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"Well, you've caught me. Now what are you going to do with me?"
Josh moved in closer to Marta, placing his lips close to her ear and whispered, "You know what I'm going to do with you? I'm going to make you play this silly game with the kids. I'm tired!"
* * *
It had been maddening to wait another day for the opportunity to speak with Judge Hanson. Agent Williams knew better, though, than to get too pushy with a Federal Judge, at least not without a very good reason. He had been waiting a long time to learn more about the Marcel case, and another day would not matter much. That had not stopped him from feeling impatient the night before, though. With the answers seeming so close, he felt like he could not get to them soon enough.
Even the elevator in the Federal Court Building seemed to move slow. Hanson's chambers were on the fifth floor, and it seemed that someone wanted off the elevator on every floor on the way up. When the doors opened on the fifth floor, he stepped into the crowded hallway and read the directory on the wall for the location of Hanson's courtroom and chambers. He found the courtroom, 512, and entered.
A matronly looking bailiff approached him. "May I help you?" she asked in a businesslike tone.
"Special Agent Williams, FBI, here to see Judge Hanson; I have an appointment." He was showing his badge, though he could not remember removing it from his coat pocket.
"Of course, Agent Williams; Judge Hanson is expecting you. Right through here, please." She ushered him through the doors at the rear of the courtroom. Knocking gently on the door to the judge's chambers, she opened it just a crack and poked her head in. "Agent Williams is here to see you, sir."
"Show him in," Williams heard a voice he recognized as Hanson's from their phone call the previous day. He stepped through the door to see the judge sitting relaxed at his desk. Two other people were sitting in high back chairs, their backs to him.
"Agent Williams, it's good to meet you," Judge Hanson said, rising from his chair to shake hands. "I'm sure you already know these two gentlemen." He gestured to the seated men.
Williams turned to see the Director of the FBI and the White House National Security Advisor. For all his training, his knees went weak.
The Director stood and extended his hand. "Williams, I've heard a lot of good things about you. It's a pleasure to meet you face to face."
"Sir," Williams replied timidly, shaking the Director's hand.
The National Security Advisor likewise stood and extended his hand. "The Director has informed me of what you've been working on, Agent Williams. Good work, son. The President will be most pleased to hear about this."
The President? Williams sank into the offered chair, fighting off the panicked feeling of someone who has found himself in way over his head. He noticed Judge Hanson picking up a notebook, and the reason for his visit took precedence in his mind. "Judge Hanson, is that Dr. Marcel's notebook?"
"Yes, son, it certainly is. A rather interesting read, wouldn't you say, Director?"
"Very interesting."
Judge Hanson looked over the top of the notebook at Agent Williams. "You have any idea, son, what's in this notebook?"
"Detective Daniels would only tell me that it indicates that Marcel had achieved more success in his work than we previously thought. I assume it details what he accomplished?"
"It does, indeed. I think you'll find this page contains the information you're looking for." He handed the notebook over to Williams, open to the indicated page.
Williams took it and started reading. He stopped, returned to the top of the page, and began reading again. When he confirmed to himself that he did read correctly, he unconsciously cursed under his breath. Realizing what he had just said, he looked up. "Sorry, gentlemen; please excuse my language."
The Director laughed. "No need to apologize, Williams. My own reaction was rather stronger still."
The NSA chuckled. "You should have heard the President's reaction."
"The President has seen this?"
"Of course; you don't think something like this is information he needs to know?"
"Well, yes, I suppose," Williams said. "But is this confirmed? Marcel could write anything in his notebook."
"It's confirmed," Judge Hanson said. "I've seen them, spoken with them, and so has Detective Daniels, along with a Pastor Diego Hyland and his wife, and Joshua Cardan. One of them rescued Cardan when Mrs. Cardan tried to murder him."
Williams shook his head in disbelief. "They've been out there this whole time, and we never knew it." He read the notes again and did some mental math. "His first successes were over twenty two years ago? Sweet Jesus, how could we have been so behind on this? He had adults before we had even heard rumors that he was trying to do anything illegal!"
"That brings us to the point of this meeting, Agent Williams. What Dr. Marcel did was blatantly illegal, and were he alive, I'd issue a warrant right now to haul him in here for trial. However, the Director here has informed me of Marcel's fate, so that's not an option anymore. His creations, however, are guilty of nothing more than being the victims of his genetic tampering." He held up a stack of papers for the agent to see, dropping them on the desk noisily. "I've had birth certificates issued for each and every remaining subject of Marcel's work. The National Security Advisor assures me that the President is in agreement with me on this; these people are American Citizens, endowed with the Constitutional Rights and protections we all enjoy. They are to be protected by our Government."
"Yes, sir."
"In addition," the Director turned to Williams. "While you will be taken to the island to complete your investigation, which will include taking possession of Marcel's computer with its files, the White House believes it is in the best interest of both these people, and the Country in general, if this remains secret. This meeting, the notebook you're holding, and anything you learn in your investigation is to be held in the strictest confidence."
"Yes, sir." Williams was overwhelmed. The case had taken a most incredible and unexpected turn.
"I've informed your supervisor that you will be answering directly to me for a while. You'll be relocated to a secure office to catalog and evaluate Marcel's files, along with an analyst who should be able to make sense of the scientific mumbo-jumbo. We'll want to know if Marcel managed anything else we should know about. We have an appointment to brief the President next week, so try to learn all you can before then."
"We?" Williams asked for clarification.
"Yes, we; you'll tell the President yourself what you've learned."
"Don't sweat it, agent," the NSA assured him. "I work with him most everyday, and as long as you don't try to bull him, you'll do just fine."
* * *
Josh finished the phone call, feeling shocked at the sequence of events. He set the phone in its safe place and headed down to the chamber. He slipped on his fins at the water's edge, and swam to where Eva floated. "We're going to have more visitors tomorrow," he said.
"First you, then Diego and Sally; then the judge and the detective, and now more?" She shook her head. "Now that the secret is out, are we to become a sideshow for whoever wishes to come gawk at us? I trust you, Josh, but this is so much change at once!"
"The President of the United States is sending two people out here. One is an FBI agent who was involved in the investigation of Dr. Marcel, and the other is a doctor. They want to make sure you're all healthy."
"And after them, who else will be coming here? Will the Pod remain safe?"
"Judge Hanson assures me that the President has ordered that the Pod be kept safe and protected. You're all citizens now, officially and legally. He promised that you don't have to be afraid of the Government anymore."
"I hope their promises are better than some of the ones I've seen made on television."
Marta swam over and inquired what they were discussing. Josh repeated what he'd told Eva.
"We're really citizens?"
"Yep; you have birth certificates now, and they're issuing you all Social Security numbers. Start earning money, and you'll even get to pay taxes, Miss Lawton."
"Who?"
"Lawton; that's your last name, isn't it?"
"I don't know; all I've ever been called is Marta."
"Well, your biological parents were named Lawton, so that makes you Marta Lawton."
"Leanna, too?"
"Of course, and Ophelia and Francine as well; you're all Lawton. Eva and her sisters are all Salazar. Everyone in the Pod has a last name that corresponds to their biological parents."
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Josh." She started planting kisses all over his face and neck. "Thank you for everything!"
Eva just looked the other way.
* * *
Special Agent Williams felt apprehensive and a bit overwhelmed. Reading about living mermaids was one thing; preparing to see them was quite another. He wore his Bureau suit, just as he would for any official business. The doctor accompanying him on the excursion wore less formal wear, but still much nicer than the man waiting for them on the dock in nothing but a swimsuit. The boat was eased into place, and the lines secured to keep it from drifting. Williams stepped off the boat and approached the waiting man. "Special Agent Williams," he said, showing his badge.
"Joshua Cardan; it's a pleasure to meet you, Agent Williams." He extended his hand.
Williams accepted the handshake. "Mr. Cardan, I'm here to take possession of Dr. Marcel's files and computer. I assume you know where they are?"
"I do; would you prefer to take the dry route or the wet route?"
"Dry, please."
"I hope you brought a gate key, then."
He stepped back onto the boat and returned with a pair of bolt cutters. "Government issue master key," he said.
"That'll work. Be careful walking on the dock, though. Some of the wood is rotting, and you don't want to get what's underneath us on that suit."
They walked to the gate and removed the lock. Josh led the way through the deserted complex, to the utility door, and down the ladder to Marcel's chamber.
He pointed to the old laptop, still sitting on the modest desk. "That's Marcel's computer, with his record files on it. It's kind of touchy, though. What you might want to do when you get it back to your office is have one of your techs install the hard drive in a better machine. The lab notes are in the file cabinet, and Judge Hanson had Marcel's journal, last I saw it."
"You know how long I've been looking for this?"
"Yeah, ironic isn't it? I found it, and I didn't even know it existed." He tossed a pair of swim trunks to the agent. "Put those on," he said.
Williams looked at the baggy trunks with their loud Hawaiian print. "Excuse me? I really don't have time to waste swimming."
Josh leaned against the wall. "Agent Williams, the Pod accepted Judge Hanson because I promised them that he could help them, and he has. They accepted Detective Daniels because I promised them he would help me, and he has. They accepted Diego and Sally, though, because they entered the water with them. They let the Hylands into the chamber on my word, but they accepted them because they placed themselves in a position where they were tacitly at the Pod's mercy. I can't promise the Pod what you are going to do, so they have to know that you are willing to trust them before they will trust you."
"Just how does that show them that I trust them?"
"We're land-dwellers, Agent Williams. Even the youngest of them can drag us under the water and drown us if they want. It isn't much, but it's all the power that Marcel endowed them with. If you want their respect and their cooperation, you'll need to meet them on their terms." He opened the door and stepped back out into the dark walkway that led to the room. "You've come this far; what's a little swim for what it can get you?" He closed the door to allow him some privacy.
His instructions were to get the computer and the files, and to meet Marcel's creations. They had not covered such situations as this, though, in his Bureau training. Cardan was right, however; what was a little swim for what it could get him? He stripped out of his suit and pulled on the swim outfit and stepped out of the chamber. "I'm not sure I like this," he said.
"Trust me; you'll get over that once the Pod accepts you." He led the way down the ladder to the water, paddling himself out to the center of the chamber.
Williams halted at the edge. A mermaid was waiting for him, holding out a hand for him to take. He had faced down gun-wielding criminals before that hadn't left him feel so nervous.
"Well, are you going to stand there with your mouth open," the mermaid said, "or are you going to come talk to the Pod?"
* * *
Josh watched while Leanna towed the agent. The rest of the Pod was gathered around the perimeter, Diego among them. The doctor the Government had sent was already floating in the middle; Diego having convinced him to allow the Pod to bring him there through the underwater entrance. Leanna let go of the agent, and took her position on the perimeter, and Josh remained by the two men.
Eva and Marta floated together, watching the newcomers. As if on cue, they both rose from the water in the tail-stand that demanded attention, and the Pod quieted down. Josh was pleased to see that the doctor and the agent were both in awe. That was the best attitude for them to start the meeting with.
The two settled back into the water, while every eye on the perimeter stayed focused on the group in the center.
"Which one of you is the Agent?" Eva asked.
"I am," Williams replied. "Special Agent Williams, Federal Bureau of Investigations."
Josh noted that the voice didn't seem quite as strong and confident as it had on the boat. He also noted, as did both the doctor and the agent, that the circle was growing smaller around them. He hadn't seen them do that before.
Only Diego remained in his original position as the Pod closed ranks around them. When the circle had contracted to the point where each one was within arm's reach of the person to either side, they stopped. Eva turned to the physician. "You are the doctor?"
"Yes," he said, a bit shaken by the constricting circle. "I was sent to examine you all and make sure you're all healthy."
Eva regarded him for a moment, and then nodded. "Leanna, take him to where Diego waits." She held until Leanna resumed her original position, and then turned to the agent again. "You are the one who investigated our Dr. Marcel?"
"Yes, ma'am, I am."
"Do you know where he is now?"
Josh watched her. He had already told Eva and Marta what Daniels had learned from the agent.
"Dr. Marcel is dead. He was killed in the fire at his laboratory." The voice was nervous.
"You know this for certain?"
"Yes, ma'am. I was watching the live feed from our agents when the fire broke out. I saw him engulfed in the flames."
"Just how did this fire start, Special Agent Williams?"
Williams closed his eyes. With sober reflection, he recalled the raid once again for the Pod. Eva listened without interrupting, her eyes fixed on the agent.
When he had finished, she tilted her head. "So, it was your people that started the fire that killed our Dr. Marcel and the children? Tell me, Special Agent Williams, how can we trust that there will not be another 'accident'? Will this place also end up a blackened ruin?"
"The President has personally guaranteed your safety."
"I do not know your 'President', Special Agent Williams. Josh tells us that we are safe now because we are 'citizens', but was not Dr. Marcel also a 'citizen'? Was he not supposed to be safe as well?"
"You have to understand that what Dr. Marcel was doing was illegal. We had no idea how far he'd gotten, or that children were present in the facility. You have to believe me, we went in to stop his work and seize his materials, not to kill anyone."
Eva turned her gaze to Josh. "These are your people, Joshua Cardan. Do you believe he's being honest with us?"
Josh shrugged. "Judge Hanson accepted his story. I don't think he would have sent the agent out here if he had any doubts about him. All I've ever known about the Bureau would lead me to believe they try to resolve situations with a minimum of violence."
She turned back to Williams. "Do you have any children, Special Agent Williams?"
"We have two kids, both boys."
"Then you will know how Dr. Marcel viewed all of us, and how we viewed him. He was like a father to us, and for three years we have missed him terribly."
"I understand. My father died almost 10 years ago."
Eva nodded. "Maybe you do understand." She looked to Josh again. "While Dr. Marcel was like a father to us, and gave all of us our lives, what he never worked to give us was our freedom. He kept us hidden; fearful of any passing boats or aircraft. He made no provision for our care if something happened to him, and for three years we have subsisted on what we could find, hiding in these caves; always afraid, always wondering." She reached out a hand and touched Josh's cheek, a tender smile gracing her lips. "Dr. Marcel worked hard to give us life; Joshua Cardan has worked hard to let us live. Are we free now, Special Agent Williams?"
"Yes, ma'am, you're free now. You understand that the Government wants to keep your existence a secret, both for your safety and for National Security reasons, but you no longer have to live in fear that the Government is after you."
She nodded. "Yes, we will still have to hide, I know. Now, though, we will hide for our privacy and for our peace. You will let us live in peace, Special Agent Williams?"
"Anyone who comes after you will have to get past me first; that I promise you. You will live in peace."
She rotated in the water, looking to each face around the perimeter. As each set of eyes met hers, each face brightened. "I've been caring for all of you for so long, I've failed to notice how much some of you have grown. I think I've missed playing with all of you for too long, and it's well past time we remedied that." With that, she closed her eyes and yelled, "Marco!"
The Pod scattered every which way, laughing.
Williams turned to Josh with a confused look on his face. "What the hell?"
Josh laughed. "Start swimming, Agent Williams, and whatever you do, don't yell 'Polo' until you're a good distance away."
The game went on for hours. When Eva caught her 'mark', she left the game and took the doctor by the hand, towing him back to the boat for her physical. Each one, in turn, when they finished being 'it', headed out to wait their turn with the doctor. Each, when they returned, rejoined the game with renewed vigor.
It didn't take Williams long to warm up to the Pod. He and Josh both were wore out early in the game, and rested in the shallows watching the action. "I've got to tell you, Mr. Cardan, that they had me a bit worried out there," Williams said.
"Not as worried as you had them, believe me; and please, call me Josh."
He smiled. "OK, Josh, and you can call me Bill."
"Bill? Your parents named you William Williams?"
"Naw, I take the 'Bill' from my last name. My first name is Marion, after my Paternal Grandfather. I've always hated that name."
* * *
The Pod's health was acceptable, though not great. Three years of their raw fish diet had left them with various problems that the doctor declared would need treated, promising to return shortly with the necessary supplies. Several times during the physicals, he muttered something about wishing he knew more about veterinary, but never to his patients. While he was still in awe of what he was seeing, he remembered his 'bed side manner'.
He reclined in one of the seats on the boat, wore out after so many physicals, especially performed in shallow water. Medical school hadn't prepared him for that kind of situation. Sally brought him a cold bottle of water. Thanking her, he added, "Incredible what Marcel accomplished, isn't it?"
"They're amazing," she said.
"Speaking of amazing, have you made an appointment with your obstetrician yet?"
"Excuse me?"
"If you're not pregnant," the doctor said confidently, "I'll eat my diploma. For some reason, I can just spot it."
"Well, yes, I'm pregnant, and no, I haven't made an appointment yet. We've been kind of busy lately."
"No excuses; proper prenatal care is essential. Don't make me have the President order you to the doctor."
"Yes sir; I'll call first thing in the morning and make an appointment."
"Good. I'll hold you to that." He leaned back and closed his eyes, relaxing in the dwindling daylight.
* * *
Despite Josh's insistence that he did not need it, the doctor imposed a physical exam on him anyway.
"Don't argue with me," the doctor said, once Marta and Leanna had brought Josh to the boat on his insistence. "You've taken an injury to the head that has not been properly treated; you've existed for the last few weeks on a diet that is anything but ideal, and have been more exposed to environmental extremes than you're used to. You're going to get checked over."
Josh submitted, tolerating the poking, prodding, and inspecting the doctor performed.
"When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?"
"Not sure; it's been a few years," he replied. Getting any kind of shot was never high on his "to do" list.
The doctor drew a syringe and a small bottle from his bag. "Sounds like a good reason to get one today, then." He prepared the injection, and then poked the needle into Josh's arm. "This is going to get a little sore over the next day or two, so you'll want to try and keep the muscle loose by moving it frequently. I don't think that's going to be much problem for you, though. Next question: Did you eat any of the raw fish the others have been subsisting on for the last few years?"
"A little, but not too much; I've never cared much for sushi, even when prepared properly, let alone when the flesh is peeled from the fish's bones right then and there. It might have been one thing to filet out the catch and roast it over a fire, but we didn't have the makings for a fire handy."
The doctor sat back with a sigh. "I was afraid of as much."
"Is that a problem?" he asked. The look of concern on the doctor's face was not reassuring.
"When I received the briefing about this trip yesterday, I decided I needed to do some research last night. I spent a few hours on the telephone with a veterinarian at Sea World in Florida, discussing various aspects of dolphin medicine and health. I wasn't sure what information I'd need, so I tried to get an overview of things that I should look for without revealing why I was asking; things like that are a little easier when you have connections to the President. One of the things I confirmed was the possibility of parasites from the diet."
"Ugh; I hadn't thought about that."
"Wild dolphins, like many wild animals, are highly likely to carry parasites. While the lifestyle of the Pod has inhibited the skin parasites that the purely aquatic dolphins can harbor, the internal parasites are not going to be deterred by the regular overnight sleeping on dry ground. The preliminary results of my exams indicate I'm going to need to treat them for some parasites, and it's possible I'm going to need to treat you as well."
"Lovely."
"Oh, it could be much worse. Since they made a habit of not eating whole raw fish, they did help prevent some of the parasites from passing directly from the digestive tract of the fish into their own. As near as I can tell, again from my preliminary results, and I'll need some actual lab work to know everything for certain, none of them suffers from anything that we can't treat. We just need to make sure we get them off the fresh, raw fish diet and more conscious of the need for proper preparation techniques."
"I don't think it was ignorance that drove their diet; it was the lack of facilities or resources to cook their food. When they still were under Dr. Marcel's care, he provided them with a better balanced and prepared diet."
"Understood, but I'm sure you agree we need to be sure that something like this doesn't happen again. They need to know enough to be self-sufficient if need be. From what I've seen, I'm assuming you're going to remain involved with them?"
"Yes. Being with the Pod is more like being at home than I've felt in many years. They don't just need me; I need them."
"And one of them in particular?" the doctor asked with a smile.
"Is it that obvious?"
"In some ways; it's not going to be an easy life for you, though. You're not built to be aquatic, and she's not built to be terrestrial."
"You've examined them, though, doctor. Tell me; is a relationship between her and me possible?"
"Possible? Of course it's possible. Go on-line and you can find any number of web-sites that will happily show you what's 'possible', whether it's anything nature ever intended or not. I think what you want to know is if it's practical in anything resembling what we think of as 'normal'." The doctor turned over an unused form and started sketching on the back. He drew a rough outline of one of the mermaids. He then explained in great detail the quirks of the Pod members' anatomy.
Perhaps too much detail; Josh soon felt as lost as he had when trying to read the actual lab notes.
"What you will have to deal with, though, is how the differences in your bodies will affect things. It's not only going to impact the mechanics of sex, it's liable to weigh heavily on how you think of her as well. Our instinct and our cultural conditioning are to desire the human form, not the dolphin form. You have to decide if the external appearance of that part of her body is going to inhibit your desire. Even if it does not now, you have to consider what might happen when the novelty and infatuation wears off."
"I've thought about that, though right now I'm still too twisted around by what my wife tried to do to me to be able to think straight. Tell me, though; will the Pod be able to have children?"
"Marcel believed they would; granted, he also believed they would reproduce true to the form he endowed them with. The experts I've spoken with about this do not believe that possible. What Marcel did was to force genetic modifications on individual embryos. For them to reproduce true to form, he would have to engineer a new species of human."
"So they might be able to have children, but their offspring will be normal humans?"
"That is what I think. The question you have to ask, if you're seriously considering a relationship with one of them, is how important that question is to you. Are you going to be disappointed, maybe even bitter, if she's incapable of conceiving and bearing children? If she does successfully conceive and carries a child full term, which in itself may be a long shot, how will you feel if the child is born deformed because of the mixing of the genetic codes? Is that something you're prepared to handle?"
"That's something to think about, and something I should discuss with her, too, if things get that serious between us. Obviously, it's a decision we'd have to make together."
"I'm glad to hear you say that; you'd be surprised how many couples never even discuss whether they want children before they get together."
He nodded. It was time to start planning the new life he had been thrown into.
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