"Big difference, Mulder."
"Enough of a difference. What time are they going to be here?" he changed the subject abruptly.
Scully checked her watch. "About an hour."
"Won’t that interfere with your floor show?"
"It should give the audience something new to look at. They’ve asked that he not be fed until they get here, in case they want to use food as reinforcement."
Mulder nodded his agreement and hauled himself up. As he dropped from the platform onto the walkway, Krycek flopped back into the water, watching Mulder’s progress through the observation windows. As Mulder went past, Krycek’s fins came fully erect, the first time Mulder had seen that happen. Mulder paused by the window, watching as Krycek passed him, turned and swam back, again showing all dorsals. It was mesmerising, enchanting. A fantastical display of unearthly beauty. Just for a few seconds he blended with the surrounding water, a ripple of distortion, slivers of shining mirror. The fins caught every other colour in the tank, refracting rainbows from the other fish, corals, and even the colours from the clothing of the people watching. Mulder oooed with all the rest, his face like a five year old boy lighting up the first time he saw Father Christmas.
The first of the day’s visitors pressed a sticky nose up against the glass, and Krycek was distracted into staring back at them, so Mulder went on to collect his notes and prepare for his new visitors. Shaking his head and grinning like an idiot. Silver fins reflected in his eyes and mind for the next few hours.
-oo0oo-
The audience laughed at the frustrated attempts of the language experts to try to communicate. They had a bucket of all of Krycek’s favourite foods, but it seemed they couldn’t even communicate that they wanted to communicate. Mulder typed into his notebook, "It appears not just to be an uncommon language, but the whole concept of a sound or symbol based language that is missing. Despite full frontal lobe development comparable to a human being, there is no response to any of their strategies."
One of the other scientists was tapping a small wooden square. The silhouette of a lobster was being totally ignored. Krycek didn’t seem aware that the lobster hidden behind the board was still there. Perhaps no idea of abstract symbols? Perhaps out of sight, out of mind? They were getting more and more frustrated. Mulder could hear their voices. "Even the stupidest dolphin could work that out!"
"He’s not stupid," Mulder whispered to himself, "He just doesn’t need to tap a board with pictures on it in the wild. He knows what he needs to know."
Suddenly Krycek launched himself up onto the platform, all spiny fins and claws and teeth, the scientists jumped back, squealing in surprise. They calmed quickly, used to dolphins and orcas doing similar things, especially when he made no move, other than hanging half in half out of the water. But the audience screamed in delight when Krycek slapped the bucket backwards, sending three days worth of expensive food sailing over his back and into the pool. Lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and scampi, all alive and swimming like mad, made a break for their freedom in the merman’s tank.
Krycek rattled again, before awkwardly heaving himself sideways and back into the pool. Mulder watched and grinned as Krycek chased his favoured selection around the tank, playing contentedly with an abundance of food, ignoring every attempt of the language experts to attract his attention. Swimming with a blue crab clenched in his jaws, Krycek happily bulldozed another through the pebbles on the bottom of the tank. He’d obviously waited for his chance, until the humans were not paying full attention, before getting exactly what he wanted.
"Nope, not stupid at all."
-oo0oo-
"He’s stopped reacting to the visitors." Scully stared through the glass as the merman, who was annoying one of the small crustaceans still loose in the tank in a desultory manner.
"I guess they just lost their amusement value."
"He seems... depressed. He only shows any animation when he sees you. Much as he appears to enjoy your company, it might be time to consider releasing him."
"He’s only been here a couple of months... Have you even made your money back on the cost of the enclosure?"
She sighed. He’d hit a sore spot there. "No, not yet." She didn’t meet Mulder’s eyes. "He’s not showing any sign of ill health, is he?"
"No. Healthy as a horse. Eating well, gaining weight, no residual effects of the accident."
"Then we don’t have to release him yet. I’m just..."
"Making politically correct noises."
She smiled ruefully, then: "He’s noticed you."
Krycek released his prey/toy, gliding gracefully to the window. Ignoring every other person nearby, he focused on Mulder and started twisting and turning. Every fin was fully extended, and since regaining his health they had taken on a mirrored gleam. The membranes caught the light, and like the turquoise scales they reflected like diamonds.
Ooohs and aaahs from the audience were ignored by Krycek as the merman twisted and turned, displaying his grandeur and underwater prowess. Mulder watched, fascinated, at the shimmering dance, almost as much in thrall of the brilliant colours and flickering lights as he had been of the singing.
"Wow..."
"Yeah, wow," Mulder echoed Scully’s hushed amazement.
"That’s really... beautiful..."
"Yeah."
"What does it mean, is he after food? Why does he do that?"
"I think... I think he thinks I’m his mate. And... I think that the depression you see is... he’s disappointed I’m not responding."
"Why? Why does he think you’re his mate?"
"Hey, you’re the one you said I should take semen samples. He obviously thinks I’m leading him on! I also bring him food, and am his main point of contact and companionship. It’s not surprising."
"Well, I’m surprised. Then again... I’ve known you long enough..."
"Me? Why do you blame me? I’m just doing my job."
"Of course."
"I am! He’s the one who’s got the wrong idea here."
"Does he?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, Mulder. You’d better walk up and down past the windows every now and then though. He just floats there when you’re not here, but when he sees you he gives the customers a wonderful display."
"Ah yes, let’s not worry about behaviour problems, or depression, or any resulting health problems that could result from stress, let’s just hope we are giving the customers their money’s worth."
"Mulder..."
"Sorry."
"Perhaps we could start seeing how he interacts with other sea life. We have a few larger fish, a turtle, a few smaller octopi etc. that we were thinking of releasing into the tank with him..."
"To make it more visually interesting to the customers?"
"To make things more interesting for him, Mulder, don’t be so cynical".
"Okay, go ahead. I’m going to get some food for him. He’s not too interested in hunting what’s in the tank now; he’s only interested in things that are given to him."
"Could it be because you’re the one who’s giving the stuff to him?"
Mulder didn’t bother to answer. The display in the tank stopped as soon as he was out of sight, and Krycek settled to the bottom of the tank. There were some disappointed noises from the audience as Krycek flipped sand and small pebbles over his own back, partially hiding himself with incomplete camouflage.
A group of teenagers started banging against the glass. Mulder watched from the walkway, but didn’t stop them. Krycek wasn’t usually bothered by that, and if he was he had his own way of dealing with it. One young man shouted through the glass, pissed off that ‘the fish’ wasn’t doing anything. He’d paid his money and wanted to see some fin.
The banging and shouting went on, and Mulder moved to call security, but Krycek started very slowly sliding across the floor until he was below the viewing level of the windows. The young punk, instead of losing interest now Krycek was out of sight, started shouting and thumping the glass harder.
As the guard moved to quiet them, Krycek shot up from below the window, in full display of teeth, claws, dorsal fins fully extended until every spine was visible. As the merman shrieked the most appalling noise, his claws scrabbling against the glass, the guys shouting abuse shot backwards, squealing in surprise and fear.
The rest of the audience, annoyed by the teenagers’ performance already, shrieked with laughter, pointing and applauding in delight. As they realised that one of the young men, the one shouting loudest, had actually wet himself with fear at the mock attack, they laughed even harder.
Krycek shook himself, rattling spines and teeth, and released a small cloud of semen into the water – an expression of the utmost of contempt and superiority – before sliding away calmly to settle on his artificial rock formation and groom his scales, back to the audience.
The damp young man – followed by his entourage, some still shaken, others sniggering – stormed out of the viewing area, muttering under his breath.
Mulder couldn’t help smiling. The merman sure knew how to take care of hecklers. He gave the thumbs up signal to the technician by the input gate, and watched as they started to release other animals into the tank. He didn’t think Krycek had been overly perturbed by the little brouhaha with the youngsters, and he pulled out the laptop to observe any reactions.
Krycek lazily slid over to investigate, watching, but not really interacting with any of the fish introduced into his environment. He followed the octopi as they scuttled into the rocks to hide, but neither creature seemed to bother the other. There was some interest, and the audience laughed in delight as the turtle was grabbed and played with. Two foot long and one and a half feet wide, the turtle was big enough to be used like a self propelling surf board.
Mulder himself suppressed a grin, typing away. Krycek wasn’t being cruel to the turtle, and if he had been it would have been removed immediately. The reptile was valuable, but it was defiantly being used as a toy. The turtle didn’t seemed too concerned, although it took a few half hearted snaps at Krycek’s hands as it was ridden across the tank.
The door opened again, and a small shark nosed into the new environment. Mulder tensed up until he identified the species, a three foot grey nurse, imported at some expense. It was not aggressive and shouldn’t be a danger, although the audience didn’t know this and they tensed up, murmuring excitedly.
Krycek was focused on it, his spines up and bristling, agitated, tail jerking side to side.
Mulder called out to the technician, "Langly, I think you’d better get that shark out of there. This isn’t a good idea."
"It’s not dangerous..."
"No, but Krycek is. I don’t think he likes his new house guest."
Krycek’s odd, agitated swimming continued. He drew up a few feet under the shark, which seemed to pick up on the implied threat, moving to escape. The water erupted into threshing as the shark jerked violently, and Mulder realised that Krycek had shot a few of his spines out like a spear gun, impaling the shark through the body and head, though not killing it outright.
The audience shifted back, not frightened, but shocked and disgusted. Mothers tried to cover the eyes of children, who pulled away the hands to watch, fascinated, as the merman slowly stalked up behind the shark, before attacking and disembowelling it with sharp claws.
This started to upset the children, who screamed about the shark still being alive.
Mulder watched, fascinated, his heart in his mouth that the merman would be injured if the shark could catch him. The poor animal was churning up the water, which turned pink around it. Watching the merman stalk and slash the shark... it was like Jaws in reverse.
"Mommy, he’s eating it alive!".
Even Mulder’s strong stomach churned as Krycek tore mouthfuls of flesh from his victim.
He jumped up onto the observation platform, tapping out the rhythm he’d been trying to get Krycek to recognise. The water swirled, then what was left of the shark flew out of the water, landing a few feet away from him, flopping about hopelessly on the platform.
Mulder stepped away from it, aware of the still fully functional jaws, as Krycek hauled himself up onto the platform beside him. Mulder had to admit it was fascinating to watch Krycek efficiently butcher the remains of the shark.
The merman filleted the shark’s carcass, then hauled himself over to Mulder, seriously offering him the fins and neatly cut steaks from its tail.
As Krycek rolled himself onto the platform properly, munching on some himself, Mulder mimed eating his gift.
"Mulder?"
"Yes, Scully?"
"Did you see that? He shot those spines into the shark."
"Yeah, well it wasn’t my idea to put a shark in there with him. Looks like he has the intelligence to recognise a potential danger and..."
"That wasn’t the problem. I can ignore the expense of replacing the shark and I’ll placate Skinner, but he shot those spines out. We didn’t know he could do that. If he tries to do that to a human..."
"He’s no more dangerous now than he was when I was in his tank this morning. He’s made no threatening moves against any other humans. It’s like sharks are either automatic prey or he just sees them as a threat." Mulder was back in analytical mode. The loss of the shark and the traumatised audience meant little to him as he started mentally cataloguing new facts.
"He’s covered in blood." She wasn’t going to be placated so easily.
"It’s shark blood, he’s not injured. That was a very effective performance. These merpeople are extremely efficient hunters, it would be interesting to see how he’d fair up against a larger shark, something more dangerous," Mulder said thoughtfully. "Not that I would allow that. I’m not going to have any more sharks or dangerous large creatures in that tank. Just in case. In fact, I’d keep an eye on the turtle - Krycek might decide that’s a potential meal as well."
"What are you eating?"
"I’m not eating it. He gave me some... I’m just pretending."
"Yeah, I guess he’s not someone who’s gifts you’d refuse."
"Want some?" he offered her a particularly tender strip of bleeding meat.
"Err, no thanks. I think I’d better go and explain to the shark keeper exactly why he’s going to be one short today. Just what I needed."
