"I have been working all day, every day, and I think I'm getting close to figuring out what your transformation's all about," Lewis explained to the girls as they walked up the beach.

"Lewis, we kind of figured that one- out for ourselves," Emma told him.

"Yeah. For me, it was the tails." Riki said sarcastically. "Was it the tails for you guys, or...?"

"Wait, they're connected?" Cory acted surprised.

"Ease off on Lewis," Cleo scolded them. "He's trying to help."

"Exactly! Science is the key that unlocks the door to the mysteries of life. But... you don't much care, do you?" Lewis trailed off.

"Eh, we just have a hard time getting as excited as you do," Cory said as they walked up a hill.

"Look, guys, in the next week or so, I am going to have an opportunity to... well to...." Lewis trailed off. "Forget it."

"Lewis," Rikki turned and looked Lewis straight in the eyes. "Speak."

Lewis' eyes lit up like a golden receiver. "Okay! There's someone arriving today. She's doing dolphin research at the marine park. Her name's Denman. She did her PhD at 21! Can you believe that?!"

"I'm tingling," Rikki rolled her eyes.

"These days, she's, like, one of the world's leading experts in aquatic mammalian cellular evolution."

"I understood, maybe, two of those words," Cory said.

"Well, if I can tap into her research-"

Emma stopped him. "And how are you going to get access to a scientist like her, Lewis?"

"I have my methods," Lewis said but didn't seem entirely confident.

"Methods?" Cory exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't like where this is going."

"You're not going to tell a real scientist about us," Rikki told Lewis.

"Guys, it's ME. I'll be careful," Lewis begged but then turned back to Rikki after processing what she said. "What do you mean, 'real scientist'?"

"The answer's no, Lewis," Cory said.

"She can't know about us," Emma said with a frown.

"What if she wants to dissect us?" Rikki questioned.

"What if she goes public on us?" Cleo added.

"She's a marine biologist, and she'll have equipment that makes the stuff at school look like tools."

"Equipment that I'm 90% sure you aren't legally allowed to touch," Cory argued.

"No, but I have a plan," Lewis insisted. "If you guys want answers, I need access to it and her research."

"Does this plan involve spilling your guts about us?" Rikki asked.

"I was thinking charm?" Once again, his voice gave away that even he didn't wholly believe himself.

"No, seriously," Cleo said with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, guys. All I'm asking is that you trust me," Lewis explained as they all started walking again.

The girls all looked at each other.

"Okay," Emma conceded. "We do need to know what happened to us."

"You'll never get to see her anyway," Rikki told him with a hint of smugness.

"I'm pretty sure you need like 20 different qualifications just to stand in the research areas," Cory told him.

"I've got something better," Lewis turned to Cleo.

Lewis and Cleo made their way to the marine park. With Lewis hoping Cleo's job could give him an excuse to get into the research areas.

Meanwhile, Denman was also making her way over to her temporary lab. Along with Ava, Cory's soon-to-be step-aunt.

"Is there anything else you need?" Ava asked Denman.

"No, no, you've provided everything I could have asked for," Denman replied.

"That's good to hear." Ava smiled.

The two continued talking. Ava was surprised by how laid-back Denman could be. When the team was told that a high-profile marine biologist would be studying at the park for a while, Ava expected someone more... high-strung, to be honest.

This came with its pros and cons. On the one hand, Ava enjoyed being able to talk about work with Denman. With where Denman's work was current going, her and Ava's fields of expertise would cross frequently. On the other hand, Denman was somewhat lax regarding specific protocols.

Case in point, when they returned to Denman's temporary workspace to find two teens were standing in the middle of it.

"Can I help you?" Denman asked them.

The two of them didn't say anything. The blonde boy even seemed a bit starstruck. Ava couldn't put her finger on it, but she swore she had seen these kids somewhere before. She recognised the girl as Cleo. One of the junior assistants.

"Are you Dr... Demon?" The boy asked meekly.

"Yes, I'm Dr Denman," she corrected. Causing him to let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm Lewis... Lewis McCartney. Lewis McCartney. Um," he stuttered as he showed Denman a folder.

"Lewis McCartney?" Denman smiled as she shook his hand. "Are you the one that sent me 48 emails about the research position?"

"Yes, I am," Lewis confirmed.

"Wow," Denman nodded.

"You must be very keen," Ava said with a hit of scepticism.

"Either that or a stalker," Denman joked.

Lewis let out another laugh. "Stalker?"

They all looked at each other. Not knowing what to say next.

"Um, this is Cleo," Lewis told them. "This is my resume if you like-"

"Thank you," Denman took the folder. "It's nice to meet you, Cleo. Lewis. And let me say, I find your attitude admirable. 'Science is the key that unlocks the door to the mysteries of life'."

This caused Lewis 'eyes to light up.

"So, mind if we take a look at what you're up to?" Cleo asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Cleo. I'm sorry, but I don't think you two are actually allowed in here." Ava said as she led the two of them out.

"I will take a look at that resume, Lewis," Denman said as they walked out the door.

"Okay, bye,"

"He seems sweet," Denman said.

"He's not qualified and way too young," Ava told her. The two women had a similar conversation when Denman started getting Lewis' emails.

"Maybe he could do some work experience?" Denman wondered.

"That's honestly up to you," Ava said with a shrug. "He seemed to be a bit flustered to me."

Later that day, Cleo regrouped with the other girls. She told them about her and Lewis' encounter with Dr Denman.

"Dr Denman?" Cleo let out a bitter laugh. "More like Dr Baywatch Bade."

"Burn," Cory deadpanned.

"What does she know anyway?" Cleo huffed.

"Well, I googled her," Emma said. "She wrote some important paper as part of her PhD. Mutations in aquatic mammals."

"Normally, I would make some joke about rip-off ninja turtles, but from what I've heard from Ava, Lewis wasn't exaggerating what a big deal she was," Cory told them.

Cleo made a dismissive noise. "She got lucky. I bet she's not even a real blonde."

"Don't see what that has to do with anything, but whatever helps you sleep at night, Cleo," Cory said as she patted her friend on the shoulder.

"Come on; I'm just concerned about Lewis and how he's feeling right now. You should have seen him before."

"What do you mean?" Cory asked.

"Well, what if he gets her influence and then tells her about us?"

"Nah, Lewis is smart than that," Cory shrugged.

The four of them made their way to the Juice Cafe to meet with Lewis. Ready to hear out his plan for working with Denman. After hearing him out, Emma and Rikki didn't seem anymore convinced.

"And what exactly are you going to say to her, Lewis?" Emma asked.

"Have a little faith, please ," Lewis told her. "All I want is access to her lab. That's it."

"You're a sucker for a pretty face." Emma insisted.

"Pretty face?" Lewis let out an offended laugh. "What, you think I noticed whenever she was pretty or not?"

All of them stared at Lewis. Silently judging him.

"I'm a scientist," Lewis held his head up. "Besides, she wasn't that special anyway."

Just as Lewis finished saying that, his phone started ringing. "OH! It's her!"

Lewis jumped up from his seat to take the call.

"He's got her number programmed into his phone already," Cleo said in annoyance.

"Yeah, he doesn't think she's special at all," Cory said sarcastically.

They watched as Lewis paced around the cafe. Giggling and messing with his hair as he spoke with Denman. The call ended with Lewis gleefully agreeing to do some work experience at the marine park. Cory couldn't help but shutter at the sight of it.

"I'm counting the minutes," Lewis said with a smile before hanging up and swaggering back to the table.

"Well, I'm convinced," Emma said with a sigh. "You can't be trusted."

"What?"

"Lewis, forget about her for a minute. This is us we're talking about. Do not reveal anything to her. Do you understand?"

Lewis just gave her a shrug, which did not help in the slightest.

Within the next few days, the girls would find that their worries were wholly founded. Not only was Lewis smitten with Denman. But he had also managed to get caught with a sample in the form of a toenail he had taken from Cleo. All within one day.

They had all been hanging out at Emma's house when Lewis had told them what had happened. To say the girls were all livid would be an understatement.

The group moved up to Emma's room to get more details out of Lewis.

"She saw the sample. How could you?"

"You're not getting the big picture!" Lewis gulped. "... it was an accident.. And besides, she's a scientist. This is what scientists do."

"Sell out their friends?" Rikki frowned.

"No. Compare notes. That's the thing about us," Lewis explained.

"Us?!" Rikki yelled.

"We scientists. Our need to know is what drives us. Believe me; she's cool."

"What about our need to not shipped off and put in a lab somewhere?" Cory questioned.

"And we end up getting dissected," Rikki added.

"She's not like that," Lewis insisted.

"Lewis, you've known her for two days!" Cory told him. "You have no idea what she's like."

That seemed to hit Lewis. He got up from his chair with a hurt look on his face. "I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Lewis left without another word.

"He's not usually this erratic," Cleo meekly defended her friend.

"Those in favour of not trusting Lewis as far as we can throw him, raise your hands," Rikki said as she lifted both her hands in the air.

"It's Denman I don't trust," Cory sighed.

"Either way, we need to keep an eye on both of them," Emma said.

The four of them did just that. Following Lewis to the docks the next day. Where Denman revealed to Lewis that they would be heading to Mako Island for the day. Despite his insistence that it was a bad idea. Only to fold when Denman implied he was afraid of sharks.

They had followed the boat to Mako Island. Hoping the two wouldn't find anything related to the moonpool. They had also hoped not to get seen, but unfortunately, Lewis spotted Rikki out of the corner of his eye while driving.

"You think I wouldn't notice you guys spying on me?" Lewis barked. "I mean, where's the trust?"

"The trust?" Emma said as she followed Lewis down the stairs to her living room. "I think it died when you accidentally gave our DNA to a world-renowned marine biologist."

"No, no. I think it was when he agreed to take Dr Baywatch Babe on a date to Mako Island." Rikki joked.

"What if she found something she's not meant to see?" Cory asked Lewis. "Like the moonpool."

"You don't trust me?" Lewis scoffed. "After everything we've been through?"

"We trust you,"

"I don't," Rikki muttered. Only to get a shoulder nudge from Cory.

Lewis let out a noise of disbelief. "I have been working so hard to try and solve basic questions about why you guys are the way you are, and this is what it comes down to."

"They're our lives, Lewis!" Rikki told him. "We're being careful! Maybe you should be too."

"Do you want to know what I think? I think you guys are a bunch of kids. And least Dr Denman is a woman and I little bit more mature."

"That's high talk from someone who isn't going to be the one on the science table if this gets out!" Cory sneered.

"One, no, you wouldn't, and two: It's called an operation table," Lewis huffed back as he left the house.

"Yeah, well, well-" Cory tried fighting back only to stop when Lewis closed the door. "Whatever!"

"Good try," Rikki said as she patted Cory on the shoulder.

The four of them were left to stew at Lewis' words angrily. Expect Cleo. Whose face was covered in shock and sadness.

Cleo later tried to talk to Lewis again. Hoping to come to an understanding with him.

They met at the docks, where Lewis revealed that Denman had invited him to join her team. On a scientific survey for six months. Cleo was happy for Lewis, but at the same time, a part of her didn't want to see him go.

Cleo was so worried that she did something she knew she shouldn't have done: sneaking into Denman's lab. She was hoping to find something that could prove whether or not Denman was just after another sample.

Cleo looked around the small room. Spotting a small white box with a familiar nail inside. The teen then moved to a nearby laptop. She found a drafted-up article for 'spontaneous cellular mutation'. It reminded Cleo of what Lewis would often say when doing his studies—causing Cleo's stomach to turn.

Before she could read further into the article, a familiar face opened the door to the lab.

"Cleo!" Ava said in surprise. "What are you doing in here?"

"Just looking for a friend." Cleo lied.

"Come on," Ava said as she walked Cleo out of the room. "This area is off-limits. You know that."

"Sorry," Cleo nodded.

"It's okay. Just don't get caught in here again, Cleo."

"I won't."

"Good to hear."

Cleo rushed to tell the other after her shift was over. Telling her friends about the article over at their usual cafe.

"It's the same stuff you keep blabbing about, Lewis." Cleo pressed. "It proves she's still got the DNA sample. It was in a little white side box."

"Well, Lewis?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She wouldn't," Lewis insisted.

"It looked like she'd been studying it, doing tests," Cleo added.

"She's not like that," Lewis said.

Cory rolled her eyes as Rikki leaned forward and said what she was thinking. "Time to face facts, Romeo."

"Facts?" Lewis retorted. "You don't have any facts. Cleo, you read a bit of an article you don't understand."

"I understand enough to know it's the same stuff you say," Cleo argued.

"So? Maybe I've influenced her thinking."

"In a few days?" Cory laughed in disbelief.

"Why do you think she wants me on her research trip? Did it ever occur to you that there might be a reason? Like... like she values my opinion?"

"And your mopping?" Rikki pointed out.

Lewis once again scoffed as he got up to leave.

"He's lost it," Emma said.

"Totally," Rikki agreed.

"We have to get that sample back," Cory said in concern.

"Uh, correction," Cleo said sadly. "You guys have to. I'm going to lose my job if I get caught in that place again."

They agreed with Cleo. Eventually, deciding that Rikki and Cory would head to the marine park the next day. They found that it would be better if two of them went—one to get the sample and one to keep a lookout.

The two of them hid in the dolphin pools. Next to some equipment, Denman had left on the dock.

As Cory shooed away one of the more vocal dolphins, Rikki saw Lewis making his way over to Denman.

"Um... can you be straight with me about something?" Lewis asked the doctor.

"Anything."

"Did you hold onto that slide of mine?"

"Yes," Denman answered.

"It's not like you have to-" Lewis stopped when he realised what she said. "Did you say yes?"

"Yes, I did," Denman confirmed and gestured to the equipment. "It's right here with all our Mako slides. And I'm hoping someday, Lewis, you'll be a little more forthcoming about where you got it."

Lewis struggled to give her an answer as Rikki tried reaching for the small white box.

"You've got something extraordinary here," Denman gestured again, forcing Rikki to duck down. "Cells that completely change their molecular structure on contact with water."

"That sounds impossible," Lewis tried to tell her.

"It IS impossible. But here it is. I can't explain it." Denman explained as Rikki once again failed to grab the box. "We need to do a lot more tests."

"You stole it from me," Lewis said. The hurt in his voice was evident.

Denman sighed. "Lewis, I'm sorry I deceived you, but I have no intention of ripping you off."

Another unsuccessful grab. Making the girls dive under the water to keep out of sight.

"Why do you think I want you on this trip with me?"

"Is... is it the charm?" Lewis somewhat naively asked.

"Do you think you can get more samples like this?" Denman asked.

"What about trust?" Lewis questioned as Rikki and Cory came back up.

Denman placed her hand on Lewis' shoulder. "You can trust me to be a good scientist. Like I said, I believe in your talent."

"I appreciate that."

Rikki tried again. She missed her chance by a few seconds when Denman grabbed the box.

"Are you still coming tomorrow?" Denman asked Lewis.

"Can I have a look at your research so far?" Lewis asked. His tone suddenly changed.

"Of course," Denman agreed.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Lewis smiled.

"I said so-" Rikki mouthed to Cory.

"Not now," Cory mouthed back.

They drove back under the water. Once again, with no sample to speak of.

That night Cory couldn't even bring herself to eat. Again, the worrying feeling gnawing away at her.

"You okay, kiddo?" Ava asked. "You haven't said anything all night."

Cory looked up from her plate. "Friend of mine is leaving tomorrow. Feeling kinda down about it."

"Lewis, right?" Ava asked. Causing Cory's eyes to widen in surprise. "Denman was saying something about bringing him."

"I still don't understand the logic of choosing a sixteen-year-old over you," Emmett said from the kitchen.

"Honestly, love, you're madder about that than I ever was." Ava laughed.

"You were gonna be on Denman's team?" Cory asked curiously.

"She kept talking about it, but dropped it after Lewis had been around for a few days."

"Would you have done it... if Lewis didn't show up?"

"Nah, I kinda have my own studies going on right now," Ava shrugged. "Her current research doesn't have much to do with familiar relationships in aquatic mammals.

"Well, her loss," Cory joked. "Anyone would be lucky to have you on their team."

"Aw, you're sweet and a total kiss-up," Ava smiled as she reached over the table to pat Cory on the head.

Despite the conversation with Ava, Cory couldn't go to sleep that night. Thoughts of Lewis leaving and their secret getting out. Cory wondered how much time she had left with her family. How would they feel when Cory gets picked up and taken to some lab. There was no hope of going to sleep with those thoughts flooding her mind.

The following day Cory met up with the others. They were having just as hard of a time as her. The four of them sat on the beach. Staring out at the sea.

"You do realise she'll eventually get it out of him, don't you?" Emma said.

"What?" Cleo asked.

"Where the DNA came from?"

"We have to try and get that slide again," Rikki said with determination.

"When what? She still has the notes she took and Lewis," Cory said sadly.

"Lewis wouldn't sell us out completely," Cleo told them. "Would he?"

"Stop having so much faith in human nature," Rikki told her. "He already has sold us out. You're the only one who doesn't think so. Why is that?"

Cleo shook her head. "I just don't believe it. Lewis is... our friend."

"It doesn't matter either way," Cory said. "Denman's long gone with the sample and the research by now."

Cleo suddenly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked.

"I'm going to go talk to Lewis," Cleo told them. "Even if it is for the last time... Well?"

The other three look at their friend. Surprised by her sudden uncharacteristic confidence. They followed after her. They wanted to see what she would say to Lewis.

They ran to the docks. However, they found it was too late to see Denman's boat heading out to sea.

"Come on. If anyone can catch her, we can," Cleo told them.

"Wait," Rikki grabbed her. "I think that might defeat the purpose of all the secrecy, don't you?"

"Oh. You're right. Sorry," Cleo said with a frown. "But are we just going to let him go like this?"

"Like what?"

"Well, you're just sailing away without saying-" Cleo turned when she realised who she was talking to. "Lewis! You don't go."

"Keen observation, Cleo. Very, very good." Lewis smiled and lifted up a small piece of glass.

"You got the slide back!" Emma said in excitement.

"And she didn't... suck you in?" Cory asked with a smile.

"What, are you serious? You think I'd buy that stuff about being a good scientist? Please."

"Aww, you're just, you did good," Cory smiled as she patted him on the shoulder.

"What about her records?" Cleo questioned. "All the stuff I saw?"

"When she opens the file, I think she'll find it's recently been erased. Oops!" Lewis explained. "No, I don't think the good doctor and I are a team anymore, guys."

"It's good to have you back, Lewis." Cleo went in for a hug. Only for her neves to get the better of her and give Lewis a high five instead.

"Thank you," Lewis nodded.

The five of them walked off the dock with smiles on their faces. Unaware that this wasn't the last time they would meet Dr Denman.