The Good Intentions of a Cyborg Werewolf

All Voices Heard - XX

Luke held the Assembler in his jacket pocket, his thumb still over the communicator, and groaned in frustration. When he imagined returning to speak with the merfolk he expected to find discourse. The information they'd gleaned threatened their way of life, and that would no doubt cause immediate deliberation. What he found instead ran contrary to everything he could've predicted. It was an exodus. As he approached the fishing office he saw beyond the hill that the docks were filled with people loading personal effects onto boats. Men, women, and children, all carrying personal effects. There must have been at least three dozen. The merfolk were running.

"They're packing up," Luke said with exasperation, "they're going to run."

"You're here to help, though," Erin said over the comm, "you have to stop them!"

"I don't think that's the problem here," he sighed. "I should've known. If they bail out now we'll lose CB's trail. They won't stick around without a source of livestock."

"There had to have been a better way to phrase that," Erin muttered. Luke didn't respond, he just continued up the hill towards the office. He glanced down towards the docks. Frightened people hastily moving entire lives onto boats. It wasn't the first time he had seen something like this, but it was the first time he witnessed the behaviour from them. Unlike his kind Merfolk could easily acclimate into human society. In doing so they took after humans, became reactionary, easily scared. It was natural, perhaps, but to Luke it didn't seem right. Abandoning all they had built for what was almost certainly temporary relief. The problem wouldn't go away just because they did, and Luke had lost his patience, and all but stormed his way up the hill. He didn't even knock as he entered the office, startling Hihio and the others that occupied it. There were several inside, including Mahi and three others Luke did not know. A young woman, a middle aged woman, and a similarly aged man.

"You can't just barge in he-" the unidentified man began, but Luke strode past him towards Hihio.

"Running won't change anything," Luke ignored everyone else and spoke directly to Hihio. "The people doing this will find you and it will all start again. You're not solving the problem."

"That's for us to decide," Hihio said, but his tone betrayed his reservations. Luke saw it all over his face as well. The elder mer was not convinced.

"What about the ones already taken?" Luke asked plainly. "Are you going to abandon them?"

"We don't know if they're even alive," the older woman interjected. "Mahi... told us about Genmu." Luke glanced in his direction. Mahi stood uncharacteristically quiet and out of the way, not meeting Luke's gaze.

"You can't leave yet," Luke said. "I need someone to guide me through those caves."

"We can't," Hihio said. "That creature is still out there-"

"And it's going to stay out there," Luke stepped towards him, "it will keep taking your people unless we hunt it down and kill it, everyone involved with it, and destroy whatever facility they're operating out of."

"Listen to him!" The other mermaid glared at Luke, "hunting. Killing. That's all Werewolves know." Her gaze was harsh and judgemental as nobody saw fit to question her. "He's a predator."

"Luke is here to help," Mahi finally said, but when he got more glares from the older mer he seemed to bite his tongue. Luke only vaguely understood the hierarchy of merfolk society, but it seemed the opinions of its younger members were not as appreciated.

"No, she's right," Luke huffed. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets as he slouched, "I am a predator, and that's precisely why I know Celestial Biotics are not going to stop. They kill and exploit and they just don't care. You run, they give chase. You resist, they kill you. The creature who's been kidnapping your people? That's not a part of either their world or our's. It's the product of twisted science that so far only bastardised my kind, but now they're dipping into merfolk. Everything is fodder to them, and the only way they'll stop is if they're eradicated. I can do that." The room fell uncomfortably silent. Luke's words seemed to reach the scared people, but as he examined their distrustful stares he wondered if he may not have done himself any favours. They seemed more afraid of him now than what he said.