Suho loved water. It was when he was underwater that he felt closest to home.

Whatever that means.

They explained to him that he was different, he was special. And the moment he touched water he knew they were telling the truth. Suho had a connection with it; he was inexplicably part of the water. He could swim as perfect as any marine animal. And the oddest thing of all was that, unlike any other human, he was capable of breathing freshwater as well as atmospheric air.

But, as special as he was, they explained that they didn’t fully know how far his abilities could go. That was why he was there and Suho agreed to everything they asked of him. He had to, it was his duty, Mama taught him since he was a young boy.

Most of the time, he didn’t mind. He’d get to play in the water while the others would watch, take notes and study them. He didn’t care. He understood they were learning from him because they wanted to be like him, they wanted to be able to live in the water just as well as how they live out of it. He loved to help. He’d do anything for his Mama. She seemed happier these days, proud of how well he was doing. He even saw her smile three times, he was so happy to see her content.

After today’s session assistant X1LA3 led him to his room.

“Do I have to study today as well?” Suho asked with a pout, hoping he could evoke some emotion from the otherwise stoic lab assistant.

“Have you finished your studies on salt water properties?”

“Yes, I’ve revised several times. The basic is to understand its difference with freshwater. Which is the concentration of salt in the dissolvent,” he answered diligently.

“Alright, just revise on the gill mechanism of saltwater fish and you’re free for the rest of the day,” he said and turned towards the door, “tomorrow the tests will be much harsher. So be sure to understand the science behind it.”

Suho nodded and bid his goodbye. He went towards his bookcase and searched for the one he needed, fish anatomy: mechanics and osmoregulation.

He spent around 20 minutes studying when an assistant entered the room.

“Kidney check,” she simply said and handed Suho a bottle with saltwater. Obediently he drank the salted water, taking his time to adapt to the taste.

“It’s saltier than before,” he complained, the salt almost unbearable.

“The concentration is higher, yes. We need to see if your kidneys have adapted enough for tomorrow’s test. If not we will have to delay our schedule,” she explained.

Suho simply nodded and finished the water, handing back the empty bottle. She then handed him a urine sample cup and left without a word -he already knew the drill.

He sat back at his desk, trying to ignore the salty taste in his mouth and the fact that he wasn't allowed to drink any water until he pissed in the cup -much to his dismay. The damn cup. It only took about five minutes for him to feel awfully thirsty, seriously saltwater could really dehydrate faster than one could imagine.

Damn it, I want water, he groaned and sprawled his arms and chest over his desk. He tried to salivate his mouth to ameliorate the dryness, but his saliva felt more viscous and didn’t help anyway.

He breathed deep, sat up straight and tried to concentrate on his studying but he felt some discomfort in his back. He rubbed at his sides near the low part of the ribs and let out a pained breath.

My poor kidneys.

He knew they were working hard to fight off the salt in his bloodstream. The discomfort turned into slight pain. He got up just to lie on his bed, giving up on revising the material he already knew. Soon he’d get up and use the stupid sample cup. Soon.

He woke up to a new day and prepared as he did every morning. Assistant X1LA4 came for him today, Suho was surprised about how excited the usually stoic assistant sounded when he informed that the urine results were promising and that they would advance to the new tests. This time test room A-2 had a glass tank of saltwater, which had a richer blue color than freshwater. Also the tank was bigger.

They prepared him as they always did.

“Now we are going to use the oxygen mask first. I know you’ve grown used to not needing it but for the first try we want to be as safe as possible,” the lab assistant X1LA6 explained, while X1LA2 stuck the monitor’s wireless pins onto his body. “At first we believe the water will feel more uncomfortable than freshwater, due to obvious reasons. But once your lungs adapt you should feel more at ease. We encourage you to keep breathing. Let the water flow. Understood?”

Suho agreed and proceeded to climb the ladder after she finished adjusting the wireless sensors.  He felt excitement course his body, he enjoyed every time he could spend in the water. But today was different and it would be a challenge.

It would be amazing to breathe saltwater. He would be able to swim in the ocean if he wanted to, maybe swim between the fish, dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays and all those sea creatures he’s read about in his books. It would be a dream come true.

They signaled him to enter the tank. He obliged and sat comfortably on the bench inside the tank. He could already feel the difference in texture of the water, the saltwater prickled against his skin. The difference was subtle but detectable. An assistant adjusted the mask firmly and then closed the top of the tank. The first yellow light blinked three times. Suho submerged himself into the water, salt itching against his skin. He rubbed his eyes as they stung. The second yellow light blinked three times, calming his breath he settled himself to remain underwater. His eyes adjusted better, but it still felt uncomfortable. The green light went off and the small hatch from the oxygen mask opened, slowly water began to enter into Suho’s lungs. The assistant was right. Saltwater was much more uncomfortable than freshwater. In fact it was almost unbearable. As soon as he felt the salt rasp against his lungs, Suho knew he wouldn’t last long. It was like scraping your skin with gravel, from inside out.

I can’t, I can’t.

He moved to get back to the surface and tried to take the mask off, but it wouldn’t budge. He panicked and began to punch the top of the tank desperately. His lungs hurt and he was gagging for air, but the damn mask wouldn’t let him cough out the water.

An assistant quickly opened the hatch and helped him remove his mask. Rubber gloves supported his body as he coughed out water. He felt his body being carried by the help of two other assistants and they placed him on a chair. Suho thrashed as he got rid of the water in his lungs, something he learned to control through practice, but today his movements were harsher. He managed to get rid of all of the saltwater, but this time the pain remained. It was different. His lungs burned and his throat felt sore.

He felt something warm slip out from his mouth and nose, he reached up to wipe it off. Blood?

“This is bad,” he heard an assistant say.

Suho looked at them, hustling around the lab, checking the monitors and taking notes, more damn notes.

Who gives a damn about notes when I’m bleeding from the inside out, help me damn it! He angrily flailed his arm.

“Here,” a different oxygen mask was placed over his nose and mouth, “breath slow and deep,” the assistant ordered.  

Suho did as told, but it was hard, it hurt too much. He would cough because his lungs itched and hurt, not because of water, and the more he coughed the more pain he felt. The air he tried to breath would worsen the itch inside, making him cough even more. And the more he coughed, the more blood he’d lose.

“, he’s bleeding too much.”

“I think his lung tissue is damaged-”

“Of course it’s ing damaged. Let’s just hope we can repair it before the salt excess breaks through the blood stream and creates more internal bleeding.”

What?!

“We’ve got to stop his cough fit,” Suho heard the lab assistants discuss. “Hand me a sedative.”

Suho felt sudden pinch on his neck and then everything went black.