Chapter Text
Affirmation
The scratchy video tape flickered in and out of focus. The images were indistinct and grainy, but there was definitely something there. Dr. Milton leaned forward, tapping his pen against his mouth while he narrowed his gaze and stared at the screen. He shook his head, struggling to process what he just witnessed. He hesitated when he slid the glasses from his nose and rubbed at the space between his eyes.
“I don’t think I would be able to categorically confirm or deny your claim just based on the evidence you've presented here.” He spoke the words slowly, trying to stay professional. Beneath that calm surface, he was desperate to know more. “It’s certainly compelling. I appreciate you taking the time to bring this to our attention. Please come back if you manage to record anything else.” Castiel offered. He shook the man’s hand and helped him to the door.
“Thank you for your time, Dr. Milton.” The visitor replied, preparing to head out the office with the video camera resting under one arm.
“Castiel, please.” Dr. Milton responded, with a warm smile. “If you could wait in Reception. I just want to confirm the co-ordinates, if that’s alright.”
“Of course. Thank you again.” His eyes darted over to glance at the other man sitting with his back to him in one corner of the office, still making notes on a pad of paper. The man nodded once more and backed out the door while Castiel held it open, waiting until he could hear the sound of feet padding down the stairs before he turned to his colleague.
“Well.” Castiel exhaled. “What do you make of that?” Marshall looked up from his work and couldn’t help his mouth from curving up at one corner. Castiel knew what that look meant. His friend had seen something on that tape. Something that could be a key point in their careers and help put the institute on the map, once and for all.
“You already know what I think.” Marshall answered calmly. Castiel nodded.
“I know, but it’s a little soon for us to be making judgements like that. I’ll go get the co-ordinates and take it to the CSO. If he thinks it’s worth a look, we’ll head out in the morning.” Castiel suddenly stopped and turned to his friend. He looked concerned. “Marshall, don’t say anything yet. We can’t afford this to go public.” Marshall grinned at him. He looked almost predatory when he swivelled round on his chair and pushed himself up from the seat. He walked over and patted Castiel hard on the back.
“Do you honestly think I want anyone else taking the credit for this?” He laughed. “Castiel, this could be the discovery of a lifetime. Why in the world would I risk having to share that?” Castiel relaxed a little and huffed a laugh of his own in response. He was trying hard to suppress the excitement rising up through his body. He nodded back with a smile.
“Right, don’t start without me. I just need a few minutes.” Castiel added, before running after the witness. Marshall could hear his footsteps fade away while he replayed the copy of the video he made from the original, shaking his head in amazement when the sleek body of something in the water swept past the lens. The graceful way it moved suggested it was familiar with the deep trenches under the waves. His thoughts became quickly consumed with the idea of capturing and identifying something the world had never seen before. He knew what Castiel would say about that, so he decided not to mention it. As if on cue, his partner reappeared in the doorway, holding a piece of paper between his thumb and forefinger.
Castiel was smiling even more when he deposited it on the desk, gaze soon drifting back to the section of tape Marshall was playing on a loop on the desk monitor. Whatever it was seemed to swim like a mammal, but there might have been a definitive purpose to the fluttered movements caught on film. Castiel felt another surge of excitement swell inside him when he considered the possibility he had finally found what he'd been looking for since he was a boy.
That one misty day on the beach at Winter Harbour when he was eight years old had shaped his life, his career, and his perception of the world. Castiel never stopped believing, hoping. He knew what he saw that day. The image was locked in his memory. A pale hand rising from the swirling tide to cast his discarded pebbles back to him. He remembered the first time he saw the other boy break the surface of the ocean with a playful twist of his smooth blue-grey body when he cavorted innocently between the break waters. Castiel could still recall the event clearly. He would never forget it. No one believed him, of course. His father had just laughed and ruffled his hair, but he never accepted his story about the beautiful boy in the water. His mother never said much of anything to anybody. Castiel thought she never seemed all that interested in him anyway.
He had spent a long time trying to forget how lonely he felt as a child. His senses snapped back to reality when he realized Marshall was calling him.
“Sorry. I was just… sorry.” Castiel shook his head and tried to focus on the present, continuing to watch the film from the corner of one eye while he was daydreaming. He blinked. “I'm really hopeful this time.” Castiel said softly, and Marshall nodded while he studied his friend's expression. Castiel had never shared his childhood experiences with Marshall, but he had always known how passionate he was about finding a live specimen. They were scientists. The discovery of something entirely unknown was more important than anything he could imagine. His thoughts were drifting again. Marshall clicked his fingers in front of Castiel’s face.
“Come on.” He prompted, with a gentle nudge to his elbow. "Take it up to the first floor and see what he says. If he agrees, we need to make some preparations.”
Castiel gathered up the paperwork from his desk. He impatiently pressed a button on the computer and waited with his hand out until the disc popped out with a click and dropped into his palm. He shoved it into the pocket of his lab coat and slid a pen behind his ear. Castiel could hear Marshall still flicking through the case file when he closed the door behind him.
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“I am serious, yes.” Castiel repeated. He was standing opposite a large desk and staring at the CSO, tapping his foot in agitation. He already stated his key points several times and played the video twice. Castiel was still waiting for a decision.
“Hmm.” The chief officer mumbled, surveying the meticulous notes Castiel had produced. He always presented his reports well. Marshall was convinced his partner had OCD, and told him so on a regular basis. Castiel knew it was actually because he was a perfectionist. His CSO leafed through the file again. He held up the stills to the light and narrowed his eyes. “I'm not certain as to what you have here, Milton.” He said, after a long pause. “But it would appear this may benefit from further investigation.” Castiel held his breath and tried not to scuff the carpet. The time seemed to pass painfully slowly. Castiel watched the man’s eyes flick up at last to meet his own. His boss actually smiled and dropped all the documents on the top of his desk with a sharp slap. “Okay.” He grinned, and Castiel felt all his muscles relax. “I’ll fund one month, initially. You, Marshall and maybe two or three others. From your department or a freelancer, I don't care. You can pick the team, Castiel. Preliminary observations only. Documenting evidence, photographs, that sort of thing.” He suggested. Castiel nodded enthusiastically and couldn’t resist another smile.
“Of course, sir. Thank you.” He tilted his head in acknowledgement. “I'll gather a team and set off in the morning. You'll get a regular progress report, of course. If initial observations look promising, I may consider setting up an ongoing project. If that’s okay with you, sir.” Castiel added quickly. The CSO shrugged.
“You have a graduate degree in marine biology, Milton.” He said, after a pause. “I trust you to make an independent decision. Do what you want. As long as you can pay for it, I have no objections.”
“Thanks.” Castiel replied. That was a rare compliment.
Castiel pushed the door open with a little more force than Marshall was expecting. He jumped in surprise when Castiel tumbled into the room with a wide grin that made his blue eyes sparkle. Marshall suddenly realized why he was so happy.
“You got it?” He asked hopefully.
“One month.” Castiel breathed through his smile, depositing the paper folder on the desk at his station.
“Yes.” Marshall was barely able to contain the thrill of anticipation rushing through his veins.
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The dawn came early. Castiel had hardly slept. He poured out yet another coffee, yawning when he rubbed the back of one hand across his eyes. He was alone in the office. Castiel walked slowly over to the computer, mug in hand. A curl of steam rose from the edge of the cup when he sat down in front of the screen. He typed the co-ordinates into the program and waited for the others to arrive. As the data started to load, his mind was once again cast back to the mysterious experiences that effected him so profoundly as a child. He closed his eyes, subconsciously replaying them in his head. They had haunted his dreams and even his waking moments for as long as he could remember. Behind his eyes, Castiel was eight years old again. The memory pushed into every corner of his mind.
August. 1985.
Castiel could feel the sand crumble beneath his feet and spread between his little toes while he walked slowly down the beach alone, collecting shells. The wind picked up, blowing dark hair across his face. Castiel pushed the strands out his eyes and kept one hand up like a shield, protecting him from the spray of salt water being cast over him by the breeze. He squinted out across the waves while they crashed onto the shoreline. Castiel watched silently as the tide rose and fell, the swell of the sea moving in a relentless cycle. He could hear the distant call of the gulls overhead. His eyes scanned the vast ocean. He didn’t even know what he was hoping to see. It just felt right to be there. He wandered closer to the line marking the divide between the sand and the water.
Castiel looked up and down the beach, but there was nothing. The smell of salt drew him closer still. When he reached the shallows, Castiel felt the cold waves lap over his feet and swirl around his ankles. He rolled up his trouser legs below his knees and waited in the shoals, just watching the roll of water on the horizon. It was getting late, and the warmth of the sun that soaked the bay that afternoon was fading fast. He suppressed a shiver and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. He thought about calling out. Castiel couldn't explain it, but there was something that pulled him back there, day after day.
He picked up a handful of little pebbles from the wet ground. He rolled them around in his palm a few times to rub off the dry grains of sand, and started to throw them aimlessly one by one into the water. He tried to beat his distance with each stone as they landed with a soft plop and disappeared under the surface. Castiel raised his arm to cast the last one before heading back up the shore, when he saw a small fluttered movement momentarily breach the surface. It wasn’t clear. It may have been the wind or the way his eyes dropped in and out of focus while he searched the waters with narrowed eyes. Castiel waited, keeping his breathing low and shallow. He tried not to make any sudden movements.
He inhaled sharply when he watched one of the pebbles he tossed into the sea skim back towards him and almost land at his feet. He stared at it in amazement before three others came back in quick succession. Castiel looked back up, eyes drifting to the rise of a sandbank just visible through the spray when the waves crashed up against the sides. Castiel started to move carefully along the beach, his eyes now fixed on the far side of the bank where he thought he could see a pale hand resting on the sand. He started to increase his pace when he saw long fingers curling around the curve of the bar. He waded in deeper, no longer caring about the cold of the water rising up his legs and drenching his clothes. He tried to run towards the levee, but his steps were hindered by the pull of the tide, and he was struggling to move forward. Castiel moved through the waves with heavy strides, hypnotized by the movement in the water.
Castiel was about twenty yards away from the small island, when he found it almost impossible to fight against the undercurrent. The wind was blustering around him, catching up the surface of the sea and pitching it hard against the side of his thighs. He stumbled, throwing his arms forward in a futile attempt to prevent himself from falling. His hands pushed effortlessly down through the water and he was dragged under. Castiel spluttered while he managed to regain his balance, spitting out the salty taste and rubbing a damp hand across stinging eyes. He struggled on, his heart beating fast in his chest. A combination of fear and adrenaline.
Castiel knew he was in serious trouble when he was suddenly pulled under again. The curve of the bar was just out of reach. He tried to part-swim, part-wade through the swirling water but his muscles were burning. His limbs felt like lead while he tried to overcome the ebb and flow of the tide. Castiel heard a loud splash and caught another flurry of movement from the corner of his eye. His vision blurred and he dipped under the surface one last time. He could feel the cold biting mercilessly into his body and had to hold his breath until his head pounded, the pressure on his temples almost unbearable. He looked up to see the rolling surface of the sea over his head. The sun looked bright and far away. His eyes started to close when he exhaled his last lung full of air.
There was a sudden and unexpected silence while Castiel drifted with the tide, cold and weariness overcoming all his senses. Without any warning, he felt something grip him from behind. Two smooth arms slipped underneath the pits of his arms and hauled him gracelessly up through the waves with a rush of noise and bubbles. As soon as he breached the surface, Castiel gasped and air flooded into his lungs. His mouth was open, water dripping down his face. He inhaled, fast and deep. He could still feel the strong grip holding him just above the water and dragging him backwards through the waves, watching a white river of foam form in his wake when he was pulled over to the mound of sand.
Castiel came to with a dry cough, water spilling from his mouth. He could feel the rough grains of sand under his fingertips when he dug them in, damp particles sticking to his skin. He sat up quickly, eyes darting over the line of water. His whole body ached and his lungs felt hot and uncomfortable, but his breathing pattern slowly returned to normal. Castiel groaned when he pushed himself up. His hand was clutched against his chest to try and relieve some of the pressure he still felt there. He gasped in surprise when he tried to focus. Along the line of sand he could just see two piercing green eyes, watching him intently. The mouth and nose weren't visible, hidden by the rippling water. Castiel shifted when the eyes quickly disappeared beneath the waves.
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MBRI
Research Log
Research Associate Professor
Dr. C. Milton. MSc (Marine Biology)
Entry 0.1
It has come to the attention of the MBRI that there exists the possibility of video evidence regarding a potentially unclassified species at an undisclosed area off the coast of Maine. The legitimacy of the recording has been substantiated by the witness statement of a local fisherman. Dr. Smith and I have both viewed the tape and concluded the unidentified animal appears to display some humanoid features such as body shape and upper limbs. It moved through the water like a marine mammal and appeared to be approximately six feet in length. Colouring was blue-grey with some flecked markings across the upper portion of the body.
I have subsequently been instructed by the Chief Scientific Officer to lead an investigation to identify the specimen if possible. The aim of the investigation is to make detailed observations of the area, including an underwater exploration and the tagging of a live specimen if possible. This information could then be used to track the migratory routes of this, and any other, individuals of this potentially new species. My team will be leaving in the morning to conduct a preliminary search of the area and to interview any local witnesses. The initial stage will be conducted over a period of four weeks. This may then be extended, depending on the degree of success during this time.
Notes:
Witness wished to remain anonymous. The tape has been tagged and will be reviewed at a later date along with any additional evidence that may be collected by the research team.