1.06 Deep Water

The Season 1 Titlecard.

## Episode

Gibraltar Point, a nature reserve on the Lincolnshire coast is quiet as night falls upon it - sea grass blows in the wind, nothing seems out of the ordinary however coming down the small road to get to the nature reserve is a land rover SUV, it pulls up to the locked and enforced sea gate that guards the nature reserve from the outside world during out of hours and stops - a man can be seen getting out with fishing gear and makes a beeline through the closed nature reserve and its surrounding sand dunes and marshy terrain to the sea, some nearby seals look on at the invader as he wanders up to the shoreline, he takes a breath before casting his line - unaware that a silent alarm has been triggered after his vehicle made contact with the front gate.

The man stands there seemingly anticipating some kind of catch in the choppy water of the North Sea, but it doesn't seem like the fish are biting tonight, he begins to reel in his line when all of a sudden he sees a strange shape appear in the waves near him however he dismisses this as the night time playing tricks on him.

Meanwhile, at the front gate - the coast guard have turned up and are making the trek to where the man is fishing, leading her partner is head coastguard officer Helen Griffiths, she notices that the man looks a little familiar and wonders if she knows him from somewhere, as there have been alot of night fishing calls recently, but decides against asking the man anything as he seems to be in deep concentration.

"You do know its illegal to fish in a wildlife trust nature reserve?" Helen questions the man.

The man looks up at her and says "I'm sorry, I didn't realise this was a nature reserve"

Helen shrugs and says "I have heard that before yet the signs say differently, can I take a name?"

The man replies "Its just me, my name is Joe" he seems nervous and is shaking.

Helen asks "Are you the guy we keep getting calls about? if so, we're going to have to take you into the authorities - not like there's anything interesting in these waters to fish...nothing that comes near land anyway."

Before Joe can speak again however a human hand grabs him from the water's edge and the shape from earlier reveals itself to be what looks like a mermaid, it drags Joe into the water and a struggle ensues - the coastguards have no idea what to do so Helen orders her partner to get the authorities, they watch as the mermaid drags Joe deeper and deeper away from the coast, Helen can see the mermaid clearly now and realizes the creature is in fact a woman - a beautiful one too, her blonde hair flowing beneath the surface whilst she struggles with Joe, the mermaid eventually manages to drag him under and disappear from sight for a moment, she then surfaces once more now holding a lifeless Joe who has either passed out from shock or is dead due to a high water intake, she throws Joe onto the beach but as the coastguards go to get Joe - the mermaid re-emerges in a surprise attack but is whacked round the head with a tree branch by Helen's coastguard partner.

The mermaid screams in pain and falls onto land causing her to dry out, the coastguards rush over to Joe but he is already gone, Helen gets out her phone and reports the incident to her superior.

The next morning, DI Simon Banks of the Lincoln Police can be seen taping up the entrance to Gibraltar Point, officers are everywhere as Joe's SUV is searched and the nature reserve is closed - that afternoon, Shane arrives and greets Simon "Hello detective, heard you have a strange death on your hands...luckily I specialize in those...I say I do, It's a recent thing" Shane says jokingly - he then tells Simon about a trip to Scotland he wants to make and how the story of the Werewolf of Dogdyke has been a hot topic since the release of what the papers are calling "new evidence."

Simon is not amused by this and says "This isn't some cheap horror film, this is real life!"

Shane shrugs "Police business comes first I get it...well I don't because I'm not police...but hey...what do we have?"

Simon walks Shane down the marshy path to the beach where Joe's lifeless body and the dried up mermaid lie, sand gathering around the two - "Coastguard were called to deal with this guy doing some illegal night fishing" Simon begins pointing towards Joe "However they then saw this thing come out and attack him before they could get answers, looks like they both came off worse in the end as the girl over there seemingly suffered a head injury." Simon explains in a very thorough way.

"So thats why I'm here?" Shane asks, looking at the body of the mermaid, "I like it" he says jokingly.

Simon scoffs and says "Don't be an idiot, whilst forensics are dealing with the samples they got there is no way of telling what we need to do."

Shane chuckles and says in a very rambly way "You know, you need to lighten up - I can't say I've ever seen a proper mermaid before" he can be seen examining the dried out mermaid "I have heard of their legends and have seen some rather interesting YouTube videos of them and honestly people will debate their existence until the cows come home but this truly is fascinating."

Simon is not amused "If you want to look at the evidence, go to the lab with Forensics. I don't have time for your games right now, I'm busy."

Shane can be seen laughing at Simon's reaction and says "Yeah yeah...you're in serious cop mode right now, can't you just appreciate the beauty of this?"

Simon glares at Shane "I'll be back in a few hours to check on progress..."

Later that day, Simon heads to the forensics lab at the police headquarters who have found heavy levels of chlorine in the blood of Joe seemingly confirming his demise but they have also found some bite marks on Joe's throat prompting them to query whether the "girl on the beach" as they call the mermaid killed him.

Returning to his garage, which he dubs his "headquarters", Shane can be seen searching the "Paranormal Files" for anything on mermaids in UK waters however there is no records of them as the North Sea is too cold for them and whilst there are no predators as such for them to prey upon in the UK they would eventually die out due to the somewhat harsh temperatures of the North Sea.

With the scene now being abandoned for a few hours and the nature reserve open again, but with the scene as a prohibited area of access, there is alot of intrigue by the public to see what all the fuss is about - a drone flies over the crowd of people which is being remotely operated by Shane with the feed of it being fed to Simon and his forensics team, the mermaid is still there and people are taking pictures from a distance - amongst the crowd and making his way forward is Darren Waller, a marine biologist in training who seems distraught that people are being held back when he believes they could actually be helping the mermaid, he seems visibly upset as he tries to barge past the officers standing guard.

Darren is stopped by one of the officers and is told to leave the area as the nature reserve is now closed, he stands his ground though and shouts out "What are you trying to hide? I think she needs our help!"

The officer replies seemingly joking "We have bigger fish to fry than a dead mermaid" he uses the term mermaid loosely almost not believing in what he is seeing - Darren snaps "Either way, the creature needs our help! We can save her!"

Simon, who was watching the feed from Shane's drone can be heard saying "We can't touch it if its not dead yet. It may be a hoax or even worse, its life force is still present so we cant risk getting involved."

Shane asks Simon if he has a patrol car in the area, to which Simon replies that he does not - the drones were provided for him and the other officers by the government as part of a new initiative to try and survey situations that may help in a case - Shane facepalms at this as the two continue to watch as Darren continues to try and reason with the officers.

Darren can be seen shouting and even shows off his ID "Look guys, my name's Darren Waller, I'm a marine biologist in training, I know how delicate these creatures are, I know they can die in colder waters than this so I know there must be a way to save her! Hell, I'll even take her in if I must" he says to the officers.

One of the officers speaks up "Sorry mate, we're not letting anyone near her."

Darren seems to deflate a little at this but then turns to the mermaid and makes a run for her "Come on girl...you can make it....we can get through this together" he says to the mermaid as he runs towards it completely driven in his mission to save her, the two officers on guard duty chase Darren whilst Shane and Simon watch on from the drone feed with a nervous expression appearing on Simon's face.

As Darren reaches the mermaid, he can be seen reaching out to touch the mermaid but suddenly stops as the officer grabs him by the arm.

"I said no!" the officer says angrily as he drags Darren back.

Darren keeps his cool and says "But she's in trouble, she needs us..."

Simon shakes his head at this as he looks on.

Darren tries to resist the officer but the officer is having none of it and floors Darren but Darren is able to squirm out and retreat vowing to return however the officers don't believe him with Shane, looking on from the drone feed, saying "He's gonna do something he will regret if he continues."

As the sun begins to set and the nature reserve closes for the night once again - Darren keeps his word and returns driving a pickup truck, he puts the creature in his truck and takes it home. Darren fills his tub up with ice and lays the mermaid's body inside and waits in his living room with some snacks and water.

As he sits in front of the TV he can be heard saying "It's not right that this poor creature died alone out there, she needed our help but no one wanted but luckily I actually have morals" he then smiles as he believes he is doing the right thing, he also believes he can use this encounter to develop his own research of the ocean and what he knows about it however before he can theorize about anything, Darren hears rustling coming from the bathroom. He discovers that the mermaid is very much still alive as he peaks through the door. She screeches in protest. He shuts the door and runs outside trying to get a hold of himself.

"Oh god...oh god, I'm sorry, I thought you were dead, I didn't mean to scare you, please forgive me, I promise I won't hurt you" he says to the mermaid apologetically as she struggles to move, she even tries to bite him. Darren tries to calm down and apologise to her in his best attempt but she doesn't understand him but it is clear that whilst Darren has helped her for the time being she is getting weaker as she is not in sea water.

The following day, Shane and Simon return to Gibraltar Point to find the mermaid's body has disappeared - Shane rushes over to where it was "Oh fuck, we have a problem" he says with disbelief "Don't tell me that guy actually kept his word." - Simon is also in disbelief "Little shit" he says bluntly "Right under our noses too, I will have my team look for an address"

The drone footage shows the officers searching around the area but they fail to find anything obvious related to a break into the nature reserve and are unable to establish any leads - Meanwhile, Darren can be seen cleaning the sand out of the mermaid's gills allowing her to breathe normally - he even feeds her raw steak which she eats ravenously, he then calls his superiors at his study center to see if they have a spare tank for the mermaid, naturally he doesn't outright state he has a mermaid in his tub but instead states he is working on a project and needs a large tank and they agree to send one to his house.

As the days go by, Darren can be seen feeding the mermaid and keeping her hydrated. He gets her to eat from a small fish bowl he bought for her (which is filled with algae from his study room and food), whilst this is happening Shane and Simon continue to try and find Darren's address and come across his study centre at the University of Lincoln. They decide to call round to the University and question Darren's superiors, they meet a woman called Dr. Rachael Williams, a marine biologist, who tells Shane and Simon that Darren recently called to see if they had a large tank available so he could work on a new experiment on the ocean.

Dr. Williams explains to them that Darren is very smart however can lack judgement and is known for his out there hypothesis, she explains that one of his recent projects was trying to create a seaweed-based protein supplement to replace the current soy products used in human diet but he has never tried anything large scale until this point - Shane asks "Anything else we should know? How well does he do on your courses?" and Dr. Williams replies with a smile "He has all As". Shane nods out of sheer amazement and Simon heads off to interview more of Darren's superiors of his whereabouts - Shane asks Rachael "Do you believe there is more to our world's oceans then we think Mrs Williams?"

Rachael gives a serious look at Shane "You bet, there is a whole hidden world beneath the waves that is still unknown to us, it may not seem like it but Darren is doing important work and I believe him to be the future."

Back at Darren's house, the tank has been constructed and the mermaid can now be seen seemingly judging her new surroundings - Darren proceeds to prepare dinner for himself as well as the mermaid, he even plays some of his favorite music to her like he's trying to teach her about human life - the mermaid's head then pops up from the tank - she is astounded by the scent of the outside world and seems to relax a little.

Back in the suburbs of the city, Shane can be seen typing into a computer all the known information about mermaids to update the paranormal files however he discovers a hidden file to do with the current case - he quickly opens it and reads the contents "Mermaid sightings are on the increase along the coast from Cornwall to Northern Ireland and they are not just sighted in the sea, they have also been reported in rivers and lakes, no one knows why but many believe that these creatures are returning to their natural habitat after centuries of being trapped in the depths of the ocean" - Shane looks amazed at this but is still confused so once again heads back to the university to talk to Rachael Williams, once there he asks if a mermaid could hypothetically survive in UK waters, she answers yes but adds that it would be near impossible for such a creature to survive in a freshwater environment, this is because the mermaid would need to regulate its salt intake in order to maintain a healthy level, when questioned why he wanted to know, Shane replies "Its for a case for a place I work for, all hypothetical, don't worry...by the way, do you know where Darren lives? has he ever said? I assume its on his records" Rachael replies with a smile like she wants to keep that confidential "I'm afraid I can't help you there, I asked him but he wouldn't answer, he did say though that he was working on something big, really exciting."

Elsewhere at the police headquarters, Simon finally has a breakthrough when locating Darren's address and notifies Shane, the two meet in the city - "We should move quickly" Shane says "Whilst this mermaid may or may not be dead, she is still dangerous - I mean look what happened to the other guy."

"Are you suggesting we kill it?" Simon asks "No, not unless we have to, our main aim is to get her back into the sea before she harms herself or Darren - I imagine being out of your natural environment for so long will take its toll." Shane replies. Simon agrees "Alright, let's go" and the two get in Simon's police car and head to the address

Back at Darren's home, Darren is cooking once again for the mermaid however the steam around him makes his vision go blurry, when he comes round - the mermaid is seemingly gone however there is a knock at the door, he answers it to find a woman with blonde hair that looks strikingly like the mermaid - the only difference is she is human and can talk, she introduces herself as "Lily" and thanks him for saving her life on that "nasty" beach the other day, She's also supposedly come with a message from the sea - to thank him for caring about the sea and the creatures in it and assures him that the world will be better with the work he is doing also stating that he's got saltwater in his blood. he's one of them, she proceeds to kiss him as a token of gratitude.

"I never thought I'd actually get to speak with you..." Darren begins but Lily proceeds to shush him and locks the door to the house saying "You deserve something for your heroic actions" before turning on the music Darren put on a few days ago and dancing with him, at this point Darren is completely lost for words as he watches her dance - "Something tells me, you have never experience anything like this" Lily states - "Can't say I'm surprised, I am a mermaid after all."

Outside, the police car with Shane and Simon in it arrives and knock on the door - Darren goes to unlock it but Lily shakes her head saying that "They will ruin the moment if they enter" she proceeds to then turn up the music and continues to dance with Darren who is totally under her power at this point after saying that he agrees, Shane and Simon can then be seen outside debating on how to get inside with Simon opting to try and kick the door in - during this time, Darren's vision goes wobbly again.

Outside, Simon gives Shane a pistol but Shane refuses to use it however Simon tries to reassure him by saying that "If she tries to rip you apart during this salvage mission, as you call it, then you will need it" Shane begrudgingly takes the pistol as the door has nearly given way.

Darren comes round, after another round of wobbly vision, and this time he can be seen on a public beach with Lily alongside him, Lily says "I've seen your world, would you like to see mine?" with a smile on her face - "Of course!" Darren replies - "Follow me" she says and leads him off the beach - the two continue walking until they reach a pier which is surrounded by water, Darren looks at Lily with confusion but she simply smiles and tells him to follow her as she dives into the water transforming back into her mermaid form as she re-emerges, she smiles at him and makes a playful screech noise to prove that it's the same person that jumped off the pier - he goes to dive into the ocean but actually jumps into her tank, this breaks what has been a hallucination all the time - Darren meets her gaze, which is now menacing and sinister, just before she swims with awesome speed and bites into his neck savagely - at the same time, Simon and Shane burst through the front door and upon seeing Darren getting his throat ripped out by the mermaid, Simon opens fire on the tank however just drops his pistol in disbelief that something that looks so innocent could be so deadly.

Bullets fire into the tank, breaking the glass but Darren is long gone at this point, the mermaid examines the bullet holes in her tank, the saltwater contents spilling onto the floor, she then turns her attention to the two men that have entered Darren's home, in her mermaid form she keeps her beautiful looks however her scales are sharp with black lines running across them, her tail flukes are tipped and her claws are razor sharp with black, serrated edges, her eyes glow yellow in the saltwater of the tank which is slowly beginning to crack because of the gunfire its taking - she then makes a sound that sounds similar to a dolphin's cry and tries to break out of the tank as the saltwater level decreases.

Shane walks up to the glass despite Simon's protest and puts his hand up against the glass "I'm sorry, this isn't personal - you shouldn't even be here but this tank is the only thing keeping you alive and I hope you are aware of this" he states however upon realizing that the saltwater is actually making her stronger - "Fucking MOVE!" Simon screams at Shane as the two make evasive moves as the mermaid screams, the saltwater level has rejuvenated her enough for her to escape and she does so, emerging from the water with incredible speed and a roar that sends chills down Shane's spine, she then crawls at him on her hands and knees before grabbing onto him and showing him her sharp and jagged teeth however in sheer self defense, Shane kicks her off which sends her into the tank Darren made for her, the glass shattering on impact and the house filling with water.

Simon runs to the tank where Darren's body is floating lifelessly and picks him up in his arms, there is no pulse and his skin is cold to touch, Simon is devastated - "There is nothing we can do, I'm sorry" he says to Shane as the house continues to flood however the mermaid is not finished with the two men as she launches herself at Shane from under the water - once again, out of sheer self defense, Shane picks up the nearest shard of sharp glass from the broken tank and stabs her in the chest with it, she screams in pain as the glass pierces her, Shane then drops the shard and looks at the blood on his hand before seemingly snapping back to reality and joining Simon in retreating from the house which floods, the contents flooding out the front door shortly after the two men escape.

The mermaid surfaces from under the water, she looks weak after using so much of her energy on the previous fight and the wounds that were inflicted on her by Shane's strike with the glass shard. She looks at the two men, gasping for air before seemingly going limp after crawling towards them.

Simon puts Darren's body in the car and heads over to the mermaid and checks to see if she has indeed died, he sees that she is still breathing and sits beside her "I think we both know you aren't making it back to the sea in time..." he says to her, she coughs up some blood and seems to be taking in large amounts of air though not for long before she once again begins coughing up more blood, Simon puts his hand on hers and tries to comfort her while Shane watches with a disheartened look on his face.

Simon tells the mermaid "You can go now" and she closes her eyes as she dies, she then breathes her last breath, Simon feels a sense of relief that the case is over but also feels like he has done everything he possibly could for the mermaid and does not want to leave her alone but knows that he has no choice and requests that Shane join him in putting her back in the ocean "Where she will swim forever, in spirit - in a place where no one will be able to find her" he says trying to hold back his emotions.

Shane nods and the two travel back to Gibraltar Point where he helps Simon put her back in the water and together they watch as her lifeless body floats away into the bottomless ocean, Shane lets out a huge sigh and Simon asks if he's ok - Shane simply responds saying "Not really but I will be...it's all a new experience" as the sun sets off in the distance.

Shane can be seen eating food in the nearby town of Skegness to keep his mind off what he saw today, he looks up to see Fiona sitting there, looking almost transparent with her arms folded across her chest and says "How's your day been?" she asks - "What do you mean?" Shane asks with his mouth full of food - "Well, it wasn't exactly fun" Fiona replies, Shane continues eating and doesn't say a word to her "Look, I get you have a lot on your plate, including researching those co-ordinates that damn Trickster gave you...but when are you gonna talk about it?" she says angrily - "It's fine, just need some time to process it all..." Shane answers - "Time? What the hell are you talking about? Lamashtu could be dead right now because of this stalling!" she exclaims - Shane stands up and walks away, Fiona follows him asking him to stop ignoring her "I'm serious, what's going on with you?" Shane stops and turns around and almost breaks down "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, OK?" he screams - Fiona becomes visibly upset at this, she becomes less transparent and hugs him "Calm down! It'll be alright, don't worry" she says soothingly - Shane looks into her eyes "But it won't be alright...I've got too much on my plate already, I've gotta deal with this before it gets worse" he says with tears streaming down his face, Fiona nods and states that as a spirit guide she is going to be hands on and earn his trust saying they will find Lamashtu together as their alliance has saved many lives ever since it started - "Deal" he says as Fiona becomes transparent again and fades away from sight.

## Characters

* Shane
* Simon Banks
* Darren Waller
* Lily
* Fiona