When Norman woke up in the morning, he was quite sleepy...he got up, made his breakfast with the little food he had on his apartment: a sandwich with eggs and some lettuce, why not? He picked up his notes from last night. 

The mermaid was trying to communicate with him! He was glad that she decided to do so...because he had already received a notification from Vincent saying that if she didn't communicate, he would have to hire Cislo and his man again and use force on her.

Still, he was happy that she emitted a frequency...maybe it was similar to a dolphin's frequency? At least it seemed too, for him...cloud he revert and decipher what she meant? Even if the lab had the highest and best technology in those terms... 

He read a lot of studies about frequencies and dolphins, but all essays ended the same way: the language spoken as frequency can not be traduced to another language after all. It's a totally different language by itself that cannot be understood:

" Dam it! I had the highest grade, I have some good brains! I should be able to decipher this! Jesus, I'm late for work I have to go!"

When Norman drove into the lad and entered the room there the mermaid was, Don and Gilda here outside taking care of some other investigations. He waved her "Hi" and she got near to him as he leaned at the glass of the aquarium to look over his paper about the frequency studies. He also had a audio recorder in case he made any sound, more clear this time

" So...let's see what can we advance today! Could you please say something to me like you said yesterday? Please..." 

Nothing...nothing for 2 hours and Norman was so frustrated what he started to sight. And the worst is that he knew what would happen to her if she didn't talk...his peaceful approach would have been for nothing

He laid his head with his hands on his white hair and placed his hand, with the audio recorder by the border of the glass there the mermaid was standing, not aware of that was making him sad and frustrated. 

" I'm never get to listen to your voice ever again? "

" What?"

When Norman looked the mermaid had the audio recorder he just held in his hands and was looking at him with a playful look on his face. She looked carefully into the audio recorder and smiled at Norman. Oh no, that....was bad

" Please give it back! I'm serious! That thing is really expensive!"

All it took was one minute, for the mermaid to grab Norman's arm out of nowhere and send him flying into the aquarium leaving him all soaked and cold. He had always been a little frail when it came down to physical traits and he didn't like cold water...that much

" Jesus Christ Holy Mother! Look at what you have done! This isn't fun! Please give me that!"

Nope she had really playing with him and guess what...she lived in the ocean so Norman's weak legs were to match for that tail of hers. After more than five minutes Norman was almost dying out of breath and she still had the audio recorder in her hand smiling at him, as if she wanted to play with him. 

Norman feel sad and happy at the same time: he was so confused! Actually his inner child was playing with a mermaid and what feel like out of a dream but the harsh reality was... if she didn't gave that back to him all his effort would go to waist and he had to put her in the hand of those violent man. 

He didn't want that...he wanted to do everything in his power to avoid that from happening

His hand still wounded was hurting, he was so cold and soaked...his voice was really low and he almost wanted to cry

Please don't make me do this do you... 

" Please! I need that audio recorder...if you don't give me that back I- I'll have to..."

He couldn't tell her that! What was he doing? As she really going to listen and just hand his the audio recorder like a human would do? She seemed like a child who fond a new toy and didn't want to let go of it... he cursed himself for his high hopes

Until she gave him the audio recorder with a quite concerned face. As she placed in his hand, Norman noticed how she looked at his wounded hand which still had bandages and got away from him. 

Did she regret that she did to his hand? Were mermaid even able to feel regret? Norman believed so. After all she looked so human, her facial expressions and need to communicate were impossible to deny. Norman had seem human's less sensible and caring than that mermaid, than her...

He smiled at her with the biggest smile he had 

" Thank you! I promise you won't regret this! And don't worry about my hand! I might not be able to regenerate my skin as fast as you can but soon I'll be fine! Now..." 

Norman wanted to catch every little something she might "say" and so he was going to need a more complex equipment to make it work. But he remembered that he never worked with sound systems and...how about now? 

Maybe Don could help him? He graduated in technological devises and computer systems and so he pretty much took care of all those equipment they had on the lab. It wouldn't hurt to ask for a little help for his serious right? 

" Thank you for helping me, Don! I'm not to aware of the sound systems...I just know the basics..."

" Don't worry man! I mean, if you knew how to do everything boss wouldn't have hired me right? 

Norman smiled. Vincent sure knew his moves and even if he bareally got out of his office, most of the times to torment him, he knew everything that was going on on that lab and so he needed to be careful...were was something suspicious about him and he could feel it...

" So are you trying to communicate with the mermaid...she might not even have a real language such a randomness of sound, you know that right?"

" Yeah, I'm aware of that Don. Still, I wanted to try something with everything we can get...anything would be good to know more. Also, I would like to teach her how to speak English, to see if her vocal cords are able to produce such sounds..."

Don looked at Norman and back at the mermaid. He could still remember the first time Norman walked right into the lab's door as a freshman who was just hired by the boss. As he waited for his arrival, Don had pictured a very different person in his mind 

He was expecting a genius, of course...he was expecting a cold man who followed the rules and applied then with the most efficiency and calmness. Norman was indeed efficient in his work and he always surprised him with his intelligence...he didn't talk to much and enjoyed to be alone.

Still, he had a very different approach when it came to life. He was an outcast, like he wasn't comfortable in his own skin. He always saw things in a different way and was actually more considerate toward the test samples than he or Gilda were, when making experiments...

He wondered if that was because he was new to the filed

He wondered if he had indeed a kind nature

He wondered if his braveness to make his opinion clear...wouldn't be dangerous in that place

" I can't bealive that your peaceful approach worked Norman... I would have never tried to this like you did...but I'm glad it work this way"

When Don extented his hand to approach the mermaid...she backed down and made a quite hostile face towards him. Don smiled as he took his hand of the aquarium here she was standing. She was growling at him and he looked at Norman in a funny way

" I see you two are close! You are the only one allowed in her personal space, Norman!" 

" What? I wouldn't say that! She seems me everyday so-"

" AwA She really likes you! Thank god your fascination towards her isn't one sided!"

Ok so now Norman was red as a tomato...Don as toying with him as he stood in front of the mermaid who was still growling at Don for some good fucking reason... he was tiered of this

" Please don't say it like that, Don she-"

" I see, so she is your crush and you two want to spend more time alone, right? Just be careful for her not to bit you all right? Well...if you like her biting you, than...that was nothing to do with me! Good luck Norman!"

Oh Norman hated when Don started talking and didn't give him the change to say anything! 

A mermaid as his crush? He was a bit of a weirdo but still...

" NO DON! I don't like pain, thank you very much! I will take care of the test sample!"

Don smiled with a tasty look. Norman was quite look, he would say a perfect liar when It came down to his emotions and his life but he had his quard now and yes, he loved to tease him from time to time. 

It was fun to see the always composed Norman, perfect in anything he did and always competent and calm in which decision to look so lost, so red and so embarrassed with just one little implication. Don had already won the day by that time.  

When Norman calmed down from Don's little play, he turned himself to the mermaid, she changed her scary face into a smiled as Norman sighted facepalming himself

" Maybe I should educate you in how to treat other people well, shouldn't I? Still, we can't waist time! I'm going to pick up some paper, so we can start our English lesson, all right?"

As Norman took his note papers from his desk to test if she could indeed speak of imitate human sounds, he felt almost like a real English teacher and he wondered what words would a teacher teach first to their students?

He din't even remembered what words he learned when he was a child...maybe his first word was " fish" he wasn't sure and he had forgot about that... so he decided to star with something important:

" Human...can you say it? H-U-M-A-N? It's easy right?

" N-U-M-A-N?..." 

WOAH! She did said something! Norman knew it was a bit off but..she was able to say it! More than that...instead of saying human, it looked a lot she was saying his name and Norman, somehow was a bit red. He was glad that he was recording that she was saying...

" Amazing! Good job! Thank you for trying so hard! Do you remember the other word I told you?"

She leaned her face to the right and smiled...did she think that this was a game? 

" M-E-R-M-A-I-D? Norman?"

Now Norman was moved! She did remembered the word he told her and she said his name perfectly, even if he haven't teach her that! She was not only showing that Mermaid had a good memory, but she was also showing the ability to learn for herself and understand the context in which words were used! 

Actually, he is a bit embarrassed in now she said his name...he was a bit red and ashamed of himself? What the hell wa he doing? Falling for a mermaid? That the hell? How that was a level of weirdness that Norman never tought he would cross but guess what...

Never say never  

More than that, he was so stupidly listening to her saying his name, or trying to say the word "human" and actually failing and making it sound like his name, that he didn't noticed that the lab was almost at the closing hour and he had to leave in 5 minutes or the gates would all be closed 

And he would be stuck there...all night 

" Damn! I'm so sorry! I had a great time and I promised I will teach you more tomorrow! I might even bring you a gift! See you tomorrow! "

As Norman ran like a madman towards the door and she waved back at him as he left, he closed his eyes for one second. The sweet sound of her voice echoing in his mind... there was something peaceful about his name in her mouth...something so satisfying that made a shiver run down his spine...

Still he wondered...if the legend about the melodic hypnotizing mermaid voice was true? Maybe he was being attracted by her beautiful sound? Well, he didn't know... he was wanted it to confront him at night. 

When he arrived at his apartment and laid his soft hair on his blue pillow she could hear the sound of the sea, like a wave coming and going without stooping, he water crashing against the rock in a violent, yet dedicated way... and far away form his body which was lying on the pure and white sand...

Someone was calling his name

Someone needed him and he also needed her as well.

------------------------ O ---------------------------

Thank you so much for reading this chapter! All the credits for the art , cape and AU ideia and comics of this fanfic are to @mika-hime on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram! Please go check her fantastic art!

Note: This chapter's title is a reference to the song "Scientist" by Coldplay 

Thank you so much and see you soon!