The Deep

Sticky Situation

Monika's voice rings out over the radio "Doc, I need you in the zoology lab on 8!". "On the way!" Kate yells into her radio as she holsters her pistol and rushes out the armory and down the hall to the elevator. The doors open and after a quick holler to check for anyone in the ceiling she quickly rides up to 8, the doors open and once again she dashes through the halls. She reaches the lab and quickly unlocks the door and bursts in, "Doc quick!!" yells Monika from behind a fish tank. Kate rushes around to see Bryan with a large fish on his arm. Bryan screams, "GET THIS FUCKING THING OFF ME!!" at Kate, as Owen holds a dive knife to the fish, "Doc, tell Monika I can just pop this thing off!". "No you can't! I've been trying to tell these morons not to touch the fucking remoras!" screams Monika. "Okay everyone needs to calm down and we need to rationalize this" says Kate, taking a closer look at Bryan's arm.

Kate is far from a fish expert, but she still could tell this remora was different. It had a long shiny purple stripe down its side and the bone structure of the skull was odd. It looks almost armored. "Is this a new species?" directed towards Monika. Monika looks at Bryan, then back to Kate "At first yes, but no". Kate trades looks between the three "What does that mean?". "It's been genetically altered... it was a normal remora but something's changed it" Monika points at a set of tanks on the other side of the room.

The room is a large rectangular room, two levels high. The large window across the wall overlooking the drop-off. There's another window on the floor looking into a shallow sea cave filled with cave dwelling fish and crustaceans. The walls are stacked to the ceiling with tanks of all different types of water animals and corals. The majority of the room is filled with rows of tanks too. There's a door in the center of the wall closest to the door that leads into a water elevator and Monika's scout drones. On the other far wall is a work area, lab equipment and Monika's messy desk. In the other corner is a larger, square pool like tank. Mostly used for tagging fish or holding specimens while being researched.

The eight tanks she's pointing at are next to the large research tank. They're separated from the rest of the tanks and have red stickers on them. Kate begins walking over to the tanks as Tyler and Owen resume struggling with the fish. Inside the tanks are fish that look familiar but all have the same purple streaks and spots. Kate directs her attention to the large tank. Inside is a large eel, "Is this a moray?" she asks. The eel had turned jet black and was covered in purple spots. The eel has barbs down its back and its head structure is bulkier. "It was!" Monika hollars. "What happened to it?" She asks, fixated on the bizarre mutations. "The same thing that happened to this thing!" yells Byan. Kate walks back to the group and begins inspecting the outline of the suction pad. "Okay Owen, pass me the knife" she says holding out her hand. Owen hands her the knife. Monika starts walking to her lab station "I've got shit to do, don't damage the fish". Bryan eyeballs her, "Oh, don't hurt the poor fish... that's stuck to my fucking arm!" he screams. Kate places the knife against the edge of the pad "Don't worry, I'll be careful... just keep still". Kate begins pushing up, trying to pry the pad up. Slowly it begins lifting up. Suddenly with a loud pop, a part of the pad separates. "Ha!" she shouts. Kate looks closer under the pad to see rows and rows of individual suction cups. "What is it?" asks Bryan, trying to see. "I don't know? It has like... suction cups of an... of well an octopus" she says confused. "That's impossible," laughs Bryan. Kate rolls her eyes. "Whatever. One down... about a hundred to go" says Kate as she places the knife under the next sucker.

After 2 hours of prying a remora off Bryan, Kate gets to her room. She unlocks the door and walks into the dimly lit pod. "Welcome back Kate", Betty says as an exhausted Kate unbuckles her holster and throws it on the table then makes her way to the couch. "Hey Betty", she replies, flopping onto the couch. "Jesus, you look exhausted." Betty says to Kate who's massaging her head, "please don't remind me". *knock-knock!* "mmhmhmm.. Why?" Kate begrudgingly gets up and makes her way to the door. "Yes?" Kate says as she opens the door to Jessica with a stack of clothes. "Hey Doc, busy day?" she says chuckling and eyeballing her messy hair. "Yeah... you could say that." she says, trying to fix it. "There you go... Anyways, Marcus called me this morning about sleep wear. Said you lost your stuff or something. Anyways here are some sweats, a long sleeve and a flannel for extra cold nights... I think they'll fit you but if not I can dig up something." Kate smiles as she grabs the stack of folded clothes then makes her way into the bathroom. 

Jessica walks in and leans against the table, "So... Marcus". "What about him?" Kate asks, throwing her coat out the door and onto a chair next to the bathroom. "I mean, what do you think of him? I heard he gave you the exciting entrance" she asks, picking up Kate's pistol from the holster. "That's one way to put it for sure. As for him, I mean he's certainly... something". "You could say that again... I can never read that guy, like he's a genius but not like up his own ass. But he also has this like, thrill seeking side and especially with Cap. But the two have the Gunslinger thing." Kate listens in as Jessica continues rambling. "I've noticed... Wait, do you mean just gun twirling gunslinger? Or Marshal Gunslinger?" she says, placing her clothes into her hamper. "Beck never told you?" Jessica says as Kate walks out the bathroom in a pair of red plaid sweatpants and a gray shirt with a pink rabbit on the front. "Well they seem to fit great. sorry about the shirt, best I could dig up." Kate walks to the table, setting her radio and belt next to her gun. "Nah it's great, I'm warm plus the shirt is cute." she says, smiling at her. "Back to the whole Gunslinger thing. Marcus was a Marshal Gunslinger?" she asks. Jessica just smiles and nods "But Marcus isn't like... a 6'6, 7 foot mountain like the Captain?" Jessica starts laughing as she pulls out her phone. "I know 5'10 engineer doesn't exactly ring Marshal Gunslinger but believe it or not he was... actually the last person to pass the Gunslinger program before the Marshals got disbanded" Jessica holds out her phone. "Marcus was able to outperform everyone in his class and most of the current Gunslingers." Kate skims through pictures and videos of Marcus training in the Ottawa Marshal's facility. 

Jessica takes the phone and scrolls to an old photo "Plus don't underestimate that geeky mechanic thing, under that ugly shirt he's built like a mini Beck". Kate looks at an old photo of Marcus, Jessica and the girl from the sub on a beach together. Marcus has his arms on the shoulders of them and the three are smiling ear to ear. Kate focuses on Marcus, his legs are massive and covered in hair. His abs, chest and shoulders are shredded with muscle. The compass tattoo is red, clearly new. The same ring she had seen on him earlier around his neck. "That was before he joined the Marshals... and probably the last picture of him shirtless. He prefers to... hide his body the past couple years." Kate nods, understanding the reason now. Kate trying to change the subject, asks "So where you two together?". Jessica laughs "Oh god no! Marcus and I met in school. He's been the goofy, overprotective brother I never had". "Overprotective?" asks Kate. "Fuck, that man was a Marshal before he joined".