Aquata Cove

Chapter 37: Boundaries

Merrick sighs as his gills wavered on the sides of his head. It's been 25 suns since his captivity. It's almost been a whole moon since he's seen Adam's wonderful face...

After the first while Merrick was here, he felt as if he can't trust a single human in this place – Nigel especially. It's not like that man is entirely bad. Merrick can see a lot of pain in that man's eyes, behind that endless hole of ambition and apathy. If he was a good man before, it sure doesn't show now. That foolish man still drags Merrick into that small room to ask him question after question after question. Will that old cod never learn?

Some of the humans are actually friendly, not just Erin. Whenever Merrick is taken in to the laboratory for tests, one of the scientists sneaks in a small, colorful item for Merrick can eat – it's round and has a white stick attached to it, one of those candies he's seen at that sweetshop at the pier on occasion.

Some of the security guards aren't all bad either. Most of them don't care; they're just mindless soldiers following orders. Others are rather rough in their actions though, as if they fear or despise Merrick, like he's some kind of animal who will go on a rampage if they let him too loose. Some of them, however, are kindly and understanding – once in a while, they sneak into the tank room, and smuggle some extra food for Merrick.

Of course, he's made requests to go home, or even contact Adam somehow. Alas, no one is authorized to take him home, and everyone says there are no 'phone' things anywhere in the building, and all personale are strictly prohibited from bringing any 'cellular device' within the premises of the Agency – the only one allowed is Nigel.

And from the way these humans talk, bending even one rule can put them in very deep trouble. Sounds like the Sacred Laws, only less strict.

The door of the room clicked. Merrick's eyes darted to the movement in the refracted image, and saw one of the human guards enter. Merrick groaned irritably; it's Keith – one of the guards that are stationed in the room where Nigel interrogates Merrick. This piece of work doesn't seem to like Merrick at all. He takes pleasure in taunting him, and keeps calling him weird names.

"Aight, Fagfish," Keith said as he worked the large machine. The contraption rumbled into life, and began draining the water in the tank. Merrick looked up as the surface began to lower down. While one tube sucked in all of the water, a few others blew in hot, dry air. Merrick growled as the water drained quickly from his tank.

"Yeah yeah," Keith said as the merman stayed as low as he can, "Lets cut the drama, Ariel." In no time, the last gallon of water was slipped into the holes of the drain bottom, and the air whirling around Merrick had dried him into human form. Keith unsealed the door, and clapped the merman in irons. "Mr Quinlan hasn't arrived yet, so you and I are gonna wait here."

"Whatever." Merrick retorted.

"Don't get an attitude with me, Missy," Keith said, "I've had a very bad morning."

"I can imagine," Merrick replied, "You still can't even get my name right."

"Oh, I'm gettin it right," Keith rolled his tongue below his bottom lip, "Sissy-Boy." Merrick leered angrily at him.

"... What do you even mean?" He asked.

"Mean what?" Keith smirked.

"You call me so many names, and I don't even understand you." He can't explain why, but anything this human says just makes him feel angry – more so than Nigel, believe it or not.

"Yeah, well," Keith shrugged, "I don't get you either."

"And what does that mean?"

"I just don't get how you can get with guys. It just ain't normal, you know?"

"Really."

"Yeah. Think about it, Fagfish; can two men make a baby? Hm?" Keith asked, raising his brows.

"True, no two of the same gender can make offspring, but I've heard that humans can take in stray children – adoption, isn't it?"

"Sure, but that ain't good for the kid either way?"

"And why not?"

"Look, a kid needs a mommy, and a daddy to function normally," Keith stated, "Simple as that."

"And? You haven't explained how that is."

"Because the kid needs things from both moms AND dads. Two dads or two moms are just gonna screw the kid up."

"That sounds ridiculous." Merrick said

"Hey, it's not the kid's fault they choose to fuck men." Keith mentioned. Merrick felt a tinge of anger.

"... You think..." His blue eyes locked onto Keith's greys, "You think I chose to love Adam..."

"Well," Keith shook his head and shrugged, "You wouldn't be here if you didn't, would ya?"

"You REALLY believe the act of loving men is a CHOICE?" Merrick asked, "Where would you even get such an idea?"

"Like I said, you could have just walked away, and left him behind, and you'd still be in the ocean, fuckin mermaids, probably." Merrick's fist clenched tightly, "Nope. You decided you wanted a man in your ass, and look where ya are now."

"I can assure you," Merrick's eyes outlined with tears, "It is NOT a choice. I didn't CHOOSE to lose everything I had for him."

"See?" Keith sneered at him, "If you went with mermaids, you'd still be alright with life, huh?"

"..." Merrick blinked for a moment, "... You're one of the stupid humans, aren't you?" Keith's sneer faded almost instantly.

"What you say, Ariel?"

"You," Merrick began, "Are one of the stupid humans. Aren't you?" Merrick smirked as Keith's face turned into a focused frown.

"You gonna push your buttons, Sea Queer?"

"Jamal – the human who lives with me and Adam – once told me about these types of humans who are uneducated, and can barely string two thoughts at one time." The angrier Keith looked, the more at ease Merrick felt, "What were they called again?"

"You shut your cock-sucking mouth, Faggot." Keith said, becoming very lethal very quick. He took the baton from his belt, and pressed it to Merrick's chest as the merman leaned his back against the tank.

"Oh yeah..." Merrick said, "They're called Rednecks, aren't they? Hicks? It's sooo hard to tell the difference..."

"I'm WARNING you, Fagfish," Keith hissed as he seethed with wrath, "Keep talkin... I swear to J.H. Christ, I'm warning you."

"Look at you," Merrick shook his head, "Shaking with rage from a few words. Savage beasts with no mind, that's what you all are-"

Keith drew his fist back, launched it at Merrick's face. Merrick yanked his cuffs up, and knocked the baton up. With one hand, Merrick palmed Keith's fist, and the other hand broke free of the UNLOCKED cuff. Whirling around, Keith found himself flying in a half circle, and his face slammed RIGHT onto the tank.

"GHHHFF!" Keith grunted as his arm twisted around, and held at his back, while Merrick held down his other wrist.

"See? You can't even make sure I'm restrained. You really are a stupid one, aren't you?"

"Let go, you fuckin Tuna! Let go or I whoop your queer ass!"

"Of course, Yuri – she's ANOTHER human who lives with us, training to be a healer-"

"Yeah, a Nigger and a Chink, you gotta hell of a-" Merrick grabbed the back of his head, and banged it against the glass twice, "KFFSSSHH!"

"And SHE said," Merrick interrupted; he knows those words are offensive, and just hearing them makes his blood boil more, "That the word 'Rednecks' is politically incorrect. It might make someone angry."

"Get off me before I beat the shit outta you!" Keith snarled.

"You know what I think, Human?" Merrick panted as he felt rage surge inside him, "I think you're every bit of what Jamal described," Merrick ground the human's face against the tank, "A low, stinking, stupid, rancid, angry, inbred-"

Keith thrust his leg back, and kicked Merrick's knee. "Ah!!" The merman staggered back, giving Keith a chance to counterattack. Keith whipped around, and made to clock Merrick in the face. The Adra Triton's eyes locked onto Keith's form, and locked his first two knuckles into place. With a lightning quick move, Merrick cracked Keith's fist-wrist.

"GHAAAHHH!" Keith shouted in pain as he was thrown off balance for only a second. Merrick took that second to flatten his hand, and chucked at Keith's neck, and sent that man crashing to the floor. Before he could react at all, Merrick's leg planted RIGHT onto the back of his knees, one hand pining down Keith's other wrist, and the other grasping Keith's orange hair.

"Redneck." Merrick growled.

"I'mma kill you, Pussy-Ass Bitch!" Keith snarled, which turned into a grunt and a small nosebleed when Merrick bashed his head into the floor. Merrick lowered his head right next to Keith's ear.

"In the sea," Merrick hissed, "I was the second greatest hunter of my pod," Keith squirmed and grunted as his free wrist seared with pain, "Eclipsed ONLY by my Father."

"I don't givva shit, Faggot!" Keith stubbornly goaded.

"I don't need a weapon," Merrick continued, "I can kill any creature with just ONE strike," He snarled, "Especially a brainless savage like you." Keith spat some blood as he continued to struggle violently, "So enlighten me, Human," Merrick smirked as he yanked Keith's hair up, "Exactly how am I inferior to you simply by finding males attractive, hm?" Merrick's fingers tightened into that orange hair, "How does my Adam fucking my ass make me sink below you, when I can reduce you to a mangled lump on the ground? How am I a NOTHING just because I swallow his dick every time the sun rises?"

"Fuck you, Fagfish!" Keith spat out, "Get the fuck off me so I can kick your royal queer ass!"

"Ok, that's enough." Came a third voice. Merrick looked up, and saw Daniel entering from the door, "I know he has it coming, but I'm gonna need you to get off him." He said. Merrick leered at him, before quickly getting up from Keith.

Keith scrambled, and grabbed his baton. He advanced toward Merrick with it raised, "WHOA, whoa whoa whoa whoa," Daniel grabbed his arm, and pulled him back, "Easy there, Keith. You already tried that, didn't work." Keith turned around, his eyes bulging with disbelief.

"You was watching," Keith said, "You was watching, and you didn't even come to help me?!"

"Help you what? You were provoking him. Are you really surprised he got at you? If he was restrained, you probably-"

"He was gonna kill me, you know that-" He attempted to point, but his sprained wrist stopped him, "Goddammit piece of shit!" He snarled as his wrist pounded with pain.

"Why don't you get patched up, I'll take over." Daniel stated. Keith grumbled as he exited the place.

"Useless waste of flesh..." Merrick mumbled as Daniel approached him.

"I know, I know," Daniel said as he clicked the other cuff onto Merrick's wrist. They sat down at the table, and waited. A pause went by before Merrick broke the silence.

"So what about that other human?"

"Hm?"

"That man with the glasses and white coat. He's one of those, 'Scientists', right?" Merrick said. Daniel felt his face go a little hot.

"I- Wait- What?? What do you mean?"

"Did you CHOOSE to be with him?" Merrick asked without looking at him.

"I um... I don't know what you mean-"

"Oh, don't lie to me." Merrick shook his head, "I've seen the two of you..." Daniel sighed, before he mumbled.

"No one's supposed to know about us, actually..."

"Why? Is being gay forbidden here too? Otherwise you get kicked out of here?"

"Not particularly; I was kicked out already when I came out of the closet 15 years ago..." Daniel kept his tone low, "But it's a solid policy that relations don't happen between the staff here. Otherwise we get into serious trouble."

"Yet you and him kiss every opportunity you get, don't you..." Merrick asked.

"...Yeah..."

"See, you didn't choose, did you?"

"No..." Daniel said, "After a while of working as a security guard, I bumped into him one time between the halls." Daniel adjusted his cap, "I knew it was wrong to even think about going out with someone from the Agency, but he was just so damn adorable..." Merrick cracked a smile as Daniel spoke, "I avoided him as much as I could, but he's a workaholic. If he could have a bed in the laboratory, he'd live in there. Kept bumping into him, and eventually..." Daniel blushed, "We uh... Bumped into each other again... In the showers here..." Merrick giggled at that, "One thing led to another and... I asked him out, after we kissed in the shower..." Merrick put his forearm over his lap to cover up his stirring member, "We want to move in together, but if we change our addresses, that would be a dead give-away... So I just stay at his place most of the time, and I have to keep paying rent for an apartment I barely live in anymore."

"... You said you were, 'kicked out when you came out of the closet'," Merrick turned his head, "Does that mean you were banished from your family?"

Daniel sighed, and nodded, "Yeah... My parents were religious, and... They gave me a choice. I could either go to Straight Camp and be converted, or I could get out."

"Yes..." Merrick sniffled, "I know how you feel."

"What," Daniel turned to the merman, "Were you kicked out too?" Merrick nodded, and wiped a little tear.

"I was banished from my pod..." Merrick held himself steady, "I mated with a male, and with a human. That's two of our Laws right there..." He shook his head and put his hand over his eyes, "I had a second chance... I could have stayed with my pod... I could have stayed with them..."

"But you loved him too much..." Daniel added. Merrick steadied himself again.

"Staying with my pod would have meant never seeing my Adam again... And I couldn't live with that, even if I tried – and I have."

"Yeah, it's always the same..." Daniel said, "Being gay is wrong because that's what God says. A man and a-"

"What?"

"That's why most people think being gay is wrong – because they claim it's the will of God that only a man and woman get together, and doing so is an abomination to God."

"That's not why I was banished, though." Merrick said as he shook his head, "I was banished because I broke two of our Laws. These Laws weren't instigated by the Sea Mother," Merrick stated.

"Sea Mother? Is that what merfolk worship? What, is She your goddess or something?"

"Yes," Merrick said, "To mate with that of the same gender is not a question of morality – it has NOTHING to do with the Sea Mother's will. It's simply one of the Laws that were established centuries ago. That's all. We would NEVER use Her name as a means to justify whatever we do or think."

"Yeah, well." Daniel shrugged, "It's the exact opposite with us. Homosexuality is taboo because the 'Word of God' says so."

"Well, for all I know, that's the case," Merrick said, "I don't know much of anything about the Land Father."

"Land Father?" Daniel asked.

"It's what we merfolk call the human god," Merrick answered, "We are told that the Land Father doesn't know how to love. So maybe he's jealous that it comes easy for some humans..."

"Heck if I know," Daniel said, "I stopped caring about the subject a long time ago."

Just then, Daniel's talkie made a noise, "Oop, hang on," Daniel stood up, walked a little way, and held is walkie up to his ear, "Yeah?" Merrick tried to listen in, but he can't hear a thing, "Oh? So... Ok, so not today then... Understood, thanks." Daniel put his walkie back on his utility belt, and turned back to Merrick.

"That was Erin. It looks like Mr Quinlan's not coming in today. He has a Dr appointment, and it's going to take all day."

"Ah. So... Am I going back in the tank?"

"Well," Daniel scratched his cheek, "That's what I'm SUPPOSED to do..." He said, "But I bet you'd get bored in there..." Merrick nodded, "How bout I take you to the Wreck Room, huh?"

"What's a Wreck Room?" Merrick asked as he tilted his head.

~~~

Erin sighs as she types away on the computer. Nigel isn't coming in today, but that doesn't mean she can stop working as his assistant.

[-Mermaids can sing, mermen cannot. Mermen can talk to animals, mermaids cannot.

-Merrick is a prince, his father and mother are the leaders of his 'pod'. The Pod is the group of merfolk, and his sister is the princess.

-Merrick used a trident – does his father wield one as well?

-His mother is potentially very powerful – he said she once conjured a lightning storm.

-Merfolk revere the moon – Merrick claims to be religious and spiritual, as he says he dearly wants to pray to the moon for peace.

-Merfolk find their mates during a lunar eclipse, and fell in love with 'Adam' by accident, it seems.

-Merfolk need to eat and prepare their bodies to be able to swim in different waters, yet Merrick claims he is able to do so easily without preparation.

-This one mermaid, Belinda, is]

She paused. Erin hesitated, as she turned, and looked at the file with the pictures of the tan woman with pink hair. She shook her head, and held down the Backspace key until Belinda's bit was erased.

[-A pod is kept together by a merman or mermaid with powers to trace each member of the pod – A shepherd, maybe?

-Merrick speaks as if he is no longer a part of the pod – could he be a rogue?

-Merrick becomes tense when I mentioned his tattoo – the heart behind his neck.]

This is only half of the information she has learned from Merrick. Erin sighed as she stopped typing, and leaned down. She put her face to the desk, and put her hands on the back of her head. Her hands moved to her face, and rubbed her forehead and eyebrows. She held her forehead, and whimpered silently as her stomach panged with guilt.

As Nigel 'nicely' interrogates and tortures Merrick, she comes as the messenger of peace, and just talk with him, brings him treats, play the understanding spirit of kindness, and secretly remember every word he says, and watch every single surveillance video every day and night.

A tear moves from her eyes as she digs her fingers into her hair.

~~~

"This place has a lot of work going on," Daniel said, "Half the time, some of us have to stay here. All work and no play can get a bit... Uneasy." He escorts Merrick with his cuffs equipped onto him.

"So this is just a place for humans at work to play?"

"Yeah, more or less." Daniel opened the door, and took Merrick in. "Hey, look whose comin to the party!"

A few of the other guards, and a couple of scientists sitting around a couple of pizza boxes looked, and smiled as they see Daniel enter. The room had a couple of plasma-screen TV's, a few large machines with a glass wall and many kinds of colorful snack times behind it, a few old arcade games, and a couple of large, bulky tables here and there.

"Hey Daniel!" Said Sarah, one of the security guards present. Her eyes went to the naked blonde male with him, "Wait... Isn't that-"

"Yeah, it's him," Daniel closed the door, "Mr Quinlan's out today, so I thought Merrick can hang with us for a while!"

"Daniel, you know he's not supposed to be in here!" One of the scientists said.

"Ah come on, few hours with us won't change anything." Daniel said, "Plus he's chained, what's he gonna do?"

"I guess..."

"Eh, loosen up," Said another one of the guards, "C'mere, sit over here." He got picked up one of the paper plates and added a couple of slices of pizza onto it, as well as taking up a soda. Like a hesitant cat, Merrick walked over to the couch. He looked at the guard offering him the food.

"Wait... I was already fed today. I thought I was only allowed one ration."

"Well, don't tell Mr Quinlan then." The guard said. Merrick smiled as he sat down, with the plate on his lap, "There ya go, relax, kid." Merrick's stomach growled as he moved up one of the slices to his mouth.

~~~

"Ever played Air Hockey before?" Jacob asked as he and Merrick looked at one of the large, bulky tables. One of the rare times that Jacob is anywhere else besides the laboratory.