Captivity

Chapter 7: Stepping Stones

Fingers tapped along hard oak whilst a scowl crossed the face of their owner. Vlad Masters stared on at the screen before him with a look of deep thought. For the past few months he'd been watching that screen, searching for anything he could put to use. The cameras he'd had installed within the Center did their work just fine, it was simply what they showed that left him thinking.

The aquarium's newest resident was growing with the place and of its handlers, but it was still hidden from the eyes of the public, along with the primary attraction. And it was beginning to hurt his numbers. Since they day they'd found the mer off the Florida coast, he'd been keen to study it himself and bring the discovery to the world's attention. However much to his dismay, the creature took hostile to his approach, and his 'partner' found it wiser to give it time to adapt and grow used to them. Well he'd given them time...

The creak of the door brought his attention up from the display. Standing in the doorway looking rather sheepish was the young scientist himself, with his disheveled red hair and worn out clothes; sometimes he wondered why the man was even let into his office the way he was, but there wasn't much he could do to change that. It wasn't like the man could buy himself new clothes the way he lived; probably why he'd come striking up a deal to have the research center funded. Not that Vlad minded, he needed a new supplier in the exotic, and the man's affinity to the wild world made him the perfect tool for the trade. Now it was a matter of putting that tool to use.

"Did the vaccinations go over well?" He mused, knowing full well from what he'd seen that the man had backed down the moment the mer had hissed at him.

"Actually, that's, one of the reasons I'm here," Nate rubbed the back of his head nervously, and Vlad new the excuses were coming.

"I'm guessing that's a no..."

"It's too soon. There's a good chance we'll ruin whatever trust we've built with him. I could see it in his eyes, the moment I went to reach for it. He's only just started to let me in, and I know he won't give me a second chance if I blow it now," A sigh escaped the young scientist's lips whilst he stared into the 'lion's mouth'. His boss hadn't made any move to yell at him for his 'incompetence', but the look in the man's eyes told of the growing agitation right below the surface.

"So, in other words, you're telling me that you won't vaccinate the animal because you fear it will break its trust?"

"Not fear. I know it would..."

"Then what pray tell do you suggest?" the billionaire leaned back into his seat, waving a hand in inquiry. It wasn't a friendly gesture; more of a warning that he was growing tired of the excuses and was going to obtain the results he wanted, one way or another.

"Perhaps altering the medicine? Make it into a consumable form? It would be easier to slip it into his food unnoticed," Nate pleaded. It wasn't often that he asked such a thing, but he also knew this battle was far from over.

"Changing the medicine into a consumable is time consuming and expensive," He waved the biologist off, turning to pour himself another cup of coffee, "The budget can't afford such a modification."

"And what of the worth we've put into this? Is it worth losing it?" The red head frowned. His eyes locking onto the older man's who'd stopped mid sip to acknowledge the stare down.

"Then find something to make it worth keeping, Mr. Manson... Find a way to increase the center's profits before I go throwing money into a sink.. Maybe open the main exhibit, or lay off a few people," Vlad sat back, setting his cup down upon the desk as he watched the scowl deepen on his colleague's face.