Fathom

by L. L. Standage

  “Well, Uther came into it about twelve years ago. We hired him for some security work, and he came to find out the truth about a certain young lady we were escorting back to the English Channel. Walter knew about it before he met up with us. He was a connection Calder’s mam had known during her younger days of traipsing around with merpeople. I’ve known Calder since he was a lad; like my family, his family has been doing this for generations. And Natasha had been threatened by a lovesick merman who she’d come across in Melbourne nearly a year ago. Long story short, he told her the truth, she spurned his advances, and we had to step in. Told her to stay away from the ocean, but she’s been with us ever since.”

  I remembered Natasha’s face as she told me she knew Marinus and put two and two together.

  “Marinus?” I asked.

  “The very same.”

  “Really?” Samantha’s eyes widened. “Ugh, what a creep.”

  “Poor Natasha. Kind of hard for a marine botanist to stay away from the ocean,” I said.

  “She’s a good lass and a big help.”

  “So, you just travel around looking for mermaid troubles?” Sam asked.

  “Merpeople,” Seidon corrected.

  “Eh, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds, what we do. We all have jobs and lives apart from helping merpeople. We won’t get a call for help for a year or more, then get three in a manner of weeks.”

  “Wow,” I said with a sigh. The garage door opened, and Calder came back into the house and tossed his spiral notepad onto the counter.

  “Finished, Eamon,” he said, then passed us and went upstairs. I wanted to ask if maybe Eamon knew what Calder’s problem was with me, but he stood and went to look at the notebook on the counter.

  “So, what exactly is a creep?” asked Seidon.

  The next morning, I felt like avoiding the rest of the household—okay, just Calder—so I ventured as far as the bottommost step of the back porch. While burying my feet in the sand, I buried my face in my biology books. Sometimes, Samantha came out for a bit. And every now and again, Uther walked around outside the house with binoculars and a cigarette, checking to make sure the house “remained secure from anything suspicious.” He only spoke once, but always acknowledged me with a small smile and nod on his rounds. Other than their irregular company, I sat alone while my mind drifted to places far beyond the words written in my books or even the reach of Uther’s binoculars—places where merpeople flitted through forests of seaweed and palaces of coral.

  I needed distraction to calm my nerves. That evening, Calder and I were to carry out our operation. I wanted to spend as much time as possible away from him before I was forced to carry out a dangerous and illegal mission with only his scowl as a companion.

  At dinner, I sat on the worn-out couch with a paper plate of baked beans and fried chicken perched on my knees. The anxiety twisting in my stomach marred my desire to eat. I forced the food down, though. I needed something in my stomach to help keep my head on straight.

  Samantha sat beside me, Seidon on her other side. His attentiveness to her hadn’t lessened in the time he and Cordelia had been with us, but to my relief, he seemed to be motivated more by curiosity than romantic interest. He asked her a lot of questions—all of them about life on land. Everything, from the typical school lunch, to baseball and movie theaters, fascinated him. He asked her what certain activities performed on two feet were like, such as dancing and kicking a ball. They talked over the concept of a trampoline at least three times, and he went wild over her camera.

  It was cute, I guess. I was just glad he wasn’t putting the moves on her. She certainly would not refuse. She welcomed the attention with eagerness but kept her usual wiles to a rare minimum.

  Cordelia remained aloof. She had a professional manner about her, unwavering sternness, and fierce pride. It kept her from behaving too interested in anything Seidon and Samantha talked about.

  She now leaned against the wall and brooded over her dinner. I hadn’t talked with her much since the car ride from the Olive Garden and she gave no further hints to her riddle about Calder.

  Calder himself now stood in the kitchen with his dinner, gulping it down as if it were his last meal. The sight didn’t comfort me.

  Uther muttered to himself in German as he sat before one of the laptops, several different files popping up in front of him on the screen. Walter sat next to him with another laptop.

  “Got it,” said Uther in English. “There’s a full view of the door to the building and a view of the sidewalk before it so we can see if anyone is coming. There’s a little construction going on around the park, though. Don’t walk under any ladders, unless you want all this to go kaput.”

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Ah, don’t mind Uther’s superstitions,” said Eamon, handing me a small earpiece, then giving one to Calder. “Put this in your ear. You’ll be able to hear us, but you won’t be able to talk to us. We’ll be monitoring what’s going on with the surveillance cameras.”

  I accepted the earpiece. It looked like a hearing aid. We both stuck one in our ears. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it would be difficult to hear anything else out of this ear.

  “Testing…testing…” said Eamon into a microphone near the laptop. I heard him a few feet away, but I also heard a slight echo in my right ear.

  “It works,” I said. Natasha came down the stairs holding a stylish black cap with a small brim in front.

  “Here, put all your hair up in this. It’s the best we can do without cutting and dying it.”

  “Or a wig,” I said as I accepted the hat.

  “It’ll have to do for now,” said Eamon. “We’ve already had too many delays and we need to get this done. As soon as you and Calder have finished eating, you ought to go,” he said.

  I nodded and wound all my hair on top of my head and pulled the hat onto it. It fit okay, but I had to smash it down over the thickness of my hair. “

  “You’re sure you don’t want me to come along?” Uther asked Calder. “I would feel better if you’d let me scan the area first.”

  “Thanks, Uther, but I can handle it,” Calder replied. “We’ll be quick. And anyway, I don’t think they’ll allow weapons in their park.” He smiled a little. Uther shrugged.

  “Suit yourself.”

  I sighed. We’d be quick. Invisible. We could do this. Right?

  Ten minutes later, I followed Calder out to the car. Behind the house, the sun set upon the horizon of the ocean. I stopped to admire the beauty of it, my breath catching in my throat. The sun threw gold and red light onto the sparse clouds hanging low to the west and reflected on the water like fire on polished silver.

  Calder started the engine. I jumped and turned, hurrying to get into the front seat. He remained silent as I buckled my seatbelt.

  “The sunset is pretty today,” I said, trying to break the icy hush. He didn’t reply but looked over his shoulder to make sure the road was clear before pulling away from the house. Ugh, why did I talk?

  The drive to Oceana was the same—more thick silence. I kept stealing glances at Calder. He stared straight ahead, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gearshift. I wished Samantha were here. At least I’d have someone to talk to. I tried again.

  “How long have you been with Eamon’s group?” I asked.

  “Two years,” he said. I nodded, hoping he’d elaborate. He didn’t.

  “And you’re from Scotland?” I knew this answer, of course, but I couldn’t stand just sitting there in stony silence.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have any family there?”

  “Look, Olivia…we’re not exactly on holiday here. I suggest you focus.”

  Ouch. I closed my mouth and looked out the window. I frowned at my reflection in the glass, hating myself. Because apart from being affronted, I felt the smallest flutter in my stomach at the sound of my name on Calder’s lips. Why, though? I didn’t like him. He didn’t like me. Relationships were for
people who had too many hormones and nothing better to pursue. Why the big deal? I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes.

  After several more awkward minutes, we arrived at our destination. We parked, got out of the car, and made our way against the trickle of people leaving the park. Calder stood at the ticket window to buy tickets from a park employee gazing at her cell phone.

  “Welcome to the Oceana Marine Adventure park,” she muttered. She handed him a park map, then went back to her phone.

  “Thank you.”

  He proceeded through the turnstile. I followed. After going through, Calder reached back and took my hand. Startled, I tried to pull away, my heart shooting into high gear. He held onto my hand tighter and pulled me nearer to his side, close enough to whisper harshly into my ear. “We have to look inconspicuous. Walk slow, pretend to enjoy the sights.”

  Pretend? All of a sudden, I was twelve again, holding a guy’s hand for the first time and swallowing down a weird flock of butterflies that had burst into being in my stomach. We slowed to a meandering stroll, the thud of my pulse building. I hoped Calder couldn’t feel it in my fingers interlocked with his.

  Holy crap, get a hold of yourself, girl, I thought savagely. He’s just a guy!

  Landon cheated on me almost a year ago; I hadn’t had any physical interaction with a guy ever since. Maybe that was it. Yeah. Even a small sip of water makes a big difference after a drought.

  His hand was warm and rougher than mine, but supple with the slight perspiration borne from his own nerves at what we were about to do. I glanced at him walking beside me. He seemed so calm, so calculating. His gaze swept the surrounding areas and lingered on the tidal pool exhibit before he looked at the map.

  We passed a few security guards, but they didn’t give us a second glance. To them, we were just another couple on a date.

  “The firework show,” Calder said, reading the list of events on the back of the map. “We’ll do it then.”

  As I struggled to control my trembling, we walked over the pathways and waited for twilight to diminish. We passed souvenir shops with overpriced merchandise, wandered around overgrown hedges, and passed entrances to the various aquariums. I wanted to go in and check on the fish to see if their conditions had improved since the last time I came, but I didn’t dare suggest it. We weren’t here for sight-seeing or even to rescue the animals.

  When the shadows had darkened, we made our way to the gift shops next to the shark exhibit, where the side door would take us to the offices inside. Calder let go of my hand.

  Eamon’s voice buzzed in my ear.

  “Okay, you two, I can see you now. Hang tight for a bit, don’t go into the building yet.”

  We waited, lounging against the wall. Calder opened the park map as if to study what we wanted to do next, but his eyes looked right through it.

  “Based on our recon,” came the crackle of Uther’s accent, “Linnaeus normally leaves his office around this time. Give it a few minutes, get ready for the door to open.”

  “When he comes out, don’t let him see Olivia,” said Eamon. Calder turned toward me and blocked my view of the door. I leaned closer to him as if to look at the map as well. I could hear his low, steady breathing. I could smell him. Even his deodorant smelled sexy. I dared to peek up at him from beneath the brim of my hat. His eyes flicked up to mine. I looked down.

  Stop, you idiot. You’re doing it again. I ground my teeth together and focused on watching the door over Calder’s shoulder.

  “Wait, did you get a key card?” I asked. The door to the building swung open. I tensed. The man who emerged from the building walked by. I watched him pass and recognized the suit and the fair hair. He disappeared around the corner.

  Without missing a beat, Calder turned and hurled out his arm to stop the door from closing.

  “Come on,” he whispered, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me in. The door closed behind us.

  “Alright, you’re on your own now,” said Eamon. “Hurry. We’ll tell you if he comes back.”

  “Which way?” Calder asked me. I took the lead, walking down the hallway until reaching the junction.

  “Hide, quickly!” said Eamon. “Park employee approaching.”

  Frantic, I darted toward the same broom closet I had hid in before. Just as the door to the outside moved, I yanked the closet open, threw myself inside, then pulled Calder in after me. I knocked over a broom and mop and had to grab them to keep them from making a huge noise.

  We waited there for several minutes. My galloping heart and my ragged breathing felt loud in the dark. I couldn’t see Calder, but I could feel him there—the only thing in the entire world that could have made the situation more uncomfortable. I couldn’t hear a thing outside the closet.

  “I think they’re gone,” I said.

  “Wait.” He touched my arm.

  Stupid butterflies, just stop!

  “All right, they’ve gone out the door,” said Eamon’s voice in my ear. “You’re clear. Hurry now.” Calder opened the door a crack, peeked out, then slid into the hallway. I followed him, closing the door behind me.

  “This way,” I said, jogging ahead of him. I turned into the adjoining hallway and found Linnaeus’s office. I turned the knob, but it wouldn’t move. “Locked.”

  “Linnaeus isn’t about to leave his office open anymore,” said Calder, shouldering me aside. He took out a pocketknife and another small tool. He slid the knife into the crack between the door and the jamb and stuck the other little tool through the keyhole in the knob. After about ten seconds, the lock clicked. I hurried into the office, my shoes squeaking on the glass floor. I swung myself around the desk, fell on my knees beside the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet, and hauled it open.

  “Is that the shark tank?” Calder asked, gazing at the floor.

  “Yeah,” I said, thumbing through the files. Project Fathom, Project Fathom, I repeated in my head as I searched each file name.

  “Olivia, Calder—Linnaeus is coming back! Get out of there!”

  There was no place for both of us to hide but we weren’t going to get another chance at this. Calder snatched at my arm just as the right file caught my eye. I pulled away from him, seized the file, and tugged it out of the drawer. Leaving the drawer open, I ran through the office door after Calder.

  “Is there another way out?” he asked.

  “I don’t know!”

  He growled in frustration, then ran down the hall in the opposite direction of the main entrance. With the file under one arm, I trailed behind until we found another door at the other end of the hallway. We plowed through it without forethought. An alarm went off, loud, long, and piercing. Ugh, an emergency exit!

  “This way!” Calder shouted, pushing me along. I took off, clutching the file, hoping its contents wouldn’t spill everywhere. We hurried down the sidewalk, a few people looking curiously toward the sound of the alarm. Soon it stopped and I breathed easier. I increased my pace. Calder held me back.

  “Don’t run. It draws attention.”

  “There!” Linnaeus shouted from behind. “They took something from my office!” Someone stepped into my path—a long-haired someone with wild eyes. Marinus.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he said into my ear.

  My vision spun. He groped for the file in my hands, but I held it tight against my chest. He yanked my hat off. My blond waves tumbled around my face. I couldn’t see. Then with the sickening sound of a fist pounding flesh, Marinus grunted in pain. Two more blows. His grip loosened. I wriggled away. Calder took my hand and pulled me along. He was too fast for me. I stumbled on my unsteady footing, but he held me up. Behind, Marinus limped after us.

  The alarms started again. So much for escape. Calder led me away from the park entrance. With our carelessness of setting off an emergency exit alarm, the entire place could be aware of our presence. Hiding in the bushes wasn’t going to help us this time.

  We ran around gift shops and displays, and even so
me of the construction Uther mentioned, until we came to a tall fence. Calder boosted me up. I climbed up and jumped from the wall. I landed hard, lost my footing, and fell onto my knees. The file of papers fell to the ground. Calder landed beside me and helped me gather the papers back into the folder. He held them together as we ran again, coming at last to the relative safety of the parking lot.

  We found our car as we walked, half bent to hide our heads, and climbed in. Calder thrust the file folder at me. As he backed the car out of the space, he ripped out his earpiece, took a cell phone from his pocket, and pushed a button.

  “They’re after us,” he said without any other introduction. “We got out of the park okay, but Linnaeus saw us. We—” Calder swore, dropped the phone, and slammed on the brake. The car screeched to a stop, almost throwing me through the windshield. Papers from the file went flying. Security cars blocked the exit. Calder shifted the car again and roughly steered away from the approaching security guards. I struggled to buckle my seat belt as the pursuit began.

  We screeched around the parking lot, surrounded on all sides by vegetation and tall chain-link fences.

  “Keep your head down,” he said. I gathered the scattered papers from the file, glancing up once to see the direction our car went.

  “This isn’t the exit!” I shouted as Calder pounded the gas pedal toward the one-way entrance to the parking lot. At this time of night, however, no one was coming in. He blew past the parking attendant booths, orange cones rolling in all directions, and sped onto the main road…which was also a one-way street. I screamed as a pair of headlights swerved out of our way and a horn blared at us. Calder only went faster, dodging another oncoming car. I covered my face and crouched in my seat. The car swerved again. I opened my eyes. We were now on the highway, this time heading the right way. I heaved a deep breath, glad for our escape, until I saw a car behind us make the exact move we did.

  “Someone’s coming!”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror. Knuckles bleeding, he gripped the gearshift and manipulating the transmission faster than I had ever seen a person do before. Crouching, I saw the speedometer creep past seventy, eighty, ninety miles per hour. I bent and reached for the cell phone he had dropped.