprints of the facility.” Using the ceramic dagger, you gifted him, he scratches a map into the steel so that everyone can visualize where they are and where they need to go.
“We are in this corridor here.” He taps against the wall, directing your attention to the junction of the aquarium and facility pathways. “If we follow it all the way to the opposite wing, it will give us access to the docks.”
“The ocean.” You gasp, tasting the first modicum of liberation you’ve ever known. Nothing will come even close to suppressing this hunger like the seven seas will.
“Precisely.” Tech confirms, noticing your sudden surge of fervor. “It’s a long way on foot, but this hangar here is reported to have an excess of motor vehicles to traverse the grounds.”
“ Please tell me we get to steal one.” Wrecker fidgets and you are slightly jostled when he expresses his antsy movements. You lazily rest your head against his arm, amused by his inherent need to act on his mischief.
“Yes, Wrecker.” Echo gives his brother a nod. “We get to steal one.”
“All right!” Wrecker cheers loudly, throwing a fist in the air.
“Shhh!” Omega jumps to pull his arm down. “They’ll hear us!”
“Oh.” Wrecker whispers in understanding. “Right.”
“Okay, this should be smooth sailing from here on out. Everyone ready?” Hunter warns before opening the door that leads out to the rest of the facility. With one look outside, you can see that the architectural design has left out most of the ceiling, revealing ample skylights with sprinklings of rain falling through and dampening the concrete. The exposed aesthetic makes it also very humid as the outside weather also affects the climate indoors. Hunter pulls his hood up and implores everyone else to do the same. “Just… don’t get wet.”
It’s still early in the day. The sun hasn’t fully risen yet and the area is bathed in the cool blue of the dawn. There’s no one around to spot you. The other attendants have not arrived yet. You all walk in unison like a huddle of penguins, the unsteadiness in your legs makes it difficult to keep up. Wrecker obliges to crouch in front of you, offering that you climb aboard. He tilts his head at you, chuckling under his breath when he sees that you’re already winded from walking the few feet you have.
So far so good, you make it to the aforementioned garage, but you have encountered the first snag in the plan. Some of the carts are missing wheels, others have their engines taken clean out, and there is only one amongst them that could potentially do the trick.
“Tech!” Wrecker gripes aloud. “You didn’t mention that they’d all be useless!”
“The blueprints told me where they would be.” Tech rolls his eyes as he looks over their best possible option. “Not the condition they’d be in.”
“Seems like your tank back there isn’t the only thing lacking maintenance.” Crosshair criticizes the state of the place, deplorable how they let it get this far.
“Is this one going to work?” Even Hunter is doubtful of the cart’s use.
“The front passenger tire is a bit low, but that can be fixed with a patch.” Echo and Tech look it over, locating the keys and passing them between each other before one of them drives it into the ignition. It chugs to life, stalling for a bit before the engine smooths over. Tech looks around on one of the nearby utility shelves for something to cover the break in the rubber. He spots a sheet of latex adhesive and Echo cuts him off a piece with his dagger. Tech smooths the patch over, hoping this will keep it together for the drive down the docks. “Hop in, everyone.”
Tech takes the wheel, putting his boot down on the gas as hard as he can with Hunter seated beside him. You’re squeezed between Echo and Omega in the back seat while Crosshair and Wrecker cling to the outer frame of the cart, standing on the bumper.
You happen to zip by one of the aquarium attendants, still drowsy from their morning commute here to even realize what’s happening. He calls after you, notifying others in the vicinity of your escape. “Hey! Stop them!”
As you enter this pursuit, you are enamored by the world around you. The high stakes of the situation might be enhancing the thrill, but you couldn’t care less. It’s loud and bright and fast. The wind whooshing past your face almost makes it difficult to breathe. You panic slightly until you achieve a comfortable inhalation pattern. It smells salty, like a sea brine. The docks.
“We’re almost there!” Omega hollers while pointing at the stormy horizon. Though, the rumbling thunder advertises the cloud coverage getting thicker and darker. Sprinklings of rain fall down, tapping against the hood and roof of the cart. Just as this happens, the front passenger tire begins to rattle violently.
“Tech…” Hunter says alertly. “I thought you said this was going to hold up.”
“Would you suggest I slow down?” He counters, caught within a vice of necessity and safety.
“No!” Echo speaks up as a group of rather official attendants appear on your tail by moped. “Keep going! We can make it!”
One of them raises a brightly colored plastic gun and you’re conditioned to fear the shocking voltage it can deploy. You duck down in avoidance of this weapon, but Crosshair thankfully notices and sacrifices his dagger in order to disarm the attendant. He groans, shaking his hand to alleviate the pain of the impact the blade had with his knuckles; the attempt was futile.
Soon, what started as a light shower has converted into a full-on downpour. Crosshair and Wrecker’s hands begin to revert to their natural forms, scales and webbing begin to split through your human facade and this draws the attention of even more people who just so happen to be visiting the docks.
“Run!” Someone shouts after getting a snappy glimpse at the piled up cart. “Monsters!”
They are too ignorant to realize they’ve seen you before. Many times, in fact. This transition is not something commonly witnessed by the general populace, so when confronted by something they do not understand, their initial reaction is fear and judgement. Some look amazed for having the fortune to see something remarkable while others shield themselves from the horrors of having to look at you and your kind.
Tech’s arms rattle against the resistance of the steering wheel. He grits his teeth, trying as hard as he can to maintain the course but it proves to be too much for the rickety little cart to handle. As the rain begins to soak you all, Tech’s legs, along with everyone else, begin to shift back into the unified fin. He can no longer use his foot to press on the gas. You watch from the back seat as he and Hunter exchange a nonverbal look of panic. “Prepare to dive!”
The edge of the pier is only meters away when the shoddy wheel pops clean off the cart. The displacement of weight causes the cart to crash and you get ejected clean from where you sit. It feels like you’re flying in slow motion with nothing weighing you down. Everyone looks so determined and uniform in their dive while you move in an arc, flipping and folding in on yourself.
Your descent into the ocean immediately pacifies the itchiness and irritation in your fins. The oxygenated water flows through your gills with ease as you float in fascination at the vast multitude of the sea. You can detect the scents of a plethora of marine life and your stomach groans with hunger. It just keeps going. On and on, forever and ever. It’s endless and you wish to explore every inch.
“Hurry!” Omega grabs hold of your arm and yanks you out of your trance to join formation with the rest of them. “They’re gonna keep following us unless we lose them!”
The whirring generator on the surface powers a propeller, gaining on you as fast as the little tug boat can go. It leaves an easily detectable trail of bubbles that you learn to associate with the predatory humans. You are a sponge, soaking up all the knowledge they have to offer you.
You find yourself in line with them, swimming as fast as you can for once. You never even realized that you could reach speeds such as this, only having gone a fraction of this speed before running out of room in your tank.
Omega can see the happiness forming on your face, squeezing your hand tighter to share in the merriment as you progress countless kilometers into the ocean. You surpass the perimeter of safety that the humans are required to remain in, losing them at their furthest buoy. They sharply pivot around, returning to the facility empty handed.
“There.” Hunter slows down, navigating to a hidden cave in the distance. “We lost them.”
“Will they be back?” You ask, following them into the cavern.
“Not this far.” Echo answers your query. “Those little boats of theirs can’t hold much gas.”
“Though, we may have a reason to return.” Tech remarks, fully expecting his idea to be shut down.
“Return?” Crosshair reacts boldly to this suggestion. “Why would we ever do that?”
“Your family.” Tech begins to directly address you. “I know where they are.”
“My- my family?” You choke on the words he’s saying, unable to believe them. “How?”
“When I was hacking their security, I looked to see if they had any contact with aquariums in the area that opened their doors to others like you.” Tech explains, and Omega gasps in excitement, spectating this spectacular turn of events for you. “There are two other facilities on the docks that have proof of this as well as an exchange of what they call ‘ specimens ’.”
“When you get your strength back and this fin rot heals, we can try to free your parents!” Omega suggests, and you actually believe it to be possible. You were prepared to die in that tank. You never thought you would love to make it out, but you have. You survived. Now is the time for you to thrive.
“Really?” You cannot comprehend the selflessness of this pod, touched that they’ve accepted you as one of their own.
“We promise.” Omega looks you dead in the eye, no wavering whatsoever and you are certain she means what she says. “Now come on! We have an ocean to explore!”
They all shoot off like torpedoes. While you’re distracted by the symmetry of their formation, you don’t realize you’re falling behind. Omega pulls you forward with her again and demonstrates her adept speed under the waves. She accelerates quickly, dipping down slightly before propelling herself upward to breach the water like she did when you first met. Only this time, you get to feel the leap out of the surface alongside her. You’re fearful in the beginning, but watching her giggle and laugh infects you with her joy. Plunging back into the water, you keep doing this, even going so far as spinning mid-air to watch the world turn on its head. You insistently repeat this process in tandem with the members of your new pod, racing into the warmth of the sparkling sunrise.