Panacea

Chapter Three

Adrien stood in disbelief as he stared at the woman lying on the bed before him. Her once pallid skin now had a rosy glow to it. The machine that helped her breathe was disconnected and put off to the side, no longer needed.

"It's working Adrien."

Adrien couldn't remember the last time Gabriel had sounded so pleased. It had to be a coincidence right? Marinette told him that the legend of the mermaids was a lie.

"The serum was a success after all. There's hope for her Adrien. Now we just need to retrieve more blood and—"

"What?" Adrien's eyes flashed angrily. Without waiting for a response from his father, Adrien turned heel and made a beeline to Marinette's room.

When he entered, he saw Marinette floating aimlessly on her back. She didn't seem to notice him at all. That only meant that they had already gotten to her. No matter how big or small, she would always show some sort of reaction when he entered.

"Will your father really let me go, when this is all over?"

Marinette's soft voice startled him. He hadn't expected it and assumed that she didn't know he was there. He silently approached the tank and gazed inside at the listless mermaid. Her scales were lackluster, not quite as bad as when she first arrived, but lacking its true vibrancy. Along her arms were deep purple splotches, ugly bruises from the needles that dug into her skin.

He wanted to tell her that despite his father's faults, he was always a man of his word. But even he was uncertain about the man whom he used to trust.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I promise I'll find a way to free you. I won't let them hurt you anymore."

It was going to be a daunting task. He wasn't sure how he was going to go about it. First things first, he'd have to find a key into the access room on the upper level. And then, he'd have to figure out how to transport her back to the ocean.

"How long can you be out of the water?" He asked. Marinette was startled by the question, not thinking that he was seriously planning on breaking her out. She straightened herself and looked at him to see his brows furrowed and eyes staring at the floor in concentration. At her silence, he looked up at her to see uncertainty splayed on her face. She averted her eyes.

"Three days." She said quietly.

Adrien was surprised by her answer. Not only was it longer than expected, her answer was so precise. He expected a range of time with maybe some conditions like having to stay wet or needing to keep a certain temperature. For some reason, her answer made him feel uneasy. It wasn't that he thought she was lying, but he felt like there was something missing. He brushed his apprehension aside. Three days should be enough time to get her back to her home. The closest beach was two to three hours away by car or train.

Unfortunately, he wasn't old enough to have a license so driving was out of the equation. He wondered if it was possible for him to secure a wheelchair. If he could use a blanket to cover her tail, taking the train should be doable. Next was figuring out how to obtain the key to the access room. Then all he had to do after that was check when his father would be away long enough to set his plan into action.

"What about your mother?" Marinette asked.

"You said mermaids didn't hold such power, didn't you? She does look like she's recovering but it's a coincidence, right?" He offered her a reassuring smile. She pressed her lips into a thin line and avoided his gaze. It looked like there was something she wanted to say but she held back. His unease from earlier resurfaced but he quashed it. He trusted Marinette. She wouldn't lie to him.

"Even if it was the case that she's getting better because of you, it's not right to keep you captive like this. It would be amazing if she woke up one day and I had a mother again, but..." He hesitated as he thought about what his mother would do. "It's not your responsibility to save her. She wouldn't be okay with this. And..." He pressed his hand against the glass and smiled. "You're important to me, Marinette."

"Adrien—" She started, but he chuckled lightly, his somber smile making her heart ache.

"Even if we might never see each other again, I want to do what's right."

—

It was surprisingly easier than he expected to get a wheelchair. In fact, it had fallen right into his lap. His mother's condition had improved even more after she was administered another dose of Marinette's blood. After several years of being inactive, her muscles had atrophied severely that she wouldn't be able to walk right away. Gabriel himself had a wheelchair purchased for her for whenever she awoke from her coma.

As for the key, he knew that Gabriel carried one as well as the head scientist who oversaw the divers that handled Marinette. For once in his life, he was grateful that Gabriel was too busy to pay him any mind. He simply had to wait for a moment when his father had his hands full to take the key and make a copy.

After that, all Adrien had to do was bide his time. His father was going on a business trip in a week and would be away from early morning until the morning after. He checked the train schedules, taking note of what times he could board to make it back before Gabriel did.

Part of him wondered if he really should wait for Emilie to recover. Gabriel did say that he would release Marinette then. But Adrien still had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. He didn't know if he could trust his father anymore. So even if there was a chance that she'd be let go eventually, Adrien would rather that chance be a certainty. So as he waited, he spent as much time with Marinette as he could. After all, it was probably the last of their time together.

"Is there anyone you're looking forward to seeing? When you go back home, I mean." Adrien asked curiously. He was sprawled out on the floor, eyes following the movement of the water that reflected on the ceiling. He turned his head to his left to see that she had taken a break from swimming and rested on the tank floor beside him.

"You don't have to answer, of course. I often think about how your friends and family must be so worried about you. But merpeople could be solitary for all I know." He chuckled.

"Merpeople live in societies just like humans." She explained. "I guess they'd be worried..." She trailed off. There was a hesitancy in her tone, as if she wasn't confident in what she said. Adrien rolled over onto his side so that he was fully facing her.

"I would be worried."

Marinette gazed at him, taking in his gentle eyes and serene smile. Her heart ached over their fleeting friendship. Over the course of a few months, she had grown so attached to him and the thought of their eventual parting filled her with utmost sadness. She was going to miss him dearly.

"Thank you."