Dr. Isaac walked into Cell 3. Inside, the room was bleak. A pale beige and dark grey marble tiling, which was normal for any non-decorated cell block. But, this room was different. It held what was soon to be named Nephthys.

Aside from the basic designs around, a large water tank was set onto a modern wooden dining table. A lid was placed on top, with several tubes pumping in liquids to what was floating in the water.

Inside was a large pearl. It was glossy, yet translucent. It held Nephthys. It moved the water, twisting and turning. The pearl was held by a specific silver tube, which was basically the only way the pearl would gain its nutrition before it hatched.

Behind Dr. Isaac, one of the younger nurses walked in. “She’s supposed to hatch in an hour.” She held a clipboard close to her chest as she approached behind him. “Continue to pump the nutrition. I’ll be the first to know.” He ordered her.

The nurse walked out without a word. A smile crept up on his face. That would be the third addition to his laboratory. The second one bred not from a human. Just thinking of how many he could make brought a smile to his face.

***

"Sir." A nurse walked behind him, as he stood silently in front of the fish tank. "Nephthys has about a minute until she hatches." Over the time he had been gone, the water had turned a dark purple. Apparently, the water had turned temperatures as well. The once cold and translucent water had been turned into a warm, murky goo.

Dr. Isaac turned to face the nurse, who held a clipboard against her chest as she trembled. Dr. Isaac appreciated that. He needed to feel more powerful over women. "A minute, you said?" His voice was content and calm, yet she seemed to shake with every syllable he spoke.

"Yes." She confirmed. An odd shaped grin widened on his face. "I'll wait as long as it takes. I just want to see Subject 03-1's arrival. I made her specially. She reminds me of my wife." The nurse knew Dr. Isaac was info-dumping on her, most likely revealing more than she needed to know. Yet, she decided to ask.

"Your wife.. You mean Hanna? Oh, what a wonderful lady she is. Did you know she occasionally comes in to help us? Just to help Aradia and Zephirah." The nurse did admire Hanna, her demeanor elegant, despite not knowing the place. She was married into Dr. Isaac's family, mainly so she could come to America, but they fell in love with each other despite that fact.

The grin turned into more of a smile, his gratitude for his wife. "Hanna.. Yes. I hope Aradia doesn't give her too much of a headache. When she had Milly, she was more stressed out than an elephant forced to walk on a tightrope." He seemed to genuinely care for her, despite what the nurse had been told.

In the awkward moment of silence, the water tank in front of Dr. Isaac began to bubble. It splashed against the walls of the tank, the pearl doing flip flops around the water. A glowing light appeared in the water, emerging slowly from the bottom of the moving pearl. "Nephthys?.." Dr. Isaac whispered. His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

The two other nurses walked from behind as the water became violent. "Is she hatching?" One asked. "I think so." The other replied. For a moment, the water was still. The glowing light stopped halfway on the pearl. It seemed to be burning a cylinder around the middle, before two teal flippers came out from the incision made onto the pearl.

"Oh my God.." The nurse with the clipboard gasped, covering her mouth. Soon, a head emerged as it poked and prodded the burnt off top pearl off the bottom. Her hair was short, albeit very wavy. it was the same teal as her skin, Her eyes were still white, evening out all of the similar colors.

She swam out of the pearl with her two flippers and soon noticed mermaid tail. The way she looked, Nephthys looked nearly identical to a younger version of Hanna. The tail had severed off what would be her legs on a human being, connecting from the waist down. Inside of the tank, the water turned back to it's normal blue state.

"Nephthys.." That same grin appeared back onto Dr. Isaac's face. Nephthys moved toward the tank, putting a flipper against the front glass. He leaned down, reaching her height, before putting a hand next to her flipper. Nephthys attempted to speak, bubbles channeling out of her mouth.

"How are we supposed to know what she's saying when she speaks?" A nurse asked. Dr. Isaac turned back to them. "Get the R&D Department on it. Now!" He urged them. All three of the nurses skidded out of the room.

Dr. Isaac grinned. "Nephthys. After so many months of trying.. Here you are." He seemed so proud of himself. The way she resembled Hanna down to the mole at the top of her lip. Of course, the only thing they couldn't do was completely modify her to look exactly like Hanna. So, Dr. Isaac had diverged that by making her into her favorite mythical creature- a mermaid.

If he could make her South African- if he could give her the familiar tight locks she always kept her hair in- maybe he wouldn’t miss her so much. Maybe, perhaps, once he would eventually snap, he can return to Nephthys.

***

In a shaky halt, Dr. Isaac fumbled the keys through the laboratory front doors. The rooms were a pitch black, before he dropped his keys at the entrance slot. in a tremble, he headed down the corridor to the cell block.

The two busted doors of 015-2 and 017-2 stood out. The lights were flickering, due to the busted plexiglass that held the the bulbs in. He walked to the left, to 03-1's room. Nephthys. He put his handprint onto the scanner, an odd electrical buzz signaling in the air.

In the tank, the now grown Nephthys slept soundly against the sand in her tank. She had her hands running through her hair, constantly stroking it as she lay there, so silently. Dr. Isaac knocked on her glass, kneeling down beside her. "Hello? Nephthys?" He whispered to her, but her white eyes were already shot open.

Nephthys sat up quickly, nearly banging her head on the top of her tank. "Oh.. Good morning." She seemed shaken, as if something had happened. "I already know both Ishtar and Suspiria are gone. How could you do this to me?" Dr. Isaac looked hurt. Betrayed. But, Nephthys wasn't sure why.

"What? How do you believe that I know of their sudden disappearance? Are you claiming me as a liar?.." Nephthys seemed more hurt than him, but he slowly lifted up her tank. "Isaac. Put me down." She demanded, banging a flipper against the glass in a hurry.

"No."

***

In a struggle, Dr. Isaac carried Nephthys and her tank to a nearby river. "You know, you were made after Hanna. You are smart though. You aren't like my wife. If you're smart enough, don't end up dying in this ecosystem. Be the apex predator for me." Nephthys, would have normally fought back, but she was busy on something else.

"I hate to distract you, sir. But.. Look." With a flipper, Nephthys pointed to across the river bank. It stood a tall, white shadow. His face fell. "Phaedra. Why didn't I remember the threat you posed?" He sighed. "Fear me. For you shall not be able to pass through the water. If I were to drop her, you would have no way of saving her." Dr. Isaac seemed all too cocky about it, practically threatening to drop her.

Phaedra stood there. Her ghostly apparition state seemed to taunt him. Her black, sunk back eyes glared at him. "I will not hesitate to act. Drop her and we will not have any problems.” She spoke quickly, her voice wavering in fear.

Dr. Isaac refused. He shook his head, the grip on the tank getting tighter. His knuckles turned a pale white. “Kill me if you must. I know if you do, at least the darkest pit of hell will open to keep the company. I would rather be there than here. You experiments have ruined my life piece by piece.”

She seemed out of it. As a grand finale, that odd grin reappeared. It tugged tightly at the corners of his lips. “Keeping you alive would be a disservice.” Phaedra whispered to herself. “Just drop her.” She begged.

“No.” The words he spoke stung, like a claw from an animal. Locking eyes with Phaedra, the tough grip he once had was dropped. The tank splashed in the river water, soaking Dr. Isaac’s pants.

“You kill your wife and daughter, and kill your experiments. Now, it is time for someone to kill you. Rot in hell. In the fiery, most dark pit. The one made special for you.”