Two weeks had passed since Valeria was assigned to study the creature. Two weeks of staring into a murky tank, watching the thing lurk in the shadows. Her colleagues had given up, calling it a lost cause. Too hostile, too dangerous. But not Valeria. She was gonna crack this case wide open, even if it killed her.

She stood there, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed as she peered into the depths. The creature was hiding again, huddled in the alpha pods. What was it afraid of? Her? Hell, she couldn't even get it to eat the food they sent in.

Valeria knew she had to be patient, methodical. Rushing things would only spook it further. She'd have to earn its trust, gain its cooperation. 'How the fuck am I supposed to do that when I can barely even see it through the grime-caked glass?' She thought.

"Maldición, qué miseria. Just when you get the opportunity of your life," she said to no one in particular, talking to herself to try and relieve her frustration.

She sighed again, rubbing her temples. It was gonna be a long day. Probably another week of disappointing notes and unanswered questions. But she wouldn't give up. Failure wasn't an option. Not for her.

Valeria turned to grab her clipboard, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead. She had an experiment to run, a puzzle to solve. And she'd be damned if some half-fish freak was gonna stump her. Game fucking on.

'Then again, maybe that's why I'm still single.' She pondered while tapping on the glass of the tank.

As the notes of Mozart drifted through the air, Valeria leaned against the glass, her eyes closed in concentration. She needed a breakthrough, a sign that her efforts weren't in vain.

Just as she was about to give up, a flicker of movement caught her eye. Her head snapped up, gaze darting to the tank. There, in the far corner, a tentative fin breached the surface. The creature was moving towards the boiled egg she had dropped at the edge of the tank.