The Mermaid of Santa Monica

Chapter 9

The next morning, Terry and Tommy were home and Adrianna was staying with them. The trio were all having breakfast. Terry was still in her pajamas as Laguna had granted her the day off following yesterday's events. Adrianna was petting Owen.

"So, Adrianna, I have a proposal for you."

"What's that?" quizzed Adrianna.

"Since you don't have a home on the surface, would you like to live with us going forward? I figured since you're already Tommy's babysitter, it'd be easier for you to do your job."

"Please do!" Tommy cheerfully declared.

"Sure," Adrianna nodded, "It's pretty obvious Tommy would be on board with the idea."

"Perfect. And to start with, I have something to give you."

Terry grabbed something from a nearby counter and put it in front of Adrianna. It was a cell phone. It was a Nokia 3210, complete with a charging cable. Suffice to say, Adrianna was surprised.

"My own cell phone?" she asked in awe as she picked it up and held it.

"Yep," Terry nodded, "Now you don't have to look around for payphones anymore."

Adrianna was touched. Never had she ever thought a human would go so far as to give him something like a phone.

"Thank you so much, Terry," she squeed in excitement, "I love this a lot!"

Suddenly, a news report began playing on the TV, showing a female news anchor. The three turned their attention to it.

"Good morning, Santa Monica," the anchorwoman began, "This is Amelia Mides and you are watching KGNC News. Our first major headline today is Sea Life Scientist Apprehended. Yesterday afternoon, Dr. Barnaby Mongrell, disgraced scientist for the Sea Life Institute in Santa Monica, was arrested following an incident that involved him attempting murder five-year old, Tommy Fishbach, the son of Dr. Teresa Fishbach, a veterinarian for the Institute. Dr. Constance Laguna, the Director of Operations, has issued a public statement regarding this incident at a press conference."

The TV cut to footage of Dr. Laguna on a platform standing behind a podium with various microphones against a blue backdrop with small white Sea Life Institute logos all over it. In front of her were various news reporters in chairs as well as camera operators and photographers surrounding them. Laguna spoke into the microphones with a very stern expression.

"On behalf of the Sea Life Institute," Laguna declared, "I'd like to announce that in light of his recent actions, Dr. Barnaby Mongrell's employment with the Institute has been terminated, effective yesterday. The fact that he threatened to take a child's life is completely unacceptable, especially since that child also belongs to one of our employees. I deeply apologize to everyone affected by his reprehensible actions. With that said, I'm willing to take questions at this time."

"What about the illegal experiments Dr. Mongrell conducted on sea animals in his laboratory?" asked a reporter.

"We at the Sea Life Institute condemn his unethical experiments. His actions do not in any way reflect the Institute's mission statement of rescuing and protecting sea life and we take such violations very seriously. An investigation is being conducted by a third-party as we speak and we intend to fully cooperate with the appropriate authorities."

Another reporter asked, "Dr. Laguna, as Dr. Mongrell was being apprehended by police, he claimed he was in pursuit of a mermaid. Do you believe that mermaids may be living among us?"

"Mermaids are mythical creatures that only exist in fairy tales. There has been no evidence of such creatures existing in real life, and any footage or photos claiming to be such is utterly false and completely fabricated."