Mark Rand

“I thought Mr. Disney was cremated, and his ashes interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California,” Nancy says.

31 minutes ago, steriaca said:

"Unka Walt us one tough master. All Mouseketeers have to be 'pure', othe not nessisary spotless. We can have boyfriends and girlfriends, and can hold hands and such in public. But no soul kissing or french kissing in public, no feeling each other up in public...you get the idea."

"True," Nancy laughs.  "Cheryl wears glasses, belly dances, and is engaged to Tim Clark, who she met when they were two."

"If I have those markers, I'll be considered a metahuman and won't be able to swim in high school and fulfull my college and Olympic dreams," Jodie wails.

"You'll be able to pay for college by swimming as a mermaid," Nancy says.  "Disney usually has a number of openings for mermaids.    As I recall, in the next season of The Little Mermaid, Ariel often has someone swimming with her.   You could be her motion capture performer."

One of the doctors comes in with another person.  "We need to check your DNA to see if it's normal," she tells Jodie and her mother.  "Nancy and her mother have certain markers in their DNA because they're mermaids that isn't in normal DNA."

"Then what?" Jodie asks.

"We wait," Nancy replies as she changes back to her land girl form.  "If it's confirmed that you're a mermaid, I'll start training you."

"Better change back, Lady Heart," Nancy says.  "Someone's coming."

"Shouldn't be a problem for us," Nancy's mother, Sara, says.  "The San Angelo and Del Oro rivers are only 20-feet deep and the Sacramento River's only 30-feet deep."

"True," Nancy says.  "If people ask why I come here to see the doctor I tell them that I decided to stay with my doctor when she joined the Faraday Clinic staff."  She then added, "Of course, it helps that Rob's mother, who knows about me, is the school's head nurse."

"Oh," Jodie says.

"Interesting," Nancy says.  "We have to find out if that change was a one time thing or you can do it at will.  If it can't happen again, they'll probably let you back on the swim team.  If not, the Disney folks might hire you for any number of programs."

"I don't know how to swim like a mermaid," Jodie says.

"Miss Kramer teaches both levels of mermaid-style swimming after school," Nancy says.  "You'll need to learn the butterfly or dolphin kick and, even if you have gills, train yourself to hold your breath." 

"Impressive," Nancy says.  "That also might explain how you knew Sailor Moon."

"We'll help if we can," Nancy's mother says as she changes back to her land girl form. 

"I'm seeing things," Jodie's mother says.

"She's in denial," Nancy says.

"Isn't that a river in Africa?" Jodie asks.  Nancy and her mother smile at Jodie's joke.

13 minutes ago, steriaca said:

"Anything is possible. There was this convention and an albino Asian looking woman snapped this around my left wrist." He points to the bracelet permantly locked on his left wrist, normally invisible to those who are not of a mystical nature themselves. "I'll tell you the secret about it if all four of you keep this secret."

"Sure," Nancy says.

"Okay," her mother says.

"Fine," Jodie says.

"Oh, very well," Jodie's mother says.

"My mother cut a mermaid free of the fishing net she was trapped in," Nancy's mother replies.  "In return, she was given the power to become a mermaid.  We even have gills.  It's probably that you both have the same abilities and never used them."  She then relaxes in her chair and transforms into a golden-tailed mermaid, too.

"It's not possible," Jodie's mother says.

"Sure it is," Nancy responds.  "Cora Peterson of the UC San Angelo Oceanic Institute has the same powers.  She's on the crew of their research ship, the RV Pacifica, and serves as a diver when she's not piloting a work boat or the DSV Sea Bat, an updated Johnson Sea Link-class deep submergence vehicle." 

46 minutes ago, steriaca said:

Rob checks in on them. "How's everyone?"

"I'm fine," Nancy says.  "I'm here because I think either someone in Jodie's family is a mermaid or someone in her family saved one and was granted the ability to become a mermaid that was passed on to her."

"Ridiculous," Jodie says.

"Is it?" Nancy, who was stretched out on an examination table, asks before transforming into a golden-tailed mermaid.  "I did this for the first time, in the bathtub, when I was two."

"How?" Jodie's mother asks.

Several days have passed since the swim meet ended.  Jodie, Nancy, and their mothers are at the Faraday Memorial Clinic.

The meet ends with Allderdice winning by a slight margin.  As the athletes and officials head to the locker room, Nancy stays behind to help Rosemary and Gail with the injured and Jodie states that she's going to change and go for a swim.

Some of the swimmers are getting shoulder, neck, lower back, and knee injuries, but that's to be expected, or so Rosemary told Robert and Doreen after classes were over and before the meet.

11 hours ago, steriaca said:

Robert watches the swimmers, but also occasionally scans the crowd. Does he see anything unusual?

No. 

Allderdice's Mouseketeers are there in force, either to support their colleagues, Annette and Nancy, or support their school.

Photographers and reporters from, The Foreward, the school newspaper, and the monthly Mickey Mouse Club Magazine are there to record the events.

After the announcer introduces the officials and The Star Spangled Banner is sung, the first heat of swimmers for the 200-yard freestyle is called to the starting blocks.  The referee gives the starter the signal.  "Swimmers, please take your marks," the starter says.  When all are ready, he sounds the horn.

The school day has ended.  Preparations for the meet are underway. 

The diving board has been retracted, the starting blocks are positioned, the officials are getting into place, and Nancy, who has advanced first aid training, is taking a five minute warm up.  Once she finishes, the Allderdice girls team will get its chance, followed by the visiting swim team, who are listed on the score board as "GUESTS".

While the warmups are underway, Rosemary Trueheart and Gail Thorpe ready themselves and the audience begins to trickle in.

It's the next morning.  There's the usual polite greetings to the staff and faculty, and people are talking about what happened at the swim meet. 

Someone asks Nancy what the first event will be when the meet resumes and she replies that it'll be the 200-yard freestyle.  Since the pool is Olympic-size (54-yards or 50-meters in length), they will have to swim four lengths of the pool.

25 minutes ago, steriaca said:

"Only if they really need our help."

"Yeah," Doreen says.

1 hour ago, steriaca said:

"I have no idea. Jupiter? Maybe Saturn?"

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Doreen returns.

4 hours ago, steriaca said:

 

"Well, there has been sightings of two new Senshi, and rumors that Sailor V had been killed in England. But knowing the superhero world, I doubt the stories of super being deaths, even if they found the bodies."

"Interesting," Doreen says.  "I wonder which ones they are."

(Sailor V is in Europe, and there are other, unactivated, Sailor Scouts.)

46 minutes ago, steriaca said:

"True. It is always nice to network with others in the business. Somehow I always feel that team is somehow incomplete. Like they need at least two more pieces to be complete. I don't know why I think that, but I do."

"There are two mermaids, one tried and the other untried here at the school, and, as I understand it, Dr. McCauley can talk to animals.  Of course, if she was interested, she'd be on the senior team." 

31 minutes ago, steriaca said:

"Your rather chipper considering I was just talking to three cute girls over there."

"I knew that it was business," Doreen responds.