The Bad Batch: One Shot Collection

Author's Note: I know this is NOT your normal horror thing, but it's still a bit horror-y. Just in the angsty way. Would be way more if I did the long version, but at least I did something. <3

Warning: Human experimentation, blood, general Tantiss Horror

This is for Day 6 of Haunted Clone Week. 

~ Rivana Rita

Shortly after Omega's capture, Emerie is put in charge of caring for the first mer she's ever seen. It proves to be harder than she anticipated, especially when Omega tells her one of her brothers was a mer shifter.

"We have already determined that the mers' scales are blaster proof," Hemlock says, watching the makeshift tank. The effort into this on a place like Tantiss is impressive. It's not just a tank. It's made of glass, but it's beneath the floor and has rocks, sand, and other things a fish would probably like. "Your job is to take the samples we need to work with."

He's trying to create blaster proof armor. Emerie knows that, but the purpose isn't important.

She looks at the mer again. His wrists are bound, chained by glinting silver onto the edge of the make-shift pond. They're scaly, and Emerie thinks they must hurt. There's another chain on his neck, connected to a machine meant to pull him surface if he won't come up. He's below water, the ripples refracting his image, but she can see his hair is brown – mers have hair? – and there's something over his mouth.

Is that a muzzle? That's what it looks like, another gray, metal object in place over the lower half of his face.

"Why is it muzzled?" She shouldn't ask questions, but doesn't the creature have to eat?

"To prevent it from using its siren song. You must ensure it stay on at any cost."

"How can he eat?"

"His wellbeing is of no concern, as long as he provides a constant supply of scales for our experiments."

That's a sign for her to stop asking questions, and if she needs to know something, Hemlock will tell her.

The doctor leaves, and Emerie slowly approaches the mer. His eyes glitter when he looks at her, wide with a wary fear.

Hemlock had ordered a blood sample first. They need more creatures like him, though as for how to get to him, Emerie isn't entirely certain.

She sets the tray down, lifting the syringe for the blood draw. "I need you to come out," Emerie says, as though the creature can understand what she's saying.

The mer's blue scaled tail flaps, propelling him downwards into the sand at the bottom.

Emerie sighs. "I don't want to hurt you. Come up." She tugs lightly on the chain. It shouldn't be enough to hurt even an easily damageable creature, and he doesn't look dangerous. He's definitely bigger than her, but not deadly. There is a machine attached to the chains that's meant to pull the mer up, but she doesn't want to use it.

That probably will hurt him.

She tries to think of something else, but they're not offering him food or anything to coax him up.

She has hurt her brothers before. She tortured Crosshair. This is no worse, except it is an animal who doesn't understand.

Emerie sighs, but works the chains on to get him surfaced, anyway. He fights against it the whole way, even if it must be rubbing his wrists close to raw. Can that happen to fish? Emerie doesn't know.