Chapter Text
No. No. This can't be happening. Not now.
A distressful whine broke out of the mermaid's mouth as he tried to wiggle his way out of the tangled mess he was currently in. He cursed himself for wandering off alone and far from his home only to endanger himself for the sake of wanting to fill his empty stomach.
The mermaid was merely swimming away from his pod, searching for food when curiosity had gotten the best of him and led him into a deadly trap. The odd object floating in the current caught the mermaid's attention, as if it beckoning him to come closer. Once he reached it, he examined it soon finding a small opening on the side and cautiously went in. When the object's walls suddenly enclosed him completely, trapping him from all sides. A mortified cry bursted from his mouth as he scrambled to escape, having no luck to breakaway from the strong appendages of the trap.
The rough coiled rope cut harshly into his tail, scraping against the delicate scales that scattered sparsely from his tanned chest appearing in a cluster of endless heavenly tones of cerulean and teal on his tail along with hints of gold at the tips of the tailfins. Nothing but pitiful whimpers and screeches flew out of the mermaid's mouth everytime he forced his tail to move but only made himself more tangled into the net, digging deeper into the scaled appendage. The smell of rust and salt swept up into his nostrils, indicating blood seeping out from the wounds everywhere on his body.
The mermaid whined, struggling endlessly to break free but came to no avail to the powerful hold the object possessed. His strength was lessening by the minute, his movements gradually becoming sluggish. Blurry vision and dizziness clouded his brain, plunging him into a cold, darkened abyss.
×××
"Hanji, can we go back? There's nothing here."
A lady dressed in a plain white shirt and cargo pants, swivelled around. Goggles obscuring half of her face enlarged her eyes that always seemed to have a crazed gleam. She laughed hysterically, hair flapping in the ocean breeze.
"There's always something here for us to explore. Look around you!" She pointed out, stretching her arms wide to the oceanside scenery. The waves crashing onto the shore as the sun glared down upon the humans. "The Ocean has many hidden treasures for us to find."
"Yeah, sure." A guy said dryly. His brown eyes gazed in boredom at the cliffs covered in bountifuls of green shrubs and palm trees.
"Dr. Zoe, surely we must head to back to headquarters." A strawberry-blonde haired girl suggested. She cringed when sand got in her sandals, finding settlement in-between her toes. "The other crew members aren't particularly used to caring for such special specimen."
"They're all new recruits." The man quipped. "Though I can just imagine the trouble they're stirring back at headquarters."
"Yes, especially with Oluo and Gunther in charge." The woman mentioned.
"Petra, Eld." Hanji said, receiving the two cadets attention. "Please focus on the mission."
They lowered their heads in embarrassment, murmuring apologies.
"I'm sure they're managing the babies quite nicely." Hanji turned to smile at the girl. "Oluo must've learned a few pointers from you, Petra. After all, he is your boyfriend."
The girl stammered out a response with flaming red cheeks. "No, he's not!"
"Oh," Hanji frowned. "I thought he was since I saw the two of you all cozied up together last night."
Eld snickered, yelping when Petra slapped his arm quite hard.
Hanji laughed though stopped abruptly when her eyes fell on something peculiar in the distance. Curiosity pursued her forward, leaving the cadets behind and ignoring their calls. Quickening her pace, she found out that a fisher's net was swept on the shore, hovering something large.
She knelt down in pure shock as her mind fully registered the sight before her. Eld and Petra ran to her, freezing when they finally reached her.
"Eld, go get the boat. Petra, help me with the net."
The man dashed away as Petra crouched down to assist Hanji in unraveling the tedious mess of knots. She tried not to stare too long at the mystical creature that was laying trapped under the heavy knotted net. The Caribbean golden scales glinted dully under the sun rays, marked up of hideous gashes and scrapes.
"Hanji, do you think it'll..."
"Yes." She responded with such conviction. A sigh of relief left her lips when the net finally fell free from the motionless sea creature. "He's going to be fine. Just need a good cleanup on his wounds."
Not too long came Eld cruising in the boat, stopping close to the shore. The three of them hauled the wounded creature into the boat carefully before speeding back to headquarters.
Hanji observed the unconscious creature in complete fascination. A brilliant idea struck her mind that sent her squealing in excitement.
"What is it, Hanji? Is he awake?" Eld yelled over the roar of the boat's motor.
"I know exactly where to put this beauty."
Petra's eyes widened in fear at the dangerous gleam visible in the scientist's eyes. "Oh, no."
"Oh, yes!"
"Dr. Zoe, you can't possibly place this one next to him. He'll certainly be dead then!"
"No, he won't." Hanji assured, though the devilish smile did not ease the cadet's worry. "Besides, short-fry is in need of a new roommate."