"The aquarium, then. Alright."
Josh led Michel and Carol to a large building, the walls covered with blue paint in the shape of waves. The doors were locked, but there was an unblocked side entrance reading "TANK ACCESS. ZOO PERSONNEL ONLY."
Inside, the air was damp and heavy with moisture. The group then passed through another door, labeled "NEW EXHIBIT. NO ACCESS."
The exhibit itself was a large enclosed tank, dry as a bone. Josh connected a large hose to a port on the side of the tank and turned a large wheel to begin filling it with water.
"Now, this exhibit is going to be the aquarium newest attraction. Rare specimens, found nowhere else. And what are these specimens?"At this point, he was just talking to himself.
"I'll show you." He took out a syringe and pricked Michel on the arm, followed by Carol. He then directed them to enter the tank and stand completely still. The water began to rise slowly, until the two were barely keeping their heads above.
Josh was unaware of this. He was too busy checking his watch.
"Ten...nine...eight...seven...six..five...four...three...two...one."
Just then, Michel and Carol were swallowed up. But to their surprise, they could breathe just fine.
Josh smirked and pointed to the side of his neck. Michel felt, and found slits opening on both sides of his throat. Gills.
Just then, Carol happened to look down at her feet and made a loud but muted shriek. Flaps of skin were appearing between her toes, and her feet and legs were covered with bluish-green scales.
Michel held up his hand. His fingers were now webbed as well. And his head was smooth. And something was growing out along the length of his spine. It felt like some kind of fin.
By now, both of them were covered in scales, with the rest of their skin turning bright blue. The fins now extended all the way from the base of their backs to the top of their heads. Both now had beady eyes that bobbed like corks in the ocean, with flat noses and sharp long fangs that extended out past their lips.
But the final changes were to come. Michel felt his testicles seemingly recede back in his body, while his penis was covered by a blanket of skin and melted back inside his groin. Carol felt something in her belly; eggs, hundreds of them, all carrying her offspring and ready to be laid.
As they began to swim around, their webbed feet and hands providing propulsion while their gills worked to collect oxygen from the water, Josh unveiled the sign that would be mounted on the tank when it was put up for public display. "MERMAN AND MERWOMAN IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT. PLEASE DO NOT TAP ON THE GLASS."
Making a note to have the next shift throw them some fish to eat, he left the building. "Two down, two to go."