It's My Life

Chapter 17 - Confrontation

I opened my eyes slowly, recognising the room around me, and almost cried. I sat up slowly, my head hurting from the drug.  A few moments after I stirred a guard unlocked the door, brought in some sandwiches, put the plate on the chair, and then left. I had an urge not to eat, but I knew that was stupid. I needed the nourishment. I ate the sandwiches slowly, and then lay  back down, but my mind wouldn't stop racing. How had they found me? They hadn't cut my skin at all since I'd come here. Or had they? I stood up and paced the room, suddenly angry. It must have been when I was asleep for the scan, I thought. At that point the lights went out, and I moved blindly to the bathroom, turning on that light and closing the door so that some light spilled underneath the door. I lay down on the bed, thinking I wouldn't get to sleep, but tiredness took over, and I dropped off.

The phone had gone dead in Tom's hand.
"Cass? Cassi?" He said into the phone, but the screen was dark. He felt so helpless. Taking a deep breath, Tom sat down, but he couldn't stay still for long. He thought back to when he'd met that Brad man. What had Cass called him? Thomas? Thompson, yes. Brad Thompson. A scientist. The phone rang again and for a fleeting moment Tom hoped it was Cassi again, but he already knew before he answered the phone who it was.
"Hello, Mother." Tom said.
"What's wrong? You feel dreadful." Cora said. Tom sighed.
"I have asked you to stop doing that. I am fine." Tom said. He could feel his mum's confusion.
"You're fine, but someone else isn't? You are definitely upset." Cora said.
"Yes, Mother. My girlfriend, Cass, is in trouble." He said, then paused, wondering what to tell her.
"What kind of trouble?" Cora asked. Tom stopped, not sure what to say.
"She's been...abducted. By a laboratory." Tom said.
"Why would a laboratory kidnap a normal human girl?" Cora asked.
"I don't believe she is a normal human." Tom said. 
"You think she's one of us?" Cora asked.
"I do indeed. She smells of the ocean, every time I touch her I feel something special. She feels it too, though she tries to hide it. I have met her parents though, and they are pure human, there is no trace of Mer in either of them. She is fully unaware though of what she truly is." Tom says in a rush. He could feel his mum's surprise.
"How old is she?" Cora asked. Tom thought back.
"She's just turned nineteen a few weeks ago. What are you thinking?" Tom asked.
"I am going to make some enquiries, see if any Mer babies were orphaned or lost nineteen years ago. Leave it with us." Cora said.
"All right. But I am baffled. If any Mer babies were lost, it would be highly unlikely that they would end up on land, right?" Tom asked.
"Not always, no. But she may have been born on land and her parents dead. Your father has many contacts, he will investigate." Cora said, and Tom could hear his father in the background.
"Okay, keep me posted." Tom said, and terminated the call.  He paced back and forth, and then sat at his desk, turning on his computer. Once he was able to he did an internet search on Brad/Bradley Thompson and scientist and laboratory. His heart beat painfully in his chest as he waited for the internet to find the information he sought. He found a page and clicked on the link.
"Bradley Thompson, B.Med Sci, B.Med, PhD, top of his field in genetic sciences and exploration set to win acclaimed awards in his field, Science Today reports..." Tom groaned and kept searching.
"Brad Thompson, Dr, Sugden Laboratories in Lewiset set to win..." Tom wrote down the place name and location, then did a map search. It wasn't too far, forty minutes drive from his apartment, so all he could do was wait until his mum had more information. He wondered if the Mer council could do anything, considering Cass had lived on land her entire life. Turning off his computer he went to bed, though he couldn't stop worrying.

I woke early the next morning feeling refreshed, but afraid. I curled up under my doona, dreading when I would be collected and taken to answer questions. I hoped they hadn't seen much the previous evening, I didn't think they had seen me at the payphone. Thinking of the phone call I smiled to myself, covered by the doona. I hoped Tom could save me.
The door opened a few minutes later and a guard entered, holding a tray and a jug of water.
"Eat up. I'll be back in fifteen minutes to take you to the doctors." He said, then left. I moved from the bed as the door locked and moved to the chair. I sniffed the water but couldn't smell anything out of the ordinary, same for the toast. I ate slowly, drinking down the water. Once I'd finished eating I brushed my hair and tied it back. Sure enough the guard returned, accompanied by another guard, and moved over to me.
"Come along." He ordered, taking my arm. I stood up quickly, trying to move back, but I was held firm. They led me out of the room and down the hall to Shields's office. Both Brad and Shields were waiting and Shields indicated the chair vacant opposite him and next to Brad. I was pushed into it, and sat down slowly, my eyes averted as the guards left. I could feel both Brad's and Shields's eyes on me, but I didn't move.
"I have to admit, that was a genius move, Cassi. Give us enough information to help you without the fine print." Shields said. I kept my eyes downcast, focusing on not trembling, but stayed quiet.
"We are here to help you and learn. We can't help you if you don't tell us anything." Brad added. I looked at him, my eyes brimming with tears.
"You are not helping me by keeping me here. I told you the other day that you were killing me. I led a perfectly normal life until you butted in and let curiosity get the better of you. Why couldn't you leave well enough alone?" I said angrily. Brad frowned.
"What are you?" He fired back at me. I looked away, arms crossed over my chest.
"Stubbornness won't help this time, Cassandra. You need ocean water, we have all that we need to replicate that for you, so you can fight all you want, it's useless." Shields said. I looked at him, feeling a fresh wave of fear flood over me.
"You can't keep me here. My parents..." I started, but Shields shook his head.
"Your parents have no say." Shields said. I bit my lip.
"Because I'm an adult, you can't hold me." I said.
"That's part of it. You're nineteen now. Anything we do has nothing to do with them, we just didn't want them to cause trouble. Also we wanted to test their blood too, see how similar you are." Shields replied. I glared at him.
"You let them go and I'll...tell you some stuff." I said.
"Oh, no. You tell us everything, and only then will we release them. Tell us how you stayed under water so long." Shields said. I stiffened, but before I could make any excuses, a voice spoke from the doorway behind Brad.
"And remember, your answers will determine how long you are here, and your parents. And before you try to escape and find them, they're not here." Jones said. I looked at him quickly, and paused. I recognised him, but where from?
"Where are they then? They have done nothing wrong." I said, though the authority that emanated from the man made me want to withdraw, to retreat and cringe.
"Cass, this is our boss, Director Jones, and your host." Shields said.
"Definitely an honour. I have hoped to meet you for quite a while now." Jones replied.
"Where are my parents?" I asked again, ignoring his words.
"They are safe. But as you have been told, you won't see them until you cooperate. With everything." Jones said. I flinched and looked away. Jones looked from me to Shields.
"The two of you have news and I, for one, am interested. What about you, Cass?" Jones asked, and I looked at him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I snapped. Jones smiled, and then looked at Shields behind his desk. Shields sat up straight and pulled some paperwork to him.
"Dr. Tucker was enlisted with the task to test the  blood samples from Cassi, Jeremy and Louise, and we found some oddities. Shields said. I frowned, but didn't say anything.
"What oddities?" Jones asked.
"Well, we haven't run any paternal or maternal tests, but from what we can tell, Louise and Jeremy Silver aren't her real parents." Shields said. I looked at him so fast that I felt suddenly dizzy.
"What? You're insane, of they're my real parents." I cried, leaping to my feet, but Jones pointed at the seat.
"Sit down!" He commanded in a loud, no-nonsense tone of voice, but I ignored him, my entire body shaking with anger and fear. Brad grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me down, trying to struggle.
"No! Please let go. You're lying. You're all lying!" I screamed, tears falling. Brad yanked hard and I lost my balance, collapsing into the chair.
"There is no reason to lie." Shields said. I cried softly, and the three men looked at me.
"I can assume, from your reaction, that they never told you  that you were adopted, or found." Brad said. I shook my head.
"They are my real parents. Maybe not by blood, but they are." I said, turning slightly so that my back was to them all. After a few moments I looked back at Jones.
"I've seen you before, haven't I? But where?" I asked. Instead of denying it, Jones just smiled, as though guiding me to guess. I sent my mind backwards, then gasped.
"On the beach a few days ago, you were on the beach when I was walking into the water, and..other times too. Years ago. I forgot until just now." I said, fear creeping through me.  Jones smiled.
"I go to that beach often, hence how I knew about the walkway between the houses. I live a good ten to fifteen minutes walk from that walkway, and I have actually seen you a few times, though I didn't realise you were the one that Dr. Thompson was interested in until a few days ago when he told me where you lived. Quite fascinating, really. You have been under my nose for the last ten years at least." Jones said, and I felt fresh fear flood through me, but I fought to keep my voice steady.
"Are you saying that you would've taken a child from her home and run tests on them?" I asked.
"I'm not saying that, no, but I would've kept an eye on you sooner, made a few inquiries when you were younger. Of course, if we had known more eleven years ago when Dr. Thompson had first met you, we wouldn't be able to perform the tests we can now, and I wasn't the director either. Amazing how things work out." Jones said. I watched him in fear, my mouth open in an un-ladylike manner.
"The MRI scans should be ready soon." Shields said, which triggered something in me. I looked from one to the other.
"How did you find me on that beach? I swam for nearly two hours, and yet you were pretty much waiting for me. You lied to me." I said. Brad and Shields exchanged glances, but Jones smiled again.
"You certainly are a clever one. I think one of your doctors will explain it. I'll see you soon, Cassandra." Jones said, and then left the office. I watched him go, thinking to myself that I hoped to never see him again, then looked back at the other two.
"Now is one of you going to tell me what the hell you've done to me? How you found me?" I demanded. Brad had the decency to look slightly abashed, but Shields just looked at me calculatingly.
"I think you already know, or you wouldn't be as angry. What do you think happened?" Shields asked.
"I think that you took advantage of my being unconscious and implanted a chip somewhere on my person, and once I escaped you simply activated the tracking device and found me along the coast." I said, watching the two of them. Shields nodded.
"Very good. And that chip stays put until we're completely finished." Shields said. I gaped in horror.
"No. I never agreed to that. I want it out of me." I said.
"It's made of a material that cannot be detected by a scanner, it won't show up on any scan of any kind. Only Dr. Thompson and I know where it is. The day we finish to our satisfaction is the day we'll remove it. Until then, consider it our property and, as it's embedded inside you, you're our property." Shields said. I glared at him, but I couldn't argue his logic. I turned away, hot tears burning my eyes.
"First question. What are you?" Brad asked. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"I don't know. Really, I don't." I said, seeing the disbelieving looks on their faces. "I just am what I am. I don't know. I just know I am something. I always thought I was human with...a gift." I said. Shields made a few notes.
"Is that why you were home-schooled?" Brad asked. I nodded,
"I needed the ocean nearby often when I was little. I had to swim daily, for several hours. As I grew older I needed it less." I said. Brad nodded.
"Any liquid sates the need to swim, to get wet?" Brad asked.
"No. Normal water helps, a small bit, but only as a last resort. But I need ocean water to really help. I can mostly control the urge, if I'm careful." I said. Shields was typing away as we talked, and I felt my heart sink. I would never be free now.
"We are creating ocean water as we can't just transport all the water you need. It should satisfy you. How long can you last without immersion?" Brad asked.
"I don't know. I see it as a sort of...reverse allergy. It's something I need or I'll get sick without it. I normally don't allow  more than a day, and you saw how I was at three days." I replied. Brad nodded.
"I hope it never gets like that again for you, but that depends solely on you. You do all we tell you to, and we won't have to deprive you of what you need. You act up though, and don't do as we ask, and the way you felt earlier today will be nothing compared to what we can do." Brad said.
"I am not eating any fish. You can punish me all you want, but I shall not. And as you remember, I can smell it." I said. Brad frowned.
"How acute is your sense of smell?" He asked. I shrugged.
"It's not that great normally, pretty average. But when it comes to fish I can smell it from far away. If you touched a fish and washed your hands, I'd still smell it." I said.
"So the ocean smells horrible to you?" Shields asked. 
"No. Actually it smells wonderful, welcoming." I replied.
"And once in the water?" Shields said. I pondered his question a moment, but remembered he didn't know anything.
"I can't smell underwater." I said. It wasn't a lie, exactly, just not the whole truth.
"How is it that you can heal so fast? How did you fake the broken ankle?" Brad asked.
"I don't know why I heal so fast. I have never tested it or anything, and I'm not about to either. Only small cuts in case I suddenly don't heal. I see it as a gift, and I'm not about to abuse that gift." I said, and Brad opened his mouth, "and as to why I faked the sprained ankle, I knew people had seen me hurt myself, though only you saw the blood. If I turned up the Monday at school looking a hundred percent, people would've been suspicious. I used bandages to make my ankle look swollen." I said. 
"We are going to run a few tests whether you like it or not. If you stop healing, then that's too bad." Shields said. I glared at him.
"What are you going to do, tie me down and cut me until I stop healing?" I asked. Shields watched me.
"We'll figure it out. We might just cut a few vital veins." Shields said, watching my face for a reaction. I leapt to my feet in anger.
"If you so much as come near me with a scalpel I'll sue you for everything you own, you'll be paying me back when you're in hell." I yelled.
"I will need to though, to get the chip out." Shields said, unfazed by my outburst.
"That is the only time then, and I want to be awake the entire time." I said. Shields slapped his hand on his desk.
"What part of "you don't have a choice" don't you understand? And you won't get a single law suit to stick, do you know why? Because you are not normal. Any lawyer or media you went to would expose you before anything else happened. You think we're bad? Imagine that multiplied by ten. That is how much worse it'll be for you" He said. My hands trembled but I clasped them behind my back. Shields's phone rang, and he picked it up.
"Shields. Oh, it is? Excellent. Is the pool in the basement being used? Good, get the maintenance crew to clean it and then fill it with the ocean water." Shields said.
"No chlorine or chemicals." I said. Shields looked at me, and shrugged.
"Tell them to use the natural cleaners. We don't want to contaminate the ocean water. Also get a filter system to clean the water. Good. When will it be ready? Tomorrow? Fine. Thank you." Shields said, and hung up, then turned to me. "You can test it tomorrow. If it feels wrong you can tell us." He added to me. 
"Oh, you're too kind. And what if it's wrong?" I asked.
"Then we will get another sample and try again." Brad said. I looked at him.
"So if it doesn't work tomorrow you'll take me back to the beach? Or let me get sick again?" I asked.
"No chance of you getting that close to the ocean, goodness knows where you'll end up. I know of a few tidal pools that are disconnected from the ocean at low tide, that can be our backup." Shields said. I leaned against the wall, fiddling with my plait, frowning. I felt a little bit of pleasure though, they didn't know everything about me.
"Take her back to her room." I heard, and looked up to see a  guard move towards me, another waiting by the door, and I was ushered out of the office, down the hall and back to my room, for lack of a better word. Cell might be fitting, but I had a bathroom. A slight upgrade. I searched through my things to find something to do, and I was lucky to find a book, so I lay down on the bed, back to the camera, and tried to immerse myself in someone else's life.

Brad went home not long after the meeting, and put his briefcase in his office. He just stood in the middle of the room, his mind playing over the interrogation of the girl. He got the feeling that there was more to her than what they had been told, and he was puzzled.
"Brad? You had better hurry, we have a reservation in an hour with the Hemingways." Jenny called out from the kitchen, and Brad groaned and moved upstairs to find Tabitha coming out of her room, looking miserable.
"What's wrong, Tabby?" He asked. She shrugged.
"Oh, nothing I guess. I've been trying to call Cassi to catch up, but she's not answering her phone or returning my messages. I'm really worried about her." Tabby said. Brad frowned.
"I am sorry to hear it, I didn't realise you two were still close. When did you last talk to her?" Brad asked.
"The spelling bee so...six days. Maybe I should call the police. They'd know what her address is, even if she didn't tell anyone." Tabby said. Brad felt his heart pound.
"Best not. She may be busy with her school work, or they may have gone away. Give it a week or two, I'm sure it's nothing." Brad said gently. Tabby nodded.
"You might be right. Thanks, Dad." She said, and headed downstairs. Brad moved into his room and grabbed his robe to have a quick shower, and whilst under the stream the conversation with Tabby played over in his mind. He hadn't realised how much this would affect Tabby, or anyone else that Cassi was in touch with. Her boyfriend would be worried too, no doubt. Finishing up his shower he got dressed, slipped on some aftershave, and he and Jenny headed out. They had invited Tabby to join them but she was going out with friends. Brad was happy about that, it meant that her attention was elsewhere, not thinking about Cass. Brad was determined to not think about Cass either, or the lab.