The rain hit the deck hard. The whole night was alive with the sharp sound of static in the air. Edmond could barely see through the rain and fog combined. To open your mouth to talk would mean to spit out a mouthful of rain. They could almost drown standing there.

They had barrels sitting open in hopes of collecting as much rainwater as the storm would allow. But the rocking of the ship didn't help.

The ship was driven high and dragged down low with each rolling wave under them. While every man feared the rogue wave, they tried to keep their heads about them and maintain the integrity of the ship.

Edmond took over to give Willas a break. The man had been sailing the ship all day. He was drenched all the way through when he meandered the rocking ship in order to head below to find his bed. He was better off sleeping than being so tired that he would slip and fall into the waters below.

Edmond tried his hardest to keep his eyes on the water all around them, but the rain was too ferocious. He could barely even hear his own thoughts over the sound.

He saw a figure coming to him, a shape moving through the fog and rain. It was Keller. He had to shout at the top of his lungs to be heard over the storm, "It's Halcreek! He needs you below!"

Emond left the helm in his capable hands and pushed forward through the rain to make it down the stairs. He left a massive puddle trailing behind him. A few times, he was thrown against the wall when the ship would rock violently one way or the other. He pressed his damp hand along the wall as he walked in order to steady himself.

He searched the sick bay, only for Piles, who was hanging on for dear life, told him to go and check on Davis. Edmond felt immediate dread. What could possibly be happening with him?

Edmond made it to the holding cell. Inside, he found Halcreek holding a screaming Davis down to the ever-rocking floor.

"I'm here!" Halcreek was shouting over the thunder to Davis, "It's me! Halcreek! Listen to me! You're safe here!"

Davis' face was a bloody mess. His nose crooked and half hanging off his face altogether. Edmond noticed the bloody smears along the walls. Davis was back to hurting himself. Was the storm provoking this behavior?

"He's going to kill himself!" Halcreek yelled to Edmond.

Edmond came right alongside the men. He wanted so badly to help. He just didn't know how. If only they had a way of putting Davis out. A more ethical way rather than a knock to the head.

"Let's strap him down." Edmond nodded to the cot in the holding cell. "I'll get the leather." He rushed from the cell to get what he needed outside. Then, together, the men strapped Davis down. It broke Edmond's heart to be treating him like this. He didn't know what else to do.

"Thank you." Halcreek said a little breathlessly. He spent a good amount of energy fighting a man that seemed to be running on fear and adrenaline. Davis had endless energy to fight and scream. It just wasn't natural.

Edmond clasped Halcreek's shoulder and then stepped out of the room. He had heard enough of the screaming. He couldn't bear to hear any more.

"Help me!" Upon shutting the door and heading past cargo, Edmond heard a cry for help. A small and shrill voice that reached him over the storm. His heart tensed up. Had he really heard that? That was none of his men. It was the voice of a little girl.

Not just any little girl...

Was that... Emmalien?

No. It couldn't be.

Edmond shook his head. The rain was playing tricks on him.

"Daddy!" She cried out to him again.

His head jerked to the left towards cargo. He was certain he heard that as clearly as he had heard the crying most nights. It was real.

He staggered into cargo. Everything was strapped down, so the boxes and containers wouldn't slide or crush anyone. He still had to hold onto things as he walked as to not trip over his own feet in the swaying.

"Emma?" Edmond felt stupid for even daring to call out to his daughter. As if his actual little girl would come running to him like she used to when they played hide and seek together so many years ago. "Emmalien?"

"Daddy, please!" She sounded so afraid. "I'm scared!"

Emmalien hated storms. She was always so scared of thunderstorms that she would demand to sleep in her parents' room at night. She thought the thunder was growling from a ginormous monster hiding above the clouds. Some eldritch horror that brought the storms with it. Maybe he had told her too many sea legends. She would eat them up at the time, only to be scared later.

"Baby!" His voice choked up as he called out to her, "Come here! I'll hold you!"

"I'm stuck, Daddy!" She screamed in a panic, "Help me!"

Stuck? He looked around each of the boxes. He had searched the bay so much; he knew every inch of it. That's when he noticed a blanket had been moved off of a large box about the size of a double dresser. A small hand sized hole was cut into the top. He knew it was hand sized because... out of it stretched... a tiny pale hand just passed the wrist.

"Emmalien?" Edmond's mouth was as dry as bone as he stared at the tiny hand in horror. It was as if the rocking of the ship and the whole storm itself ceased to exist. The only thing that was real in this moment was Emmalien.

Her small hand slipped back into the box, and a fraction of her face could be seen. Her mouth at the hole, "I'm so scared, Daddy!"

Edmond slowly got closer, in utter shock and disbelief. Through this hole, he saw part of his daughter's face bobbing within the black waters of the box. Each sway of the ship brought a wave of water over her pale face.

She would drown!

"Emmalien!" Edmond snatched a crowbar from next to the door and ran back to his daughter. He fought to pry the thing open, all while she called out to him for help.

Suddenly, Edmond was tackled to the ground. The crowbar went flying and rang out as it slid loudly across the floor. Edmond wrestled with his attacker, only to see that it was the researchers. One sat over him while the other was at the box, checking on Emmalien.

"My daughter!" Edmond yelled to the man as he struggled to get out from under him. "That's my daughter!"

"It's not!" The man forced Edmond's shoulders down. "That's not your daughter!"

"Daddy?" Her voice was so weak. So scared. So small.

"My..." Edmond's chest went up and down in rugged breaths. "My baby." He was hurt. He was confused. Emmalien wasn't dead. She was right there. His baby was only a couple feet from him. But she was trapped in that box. How did she get inside that box? Who were these men? How did they get Emmalien?

"No!" The researcher shook his head and pointed a finger in the captain's face, "Your daughter isn't here! Don't you remember?"

Did he remember?

She was so close.

Right there.

His daughter was just right there...

"My Emma..." He gasped, feeling confusion wash over him.

"Is not on this ship." The researcher repeated. "That isn't your daughter."

The other researcher grabbed a thin sheet and started to spread it over the box.

Edmond looked back towards the hole to see a larger hand reaching out. One that was grey and scaly, with long black nails.

The cloth covered the box now, and the hand descended back inside.

It wasn't Emmalien. It wasn't his precious daughter. One of those things had managed to get inside his head. Again.

The researcher saw that Edmond had returned from his delusion, no longer struggling against him. He stood up now to dust himself off.

Edmond backed away, using another crate to pull himself up. While the confusion was clearing from his mind, the shock of it was becoming more powerful. His brain was running at a thousand miles a minute. All the wild thoughts flashing so quickly in his mind that it was hard to settle on one. Finally, he did. "You brought... one of those things... ONTO MY SHIP!?" He shouted the last bit, slamming his fit into a crate at his side.

"It is our research." The man told him. "You will see. This will be worth it in the end."

Edmond was furious. "You-" He sputtered, "That thing!" He ran his fingers through his hair in shock and frustration. "Putting my men in danger!"

"This one isn't violent!" The second researcher spoke up, "She is young. She is what we would consider an adolescent."

The weeping didn't work, so she attempted to mimic a child. Edmond's child. His stomach twisted, and he felt like throwing up. "You... kidnapped their child...?" He could only imagine what he would do to the people foolish enough to steal his child. It was no wonder they were being stalked and hunted by these things. No wonder they wouldn't let them leave. And no wonder they weren't openly attacking. As far as the sirens were concerned, the men had a hostage. A hostage they didn't even know about.

All of these thoughts and more came to Edmond. What on Earth were they supposed to do?

"She was all we were able to safely secure." The first researcher affirmed. "We never intended to harm her. Only study her. We almost made it back, too. I don't know how they found us."

"You put a target right on us." Edmond said through clenched teeth, "You-..." He shook his head, "I lost good men because of you! Davis is melting away because of you! We are stuck in this purgatory because of you!"

"We can sail!" The researcher protested. "Just take us to our destination! You'll never see us again after that!"

"We can't sail!" Edmond yelled. "Whether it be fog or storms! They won't let us leave! And now I know why!" He pointed at the box. "Give her back!"

"I can't do that." The researcher said in a voice that seemed too calm for the situation.

"You can, and you will!" Edmond declared. "It's our only hope of being released. I have a pregnant wife at home!"

"Congratulations." The researcher said sarcastically. "You have your hopes and dreams, Captain Conway. We have ours. This project is my baby. That-" He pointed to the box, "Is my baby."

"She isn't your baby!"

"Funny." The researcher snapped, "I was just telling you that only moments ago. Do you see why we need to do this? Why we need to study them? Their delusions. Their powers. We need answers. We could potentially save so many lives."

Edmond growled. He was angry with the man, but angrier with himself for being fooled. His heart still felt tight and pained from being so close to holding Emmalien again.

Edmond's jaw was clenched, "Get that thing off my ship. Otherwise, the two of you will be thrown into the sea instead."

He rammed the man's shoulder hard as he walked past him to leave the room. He had to tell the others. Just as he had to update his logbook. The same book that was sounding more like a fairytale than an actual account of reality.