The Siren Must Die

In the darkest depths of an ocean, a melody echoes through the stillness of what used to remain untouched by the claws from above. Mellow and enchanting. Only a few years ago, their existence was still heavily debated, until the time came when technology finally bore no restraint to overwhelming curiosity.

The only corner of the world where humankind had yet to reach became another mystery to claim.

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The city streets of New Keaton were coated with steam from the finest cracks and corners, gushing out through the underground drainage systems. A city filled with narrow labyrinths of alleyways hiding large garbage bins or secrets within their dark, shadowy corners. The monotone architecture consisted of tall, tightly built buildings as if they hadn’t been planned beforehand, with the same boring grey concrete and steel soaring towards the pollution, with millions of neon lights, screens filled with advertisements and false promises.

New Keaton was one of the largest cities in the world, overcrowded and on the list of the filthiest. People rushed everywhere from one crowded metro stop to another, just to reach their offices in the downtown of glass skyscrapers, seeming important. Shopping streets and tourist attractions in a district well-kept for the deceiving eyes, and then the rest of the city. The truth.

All for themselves was the mentality of most. The pipes of hot steam filled with chemicals were hardly good for one’s body and lungs, and one wrong turn could determine the rest of your day. Or life.

Large cities weren’t for the faintest of hearts. Weren’t particularly safe, either.

At the edges of New Keaton, near the ocean side, there were many areas blind to the surveillance of the authorities, or so they claim, and none would admit. Among the soulless industrial area lay a research centre, the laboratories of the ReSkye Corp. One with at least a hundred locations scattered around the world, a big player as one of the well-known multimillion corporations with plenty of breakthroughs in the medical industry.

And right there, below a bridge, a black van parked slowly with its headlights already turned off. Amongst those gated areas of blocks upon blocks of boring, repetitive structures and fire escape stairs, same old and nothing new, three men with their heads covered and black masks hiding their faces from below the eyes moved with careful stealth and jumped over the final metal fence, avoiding the spotlights circling the empty yard.

’’You’re almost there, should be able to see the electrical room straight ahead.’’ The voice in their earbuds instructed.

Once they reached the door at a dead end with a warning sign attached, underneath another fire escape, one of the men took off his backpack whilst diligently eyeing the keypad device of the heavy door. The other two communicated with sharp hand signs as the lookout and positioned themselves ready.

Jay Rhys leaned his back against the cold steel, eyes on the way they came from while the other kept the heights in check. The third man took out his well-organised, excessive tools, flicked it open, and began the careful work. A little bit of fire beneath his feet, but just enough would add the right amount of motivation for a new personal record.

After screwing the box open and some fine-tuning later, the red light turned green with a happy little tune.

’’Too easy.’’ Alex whispered in a smug way, the genius who just granted their entry, ’’Now, let’s get you hooked into their systems.’’ He said to the person in their earbuds.

’’30 minutes, the timer is set. That’s all I can estimate to get you guys once I’m in.’’ The voice stated firmly.

’’That’ll do.’’ Jay answered as he and the other guy, Wade, entered the room first. Wade kept his eyes on the roof until the very end and backed in, just in case he’d see any possible glimpse of a movement coming their way.

There were panels upon panels of electric wires, flickering lights, and an eerie humming sound of cooling fans. They went through the wide distribution boards, one after another, until Jay came upon the one and pointed Alex to it.

Wade remained near the entry, listening carefully while Jay continued to inspect the room and found the door that they needed to get through next. They kept the lights of the electrical room off, using only small handheld flashlights as their main source of light.

’’Done.’’ Alex announced, ’’Any issues?’’

’’Nope, I’m in.’’ Willow, the voice on the other end confirmed, and Alex began to unplug his devices, ’’The security cameras on your path are frozen. I’ll keep them stuck in a loop. I’m monitoring the other cameras and security systems and will keep you updated.’’

They’d never been inside those unknown hallways of the ReSkye research laboratory before. Yet still, they knew exactly which turns to make and where those white walls and white floors surrounding them would lead. After all, they did have a map of the layout embedded in each of their memory.

After following the empty corridors of rooms they weren’t interested in, they came upon one that created a chill in their spines.

Lab No. 07.

’’It’s all yours.’’ Willow said through the lines as the red light of the lock above turned green and the door automatically slid open, ’’20 minutes, max.’’ Thanks to her, their movements remained sealed from the system’s knowledge.

With great anticipation, Jay stepped inside first. The lab was dark, wide, and seemed oddly empty in comparison to its sheer size. On one of the walls they passed, there hung odd masks neatly inside a glass cabinet resembling those used while dealing with chemicals. A style which they’d never seen marketed to the public before.

’’Holy shit—’’ Alex had found one of the computers and already plugged him and Willow into it, ’’This is insane.’’ He gushed as Jay and Wade joined him.

On one of the screens, they saw old security footage marked as the week prior, of a room, with one wall made of glass that resembled a prison cell more than anything. A few identical ones of those, to be exact. Side by side. And they were all empty, except for one.

Jay held his breath, an ominous feeling rising from those cubes offering nothing but a thin bed to whomever they held in captivity. Someone with one of those masks covering their mouth sat in the corner of the cell, holding her knees to her chin. Although the footage was from a high corner of the outside, the mask looked like something to gag a beast from biting with.

’’Oh, what a file I’ve found.’’ Willow announced, sounding concerned yet intrigued at the same time, ’’Those masks are for breathing. Alters the air somehow.’’ She said mid-reading the files she’d already downloaded.

’’They’re keeping shapeshifters here? But what kind of a shapeshifter would need altered air to breathe?’’ Wade asked, raising an eyebrow, ’’I expected something shady, but not this level of madness.’’

Jay felt an odd sensation at the back of his head and turned away from the two. He walked slowly, searching for the source of that gut feeling from each corner of the lab, until he pointed his flashlight towards something that caught his interest. A water tank, and a large one at that. Tall and round in shape.

Fixated on trusting his instincts, Jay unswervingly walked to see it up close, seeing the tank filled with still water as if nothing moved within. He brought his light higher, holding it on the side of his face, and in the corner of his eye, Jay could’ve sworn there was a flicker of sorts. And almost immediately, his suspicions proved themselves right. The end of a tail as black as midnight, the very tip of it translucent and fluttering like many layers of silk, the scales changing colours like the Aurora Borealis on a deep winter sky when his flashlight reflected on its surface. Jay’s eyes widened as the captive slowly lowered to his level.

Her long hair, as black as her tail, floated down from above, similarly illuminating the reflection of all the colours like a prism along with the movements of the water. Her eyes were light grey and pale, as if they’d never seen the sun.