A Touching Of Lips (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 37. Temper Tantrum.

Once the waiters had left we were able to say good morning to Chiang properly and we all sat down to breakfast. The table was ladened with a wide variety of fruit, sweet rolls and spiced meats. There were boiled eggs and sausages and fresh filter coffee.

I heard Ming say, "Wow!"

I chuckled. This was all so new to him.

"I spoke to Yacht again this morning," Pond said as he poured out coffee for us all. "As I told you, Uncle Mongkut had forced his way into the aquarium last night hoping to catch us as we soaked. They spent some time up in the inner sanctum and Yacht has said they are going back today to try and secretly disable the safety device that stops humans from going up there. He overheard River telling Top that last night. They are looking to come back one day next week with the intent of catching Khun Chiang."

"Why are they still trying to catch him? I don't get it?" I asked.

"They are ill. If you remember I told you that they are being polluted. They need fresh Merman blood of certain types that match theirs. Khun Chiang has a rare type that matches that of their Emperor's son. They also require certain scales and organs that they can clone parts from or use to produce an antibody serum. They will not just kidnap him...., they will kill him. This serum is what they have been working on, here in Bangkok. I found lots of information on the computer at the college. One of the professors there is advising them at one of the big pharmaceutical companies they control. Yacht said apart from Uncle Mongkut they all looked ill. Because they are in bad shape, they are now desperate. The raid last night proved that. With inside help they stole our database file containing all the medical information of all Mermen in Bangkok and the surrounding areas. They are so desperate for healthy blood and new DNA, that they even took away one young Merman that has only recently arrived as his blood was of another rare type."

"Are you not able to donate blood like we do here? My father and brothers regularly donated."

"Not as easy as that, Earth. Our blood is not like yours and does not store. It has to be transferred from body to body because of the risk of infections. That is a major problem for us on land. We constantly risk catching a virus or infection daily."

"I've seen you laugh at me when I clean an already clean room," Ming interjected, "It's to help Pond to be free from infections, but that's only partly the reason why I do it. I like to be clean and tidy anyhow, so it's no bother."

We keep ourselves healthy with supplements and good food," Chiang added. "That's why Yacht's food is always so tasty."

"It may not seem like it but things are going to plan," Pond advised. "Yacht is of the opinion that they are not well enough to travel here just yet. Today we will let them do what they want in the aquarium and tomorrow Yacht will discreetly open a secret escape route in the inner sanctum that we have had installed, so that we can enter tomorrow night and then cut off the power so that no one can get up there."

"Do you not think that they will be waiting for you then?" I asked.

"No!" Pond answered emphatically. "They will have planned to try again once they know for certain we are back and will be using human mercenaries."

"Surely after they raided yesterday, they would know that you are expecting them?" Ming asked.

"Not really," Pond responded. "We have inside information being provided by Yacht and another person. The aquarium staff do not know Uncle Mongkut, so we will just be told that strangers entered the aquarium. None of the staff are aware of what they have done to the security system. Our staff cannot contact us to advise us in advance, because although they know now we are here in Hua Hin, they don't know exactly where. We will order the aquarium to be closed and Khun Chiang will stay here where Thahan can protect him. My investigations have resulted in us learning that Bangkok is no longer as safe as it was. The aquarium is no longer easy to defend from this type of attack. Without a safe haven we must pull all our loyal Mermen out of the city. Without places to soak safely we are likely to be discovered. I can use the escape route to continue to soak while the evacuation takes place, but it is too risky to let other Mermen use it. Yacht understands this and will make other arrangements despite the risks."