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.
