Page 38 of Call of the Fathoms (Deep Waters #4)

Thirty-Eight

Fortis

F ortis knew he had to make a show of this. The humans who would bring him into this city were not going to be happy with just capturing him. They did not expect a creature of his size—one who had already attacked their city—to come quietly. If he wanted her to live, then he needed to prove her right.

He listened to their conversation, hearing the way the scientists didn’t trust her. He knew the moment she was given the injection. The sound of her sigh likely reassured them that she was waiting to be treated, but he knew the sound for what it was.

She was disappointed. Embarrassed. There was even a hint of guilt in that sound, as though she had been the one who had made a grievous mistake in coming back.

This had to be done, however. She had to make it through this city and unlock at least a few of those hidden entrances, or none of this would work. They needed her to betray her people and to do that; she had to make this believable.

And so did he.

So when the doors opened and a rush of soldiers appeared towards him, he made it look real. He fought and struggled against the net, ripping at it with his teeth and baring those sharp fangs for everyone to see. He snarled at them, writhing over and over until they had no choice but to fear him.

“If this net was not here, I would have already torn you limb from limb,” he growled. “There is nothing I love more in this life than tearing into human flesh and tasting your blood on my tongue. I wish to see you destroyed in every way you can imagine, and then suck the marrow from your bones.”

Fortis assumed they could understand him, just as she could. He also assumed that no matter what he said, they would believe it a threat, as they should. But they did not know that he was going to die today, just as he did not know how she would kill him.

The soldiers pointed their laser weapons at him, ones he knew would sting if they fired. He wasn’t afraid of those, though. He had taken many of them to the chest and tail throughout his years. What he did fear, however, was the scientist who walked into the room with a handful of needles.

No, this wasn’t right. They weren’t supposed to kill him before she could.

“We won’t make the same mistake as last time. What I gave you should have incapacitated a whale,” the scientist grumbled before barking, “Make sure he can’t move.”

Multiple soldiers lifted the net out of the water and then pinned him down onto the floor with it. The net was nearly impossible to wriggle in now, although he tried. His fluke slapped against the floor and four more humans arranged themselves around the edge. There were at least ten of them holding him down now, perhaps more that he couldn’t see over his shoulder.

Eventually, he pretended to tire. Fortis let his fins flip to a dramatic final thwack and then heaved a giant breath as he laid quietly for the scientist to approach him. He had to believe in the vision, and trust that Alexia would be the one to kill him. He knew his end. He knew his future. And his future was her. It always had been and always would be.

The prick of the needle warned him that soon, he would feel the effects. If they gave him double what he had been given the last time, he wasn’t sure how awake he would be. The drug would eventually make it hard for him to be aware of his surroundings.

The drugs took over quickly. He wasn’t faking the way his muscles went lax and how even his breathing was. His mind was only barely aware that he was still in this room. He could see the white ceiling above him, and hear the murmurs of the humans surrounding him, but he wasn’t all that concerned about what they were saying.

“Just kill it and get it over with,” one of the soldiers said. “I don’t understand why you’d keep it alive. The beast is more trouble than it’s worth.”

The scientist sighed. “Because we cannot study them or harvest their organs if they are dead, you moron. The specimens need to be alive for as long as possible. Besides, Harlow wants to be present when this one dies, considering he took her favorite guard away from her. What would you do if you were in her position?”

Something slid underneath his body. Two metal arms that were strangely sturdy as he was lifted off the ground. The same soldier who had asked the question walked beside him as they moved, and that man grumbled under his breath, “I’d want the creature who nearly killed our most skilled soldier dead. That’s what I’d want.”

So there were intelligent achromos. Humans, he corrected himself, and then would have laughed if he had been able to do so. He’d always assumed the humans were stupid creatures, but one of them was actually able to make a joke that he found funny.

How interesting to discover such a thing when he was about to die.

Soon enough, what he saw melded into the vision he had seen from his wife. The white ceiling that rushed past him, the flickering of lights that he realized now weren’t lights turning off and on, rather that he was moving underneath them. Rows of lights that started and stopped as they moved through Tau.

The journey brought him closer to many more humans. There were gasps of shock as they realized who was being transported among them. Some of them hissed out words like, “Impossible. That one is too large! Surely it isn’t from the sea?”

So many voices that all overlapped with each other. Voices that he would bring with him to the grave and hoped that he would soon return to haunt.

He was wheeled into the room where he knew it would all end. Just as his wife had predicted and just as she had shared his future with him. He recognized the lights on the ceiling. He knew this place like he knew his own soul. How many times had he watched this very moment? Knowing the bright white lights above him would start to go blurry and how he would struggle to keep his eyes open?

A sense of peace blossomed in his chest. He had been waiting for this for so many years, now that it was here, he could let all of that fear and aching unknowing go. Soon she would arrive. Soon, he would be prepared for the end.

But there were details that he hadn’t expected. The sound of clanking metal as the scientists prepared themselves for the extraction of his organs and parts. The mutterings of the men and women who surrounded him, each of them speculating on the differences they would find within him, and what they were going to do with the organs.

“They are stronger, and far more capable of surviving under the water than us. What I want to know is how the pressure doesn’t affect them. Even deep-sea fish are incapable of coming up from the depths like the undines do.” The female voice was soothing and quiet, even though she spoke of things that no human had the right to understand.

“I think our own curiosity is not worth wasting all this time and effort. We know there are healing properties in their skin. We should be using this specimen to discover how they heal so much faster than us, and how we can adapt that knowledge so we don’t waste so many resources on creating more reborns.” This time it was a man’s voice, much harder and clipped.

He’d known the humans were experimenting on his people for a reason, but he hadn’t thought it was for this. They were so curious about his kind, they didn’t even realize that it should have been much easier for them to research what his people could do.

They could have just asked. All these years wasted, and all they’d had to do was work together. He had seen that it could work. Look at the village Mira and Arges had built. They could have been working together for years and the ocean they could have cultivated would have made so many happy, wealthy, healthy. All the things that these people wanted, but they were so bound and determined to do it on their own before they would ever deem it worthwhile to ask another for help.

He couldn’t wait for all of this to be over, but anxiety churned in his stomach. What if he had made a mistake? What if they were never able to do what he believed their people could do?

Anxiety spiked the longer he was alone with these people. His heart rates picked up, and he could hear the little blips of whatever monitor they had hooked him up to as it went faster. He couldn’t think of anything but the sound of his own rioting hearts. They knew he was nervous, and that was the biggest shame of his lifetime.

Breathing harder, he struggled to open his eyes. She should be here soon. She was meant to be here. Why wasn’t she?

“Ah, Harlow! You’ve arrived.” One of the male scientists said.

If the Original was here, surely that meant Alexia was too. Unless they had killed her. Unless they had decided that it wasn’t worth the risk to keep her around, and they could make another of her so easily. They didn’t care if she was gone.

But he did.

Damn it, he cared if she was gone and he could only just barely blink his eyes against the bleary light. He’d thought he was ready. He’d been at peace with what was happening, but he wanted to see her again.

Just like the vision had promised him.

One last time.

And then there it was. The sight of her dark hair blocking out the blinding light that had been so painful to look at. The darkness of her was the same comfort as staring into the abyss. A lovely and welcome sight after he’d been so exhausted. Breathing in deeply, he stared up at her with all the love that he felt in his heart.

Had he told her that he loved her? Not in so many words, but he thought with his actions that he had.

It was kinder that he hadn’t admitted it. She didn’t need to know how much he loved her when they were going to be parted for all eternity. But maybe the drugs had gone straight to his brain, because he regretted not telling her. She deserved to know that someone loved her.

“So, this is where you brought him?” Alexia asked. Her voice was a welcome balm compared to all the other voices he didn’t recognize, nor did he have any interest in hearing them speak.

“He’s going to go into processing. But we thought Original Harlow would like to see him first.” That was said by the female scientist who had wanted to tear him apart to understand how pressure didn’t affect him like it did humans.

“Ah,” Alexia said. Her hand landed on his shoulder, and he knew it must look like she was there to lay claim to him, but he could feel the comfort in her steady touch. “I don’t think we’re going to experiment on this one.”

“We are.”

“No, you’re not.” Her voice hardened. “This is Harlow’s prize. I hunted him down for her, and I brought him back. I don’t care what experiments you were going to choose, and I don’t care about your petty interests. This is her undine.”

He had been warned that she would be cruel, but it was still hard to hear her say all this. He wanted her to tell them all to fuck off, and protect his prone body while he could do nothing by lay there and take whatever they offered.

But it was also his time. And no matter how hard his mind wanted to fight to live, he knew that this was the only choice he had.

Another voice spoke up, and this lilting tone must be the Original Alexia had spoken of. “I don’t care what they do to him, Alexia. I’m just pleased you did what I asked.”

“I understand that, Harlow. But you also sent me on a mission to kill this creature and I did not do it yet. I wanted you to be here, so that there was no question that I do your bidding and let nothing stand in my way.” Again, her voice turned to something like steel. “I know there are rumors that I couldn’t possibly be the same guard I was before I left. Though I am on medication again, I find I resent those who believe I will not serve you until my dying breath.”

The sigh that echoed in the room was nothing short of lovesick. As though Alexia had said something that was truly romantic. “Oh, you sweet thing. You always know just the thing to say to me. Go on then. Kill him and we’ll tell them all to stuff it. You were always the best of them, even if a few emotions slip through here and there.”

And then Alexia turned toward him. All he could think about was her standing there, looking down at him with those dark eyes filled with regret. She held her hand out. “Give me four hundred milligrams of neurotoxin. The one we pulled from the diatoms.”

“Alexia, we cannot just kill him. The information within his body is too valuable to destroy a specimen like this!”

“I will make you if I have to.”

The scientists rushed. And all the while, she looked down at him. Surely they all thought she was looking at the greatest prey she would ever catch in her life, but he saw the brightness in her gaze. He saw the way her eyes were already watering even as she struggled with herself to not cry.

A needle and vial were handed to her, and she carefully drew the neurotoxin out of the bottle before handing it back. Her hand dropped out of view, likely to his arm where he knew, without a doubt, she would kill him.

But then she hesitated. He could see she wasn’t going to do it. There was a flare of rebellion in those dark eyes, and he had to stop her. This was both of their destinies as much as it hurt.

Struggling through the drugs, he lifted his hand and press it to hers. With his hand on hers, he guided the needle into his flesh.

Whispering so no one would hear what he said, he quietly told her, “It’s all right, virago.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek and dripped onto him. He felt the heat of it splash against his neck at the same time as he felt her inject him. His entire body seized for a moment, every muscle stiffening in pain until he felt it all let go. All of his body was so loose, so at ease. He hadn’t thought it would feel like this. Like nothing had ever been wrong and everything was going to be all right. He hadn’t realized that sinking into death would be so... peaceful.

And the last thing he saw was her beautiful, sorrowful eyes filled with tears.