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    Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version
    Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version
    Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version
    Ebook369 pages5 hours

    Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version

    By KuroKoneko Kamen

    ()

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    About this ebook

    An alluring merman whose dark blue gaze tempts her like a siren’s call...

    Levi Devlin is a chef and owner of the popular seafood restaurant Poseidon’s Trident. Levi only has one rule for his customers to follow: Don’t waste food. Because Levi will literally throw out anyone who doesn’t follow this rule he’s earned the nickname The Brawler Chef. The last thing on Levi’s mind was falling in love with a human female but when fate causes his path to cross with action heroine Vivien Tempest he’s shark bait.

    A dazzling actress who blinds him like the sun, and is as unreachable...

    Vivien Tempest strives to be acknowledged as a serious actress. Unfortunately, the action heroine has been typecast as a zombie killer. When Director Maverick offers her the chance to play a free-spirited princess in The Little Merman, Vivien knows this is her big chance! Which is why when Vivien discovers Levi’s secret - that he’s a merman - she instantly blackmails him into starring in the movie with her as the merprince.

    And the handsome actor with a sensuous smile who comes between them...

    Dylan Black became an actor in order to gain money, power, and millions of worshipping humans, er, fans at his feet - and he succeeded. However, in order to accomplish his ultimate endgame he needs to find the right woman to fall in love with. When he sees that Levi has set his sights on Vivien, he knows that she must be special and intends to steal her away. But in the end can money really buy love?

    Author's note: Swearwords and graphic sexual content have been removed to make this book more appropriate for my Teen readers. Enjoy!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKuroKoneko Kamen
    Release dateJul 2, 2015
    ISBN9781310346118
    Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version
    Author

    KuroKoneko Kamen

    Author KuroKoneko Kamen (Black Kitten Mask) has always had an interest in Japanese culture from folktales about yokai (ancient demons) to anime and manga. As a result of being an otaku a lot of her stories are set in Japan or have a Japanese theme. Even when in the midst of a pirate novel expect a samurai warrior to be thrown into the mix. Her latest passion is paranormal romance and she’s written stories where ghosts, demons, and angels find love. Keeping her company as she writes are her several dogs and cats, some of which are rescues (now including a pet turtle someone wanted to make a soup out of). To keep updated on new stories and specials visit the author’s facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/authorkurokonekokamen.

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      Book preview

      Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version - KuroKoneko Kamen

      Hollywood Merman

      PG-13 Version

      By KuroKoneko Kamen

      Copyright 2015 by KuroKoneko Kamen

      Cover Design by Mathia Arkoniel

      Smashwords Edition, License notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or give away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This is a work of fiction. All characters are invented. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

      Chapter 1: Big Bad Blue

      Levi hated humans.

      For five hundred years he’d lived under the sea, swimming from ocean to ocean, and from one side of the Earth to the other in search of more of his kind - merfolk.

      Yep, Levi was a merman. He had the upper body of a human male and the lower body of a fish. The tail that started bellow his bellybutton was more than five feet long, covered in light blue, dark blue, and green scales, and was extremely powerful. With one whack of his tail Levi could shatter sea boulders or knock a shark out cold.

      Centuries ago, Levi had opened his eyes and simply was. He had no past memory of how he came into being. No identity. He didn’t know how he came to be - if he’d been ‘born’, or if he had parents out there somewhere. Levi simply existed and he’d been holding an impressive, five-foot-long, golden trident in his right hand. The trident was a three-pronged weapon with viscous barbed tips.

      Levi had no memories, but as he looked at the weapon he’d known what it was: My trident. And he’d known that it was a powerful weapon that he could use to protect himself in the vast, wild ocean.

      Right after Levi’s awakening he immediately left the area in search of answers and for beings like himself. What was he? Who was he? He wondered as he swam through the ocean.

      Levi.

      The merman thought he remembered his name or at least part of it. Levi didn’t know for how long he searched the seas for his kind, but eventually he grew curious about the surface world he’d glimpsed through the water.

      Levi swam up towards the ocean’s surface while staring at that enormous, golden globe that was always shinning down upon the ocean, and the strange blue ocean it appeared to be floating in. Its golden color was so blinding, and it seemed so far away. When he breached the surface would he be able to reach out and touch that fiery ball? He wondered. Or would it still be too far away?

      But when Levi finally breached the surface he found a completely different atmosphere. The gills on the sides of his neck closed up, and he was forced to breathe air through his nose and mouth. Levi gasped for breath as he adjusted to the process of breathing and looked around. The other ‘sea’ was actually a ‘sky’, and the giant golden ball of fire was even more far away than he realized. Levi held up his hand and imagined grabbing that ball of fire out of the sky. Sun. A voice from his buried memories whispered through his mind. So that’s the sun. Levi thought.

      The merman looked around and spotted a shoreline. Brimming with curiosity, he swam towards the shore and saw that an entire other world existed above the water. Its terrain was similar to what existed at the bottom of the sea with mountains and rolling hills, but the vegetation was different. Also, the ‘fish’ were able to fly among the branches of the trees and appeared to be defying gravity. Birds. His inner voice whispered to him.

      Strange animals that breathed air and that walked on four legs also populated the land. They were nothing like the creatures of the sea, and when Levi reached his mind out to them, he found that he couldn’t communicate with them telepathically as he could with sea creatures.

      As he was observing life on land he caught his first glimpse of humans. The creatures looked like him. Well, their upper bodies were just like his, but instead of tails below their waist they had strange appendages, which they used to walk on land. Legs. His mind whispered to him. Humans.

      Levi watched as a group of five men entered a boat and began to make their way out into the sea in order to fish. Levi didn’t really understand what the men were doing and swam towards them to get a closer look. When he realized that they were hunting food, this didn’t bother him. After all, Levi also had to hunt fish and eat them in order to survive. Levi was a hunter, a deadly predator of the sea.

      The merman swam closer and decided to try and communicate with the fishermen. He rose up out of the water a few feet away from their boat and raised his hand in greeting.

      However, their reaction to his presence was not at all what Levi expected. As soon as the fishermen caught sight of Levi their eyes bulged and they began to panic. Ah, it’s a monster! No, it’s a merman! It’s the devil! Kill it! Kill it! Hurry! The fishermen raised their harpoons and launched them at the startled Levi.

      Levi was so surprised by their violent reaction that he got a harpoon in his shoulder for his trouble. Another thing that had extremely surprised Levi was the fact that he’d been able to understand what the fishermen had been saying to him. Speech. Talking. Language. The words whispered through Levi’s brain.

      Levi opened his mouth and began to form words. He discovered that he had the ability to talk too. Thinking that he’d probably just gotten off on the wrong foot with the fishermen since they hadn’t been expecting to see him, Levi decided to try and speak with the fisherman again a few days later.

      Unfortunately, the second time didn’t go any better than the first. Levi rose up out of the water a few feet away from the small fishing boat and waved his hand. Good day, gentlemen. Please don’t be startled. I only wish to speak with you.

      The fishermen seemed to be even more frightened by Levi now that he revealed that he could speak, and didn’t even say anything as they tried to kill him with their harpoons once more. One threw a net at him.

      Levi frowned as he dove down beneath the surface to avoid their attacks and the net. What had he done wrong? He wondered. Was his manner of speaking wrong? Or were they being violent because he was different? Humans fear that which they do not understand. His mind whispered to him. Levi decided that he needed to know more about these humans to better understand them before he would approach them again, and began to observe them closely.

      What he saw was: violence and hate. The humans were always at conflict with each other - fighting wars over land, religion, money, resources, and race.

      Fighting…fighting…always fighting.

      So much needless bloodshed.

      Anytime Levi tried to approach the humans he was met with violence or malicious intent. Levi shuddered when he remembered the time he’d approached a large sailing vessel. The men aboard had thrown a net that had been large and strong enough to capture even Levi. As they were dragging him onboard he managed to escape by cutting the net with his trident, but it had been a close call.

      After that Levi decided to wait. He was a very patient merman. Surely human civilization would evolve and become more peaceful over time.

      But instead of this happening, the humans and their wars only seemed to grow more and more violent. Swords were replaced by guns. Guns by Gatling guns. Gatling guns with machine guns and bombs. Bombs with nuclear weapons. Upon witnessing the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Levi turned his back upon mankind, and decided he was happy to live alone in the sea in peace with the creatures there, only hunting them when he needed to eat, and living in harmony with nature and the ocean.

      Levi prayed that the humans would leave the ocean alone. His prayers weren’t answered however. As the human population continued to grow and their technology advanced - their hold over the ocean also increased. They began to fish large numbers of fish all at once using drift gill nets, which would trap anything unfortunate enough to come across these floating curtains of death. Levi had watched the dolphins and whales he’d befriended die in those nets because they couldn’t get back up to the surface to breathe.

      For centuries, Levi continued to search the oceans for his kind, hoping to find some allies that could help him protect the seas from the violent humans, but his search was to no avail. His existence would have been incredibly lonely if not for his ability to telepathically communicate with the creatures of the sea. Dolphins were more intelligent than most, and very friendly and playful. But it was whales that were able to hold the most complex conversations with Levi.

      The whales turned out to be wise and friendly creatures, and unlike most of Levi’s other sea friends they could live to be 160-180 years old. During the 21st Century, Levi estimated that about five percent of the population was over a hundred years old. Whales were incredible, majestic creatures that had gained Levi’s awe and respect over his centuries of knowing them.

      One of the most impressive whales was the Bowhead Whale also known as the Greenland Right Whale. The adults could reach sixty feet in length, and could weigh more than a hundred tons. The whales had helped to ease Levi’s loneliness; at least until his friends had started to mysteriously disappear.

      Levi began to investigate what was happening to the whales and discovered that the humans were hunting his whale friends. At first, Levi thought that it was for food, but later he watched the humans harvesting the blubber and melting it down into oil. Levi watched the humans use this oil to make soaps, candles, and cosmetics.

      Now in the 21st Century, Levi was watching them boiling whalebones down into glue, which was then ground into fertilizer. The bones and teeth of his friends were made into tools and jewelry. To Levi it seemed barbaric and disrespectful.

      From 1904-1987 Levi estimated that commercial whaling fleets in the Atlantic alone had killed 1,339,232 of his whale friends. That was 16,000 of his friends murdered year after year for the better part of a century. His only true friends. Presently, there were only around 3,000 of his Blue Whale friends left, when he recalled a time when there used to be 220,000!

      Humans were supposed to be the guardians of the Earth, but even when they passed laws to protect the whales they simply found loopholes to continue hunting them. Levi had eavesdropped upon hundreds of human conversations, and heard them saying that their hunting was merely for ‘scientific research’. Whatever the hell that meant. Levi was pretty sure it was just a bunch of crap. Over the past five centuries, Levi had learned much about humans, and one thing they did consistently was justify their actions for their own benefit.

      Levi took the humans’ barbaric behavior as a declaration of war. If it was a war they wanted - it was a war they were going to get. Levi realized that it was time to take matters into his own hands. The merman decided he wouldn’t allow the humans to kill any more of his whale friends. He’d had enough.

      This resulted in Levi ‘hunting’ the whaling ships. As soon as he would spot one, Levi would swim under it, attack the hull with his golden trident, and puncture a hole into it - effectively sinking the ship. The merman would watch with a triumphant smirk on his face, as the whalers would be forced to evacuate their precious ship and escape onto lifeboats.

      Over the course of the next few months, Levi managed to take out fifty whaling ships in this manner, and as he swam through the ocean he set his sights on number fifty-one. The merman moved gracefully through the water and raised his trident in anticipation. He neared the hull and jabbed his trident forward with all his superhuman strength. The hull was pierced; water rushed inside of the ship and as air escaped the breech zillions of bubbles filled the water like a white cloud.

      Levi was about to leave when several humans dressed in black wetsuits, masks, and with oxygen tanks strapped to their backs, jumped off the deck of the ship and into the water, surrounding Levi in seconds. There were twenty humans in all and all of them held weapons that were pointed Levi’s way. The merman recognized harpoon guns and tranquilizer guns.

      Levi’s dark blue eyes widened. Dang it. A trap!

      The divers fired their harpoons at Levi and the merman blocked their attacks with his trident skillfully. Levi let out a roar of outrage that echoed through the water like a whale call, and swam towards one of the divers. The merman thrust his trident forward and impaled the diver right through his chest.

      Levi pulled back on his trident, however, because of the wetsuit and the human’s ribs, he was unable to pull the trident out of the human’s body. Crap! Battling humans was completely different from battling sharks and giant squid.

      Abruptly, Levi felt tiny bursts of pain all over his body and looked down to see several strange ‘darts’ sticking out of his flesh. Tranquilizer darts. His mind whispered. The merman let out another roar and pulled back on his trident with all his strength. His weapon was finally freed and he quickly put it to good use, blocking darts and harpoons that came sailing his way through the water.

      Unfortunately, his vision was becoming blurry, his head was spinning, and dizziness was overtaking him. He blinked his eyes rapidly as he tried to clear his vision. He realized that he was falling unconscious. No, my battle isn’t over yet. The war has not yet been won!

      A harpoon with a rope attached to it was sailing through the water towards him and Levi couldn’t do anything to stop it. The merman raised his trident to block the attack, but saw two harpoons instead of one because of his blurred vision. He struck out with his trident but missed the true harpoon, striking only water. The harpoon imbedded itself into Levi’s shoulder and he howled in pain.

      As a last ditch effort, Levi swung his trident at the divers while trying to keep them away from him, but they continued to close in and more harpoons were sent flying his way.

      Levi’s limbs became paralyzed. He couldn’t move them and could only watch as the harpoons sailed towards his body and pierced his flesh. Blood from his wounds began to seep into the ocean creating a red cloud. The divers didn’t stop there, however, and continued to shoot tranquilizers at him.

      Meddlesome humans. But at least they didn’t dare to underestimate his strength. So this is how it ends then? At least I died while trying to protect my whale friends.

      ***

      Levi awoke several hours later to a bucket of cold water being thrown into his face. His eyes snapped open, and he gasped and sputtered as his surroundings came into focus. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he came to realize that he was inside of some kind of human facility, and was probably somewhere on land. Ugh.

      Levi cursed his deliberate ignorance as he looked at the strange blinking metal devices, which he was unable to recognize as computers, control consoles, and monitors. Levi had spent the last five hundred years in the ocean with little to no interest in the world above the sea and the violent humans. He was a merman. He wasn’t human, he-

      As Levi struggled against the strange metal bonds that were wrapped around his wrists he felt something cutting into his tail. He looked down, and his eyes popped. No, no, no…this can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. Levi stared down at himself in disbelief. He no longer had a long, blue fishtail, but…legs. Human legs. What the hell? My tail…my magnificent tail…what has happened to it? His expression grew alarmed.

      Levi’s breathing became erratic as he began to panic, and he forced himself to calm down as he took stock of the situation. He was restrained to an upright, stainless steel examination table. Thick metal shackles were keeping his wrists and ankles - shudder - strapped to the table.

      Levi looked around the laboratory wildly and saw a small table. It was arranged with sharp looking metal tools that glinted from the overhead florescent lights. The merman could easily guess what those tools would be used for - torture. His torture. Torture devices. Great, just great. He spotted his trident leaning up against one of the walls, renewed his struggling, and let out a roar of outrage.

      Ah, you’re finally awake, demon. Came a deep, scathing male voice. The man’s voice was dripping with hatred as he said the word ‘demon’.

      Levi’s gaze flicked over to the speaker - a tall human male dressed all in black. He was wearing a long, black trench coat, white button-down shirt, black tie, black pants, and shiny dress shoes. There was a pair of rectangular-shaped, dark sunglasses perched on his strong nose. The man’s hair had been cut short, military style. His presence was that of an experienced solider. His back was very straight and he had his hands behind his back. Levi narrowed his eyes at the human male - his captor - and growled low in his throat.

      The man approached Levi, and stood in front of him, looking Levi over with a critical eye. Can you not speak, demon? Or is all you can manage grunting animal noises?

      What the hell did you do to me, you lowly human? Where is my tail! Levi demanded as he strained against the shackles, his muscles bulging and flexing.

      The male raised an eyebrow at Levi’s question. So he can talk. Interesting. As for your tail…it simply disappeared when you dried off. You were unaware that you were capable of such a change? Levi just glared heatedly at the male in response. I suspect, if you dove back into the ocean your tail would return, demon. Though that is a moot point, after all there is no escape from this facility.

      Levi’s brow furrowed. Why do you keep calling me that? Demon. I’m no demon. I’m a merman.

      A cruel, sly smile curled the man’s lips. "So you say…but if you were truly a merman then why do you now possess human legs? You are no true merman - just a trickster demon that probably can take on many different forms."

      A dark scowl formed on Levi’s face. This human was nuts. Who the hell are you, human? What is this place?

      My name is Agent Darkhart. I’m in charge of the ADTF - the Anti-Demonic Terrorism Force. This laboratory is located within our secret underwater base.

      Hope flared inside of Levi’s chest at the word ‘underwater’. Why have you brought me here, human?

      Agent Darkhart calmly walked over to the table covered with sharp objects, put on a pair of rubber gloves, and picked up a gleaming scalpel. It glinted ominously in the overhead fluorescent lights. He turned to face Levi. Why? For genetic research, of course. It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. If you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one. If you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled every single battle. Sun Tzu.

      Wise words. From a human. Levi grudgingly admitted. If only he’d known more about his enemy - humans - they wouldn’t have captured him so easily. He’d been foolish to avoid and ignore them so completely.

      I like to see what makes you demons tick. And since some of you are immortal…you don’t die easily, which means the best way to study you is through vivisection.

      Vivisection?

      Yes, vivisection. Agent Darkhart stared at his scalpel thoughtfully, The process of dissecting a specimen while its still alive for scientific research. First, I’ll cut you open. Then I’ll remove your internal organs one by one. Since you’re immortal I’ll be able to watch you grown them back over the course of several weeks. It’s a truly fascinating phenomenon to observe.

      You’re one sick human, you know that? Levi drawled.

      And when I tire of your vivisection I’ll harvest your blood, bone marrow, and DNA for my research, and then dispose of you. Just as I have the other demons. Agent Darkhart smiled as he seemed to be remembering something particularly unpleasant…at least for the demons.

      This was why Levi hated humans. They were screwed up creatures. His body trembled with rage. Why are you doing this, you sick human?

      Agent Darkhart began to pace across the laboratory. For the betterment of mankind, of course. You can continue to ‘play dumb’ all you want, demon. But our kind is at war with your kind - demon kind. It is the ADTF’s job to secretly protect America from demonic threats.

      Levi’s brow furrowed in confusion. America…? But I was in the South Atlantic Ocean around what you humans call Antarctica. How…?

      My men captured you in the South Atlantic, and I brought you here by submarine. Agent Darkhart explained. A submersible warship.

      I know what a submarine is. Levi groused. If your job is to protect ‘America’ then why did you target me?

      You and your kind are a threat to humanity as a whole. Besides, we’ve been watching you for a long time now. Technology has come a long way, demon. I can now locate and track aquatic-type demons such as yourself. The seas are no longer safe for your kind. That ship was your fifty-first ship, wasn’t it? Do you know how many innocent humans you’ve killed? Agent Darkhart’s eyes blazed with hatred.

      "Do you know how many of my friends your kind has killed? More than a million!" Levi shot back readily.

      Agent Darkhart frowned at Levi’s comment. You mean, demons-

      No, I mean the whales. I’ve been counting…almost 16,000 of my friends have been murdered year after year for the better part of a century! Levi snarled angrily.

      Agent Darkhart’s dark eyebrows rose. The whales? Do you mean to tell me that those ships you attacked were all whaling ships?

      No kidding Sherlock. Levi of course, had no idea who the hell this ‘Sherlock’ was but he’d heard humans say such phrases before.

      Agent Darkhart paced. You’re saying you were trying to protect the whales? He spun around and faced Levi. I don’t believe you, demon. Your kind is known for its deception. I will not fall for your lies in an effort to save yourself.

      That’s not what I was trying to do, foolish human.

      Agent Darkhart approached Levi with purposeful steps. Enough chitchat. It’s time to begin the vivisection. Let’s see if you’re a merman or a demon or whatever, shall we? He pressed the scalpel to Levi’s sternum and pressed down.

      Levi flinched at the pain but did not cry out. The merman grit his teeth, as the scalpel was pressed even deeper into his flesh, drawing blood.

      Agent Darkhart moved the scalpel down, opening an incision right over Levi’s heart. Once the incision was finished Agent Darkhart set the scalpel down on a nearby table and picked up the portable buzz saw. He turned it on and a whirring sound filled the air. Agent Darkhart approached Levi and pressed the buzz saw against the merman’s sternum cutting into the bone.

      Levi was forced to bite down onto his lower lip to cut off his yell of pain. The merman’s vision swam as he almost lost consciousness. A few minutes later, he vaguely noted that Agent Darkhart had finished his sinister task and was setting the bloody buzz saw back down on the table. The agent approached Levi, stood directly in front of him with a sadistic smile on his face, and inserted his hand into Levi’s chest. Agent Darkhart closed his hand around Levi’s still beating heart. Can you feel that, demon?

      Levi gulped.

      Let’s see if I can make you scream, demon. Agent Darkhart sneered right before he ripped Levi’s heart right out of his chest.

      Levi’s eyes bugged and he grit his teeth against the yell of pain that wanted to pass his lips.

      Agent Darkhart raised the still beating heart up to show it to Levi. How does it feel, demon? To have your heart ripped out of your chest? Now you know how I felt when-

      The sound of a cell phone’s ring tone going off was heard as Who Are You? by The Who filled the laboratory. Oh bother. Agent Darkhart swore before quickly putting Levi’s heart into a jar that was filled with formaldehyde, and screwing on the lid tight. He removed his latex gloves and answered his cell. Hello? Mr. President! Ah…yes…yes…I understand. Agent Darkhart gave Levi a suspicious look before heading towards the exit of the laboratory.

      Levi watched as Agent Darkhart approached a metal door, pressed his finger against a pad on the door lock, and watched as the door slid open with a whoosh. You two…watch him. Agent Darkhart barked the order at the two guards who were standing just outside the door on either side.

      Yes, Sir! Came the voices of two human males. These two guards entered the laboratory and approached Levi. Agent Darkhart’s soldiers were also dressed all in black. They had on black military vests that had several pockets to conceal a variety of weapons, black cargo pants, and combat boots. The males looked human except…that one of the men had horns sprouting out of his head and the other had a tail with a barbed end swishing behind him. Genetically engineered soldiers. Levi’s mind whispered. But the merman ignored this outlandish suggestion.

      Demons. Levi spat through gritted teeth, as blood poured out of the gaping hole in the center of his chest and trickled down his entire body until finally hitting the floor.

      The soldiers raised their eyebrows at Levi and chuckled darkly. "Did he just call us demons? The soldier with the horns shook his head. Crazy, man."

      Yeah, I know, right? His friend with the tail replied.

      Levi scowled at them. If you’re not demons then…what are you?

      We’re genetically engineered super soldiers. Our DNA was combined with demon DNA to make us stronger - strong enough to combat you demons. The soldier with the horns explained.

      Levi scowled. Genetically engineered…?

      "It means Agent Darkhart takes a piece of you guys and puts it inside of us to make us stronger - it transforms us." The soldier with the tail explained in a condescending manner.

      Oh. There were just two of them and their presences were a lot less intimidating than Agent Darkhart’s. Levi realized that this was probably the only chance he was going to get to escape. There was no escaping Agent Darkhart. Levi let out a roar and strained against the metal shackles, causing his muscles to bulge.

      The two super soldiers just laughed at Levi’s effort. Doesn’t he know those restraints are indestructible?

      But Levi would not give up. He continued to strain against his bonds using all of his superhuman strength. More blood poured down his chest from the effort. And then finally the shackles began to crack.

      Holy crap…he’s doing it! Quick, get the tranquilizer gun! The soldiers shouted at each other.

      I don’t think so! Levi broke free of the shackles and took a step forward towards the soldiers in a threatening manner. However, as his foot hit the floor a lance of pain went up his leg and he collapsed to his knees. It felt like he’d been walking on knives.

      Get him! The soldiers both approached Levi with menacing steps.

      One soldier made a grab for Levi’s shoulder, but Levi reached out, grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted. The soldier hollered in pain as Levi broke his wrist. Levi used his arm strength to toss the solider aside. The second soldier decided to tackle Levi to the floor. Big mistake. Levi might not have had control over his legs yet, but he could still control his arms. Levi and the soldier grappled upon the floor, and the merman put the soldier into a headlock.

      The soldier struggled in Levi’s fierce grasp, trying to pry the merman’s arm away. Levi twisted the man’s neck, breaking it. A resounding crack filled the laboratory.

      The other soldier was cradling his broken wrist and looking at Levi with wide, fearful eyes. Levi began to pull his body across the floor, and crawled towards the soldier hoping

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