Panacea

Chapter Six

The first thing Emilie saw when she woke was Gabriel staring down at her. She was confused by the deep frown on his face and the anger set in his eyes. But moreover, she found it hard to breathe.

"Take her to the tank." She could hear Gabriel say between her gasping for breath.

"G-Gabriel, what's going on?" She managed. Her whole body felt strange, like it wasn't her own. She could hear the rumbling of her bed being wheeled along the floor and how the lights on the ceiling made her have to squint. It reminded her of the time she was wheeled through the hospital after having Adrien. The thoughts of her son made her wonder where he was.

The sound of water pulled her out of her reverie and she found herself in a dim, unfamiliar room. Her bed came to a halt and Gabriel reappeared by her side.

"This will all be fixed soon." He said in his usual monotonous tone before lifting her from her bed. She did not even have time to be surprised by the sight of the scaly appendage where her legs should be before she was plunged into the water.

Gabriel turned around and glared at the figures that just entered the room— the head scientist and a much larger man beside him with an unconscious Marinette slung over his shoulder.

"Throw her in there." He ordered before stalking out of the access room.

Emilie was startled when another body came plummeting down into the water after her. She stared in wonderment at the mermaid in front of her and couldn't believe her eyes. But she had no reason to be more surprised. She was sporting a tail of her own. She awkwardly swam closer. The girl looked young, maybe in her teens— early twenties at most. She was also clad in a hospital gown, like her. Her body was motionless as it sank and her eyes were closed. Emilie feared that perhaps she was dead.

A cold chill flooded her body. She was confused, terrified, and even angry. What had Gabriel been up to when she was unconscious? She looked at her surroundings to see that she was in a tank. She could hear a scuffle coming from outside of the room— angry, muffled voices.

"Your father has forbidden you from leaving your room. Please return immediately!"

"I don't give a crap what he says."

The door slammed open and Emilie's eyes widened in surprise as the figure approached the tank. At the sight of her, Adrien's expression mirrored hers.

"Mom." He uttered unbelievingly.

"Adrien?" She hesitated and went towards him for a better look. He looked different than how she remembered— older, bigger. He was wearing a simple light blue shirt and trousers. She scanned his body to see his feet were bare and his left arm had gauze and tape attached to it. It looked as if he had just stormed out of a hospital room.

"So this is the price she was talking about... then that means that I'll also..." Adrien murmured.

"Adrien?" Emilie questioned again. "You're so big now." Adrien smiled sadly at his mother's words. It must be frightening to wake up to find that years have passed you by. "What's going on? When was this tank put here? And this." She looked down to her tail. "And that girl. She was just put in here, right after me. I don't even know if she's alive." She turned around and motioned to Marinette.

"...Just put in?" He was reeling from what she said. They were found almost a full twenty-four hours ago.

"It was all for you," Gabriel's voice interrupted them— the click of the door shutting followed after. Adrien turned and glared at his father. "I brought this creature here in hopes it would cure you, but the wench fooled me." The man spat.