Conflict

"Blah"-speaking

Blah-thoughts

Marina's mind was reeling, her body numb with shock and uncertainty.

Just seconds ago, she had been sitting at the kitchen table with Amonyushuu and looking up names from a baby name book that she had found in Zorndyke's room. They had heard Verg come in and both had gone into the other room to greet him. Marina was eager to hear how things had worked out but froze when she saw the look on his face. A terrifying mix of anger and grief.

Thinking things had not worked out between the two, she had walked up to him to console him but was taken completely off guard when he pinned her against the wall with one hand. The sudden force had completely knocked the wind out of her.

"Verg." Amonyushuu tried to calm him down. "What's wrong? What happened out there?"

"She used us." He snapped, never taking his eyes off of Marina. "She won us over just so we would put our guard down and not be prepared for an attack." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you not think I would notice them coming? I trusted you. I even thought of you as family." Marina noted with a twinge of fear that his other hand had clenched into a fist so hard that a vein stuck out on his arm.

Hayami and Kino stood on the sandy beach. Behind them, the grampus scraped against the sand as waves struck the shore.

Kino checked to make sure the chamber of her gun was loaded and ready before taking a shooting stance. "Lets go."

"What are you talking about?" Marina asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Who's coming? Amy what is he talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me."

"Calm down Verg." Katsuma said from the doorway. "I think you should explain the situation before you jump to conclusions."

"Stay out of this Katsuma." Verg snarled.

"No. I won't let you hurt her." Katsuma shot back. "I know Marina better than any of you." He turned his attention to Marina. "Verg saw a grampus coming this way. The Blue Six might be following it. He thinks they are planning a sneak attack to eradicate us. Is that really what they're going to do?"

"The Blue Six…is coming here?" That stumped her. Since the war ended, there would be no reason for any human vessel to come this far…unless… "I think I know why they came. My uncle is an admiral. He must have found out that I was missing and sent the Blue Six as a rescue party. They didn't come to attack they came to take me home."

The pressure on her sternum lessened as Verg digested this information. "Its just a rescue? They don't intend to kill us?"

"Yes. They have no other reason for coming this far."

Verg seemed relieved to hear her words. The tension in his body began to wane. His bitter expression smoothing into a look of slight bewilderment. "So, you didn't betray us? Me?"

Marina looked him straight in the eyes so he could see the sincerity in her words. "Of course not. I promise I would never do anything to try and hurt you. They're only here to take me home. Back to my family."

His face saddened. "But I don't-."

"Let her go you monster."

Everyone turned to see Kino in the doorway. Her gun aimed directly at Verg's head. "Let her go right now or I'll shoot." She glanced over at Marina. "Don't worry I'll get you out of here. They won't hurt you anymore."

Marina looked down at the hand pinning her to the wall. Crap. Then she looked up at Verg growling at Kino. He looked ready to pounce. Double crap. "Kino I'm okay. None of them have hurt me."

"He has you pinned against the wall. You don't look okay."

"We just had a little misunderstanding is all. Usually, we get along just fine."

"Did you hit your head? That's Verg. He'll kill you."

"No, he won't. I'll show you." She got Verg's attention. "Put me down Verg." She said gently.

Verg looked at her for a moment, than back at Kino, than at her again. He seemed unsure of what to do.

"It's okay. I'll handle this." She gave him a reassuring smile.

Finally, reluctantly, Verg let her go to everyone's amazement.

Kino lowered her gun slightly in surprise. "He actually did what you told him."

Marina walked forwards so that she was between Kino and Verg. "You can put the gun away it isn't necessary."

Kino scrutinized her old friend. She didn't look like she had been tortured and she even got Verg to listen to her. Just what has been going on since she disappeared. "Okay." Kino sighed, lowering her weapon. "But I want an explanation. What have you been doing all this time?"

Marina smiled, proud of Kino for trusting her. She was about to explain when something in the doorway caught her eye.

Hayami.

Her smile vanished instantly. "Oh no."

"You." Verg barked, pushing Marina out of his way and walking forwards. "How dare you come back." He pointed an accusing finger at the man. "You murderer."

Hayami stood his ground but thankfully kept his gun holstered.

Verg loomed over him with a menacing snarl. His claws poised to strangle the life out of the man.

Kino raised her gun again as Katsuma stepped between the two.

"Get out of the way Katsuma."

"No," Katsuma said defiantly. "If you're going to kill him then you have to kill me too."

"What?" Verg's eyes widened a fraction in disbelief. "Why would you defend him? He killed Papa."

"I was the one who led him here that day. Its my fault."

"Wha-what? Why? Why would you betray Papa? Risk everyone's life?"

"I'm not a chimera. At least, I wasn't born as one. I was human once." Katsuma explained further. "Years ago your ship captured a man and took him to Zorndyke's base. The man was later put through a painful mutating process and became what you see standing before you."

"I don't believe this."

"It's true Verg" Amonyushu said softly. "Katsuma was a human once."

Verg turned to her. "You knew all this time? You knew what he did and still let him stay with us. What's wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"The humans aren't going to accept him with the way he looks now and you would have killed him if you knew what he was. I let him stay here because he is one of us now and we're supposed to take care of our own. Papa would have wanted that. "

"I don't care." Verg roared. "I'll make them both pay for what they've done."

"Why did you spare my life if you're just going to kill me now?" Hayami finally said. "You had your chance. Why didn't you take it? And why did you help us against the Pyramid? I thought you didn't want anything to do with us."

"I don't know, I don't know." Verg cried, shaking his head. "I saw the female crying and I-I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to do it. She looked how I felt inside." He stared at the floor. "Marcello completely disregarded Papa's final wishes. If I didn't do something this war would have just kept going. I finally understood that Papa didn't want us to fight anymore. I had to do something." He sighed wearily and buried his face in his hands. "Marcello never loved Papa. Never."

The room was silent until Verg looked into Hayami's eyes. "Why? Just tell me why. Why did you take him from me? What gave you the right?"

"I had to. It was the only way to restore peace. I know he meant a lot to you but he seemed very depressed when I spoke to him. I really don't think he wanted to live anymore."

"No." Verg shouted, his body tensing again. "That's not true."

Amonyushuu caught Marina's eye and silently pleaded with her to do something to calm Verg down before he hurt someone.

"Verg, listen to me." Marina said softly. "I know this is hard to take in but it's true. He was miserable. I could tell from reading the parts about his family in sections of his journal. He missed them all very much. He wanted to be with them again."

"She's right." Amonyushuu said. " He would often tell me about his family and how happy he was with them. He missed them so much, Verg. You were just never around long enough to notice."

"But we were his family." Verg pointed to himself. "I was his family. Why couldn't he be happy here with me? I tried everything to make him proud. I killed for him. I destroyed for him. What did I do wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong. You were only misguided." Marina reassured him. "Zorndyke was a cold and bitter old man who had lost his faith in humanity. He took out all his pain and misery on the rest of the world and he refused to see that there were still good people out there. It was wrong of him to treat you with such indifference while you were growing up and to make you think you had to do such things to make him proud. That was unfair. He shouldn't have done that to you."

"I just-I just wanted to make him proud of me."

"I know sweetie, I know." Marina hugged him. " This is all so hard to take in. But listen to me, you need to move on. Don't let it eat away at you for the rest of your life. It's unhealthy. I don't want you to be like me." Marina motioned to Amonyushuu. "Look at your sister. Despite what happened in the past, she doesn't hold a grudge towards Mayumi. She was able to move on."

"That's right." Amonyushuu nodded. "Though, it really helped me understand her when Marina told me her side of the story and how she felt. "

Kino rubbed the back of her neck, a blush creeping onto her face. "Yeah, I'm really sorry about what I did. I shouldn't have let my anger get the best of me. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course." Amonyushuu assured her.

The two younger girls shared a smile. A connection already beginning to grow.

"You see?" Marina took Verg's hand and placed it in Hayami's. "If Amy and Kino can put aside the past than so can the two of you. I'm not saying you have to forgive one another, I just want you to move on with your lives and be happy. I know it sounds cheesy, but let us be the first to learn to coexist. What do you say guys, you up for it?"

The two males stared at each other for a long time before they finally, reluctantly, shook hands.

The silent agreement was met with loud rejoicing, mostly the courtesy of Marina herself.

Marina took Verg's hand in hers. "I'm so proud of you for what you did."

Verg smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, you don't know how much that means to me to hear you say that."

They shared a moment before Kino started leading Marina away by the arm. "Come on, the sooner we get back, the sooner you can go home. Your family is worried sick about you."

She was shocked when Marina's arm was gently pulled from her grasp. "Thank you both for coming all this way but I've made up my mind to stay here and learn more about the people."

Amonyushuu squealed happily and hugged her while Kino studied her face. "You do seem happier here." She said softly. "If this is really what you want then I guess I can't stop you." Kino gave her hands a squeeze. "I have to admit, I'm going to miss you being the voice of reason all the time. I wish you the best during your stay here." She turned to the cat-girl. "Again, I'm sorry about my actions before. Can we start over and be friends?"

"Sure, any friend of Marina's is a friend of mine."

"This is so awesome." Marina gushed, hugging the two. "I never in a million years thought you too would do this." She held up Kino's hand in a victory pose. "Hooray for-is that a ring?" She studied the ring on Kino's finger with a puzzled look before it dawned on her. "No way, you're engaged aren't you?"

"You bet."

"Well, don't leave me hanging. Who's the lucky guy?"

Kino pointed at Hayami. "He's standing right over there."

Katsuma patted Hayami on the back. "Well, well, the Hyena of the sea is finally settling down. I thought I would never live to see the day."

Hayami grinned. "Hey, at least I found someone who can put up with me. Good luck, finding a girl with a gill fetish."

Katsuma gave him a playful shove. "I'll have you know that I've already found a lovely lady who loves me for me. She's a mutio I met soon after you freed me."

Marina suddenly threw her hands up in the air. "Can we stop calling them mutios? Only one of them actually goes by that name and I'm tired of taking the time to try and figure out which girl someone is talking about. Delphine told me they want to be considered individuals instead of carbon copies. That's why they all have their own unique name to set themselves apart. Why don't we just call them all Nereids instead to avoid confusion."

"But Nereid is your nickname." Katsuma stated. "Wouldn't that just add to the confusion?"

Marina took a deep breath and let them know exactly how she felt about that nickname. "Nereid is a nickname that was given to me by my father. It was his special name for me and it was his alone to say. I never gave anyone else the right to call me that. You all just assume that I'm okay with it because you hear my uncle and my cousins say it but every time I hear someone call me that it feels like they're mocking me. Reminding me that Dad isn't here anymore and it hurts. It hurts real deep. I hate it when people call me that but I just don't have it in me to tell them off for it. I know they don't mean anything by it but its kind of like a slap in the face. I'm sick of it, you know?"

"I'm sorry Marina." Kino said. "I didn't know you felt that way."

Marina shook her head. "Its alright. I know that you all mean well. I just had to get that off my chest since we're all letting things out. Mind telling me how you got here before the rest of the Blue Six?"

Mayumi looked sheepish. "I was worried about you. I thought you might be really hurt."

"The sub was going too slow for Mayumi's tastes." Hayami explained. "I caught her trying to steal a grampus so she could go rescue you herself. As her fiancé, I didn't want her getting hurt so I went with her as back up. I figured the chimeras would be hostile after what happened and she wouldn't be able to handle them alone. I know you never liked me much but I was worried about you too."

Marina frowned. "I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder in the past. I honestly thought you had something to do with Katsuma's death. He told me what happened and I feel awful for treating you that way. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Be sure to come back in time for the wedding and I'll consider the whole thing forgotten."

"Yeah, I want you to be my maid of honor so don't you dare chicken out." Mayumi teased.

"As long as I don't have to wear some gaudy orange froufrou dress, I'm in."

"Marina?" Verg asked. "Could you go let Mutio know what's happening. I'm sure she's worried sick about you and wants to know if you're okay."

"Sure thing." Marina saluted. "I'll be back before you know it. I'll bring Mutio back with me and we can all figure out what to say to Captain Iga once he arrives. I can't wait to see his face when he finds out what I've been up to."

She left the house with a hopeful smile. The sounds of cheerful banter and lighthearted conversation lingering in her ears long after she closed the wooden door and headed out into the darkness. I can't believe this is happening. I never in a million years thought that they would be visiting with each other like this. I wonder what the future will hold for us?

She was so lost in thought that she didn't see the figure stepping out of the shadows until it was too late.

"Hello, my lovely." The man said softly, pulling a gun out of his back pocket.

"You." Marina whispered, recognizing the man instantly. Damn it, how could I let my guard down so easily. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Now where's the fun in that?" The man chuckled and walked towards her.

"You look surprised to see me." His face fell into a sneer. "I must admit, I'm a little surprised to see you too…still breathing. But no matter." He was mere inches away from her now. His hot breath tickling her neck.

Marina tried to make a dash for the house but her body refused to budge.

The man took this opportunity to seize her by the throat, squeezing with just enough force to make breathing difficult. Marina's body froze instantly. "What…do you…intend…to do…to…me ?" She wheezed, her head feeling like a balloon floating away.

"I hate to admit it but I have become quite infatuated with you. I don't know whether to kill you…" He brushed his cheek against hers. "Or kiss you. Its left me at quite a dilemma. I guess I'll just have to keep you around until I can make up my mind." He looked her over. "Such a strange and lovely little mermaid. Somehow, you've managed to survive everything I've thrown at you. I want to see what else you can do." He let go of her and spun her around roughly. He dug the gun into the small of her back. "Start walking."

Powerless, Marina obeyed. "Where are you taking me?"

"Back to my grampus."

I need to stall him somehow, She thought. He'll drop his guard at some point and then I can make a break for it. "Well, can I at least know your name?"

The man paused, thinking. "Its been so long. I've used so many aliases over the years that I've forgotten my real name. Isn't that the funniest thing? For now, you can refer to me as Ash Talbot. That's my favorite one. I heard Talbot means messenger of destruction and that suits me just fine. Has a nice ominous ring to it too, don't you think?"

"You won't get away with this, Ash" Marina warned. "The chimeras will notice my absence. They'll know something is going on."

"I'm afraid they'll be too preoccupied to notice."

"What do you mean?"

"I've planted explosives on some of the huts. My own home recipe." He held up some kind of remote. "I'm going to detonate them as soon as the Blue Six arrives. The freaks will think they're under attack and retaliate. In the end, it will be one big genocidal massacre. My favorite kind."

"What do you have against these people?" Marina bristled, thinking of her friends in the house nearby.

Talbot stopped and mulled this over for a moment. "You ask too many questions." He muttered irritably. He spun her around again so that they were facing each other.

With his free hand, Talbot began to tear off his shirt. Buttons flying every which way.

Horrified, Marina took a step back. What is he doing? Verg, Katsuma, anybody get me away from this psycho.

Seeing her sudden reaction, Talbot paused. His eyes narrowed slightly when he realized what she was thinking. "Oh no, my pet." He cooed reassuringly. "That can come later. I merely want to show you something." He cast his shirt aside and took off his glasses to show what was hidden beneath.

Marina's eyes widened in shock as she stared at him. What the hell is he?

There was nothing human about his eyes. They were an eerie yellow color that no human could possess. His pupils, mere slits in the center of each eye. They stared back at her with a predatory gleam. Creepy.

Her eyes wandered down his body, studying him in stunned silence. His torso was lean and muscular like any normal man in peak physical condition but his shoulders and sides were covered in strange brown markings. They reminded her of the bands on a leopard shark.

A sudden movement caught her eye and her vision swept upwards to gape at the thin lines on his neck. There were six of them. Three on each side. She didn't think they were anything other than a strange series of scars that had been inflicted long ago. Until they started moving. She watched in bewilderment as the scars fluttered gently, up and down. Like the wings of a butterfly. Or a fish. Her breath caught in her throat at the realization.

Gills. They were gills. It can't be. This can't be true.

Talbot grinned revealing vicious, triangular teeth. "Do you like what you see?"

"You," Marina's voice quavered. "You're a chimera."

Amonyushuu inspected the sparkling jewel on Kino's finger with a mixture of curiosity and admiration. She had witnessed several weddings that were held for the other chimeras but none of the females were ever given a ring to wear. Why was it so important? What did the ring symbolize to humans? "Its so pretty." She whispered. "Do all humans wear rings when they get married?"

"Most cultures do. It's a symbol of love and devotion to that individual. It lets others know that the man has chosen who he wants to spend the rest of his life with."

"I see." Amonyushuu nodded, thinking of her brother. "I was wondering because Marina gave Verg a ring. I saw him put it with his other rings earlier. He said he would give it to Mutio someday."

"Verg wants to marry Mutio, huh?"

"I think so. Marina has been helping him gain confidence to tell Mutio how he feels about her."

"That doesn't surprise me. Marina has always been generous and willing to help others in need. It helps her get rid of the pain from losing her parents."

"What happened to them? She never wants to talk about it."

Kino frowned. "Many years ago, when Marina was only ten years old, her parents were throwing a party to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Her mother was born to untitled nobility and had developed some political power over the years and both Marina's parents were well known for being against the war from the start and had made quite a few enemies because of it. One of them must have broken into their home at some point and attempted to assassinate them by planting a bunch of explosives. When they went off, the explosion killed several people including her parents. Marina survived because her father shielded her with his body. Her mother's body was found nearby. She must have been trying to get to them. Marina has felt guilty for their deaths ever since. She thinks she should have been taken too. I've had survivors guilt too but never like hers. I think the whole thing must have really traumatized her. I'm just glad she still had family to take her in and care for her. Not everyone is so lucky."

"I wonder it that's why she looks so thoughtful sometimes." Amonyushuu said softly, thinking of all the time Marina's eyes would get that distant look. "She's remembering them."

"Probably so. She tries to hide her sadness because she doesn't want it to effect other people. She thinks its her burden to bear. She doesn't realize that no one has to suffer their grief alone. You know, I'm actually glad she found her way here. She's away from the constant reminders of her past life and can finally move on."

"I'm glad too. They didn't get along too well at first, but, she's really helped my brother with his troubles. I never thought a human, besides Papa, could be so kind. She's like a big sister and mother to us both." Amonyushuu pointed to Verg who was standing on the other side of the room listening to Katsuma and Hayami's stories. "I've never seen Verg so at peace. He's so much nicer to everyone now that Marina is here to give him advice."

Kino shook her head in disbelief. "I thought for sure I would have to pull the trigger when he went after Tetsu. I just can't believe that Marina was able to get through to him. She's really something else, isn't she?"

Talbot's grin widened even more. "My, aren't we the clever one?"

"But why, why would you betray your own kind?"

"I'm not one of those freaks," Talbot snapped, his face contorting in rage. "Don't you dare lump me with them you little brat." He shoved her forward. "Keep going."

Verg watched Hayami and Katsuma as they reminisced. The human had asked Katsuma to be his best man, whatever that meant, and they were now sharing stories about their past exploits. Verg had nothing to contribute since his life had been focused on fighting back then and he was quickly losing interest in their conversation. He noticed his sister and the human female talking animatedly on the other side of the room and decided to eavesdrop. His ears perked up when the human mentioned Marina and what she had been through. Wow, I had no idea Marina had been through so much, He thought. She hides her pain well. I'm glad she is happier here with us. I'll have to tell her how much we appreciate her later when she brings back Mutio. His eyes drifted back to Hayami. Speaking of Mutio…

"Hey, Hu-Hayami, can I ask you something? Its about Mutio."

Hayami paused in his storytelling to regard the larger male. "Sure, what is it?"

Verg fidgeted for a moment before speaking. "Mutio told me that she saved you to pay you back for saving her. I was wondering, why would you help your enemy? Do you have feelings for her?"

Hayami was taken aback at such an odd question and glanced at Katsuma who just smiled knowingly. "No, I never felt anything other than mild curiosity towards her and I think she felt the same way. I saved her because I couldn't let something that looked so human and so helpless die like that. I was always told that chimeras were nothing but monsters but she wasn't what I expected at all."

Verg relaxed a little. He felt somewhat relieved knowing that the human wouldn't be future competition. Still, he had to be sure. "So you don't still love her then?"

"I wouldn't be engaged to Mayumi if I loved someone else." The human grinned. "Besides, Mayumi would probably give me an even worse beating than you did if she found out I was cheating on her. She may be small but she can pack a helluva punch. Nothing like what you gave me though."

Verg rubbed at his collar, agitated. "I'm sorry. I guess I got a little carried away."

Hayami gave him a tentative but good-natured punch on the arm to ease the tension. "Hey, I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes. To me, its all water under the bridge. My nose healed up nicely and those teeth needed to come out anyway. So many years of smoking did a number on my teeth so you actually saved me from a larger dental bill. Look, I even got replacements for them." He gave a wide smile to show off his false teeth. "See, good as new."

"I guess so." Verg wasn't sure if the human was just trying to make him feel better or not so he decided to just change the subject. "Do you think I'll be a very good mate for Mutio?"

"Well, do you love her?"

"I want Mutio to be happy and to share in that happiness if she will let me."

Hayami patted him on the shoulder (or at least tried to despite their differences in height). "I think you two will make a good couple. You're different than the last time we met. You seem more mature. My advise is for you to start out slow like I did with Mayumi. It might turn out you just have a crush that will fade in time." Hayami warned. "If you start out as friends you can back out of a more intimate relationship later if it doesn't work out but still stay on good terms."

"Marina has told me that several times today." Verg commented. "She's given me a lot of advice and encouragement."

"Marina is a good person" Katsuma said. "You can always rely on her."

To that, Verg and Hayami agreed.

"Well, if you aren't one of Zorndyke's creations then what are you? How did you come to look like that?" Marina asked.

Talbot slowed down his pace for a moment. "It's a long story." He grumbled. "It brings up bad memories. It would be in your best interests not to inquire anymore about it."

Marina wisely kept her mouth shut after hearing his vague threat and her thoughts slowly turned to her mother and father and what they would have done in this situation. For a moment, she looked up at the sky and noticed it had changed to a deep purple. It was the beginning of the dawn. "Why did you do it?" She asked softly.

"Do what?" Talbot asked back. "You'll have to be more specific."

"You know damn well what." Her voice rose. "What led you to become such a monster? Tell me."

There was a long pause and Marina began to feel that she had just crossed the line before Talbot spoke again. "I will consider this a last request." He said coolly. "If you really must know then I'll tell you. I can't say I had a charmed life. Let's just say, I didn't have the best of childhoods or the nicest parents. My old man was only good for getting me my first and only job. Hired gun and arsonist. Boy, was that fun. You know, mom and dad were actually my first hit. I was only seven, or maybe eight years old at the time. It was so invigorating, pulling that trigger. Seeing their lifeless bodies fall to the floor like a dirty old sack of potatoes. Actually, a sack of potatoes would have been a better parent than either of them. Maybe it would have actually paid attention" He paused for a moment, recollecting the memories. His expression unreadable. "I savored that moment for as long as I could. Relishing the power I had just been given."

Marina noticed that as he started talking, their pace had slowed down. That would give her more time to think of something. She would have to make a move soon because they were almost to the beach. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the gently sway of the leaves nearby. Odd, there isn't any wind. Is someone watching us? I sure hope so. "What does any of this have to do with me?" She asked, hoping that he hadn't noticed where she had been looking..

"I'm getting to that." Talbot snapped. "You asked for this so don't rush me, okay? I spent several years doing what I did best and loved every minute of it. That is, until my employers finally decided I was a threat and ratted me out to the police. I was arrested soon after and kept me in a special cell. They thought I had a few screws loose in the old noggin so they wanted a professional psychiatrist there to evaluate me. Can you believe that? You're father was brought in soon after to interview me and I ended up trusting him. He told me about his life to try and get me to open up and it worked. He wasn't like the others. I actually felt that someone finally cared about me. I began to think of him as the family I had always wanted. I even thought of his wife and little daughter as my family too when he mentioned them. I thought I had finally met someone who understood me. I poured out my heart and soul to him and you know what he did? He turned around and told the judge and jury that I was criminally insane and a danger to society. I'm not criminally insane. I'm creative. Creative, you hear me? For once in my life, I thought I could actually trust someone." He said softly. His eyes were filled with sadness. For just a moment, Marina saw the neglected little boy hidden underneath. Talbot's eyes hardened and the illusion vanished. "I swore I would get revenge for him playing me like a fool."

Marina had been so focused on hearing Talbot's story that she did not notice the slight dip in the pathway and stumbled. With lightning speed, Talbot caught her around the waist before she could fall and pulled her back to an upright position. He urged her to keep moving and continued on with his tale as if nothing had happened. If she didn't know any better, she would say he seemed eager to tell someone about his history. "Originally, I was going to be given the electric chair." He started again, gesturing with one hand as if it was no big deal. "But by some twist of fate, I ended up being sent to Zorndyke's base for experimental testing. Rough stuff, I know. It turns out, one of Zorndyke's freakish creations, Marcello I think it was, had taken a special interest in me and wanted me to be apart of his crew." He snorted. "As if I would work for some overgrown talking fish. What sort of psycho do they take me for?"

Marina shook her head silently.

"Never mind, you don't have to answer that. I had to endure painful and grueling experiment after experiment to change my body into what you see now. Sure, it was fun at first but after five or six surgeries, it got kind of old. The only thing that kept me going was planning out the demise of those who wronged me over the years. Like a little lullaby to lull myself to sleep." He rocked side to side as if soothing an infant. "Before the final surgery, I managed to escape and started looking for your dear old daddy. I found out where you lived and become a part of the catering staff at that little soiree you were having. He never told me you had such a fancy pad, very nice. I set up a few of my homemade concoctions when no one was looking, told my boss I was going out for a cigarette, and then waited for the show to begin. I must admit that was one of my most beautiful shows. All the broken glass raining down on the happy little rich people dancing the day away. Tra lala lala. I couldn't have executed it any better than that. Now here's the real kicker." He stopped her from walking any further and turned her around to face him again. "Years later, here I am having some fun when one of my old "buddies" tells me that you managed to survive. Now that got me" He cocked his head to the side. "You see, I have had a reputation of always getting my target and then you came along and sullied it. Made me a laughing stock. I don't take kindly to that. It took me a while to find out where you were and plan out my next move. Lucky for me, I'm a patient man. After pulling some strings, I got hired on as a part of that ship's crew and tried to learn as much as I could about you while gaining the captain's trust. One of the crew recognized me from one of my previous jobs so I had to give him a little warning. Keep his mouth shut or kiss his family goodbye."

"You're sick."

"Thank you, I try." He smirked. "One day, I overheard your uncle and the captain talking about what to do with you when the anniversary of the day your life came crumbling down. Poor baby, did it hurt seeing mommy and daddy in those body bags?"

Marina eyes widened. "You sick bastard, you were there?" The only thing holding her back was the gun in his hand.

"Awww, did I strike a nerve?" He stuck out his bottom lip.

Marina was seeing red now. If she were anything like the chimeras she would be snarling with rage. "Answer. My. Question."

"Yes, I was there. I saw them being dragged out of the wreckage before I left. Pretty nasty burns. I bet the stench was something awful."

"I'll kill you."

Talbot's eyes glittered dangerously. "Mmm, I think I will definitely keep you around. You're my kind of woman."

Back at the house, Katsuma had just finished a funny story about how he and Marina met when a young feline chimera burst through the door.

Verg recognized him as the boy Amonyushuu had been hanging around with lately. The boy seemed in distress.

"What's wrong, Nao?" Amonyushuu asked, guiding the wheezing boy to a chair.

Nao waited a few moments to catch his breath before speaking. "I…was in.. my room when…I heard a noise…outside the window. I looked outside and saw a man putting something on the wall where my Gran's room is. I followed him and watched him put more things on other huts."

"What did the things look like?" Kino asked.

"They were some kind of weird little black boxes with numbers on them. They were stuck to the walls with some kind of clay."

"That sounds like an explosive." Katsuma exclaimed. "But how can that be? Kino and Hayami are the only other humans here. What did the man look like?"

Nao sat in silence for a moment to remember the man's features. "I couldn't see him all too well in the dark but he had glasses on like Papa but they were darker. He gave me the creeps something awful."

Kino gasped. "That sounds like Talbot. How did he get here?"

"He must have followed us in another grampus." Hayami said. "What the hell does he think he's doing?"

"I don't know but I'd like to have a few words with him." Verg said, pounding a fist into his hand.

"Marina is with him." Nao warned. "The man pulled out one of those gun things and made her walk with him. I think they know each other."

"Where did they go?"

"Down the trail that leads to the beach. I followed them for a while and heard them talking. She doesn't like him one bit."

"What should we do?" Amonyushuu asked, looking to her brother for answers.

"First, we need to diffuse those bombs before they have a chance to detonate." Verg ordered. "As leader, my people come first. I have to ensure their safety. Who's with me?"

"We're in." Hayami nodded. "But what about Marina?"

Katsuma stepped up to the plate. "Marina is a smart girl and is probably stalling for time. Verg, I want you and Kino to go down there and help Marina. Amonyushuu, you and Nao go warn the others to find some place safe. Hayami and I will search for the explosives. Are we all clear?"

Everyone agreed.

"Good, let's move out."

Talbot had gone back to telling his story. He really did seem to be enjoying himself watching her reactions. They had reached the sands and were quickly reaching the water's edge. He felt in complete control. "After hearing that juicy bit of news, I came up with a plan and casually mentioned that it might be nice to go to the Antarctic to watch the whale migration and the glaciers. They thought that was a fantastic idea. The saps. Once we were out at sea, I waited for the perfect moment to strike, and struck. I had an old acquaintance come down too so I could get rid of the evidence. I already had an alibi set up with the help of that guy. He vouched for me, we made it home, I said I had the flu, and left on my merry way. I got to thinking though, that I may have been too hasty again. You survived before so you might just do it again. I had to make sure."

"You're dedication is disturbing." Marina said. "I can't even begin to point out all the flaws in your plans."

"What can I say." Talbot shrugged. "I was always a bit of a gambling man."

"I don't get it though." Marina said. "In order for all of this to have taken place you would have to be in your forties by now but you don't look much older than me."

"The experiments slowed down the aging process. I guess becoming one of them does have its perks. Hideous though they are."

"But that still doesn't explain why you want to kill them. Marcello and Zorndyke are both dead. These ones are innocent. Why harm them?"

"Simple, I don't like them. They remind me of the creatures that haunted my nightmares and lurked under my bed, driving me insane. Mom and Dad said it was all in my head and to just go to sleep. They didn't understand. They didn't here what I heard or see what I saw. Nobody needs them, Marina. They're all abominations anyway so it wouldn't be like I was murdering people. I'm really doing humanity a favor by getting rid of them all."

"They aren't monsters." Marina snapped. "The only monster here is you."

Talbot chuckled. "I'm no different than your little friends. Tell me, are you going to try and change me too? I overheard your heartwarming speech to that guy and the shark. How inspirational. You might as well have added faith, trust, and pixie dust. He's not going to change Marina. He will always be a heartless monster just like me."

"Verg is only the way he is because he was misguided and thought he was making Zorndyke happy. Once Zorndyke died, he realized the consequences of his actions." She pointed at Talbot with a shaky finger. "You, you're beyond help. You were encouraged to be bad from a young age and now you no longer see or care how much pain you inflict on others." She shook her head. "I can't keep Verg under control despite what you may have seen. I can only guide him to make the right decisions. If anyone can help him its Mutio."

Talbot snorted. "What a load of bull-." He paused, staring out in the water.

Marina turned her head to see what he was looking at and immediately felt sick.

Out in the water, Nixie was watching them with big curious eyes.

Marina tried to motion to her to get out of here, warn someone, go where its safe, anywhere but here.

Naïve, Nixie just cocked her head and watched as the human female waved her hands in subtle jerking motions. She had never actually been in battle and didn't understand the danger she was in.

Talbot, staring at the strange yet beautiful creature, raised his gun.

"No, don't." Marina cried. "Nixie get out of here."

The silence of the early morning was torn as a bullet fired into the water, missing Nixie's head by mere centimeters. Nixie, startled by the sudden noise, froze. Her eyes widened even more.

Talbot aimed to fire again-

"How dare you." Marina screamed, grabbing his wrist and elbowing him in the gut with all the strength she could muster.

Groaning in pain, the man lowered the weapon and doubled over holding his side.

Nixie dove under the water to safety and to fetch help.

Seizing her chance, Marina struck again and again with lightning speed until she thought she could feel a rib crack and the gun dropped to the ground. Without a moment's thought, she picked it up and threw it further down the beach before he could retrieve it.

Talbot fell to his knees. With a smile, he pulled out the detonator and pressed the button.

Marina screamed. "No." She began to furiously kick him in the stomach. Shouting with every kick. "You monster, you'll pay for that…..This is for my family…This is for my friends….This is for all the innocent people you hurt…"

"Marina, stop."

Marina halted her attack and stared wide eyed at Verg and Kino standing a few yards away. Kino raised her hands in a beseeching gesture. "Marina, please stop."

Tears welled up in Marina's eyes and she screamed hysterically. "He killed my family. I want him to pay for it. He needs to suffer the way I suffered."

Verg walked over to her and hugged her. "Marina, please stop this. I don't want you to be like this. It scares me. This isn't you. The real you. Come home with me and let the other humans punish him for his crimes."

Marina wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded silently. "I'm sorry. I just-just snapped. Is everyone okay? Why didn't the bombs go off?"

"Everyone is fine. We had everyone evacuate and Katsuma and Hayami are taking care of it as we speak. Nao said there weren't many. I bet they're taking care of the last one right now."

Just then, Katsuma and Hayami arrived on the scene. "We found all the-" They looked from Marina's tear streaked face to the man on the ground groaning in pain.

Hayami whistled softly before he and Katsuma picked up the man by his arms. "Remind me never to-" He stopped, noticing Katsuma's serious expression. "What's wrong?"

"I know this guy. I helped him escape Zorndyke's lab. I thought he was just another soldier. Marina, I'm so sorry. If I had known who he was, I would never have let him out."

Marina just shook her head and leaned against Verg. She suddenly felt very tired.

Mutio arrived moments later with her sisters and mother to see what all the commotion was about. Mutio and Verg happily reunited with a kiss and Marina was pleased to see Verg showing such concern for Mutio and her sisters.

Not even seconds later, the Blue Six roared to the surface and several armed crew members poured out. All of their weapons were aimed either at Oceana or Verg. Oceana roared and placed herself in front of her daughters to shield them from harm. Amonyushuu clung to her brother in fear as he looked to Marina for guidance.

"Just in time." Marina mumbled, sarcastically. She knew that it would end up somewhat like this. She decided it would be best to take control of the situation. "Don't worry, I'll handle this." She reassured her adoptive family. "Hold your fire. The chimeras you see here are my friends and have been quite hospitable to me. I have not been kidnapped as you were lead to believe but was almost assassinated by that man known as Talbot." She pointed with a flourish at the man pinned between Katsuma and Hayami. "Luckily, I was rescued by these wonderful people and have been living with them since. As a matter of fact, I would like to stay longer. I will come with you for now to reassure my uncle that I am in good health but I wish to come back here a while and learn more about the chimeras. If I catch any of you so much as look at my friends wrong, I will do everything in my power to have you court-martialed. Do I make myself clear?"

"But-" Iga sputtered, looking from her to the rest of the group, and back to her. "You- Verg- Hayami- Is that Talbot? What the hell is going on here?"

"I'll explain later." Marina said coolly. "But right now I want you to detain that man and put him in whatever you have as a jail cell. He murdered my family and almost cost us the new and fragile alliance I just managed to create between us and the chimeras."

Captain Iga pulled himself together and started barking orders. "You heard the lady. Lower your weapons and get that psycho with the skin condition out of my sight." Even as he shouted, two men were already relieving Katsuma and Hayami from their hold on Talbot. Marina could have that kind of authority when needed.

With a sigh of relief, Marina started walking over to Captain Iga to thank him for the noble rescue and explain further.

"I'm not crazy." Talbot yelled suddenly, waking up from his stupor. With a violent shake, he freed himself from the men's grasp. He stumbled and then sprinted as fast he could further down the beach.

"What is he doing?" Someone asked. Everyone watched him in stunned silence.

They realized too late what he was after.

Before anyone could do anything, Talbot had seized the gun. "I'm not crazy." He breathed. "I'm creative." He pulled the trigger.

Marina felt a sharp pain as bullet after bullet hit her in the chest, forcing her backwards towards the ground. She cried out softly as the world….slowed…down.