by Michael Cole
The images on the monitor were very shaky, due to Goliath’s frantic motions. Hopefully the bastard keeps it still so Morgan can let me know they’re good to go, Red thought as he watched the monitor. From what little he could clearly see, it appeared that the men had located the cable. At this moment, the camera’s steadiness improved drastically, due to Goliath taking a foothold in order to clip his harness to his line. Red glanced to Napier.
“They’re hooking up!” he updated the fisherman. The camera panned over to the mouth of the cave, away from the other mercenaries. The tunnel opening was surprisingly clear at his angle, and the images showed large amounts of dust floating from the cave, as if a demolition charge had gone off in there. Suddenly, within the massive cloud of grit and dirt, a form began to take place. Rather, many forms, each one as slithery as the next. Each of these worm-like appendages rippled in the water, eventually slithering toward the camera. “Turn the camera back to Morgan, you idiot!” Red shouted into the radio. Immediately, Goliath panned the camera back, putting Morgan in the video monitor, giving a thumbs up. Red looked to Napier. “NOW! PULL THE LEVER NOW!!!”
Napier instantly complied. The air winch hummed a loud whirring sound, and the cylinder shape winch immediately began spinning back at a tremendous speed, reeling in the cable with its cargo. Red turned his eyes to the ocean, waiting for the men to pop up with the cable at any instant.
********
It continued to feel physically weaker, but the creature did not lose any determination. It had nearly closed the distance between itself and its enemies. It was even close enough to have them in its sight. Close enough it could snag them with its many tentacles. However, as it began to lunge for the retreating challengers, it was confused by the fact that they suddenly picked up an extraordinary burst of speed, ‘swimming’ way out of its grasp! Instinct demanded it pursue, in defense of its territory; to show dominance over any other organism that dare cross its path. As quickly as its sluggish body could move, the creature filled its sacks with water, propelling itself after its targets, smashing through rocky structures in the process.
********
“Okay! Slow it down!” Red said, after seeing the stirring in the water, indicating that the men were beginning to surface. Napier cranked the lever down a few notches, in order to avoid whipping the mercenaries over the edge of the boat. Like fish on a hook, the cable lifted the men from the surface of the water. Each of them tore their mouth pieces out, and had begun taking off their flippers and air tanks while still in mid air.
“Boss!” Goliath called out in his deep mammoth voice. “It’s coming! It’s on its way!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know!” Red said in a surprisingly calm voice. He raised his harpoon rifle to his shoulder like a hunter, scanning the surface of the water. The cable lifted the men over the edge of the boat, and Thompson helped to unclip the men from their lines.
“How close was it behind you?” she asked.
“Close enough,” Morgan remarked while fumbling to get his gear off.
“Where are your harpoon rifles?” Red snarled, still scanning the water for the target. The men stood on the deck, dripping wet and breathing heavily.
“We had to ditch them,” Goliath admitted. “That damn thing was coming at us too fast. We had to get rid of anything slowing us down.”
“That leaves us with this one harpoon gun!” Red yelled. He gave an exaggerated sigh, gritting his teeth. “Get another harpoon ready! I’m gonna have to reload immediately after I shoot this one!” Morgan immediately opened one of the supply bags, pulling out a three foot harpoon with a canister installed on it.
********
The leviathan was able to detect each of its enemies, up until their impulses came to a dead stop. It was as if they had suddenly ceased to exist in the water. The creature propelled itself forward once more, detecting another presence in its territory just ahead of it. This presence was different than anything else it had encountered thus far. This particular creature in the water appeared to equal its size, making it a greater challenger than any other of the life forms it had slain. The creature continued to feel even more sluggish with each passing moment, but the determination to fight pressed it forward.
********
“There she is!” Doctor Wallack called out, pointing to the portside. All eyes watched as the water stirred, as if the area was a giant cauldron. Napier and Thompson, although terrified, could not help but watch as the huge mass slowly began to rise out of the ocean. Surrounded by its eight tentacles, the beast lifted its upper bulk over the surface of the water, pointing its antenna-like eyes and bird like pincers at its new enemy, as if deliberately meeting the crew of the Catcher face-to-face. Its two pincers snapped wildly in the water, while its tentacles flapped and wiggled around its body, like snakes dancing to a flute. The mandibles flapped open like the petals of a flower, revealing its enormous beak in full detail. The beak then opened as well, releasing a deafening scream, almost like that of an eagle, amplified several hundred times over. The mercenaries, along with Thompson and Napier, stood silent and still. Their fear had been replaced by a strange sense of fascination, mixed with a new feeling of terror.
“Oh my god,” the Coast Guard lieutenant exclaimed. Each of them suddenly backed away toward the starboard side after the creature began writhing more viciously in the water, releasing another terrifying scream. The only one on the main deck who didn’t move was Red. He stood patiently and waited. He had a clear shot of the beast, but he was waiting for the perfect moment the strike. And that moment was coming up as the creature reared up once again, about to attack the huge vessel. The mandibles peeled back and the beak opened to scream. It was at that time that Red squeezed the trigger. The harpoon rifle released the meter-long spear with a loud ‘whoosh’ sound, impacting the creature in the mouth. The sounds of the drill whizzing could be heard from the opposite side of the deck. Red turned to look at Morgan, who had fled to the starboard side.
“I could use that harpoon now!” he yelled. Morgan quickly tossed it to him. He clipped the fresh spear into place and took aim once again, this time not bothering to aim for the beak. He aimed left, pulling the trigger. Another whoosh sound followed and the harpoon hit the creature in one of the soft tentacles.
********
It felt a sensation it wasn’t used to: pain. And following that pain was a stronger sense of sluggishness. The creature desired to attack, but it couldn’t. The signals were not making it from the brain to its several appendages. Its vision ceased to function, and its senses stopped picking up signals from the challenger. Finally, its awareness of its environment seemed to slip away into a thick blackness.
********
Red watched as the enormous creature stopped writhing viciously in the water, and then sank into the depths of the sea. He turned to the rest of the crew, who were still backed away to the starboard side of the vessel, all still lost in a sense of amazement and disbelief.
“Hey guys,” he said to his teammates, “don’t take off those swimsuits. You’re going back in. Time to hook this bastard up.”
CHAPTER
18
Over the next several minutes, the three mercenaries had been getting looked over by Dr. Wallack and Red. The ascent from the cave to the Catcher was faster than what it should have been under normal circumstances. However, these were not normal circumstances, and the change in pressure had left the mercenaries feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy. However, their conditions were already improving, making Wallack believe that the pressure change did not take a drastic toll on them, possibly because they came in at a long angle instead of straight up.
Napier kept his post at the winch. The net had already been hooked to the cable, waiting to be dropped in the water once Red gave the go-ahead. Thompson stood at the port, looking down into the water where the creature had surfaced. She did not share Dr. Wallack’s faith in the tranquilizer. She listened to him check over the mercenaries, giving them the OK
to go. Even if the men weren’t suited for duty, he probably would have forced them to dive back in anyway. There was no way he would leave his creation down in the depths like this, so close to recapturing it.
“Where’s our gear?” Morgan asked after his checkup.
“You’ll have your bolt guns, wire cutters, and spare cable to help secure the net,” Wallack said. “There’s no need for any weapons down there. The creature is sedated.”
“You sure about that, doc?” Roketto questioned.
“Yes I’m sure!” Wallack retorted, insulted that these men whom he viewed ‘lesser’ than him tried to challenge his understanding of the beast. “Now that I deem you gentlemen fit for duty, I suggest you get into that water and secure that net. Afterwards, we will transport it to the new facility, which I will disclose once we leave the area.
Napier tried not to look at the inflatable raft too much, fearing the mercenaries, particularly Red, would take notice. But the time was nearing for Bondy and Thompson to make their escape. All they would need to do was inflate the raft and hook up the motor, which was almost fully fueled. Bondy knew the area fairly well, and knew the cutter’s position, which was only a couple miles off. He wasn’t sure if Wallack or the mercenaries were even aware of it. He certainly prayed they weren’t aware of it. He was grateful they were in the dead of night. In broad daylight, they would possibly even be able to see the cutter way off in the distance. He would glance at Thompson occasionally. He could tell she was nervous for the task they were about to undertake. But it had to be done. All they needed to do was wait for the mercenaries to make their second dive, leaving the only true concern being Red.
Morgan, Roketto, and Goliath collected their gear and put on their flippers and air tanks. Each appeared somewhat woozy from the earlier events, but Wallack was confident they were capable of taking their time and hooking the net around the specimen. They tested their mouth pieces and their night vision goggles and then approached the ladder on the starboard side. One after another, they climbed down, settling in the water and swimming over to port to go down with the net.
“Alright guys,” Red said, “don’t take too long down there. I want to get the hell out of here as quick as possible.” It was clear he wasn’t too comfortable being in this location with the creature. The men each gave a salute from the water. Napier began lowering the net beneath the surface, watching the divers slowly descend along with it. It was difficult to determine how long it would take them to get the net properly secured. Wallack headed back up to the cabin to monitor the activity on the monitor. Goliath still had the camera device in his headset. Red also had his monitor still set up, and he stood near the edge of the deck to keep an eye on his men. In his hands was his Noveske Rifleworks Diplomat assault rifle, pointed downward. Napier took notice of this. Well this isn’t going to make our plan any easier, will it? He thought to himself. He then saw Thompson walk away from the side of the deck toward the hatch. It was clear she was going to get Bondy ready.
“Hey,” he whispered. Thompson barely heard him, and walked up close to him.
“What?”
“It’s important that you tell the Commander about this thing, despite how crazy it seems. It is so important that they kill this thing before it multiplies.” He kept his words very silent, doing his best to keep Red from hearing anything.
“I know,” Thompson whispered back. “Will you be okay?”
“I’m good. I’m gonna have to keep him from shooting you guys while you get off the boat. One way or another, these guys aren’t leaving until they have that thing down there netted.” Thompson remained silent for a few moments, failing to hide her fear from his eyes. It wasn’t a fear for herself, or even Bondy’s safety. It was a fear of what might happen to Rick while they escaped. Napier could see her looking uncomfortable. “Hey,” he spoke up a little bit. “It’s gonna be ok….” She pressed her lips into his, cutting him off. He instantly forgot what he was going to say. In this moment, he knew how important it was to get her off the boat safely. Thompson ended the kiss, giving him a small smile, before turning around and heading down the hatch. “Wow,” Napier said out loud.
********
Bondy saw the lieutenant climb down the small ladder. He had been busy keeping the kids calm regarding the situation. They were afraid to be alone, but Bondy offered words of comfort, and specifically emphasized Napier’s previous message to Greg, instructing him to take good care of Jane.
“That damn thing is not only huge, but it’s damn loud!” he remarked regarding the creature’s scream.
“It’s that and more,” Thompson said, with a small nervous grin. Finally her expression turned serious again. “You ready?”
“I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, being cooped up in here hasn’t helped matters,” he said. He paused a moment. “I overheard the argument upstairs, in the cabin. Something about that thing reproducing soon?” Thompson simply nodded.
“It hasn’t yet, but it will,” she said. “When we get to the cutter, we need to make sure they help us kill it. Otherwise, God only knows how many of those things there’ll be. And I’m not counting on the good doctor to contain them all.”
“Agreed,” Bondy said. He looked at the kids once more. “You guys are gonna have to be strong for your dad, alright?” They silently nodded. “We’re going to be back real soon. And then we’ll get you off this boat.” He looked at Thompson and nodded, signaling he was ready to go. She turned and started to climb the ladder.
********
Napier had lowered the net all the way down, leaving a bit of extra slack for the mercenaries to maneuver it. He knew the winch was strong, but after seeing that creature up close he began to question whether the Catcher would even be able to lift it. That shell certainly had to carry a lot of weight on its own. He looked to the hatch and saw Thompson casually climbing out. She took a stance near the hatch, and Napier could see Bondy poised to get out.
It was then he got his bright idea. The mercenaries may be high-tech, experienced, and combat hardened. However, they were also sloppy when dealing with hostages. Near the front of the deck, Goliath had taken off some of his gear, leaving his sidearm. It was clearly unloaded, indicated by the slide being locked back and the magazine out and secured somewhere else. But he left something else unsecured: his flash grenades. Thompson followed his eyes, and realized what he was thinking of doing. She nodded, and looked down to Bondy, motioning to him to cover his eyes. Napier glanced once more at the scar-faced mercenary, whose body language suggested he was about to turn around from the monitor. Napier acted fast, leaning down to grab the cylinder shaped flash grenade. He had never seen these things in action, save for action movies, and who knows how accurate they are. But the object was self-explanatory. There was a pin to pull, and a tiny switch to flip. He yanked the pin, and flicked the switch with his finger. Immediately, he rolled it like a bowling ball toward Red’s position before turning around and throwing his arms over his closed eyes.
He heard the metallic rolling of an object coming toward his feet, prompting him to turn his head to identify what it was. He was not immediately alert to the likeliness of it being a threat, which was a mistake on his part. The first thing he noticed was Napier and Thompson in a crouched position, facing away from him with their hands thrown over their heads. Then he saw it, the black canister object. His mind instantly identified what it was, and by then it was too late. The canister only made a small ‘whoosh’ sound, before unleashing a blinding white flash straight into the mercenary’s vision. His eyes immediately felt as if on fire, his brain feeling like it was being electrocuted, while every muscle in his body tensed up rigid. “Son-of-a-BITCH!”
Bondy and Thompson immediately rushed to the inflatable raft. While in agony, and without any vision, Red could detect the sounds of their feet hitting the deck. He raised his rifle to his shoulder, pointing it to the direction of the sounds to blind fire in their direction.
Napier had unc
overed his eyes, shocked that despite being turned around looking the other direction with his hands over his head, that the flash grenade even had a slight effect on him. But his vision was intact, and he was able to move fluidly. He saw the mercenary about to fire in the direction of his friends. His mind flared, and from his crouched position he sprinted at full speed towards the killer. Within a second he had closed the distance, throwing his body onto Red’s, sending them both toward the back end of the deck at the guardrail. He grabbed the barrel of Red’s rifle, shoving it down to the deck, right before the merc squeezed the trigger. An array of bullets riddled that portion of the deck, tearing up shards of wood like grass under a lawnmower. Pinning the stunned mercenary against the guardrail, he kept the gun pointed down with his left arm. He made a fist with his right hand, and like a heavyweight champion he swung a right hook into Red’s left ribcage. In a flurry, Napier swung a second blow. Then a third. And a fourth. He then raised his right fist over his head, and in a hammer-like motion, he collapsed it down on top of the assault rifle, severing the disoriented opponent’s grip on it. The gun fell to the deck, bouncing away from them.
During this intense action, Napier heard the raft inflate, and he then heard the splash it made as Thompson and Bondy threw it over the side of the boat. Two more splashes followed, caused from the two of them taking their own leap over the guardrail. They were successfully off the boat. Napier grabbed Red by the collar of his vest, and pulled his right arm back to make a large swing toward the scarred left side of his face. He swung with all of his might, only to have his fist stopped in midair, blocked by Red’s left arm. Napier’s eyes widened in surprise, realizing the merc had regained some of his vision. He felt Red’s left hand grab a handful of hair on the back of his head, pulling him inward…connecting his face with the killer’s right elbow. Napier saw his life flash before his eyes in an instant, and he stumbled back from the merc in a daze. This one blow had struck him between the eyes, nearly incapacitating him. His vision spun, causing him to collapse to one knee. Red took a couple steps to approach him. Napier began to stand up straight and hold up his fists. It didn’t matter. With his right boot, Red thrust a heavy front kick straight into Napier’s chest, sending him several feet back, landing him on his back.
