The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) (33 page)

My stomach sank again. He was definitely onto something. Both of the times I’d been forced to transform, my thinking had become muddled, with memories and reasoning slipping away like wisps of fog in the sun.
His hypothesis certainly made sense;
unfortunately, there was only one way to test it. I was to be their guinea pig.

Now I kne
w what they had in store for me:
a forced transformation, a forced pregnancy, and more forced experimentation. There was only one way to rob them of it all.

“Excuse me… But I need to use the bathroom,” I said timidly.

He looked nervous, and called Doctor Neuman over, explaining the problem.

Neuma
n
looked annoyed, addressing Jones, “Get the bedpan
.
”

“
Please?
” I
asked
weakly, appealing to their pride, “Surely they don’t expect highly trained scientists to do the work of common orderlies?”

“We’d better keep her immobilized until Edwards gets here,” said the doctor.

“
Oh come on… You can’t expect me to…
No way!” I yelled, bringing Paul running.

“What’s going on now?” he demanded.

“I need to use a bathroom
!
” I looked directly at Paul, appealing to his arrogance
,
“Don’t you think I’ve been humiliated enough already? It’s not like I’m capable of getting away from you in here… right?”

He shrugged, “Unstrap her.”

I flexed my arms and legs once they were freed, pulling the hospital gown around me protectively.

“
Jones
,
go ahead and escort her,
” Doctor Neuman said
.

Paul laughed, looking down at the little man, “
I don’t think so. S
he could take him out pretty easy. She’s a lot tougher than she looks.”

He grabbed my arm to lead
me to the front of the lab, gesturing to a door.

“You have two minutes,” he said.

I went in, looking around the tiny windowless room for anything sharp. There was no mirror or cabinet, only a pedestal sink and a toilet. I took a deep breath, trying to get my courage up. Putting my back into it, I rocked the sink, finally tearing it off the wall. Water was spraying everywhere as I wedged it against the door, barricading myself inside.

“Marina?” Paul started pounding on the door

I took the heavy ceramic lid off the back of the toilet and lifted it over my head, flinging it to the floor where it shattered. I stooped to pick up a shard, and raised it to my wrist, poised to slash it open.
It was the only way.
My ring was still turned around on my hand, and it flashed at me, reminding me of Ethan’s face when he gave it to me.

Paul started to hammer on the door with some kind of battering ram, and I saw the wood start to splinter as it gave way. Time slowed down;
the
seconds ticked by like minutes, and my hands started to shake violently.

I thought about Ethan, and how I’d been robbed of the chance to even say goodbye. Unbidden tears flow
ed
down my cheeks, blinding me momentarily. The pounding on the door grew louder, matching the drumming of my heart in my throat. A hole opened up, and I could see Paul’s enraged face. I gritted my teeth with determination.

My time was up.

Instinct kicked in, and I involuntarily lowered my hand. I couldn’t do it, and I cursed myself for my cowardice. I grasped the shard like a dagger, and stood poised to fight. When Paul finally tore the door off its hinges I lunged, slashing at him once before he had me by both of the arms.

“Nice try soldier
.
”
H
e taunted me through gritted teeth, “But you chickened out, didn’t you?”

He held me in a headlock while the two scientists stood watching with their mouths hanging open. I started to black-out, getting tunnel vision from the lack of oxygen.

Just then, a buzzer sounded, and the main door to the lab swung open to reveal a dapper middle aged man standing with an attaché case. He carefully closed the door behind him, surveying the scene with a frown.

The scientists were frozen in shock, and the only sound was the hissing water spewing from the bathroom. The shattered door lay on the floor as testament to the recent violence, and the newcomer just stood looking, shaking his head with disgust
.

“You fool,” he addressed Paul, “Didn’t I warn you about her? Your job was to simply keep her under control.”

Jones and Neuman went to turn the water off, while Paul dragged me back to the restraint chair. He shoved me down brutally, clamping on the arm and leg cuffs before standing back to inspect the bleeding wound on his chest. I sat gasping for air, looking up to see the man advancing on me.

His face was taut from plastic surgery, his skin
shiny, indicative of a recent chemical peel. His hair was dyed an artificial shade of blonde, expensively cut and styled. There was only a very slight resemblance to Brad around the eyes. He looked me up and down, holding out his hand, an automatic gesture that was almost comical, given the fact that I was strapped down like luggage on a car rack.

“Please allow me to introduce myself
…” H
e smiled without warmth, his face pulled so tight I was surprised he could even manage it, “I’m Nathan Edwards.”

~

C
hapter
T
wenty-
T
wo

TORTURE

~

I regarded him numbly, still in shock from my failed suicide attempt. I should have had the courage, I thought. Now the last shred of hope was lost. The flimsy shift I had on was wet from the broken water pipe, and I
was chilled to the marrow of my bones. I
started to shiver violently, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.

Nathan Edwards
looked
at Paul with
disgust
,
barking,
“Are you completely worthless? Bring her a blanket.” He signaled to Jones, who scrambled to go fetch a chair and scurried back over with it, setting it down at his boss’s feet with what looked like a bow. Edwards glanced over at Doctor Neuman’s efforts to stem the water spewing from the broken sink. “See to that mess,” he said icily.

He was clearly not impressed with the situation he’d just walked into. He watched them
all
scramble to obey with open contempt, waiting impatiently as Paul pull
ed
a sheet from the bed.

Edwards deftly unbuttoned his jacket
and sat
himself
down in front of me
,
crossing his legs casually.
He watched
Paul
tuck
the
sheet around me
with distain.
“She will be hearing about this,” he said icily.

I could see real fear register in Paul’s eyes, and I couldn’t resist adding, “Olivia m-must be a real b-bitch when you let her down.” I was rewarded by the tightening of his jaw and the clench of his fists.

Edwards watched him stalk away, and smiled knowingly. He finally spoke, “You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble.”

I looked at him with bleary eyes, “I try.”

He laughed, but his eyes were not amused, “This would be so much easier on all of us if you’d simply co-operate.”

“Go to hell,” I said wearily.

“Ah, but I’d have to die first… And I have absolutely no intention of doing that.”

I managed to summon enough strength to roll my eyes
dramatically
, “Better get used to the idea.”

“On the contrary, we’re closer than ever to a breakthrough.” He gestured all around, “Having access to this lab and the university’s research vessel
will prove
invaluable. At least Barbara managed to do
something
right before she foolishly let you get the better of her. Tell me, how did you do it?
Overcome three guards and burn down my beautiful house…” he paused to rub his temple with a bitter sigh of regret, “Do you have any idea how many priceless collections were lost that night?”

I looked at him incredulously. He obviously mourned his things more than he did his own sister.

“Not to mention my most prized possession, the mermaid carrying my child.” He leaned forward in his chair, “You
owe
me one.”

“I’d rather die than help you,” I said, with a fresh wave of regret that I’d failed in my
first
attempt.

He grinned, and his cheeks looked like they’d snap, “Oh, but you’ve already helped enormously! Until you set my mermaid free, we had no idea they could survive the reproductive process! To know that I could be that close biologically
to an actual mermaid
…” he sighed dreamily, “What good is producing an army of muses if I can’t live long enough to see my plans come to fruition? The scientists assure me that it’s only a matter of time before we unlock the secret.”

“But you’re running out of time, aren’t you?
OLD MAN
,
” I taunted him. He was clearly obsessed with
aging
, and I planned to take every opportunity to poke at him about it, hoping that maybe I could anger him enough to kill me. Anything would beat the fate worse than death that was staring me in the face.

He looked at me with cold eyes, “Th
at won’t work with me,” he said
as though he could read my mind. “You see, it takes a special type of person to resist the… passions… that you muses can inspire. I’m never going to get angry enough to do anything rash, or follow one of you around like a lovesick puppy,” he looked over at Paul pointedly.

I let my chin drop to my chest, tired of sparring with him.

“There, there,” he said, trying his best to sound soothing, but only succeeding in making my hair stand on end
.
“It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind… If we worked together, we could catch dozens of mermaids, breed an army of muses, and place them in positions of power all around the world.
What a
utopia we could create!”

He continued on, and I looked up to see his eyes gleaming like a madman’s, “You see, most people are stupid sheep, herd animals that unquestioningly follow the leader. With
a few carefully placed muses– J
ust imagine the power! Once I dominate the leaders, I can
re-create the world in my own image.”

He sounded like the
villain
in a bad movie, adding to the nightmarish quality of the whole experience. I lifted my head and curled my lips in disgust, “You are one sick puppy.”

He ignored me, lost in the fantasy world he’d created in his twisted mind, “Imagine an entire muse council under my control… I can raise them
as my own children
to do my bidding–”

“Like you raised Bradley? In your own image?”

I saw the tiny hitch in his eyes, and I knew I’d scored a hit. He rose from his chair and buttoned his suit jacket fastidiously. He advanced on me, and I cringed as far back in the restraint chair as I could manage. He bent down to down to press his cheek to mine, whispering hot breath in my ear, “You’ll come around eventually, especially since we’ll have all eternity.” He straightened up and stood regarding me.

I let my head drop again, tired, dizzy and miserable. Once more, I was greeted with the sight of Ethan’s ring. Time… Edwards wanted more of it going forward, while I wished I could turn the clock back to have one more chance to set things right. Realizing I’d never see Ethan again brought a fresh wave of despair that made my shoulders shake with suppressed sobs.

He patted my head and clicked his tongue in another bone-chilling display of false sympathy. I realized I was dealing with a sociopath of the highest order, and stiffened my spine, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break down.

The trill of an insistent ringtone made me jump, and I looked up to see him pull the offending phone from an inside jacket pocket. He answered it, “Yes?”

I saw his face brighten as he listened to the voice on the other end, noticing how his cheeks pulled his ears downward when he smiled. Our eyes locked, and his were triumphant.

“Excellent news
professor
! Bring it here immediately, and they’ll be extra compensation for you. We have everything ready to go.” He slipped the phone back into his pocket, “It looks like my luck has changed.”

“Paul,” he called out, keeping his eyes glued to mine, “Open the bay doors and prepare the tank’s one-way hatch. We have a new guest arriving.”

I looked over at the giant aquarium and back to him in horror. Paul climbed up a ladder
to
the top of the
huge
tank, unlatching the massive bay doors on the wall behind
it
. The giant panels slowly began to lift with
the
rattling
and
screech
ing
of metal on metal. I could see that it was dark outside, and realized with a shock
that
I’d been captive a full day. I started to shiver again.