As if being kidnapped wasn't bad enough, Talbot was actually insane. Here they were on some weird private jet. She was handcuffed but at least there wasn't a bag over her head anymore. Talbot was just sitting across from her eating a tuna sandwich and talking about finding the secret to immortality.

Viola’s song suddenly split through the air, a sign that she wasn't entirely alone. When she had woken from her drugging, the peacefulness of the moment between wakefulness and sleep was so terribly torn away the moment she realized they were in an airplane and she had a bag over her head.

She had no idea where they were or how long she had been out for. Either way, this was very very bad. Forget second locations she could literally be anywhere. Her chance of anyone coming to her rescue was practically none. So she had to behave herself unless she wanted to be shot dead.

People buzzed around and Talbot ignored them as someone tossed fish after fish into Viola’s weird transportation thing. It looked almost like a shipping container but fancier. A massive door opener and the entire thing was wheeled away, Eva could just catch a glimpse of a runway outside. Heat suddenly flooded the cabin, the air hotter and drier than the San Diego summer heat she was used to. It very much didn't smell like home either. Her last hope that she could get home was shattered.

“We best get going,” Talbot yawned. His bodyguards stood, one with a key to her handcuffs which he used to unlock her from the seat before locking her hands together. At the very least they weren't covering her eyes.

This entire situation was insane. This was the kind of thing that happened in action movies, not in real life. Then again, mermaids were involved. If that was possible then of course Talbot had some kind of criminal organization.

She was holding herself together, unwilling to break down without some privacy. So she did what she always had to do and shoved everything down until she could unpack it safely. When she finally had a moment to herself she could cry, right now, she wouldn't show any weakness. She wouldn't give Talbot the satisfaction.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she was led along behind Talbot. Off the plane and onto the runway. Talbot ignored her, it didn't seem like she would be getting an answer. Despite being able to see she had no clues as to where she was.

The air was different from that of San Diego. Lush green vegetation surrounded the airfield they had landed on. They were in a tropical forest rather than the more arid shrubland of her home. There was a nondescript hanger and nothing else beyond Talbot and his goons. Nothing else except the largest helicopter Eva had ever seen. It looked like something the military would use, its twin blades rotating slowly in the bright sun as men pushed Viola in her container up the ramp.

Forget a secondary location, their trip was not over.

“Keep moving,” the guard said, tugging her forward toward the helicopter as Talbot walked forward without care. Eva didn't bother putting up a fight as she was escorted up the ramp. She would find no help on a private and secluded airfield.

Talbot sat and pulled out a flask as she was shoved into one of the chairs. One of the bodyguards whispered something to Talbot before he waved him away. She had expected Talbot to be some whiny trust fund kid, her first meeting with him had only confirmed that. At no point had she ever considered he was a mobster. What else could he be? I never should have taken that damn job.

Viola was singing, her panicked whistles clearly annoying Talbot. He pulled a pair of earmuffs off a hook and put them on, waving at her to do the same. Eva struggled to unhook them with her hands bound. Talbot’s four bodyguards buckled themselves in as two soldiers, heavily armoured with weapons, did the same. It was a tight fit, especially with most of the space taken up by Viola.

Eva could hear the propellers picking up as she finally wiggled the earmuffs over her head. No one looked particularly impressed by anything which had to mean all of these people were used to this level of strangeness. Private planes and helicopters, mercenaries, kidnapping, it was like she had stepped into another world.

She glanced at Talbot who raised his flask with a grin that was more of a sneer before her stomach lurched and they were off. She could only just see out one of the small round windows. The airport disappeared beneath a sea of green as the trees blurred and blended together. Just as soon as the world outside the window turned green it abruptly turned blue. They were now over the ocean.

Was Talbot going to release Viola? Why the hell were they taking them into the ocean? Helicopters were for shorter flights, which meant they certainly were not crossing the vast sea below.

The helicopter tilted, its direction changing and the blue of the ocean was replaced with the blue of the sky. Eva did not like this at all.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

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Eva had no idea where they were landing. Time had blended together during the flight but considering it was still light out it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Guards hoisted her up as Talbot stood. All she could see out the window was some kind of platform.

The large cargo door opened and Talbot hopped out. Viola was blinded by the salt in the air and the brightness. When her eyes adjusted she had no idea what she was looking at. At first she thought it was an oil rig. A conglomerate of pipes, metal and machinery. Except it looked far too nice to be an ordinary oil rig. It seemed more like a floating mansion.

“Welcome to the Rig!” Talbot yelled over the propellers.

“What the hell is this place!” she yelled back. People bustled about unloading supplies and Viola’s crate from the helicopter. A few soldiers were posted around but most people were dressed like staff.

“My father’s life's work,” he replied. “Come, let's eat. You must be starving.”

Having no choice as she was practically carried after him she followed. Through an elegant doorway into a large hall. Paintings lined the walls, Talbot and two other men, presumably his father and maybe grandfather? Through another doorway, they found themselves in a large room with a domed glass ceiling. Plants dominated this greenhouse and yet everything was pristine. In the centre was a large fountain of scaly mermaids which sprayed seawater from its nipples. Eva couldn't help but snort at the cheesy statue.

After a few more twists and turns they stepped into a large dining room. A dozen or so chairs were at the table all empty but waiting for any guests. This really was a floating mansion. Out of all places to be kept hostage it didn't seem like the worst. Except any hope of escape was gone. The only way here had been hours by helicopter and she had no idea where she was.

Talbot sat at the head of the table and motioned for her to sit. His bodyguards let her go, posting themselves at the doors. At least Talbot was being civil, she was hungry enough to behave herself. She turned and pulled out the chair and nearly tripped over herself.

Stuffed and mounted on the wall as if a hunting trophy was a mermaid far larger than Viola. The same black and white pattern covered her body, her eyes glassy having been replaced with marbles. She was massive, larger even than a regular orca but any impressiveness was drowned in a sea of revulsion. It was like stuffing a human and putting them up on display.

“Ah yes, my father’s obsession. He spent his whole life searching for mermaids, that was as close as he got,” Talbot explained. The butler returned, placing two glasses in front of Talbot and one beside her as she numbly forced herself to sit.

“Why am I here?” Eva asked, gulping down the water provided. She didn't want to sit here and listen to him talk and talk.

“Truthfully… I want you on my side,” he shrugged.

“So you… kidnapped me?”

“I'd prefer to call it heavily encouraged visitation.” When Eva just glared at him he continued, lowering his voice ever so slightly. “My father was a leader of a cult. A zealot obsessed with mermaids and the power they were said to have. He built this place for people foolish enough to follow him after he recovered that,” he explained, pointing to the taxidermied mermaid.

“So?”

“Well… after his death things needed to move on into the 21st century. No one believes in fairy tales and mythology anymore. It was a dying scheme even before his time. But the mermaids… the mermaids are real.”

Eva didn't even know how she was supposed to reply to that and decided to focus on the bread basket the butler brought before scurrying away.

“Some believe that… consuming the flesh of a mermaid grants longevity, immortality even.”

Eva’s appetite suddenly vanished, the bread tasting like ashes on her tongue as she looked at Talbot with horror.

He laughed, “Please, if that were true my father would still be alive. But it’s not entirely wrong, they do hold the key to immortality.”

“And how can you possibly know that?” Eva asked, not bothering to dispute the fact that that wasn't possible.

“Because my grandfather was over three hundred years old when he died. I have his journals, he may have taken his secrets to the grave but I know mermaids are the key.”

“It's not really immortality if he's dead is it?” Eva snorted and Talbot’s smile vanished.

“Immortality is not invincibility. Look, anyone who is anybody is an investor in my company because everyone wants to live forever. I am closer than I've ever been before, that's why I want you to work for me.”

“Excuse me?” Eva failed to hide her shock.

“Viola… trust you which means you're the key to getting what I want from her. I'd of course pay you generously and… my success would of course be your success.”

Eva frowned. She absolutely did not want to work for Talbot, she wanted to go home and never see his face again. She wasn't remotely tempted, she just wanted out.

“I’m offering you immortality, Ms. Diaz,” he explained. “In return for your help.”

His offer was not remotely convincing. She had watched him execute her uncle and her coworkers without a second thought. Not that she remotely believed him, he was delusional if he seriously thought he was going to find a way to become immortal. As crazy as Viola's existence was, there was a logical explanation.

Yet even if Talbot was delusional he had an army and a private floating mansion miles away from land let alone assistance. Accepting his offer was how she would live another day. They were in the middle of the ocean, there had to be some way she could free Viola.

Except she had no idea how she could pull off a ruse like that. Talbot wasn't being genuine, he couldn't be. He just wanted her to help him willingly. She was just a means to an end for him, once he got what he wanted what would stop him from executing her? Once he gets what he wants as if that will ever happen.

She could never work for a man like Talbot. He had killed Phillip, the one family member she had who had been at least somewhat there for her. He certainly hadn't been perfect but he had been torn away just as they were reconnecting. And Viola, she couldn't be her warden again. She just couldn't do it.

“No, I won't help you,” she decided before stuffing her mouth with bread. Bread and butter had never tasted so sweet, or maybe it was the look of incredulity on Talbot’s face, clearly he wasn't used to hearing the word no.

She was fully aware that this was probably a death sentence but at least it was her choice. As she reached for more bread the entire basket was slapped off the table as Talbot stood, anger rolling off him in waves. She met his gaze defiantly, a surge of courage running through her now that she had accepted her powerlessness.

He took a deep breath and sat back down, his knuckles still white from the force of his fists. “Fine. You'll have ample opportunity to change your mind. Maybe a steady supply of salt water and fish will change your mind.”

He motioned for his guards. “Tell the cook to forget about food. I think it's time we ensure our guests settle in nicely.”