The Zebrafish 1

The Zebrafish

This is not a BTB story, nor a quick hitter. If you continue reading, you will find a story of two brave Norwegian women reacting to infidelity committed by a Loving Husband and the aftermath. I promise an uncommon setting, from perhaps a different viewpoint, as they balance their hurt against the need for friendship, reconciliation, sacrifice, and love. Is this a Romance story with infidelity? Or a Loving Wives story with romance? That is for you to decide.

This story is a rewrite of the first one I ever submitted to Literotica. Re-reading it months later, I knew I could do better, so I pulled it back. After sitting for about a year, I picked it up again and finished it. Please enjoy this unique story!

The opening contains an element of fantasy and requires you to accept my scientific premise, so please bear with it as the story reveals actual science that may lessen your disbelief. Expect a bit of Norwegian world-building that teases at what is to come, and it will play an important part in later decisions. All characters in the sex scenes are over the age of 18.

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Chapter 1

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A Hospital in Trondheim, Norway

"You can let go of his cock now, Aislinn," said Doctor Joyce Miller.

"But look how big it is," responded her ginger-haired Irish assistant.

From my perch in the upper observatory, I pushed a button to activate my microphone. "There are theories that men's penis size has been shrinking for the past several centuries."

"Well, based on the men I have dated, I confirm that theory," laughed Aislinn.

I work for a foundation that promotes Viking Heritage and History, and we were fortunate to have obtained the services of Dr. Joyce Miller, the renowned forensic pathologist. Her journal articles on the autopsies of members of an ill-fated British Arctic expedition have become the standard for such work. She agreed to come to Norway to work on a similar autopsy, this time with the body of a male recovered from a melting glacier.

I met with both earlier today. Dr. Miller is in her early forties, but despite her short stature, has a commanding presence. I expect she will do a very professional job. Aislinn is a ginger-haired Irish lass, in her mid-twenties. She is quite attractive and seems a rather carefree spirit. I would question her qualifications, except for the fact that Dr. Miller hired her. That is enough for me.

This is an unprecedented find, and sadly, we have global warming to thank for it. A group of hikers seeking to escape the heat of an exceptionally warm EU summer had traveled to Norway to hike up to a glacier. They spotted what appeared to be the tip of a sword sticking out from the glacier. When they got closer, they found a man frozen in the ice. Norwegian authorities were notified and dispatched a scientific team, who estimated the body to be several centuries old. Due to the historical significance, they contacted our foundation. We immediately went into action.

Our foundation arranged for a recovery team to travel to the site, and using chainsaws, they carved out a large block of glacial ice containing the frozen man. Wrapping the block of ice in a wax-impregnated cloth, they transported it via helicopter to Trondheim for an autopsy.

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Chapter 2

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In the upper observatory at the Trondheim hospital were Kjetil Olafson, the Hospital Administrator, and Dr. Anne Sørlie, the Chief Medical Officer. Audio from the autopsy was being piped into the observatory.

Dr. Miller started. "Begin Recording."

"This will be a complete autopsy, inspecting all body cavities. Before me is the body of a white male. His age appears to be late 20s. The frozen body, discovered in a glacier, may be quite old. Carbon dating of the artifacts found with his body is underway. He appears to be lean, fit, and well-muscled."

"Height, 1.83 meters. That would be tall for a pre-Twentieth century male, so perhaps it is more recent."

"Weight, 77 kilograms."

"What do you have for body temperature, Aislinn?"

"22.5 degrees Celsius, Doctor."

"That's almost room temperature. Way too high. Maybe we should have chilled the body first. We'll have to work quickly."

"Hair, golden blond, shoulder length, slightly scorched on the right side, otherwise unremarkable."

"Beard, golden blond, trimmed, slightly scorched on the right side, otherwise unremarkable."

I pressed my microphone button, "I can explain the scorch marks. The helicopter transporting the block of ice containing the body set it down on the airport apron. Then, the receiving team went to get their truck. Before they returned, a large jet taxied past the block of ice while on the way to a maintenance hangar, stopped. For nearly two minutes, the extreme heat from the jet engine washed over the block of ice, completely melting it, and blowing the body several meters away."

Dr. Miller said, "You're lucky he's not a cinder."

I replied, "He dressed for the cold in several layers of wool clothing. The outer layer was severely damaged, but it protected the inner layers."

"Eyes, clear blue, no sign of damage, otherwise unremarkable."

Aislinn laughed and said, "His eyes look pretty remarkable to me. He looks like Thor!"

"Noted."

"Teeth, all teeth are present. That's unexpected. One obvious cavity on the mesial surface of number 13. That might indicate his age is less than we thought."

"Skin. There is a strong smell of wood smoke. Fresh burns on the right side of his face. No tattoos are visible. A significant scar on the outside of the upper left shoulder. We'll have to confirm that injury with a CT scan, but it must have been painful. He has numerous small scars on both hands. Another large scar, midway on his left calf. Both major scars appear to be from edge weapons such as a sword."

"Penis, flaccid. Length, 20.2 centimeters. Girth, 12.7 centimeters."

Aislinn asked, "I wonder how big his erection would be?"

"We'll never know. Rigor mortis has not set in but should begin shortly as the body completes defrosting. What is his temperature now, Aislinn?"

She replied, "31.2 degrees Celsius."

"Keep your eye on it. The bacteria inside the body must be warming it from within. If it goes much higher, the bacteria will start attacking his tissue."

Aislinn yelled out, "It just jumped to 34 degrees Celsius and is still climbing!"

"Just as I thought. Aislinn, I need you to begin preparations to open his chest and abdomen. We'll have to work fast."

I watched Aislinn move with great efficiency, positioning a tray of instruments. Dr. Miller picked up a scalpel and leaned over the body.

"Beginning incision. This will be the standard Y-shaped incision from both shoulder joints to the sternum and then continue to the pubic bone. I am beginning at the sternum."

"HO!" yelled a loud male voice.

I looked around the observatory and shouted, "Who said that?"

But I didn't need to wait for an answer. The corpse suddenly sat up, grabbed Dr. Miller by the arm, quickly took the scalpel, and slashed at her.

"WHAT THE FUCK! Run for your life Aislinn!"

I watched as Dr. Miller and Aislinn raced from the room.

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Chapter 3

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A moment later, Dr. Miller and Aislinn burst through the observatory door in a state of panic.

"Did you see that!" shouted Dr. Miller. "That wasn't any twitch. That damn thing is alive!"

Dr. Sørlie said, "There is absolutely nothing in the scientific literature for something like this. We routinely freeze human eggs for in-vitro fertilization, and we freeze various organs for later transplant, but we have never reanimated a frozen human. The only success reanimating frozen life is with Zebrafish embryos."

The microphone in the operating room was still on. The man seemed to be in great distress, and we heard a deep, hacking cough. He was rubbing his right thigh and had not gotten off the table. He began yelling. I couldn't believe it! I recognized the language. It was Old Norse!

I translated for the others. "He says he cannot breathe. Nor can he feel or move his legs."

He coughed again, yelped in pain, and then shouted what sounded like a curse, "Loki!"

I said, "That's the Norse God of mischief and deception. I can't believe it, but we may have a living, breathing Viking on our hands!"

Dr. Miller said, "He probably suffered significant damage from the freezing and thawing. His organs will start shutting down soon. I don't expect him to be alive much longer."

Dr. Olafson suggested, "Maybe I should call in a security team to disarm him."

I replied, "He likely has trained with edge-cutting blades since he was two years old. And he has a tray full of scalpels and autopsy tools. If you try it, someone will get hurt."

He replied, "You're right. He'll be dead in a few minutes anyway."

Aislinn said, "He looks really scared."

Looking at Dr. Olafson, Dr. Miller asked, "Do you have any Taser equipment?"

He replied, "Once they reach our morgue, we normally don't need that sort of thing."

While the people in the observatory discussed other options, I glanced down into the operating room and saw Aislinn. Her slender body was completely nude.

"Look!" I yelled.

Pressing the microphone button, Dr. Miller yelled, "Aislinn! What are you doing?"

Looking up at us, she replied, "He is scared, Doctor. I think he could use a hug." She looked at the man and said, "Ek elska oit."

The Viking looked at her, stopped thrashing, and put down the scalpel.

"What did she say?" asked Doctor Olafson.

I replied, "It's Old Norse. She told him she loves him."

I pressed the microphone button and asked, "Where did you learn that Aislinn?"

"I did a quick look-up on the Internet. If he is going to die, I won't let him die alone in this strange place."

The Viking opened his arms and talked to Aislinn. I translated for her, "My wife, come hold me."

Aislinn approached the Viking and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"He'll kill her!" yelled Dr. Miller.

I snapped back, "No, he won't! He thinks Aislinn is his wife. He has no clothes, so by taking her clothes off, she is showing him she has no weapons and means him no harm. She is speaking the timeless and Universal language of love."

The Viking continued speaking, and I turned to the hospital administrator. "Are we recording this? This is the first Old Norse spoken by a native speaker in nearly a thousand years! It will be priceless to linguists and scholars."

"Video and audio," he replied.

The Viking spoke to Aislinn, and I translated his words. "My eyes gladden at your sight, and my body gladdens at your touch. But I am also sad. You are far too young and beautiful to join me here at the gates of Valhalla. I, Ragnar, failed in my oath to protect you. I should never have taken you away from your home in Ireland."

He continued, "Let me tell you my sad tale. It was getting dark, and a fierce-looking winter storm approached. I chased a stag onto a glacier. He was having trouble with his footing, and I moved within range of my bow. I could feel the cold coming, and the blowing snow stung my eyes. I fired but missed. I stepped closer but watched the stag and not my feet. I broke through the snow and fell into a crevasse. The bottom contained icy water, and I plunged deep within. It was so cold. My lungs filled with slushy ice water. I couldn't breathe. I fought my way back to the surface of the water and tried to cough the water from my lungs. I couldn't breathe. As I fought, the snow swirled into the crevasse. The cold wrapped itself around me. Then, all was black."

Dr. Sørlie said, "That might explain what we are seeing. The DNA of the Zebrafish is remarkably like that of humans. Science has succeeded in freezing and reanimating Zebrafish embryos, but it requires rapid freezing and rapid thawing. If either happens too slowly, ice crystals form within the cells and can destroy them. He must have frozen quickly enough in the glacial waters to avoid forming ice crystals, and the intense heat of the jet engine rapidly thawed him."

Dr. Miller cautioned, "It is impossible to believe that both things happened rapidly enough to prevent significant damage. Listen to him coughing. His lungs are shutting down. Once he dies, I will be able to do a thorough autopsy and figure out precisely how he managed to survive for so long frozen in the ice. Samples of his body will be sent all over Europe for others to study. This is a great opportunity to advance the science of cryogenics."

"But what if he lives?" I asked.

"He won't," said Dr. Miller. "He can't."

Although they work together, I found the difference in compassion between Dr. Miller and Aislinn shocking. The Viking survived centuries within the ice, but may not last an hour in a modern hospital.

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Chapter 4

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Aislinn released her hug, looked up, and then pointed her finger at us. She yelled, "You are doing nothing for him!"

Ragnar coughed, drawing Aislinn's gaze. "There is blood on his lips. Do something! Anything!"

Dr. Miller pressed the microphone button and said, "Aislinn, he has ice damage in his lungs and his internal organs. He is bleeding internally, and his lungs are filling with blood. He won't last much longer."

Aislinn yelled back, "I'm never letting go Doctor, not as long as there is a chance to save him!"

I looked at Dr. Olafson, the hospital administrator, and asked, "Is there anything you can do?"

Sensing his hesitation, Dr. Sørlie said, "I can go in there with my team, put him under sedation, try to drain his lungs, and stop the bleeding. I don't know if we can save him until I get in there."

Dr. Olafson said, "I forbid it, I won't risk the lives of my staff to save his."

Aislinn looked up at us and shouted, "May the Norse Gods curse you all!"

Norse Gods? Norse Gods? Maybe. It might just work. Looking at Dr. Sørlie, I said, "I have an idea. Get your team ready, but it must consist of only women."

Dr. Sørlie stepped back, pulled out her cell phone, and placed a call.

I pressed the microphone button, turned up the volume, and spoke in Old Norse. "Ragnar! I am the goddess Vár! You are at the gates of Valhalla, but the Odin will not let you pass. You did not die a courageous and valiant death. You know me as the keeper of oaths, and you have failed to fulfill your oath taken at handfast to protect your wife."

He replied, "I know. I am undeserving of entry into Valhalla. Have mercy on my wife, but punish me as you must! I am prepared to enter Hel and suffer banishment to Náströnd with the other murderers, oath breakers, and cowards. Let the dragon Niðhögg burn me and nibble at my corpse. Please, I beg of you, plead with the Goddess Freyja. She is fond of love and beauty. My wife possesses both. Ask her to take my wife to Fólkvangr!"

Náströnd was the worst of the four worlds of Hel, and this might work to my advantage. "Ragnar! I will change your Fate, and give you another opportunity to show your bravery and fulfill your oath. I shall unleash the Valkyries and they will help you breathe. Show me your courage! Show me your bravery! Show me your strength! Do not fight them. They will place you in the dream world. While you are there, give thanks to the Gods for changing your Fate."

I translated our conversation, and Dr. Sørlie said, "That's different, but it's good enough for me. We're going in."

Minutes later, a team of masked blue-clad Valkyries converged on the dying man.

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Chapter 5

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Seven Days Later

This past week, I did something I never thought I would do. I prayed in Old Norse to the Viking gods. It is impossible to say whether those Gods intervened, or if it was simply the miracle of modern medicine, but Dr. Sørlie is cautiously optimistic that Ragnar will live.

Ragnar spent the entire time sedated, allowing us to do a thorough medical examination and run a complete suite of tests. He is now able to move his legs but appears to have suffered lung damage. According to Dr. Sørlie, he won't be rowing a Viking longship to England, but he will be able to live a normal life. They can detect no more internal bleeding or organ damage; however, the doctors are keeping him sedated as a precaution.

Aislinn has been a true blessing, not leaving Ragnar's side. Little Viking-era clothing has been found intact, but we provided her with a linen tunic, using our best guess for attire. I taught Aislinn several words and phrases in Old Norse in case Ragnar awoke, hoping she might calm him, but she never needed them. He did open his eyes every so often, but just seeing Aislinn was enough for him.

Today, I held a video chat with my fellow board members at our foundation and unveiled a rather unique plan I had in mind. I was happy when I saw their great enthusiasm and willingness to open the foundation's treasury to carry it out. But we needed one more piece before we could put the plan into effect. I asked Aislinn to meet me in the conference room.

I began. "It looks like Ragnar will live. We need to discuss what his future will be, and we need to think about what your future will be."

Aislinn replied, "I have been doing just that. I heard the doctors talking. Ragnar will be poked, tested, and shown off as a living fossil. That is not a fit life for any man."

"I came to that same conclusion. He speaks a language few can understand. He has no useful skills for the modern world, and he knows nothing of it. He would be like an immigrant coming to Norway, but instead of coming from another country, he would be coming from another millennium."

A look of frustration appeared on her face. "All that is true, but there is nothing I can do to stop it!"

"Aislinn, Ragnar thinks you are his wife. You're from Ireland, right?"

"Yes."

I said, "The Vikings raided the coasts of Ireland for nearly 300 years. On those raids, they captured Irish women and carried them back to Norway. They either became wives or were kept as servants known as thralls. He may have captured an Irish woman to be his wife, and you closely resemble her. You are a beautiful young woman, and his wife likely had the same red hair, green eyes, and freckles as you."

I continued, "About 10 years ago, our foundation built a replica of a Viking longhouse in a private fjord. We use it for retreats. We developed a plan, but it will require a great sacrifice from you. We would like to take you and Ragnar there, and let you two live together. We are asking for a few months of your time. The resources of our foundation are waiting to help with this. When you arrive, you will find food, clothing, animals, tools, and everything you need to survive. We will teach you more words and phrases in Old Norse, along with primitive living skills. You will have a satellite phone with a solar charger. If you want to call everything off at any time, use it, and we will be there within 30 minutes by helicopter."

Aislinn seemed to be showing interest, so I kept going. "You are already a keen observer from your training as a pathology assistant. We want you to use your skills of observing and documenting, and let us know what you see and learn from Ragnar. Even if you only last a few weeks, it will be of great historical importance to us, and if nothing else, it will be a better life for Ragnar than exposing him to the modern world. For as long as possible, we want him to think he is still living in the Viking age."

Aislinn responded, "It sounds like so much to learn in such little time. I will barely be able to communicate with him."

"You are his new Irish wife, not a Viking maiden, and he cannot expect you to be fluent in Old Norse. You do not need to be skilled in the language or expected to know everything. Let him teach you, let him show you. You will be no worse off than one of the captured Irish women taken back to Norway. And if you need help, use your satellite phone, and we can assist you with the language or anything else that comes up."