Difference between revisions of "Mermaids of Xanadu"

Revision as of 13:50, 23 June 2011

This story is a work in progress.

Xanadu story universe

Chapter One: Homecoming

"It's time we left," said Alex.

"I agree. This very afternoon," I said. Alex was pushing me back to the hotel after our impromptu celebration at the Walkers' tent. All three siblings were now reunited with their parents. Of course the ordeal of learning to live with the changes wrought by the Xanadu effect was just beginning for them, as well as for us and more than ten thousand others.

First, we spoke with my parents, who had arrived yesterday morning. This time, it was not a disaster. They gave us their prayers and wishes for my safe delivery and a healthy child, along with their unconditional love, be she Mer or biped. I knew this was how it would turn out, I was happy that it resolved as quickly as it did. They would head back to Ashville and come visit when we figured out where we would move to.

It took less than twenty minutes to pack and throw our stuff into the back of Alex's car. We would have to come back for mine, which had been damaged (I couldn't drive it now anyway). The real test was to come next. We decided to leave legitimately rather than 'Jedi' our way off the premises. This required waiting in line for thirty minutes (it was to get much worse in the next few days), being separated, then answering a twenty-minute questionaire read by a staff-sergent. I had to lay down on the floor for my 'height' to be measured, 7'10" from pate to fin. Finally, we were each issued a shiny new I.D. card with photo (I had to tie my hair back to show my Vulcan features), a verbal description of changes and a new Florida drivers' license (mine conditional to the use of hand-controls, Alex's included a permit to carry his lightsaber). Last but not least, we gave the National Guard their wheelchair back. They didn't demand it, but we felt it best if we got my own. Altogether, this took about an hour.

It was a great relief to be away from that place and headed home, but it was also frightening. I knew the 'home' I was headed for could never really be home anymore. It was too far from open water. Fortunately, we had only moved in last July, so our roots weren't deep.

We didn't talk much on the way, we were each lost in our own thoughts. I began to feel anxious, almost embarassed, like I felt that first evening after the change. Somehow, I didn't want the neighbors to see me crawl.

"You'll carry me into the house, won't you?"

"Sure, right across the threshold, just like I will on our wedding day." Alex grinned. When he looked at me and saw how upset I was, however, he grew serious. "Are you OK?"

"Yes, just feeling a bit of anxiety."

"I know just what you need. There are no beaches around, maybe a pool? We could really freak the mundanes."

"It's more a social anxiety than water. I just don't want the neighbors to see me crawling into the house."

"OK." He gave me a look that told me that though he didn't understand, he'd walk barefoot over broken glass to make me feel better.

I stayed silent for a few moments, then spoke, "You're perfect for me. You know that, don't you?"

We pulled into the driveway. Once more, everything looked just as it had when I left for Orlando last Thursday. Alex came around to the passenger side, opened the door and carried me into the house. The first thing I did, while Alex was unloading the car, was crawl from room to room, to check everything out. I looked in closets, under beds and behind furniture. I was like a bunny sniffing out a new burrow for dangerous scents. "Is this some sort of Vulcan or Mer maternal instinct? Or am I just going nuts?" I thought.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" responded Alex.

"No! And you left all the closets in a mess putting together your Jedi outfit!"

"Oops! I was counting on you being amused enough by my efforts to overlook that."

"You weren't counting on bringing home a cranky, pregnant mermaid, were you?" "Well," I said aloud. "She's also hungry. Go fetch something to eat and I'll forgive you and straighten out the closets myself, at least those parts of the mess I can reach."

"Chinese carryout?"

"Yes, but no seafood, please. I can't stand the stuff cooked anymore, and the Chinese don't do sashimi."

Alex left, and I began unpacking. I was done and starting to contemplate the closet, when the doorbell rang. "Crap! I'm betting that's not you yet, is it Alex?" No response. I crawled up to the livingroom door. The bell rang again. "Just a moment." I raised myself as high on my tail as I could, putting one hand on the wall for balance. I was wearing a sun dress, so, if someone didn't know better, or didn't look over my shoulder to see my fin splayed out behind me, they might think I was standing on my knees. I took a deep breath and opened the door.

It was Mrs. Linzky, one of our neighbors. She was a retired school teacher and a widow. Alex got along quite well with her, she always seemed a little intimidating to me, perhaps it's the teacher thing. She was a bit befuddled, probably because she was used to looking up at me.

"Hannah!" She looked down over her spectacles. "I heard you-two got caught in that terrible thing that happened in Orlando. Are you-all doing alright?"

"Uh, not too bad. Considering." I noticed she was carrying a covered dish. I was going to have to invite her in. This was going to be awkward (in more ways than one) no matter what I did, so I resigned myself to it. "Would you like to come in and sit a spell?"

"Sure, if you don't mind. I brought some eggs."

"That wouldn't happen to be your deviled eggs, the recipee with horseradish would it? We like those!"

"Why yes, they would." she smiled.

"Just a moment." Mer bodies are not made to back up in. "Here goes," I thought. I leaned back, spun around, did a single hop crawl to the couch, then a half turn/half flip onto the middle of the couch. I ended up sitting primly, my tail half curled to the left, displaying my large purple and gold fin on the carpet. "Just put the eggs on the kitchen table and come sit." I patted the seat next to me.

I half expected her to pee herself or maybe just keel over, but evidently highschool teachers in her day were made of sterner stuff. She froze for a moment to regather her wits, took the eggs into the kitchen, then sat next to me, showing only a bit of a flush on her face.

"So...You're a mermaid," she said quietly.

"Yes," I nodded, adding the sweetest, most uncreepy smile I could manage.

Then, she truly surprised me. She laughed, gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You are so lucky! Since I was a little girl, I wanted there to be mermaids! I wanted to be one too! Now they...you're real!" She wanted to know all about how it happened and if it might happen again. I really thought she might buy a mermaid tail and camp out at the Xanadu Center.

I didn't know how to handle this. I was getting dropped down Alice's rabbit hole...again! This time, by a school teacher!

After a while, however, I relaxed. I began to see her curiosity as friendly, an innocent childhood fantasy, rather than something I should worry about. I related the whole story of my change, and some others as well. Eventually, she asked, rather shyly, if she could touch my tail and fin. I consented.

"The scales are rather warm and dry, aren't they?" she said.

"Well, I am a warm-blooded mammal, despite the scales and gills, nearly all of us Mer are. As for dry, some of us have an easier time out of water than others."

"Your fin is so delicate-looking, but it feels tough."

"It is tough. It has to move a lot of water, fast."

"You don't switch back and forth, between human and mermaid, do you?"

"No, I'm a mermaid 24/7. If there is a way for me to change, I haven't found it yet. Some can switch, however. They're Mer when wet, or change with a magic phrase or even at will. Most are of the 'just add water' variety, thanks to Darryl Hannah and a certain Australian TV show." I laughed and added, "I bet some folks were in for a rude surprise when they got home from the convention and took a shower!"

Alex arrived about that time with pan-fried dumplings and chicken mu-shu. Edna politely declined our offer to share supper with us, but promised to keep in touch. After she left, I turned to Alex, "I think I have a fan."

"You have a fan? Why do you think I'm late? I spent fifteen minutes signing autographs at the carryout. Oh, our local CNN afiliate would like an interview with a real mermaid and her Jedi-guy sometime tomorrow."

"Wow. When they call back tell them I'll do it, but only if they tape some sequences of me swimming, not just rolling around in a wheelchair."

"I think that's pretty much a given. They'll probably want to see me play with my lightsaber. Cut a Volkswagen in half or something.

"Speaking of wheelchair," Alex pulled a communicator out of one of his many pockets and turned on the screen, "we have an appointment in the morning at 9:30 for you to pick one out at the medical supply warehouse downtown."

"Do I get my pick?"

"I suppose, so long as we can make the co-pay. The food's getting cold, by the way, want me to carry you to the table?"

"Yes please, I'm starved!"

I woke up early the next morning, feeling, if anything, more anxious. Early mornings have always been bad for me in that way. I usually let others do the worrying. Alex is a good worrier. I generally just try to deal with things as they come. Everything always seems more overwhelming to me in the early dawn for some reason. I slipped quietly out of bed. What now? If I fiddle with the closets, I'll make too much noise and wake Alex. Same thing if I start sorting through the squeeky dresser drawers. I could watch TV with the volume way down low, but I felt more than my usual revulsion for television and it would remind me that I was going to be on the TV news sometime today, which wasn't going to help. Finally, I decided on cornflakes.

I'm about convinced that my recent feeding frenzies are a Mendenhall rather than a Mer or Vulcan maternal thing. I recall both my older sisters alternating between ravenous hunger and debilitating nausea during their first trimesters. I'm pretty sure my newly acquired taste for raw sea-creatures is Mer, however. Of course, it was probably floating somewhere in the back of my mind when my tail became permanent last Saturday. Afterall, the mermaid costume was chosen for me as some kind of goofy 'Hannah hates sushi' joke. On the other hand, Skye likes raw fish now too. I'm not sure about the other new Merfolk.

I quietly crawled into the kitchen. Unfortunately, the cereal was all on the top shelf of the cabinet. What fool was responsible for that? Yep, it was me, back when I was 5'9" and didn't worry about reaching for stuff. I grabbed the counter and pulled myself up until I sat on it. Then, I twisted around, opened the cabinet door, reached up and grabbed the box of flakes. Scales don't have much traction on counter tops. I yelped, slid off and hit the floor with a thud. Somewhere in the process, the box of flakes exploded and I whacked the tingly part of my elbow. When Alex rushed in, I was writhing on the floor, covered in cornflakes. All he needed was some flour and beaten egg and he could have had a fish fry.

"Are you OK?!"

"Nooo!" I wailed.

He sat next to me, slipping and sliding in the cereal, "Is anything broken? Where does it hurt?"

Seeing him slide barefoot in flakes tickled me. I laughed and cried hysterically, "(Tee-hee)...arm...(tee)...stinger...(hee)... nothing's...(sniff tee-hee)...busted!"

"What about inside?"

"That's OK...(sniff hee). She's OK, I'm sure of it."

He held me and calmed me down. A great thing about having a Force-sensitive for a loved one, they really can kiss it and make it feel all better. I was still upset, however, and finally burst out, "I am not handicapped! I am a sea-creature! I do not belong in a wheelchair! I belong in the water!"

"Well, actually, no one belongs in a wheelchair," Alex reminded me. "It's just a mobility tool. An expediant 'til we can move to a better place."

"You're right." I flipped the cornflakes off my tailfin. "But, who am I fooling anyway? I can't leave the land entirely, nearly everyone I love and care for are land-creatures. Meanwhile I can't even make myself a bowl of cornflakes without courting disaster! Edna should see this, then tell me how lucky I am!"

I helped Alex sweep up the cereal, as best I could, then sat in one of the kitchen chairs while he fried some eggs (I had lost my desire for cereal). We ate mostly in silence, finally, Alex looked at me seriously and said, "You know, I'm getting tired of being a fiance."

"Huh?"

"Let's just get married." He reached across the table and took my hands in his.

"OK."

"I mean today."

"Yes."

"There's no real reason to delay. You're already pregnant. I know you always wanted a formal wedding..."

"I said OK!"

"All right then!" he grinned.

"Formal woulda been nice, but that's a lot more complicated now. How do I get down the isle for example, roll, swim, crawl or have Poppa carry me? And that's just one detail. By the time we got it all figured out, I'd need to wear maternity. so, let's just do it!"

About that time, the phone rang. Alex answered it. After a short conversation, he hung up. "The news people want to meet us at the city pool at 7:30, that gives us an hour."

"I guess I'd better get to it then." I slid off the chair and headed for the bathroom.

We pulled into the parking lot with maybe a minute to spare. There was the camera truck, with its long telescoping antenna and a SUV with the station's logo on its side. I had serious butterflies, I mean hyperactive butterflies the size of jumbo jets in my belly. I really didn't want to do this. Mermaids can't run, but if there had been a river or lake near by to escape to, all they would have seen of me was a cloud of dust and a tailfin.

It was too early to pick up the wheelchair, so Alex had to carry me to the pool. There were four folding directors' chairs next to the water. Alex was told to put me in the one on the far right and sit next to me. I was wearing a black swim-top and a large beach-towel. I wondered how long I would have to hide at the bottom of the pool before they would give up and go away.

When they turned on the cameras, there was a problem right away. Under the bright lights, my scales were causing serious glare. It looked like I was sitting on a supernova. Great! Maybe they'll make me go away and just interview the Jedi. No such luck, they sprayed my tail down with some kind of shine-cutting powder and changed some of the angles.

The hosts were two women, one a perky blond in a red dress with lots of cleavage, the other a perky brunette in a black dress with even more cleavage. If this had turned into a battle of the boobs, I would've been looking at third place. The director made some gestures and pointed, the brunette began introducing me. The whole interview is a blur in my brain, but Alex said I did pretty well.

They had me relate why I was at the convention and how I came to be dressed as both a Vulcan and a mermaid, what the change was like and what happened after. They had me show off my ears, gills and partially webbed fingers. They asked about Vulcan telepatic abilities and how they mesh with those of a Jedi. They briefly touched on mobility problems and if I had any regrets about what happened. I was honest and said I had some regrets, but was beginning to accept things as they are. The only awkward part of the interview was when they asked me if, as a mermaid, I had any special powers. I didn't want to tell them of what we had discovered so far about the siren song, but I didn't want to lie. I sort of laughed it off, but Ms red-dress continued to probe.

"But, what about singing? We all know that the ancient Sirens used to cloud men's minds with their song."

"Alex has told me that I sing very well and women have always been able to cloud men's minds."

Everyone laughed and that seemed to satisfy, this wasn't 60 minutes afterall.

When the interview ended it was time for a swimming demonstration. During the commercial break, they introduced me to a young lady who was the high school regional freestyle swimming champion. They were making this into a competition. I didn't really like that idea, but. "All right" I thought, "Bring it on!" Alex lowered me into the pool and somebody shouted go! Once I got my fin pumping, it wasn't really a race. I finished my lap before the highschooler got to the far end. I can see that the Olympic Committee is going to have to change some rules if Merfolk are ever to be allowed to compete. The youngster was a good sport about it though, and shook my hand afterwards.

I could sense they were a bit disappointed. Mers swim fastest underwater, so there's not much to see in a mermaid race but a blur, then a head pops up past the finish line. I asked if they wanted to see some jumps. They were enthused. I did several jumps, including some flips, twists and spins. I even did a little dance with my tail churning the water, keeping me upright. I have no problems showing off when it comes to swiming. The only bad thing about the experience was the chlorine, it made my gills burn. I kept my head above the water as much as I could after that.

I stayed in the pool throughout Alex's interview, watching and slowly swimming about. They asked him many of the same questions, but concentrated on Jedi powers and what it feels like to use the force. They were especially fascinated by his lightsaber of course. They took a close up of it and had him turn it on and off for them. Finally, from around the corner of the building they rolled out an old Volkswagen beetle. I laughed until I nearly peed.

After it was all over, Alex carried me back to the car and we set off for the medical supply warehouse.

I didn't take long to find a suitable chair, strong, light and manuverable. No bells and whistles. No fancy stuff or colors. I didn't want to get attached to it, and didn't intend to spend any more time in it than necessary.

Our next stop was the courthouse for the marriage license. It being Wednesday, we had a long wait ahead of us. We attracted a lot of attention, not all of it nice. For the first time, I felt some unease being in public. It was the first time we were out away from the Convention Center area. Finally, it was our turn. We handed the clerk our I.D.s. She was a large, middle-aged woman who stared and stared at me and at my I.D. until I became decidedly uncomfortable. She picked up a book from a desk next to her, read from it, then stared at me some more. Eventually, she said, "I can't issue you this license."

"What?!" We both exclaimed at the same time.

"It says right here in Florida Statutes," she tapped the book. "Both parties must be of the human species. You," she looked at me, "are clearly not human."

Alex was shocked into silence. I bolted out of the chair on tail muscle and grabbed the counter to hold myself erect. "Care to repeat that, harridan!" The clerk jerked back and began to consider where the nearest security guard was. I had started to pull myself over the counter, when Alex grabbed me about he waist.

"How could she not be human!" he snapped. "She's carrying our child!" "Easy dear. Ripping her lungs out won't help." he thought to me.

Reluctantly, I let him pry me from the counter and set me back down.

"If you can prove that, with a pregnancy and paternity test, I can issue a license."

"We'll see about that!" Alex turned about and pushed me out of the room. As we left, most of the faces were shocked and sympathetic. There were a few smirks. There was nothing in my life up to that time that could compare to the humiliation of that moment. As soon as we were out of their sight, I burst into tears, growled and twisted the right armrest of the wheelchair until it snapped off.

"I can't believe we have to prove that I'm human before we can get married!" I said, once we were back in the car. "Can we even prove that!" I put my face in my hands.

"One idiot doesn't make a universe. We don't have to get the license from the county we live in. We can even go across state lines. Let's try the next county over."

"I don't know if I can go through that again."

"I don't think we will. But, if we do, what say I let you crawl over the counter and maul the next clerk?"

"Deal! But I'm serious. You'll have a much harder time stopping me if it happens again."

It didn't happen again. The next clerk hardly batted an eye. He just asked us, "Ya'll get caught up in that Xanadu thing?" Then he clucked sympathetically, and issued our license. We went home to change and call a Justice of the Peace.

Alex put on the best Jedi robes he could conjure up. I looked throught my entire wardrobe looking for something nice enough to feel good getting married in. It wasn't easy. I finally found a cream-colored sheath that was gathered at the waist and left one shoulder bare. For jewelry, I asked Alex's advice.

"Pearls, or silver choker with matching earrings?"

"Both."

"Huh?"

"Silver choker on the neck, and the pearls..." he took them and wrapped them around my tail, just above the fin.

"Cool!" I said. "I would have never thought of that. You look great, by the way. What about me? Does this dress make my tail look fat?" I tried to sound serious, but didn't do a good job of it.

Alex snorted out a laugh, "You look gorgeous!"

Alex had a friend from the bank who was a JP. We called and he was more than happy to do the honors at his house. When we arrived, he had already snagged a couple of his neighbors as witnesses. Alex knelt, I stood on my tail with his arm linked with mine to keep me upright. A few minutes later and it was done. I was Mrs. Edward Alexander Harris. A single toast with Bourbon, and we left for home, where Alex carried a very happy mermaid across the threshold.

Chapter Two: Moonlight and Shadow

Skye lay on her back, arms outstretched and allowed herself to float very slowly to the surface. She had been sleeping at the bottom of the lake, but woke up a couple of hours before dawn, with no desire to go back to sleep. She felt no need for activity either, she just drifted along with her thoughts. She was beginning to feel lonely. Hannah was gone, Emily was gone. One by one the small colony of Mermaids was being diminished as relatives claimed them and took them away to some attempt at a normal life. Nearly all those near Skye's age or younger were already gone. Things proceded slower for the older Mers, especially those who had been living independent lives that would be almost impossible to return to. A few, like Skye, were stuck in the lake due to sensitivity to drying out. They would have to stay until special arrangements could be made.

Skye's family was in a particularly difficult situation. They needed to accomodate two daughters with very special needs for particular kinds of space in land, water and air. Jim, their father, was now looking for a new home for them all, but, because of the economy, it looked unlikely that they would be able to sell their old home for anything near what they still owed on it. Meanwhile, both parents lived out of their tent to stay close to their children.

Skye's face quietly broke surface. Slowly she expelled water from her chest-cavity, reinflated her lungs and began breathing air. It smelt of newly mown grass with a touch of woodsmoke. The water had smelt of algae, fish and, sadly, just a little bit of feces. That shouldn't be surprising. Porta-potties didn't arrive until Tuesday and none of them were suited to Mer use. Crawling out on land, entering the potty on hands and tail, then contorting one's self to actually use it without getting filthy, well, it was just easier to find a quiet place under water and take care of business there. In that sense, it was not a bad thing that the Mer population was decreasing. This problem was not likely to be resolved soon. Each Mer body was designed more by imagination than nature, they didn't even all have the same plumbing arragements.

Creating hardly a ripple, Skye rolled over and looked around. A gibbous, waning moon illuminated the landscape. The first thing she noticed was Wynd, quietly grazing near the shore. She was happy that her sister was also awake, and decided to go talk to her, though the conversation would be one-sided, it would still be a comfort.

Just as she started to push-forward with her tail, she noticed that something black had broken away from the shadow of the wood and began approaching her sister. An icy-cold feeling came over Skye and she was just about to shout out a warning when Wynd looked up and the shadow stopped. Shadow and pegasus seemed to stare at one another. Skye was filled with an overwhelming certainty that if she made a sound, something horrible would happen. This 'stand-off' seemed to last an eternity, then a low voice spoke words too soft for Skye to understand. Wynd nodded and the shadow approached her again. It now stood at her head. It was nearly as tall as a human, but was also nearly formless.

Hardly daring to breath, Skye moved forward. Her tail moved so slowly it hardly stirred the water. Just enough of her head was above surface to see. Her ears strained to listen. She knew she mustn't snoop, but she sensed there was something terribly wrong about what was happening, and that, though she may not realize it, her sister was in danger.

Finally, Wynd grunted and nodded her head vigorously. Skye arrived at a patch of reeds near the shore. She could hear the shadow whispering, but again could not understand it. Then, very suddenly, the shadow left the way it had come. Disappearing so quickly that it must have flown. Wynd stood, legs slightly splayed, head down and eyes closed.

To see better, Skye raised herself as high out of the water as she could. She had just resolved to climb out onto land, when the ground at Wynd's hooves began to glow silver, like a concentration of moonlight. The light spread up her legs in a swirling motion, until she was entirely engulfed. It then concentrated in intensity about her head and neck. Her head shrank. Her neck lengthened, then two appendages sprang out of either side of it.

Skye could no longer stop herself. She pulled out onto the grass and cried out, "Wynd, what's happening!?" Then the glow was gone, only a few sparks, like circling fireflies, lingered, fading. Wynd stood contemplating her arms and flexing her fingers. From the waist up, she was very much as she had been before Kubla Con. Only now, her hair, which had been dark, was now purest white, and her ears were those of a small horse. Below the waist she was still a winged horse.

In awe, Skye approached her sister. "Wynd, you...you're..." She couldn't find words.

Wynd noticed her for the first time. Her eyes widened with fear. "Skye! What are you doing here?!"

"You can talk!"

"What did you see! Tell me!" There was anger as well as fear in Wynd's voice.

Skye shrank back and curled her tail defensively about herself. "Just a silvery light...and...a shadow." A tear ran down her cheek.

Wynd bit her lip. "You mustn't tell, Skye! If you love me, you can't tell anyone, ever, or I'll become an animal again, without a mind of my own! I couln't stand that, not again."

"OK...I won't. But, what will you say? You've...changed again."

Wynd shrugged. "I'll just tell everyone, I woke up like this." She could see the effect all this was having on her sister. Her face softened. She knelt down onto the grass and reached out. Skye crawled up and hugged her. "Skye, I had to make a promise. A promise I have to keep. Now, you have to promise me."

"OK. I promise. No one will know." Skye frowned, "What kind of promise did you make?"

Wynd ignored her question. "It's almost daylight. I have to cover up," she said shyly. "Will you come with me to the tent and help me find something to wear?"

I woke-up about two hours before dawn. I wasn't restless, infact, I felt more content than I have since before the Kubla Con, or perhaps ever. No predawn angst this morning. I stretched, flexed my tailfin and snuggled closer to Alex, who was lightly snoring. I lost myself in my thoughts as I watched moonbeams slowly crawl up the bedroom wall.

I haven't been sleeping much. Night after night, I've been waking up hours before I normally would. Nevertheless, physically, I've been feeling fine and rested. Then I thought, "How much sleep do Vulcans need?" I didn't remember any mention of that from any of the films or fan fiction. Which reminded me, "I'm thinking all my thoughts with a Vulcan brain. What effect does that have?" All my thoughts since last Saturday all seem to be the same normal me. But how do I define normal now? Would I have reacted the same to becoming a Mermaid if I'd had a human brain? Would I even notice it, if my thinking were different? Surely Alex would, but he hasn't mentioned it, if he has. Also, if Vulcan women are anything like human, my magnificent brain will soon be awash in pregnancy hormones. What will that do to me? "I should probably spend some time at the computer doing research today," I watched Alex sleep for a few more minutes, "or maybe not." I snuggled up even closer to him.

Chapter Three: A bad Day for a Swim

This time, I fixed breakfast for the two of us, after having made sure last night that everything I needed would be in my reach, of course. It all went smoothly this time. One would almost thing I'd flipped pancakes while sitting down before. We were about half finished eating and were looking into each others' eyes again, when the doorbell rang.

"Uh-oh. wonder who that might be?" I said.

"Whoever it is, you'd best get some clothes on."

"Look whose talking. You're not going to answer the door in your skivvies, are you?"

"Better than nekkid. I'll just throw a robe on."

"You know, we could ignore it." The bell rang again.

"No good," said Alex. "The car's in the driveway and nobody knows it's our honeymoon."

"Oh, OK." I wheeled myself into the bedroom and shut the door, while Alex put on a robe and answered the doorbell.

I had just put on a bra and blouse, and was contemplating a skirt, when Alex walked in and dangled a set of keys.

"What's that?"

"A little something from Todd. He's fulfilled the first condition you put on him." He tossed the keys to me.

"The van! Cool! Is it out there? I wanna see it!" I headed for the door.

It was big and white and rather imposing. Excited, I rolled all around it. "Wanna go for a spin?" I asked. "I'm driving!" It had only been a week since the last time I was behind the wheel of a vehicle, but it seemed like forever.

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Once or twice around the block, then guess."

"Hmn, lets see, a pretty little lake full of fellow mermaids you're busting to tell the good news to?"

"Bright lad! You got it on the first try." I pressed the remote, the side door opened and the lift started its way down. It was all rather ponderous and slow. "Hmn, I could crawl/wriggle my own way in and out much quicker. Maybe I shoulda just asked for hand controls. I'm plenty strong enough to wrestle the chair in and out of the back seat myself."

"Too late now."

I backed onto the lift and pushed the up button. "I could knit a sweater in the time this takes."

"Impatience is unbecoming in a Vulcan."

"Fooey!"

The lift finally got me up and in. The driver's seat swivled, so bouncing from chair to seat was easy. Alex came round to the passenger side, climbed in and buckled up. "Don't know about these Mermaid drivers," he said, "I hear tale they're crazy."

"Shut up." I studied the controls. "This must be the accelerator and this the brake."

"Best be sure of that first."

"For a Jedi, you're an awful scaredy cat." I stuck the key in the ignition and turned it over. The engine roared to life. I giggled over my new toy, put it in gear and took off.

Hand controls take a little getting used to, but it's not rocket science. I managed to get Alex back home without turning his hair white.

"Todd must be serious about keeping Darknight going to take this much care in keeping me," I said as I pulled into the driveway.

"It's been his passion for the last five years."

"Not his only passion," I smiled. "Did you see the way he and Beth were looking at each other."

"Yes, course it's hard not to look at Beth."

"Ooo," I swatted his knee. "Bad Jedi! No biscuit! Down that road lies the tail-slappin' wrath of the sea-bitch."

Alex laughed. "Well, lets get our swim stuff together and go."

I was on my way down in the lift, when I looked up and saw Edna. She was standing next to the driveway, looking rather shy.

"Hi!" I said, as the lift whined to a stop.

"Hi!" She said. "I was wondering...if you don't mind...if you all will be going back to Orlando any time soon?"

"We're going back for a visit today, just for the afternoon."

"Would you take me with you! If it's not a bother, that is. I would very much like to meet some more real Mermaids like yourself."

"Sure, no bother."

Alex came around from the other side of the van holding his communicator. "Hi, Mrs. Linzky. Hannah, the bank just called. They want to meet with me."

"When?"

"In about two hours."

"Dang it!" I threw up my hands. "It's like they knew! Well, I'm going anyway!"

"You sure?"

"I'm determined. Once my mind's set on swiming, I just gotta do it."

"In that case, would you mind going with her, Mrs. Linzky? She's quite capable and all, but I'd still prefer that someone with legs goes with her."

"Not at all, I'd love to. In fact, I was just asking Hannah if I could come. Oh, and call me Edna."

"Best go pack some swim things, Edna," I said. "If you're going to talk to Mermaids, you have to expect to get wet."

We went back inside. Me to throw a few things into a beach bag. Alex to try to come up with something suitable to wear to a business meeting.

Nothing he tried on turned into anything apropriate. The last thing ended up as something black with lots of leather.

"Dammit!" Alex sat on the bed and put his face in his hands. "I'll never be able to wear a business suit again!"

I patted his knee. "Poor baby."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Do you think they'll fire you because you can't wear a suit and tie anymore?"

"I don't know. Maybe not."

"Well, you can't wear that. It looks like you're about to go Sith. I do hope you can come up with it again some time though. You look hot."

"Thanks. I guess I'll just go with whatever comes up next, unless it's worse. Hadn't you better go? Your fan club is probably waiting."

"You know dear, we really need never fear unemployment again. If worse comes to worse, the other girls and I could work for Sea World. We could tour the country. The 'Mermaid Experience'. Come, pet real live Mermaids!"

"Guys would line up for blocks for that. I could always do birthday parties. Look Ma! He can juggle without using his hands!"

"And cut Volkswagens in half!"

Alex rolled on the bed and I almost fell out of my chair, laughing.

Finally, Alex raised up and dried his eyes with his sleeve. "Have you noticed? When you laugh, I mean really laugh, the tips of your tail fin curl up and the whole fin quivers. That's so cute!"

I looked at him. "I think Edna can wait a few more minutes."

A little while later, I was behind the wheel of the van and easing on to the interstate, headed for Orlando. Edna sat next to me squirming like a six-year-old on her way to Disney World. I was wearing a swimsuit top under a loose blouse and a beach towel over my tail.

"I should probably tell you about some of the people you'll be meeting. They're all permanent Mermaids like myself. Most of the changeable Mers have already gone home. Most of them didn't hang around the lake much anyway.

"Almost all of us are female too. There are only a handfull of men. I guess dressing up as Mers isn't a guy thing. Then there's Jackie. Jack was a frat boy who lost a bet and had to parade down the main hall dressed as Ariel, seashells on hairy chest and all. When the change came he gained a tail and lost his manhood."

"How horrible!" said Edna.

I nodded, "Well, he, or I should say she, is very beautiful, the perfect image of what Ariel would have looked like if she had been real, instead of a cartoon. Jackie spent most of Sunday in the lake, swimming in aimless circles, in shock. Finally, that evening, she surfaced, stared for a long time at her reflection, then ripped off her shells, grabbed her boobs and proclaimed, in her sweet Ariel voice, 'If this don't just bust Hell wide open!'. She seemed better after that, resigned, if not happy.

"Sad," said Edna, shaking her head.

"It's worse than that. Her parents won't take her."

"What!?"

"They refuse to believe that Jackie used to be their son. It's not hard to understand why. She looks nothing like she once did."

"But, she would know things that only Jack would know!"

"Doesn't seem to matter. They're in total denial. That's the way it is with the Xanadu effect, for every person who got their heart's desire, there's at least one for whom it was a total disaster!"

"Do you know anyone who got their heart's desire?"

"No, not of my own aquaintance, not completely. The closest would be Angeline. She was a paraplegic. She came to the Kubla Con as a mermaid in a wheelchair and that's what she became. She still can't walk, but you should see her swim and jump. She's obviously happier now, delighted even. She's certainly better prepared emotionally and materially for her new life than the rest of us were. She was already living independently for example. She would be the first to say that the Xanadu Effect made her life better.

"What about you? where do you fall on that scale."

I thought about that one for a bit. "Somewhere in between, but definitely closer to the disaster side. I can accept what happened to me, but I would have never chosen it. And I would go back without a moment's hesitation."

Edna sat, lost in her thoughts for a few minutes, "I would have to agree, if I were in your shoes...er situation. On the other hand, if I could be a changeable Mermaid, or if I could be totally free of the land, I would be seriously tempted." Then she changed the subject. "I imagine Ariel was a popular model."

"There are a lot of Ariels of different ages. Most ended up as changeables, except the youngest, the pre 'falling in love with Eric' ones. Including a couple who think they actually are Ariel. They don't remember their former lives at all. I've offered to help, using the Vulcan mind meld, but they refused. They're both adults, and I wouldn't force them, even if I could."

By that time, we were pulling up to one of the check points. I was a little worried tha they wouldn't let her in, but they seemed to think Edna was my mom or an auntie or something and waved us on through after looking at my survivors ID. There were still a lot of abandoned cars in the lot, five days after the 'event'. I took advantage of my handicap tag and parked in a spot near the Center. Beth was already there, and waved.

I began my descent, feeling a bit like some kind of Undine deus ex machina. I looped my beach bag over one of my chair's handles.

"Whoa," said Beth, "When that door slid open with you sitting there, I half expected an angelic choir."

I giggled, "That's kinda like what I was thinking."

"Me thinks Todd might have overdone it, again."

"After all the trouble and expense he must have gone through, don't expect me to complain."

"Don't be shy, this isn't a gift, remember, he wants you to keep working for him."

"Still, there are going to be times, in the next few months, when I'll appreciate not having to wrestle this chair out of a car's back seat."

"You have a point," said Beth, "When are you due?"

"Oh!" said Edna, who had just come around the front of the van. "Congratulations! I didn't know!"

"About the middle of August, assuming my gestation period is like every one else's," I said. "It's no secret that I'm pregnant, Edna, but I've not been very diligent about letting people know. Beth didn't til I called her this morning. I guess I should make an anouncement today before I lose track of who does and doesn't know."

"Before I forget," Beth rummaged for something up her very long sleeve. "We were cleaning up the Darknight site last night and found your jeans. These were in them." She handed me my now obsolete driver's license, a credit card and our engagement ring.

"Oooh my!" I felt my eyes well up. The cards meant nothing to me, but that ring! I thought I'd never see it again. I had taken it off and stuck it in my pocket, when I was told I would have make-up put on my hands. It didn't have much intrisic value, we put all we could spare into the down payment on the house, but the sentimental value made it priceless!

"But I'll never wear it again," I said sadly. I dropped it onto my finger, it went down only two-thirds of the way before stopping at the webbing.

"Perhaps you can get it resized," said Edna.

"Perhaps. That is what we were going to do with my wedding ring."

"There's no rule says you can't wear a ring above the first knuckle" said Beth. "speaking of rings," She stuck out her left hand. There she wore an elegant and tasteful ring. Not large or gaudy, or we would have noticed it earlier.

"Todd!" I squealed. "He finally did it!" I was wondering if he ever would!"

"You were wondering! I thought I'd have to wrestle him down and tickle him til he asked!"

"Is a date set?" I asked. There's nothing like just getting married oneself to make one an advocate for the institution.

"First Saturday in June. You're all invited of course."

"I'll be there, especially if you have sashimi and a pool at the reception."

"Absolutely! For one thing, you probably won't be the only Mermaid there."

"Sweet!"

"Well, Hannah, Edna, we'd best be getting down to the lake. By the way, there's another surprise waiting for you down there, Hannah."

"Another? This is a day full of surprises. Can you give me a hint?"

"I'll let Wynd tell you all about it."

"Wynd? She can talk now! That is a wonderful surprise!"

"There's more to it than that. You'll just have to see." There was just the slightest hint that something was troubling Beth about this. I decided to ask her about it later.

We had just started down the path through the woods, when Edna stopped. "Oh no!" she said and started rummaging through her bag. "I left my camera on the dashboard! I have to go back and get it. I'm sorry."

"That's OK," said Beth, "We'll wait for you here."

This irritated me. "No we won't. Just keep following this path when you get your camera, Edna. You can't miss the lake."

Beth gave me an odd look. Edna said, "OK," meekly and started back. We continued down the path. Beth's silence spoke volumes. Finally, I said, "Stop!" I put my face in my hands. "I was being a bitch, right?"

"Well, that was very unusual for the 'Sweet Hannah' I've always known.

"It's just that the lake is so close. I couldn't stand waiting!" I felt like sobbing. "I'm so sorry. Edna's been so nice. We can wait here. I'll apologize when she gets back."

Beth patted me on the shoulder, "That's OK. It's a water thing. Sometimes I forget that, in your own way, you need it as badly as Skye." she continued pushing me down the path.

"So swimming keeps me from being a bitch. Best get me there quick then! I'll apologize and try to make it up to Edna. I hope I didn't hurt her feelings too bad."

"You're going to get me in trouble," said Erica.

"It'll be OK. Don't be such a scaredy cat," said Jamie.

"It's what keeps me alive." Erica sniffed at some ferns and slinked her way around a rock. "I need to get you back before your folks find you gone, or I'm a dead kitty."

"You're exaggerating. Anyway, if all you're gonna do is whine, maybe you should take me back. I'd rather be in my cage."

"Now look who's exaggerating. That's only at night and they never lock the door. Mind you, they might start, if they find out."

Sometimes Jamie felt like a prisoner. His parents were constantly worrying about him, he even worried about himself occasionally. Owls at night, hawks during the day, cats all the time, it wasn't much fun being near the bottom of the food chain. This excursion in the woods is the first he'd been out and about since Monday.

Erica stopped, sat on her haunches and sniffed the air. "Something stinks around here."

"What is it?" Jamie sniffed, but his nose wasn't quite as sensitive, though far better than human.

"Somebody who hasn't bathed since the twentieth century." she sniffed again. "Pooh! Or maybe the nineteenth."

Just then they heard multiple pairs of feet tromping through the undergrowth.

"Time to hide," said Erica, who made a beeline to a hollow log and slipped inside.

"Uh-oh, there's bugs in here," Jamie scrambled over Erica's back.

"So? Now who's the scaredy cat?"

"Some of them are as big as me."

"Really?" She looked back at Jamie, who was using a stick to try to fend off a big centipede. "Ew! Maybe we need a new hiding place."

Something large and heavy sat down hard on the log, making it crack.

"Somebody remind me why we're traipsing through the woods on a hot sunny day?" came a harsh voice.

"Shut up fool! You give us away and Smithy will gut you!" came another such voice.

"I ain't afraid of no human!" returned the first voice, but he said no more.

Erica's eyes widened and her fur puffed up. "Orcs!" she whispered.

"Huh? What're they doing out here? I hate those guys!" Jamie also whispered, though at his size, it hardly mattered. "Do they come out here often?"

"Not that I know of. I bet they're up to no good."

"When have Orcs ever been up to good? We need to get out of here and warn people."

"Are you kidding? One's right on top of us!"

"So? You're a cat. You can run rings around them."

"What if they have bows?"

"They won't pay attention to us. I bet they have bigger fish to fry."

They heard some more steps and a hoarse whisper. "Get down! The fishgirl and the nasty Elf-witch are coming!"

Erica and Jamie looked at each other, eyes wide. "uh-oh," said Jamie, "This could be bad."

Alex sat across the conference table from the regional director and two of his supervisors. They weren't hostile, but they seemed unable to comprehend that he had very little choice about what he wore.

"You do understand," said the director, "that clients may not take you seriously while wearing that, uh...getup?"

"Perhaps if you waited til you got here to change?" said the senoir supervisor, evidently trying to be helpful.

Alex sighed, stood up, took off his long robe and threw it down on the table. After a few seconds it reformed into a dark gray, conservative suit-coat. "That's what I put on this morning." He sat back down and let them digest what had just happened.

A few moments later, a wave of pain and nausea passed through Alex's body. He stood, white knuckles gripping the edge of the table.

"Are you alright?" asked the director. "You look pale."

"Something terrible is happening," said Alex. It was a disturbance in the Force. Not as close or as strong as what he felt almost a week ago, but more horrifying because it was personal. "I have to go." He picked up his coat, which immediately became a hooded robe again, and left.

Chapter Four: Such a Woeful Destruction

We continued down the path toward the lake. I could smell the water, which now had my complete attention. Suddenly, Beth stopped and stepped aside. "Tira! Seler Lingwende. Nar yrch!" she said and drew her sword.

"What?!" I hadn't the slightest idea what she said, but I knew it wasn't good. A man with short, dark hair, wearing a black suit and tie and dark sunglasses stepped out of the underbrush into the path infront of us. I thought he might have been one of the MIB's, but he wasn't familiar to me. "Who's that?" I asked.

Beth shrugged. "Not my father. Careful, I smell Orcs!"

The stranger spoke, "Miss Parsons and Miss Mendenhall I presume." Two men wearing camoflage fatigues and carrying rifles emerged from either side of the path to stand next to him. There was also rustling in the undergrowth all around us.

"That's Mrs. Harris to you," I said.

"This is bad." whispered Beth.

"Congratulations. You will come with us." That voice! That's when I recognised him. Agent Smith from The Matrix. Crap!

"Not bloody likely!" said Beth.

"I don't like this anymore than you," I whispered. "But there's more of them and they have guns."

"My mother was taken by Orcs and tortured. Never will I fall into their hands!" she hissed.

"Your mother? You mean Arwen's mother! You're Beth, remember!" There was the sound of running feet behind us. I turned to see an Orc, axe upraised, charging. Beth did not move until the Orc was almost upon her, then her blade flashed, her attacker's body crashed at her feet, but his head continued down the path, bouncing past Smith. She returned to the position she held before, as if nothing had happened.

There was the crack of a rifle, and the world froze. Beth stood as before, sword upraised, black blood dripping from its blade, only now a thin line of red trickled from the corner of her mouth.

I screamed and catapulted from the chair. If I had known what I was doing, I might have done some good. As it was, my scream staggered Smith and one of the riflemen. The other fell to his knees. I slammed into Smith and bore him into the ground. All I could see was his hateful face. I tried to throttle him, but my webbing made it difficult to get a good grip. So I pummeled him with my fists. I did not know it at the time, but I was in the throes of Vulcan rage. The very thing that nearly destroyed their civilization. The emotion that made Vulcans reject all emotion.

Despite my tunnel-vision, I was aware of all that went on around me. Someone was foolish enough to grab me by the shoulders and try to pull me off Agent Smith. I tail-slapped him and heard ribs crack. There was the whirr of an Elven blade and the sound of steel grating against bone. Then a heavy body fell across my back and another jumped onto my tail. I couldn't move. Suddenly, Smith's face changed, it became a different face, one full of fear and pain. somewhere in the back of my mind, it occured to me, if this was really Agent Smith, I wouldn't have been able to do this to him. Finally, there were two more rifle shots, then a pricking pain in my shoulder, followed by nothing.

As Alex strode across the parking lot, he dialed Hannah's number. No answer. He dialed Beth's number. Again, no answer. He dialed Todd's number. Todd answered. "What the hell's happening?" said Alex.

"I'm not sure. All hell's breaking loose here! Someone just tried to assasinated Eric Winters and there've been shots fired in the woods."

"The woods?"

"Yes, I'm running that way now."

"Meet me at the edge of the woods. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes!" Alex sat behind the steering wheel of his car. He cleared his mind of all thoughts and distractions and let the Force flow into and through him. OK, let's see how fast this Chevy can go.

Erica crept toward the end of the log, Jamie clung to her shoulders. They peeked out, but could see nothing through the underbrush. The screaming and shooting had just stopped. All they could hear now were moaning and Orc voices.

"Smithy's a goner!" said an Orc.

"Pick him up!" said a man's voice.

"I say he's a goner, leave him!" said the Orc.

There was a shot, followed by the man's voice. "You pick him up then!"

"What about the witch?" said another Orc.

"She is dead. Leave her." said the man.

"Shit! This is a real clusterf**k. the boss is gonna be pissed!" Came another human voice.

"You and you. Carry the fish girl. Hurry!" said the First man.

"She's what did for Smithy! I say we fillet her!" said an Orc.

There was another rifle shot. "Anybody else wanna get creative?" said the first man.

"Dammit Ferg! We're gonna run out of Orcs!" said the second.

"I don't give a shit! You guys put her in the gray van, and she better not have another scratch on her!"

Erica ducked back into the log as two Orcs stomped by carrying a limp, red-headed Mermaid.

"Stop!" yelled Ferg.

"What is it now?!" grumbled one of the two Orcs.

A man in camo ran up and pulled a syringe out of his jacket. He jabbed it into the mermaid's side. "That first one probably won't keep her down long enough. she'll be out for hours now." said Ferg.

"Sleepy fishie!" cackeled an Orc. "She'll wish she never woke up!"

Ferg watched them leave as another man in camo walked up. "I can't believe those guys! Never send an Orc if you have a moron handy," said the second man. "We can't take her where we intended to now."

"It'll have to be the warehouse on Tamarind," said Ferg. "Make sure no one follows you. I'll pick up the boss."

"I'm glad it's you and not me." They both then hurried off.

Erica and Jamie carefully emerged from their hiding place. Erica crept carefully toward the path, dreading what they would see. they found five dead Orcs, an empty wheelchair and a still form dressed in green with a sword by her side.

Alex figured that he probably had at least a half-dozen police cars from at least three jurisdictions pursuing him by the time he reached the check point at the Convention Center and showed his ID. They were far behind, however. He pulled up next to Hannah's van, got out and ran for the path to the woods. He made the thirty-five minute drive in just under fifteen. He found Todd and Edna. Both looked shaken. Nearby was an ambulance, a second was just pulling up.

"What's going on?" asked Alex.

"I don't know," said Todd. "The authorities were already here. They have the whole area cordoned off and won't let anyone in."

Edna looked down. "I wasn't with them. I was back at the van getting my camera. When I heard the shots and the scream, I was scared. I didn't..." She fell silent.

"I'm sure there's nothing you could have done," said Alex. "Who screamed?"

"I don't know," said Edna. "It was terrible. It nearly made me faint."

Faint? thought Alex. Could a siren's scream have an effect?. "I'm going down there."

"I'm going with you," said Todd.

Taking Todd would make it harder for Alex to talk his way in, especially since he looked, for all the world, like a ten-year-old. One look at his friend, however, told him it would be impossible to say no. "Stay close and don't say anything."

They had just started down the path when they saw two EMT's rolling a stretcher between them. On it was a body completely covered by a sheet. Alex stepped up and pulled down the sheet. It was an Orc.

"Hey! What are you doing?" said an EMT.

"I'm allowed to do this," said Alex. He noticed that his hands were shaking as he put the sheet back.

"He's allowed to do that," said the EMT.

Another pair of paramedics with a body was coming up the path. Alex waited for them. Todd stood beside and a little behind him, looking even more like a lost little boy.

As the stretcher rolled up, it was jostled by a treeroot. A slender arm clad in green fell out from under the sheet. Todd groaned and turned away. Alex gently lifted the arm to tuck it back under the sheet. He froze. "She's not dead!" He pulled the sheet off her face. "Get her to an ER now! She's not dead!"

Chapter Five: Crawling in the dark

I awoke gradually. I was first aware of pain. I must have lain in the same position on a cold and hard surface for a very long time. Every muscle and every joint hurt. There was a scratchy and uncomfortable feeling in my throat as well. When I opened my eyes, there was so little difference I was startled. There was enough light seeping in from somewhere, however, to finally convince me that I wasn't blind, just in a very dark place. Where might that be and why am I here? I thought. Then I remembered why and my heart sank. I raised myself to a sitting position and groaned, or tried to. No sound came out. I tried several times to make a sound, any sound, but nothing would come out of my throat. They've done something to me! Why? Of course, that scream must have frightened them or, perhaps they know something about the siren song or then again, they've heard enough legends to want to take no chances. I thought about calling out in my mind to Alex for help, surely he could hear me. But no, It's probably a trap, I thought. They really want Alex. That's why they took me. I have to get myself out of this myself.

I clapped my hands together to make an echo. It was a very large room. I sniffed the air, it smelt of dust, rust, plastic and...water! I could smell water. It was dirty, stagnant and faint, but real. I began crawling in the direction I thought the smell came from. Eventually, my hands touched a cold, metal grate. That's where the water was. I felt around. It was certainly big enough to fit me, if I could just lift it. Theoretically, as a Vulcan female, I should be about twice as strong as your typical human male. I prayed that would be enough. I braced my tail against the floor, wrapped my fingers around the bars and pulled. There was a groan of metal against metal. It was so loud! I stopped, let the echos die away and listened intently. Nothing. I pulled again and dragged the grate off. I held my head over the opening. The smell of water was much stronger. I wished I knew how far down it was. I tore a button off my blouse and dropped it. After maybe a second and a half, I heard a plop. Perhaps ten or fifteen feet, I thought. How deep is the water? If I go in head first and it's too shallow, I'll break my neck. If I go the other way and it's too shallow, I'll break my tail. Either will put this girl out of business. I lowered my self in tail first and hung on by my fingers. Let's see, I'm about eight feet long, add another foot and a half or so of arm beyond my head. That's still about a six foot drop from my tailfin. I wish I was better at estimating measurements. I relaxed my tail so it would act as a spring and let go.

I splashed in without hurting myself. It must have been closer to ten than fifteen feet down. The water was about three feet deep and rather nasty. I hoped I wouldn't have to breathe any of it. It was still water, however, and I spent a few seconds splashing and reveling in it. I allowed myself to think that maybe, just maybe, the bait was going to work its way off the hook. I was in a chamber about ten feet square. There were two pipes about four feet up on opposite sides. That was above the water level of course. I would have to wriggle my way in and crawl. Which one do I take? They both smelt about the same. I finally decided that one smelt marginally less stagnant than the other and pushed with my tail and pulled with my arms until I was in it. My hips just barely fit.

It was down hill, so the going wasn't too bad. I was awful glad not to be claustrophobic. After about ten feet, the pipe leveled off. Unfortunately, that meant the water that had been there had slowed and dumped its load of silt. The pipe got tighter. I felt ahead of me in the total darkness. It got very tight very quick. I pushed at the silt, hoping it was a drift and I would break through, but it wasn't. Soon, I couldn't move forward at all. There was no way I was going to get any further in this pipe. As I already noted, Mer bodies are not made to go in reverse. I pushed with my hands, but I was just moving the slick silt, not myself. I tried wriggling backwards, but that was like trying to get a bird to fly backwards. I lost my temper and slapped the sides of the pipe with my fin. Then I panicked and thrashed about. That only served to wedge me in deeper. Even considering where I was and who I was dealing with, I tried to scream for help, but of course I couldn't. I ended up crying silently and wishing to be found by anybody, even Orcs. Still, I did not cry out to Alex. Not even to save the two of us.

Alex persuaded the paramedics to allow the three of them into the Ambulance.

"You're coming too?" said Todd to Alex. "What about Hannah?"

"She's not back there, and she's not dead. I can feel it. I'll go back later to look for evidence." said Alex. "They may need persuading at the ER that Beth's still alive. As long as there's hope, we can't let them give up."

"Thank you," said Todd.

After a few minutes, they arrived at Orlando's Holy Family Hospital, which had become the unofficial hospital for Xanadu survivors due to its proximity to the Convention Center. The paramedics were still doing CPR as they wheeled Beth into the ER. They did not need persuasion, Alex's sincerity and certainty were enough for them to at least try. By the time she was hooked up to the monitors, there was a faint heartbeat.

It seemed like forever, but was probably only a short while before there was a faint light that came in from behind me. Then I heard a big commotion. Sounds like they miss me, I smiled grimly. I may not have gotton away, but at least I gave them a nasty start. It didn't take them long to find the open grate and just a minute or two later came the sound of splashing. Finally, I could hear voices from the end of the pipe.

"There she is!"

"Is she alive?"

"I think so. Lemme check!" something poked my tail, hard. I would have yelped if I could.

"She's still twitchin'."

"Oughta leave 'er. It'd serve 'er right, the nasty fish-bitch.

"That's the problem with you Orcs, no human compassion. Now go in there and tie this 'round her tail. Make sure it's tight!"

"Why's it gotta be me?" the Orc's voice lowered. "Ya saw what she did to Smithy. Beat his face to a bloody pulp."

Oh, Yes! I thought. Fear me! Fear the fish-bitch! I slapped the side of the pipe with my tail.

"Ay! You stop that!" said the human voice. My tail got poked again, much more painfully this time. "There's more where that came from! Now, be still or we'll let you rot down here!"

I knew I couldn't win this battle, so I let the Orc tie the rope around my tail. It was painfully tight. Then they pulled, hard! I thought my body was going to be torn in half. I tried to scream, but all I could do was hiss, like some prehistoric beast! They extracted me along with a lot of nasty black silt. I was swung out of the pipe still hissing, all teeth, fists and nails. It hurt so bad, I had to fight! They continued to pull me up out of the drain through the open grate. They had set up some kind of tripod and pulley. I hung there, upside down, like a trophy fish!

The light was so bright, after the long darkness, that my eyes were dazzled. They grabbed my arms. I couldn't get any leverage and every movement hurt my tail. Somebody popped a bag over my head and cinched it tight until I gagged. Another ripped my top off and left me bare. All that time, they laughed and made lewd comments, speculating about where my privates were and how hard they'd be to find. Finally, I couldn't take the pain and fear anymore. My mind shrieked, Alex! Help me! I went limp. through the bag I could see flashes. Some one was taking pictures.

Doctor Leonard H. McCoy M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, United Federation of Planets was still wondering what the hell he was doing in Orlando, Florida in the early 21st Century. He, along with Jim Kirk and Spock were beaming down to...Dammit! where were we going? That was just another of the gaps and fuzzy areas in his memory that frustrated him to no end. That god damned tranporter! I knew we were going to come to grief someday because of those cussed things! Scrambled my brain and who knows what else. He poured himself a cup of coffee in the hospital break room. At least he'd been busy, apparently arriving in the midst of a gigantic explosion of wierdness, he couldn't even pretend to comprehend. "A massive dissonance in the space/time continuum." is what one of the Spocks told him. One of! That still made his flesh crawl, but not as much as recently seeing another one of his own selves, a much older version. He still hadn't quite gotten over that. He took a sip of coffee and grimaced. Here I am on the world where it was first discovered and brewed and I can't find a good cup of coffee. The stuff the replicator made was better.

His communicator beeped. It was Dr. Keyes, the ER physician. It seemed a Vulcan woman had gotten herself shot up and was in very grave condition. "I'll be right there," he said. Though he was far from considering himself an expert, he was the only physician present who had any experience treating Vulcans. He could well imagine how a curious Vulcan could innocently stick her nose into a situation that would get her shot on this world in this time, still the violence was shocking. He dumped his coffee in the sink and slung his tricorder and medical kit over his shoulder and left the breakroom.

Chapter Six: The Silence of the Mermaid

They took the bag off my head and took a few more pictures. Then they let go of my arms and left me to swing. I covered my chest with one arm and my face with the other. I felt ashamed, not because of my exposure, but because in my weakness, I'd exposed my love to capture or worse. I wondered what they would do with the bait, now that she had served her purpose.

"Be sure to catch her tears," said a human, the one who had poked me. "They say Mermaid tears turn into diamonds."

"You're a fool Matt," said a man I recognized as one of the riflemen that attacked us. "That's just a legend."

"There are legends walking all over Orlando nowadays, Ferg," said Matt.

Ferg had no answer to that. He spat and said, "If we're gonna take her to the boss, she has to be presentable. So, get to it!"

Some Orcs brought up a high-pressure hose and began spraying me down. Normally, that would have felt good after all the filth I'd crawled in, but it caused me to swing faster, increasing the agony in my tail. I nearly passed out. They grabbed my arms again and sprayed my hair and face. I coughed and choked.

"Hey! I thought she could breathe water," said Matt.

Not with my lungs full of air and upside down, moron! I thought. I wondered which, if any of them could hear my thoughts. One of them had to or they wouldn't have known of my distress call.

"That oughta do it," Matt made a motion with his hand and they began lowering me. A couple of Orcs grabbed hold of my tail and kept their weight on it to keep me from thrashing or slapping with it. Two others still held my arms. Finally they took the rope off. There was more pain and tingling as the blood flowed back into my lower tail and fin. I wondered if there was any permanent damage. I know Mer bodies were not meant to be carried that way. I was even more worried about what all this could be doing to our child, but I buried those thoughts deep inside. I knew it would be a very bad thing if they knew I was pregnant. I was now glad that we had told very few people.

Finally, they brought up a fancy-looking dining room chair and tied me into it, tail, arms and waist. Someone, I suppose the 'Boss', was taking no chances. They opened a trap door in the ceiling and lowered some ropes. Before they attached them to the chair, they tied the bag over my head again. I was actually somewhat encouraged by the amount of 'respect' I was getting. They must think I'm dangerous, I thought. They hauled me up through the ceiling and carried me, sedan chair style, down hallways, through doors and around corners. Even if I hadn't been 'bagged', I would have probably gotten lost.

Eventually, they set me down and took the bag off. I was in a plain, white medium-sized room dominated by a large, formal dining table, to which the chair I was in evdently belonged. Opposite me was another such chair, empty. On the table, off to one side, was a silver candlestick. The Orcs were dismissed. Ferg, and another man I didn't recognize, pushed me up close to the table, where I had no leverage, and untied my arms. Then they left through a door behind me.

The first thing I did was arrange my hair to provide some modesty. I wouldn't, willingly, give a peep show to this lot, especially not the Boss. I looked about for a camera, but saw no likely suspects. I tried pushing away from the table, but there was too much friction from the carpet. Given time and a lot of squirming, I could probably work the chair back far enough to tip over backwards. I wasn't given the time. A door on the opposite wall opened and a man walked in. I was half expecting Hannibal Lector, but it wasn't. He was a pleasant looking man in early middle age, but with a grim and unsympathetic expression. His hair was long, blonde and only slightly receding. There was something familiar about him in a Hollywood sort of way. Then I recognized him, David Warner, or I should say, some character portrayed by David Warner about thirty years ago.

Entering behind the Boss, I assumed he was the Boss, was a line of men carrying food and drink. A large lobster was placed in front of me along with some water and white wine. I noticed that I didn't get any utensils, not so much as a spoon. Under the circumstances, if I'd had a fork, I might have been tempted to comb my hair with it. The lobster was cooked, fortunately. As famished as I was, I had no intention of eating for his satisfaction and cooked was easier to turn down. The water was a different matter. I picked up the glass, stuck my nose in the water and sniffed, I didn't care if I grossed him out. It was just tap-water so I downed it. I was in no position to start the conversation, so I stared at him and waited. He took several bites of what looked like broiled fish, wiped his mouth with a napkin and spoke.

"No appetite?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"I would have thought that you would have liked seafood."

I shrugged. Unless you can read my thoughts, this isn't going to be much of a conversation, I thought at him.

"Was it not cooked to your satisfaction? Or, perhaps, it shouldn't have been cooked at all?"

I felt I was being trifled with. I pointed at my throat and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, that! Don't worry, the soreness will decrease with time."

I shook my head and pointed again.

He smiled, "That is just a simple precaution, to protect you as well as us. It's completely reversable, when you give us reason to reverse it. But, for now, I'm afraid our conversation will be one sided."

I sighed and leaned back in the chair. Just great, I thought. Here comes the villain's monologue.

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here?"

I tried to look surprised, as though it had never occured to me.

"Would it supprise you to find out that the going price for a real live mermaid (now that you exist) in certain parts of the world is already in the billions? I can see by the look on your face that it does. And I did say billions, with a 'B'."

He had me there. This chilled me to the bone. How can any of us maintain our freedom with that kind of price on our heads? And, even though he didn't say so, I'm sure the same went for centaurs, fauns and other mythologicals.

"And, as I'm sure you may have surmised, the price for a living Jedi is many times that of a mermaid. A wise and handy fellow could purchase himself a small country."

I tried to supress it, but the thought came unbidden, What price can there be for the offspring of a Force sensitive and a Mer? I felt like crying. On the other hand, wanting a Jedi and actually getting one are two very different things.

"You may have noticed the flaw in my plan. Subduing and capturing a Jedi is much more difficult than taking a mermaid."

I nodded.

"What if I tell you I have the magic to render a Jedi powerless? Skeptical?"

I just stared, I was starting to get tired of his games.

"That's where you come in. You will be a living demonstration of that power and perhaps save his life. With your cooperation, I can see to it you will never be separated and grant you your heart's desire."

I frowned. You might find my heart's desire very unpleasant, I thought.

"Even without your cooperation, I can accomplish the same thing, at more risk to you, and your husband."

I slowly shook my head.

"I see that words alone will not convince you, therefore, as a demonstration, I'll be generous and grant that wish."

He picked up and rang a small bell that had been placed next to the candle when the food was brought in. I thought it had been placed there to summon servants. Instead, the chair I was in slowly moved of its own away from the table. The ropes binding me to it fell away, then my entire body but most especially my lower body was wracked with pain. I hissed and grabbed the arms of the chair. My tail became blurry and began to shrink rapidly. Legs burst forth from just below my pelvis and grew just as rapidly. I screamed out loud. In what must have been less than a minute, there was no tail, just legs, my original legs, down to the mole just above my right knee. I sat stunned for a moment, then I did something I hadn't done in a week, that I thought I'd never do again. I stood up.

Alex stood outside the curtain covering the cubicle where they were treating Beth. Todd stood next to him. Edna sat in a chair, her head in her hands. Alex focused his mind on what was happening inside. Mostly it was competant detachment and busyness. From Beth he got just flickers of life, though perhaps stronger than what he felt when he touched her arm on the stretcher. He was distracted by footsteps and looked up to see Bones McCoy. Alex wondered if this was the same McCoy who had treated Hannah and Jamie. Whether it was or not, his presence made Alex feel more confident.

Bones McCoy strode quickly into the ER. He saw the Jedi and Hobbit hovering outside the curtain, and gave a slight nod of recognition before entering the cubicle. He took one look at the patient. "This isn't a Vulcan."

"What?" said Keyes.

"She's not a Vulcan. The red blood alone is a give away," He began his scan, then paused confused. Everything was mainline human, but the cellular age was off the chart. And, there was no DNA damage, none whatsoever, not even in the skin that would have been exposed to sunlight. Also, What's keeping her alive? Any normal human with these wounds would be approaching room temperature by now!

"She's an Elf," said Alex through the curtain.

"Thanks," said Bones. "Now hush!" He continued the scan, then shook his head. "I'm going to have to open her chest."

Keyes picked up the phone. He had worked with McCoy enough to respect his knowledge. "I'll call OR and start prepping her."

"No, there's no time, it has to be here and now!" He showed Keyes the tricorder screen.

Keyes looked and sucked in his breath, "Right, but what about anesthesia?"

"Is that Jedi still hanging around out there?" said Bones. "Get him in here, stat!"

"I had nothing to do with that!" said Wynd, looking defensive and distressed. Her sister sat in front of her, arms crossed, tailfin twitching in anger.

"You must understand why I'm suspicious. A mysterious shadow-thing grants you a better transformation, then the very next day..."

"Shush! Not so loud! I could never do anything to hurt Beth or Hannah. They saved me!" Wynd put her face in her hands while her fore hooves pawed divots in the grass.

"I want to believe you," said Skye, near tears herself. "Why can't you tell me what you promised and who you promised it to?"

"I just can't!" wailed Wynd. "You can't tell either, you promised!"

"An evil promise should never be kept! But I believe you, I think. Anyway, I have to trust you. I need your help." said Skye.

Alex stood at Beth's head, trying not to look as MCoy used a laser scalpel to cut into her chest. He held his hands over her eyes, projecting soothing comfort into her mind. He knew she was feeling no pain in any case, she was too deeply unconscious, but he continued, just in case.

McCoy finished the incision and allowed Keyes to retract the wound, exposing the pericardium, it was full of blood. "Tamponade's already started," said Bones. "I have to cut. she's gonna need a lot of blood."

"Already on the way," said Keyes.

Alex thought he might get sick. He wasn't squeamish, but this was his only up close and personal experience with major surgery. Then he completely lost his concentration. It was as though Hannah was standing next to him screaming in pain. "Alex! Help me!" His hands shook.

"Steady there!" said Bones. "Just a few more minutes!"

Alex broke out in a cold sweat, but he renewed his concentration.

Bones was able to seal the holes in Beth's heart, and finally, closed the incision just as his protoplaser ran out of synthetic skin. At least I didn't have to stitch her up with needle and thread. he thought. But what about the next patient? "Only time will tell," he said. "But I think we may have fixed her."

As soon as he was certain he was no longer needed, Alex left the ER.

Alex turned in his resignation to the Jedi Council. He knew where Hannah was now, and knew he would likely have to kill to free her. He did not want to cause trouble for the Council by making it look like they endorsed his actions. as he left the Hotel, he saw a dark figure standing by the door. It was Darth Vader. Alex was wary, but the Vader made no hostile move.

"I wish to speak with you."

Alex was puzzled, why would one of the Vaders wish to speak with him? He nodded, "Continue."

"I know of your difficulty."

"Difficulty?"

"Don't be coy with me. It is no secret. Your wife has been kidnapped, you are proceeding to her rescue."

"And what business is that of yours?"

"Under the Old Republic, the Jedi were discouraged from marriage or forming special bonds with individuals."

"I'm aware of that, and the role that played in your own fall."

"Enlightenment."

"Get to your point. I'm in a hurry."

"Excellent. I have forseen that your actions today could very well lead you to embrace the power of the dark side. I have need of an apprentice."

"So you're going to hover about my fight like a vulture, waiting for me to go into a murderous rage, then pick up the pieces?" Alex turned away. "No thanks!"

"No. I intend to help you succeed."

Alex stopped. "Why?"

"Success is as likely as failure to bring about your 'fall'. And you are no good to me as a dead hero."

"And if I don't fall?"

"There will be other occasions. You show great promise in the Force. I do not give up easy."

"So, I have a guardian devil. OK then, if I fall, you have dibs on my soul. Be aware, I don't intend to fall." Alex saw standing ahead of them a tall, bald, dark-skined man in Jedi robes, Master Mace Windu, or more properly, Jim Harding. "Greetings Master," Alex bowed.

Harding/Windu looked Vader over and raised an eyebrow. "I am coming with you, Alex, to show that the Council does not abandon its own in a time of trial."

Alex smiled, "I'm going into battle with a guardian angel as well? One at each shoulder. Who could ask for more?"

Chapter Seven: Swimming in the Dark

I could have danced a jig, but I remembered where I was and that I was unclothed. I stepped behind the chair.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Yes," I said. "I have to." I guess it's safe for them to let me have a voice, now that I'm no longer a sirena.

"Will you help me now?"

"A pair of legs. Is that the current market price for a best friend and husband?"

"Don't trifle with me! You can save him and be with him always." He stood and leaned against the table.

I leaned my head against the back of the chair. Whether from the effects of the transformation or something else, I was feeling kind of sick. "Save him for a life of slavery to who knows what kind of wickedness? He would curse the sight of me every day and he would be right to do so."

He struck the table with his fist, making the dishes shake. "This is useless! Take her back to the cellar!"

In a few moments, the same crowd who brought me, came to take me back. I knew this was going to be unpleasant. On came the bag again and they half dragged, half carried me down the corridor. No longer being a Vulcan, I hadn't the physical strength to even attempt to resist. I expected to be raped. It didn't happen. That probably meant the Boss still harbored some hopes for my cooperation. I was kept in doubt, however, until they lowered me back through the trap door. Just before they closed it, something whizzed by my head and cracked against the floor at my feet.

After struggling with it a few minutes, I got the bag off my head. It was just as dark without it. I felt the floor for whatever it was they threw at me. It was the lobster. I crouched down and began eating it. Why not? There was no one to watch me now and I knew I would eventually need sustenance.

I knew that the Boss' concern for us being together was pure bullcrap. He was probably afraid that his 'ultimate weapon' would ruin Alex's value as a Jedi, just as he had ruined my value as a mermaid. I cracked a claw against the concrete floor and pulled out the meat. He would probably only use that weapon to save himself from Alex's wrath.

What now? Things are probably going to get worse if I stay. Alex could always rescue me, but the Boss' magic had me worried. Worse case scenario? Alex gets changed to his old self and loses. Boss ends up with two 'worthless' geeks. Boss quietly disposes of geeks and starts his next project. Best case scenario? Alex disposes of villains, rescues me, then I melt into his arms. What's most likely? I sighed and peeled the shell from the lobster's tail. The damsel in distress thing never seems to work out for me.

If I escape, I can call Alex, tell him I don't need to be res...whoa...damn! No, I can't call him now, not without a phone. No transmitter on my end anymore. Still, escape is my best option. How? The trapdoor is out, I can't jump that high. I shuddered at the thought of the grate, even if I could lift it. I didn't recall seeing any doors when the lights were on. Of course, hanging by one's tail is not a good position to observe one's surroundings. I'd have to feel along the walls to make sure.

I stood and moved away from the remains of the lobster. I wouldn't bet against there being rats down here. I moved carefully with my arms stretched forward. I didn't want to smack into one of the support beams I remembered seeing. When I thought I'd moved far enough away, I crouched again. I was tired, despite my recent 'nap'. It was also getting hard to concentrate. I kept being distracted by things I thought I saw in the dark. Something began fiddling with the lobster carcass and then I thought I heard a soft splash from the grate. I hugged my knees and shivered.

They took Darth Vader's SUV. Alex's Chevy was now too 'hot' and a rampaging balrog had demolished Harding's vehicle in the first wave of chaos following the transformations. Alex programed the location of Hannah's distress call into the GPS, then they were off. The location was an isolated area on the Indian river across from Titusville, about a forty-minute drive. The image Alex recieved from Hannah made it obvious that they were looking for a warehouse. The map told them there was only one road in and out. Approaching unnoticed was going to be almost impossible. "Things are going to get ugly as soon as they see Darth Vader behind the wheel," said Alex.

Vader's plan was hardly subtle. It involved crashing the SUV through the gates and emerging with lightsabers blazing. This had Alex's approval, however, due to the pain and sense of urgency in his wife's cry for help. Unfortunately, unless they wanted to hike through miles of marshland, it was also the only option.

Vader and Harding switched places at a gas-station a few miles from their destination. They all decided that Harding/Windu was the least likely to be recognized. The other two would lay low. It was a last-minute change that they hoped might give them a few more seconds.

for as long as he could, Harding made it look as though he was just going to drive past, then he whipped the vehicle into a seemingly impossible ninety-degree turn and accelerated. Down a short driveway was the security gate. The first bullets struck the SUV about two seconds before impact.

I closed my eyes. I knew I would go nuts, if I kept straining to see nothing. Also, to block away the myriad of tiny noises and to give myself something to think about other than my predicament, I started humming to myself. I had a brief mental image of me as a female Gollum, crouching naked in the dark eating cold lobster and humming to myself. I giggled at that. Then I believed I might actually be going nuts. I thought I could here a small, faint voice singing the song I was just humming.

            The water is wide I can't swim o'er, and neither have I wings to fly
            Give me a boat that can carry two, and we will row my love and I

I felt a thrill and a chill through my whole body. I stood and sang the second verse.

             There is a ship that sails the sea, It's loaded deep as deep can be
             But not so deep as the love I'm in, I know not how I sink or swim

There was silence for several seconds, then the voice returned. "Hannah, I don't know the third verse. You'll have to sing it for me."

"Skye!" I groped my way over to the grate. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue you. I just can't seem to reach the grate. I'm afraid you'll have to lift it."

"I'll try. How did you get here?"

"Wynd dropped me in the river. Then I swam and climbed up the pipes. They're all pretty big. I'm sure you'll fit, easy."

"What about silt?" I braced my knees against the floor and lifted. "Weren't any of them filled with silt?"

"Nope."

The grate didn't budge. She must have come in by the second pipe. I had a 50/50 chance of escaping on my own and blew it! I thought to myself. How typical. I tried again, the grate just moaned a bit. I couldn't do it!

"What's wrong?" asked Skye.

"It's too heavy! I can't lift it! Oh, I would probably drown anyway!" I sat on the floor, frustrated.

"Drown?"

"I'm not a mermaid anymore," I sobbed. They took that away from me!"

No sooner had I said that when an electric jolt of pain coursed through my body. I collapsed into a fetal position and screamed. I grabbed for my legs and could feel them shrink and wither away. I reached below my waist and felt my tail growing. In a few seconds, it was over. I raised myself to a sitting position and felt over my whole body. It was all there, down to my fin. I hugged my tail, rolled over onto my back and laughed. This is what I am! This is what I want to be! I thought. Walking is so over-rated.

"Hannah? Are you OK? You're scaring me!" came a plaintive voice from the grate.

"Sorry about that, I'm just fine sweetie! Watch out! I'm coming down!" I picked up the grate and tossed it aside. I went in tail first, hung by my finger tips a few seconds, then dropped. I splashed in. "Skye! Where are you?"

"Right here!"

I grabbed her and hugged her. In pure joy, I slapped the stinky water with my tail, sending a column of it up into the cellar. "Come on girl! Let's get the hell out of here!"

Suddenly, I could see Skye. "They've turned on the lights! That means they're coming for me!" I said.

"Right!" Skye pulled herself into the pipe and started wriggling her way in. I gave her a shove and pulled myself after. The pipe descended steeply. In the dim light, I could see her tail flipping about as she crawled. I followed so closely I about got my face slapped by it more than once. The light brightened behind me and I could hear a splash. If they brought a gun, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Then Skye dropped out of sight and I heard a splash. I followed and fell into a larger pipe, almost a tunnel. Just as I dropped, I heard a voice behind me.

"Shit! She's gone!"

"This way!" said Skye, from off to my left. "Follow the current." The water was only knee deep, so we half swam, half crawled.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they drop a couple Orcs down after us out of shear bloody-mindedness." I said.

"They won't follow us after the next tunnel, unless they can breathe water."

Soon there were lights in the distance behind us and echoing curses.

"Here we are," she said, and slipped down a smaller pipe. Almost too small for me. It was completely full of water, so I had to breathe it.

"Ick!" I thought. "Here I am breathing water I wouldn't dare drink." We popped out into a larger tunnel with only about six inches of water on the bottom. We decided we could take a short break.

"Whew! Thank goodness for all these tunnels," I said. "Where did they come from?"

"A long time ago, before it became a wildlife refuge, they were going to drain the marshes on Merrit Island and make farmland. The warehouse above was originally a pumping station."

"Wow, you did some research. I'm impressed."

"Thanks!"

"We should get going again, but I need to do a couple of things first." I sent a mental call to Alex, "I'm escaping! Don't try to rescue me!" Then I put my hand on Skye's arm. "Can you hear me, Skye?" I thought.

"Whoa! Is this telepathy?" she thought back. "Cool!"

"I think it'll only work between us if we're touching. But, at least, we'll be able to communicate under water."

We crawled through the shallows for what seemed a very long time. There was no longer any sound of pursuit. I could hear Skye splashing along in front of me. Every now and again, she would pause in front of the echoing opening of a side tunnel and listen or sniff. Eventually, she said. "Listen! Running water, can you hear it!"

"Yes."

"This is the way. Down this pipe." She slid down the steep pipe and I followed. It carried a bare trickle, but was still moist and slippery. It lead to a larger tunnel which was full of much fresher water. It was wide enough that I could hold her hand as we swam. I was very afraid of losing her in the dark. One could wander lost down here for a very long time.

"Do some of these pipes and tunnels lead to the marsh?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Could there be snakes or gators in here?"

"No gators yet. I bumped into a snake on the way in. You shoulda heard me scream." she giggled mentally.

The tunnel we were in became tributary to a larger one that was steeper with a much faster current. I grabbed onto Skye's tail with both hands. There was no need to try to swim. "How did you manage to swim up this current!" I asked her.

"I didn't! I think I made a wrong turn!" she thought back.

I saw light ahead and just had time to think, "OOOh shit!" when we burst out into brilliant sunlight and freefall. The water turned into shining sparkles of spray around us. I lost my grip on Skye and tumbled.

The SUV crashed through the gate and halted just in front of the building's entrance. The three Jedi piled out, already blocking bullets with their lightsabers. The first thing Alex noticed is how different blocking slugs was from blocking blaster bolts. The slugs were completely invisible, which made one rely more on the Force. Also, the slugs did not ricochet when they hit the saber's blade, instead, they burst into a puff of lead vapor.

Alex and Harding covered Vader's back as he smashed the doors with a gesture. Then came an explosion that knocked Vader back into Alex, almost bowling him over. The Sith Lord was up again in an instant, his armor having taken the brunt of the blast.

"That was not intended to kill," said Vader. "It was intended to wound and discourage. We are not dealing with fools."

Inside, the warehouse was dark, the windows had been painted over. The floor was piled high with large boxes. From the far end of the corridor, a light machine gun opened up with tracers. There was no way they cold stop that kind of firepower for long. Alex spotted a gap in the boxes to his left and jumped into it. Vader and Harding jumped right into another gap. They were separated.

In his gap, Alex slamed into a man with a rifle. Alex was a moment faster than the man's trigger-finger, and sliced him in half. It was not like in the movies. Alex was horrified. The sight of what he had done and the smell of burnt flesh made him retch. He jumped over the body and continued down the gap. He felt a growing anger against whoever caused him to have to do this violence.

To left and right, the path Alex was on made confusing twists and turns, but seemed to lead closer to where he knew Hannah to be. On a hunch, he slashed one of the boxes with his weapon. Underneath the cardboard was concrete. "This isn't like a maze," he thought. "This is a maze!" He stopped short. Just ahead was an almost invisible wire across the way, the trigger for another trap. Alex carefully stepped over it and continued. He turned another corner and found himself face to face with another rifleman. The man fired, Alex blocked the projectile and strode forward. At that moment, it was as though someone had turned off a switch. Alex felt his senses dull and turn muddied. His mind slowed to a crawl. It was as though he had been drugged. His lightsaber turned itself off. He tried to turn it on again, but nothing happened. Then another shot rang out. As everything turned dark, Alex heard someone shout, "You fool! You weren't supposed to shoot him!"

Chapter Eight: The Water is Wide

I think I hit the water sideways. It stung, but it was so frothy that I wasn't injured. The current, however pounded me down to where I plowed a furrow in the silt and gravel bottom. I didn't know which way was up and the water was so full of silt, mud and debris that it was impossible to breathe or see. I finally broke surface, spewed water and sucked in air. I looked about frantically, Skye was nowhere in sight. I called out to her, but the roar of falling water drowned me out. Finally, I saw her shoot half-way out of the water and fall back in. Her hair was full of twigs and leaves. She spat some mud and blood and shrieked, "BEST...WATERSLIDE...EVER!"

There was the crack of a rifle and a geyser of water shot up between us. "Down!" I screamed. As I dove, my tail flipped up. I heard a second shot and felt a sharp sting from my fin. It didn't stop me, down I went until I touched bottom again. That's when I found out that the Vulcan second eyelids are transparent in Mers. The current was still moving so fast that I didn't need to see or swim to get away from shore. Eventually, however, it slowed and cleared up. I was greatly relieved to see Skye swimming only a few yards away. I waved, then we joined hands and swam with the current farther and farther toward safety.

My tailfin was still stinging, so I stopped to have a look. I curled my tail up in front of me and inspected the fin. There was a small pencil-diameter hole right through it that oozed a small cloud of green. Skye touched my shoulder, "Are you OK?" she asked.

"No big deal, I've just been shot is all."

"Shot!?" she gasped.

I pointed at the tiny hole and grinned mischeivously, "'Tis but a fleshwound!" Then I got serious again, "What about you?"

She spat out a small cloud of red, "I think I bit my lip when I hit bottom. Everything else is fine. Sure hope there are no sharks in these waters."

I looked about quickly and sniffed, "None in sight or smelling distance." I sniffed again, just for enjoyment. I could smell and identify a variety of plant and animal life as well as some industrial pollutants and something else, a familiar smell, and taste. Salt! I could taste the sea! "Skye, can you smell what I'm smelling?"

"You mean salt water," she smiled and nodded. "It smells like..."

"Home."