Catfish was having a panic attack.
She was pacing back and forth, trying to control her breathing. The morning had gone so wrong, so so wrong, and she felt like she would be held personally responsible. The doors to the corridor opened and Robin walked in, looking around for her before seeing her and walking briskly in her direction. Catfish stopped and leaned against the lockers, covering her face, her eyes a bright red mess as Robin stopped in front of her, the two girls looking at one another. No words were even necessary, the silent gazes said it all. Catfish had been part of a show called "A Greater Porpoise", wherein a child was invited to get into the pool arena with the trainer and a dolphin to perform simple tricks, delight the crowd and give the child long lasting happy memories. But these memories would instead be ones they would have to eventually repress in therapy, because the whole thing had gone horribly awry when the dolphin dragged the small boy down into the water and wouldn't let go. And the only reason things hadn't gone more south? Hadn't ended in tragedy? That was because Fletcher had been on break and was watching, and when he saw what happened, he dove right in, and punched the dolphin in the face, allowing the child to be released.
There were many things Fletcher hadn't expected to do in his life, but punching a dolphin probably topped the list.
***
"Am I in trouble?" Fletcher asked, sitting in Nelly's office as she sat behind her desk, staring at him; Fletcher continued, "cause, I mean, okay, I did punch a dolphin in the face, but I only did it to save a child, so I feel like it's kind of justified?"
Nelly didn't say a word, she just kept staring.
"Your silence is terrifying, did you know that? It's like when my mom used to get mad," Fletcher said, "please say something. Please say anything. Seriously, I am begging you, literally say any word. Say toilet. Say amphibian. I don't care JUST TALK."
Nelly finally cracked and started howling with laughter, only confusing Fletcher further, who now scooted away from the desk a bit.
"Okay, now I kind of wish you'd stayed silent, you sound manic," Fletcher said.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Nelly asked, finally getting herself back under control, wiping at her eyes with her jacket sleeve, "seriously, do you? Because, yes, there's going to be some fringe group that will be upset at the punch, but more than that, everyone saw a staff member of this zoo jump into the arena without hesitation to protect a child. Do you have any idea what that's going to do to our reputation?"
"Is it good?" Fletcher asked, "I mean, people like kids, right? So saving a kid is a good thing?"
"People do generally like kids, yes," Nelly said, "Fletcher, we need to have some kind of ceremony, some kind of...kind of very public ceremony where you can be awarded for your valor and bravery."
"I don't have to wear a sash do I?" Fletcher asked, "Do I get the key to the zoo? Is there a giant key I could be awarded with?"
Nelly stood up and walked to a nearby filing cabinet, pulled out a drawer and started rooting through it, searching for something in particular. Fletcher sat still in his chair and watched with a confused look on his face. After a few minutes of fingering through files, Nelly finally grasped something and tugged it free from the drawer, tossing it onto the desk.
"You ever hear of Amber Dwyer?" she asked.
"...no?" Fletcher asked.
"Yeah, nobody has, because Amber Dwyer effectively doesn't exist," Nelly said, walking back to her desk and seating herself again, "I mean, okay, that sounded more cryptic than I anticipated. She's very much a real person, but she's done everything in her power to make it seem as though she doesn't exist. Scrubbed herself from the world to the best of her abilities. She worked at a zoo called Zooventure."
Fletcher raised a single eyebrow, and Nelly nodded.
"I know," she continued, "it sounds like the name of a zoo in a movie. It's awful. Anyway, while there, she was the reptile handler there, and one day, she was giving a little tour to elementary school kids at the Komodo Dragon exhibit. Well, one kid, let's call him Jason, decides he's not afraid of the Komodo Dragon."
"Sounds like something someone named Jason would believe," Fletcher said.
"Jasons are universally idiots, it's true," Nelly said in response, nodding in agreement, "so Jason slips away from the group, goes around the rail and gets into the exhibit. So, Amber, in the midst of all the screaming and shouting from adults and classmates alike, hops into the exhibit after him, because at this point, Jason is now pinned against the wall in terror as this enormous fucking lizard approaches him with a malicious intent in his eyes. Jason is pissing his pants."
"Jason would," Fletcher said.
"And Amber, surprising everyone, tackles the goddamn thing to the ground," Nelly said, "and at first, everyone was in awe of her, giving her praise, thanks, everything you can imagine. Until animal rights groups stepped in because, well, the Komodo Dragon is technically classified as an endangered animal. Amber gets ghost, makes herself unknowable, and vanishes into the ether. Lawsuit after lawsuit hits the zoo, and Zooventure is shuttered. But you? Fletcher, you punched a common bottlenose dolphin, which conservation groups consider, in a humorous bit of wording, as 'least concern' when it comes to endangerment. Amber Dwyer was a hero, but she got shafted by politics. But you, Fletcher?"
Nelly smiled and sat on her desk.
"...you're a hero," she said.
Fletcher wanted to vomit.
***
Catfish was hiding in the aquarium, one of the child play and exploration exhibits specifically, which was where she often went when she needed to think and get away from everyone. She was chewing on her hair as she stared down at the seashell patterned carpet, the enormous hunks of plastic coral surrounding her, encasing her as though she herself were a fish hiding from a predator. She heard the sound of something shifting nearby, and glanced around nervously, only to exhale when she saw it was just Casper. Casper seated themselves beside her and nodded in silence, almost moping as if in solidarity.
"Today sucks," Catfish finally said, and Casper smiled weakly.
"Today often sucks," they replied.
"How did you even know where to find me?"
"Well, I had Barbara over in security bring up the cameras, and there's obviously loads of them in this area since it's designated for kids, so it wasn't that hard. I just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing, cause that...that seemed like a lot."
"A lot is putting it mildly," Catfish said, "I...don't think I can do this anymore. We've had incidents before, unhappy animals, and sometimes a trainer gets nipped or hit or slapped or something, but nothing like today, and if we're going to endanger children, while creating an unhappy environment for the creatures that are performing, I don't...I don't think I can morally separate that from my work. What's happening here isn't okay. Sure, it wasn't Kazoo, but they're unhappy too. All the animals are, and clearly they're going to start acting out more as a result. I can't be responsible for the dangers to both people and animals."
Casper nodded and put a hand on her knee, causing Catfish to exhale and rest her head on their shoulder. She closed her eyes, tears rolling softly, quietly down her face. How had it gotten like this? She thought what she was doing was good. Okay. She knew there were problems with live performances, she wasn't an idiot, but she just kind of always told herself they were few and far between enough to not be worried about them. But now...something had to be done. Something had to change.
"For what it's worth," Casper said, "I think it's admirable that you want to enact a difference, regardless of the threat it pays to your employment."
Catfish smiled and held their other hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
They sat like that together for a while, nothing but the soft soothing sounds of ocean waves and bubbles and undersea currents wafting through the air over the interior speakers.
"I'm gonna take some time off," Casper said, "I need to learn who I am."
"You can do that, and I think that's smart, but I already know who you are," Catfish said, "you're a good person."
Casper wanted to cry now. They'd never once been called that. Another brief period of almost silence.
"I'm gonna free Kazoo," Catfish said.
***
Robin was in the break room microwaving lunch. She let the machine run its course, then retrieved her food and, just as she shut the door to the appliance, she turned and noticed Fletcher standing in the doorway staring at his shoes. Robin hadn't expected him, but she smiled at his presence nonetheless. She took her lunch, a premade frozen container of chinese food, to the table and sat down, starting to eat. As she chewed, she watched him, but he never once looked up at her.
"You ever hear of Amber Dwyer?" Fletcher asked, and Robin shook her head as she slurped some beef and broccoli into her mouth.
"Can't say that I have," she replied.
"Yeah, nobody has," Fletcher said, "to be fair, I hadn't either until this morning. Turns out you can do the right thing and still be punished for it."
Fletcher walked over to the table and sat down with a thud in the chair.
"...they wanna give me an award, I have to make a speech," Fletcher said, "but I'm not a hero. They keep calling me one, but I'm not."
Robin chewed, listening, nodding. She'd never seen Fletcher be so introspective. Sure, she'd seen him break down his walls a little bit, openly talk about a few things, but this...this was another level entirely. This was a man who finally, it seemed, had been broken enough to allow himself to fully feel again, and he clearly didn't know how to handle it. He sat there as Robin ate and he looked at the grain of the table, his eyes scanning every knick and grain.
"Amber Dwyer did the same thing I did, and she had to underground as a result, purely because of the difference in the types of animals we went toe to toe with. Part of me thinks that, really, it's because society can't accept the perception of a woman being violent and brave, so they villified her while they celebrate me, a man, because that's how they see men, as violent and brave. Protectors and defenders. But lemme tell ya something, Robin, my mom is the bravest, strongest woman I know and she could kick any dudes ass any day of the week. So maybe some of its sexism, maybe not, maybe it doesn't factor in at all, I don't know, all I know is this..."
Robin took another bite of broccoli as Fletcher shut his eyes and smiled weakly.
"...Amber Dwyer, like all women, deserved better, and I, like most men, deserve far much less," he finished.
Robin smiled warmly. Watching Fletcher gradually come to grips with his concept of masculinity, and his love for women as people in general, had been so fascinating and eye opening, and really, she was proud of him. Proud to be his friend. When she'd first started here, he'd been considered a jerk, a prankster, and he was those things, but that didn't make him inherently bad, and Robin felt that perhaps she was the first one to truly recognize and understand that, and that was now helping him be more vulnerable as a result, because he had women who trusted him.
"What are you gonna say in your speech?" Robin asked, digging around in the container for more beef.
"I don't know," Fletcher said, "but I can tell ya one thing...they ain't gonna like it."
***
Fletcher was standing by the platform as Nelly spoke to the crowd of onlookers as well as some press. She'd gotten this arranged quickly, probably for publicity, and likely at the request of the board, not because she really cared to. Fletcher knew her well enough to know that she cared about the zoos public image, sure, but she wasn't the kind to beg for its reputation. He breathed through his nose, a million thoughts running through his mind, namely at the forefront, Amber Dwyer. He looked to his side and noticed Robin standing there, causing him to jump a little.
"Holy hell," he said softly, "I forgot we walked here together."
"You're gonna do great," Robin said, "and, for what it's worth, I don't think you're a hero. Frankly, I don't know of anyone here who ever would."
A moment passed, and Fletcher grinned at her, that snarky, asshole grin that she loved to see, and he hit her in the shoulder playfully.
"You're a good egg," he said, before ruffling her hair as Nelly finished introducing him.
"I've learned a lot recently about speaking to your truth," Robin said, "and I think that's what you should do."
Fletcher nodded, then turned and headed up the steps to the podium. Nelly handed him a little golden trophy of some kind, and he looked at it, grasping it as he adjusted the mic, then cleared his throat, and did what Robin had told him to do. He spoke his truth.
"They wanna call me a hero, but what justifies that label? We often reserve it for people who save other people, right? Firemen, for instance. Firemen are heroes. I am not a hero. I saved a child, yes, because morally it was the right thing to do, and amoral as I may come off as at times, I'm not a heartless monster. But...why is it that people think nothing when rescuing a human child, often doing it without question, but rarely if ever attempt to save a baby animal? What constitutes the difference in their worth? An animal is a living thing, it breaths, it sees, it eats, it feels. It lives and dies, just like us, so why the stark contrast in their value? I'm not a hero. I saved a child, sure, but from what? An animals normal, predatory behavior? And, furthermore, why do we reward and forgive human beings for giving into so many of their base instincts but admonish animals for the very same thing? I didn't want to be the one to break this news to you people, but it's better you hear it now, here, from me, and the fact of the matter is...dolphins are murderers. Rapists. It's all a goddamned lie. They're not the cute, helpful creatures that pop culture has lead us to believe they are. The same irreperable damage that Jaws did for Sharks, Flipper did for dolphin PR."
Robin glanced over at Nelly, who, surprisingly, wasn't burying her face in humiliation, but instead grinning like an idiot.
"You...wanted this didn't you?" Robin asked, "you wanted to give him this award because you knew he would go off like this."
"Exactly," Nelly said, never looking at Robin once, her eyes glued to Fletcher on the stage as she added, "he's my mouth piece, whether he knows it or not, and I couldn't be more proud."
Fletcher continued, "You create campaigns like Save the Whales but it's...it's in spirit, only, really. What's the most an everyday person does? Cut up those plastic things that attach soda cans to one another so fish don't get caught in them? And, admittedly, how much energy and effort should a person willingly give to a cause such as this? I don't have the answer for that, but we have to do better. Bees are going extinct, the wetlands are drying out destroying bird habitats, and now we're celebrating me, a human being, punching a goddamned dolphin in the face. People demonized a woman for saving a child from an endangered animal, and yet because of the publicly perceived notion of dolphins, I'm hailed as a hero? I'm NOT a hero. I'm just not an asshole."
Fletcher finished his speech, stepping down from the platform, and exiting the zoo into the parking lot. As he strolled through towards his car, fishing his keys from his pocket, he noticed Catfish sitting on the hood of her own car, sniffling. Fletcher's eyes softened, and he walked over to her, seating himself beside her.
"You've had a rough day," he said softly, "and nobody even probably asked you how you're doing."
"Casper talked to me," Catfish said, "but yeah, I've been virtually ignored."
"Ridiculous, you're the trainer," Fletcher said, looking at his award clenched in his fist, before sighing and adding, "We can't let this continue."
"I know."
"I can't. in good conscience, continue to work in a place that claims to care for its animals well being but then prioritizes its visitors over that," Fletcher said, "I'm not saying we should let children get eaten or drowned or anything, but...but something has to change. A zoos main concern should be the safety and comfort of its animals, not its fun level for bored families on a Sunday afternoon to gawk at."
"I'm gonna free Kazoo," Catfish said, causing Fletcher's eyes to go wide. He thought about this for a minute, then held his hand out. She grabbed it, and they shook.
"Whale heist," he said, "I'm in."
She was pacing back and forth, trying to control her breathing. The morning had gone so wrong, so so wrong, and she felt like she would be held personally responsible. The doors to the corridor opened and Robin walked in, looking around for her before seeing her and walking briskly in her direction. Catfish stopped and leaned against the lockers, covering her face, her eyes a bright red mess as Robin stopped in front of her, the two girls looking at one another. No words were even necessary, the silent gazes said it all. Catfish had been part of a show called "A Greater Porpoise", wherein a child was invited to get into the pool arena with the trainer and a dolphin to perform simple tricks, delight the crowd and give the child long lasting happy memories. But these memories would instead be ones they would have to eventually repress in therapy, because the whole thing had gone horribly awry when the dolphin dragged the small boy down into the water and wouldn't let go. And the only reason things hadn't gone more south? Hadn't ended in tragedy? That was because Fletcher had been on break and was watching, and when he saw what happened, he dove right in, and punched the dolphin in the face, allowing the child to be released.
There were many things Fletcher hadn't expected to do in his life, but punching a dolphin probably topped the list.
***
"Am I in trouble?" Fletcher asked, sitting in Nelly's office as she sat behind her desk, staring at him; Fletcher continued, "cause, I mean, okay, I did punch a dolphin in the face, but I only did it to save a child, so I feel like it's kind of justified?"
Nelly didn't say a word, she just kept staring.
"Your silence is terrifying, did you know that? It's like when my mom used to get mad," Fletcher said, "please say something. Please say anything. Seriously, I am begging you, literally say any word. Say toilet. Say amphibian. I don't care JUST TALK."
Nelly finally cracked and started howling with laughter, only confusing Fletcher further, who now scooted away from the desk a bit.
"Okay, now I kind of wish you'd stayed silent, you sound manic," Fletcher said.
"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Nelly asked, finally getting herself back under control, wiping at her eyes with her jacket sleeve, "seriously, do you? Because, yes, there's going to be some fringe group that will be upset at the punch, but more than that, everyone saw a staff member of this zoo jump into the arena without hesitation to protect a child. Do you have any idea what that's going to do to our reputation?"
"Is it good?" Fletcher asked, "I mean, people like kids, right? So saving a kid is a good thing?"
"People do generally like kids, yes," Nelly said, "Fletcher, we need to have some kind of ceremony, some kind of...kind of very public ceremony where you can be awarded for your valor and bravery."
"I don't have to wear a sash do I?" Fletcher asked, "Do I get the key to the zoo? Is there a giant key I could be awarded with?"
Nelly stood up and walked to a nearby filing cabinet, pulled out a drawer and started rooting through it, searching for something in particular. Fletcher sat still in his chair and watched with a confused look on his face. After a few minutes of fingering through files, Nelly finally grasped something and tugged it free from the drawer, tossing it onto the desk.
"You ever hear of Amber Dwyer?" she asked.
"...no?" Fletcher asked.
"Yeah, nobody has, because Amber Dwyer effectively doesn't exist," Nelly said, walking back to her desk and seating herself again, "I mean, okay, that sounded more cryptic than I anticipated. She's very much a real person, but she's done everything in her power to make it seem as though she doesn't exist. Scrubbed herself from the world to the best of her abilities. She worked at a zoo called Zooventure."
Fletcher raised a single eyebrow, and Nelly nodded.
"I know," she continued, "it sounds like the name of a zoo in a movie. It's awful. Anyway, while there, she was the reptile handler there, and one day, she was giving a little tour to elementary school kids at the Komodo Dragon exhibit. Well, one kid, let's call him Jason, decides he's not afraid of the Komodo Dragon."
"Sounds like something someone named Jason would believe," Fletcher said.
"Jasons are universally idiots, it's true," Nelly said in response, nodding in agreement, "so Jason slips away from the group, goes around the rail and gets into the exhibit. So, Amber, in the midst of all the screaming and shouting from adults and classmates alike, hops into the exhibit after him, because at this point, Jason is now pinned against the wall in terror as this enormous fucking lizard approaches him with a malicious intent in his eyes. Jason is pissing his pants."
"Jason would," Fletcher said.
"And Amber, surprising everyone, tackles the goddamn thing to the ground," Nelly said, "and at first, everyone was in awe of her, giving her praise, thanks, everything you can imagine. Until animal rights groups stepped in because, well, the Komodo Dragon is technically classified as an endangered animal. Amber gets ghost, makes herself unknowable, and vanishes into the ether. Lawsuit after lawsuit hits the zoo, and Zooventure is shuttered. But you? Fletcher, you punched a common bottlenose dolphin, which conservation groups consider, in a humorous bit of wording, as 'least concern' when it comes to endangerment. Amber Dwyer was a hero, but she got shafted by politics. But you, Fletcher?"
Nelly smiled and sat on her desk.
"...you're a hero," she said.
Fletcher wanted to vomit.
***
Catfish was hiding in the aquarium, one of the child play and exploration exhibits specifically, which was where she often went when she needed to think and get away from everyone. She was chewing on her hair as she stared down at the seashell patterned carpet, the enormous hunks of plastic coral surrounding her, encasing her as though she herself were a fish hiding from a predator. She heard the sound of something shifting nearby, and glanced around nervously, only to exhale when she saw it was just Casper. Casper seated themselves beside her and nodded in silence, almost moping as if in solidarity.
"Today sucks," Catfish finally said, and Casper smiled weakly.
"Today often sucks," they replied.
"How did you even know where to find me?"
"Well, I had Barbara over in security bring up the cameras, and there's obviously loads of them in this area since it's designated for kids, so it wasn't that hard. I just wanted to check in on you, see how you were doing, cause that...that seemed like a lot."
"A lot is putting it mildly," Catfish said, "I...don't think I can do this anymore. We've had incidents before, unhappy animals, and sometimes a trainer gets nipped or hit or slapped or something, but nothing like today, and if we're going to endanger children, while creating an unhappy environment for the creatures that are performing, I don't...I don't think I can morally separate that from my work. What's happening here isn't okay. Sure, it wasn't Kazoo, but they're unhappy too. All the animals are, and clearly they're going to start acting out more as a result. I can't be responsible for the dangers to both people and animals."
Casper nodded and put a hand on her knee, causing Catfish to exhale and rest her head on their shoulder. She closed her eyes, tears rolling softly, quietly down her face. How had it gotten like this? She thought what she was doing was good. Okay. She knew there were problems with live performances, she wasn't an idiot, but she just kind of always told herself they were few and far between enough to not be worried about them. But now...something had to be done. Something had to change.
"For what it's worth," Casper said, "I think it's admirable that you want to enact a difference, regardless of the threat it pays to your employment."
Catfish smiled and held their other hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
They sat like that together for a while, nothing but the soft soothing sounds of ocean waves and bubbles and undersea currents wafting through the air over the interior speakers.
"I'm gonna take some time off," Casper said, "I need to learn who I am."
"You can do that, and I think that's smart, but I already know who you are," Catfish said, "you're a good person."
Casper wanted to cry now. They'd never once been called that. Another brief period of almost silence.
"I'm gonna free Kazoo," Catfish said.
***
Robin was in the break room microwaving lunch. She let the machine run its course, then retrieved her food and, just as she shut the door to the appliance, she turned and noticed Fletcher standing in the doorway staring at his shoes. Robin hadn't expected him, but she smiled at his presence nonetheless. She took her lunch, a premade frozen container of chinese food, to the table and sat down, starting to eat. As she chewed, she watched him, but he never once looked up at her.
"You ever hear of Amber Dwyer?" Fletcher asked, and Robin shook her head as she slurped some beef and broccoli into her mouth.
"Can't say that I have," she replied.
"Yeah, nobody has," Fletcher said, "to be fair, I hadn't either until this morning. Turns out you can do the right thing and still be punished for it."
Fletcher walked over to the table and sat down with a thud in the chair.
"...they wanna give me an award, I have to make a speech," Fletcher said, "but I'm not a hero. They keep calling me one, but I'm not."
Robin chewed, listening, nodding. She'd never seen Fletcher be so introspective. Sure, she'd seen him break down his walls a little bit, openly talk about a few things, but this...this was another level entirely. This was a man who finally, it seemed, had been broken enough to allow himself to fully feel again, and he clearly didn't know how to handle it. He sat there as Robin ate and he looked at the grain of the table, his eyes scanning every knick and grain.
"Amber Dwyer did the same thing I did, and she had to underground as a result, purely because of the difference in the types of animals we went toe to toe with. Part of me thinks that, really, it's because society can't accept the perception of a woman being violent and brave, so they villified her while they celebrate me, a man, because that's how they see men, as violent and brave. Protectors and defenders. But lemme tell ya something, Robin, my mom is the bravest, strongest woman I know and she could kick any dudes ass any day of the week. So maybe some of its sexism, maybe not, maybe it doesn't factor in at all, I don't know, all I know is this..."
Robin took another bite of broccoli as Fletcher shut his eyes and smiled weakly.
"...Amber Dwyer, like all women, deserved better, and I, like most men, deserve far much less," he finished.
Robin smiled warmly. Watching Fletcher gradually come to grips with his concept of masculinity, and his love for women as people in general, had been so fascinating and eye opening, and really, she was proud of him. Proud to be his friend. When she'd first started here, he'd been considered a jerk, a prankster, and he was those things, but that didn't make him inherently bad, and Robin felt that perhaps she was the first one to truly recognize and understand that, and that was now helping him be more vulnerable as a result, because he had women who trusted him.
"What are you gonna say in your speech?" Robin asked, digging around in the container for more beef.
"I don't know," Fletcher said, "but I can tell ya one thing...they ain't gonna like it."
***
Fletcher was standing by the platform as Nelly spoke to the crowd of onlookers as well as some press. She'd gotten this arranged quickly, probably for publicity, and likely at the request of the board, not because she really cared to. Fletcher knew her well enough to know that she cared about the zoos public image, sure, but she wasn't the kind to beg for its reputation. He breathed through his nose, a million thoughts running through his mind, namely at the forefront, Amber Dwyer. He looked to his side and noticed Robin standing there, causing him to jump a little.
"Holy hell," he said softly, "I forgot we walked here together."
"You're gonna do great," Robin said, "and, for what it's worth, I don't think you're a hero. Frankly, I don't know of anyone here who ever would."
A moment passed, and Fletcher grinned at her, that snarky, asshole grin that she loved to see, and he hit her in the shoulder playfully.
"You're a good egg," he said, before ruffling her hair as Nelly finished introducing him.
"I've learned a lot recently about speaking to your truth," Robin said, "and I think that's what you should do."
Fletcher nodded, then turned and headed up the steps to the podium. Nelly handed him a little golden trophy of some kind, and he looked at it, grasping it as he adjusted the mic, then cleared his throat, and did what Robin had told him to do. He spoke his truth.
"They wanna call me a hero, but what justifies that label? We often reserve it for people who save other people, right? Firemen, for instance. Firemen are heroes. I am not a hero. I saved a child, yes, because morally it was the right thing to do, and amoral as I may come off as at times, I'm not a heartless monster. But...why is it that people think nothing when rescuing a human child, often doing it without question, but rarely if ever attempt to save a baby animal? What constitutes the difference in their worth? An animal is a living thing, it breaths, it sees, it eats, it feels. It lives and dies, just like us, so why the stark contrast in their value? I'm not a hero. I saved a child, sure, but from what? An animals normal, predatory behavior? And, furthermore, why do we reward and forgive human beings for giving into so many of their base instincts but admonish animals for the very same thing? I didn't want to be the one to break this news to you people, but it's better you hear it now, here, from me, and the fact of the matter is...dolphins are murderers. Rapists. It's all a goddamned lie. They're not the cute, helpful creatures that pop culture has lead us to believe they are. The same irreperable damage that Jaws did for Sharks, Flipper did for dolphin PR."
Robin glanced over at Nelly, who, surprisingly, wasn't burying her face in humiliation, but instead grinning like an idiot.
"You...wanted this didn't you?" Robin asked, "you wanted to give him this award because you knew he would go off like this."
"Exactly," Nelly said, never looking at Robin once, her eyes glued to Fletcher on the stage as she added, "he's my mouth piece, whether he knows it or not, and I couldn't be more proud."
Fletcher continued, "You create campaigns like Save the Whales but it's...it's in spirit, only, really. What's the most an everyday person does? Cut up those plastic things that attach soda cans to one another so fish don't get caught in them? And, admittedly, how much energy and effort should a person willingly give to a cause such as this? I don't have the answer for that, but we have to do better. Bees are going extinct, the wetlands are drying out destroying bird habitats, and now we're celebrating me, a human being, punching a goddamned dolphin in the face. People demonized a woman for saving a child from an endangered animal, and yet because of the publicly perceived notion of dolphins, I'm hailed as a hero? I'm NOT a hero. I'm just not an asshole."
Fletcher finished his speech, stepping down from the platform, and exiting the zoo into the parking lot. As he strolled through towards his car, fishing his keys from his pocket, he noticed Catfish sitting on the hood of her own car, sniffling. Fletcher's eyes softened, and he walked over to her, seating himself beside her.
"You've had a rough day," he said softly, "and nobody even probably asked you how you're doing."
"Casper talked to me," Catfish said, "but yeah, I've been virtually ignored."
"Ridiculous, you're the trainer," Fletcher said, looking at his award clenched in his fist, before sighing and adding, "We can't let this continue."
"I know."
"I can't. in good conscience, continue to work in a place that claims to care for its animals well being but then prioritizes its visitors over that," Fletcher said, "I'm not saying we should let children get eaten or drowned or anything, but...but something has to change. A zoos main concern should be the safety and comfort of its animals, not its fun level for bored families on a Sunday afternoon to gawk at."
"I'm gonna free Kazoo," Catfish said, causing Fletcher's eyes to go wide. He thought about this for a minute, then held his hand out. She grabbed it, and they shook.
"Whale heist," he said, "I'm in."