“English, Erin,” smirked Nathan.
“What I’m saying is that they can change sex based on their surroundings if needed. If they are female and in an all-male environment that seems hostile, they can transform to male. If they need to reproduce they can turn female.”
“No fucking way,” muttered Carl.
“I promise,” laughed Erin. “Look, there’s a good example. A clownfish. It can go from male to female. And there’s a kobudai, it can go from female to male. There’s a whole tank of wrasse, which switch sex to optimize reproductive success.”
“Is this how they’re doing it? They’re using something extracted from these fish?” asked Carl.
“I suppose it’s possible, although I’ve never heard of anyone ever having success with something so advanced. I can’t fathom how it would be done and I consider myself pretty smart.”
“There are a ton of vials of strange liquids. Do we take the vials but leave the fish?” asked Nathan.
“I’m not sure how you could move the fish at this point. Just take the vials and take photos of every barrel of ingredient in that place. I’ll just have to trust that the label is in fact what’s inside the barrel.”
“Erin, we can bring back the barrels,” said Nathan.
“I’m not sure how you would get them all out of there and on that boat,” she said. “Besides, I wouldn’t want to see them spill into the bayou. All of that would be toxic to our local wildlife and fish.”
“Okay. We’ll find something put the samples in and bring them back for you.”
Erin signed off and the Nathan and Carl began collecting as much materials as they could put their hands on. When Keith and Remy walked in, they knew they had what they needed.
Keith tapped their shoulders and signed rapidly.
“Look at this. These ledgers are showing when experiments have been conducted and what vials they used. It’s very old.”
“Take it,” nodded Carl. “Good job. I passed right by those.”
“Do we take the fish?” asked Remy tapping the tank. Nathan frowned at him, shaking his head.
“No. We’re not taking the fish and stop annoying the poor fish. He’s been through enough already. We’ll explain when we’re on the boat. Let’s go.”
“You’ve gotten cranky as you’ve aged,” smirked Carl. “I used to think Joseph was the cranky one but it’s you. He’s all Zen and shit.”
“He’s Zen and shit because he’s married to a calming presence who speaks to ghost for a living. I’m married to a fiery Latina who kicks my ass every day.”
“You probably deserve it,” smirked Remy.
“Oh, there’s no doubt that I deserve it but damn that woman keeps me on edge twenty-four-seven.” The other men nodded and laughed as they carried the last of the ingredients out the back door.
As Keith stepped back inside to ensure everything was where they left it, he felt the floor depress beneath his feet.
“What’s he doing?” asked Carl.
“I don’t know, let me check,” said Remy. Remy walked up to Keith, tapping his shoulder and shrugged, giving him a question mark sign.
“Something is beneath the floor. Watch.”He stepped up and down on the metal plate and Remy not only saw it moving up and down but heard it.
“There’s no way anything is beneath this floor. We’re at the river. It would be flooded,” he frowned.
“What’s the hold up?” asked Carl. Remy reached for the big iron handle and pulled the trap door back.
“We’re about to find out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Excuse me?” frowned Luke, staring at the men as they brought the boxes and crates into the massive room.