The best catch

The sound of the surf against the background of gunfire created an eerie symphony surrounding Sonya Blade on her dangerous mission. Her figure clad in camouflage blended with the night shadows, reminiscent of a predator ready for a bloody hunt. A routine mission turned into a nightmare. Her squad’s mission was to infiltrate a ship where members of the Black Dragon clan might be hiding. There were more of them than they had bargained for and a fierce firefight ensued. In one careless moment, a bullet pierced Sonya’s side, and she fell overboard. The water enveloped her, clenching her lungs and pulling her deeper and deeper. Sonya fought desperately for life, but with every second and every drop of blood lost, her strength waned. Her consciousness was fading; she tried to fight against the merciless force of the water, but all her efforts were in vain. Her limbs went numb from the cold while her lungs burned with fire. Suddenly, amidst the abyss of the sea depths, a strange silhouette flashed. Two glowing eyes emerged from the depths, like lights illuminating the path in this forgotten world. Sonya tried to concentrate, calling on the last remnants of her strength to realize what was happening. The dark silhouette was slowly approaching and she could feel the terror engulfing her body. Everything around her seemed unreal, like a nightmare from which it was impossible to wake up. The unknown creature floated around Sonya. The scales on its long body shimmered faintly, and its eyes glowed with a bright green fire, as if calling her to itself. Before she finally lost consciousness, she felt strong, scaly arms encircle her. Sonya woke up to a violent cough and to someone massaging her back with force. She tried to get up, but her wounded side was a dull ache. “Hush, don’t rush, beautiful,” said an unknown voice from the side with unconcealed bravado. She turned her head and saw it clearly for the first time: a relatively human face with large webbed ears, a muscular torso covered with thick, segmented scales, a high, rugged crest on its back, and a long, serpentine tail with a flat fin like an eel. He was lying on his stomach with his hands propping his head up and smiling. She reached for the knife she kept strapped to her belt, and with one swing she left a shallow wound on his shoulder. Instead of aggression, however, he simply recoiled and raised his webbed hands with a smile. “Ooh, that’s a perky one. Relax, baby, I saved your life.” He ran his hand over the short, scaly ridge on his head. “Why are people so nervous? I’m beautiful. I’m Johnny, by the way.” Sonya slowly lowered the knife, no longer sure she wanted to use it. “For a sea creature, you’re too chatty… Johnny”. “Yeah, well, the only downside to water is that there’s no one to talk to. I heard the noise, smelled the blood, and found you.” He grimaced and looked down at his bleeding side. “Let me help you one more time, and then you can admire me all the more.” His hand glowed with a green light, Sonya raised the knife again, ready to fight for her life. “Easy,” Johnny grinned, showing his sharp teeth that seemed to belong more to a shark. “It’s mermaid magic.” He ran his hand over the wound on his shoulder and it healed in a second. “Pretty cool, huh?” Sonya lowered the knife and let him come closer. She squirmed when he touched her. The pain disappeared almost instantly, and the only reminder of the wound was the torn clothing. She looked up at him in surprise, and their gazes met. It was then that Sonya saw something in Johnny’s eyes, something she had never seen before. There was a kindness and compassion in his gaze that belied his intimidating appearance. “Get some rest, you’ve been through enough for one night”. He repeated himself as if he were humming, his voice more gentle and captivating each time. Time slowed down, all worries vanished. Sonya would have objected, but she fell into a deep sleep. At the sound of the waves, Sonya slowly opened her eyes. The sun was just beginning to rise above the horizon, coloring the sky shades of orange and pink. She lay alone on the sandy shore in the shade of a fern and tried to remember how she’d gotten here. Fragments of the previous night flashed by: the bullet, the fall, and then… Johnny. Her thoughts jumbled in her head and she seriously questioned her perception. Maybe he was just an illusion created by her tired mind, and she’d just been swept ashore. That didn’t explain the miraculous disappearance of the wound. The wide, winding trail into the ocean didn’t help her judgment. Among the waves she saw a large shadow approaching the shore. Another wave knocked Johnny, with a big red fish in his teeth, onto the shore. He crawled quickly on his belly, wriggling from side to side and raking the sand with his hands. The fish was still fluttering when he dropped it beside Sonya. “Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Johnny said with a slight humor in his voice, “I brought breakfast so you can recover from your night’s adventure.” She continued to sit, still in shock that this was real. He moved a little closer to her. “Wounds are easy to heal, but you still need to rest. This is my island, stay as long as you like, I’m happy to have any company.” Sonya nodded, still not quite sure what to think of the creature in front of her. “Thank you,” she whispered and raised her hand for a handshake. “Lieutenant Sonya Blade, Special Forces.” “What’s in a name?” Johnny laughed and returned the handshake, she rolled her eyes. “Just kidding. Sonya, it’s a beautiful name.” The grip was stronger than she was used to, but he didn’t look like someone who could be a threat. Sonya began gathering dry branches and grass around them. Johnny watched her with interest as she stacked the materials on the sand. When she stopped to catch her breath, he was stroking a fish that was already dead from the sun. “You know, if you wanted plants, you could have said so in the first place. Algae would have been easier to collect.” “It’s not food, it’s a future campfire, I can’t eat raw fish.” She pulled out a knife and pointed the reflected sunbeam at the dry grass. Johnny jerked back as a thin trickle of smoke appeared, Sonya fanning the faint flame. “Hey, you didn’t tell me you had magic.” “I don’t have magic, it’s just physics,” Sonya laughed weakly as she stuck the tip of the knife into the base of the fish’s head and opened the belly. As Sonya skinned the fish, and the fire gradually died down to smoldering embers, Johnny talked nonstop about his observations of the morning. It reminded her of a marine biology lecture, but in simpler language and with more emotional impact. “I usually catch these in the rocky areas of the reef early in the morning when the water is still fresh.” “You know what people call this fish? Blackfin grouper. They’re born female, but when they get big enough, they become male. You caught a male.” Johnny looked at her with an expression like a fish out of water. He continued to describe the sea creatures that lived nearby, and Sonya added her own knowledge. “Hey, how, with all that knowledge, did you wonder about the existence of mermaids?” “Mermaids are just a myth unsupported by any evidence. At least that’s what I thought.” When the fish was ready, they shared it between them, enjoying the simplicity and flavor of the natural food. After eating, Sonya asked if there was fresh water here, and Johnny led her deep into the island. The grass changed to stone when they reached a wide grotto filled with water. “I don’t know if that’s what you mean, but closer to the surface, the water isn’t salty at all.” Sonya carefully climbed down the rock ledges. The depth to the surface was about her height, but she didn’t want to hit the bottom inadvertently. The water was indeed drinkable, if she could make a filter out of the materials she had at hand. Johnny gave her a hand as Sonya went up and showed her a pile of rocks nearby. There were light drag scratches all around. “People seem to love that sort of thing, so I’ve put together a little shelter for you if you want it”. The niche was large enough to fit three people if they wanted to. The stones were neatly stacked and seemed unbreakable. “Impressive,” she commented, touching one of them. “Especially for someone with no legs.” “In case you haven’t noticed,” Johnny lifted himself up on his tail and began to show off his muscles, “Legs aren’t the key to success”. “Is that so?” Sonya took a step back, stood on her hands and grabbed his chest with her legs. Johnny was shocked, his eyes wide and his smile gone from his face. His liveliness and self-confidence were gone in an instant, replaced by clumsy attempts to free himself. He was heavier than anyone she’d ever used the hold on. She threw Johnny over herself and he tumbled into the grotto. He stared at Sonya, amazement and admiration replaced by a sly grimace. Instantly disappearing into the water, Johnny jumped out in front of her with a green flash. He abruptly grabbed her on the fly, plowed her onto a rock, and rolled with her into the water. They disappeared into the depths until Sonya dived out with a startled gasp. Johnny laughingly climbed up next. “You little cheater!” she splashed water on him. “Just like you!” They dived and climbed on top of each other, turning the water battle into a game. Sonya was exhausted and struggled out of the water, building a new fire to dry her clothes and keep warm. She sat in the T-shirt and shorts that were under her uniform, Johnny lying next to her and telling her what else was interesting in the vicinity. She felt safe around him and began to realize that something was changing inside her. Why did she feel so good with Johnny? A strange, fishlike weirdo she hardly knew, but socializing with him was even easier than… “Jax!” Sonya jumped up from her seat and rushed to her still damp uniform. The wet walkie-talkie didn’t work, and she nearly threw it into the grotto. “I can’t tell my commander that I’m alive. He’s probably frantic because he doesn’t know what’s wrong with me.” Sonya paced nervously from side to side. “I don’t even know what happened to my squad or how our mission ended.” Johnny followed her with a concerned look and scratched the stone with his claws. He began to hum something. His voice was beautiful, filled with tranquility. Slowly the melody filled the air, quelling Sonya’s anxiety. As Johnny continued to sing, Sonya felt her heart sink. She tried to resist the feeling, but the melody enveloped her, as if magically penetrating her soul and filling her with blissful peace. Finally, Johnny finished his song, and silence enveloped them both. Sonya looked at him, embarrassed and annoyed. “What was that?” She exclaimed. “You-you tried to cast a spell on me with your voice? You knocked me out the same way before!” “No, Sonya, it’s not witchcraft, it’s a way to calm you down. I wanted to help you forget your anxiety and start thinking straight.” Sonya looked at him, the fire of anger still burning in her eyes, but she was beginning to understand his intentions. After a little thought, she used the knife to disassemble the radio and spread it out to dry. “You know, your song really helped clear my head. I’d probably be swimming across the ocean right now or something.” “You’re welcome. Don’t swim, it’s a long way to land with people.” “I’m sorry for my breakdown.” She took a series of deep breaths. “First I almost drowned, then I learned about mermaids and 'mermaid magic'. Is that too much for…” she looked up at the sun high in the sky, “twelve hours?” “Hey, I understand.” Johnny patted the seat next to him, and Sonya sat up. “My life turned upside down with you, too, but you know what?” He looked into her eyes and paused. “I’m okay with it.” Sonya continued to look at Johnny, his smile and playful gaze. In that instant, she decided to put all her problems aside for later. The radio would dry up sooner or later, she could call for help and get out of here. Right now, she could just enjoy the moment that offered her the opportunity to feel free and happy.