The Mermaids and the mirror

"The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own", she whispered to me as I swam easily by her side.

"You know that we are forbidden to look into the enchanted mirror Marina"! I replied in alarm.

"I know, Zoria, but no one ever really explained why. I want to know what happens when someone look into it's depth. Don't you ever wonder about it"?

"I do wonder, all the time. Ok, tell me what you saw. Now I am so curious, I want to have a look into it as well". Marina laughed, only too happy to have a partner in crime.

"I saw a human boy Zoria, he was about our age, so handsome and mysterious. He reached out his hand to beckon me to follow, to enter the mirror. I got scared and swam away in fear".

Zoria gasped in surprise. "Are you sure Marina, that is quite a strange thing to see at the bottom of the ocean".

"I swear Zoria. Come with me tonight while everyone sleeps. You can look into the mirror and tell me what you see". Marina sounded excited.

"Ok, let's meet at our secret place at midnight. Everyone should be sound asleep by then". They both shook on it, twirled their tails in their secret twirl and swam away, both knowing that if they got caught, their punishment would be severe.

The two young mermaids had been best friends from early childhood, they were now both eighteen years old in mermaid years, it was time for them to find mates. But, they had made a pact. They both wanted to visit the world of the humans. They both had wandering spirits, yet so much was forbidden by the adults and traditions of their underwater world. They wanted to explore the unknown, spread their wings, or in their case, their tails, explore and learn about other species.

At midnight the two friends quietly made their way to the Enchanted halls of Atlantis, deep beneath the sunken city's catacomb-like maze. Only the elders were allowed down here. This place held secrets and dangers which were only whispered in fear of the unknown repercussions. The mystery of the place was what most attracted the young females, what dark horrors did the older Merpeople want hidden away, and why shouldn't everyone be made privy to whatever potential dangers lurked in the shadows.

Satisfied that they were undetected, down they swam, Marina steered Zoria toward the mirror hanging on the far wall. Zoria looked around the eerily lit interior of the huge underwater structure. Great statues, strange looking artifacts and finely crafted weapons adorned the entire length and breadth of the cave-like building. She shivered even though the water was warm from the pulsing bodies of the Genofish. Swimming between the Starcrossed Lighting Fishes which accounted for the lighting of the place, she sidled closer to Marina.

Zoria recoiled in horror from the mirror, she saw so much blood and pieces of bodies, she saw horrible machines and mechanical beings. She swam away as she tried to tell Marina what she saw. Marina saw nothing of the sort.

Meanwhile another sinister scene unfolded.

"I saw the mermaid today, Casper, she was truly a beautiful specimen".

"Do you think that she will return to take another look"? Gerry asked hopefully.

"Please, have you actually seen me, I am hot dude, women can't resist me, not even merwomen". Casper boasted, flexing his muscled forearm.

Gerry laughed, shaking his head. "Ok, keep an eye on the mirror while I get everything ready".

Gerry had a huge score to settle with the fish dwellers of the sea. Years ago, when only six years old, a rogue group of merpeople had attacked his family while they were out sailing. They had dragged his parents down into the sea while he watched, his parents had hidden him beneath the equipment on the boat, and so he had gone undetected by the attackers. He had peeked over the side as they left, dragging his screaming parents with them. "We just want to have some fun". They had laughed, as he watched them disappear from sight. He never saw his parents again. No one believed him about seeing the awful merpeople take his family. Now, he would show them, he would finally get his revenge.

Casper and Gerry had worked for two years on their science project at university. They had labored tirelessly formulating their theory of a portal to the Lost city of Atlantis. Their colleagues had scoffed at the idea. After graduating with the theory still unfinished, they received praise for the concept and funding from a rich benefactor to complete their work. Someone else had an interest in Atlantis, they had no idea who it was, but were happy for the opportunity.

"Let us go, please"! A voice in the corner of the large facility shouted. No one replied to the pleas.

Anna and Debra were bullies and all around misbehaved teens. On their final weekend after graduating high school, they were out clubbing and flirting with every and anyone who looked their way. They had double dated with Gerry and Casper. Now tied and trussed up in a corner of the large laboratory, they were regretting and lamenting on the errors of their ways.

At midnight Marina's face appeared in the mirror. Casper, sitting by the computer console, slowly walked over to stand in front of her smiling face. She swam back a short distance, then came close again. Casper stood for a moment, just looking at the lovely face of the creature in front of him. Again, he reached out his hand to her. This time, after hesitating for just one tiny moment, she reached her hand out. Slowly he pulled her forward. She did not resist. Zoria, close behind her, peered out curiously to see where her friend had gone, everything had happened so fast she had not had time to stop her friend from disappearing out the mirror. Gerry, who was right behind Casper, reached in and using both hands, pulled Zoria forward before she knew what was happening.

They had done their research, a large tank was bubbling over by the wall. it was set perfectly to sustain life from the sea. The mermaids were placed unceremoniously into it's depth. The two young men had been lucky tonight, they had actually needed two mermaids. The mergirls hugged each other in fear. They now wished that they had listened to their elders.

Marina and Zoria watched in horror as Casper dragged a lovely screaming young woman to a terrifying looking machine in the corner. A sharp blade like a buzz saw was spinning. He wedged the frightened girl between two halves of a second machine, stepped away and watched as the top half of the girl was severed from the bottom half. Blood spurted everywhere, the other women screamed in shock and horror. The blood flowed horribly, as the exposed organs hung suspended in time, dripping red sickly goo as the women whimpered.

Casper contained the blood flow with built in receptacles in the floor. Gerry sat at the reconstructed computer terminal monitoring the vitals. The other three females were silent for a full minute before starting to beg for their lives. No one could hear them, they were in an isolated and remote area. Marina and Zoria held onto each other as Casper walked towards them. He reached in for Zoria, both girls fought bravely, but to no avail. Zoria was placed in the machine, the process was repeated as Marina keened and wailed in horror. Anna was comatose, Debra had fainted.

The organs of the now comatose women dangled from the severed torso. Casper moved machines around and the mermaids bottom half was joined to the human girls top. The others watched in unbelievable horror as tears streamed down their faces.

Mechanical arms reached in and delicately operated on the two halves. For what seemed like forever to the horrified women, the fingers moved around the bleeding bodies, one bled red, the other bright orange. After an eternity, the terrible metal clicking of the arms stopped, they had completed their gruesome job of stitching half of a mermaid's body to a human female body. The body and body parts were submerged in specially made fluids and the blood cleaned up. Finally it was over.

"Done, now we wait". The first words that she had heard spoken since she arrived. Marina now whimpered in sorrow.

Gerry threw some irish moss and kelp into the mermaid tank, he sat by Debra and tried to get her to eat, she just cried pitifully. He loosened her hand a bit and placed a plate of chicken and a bottle of water by her side.

"Don't worry too much ladies, everything will be over soon". Casper said, not really caring much about their feelings.

They were just about to leave when great arguing was heard coming from the direction of the mirror. Three faces appeared curiously, Mara, Baja and Junie had gone searching for the girls, everyone had been searching. Mara had overheard Zoria and Marina earlier. Unfortunately for the poor young unsuspecting threesome, they too ended up in the large tank.

"Good night ladies. The outcome of this experiment will determine your fate. Tomorrow we shall finish what we started". Gerry turned out most of the lights, leaving a single bulb glowing eerily overhead.

Now if they could just find three human specimens to match the three other mermaids, they argued as they walked out the door.

They left the sniffling women to a sleepless night, Marina explained to the newcomers what their fate would be.

End Part 1.

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Part 2.

Zoria/Anna laid on the beach sunning her exquisite tail. She felt wonderful. She remembered the words her friend Marina had whispered to her that night a month ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago. So much had changed. Casper and Gerry had amalgamated so many of Zoria's kind with the humans. They could now breathe under water.

Marina/Debra came swimming towards her, followed by another group of lovely mermaids. She waved, her elegant tail swishing back and forth. Behind them swam the handsome forms of Casper and Gerry. The experiment had been a resounding success. They had been sent down through the mirror and lured many merpeople to Casper and Gerry. They wanted an army. The human halves of the two original women were those of two fully and highly functioning psychopaths. The men could not have chosen any better subjects. After the original horrors of the Change, they accepted their new forms and lifestyle with ecstatic enthusiasm. They were stronger, faster, became water breathers and could travel through space and time via a mirror. What was there not to love.

The alter ego to the mergirls were just as happy. They were now able to walk on the land and do what land girls were doing, they could still breathe underwater they realized. Casper and Gerry used them to lure men to the lab as they now had both sexes doing their bidding. They could not swim as far underwater as when they were fully mermaids, which made it harder as they missed their families despite everything. Casper and Gerry promised not to bother their families if they cooperated, yet the mermaid and human parts warred with each other. They were not allowed back, not until Casper had his revenge.

War was brewing on land and below the sea. Mermaids and people were going missing.

Mara/Lindsay, Baja/May, and Junie/Grace mutinied. One night they decided to swim down to Atlantis. Junie/Grace had feet, so she could take the others to the mirror. They had no idea that the men were monitoring their every move.

Donning their lightweight specially made swimgear, and summoning his host of mer/human people from their homes and tanks in the large facility, they quickly followed the women. He had found those responsible for the loss of his parents, some were no longer living, but their relatives would do. They were the first to die.

A terrible battle was fought. Th enraged parents, leaders and army fought back. Bloodshed and loss of lives mounted quickly. Both sides had horrific weapons and stored up anger. Casper, Gerry and what remained of their army, bloody and battle worn, raced back through the mirror, shattering it behind them.

"We have to talk"! A strange voice said.

Turning around in consternation, thinking that the cops had found them. they saw a strange but familiar face. It was an older version of Casper.

Their benefactor from the future.

Atlantis had communicated the situation to the human authorities. When they arrived at the location of the facility, all they found was a huge empty plot of land. The people, laboratory and every trace of Casper, Gerry and the entire crew had disappeared into thin air.

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