In Too Deep — Chapter 1, Diving In
You hadn't even wanted the job in the first place, but after being tossed into the deep end, you found yourself searching for just how far it's depths reached.
Modern AU, Silco has a massive aquatic collection and it's your job to take care of it.
Next Chapter
AO3 link
Silco/fem!reader, eventual NSFW
3.7k words
Modern day AU, slow burn, full tags on AO3
After an overwhelming response, congrats you got the job!
Some quick shout outs: @agoutighost for yelling (affectionately) at me to turn that little discord bullet list into a proper fic. @of-the-argonath for her outline brilliance and cheerleading even from her wifi-less travels. @x-amount-verbs for the excellent betaing. @ellztrash for putting up with me not shutting up about this and @straight-into-the-animus for providing feedback despite your ahem, feelings towards the rat man, best husband ever ilu. And finally, @steponmesilco for answering my million aquarium/marine life questions, and doing an authenticity check, you're the real MVP.
Hope you got your water wings on for this one folks!
To all associates,
We have recently been contracted by a very high-level client looking for an Aquarist to manage their extensive aquatic systems and animal collection. This is a full-time, on site position.
Overview of duties:
Nutritional planning for various animals, food prep, and feeding.
Monitoring animals' health and well-being, providing medical care as needed. There is at least one green sea turtle with Positive Buoyancy Syndrome.
Ensuring each habitat is clean while keeping the environment as natural as possible. Entering the tanks as needed. Scuba license is required.
Maintenance of all specialist equipment, including but not limited to, filtration systems, heaters, pumps, etc.
Hosting the touch tank and educating visitors during events.
Additional tasks as needed.
Due to the nature of the client's business, this is a solo position. The hired person will have the support of Buhru Aquatics as needed, but they alone will be in charge of all systems and care. Special accommodations and reimbursement will be provided as necessary. An extensive background check will be done.
If you are interested in this very prestigious position, please contact HR for next steps.
You read the email again as you sipped your coffee. Naturally, no one had volunteered for the position. As soon as you read the words ‘high-level client’ you had deleted the message and you knew your coworkers had followed suit. This led to a passive-aggressive follow up from HR stating, “If no one volunteers, a candidate will be selected who we believe to be the best fit. This is a very rewarding position that would be an honor to have!” which, of course, still received no response.
Two days later, they followed through on their threat and you were the “lucky” one who had been chosen. Honored indeed.
Sighing, you contemplated your now cold drink. The weak break room coffee could never quite fully do its job but you still found yourself needing it to get through the day. What little remained in your mug had grounds swimming in it, the sad state matching your mood. You poured the rest in the sink and thoroughly rinsed the mug as if dragging out the process would prevent the looming meeting with your supervisor and undo the future that had been chosen for you.
As you were drying the mug, your coworker Ekko came in and immediately went for the coffee pot. He was young, but there was a fire in him that you and many others saw. He’d probably be running the place within the decade.
“Careful,” you warned, “it’s extra crunchy today.”
He held the pot up to the fluorescent lighting to inspect it. Shrugging, he poured himself a mug anyways. Bad coffee was still coffee.
“What’s got you in a mood?” he asked.
You sighed again and leaned back against the counter. “I’m the chosen one.”
Ekko grimaced. “Ouch, now who’s going to entertain me all day?”
You rolled your eyes. “I’m sure you’ll still see me around.”
“I don’t know. Email said it’s a solo position so sounds like you’ll be drowning in the workload. I’ll probably never see you again.” He sighed and held his hand over his heart dramatically.
“Wow, way to lift my spirits,” you deadpanned.
“Who knows though? HR seemed pretty excited about this ‘high level client,'" he made air quotes with his free hand, “maybe there’s some nice perks?”
“Perks don’t pay the bills.”
“Yeah, and neither does our current wage but we’re still here. When’s your sentencing?”
“I have a meeting with Grayson in a bit so I’m assuming I’ll be starting next week or so? Hopefully they’ll give me enough time to make sure all my stuff here is covered.”
“Covered by dumping it all on me, no doubt.” Ekko joked. “Seriously though, I hope it’s not too bad. If anyone can handle it, it’s you.”
You gave a weak smile. “Thanks.” You glanced at your watch: three minutes past the scheduled meeting with your supervisor. An extra three minutes before you were thrown into the deep end.
–
You slumped down into a chair in Grayson’s office.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Sorry, morning.” You sat up a little straighter. Grayson was the one who had taken a chance and hired you at Buhru Aquatics years ago. You didn’t have a degree but your experience had impressed her. She was the best boss you’ve ever had, she looked out for her people and took care of you. Not to mention she could manhandle a full grown flatback sea turtle single-handedly. The woman commanded respect.
“I know you’re not happy about this new assignment. Yes, it's a big deal for the company but this really is a great opportunity for you as well.”
“What even is the job? The email from HR was pretty much a basic list of aquarist duties. When I found out I was picked they didn’t say much besides a congratulations and to come speak with you.”
Grayson rolled her eyes. “An assignment like this and they do the bare minimum,” she mumbled to herself. “For the most part, it is a standard aquarist position. The main difference is it’s for a large, private collection, and you’ll be handling all the day to day duties yourself. But I know you can handle it, which is why I pitched you for the position.”
That took you aback. “You pitched me, specifically?”
“Yes. Even if anyone had volunteered through HR’s call to action, I still would have pushed for you.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Like most private collections, this client has an affinity for ‘the bigger the better,’ especially when it comes to the predators.”
You groaned. “So a shark nut.”
“Yes, but that’s your specialty. The client was very clear they wanted someone who knew exactly what they were doing when it came to sharks. Maintaining harmony in a tank with sharks present is a balancing act, but you already know all this—that's what makes you the perfect fit.” Her head tilted ever so slightly. “Besides, don't you think those animals deserve the best we have to offer?” In true Grayson fashion, she knew exactly how to appeal to your devoted nature when it came to the job, and smoothly persuade you to her side.
“Who is this client, anyway? We’ve never handled private collections as large as this. Who can even afford it?”
Grayson looked you square in the eye. “Zaun Incorporated.”
–
Correct in your assumption, a week later you were standing outside Zaun Inc.’s new downtown building—the iron and glass monstrosity as everyone was calling it. Construction had lasted for years, and the final product was certainly… something. You didn’t have much of an eye for architecture, but to you it looked like art nouveau and the sleek corporate style of the surrounding buildings had a baby. Maybe with a little steampunk thrown in.
Never had you thought you would even step foot inside the building, let alone be working in it.
It wasn’t officially open yet. The outer construction was mostly complete, save for some cosmetic touches, but the inside was still in progress—with you being the latest addition. Apparently, Zaun Inc. and your employer had been working together for awhile already on the down low. The tanks and all the equipment to support them had been designed and set up by Buhru Aquatics, and only when things were finally ready was the aquarist position email sent out.
Unheard of in any corporate situation, things were actually ahead of schedule. Grayson had worked hard to ensure your transition would be as smooth as possible and you could hit the ground running… or swimming, as the case may be. The past week had been a whirlwind of preparation and briefing.
Luckily, most of the animals had already been introduced to their respective homes. All that was left was the client’s “prized pieces:" two sand tiger sharks.
Turns out, they happened to be the same sharks Ekko and you had been working with recently. Recently being only a couple of weeks, but the two of you had made remarkable progress in that short time.
It would be your main job to continue this success.
Loathe to admit it, you understood Grayson’s reasoning for choosing you for the job. Out of everyone at Buhru Aquatics, you by far had the most experience, and success, with sharks. Your father was a respected marine biologist, and as a child you tried to follow him to work as often as possible. Most everything you knew, he taught you—knowledge that you then had passed to Ekko as you mentored him. The two of you had trained dozens of sharks together successfully. However, this would be the first time you would be working alone. You may not have been overly excited about the job, but you took great pride in your work and welcomed the challenge. Those sharks would be eating out of the palm of your hand in no time… well, figuratively speaking that is.
Your phone buzzed and you pulled it out of your pocket to see a text from Ekko.
good luck today! Don’t forget us little guys now that you’ve moved up in the world
I could try and pull you up here with me if you want
yeah, no thanks
you okay moving the sharks by yourself?
yep! Just let me know what time to be there tomorrow
if they haven’t fired me by then that is
you mean if you haven’t killed anyone by then?
He may have had a point there.
As you walked into the building, your senses were immediately flooded. Somehow, the air inside seemed to be fresher than the air outside. Your shoes squeaked on the polished floor, and if you weren’t mistaken, it sounded like there was a waterfall nearby?
You had taken no more than three steps before your path was blocked by a large man.
“State your business here.” His voice was deep and you had to tip your head back to look up at him.
“I’m the aquarist.”
He made no move as he continued to stare you down.
You matched his stare. “I was told to report to the building manager, Ran.”
Without breaking eye contact, a tattooed arm brought a walkie talkie to his mouth. “Ran, someone in the lobby for you.” A garbled response came from the device, but it seemed to appease the man as his eyes became slightly less cutting.
“You’re the fish girl?”
“Yep. You the guard dog?”
His amusement was poorly concealed. “One of many.” It was then you were joined by another. They had a, well, interesting haircut, and based off the cuffed sleeves stained with grease, probably had been in the middle of something when you showed up.
The large man gestured to you as he spoke to them. “This one’s alright.”
They raised an eyebrow but the guard made no further comment.
A hand, a prosthesis, you noticed, was held out to you. “Name’s Ran. I’ll be your kind of supervisor, but not really since I don’t exactly know what all you’ll be doing. When it comes to personnel structure you’re a bit of a unicorn.”
“You mean narwhal?” the guard interrupted.
You grimaced as Ran laughed. “Not as terrible as your usual jokes Lock, I’ll give you that.” They turned back to you. “Basically, I’m your point person. You need something, you come to me.”
You shook their hand and gave your name in response.
“Come on, I’ll show you around.”
You fell into step beside Ran, only to freeze as you reached the top of the stairs and entered the main lobby atrium.
It was… well, it was amazing. The building’s exterior motif had been carried over inside and yet you were still surprised at what you saw. Coastal evergreen trees flanked the edges of the room, towering above you as they reached towards twisted iron and glass skylights. The floor was a neutral brown toned tile polished to the point that you could see your reflection in it. A staircase hidden amongst the trees to your left led the way up to an open walkway on the second floor. To your right, there was indeed a short waterfall that spanned the length of a long but shallow tank.
It was then you spotted what you knew would be your baby. A massive, four story tall aquarium. It loomed over you, somehow dominating the atrium but also blending seamlessly into the background. One might initially overlook it as part of the wall, but once you noticed it, it was impossible to tear your eyes away.
“Pretty cool right?” Ran asked from your side.
You blinked, having forgotten you weren’t alone. “Not what I was expecting, that's for sure.”
“You’re not alone there. We were all surprised when we saw the Boss’s plans for this place.”
An arched bridge over a small pond brought you to the central elevator—which was inside of an aquarium. Ran pointed to the main tank as you walked. “Second floor is visitor viewing, third is offices, fourth belongs to the Boss, and fifth is your domain.”
“My domain?”
“Where all the fish stuff and tank equipment is. Well, the majority of it. There’s some stuff in the basement but that’s mainly the research lab.”
You nodded as the doors closed behind you.
“The fourth and fifth floors require a code or key badge to gain access,” they held up their hand, “mine’s in my prosthesis, our head of security will get you set up with it all. Like I said, the fifth floor is your domain. If there’s ever any issues, call security, then me.”
The elevator began its ascent and you looked curiously through the glass. There were translucent moon jellyfish leisurely floating wherever the water took them. Not a care in the world and no idea they were in a groundbreaking mechanical and aquatic marvel. While you were impressed, another thought crept into your mind.
“This is going to be a bitch to clean.”
Ran laughed and you rolled your eyes. The elevator rose above the tank's water level and a few moments later opened to a hallway. You approached a large metal door and Ran scanned their badge again. “Here we are. We’ve been calling it the marina.”
As you entered, you immediately felt more at ease. To most, it probably looked like an array of pipes, humming machines, and open areas of water—the tops of tanks—but Ran was right; it was most definitely your domain.
“I have a surface level understanding, but I’m not even going to try and explain to you what everything is.”
“No need,” you responded as you walked around and took in everything, “this is all pretty standard stuff.”
Ran jumped as something splashed in the water behind you. Turning, you were pleased to see a familiar face poking out of the surface. It belonged to a green sea turtle by the name Enoch. Grayson had informed you that he and another turtle, Clarence, had been moved here from a local marine rehab facility and you were excited to have them under your care.
You approached the edge of the water. “Hey bud, remember me?”
Enoch eyed you curiously for a moment before darting back underwater with a large splash in your direction.
Ran spoke up from behind you, “He and the other one put on quite the show when your supervisor moved them here, took more than one set of hands to get them in. Hell of a woman.”
You smiled, standing back up. “Grayson can be intimidating, but she takes good care of us.”
“Well, I hope I can offer you the same. A lot of us building crew people have been with the Boss way before the company was even close to incorporated status. Some of us from even before there was a company at all. We look out for one another.” They grinned. “So as long as you don’t piss anyone off, you’re one of us now.”
“Damn, there goes my afternoon plans,” you replied sarcastically as you threw your hands in the air.
Ran snorted. “Ha, you’ll fit in just fine.”
Besides all the equipment and tanks, there was pretty much everything you needed; a small walk-in refrigerator for all the food, a locker room containing a brand new scuba suit, a private bathroom complete with a shower, and even a small office where you dropped off your backpack.
Ran opened the large steel gate next to your office. “You can take the freight elevator directly here from the back entrance at the loading docks if you want. That’s where we're headed now.”
“Aw, and miss out on Lock’s amazing jokes everyday?”
They snorted. “I’m sure he’ll be just as heartbroken.”
The tour progressed quickly after that. At the loading docks you met a few more of the maintenance people and worked out the details of where Ekko should go when he came with the sharks.
From there, you went to the basement. Just as Ran had said, a portion of it contained more aquarium equipment—mainly the salinization tanks—but the rest was set up for pharmaceutical research.
There wasn’t much of note for the second and third floors. The second was basically a continuation of the main atrium, and the third was a maze of cubicles that you had no interest in navigating.
On the fourth floor were two separate tanks that divided large conference rooms. They were dense with coral to offer privacy between the spaces, but otherwise seemed empty. Around the corner, you entered a smaller room that held a modest array of aquatic equipment and a long tank.
“I believe this is the only freshwater tank in the building. Boss’s office is on the other side.”
You stepped closer to the glass and observed the gnarled looking fish inside—you didn’t have much experience with piranhas, their nature far more chaotic than the predators you were used to.
“Your supervisor let me feed them a few times, never knew feeding frenzies were an actual thing until I saw it.”
“Me feeding them won’t interrupt whatever’s going on on the other side?”
Ran hummed. “If anything, Boss will probably schedule meetings during it to freak his clients.”
You laughed. “I don’t know much about the corporate world, but I guess at his level he can do whatever he wants.”
“You’re learning quick.”
You both gave the piranhas one last look before exiting the room.
“Okay, one more stop then I’m releasing you into the wild.”
Down another hallway were a handful of doors. Ran tapped them as they walked by, “Storage, storage, where the bodies are hidden, my office that I’m never in, and the main dog house.”
“Wasn’t funny when you came up with it, still isn’t funny now,” an annoyed voice added from the inside.
Ran ignored their comment and ushered you through the door. “This is Sevika, our head of security, she’ll get you set up with all that junk. When you’re done here you can head back up to the marina and get yourself settled.”
A prosthetic arm, similar in design to Ran’s hand, held out a tablet to you.
“This is yours, IT should have it all setup. Login and check your email, do whatever housekeeping tasks are there.” Metal fingers tapped a pin pad on the desk. “Enter in an eight digit code you’re not going to forget. And don’t make it your birthday.”
You opted for the date of your first free dive with your father. Even through the goggles, the pride in his eyes was something you’d never forget. He had watched you work so hard to get to that moment. You hoped he would have a similar reaction when you told him about your new position. Working for a private collector, especially a company like Zaun Inc., wasn’t where you had pictured yourself to be.
You were startled from your thoughts when a small item was tossed at you. It bounced off your chest but you managed to catch it before it fell to the ground and you made a fool of yourself.
“That’s your security badge, don’t lose it.”
You examined the small, unassuming piece of plastic and metal. It was equipped with a clip that you could probably use to attach it to the band of your watch.
“Is it waterproof?”
An unimpressed stare was your response.
“Hazard of the job,” you shrugged.
“Right… well I guess we’ll find out then, won’t we?” She leaned back in her chair. “That’s all I have. Main doors are open from 8am to 6pm, after that you’ll need your badge to get in. Any questions?”
You held up the sleek tablet. “Got any cases for this?”
Another look.
“I can guarantee at minimum this thing is going to get splashed.”
Sevika brought a hand to her forehead. “Buy a case and give the receipt to Ran, they’ll get you reimbursed.”
You nodded.
“Anything else?”
“Nope, if I think of anything else I’ll find Ran.”
This seemed to please the woman. “Alright, go do whatever you do.” You had just stepped outside the door when she added, “And take good care of those turtles, they were a bitch to move!”
You laughed, knowing exactly how temperamental Clarence could be when he was in a mood.
–
To your surprise, but delight, the badge chip worked immediately. The small action and the day’s tour had you thinking maybe working here wouldn’t be so bad after all. Off the bat, you knew it’d be long hours, but it was a relief to know money wasn’t an issue when it came to animal care and aquarium maintenance.
Only a few steps into the area and your face quickly fell from pleased to irritated when you saw you weren’t alone.
A man was there, hands clasped behind him and facing away from you as he looked over the opening of the main tank. Just what you needed, problems mere moments after you were sent off alone. You brought up your most authoritative voice.
“Excuse me sir, this area is for authorized personnel only. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
For moments, the only sounds came from the humming of the pumps and gentle lapping of the water, as something unknown shifted in the air.
“Seeing as I own the building,” the man casually drawled with a tilt of his head, revealing a red eye that bore into your own, “I’m authorized to go wherever I please.”
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