Blood Cruise: A Deep Sea Thriller

by Jake Bible

  “Good for you,” Wagner said. “So where is it?”

  “Just wait,” Dr. Glouster said. “It will come out. This is the normal protocol during feeding time. It will expect to be fed and should appear any second now.”

  The interior of the saltwater tank held a perfect replica of the ancient volcanic rock that made up much of the Pacific Northwest coast line. Plenty of hiding places for a sea creature that preferred to stay out of sight.

  After a couple of minutes, and some low grumbling from Wagner, there was the hint of movement at the back of the tank. Dr. Glouster continued to tap at the tablet then frowned.

  “The food chute?” Dr. Glouster asked. “You didn’t connect the food chute?”

  “Food chute?” Wagner asked. “That wasn’t in the schematics.”

  “You didn’t think that would be an issue?” Dr. Glouster snapped. “That maybe we would need to feed the creature?”

  “I don’t know, Doc,” Wagner said. “I figured you opened the top and tossed in some canned tuna or something.”

  “You are well aware it does not eat canned tuna,” Dr. Glouster said.

  “Yeah, I’m well aware of that. I’m just messing with you,” Wagner said. “We couldn’t accommodate a food chute in this vault. You’re going to have to go all Sea World and throw its meal in from above.”

  He snapped his fingers and two of the guards hurried from the vault. They returned in a couple of minutes with a cage that held a live goat. The goat bleated and complained as the guards wheeled the cage closer to the tank, its animal instinct telling it that things were not as they should be.

  “I have never fed it goats before,” Dr. Glouster said. “Only pigs.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Wagner said and frowned. “And this is the one detail I’ll admit I screwed up. But, unfortunately, I couldn’t supervise this detail myself and had to rely on others to get it done. Looks like some dipshit thinks a goat is the same as a pig.”

  “A goat is not the same as a pig,” Dr. Glouster snapped. “Pigs blood is very similar to human blood. Goat’s blood is not. I certainly hope the creature does not get offended at the meal offered to it. I have been very, very careful to maintain the proper diet since it is crucial to the overall mission of this project.”

  “I’ve got goat,” Wagner said. That was all he said no matter how much Dr. Glouster glared.

  “Fine,” Dr. Glouster huffed. “Goat will have to do.”

  “Good to hear it,” Wagner said. “Now, where is the thing?”

  “You are looking right at it,” Dr. Glouster said.

  “Yeah, I don’t see shit,” Wagner replied. “Thought I saw something in the back, but I don’t see anything but rocks right now.”

  “You believe you see rocks,” Dr. Glouster said. “Which is exactly as it should be. The creature is up against the glass on the bottom left of the tank.”

  “Bullshit,” Wagner said. “I’ve got good eyes, Doc. Trained eyes. Eyes that notice things a freakin’ hawk would overlook. There is nothing…there…”

  As the guards hooked cables to the top of the goat cage and it was raised into the air, there was a brief shimmer and flash from the spot Dr. Glouster had indicated. Wagner stepped forward, but Dr. Glouster placed a hand on his arm. The man glared at the hand, glared at Dr. Glouster, but the hand remained in place.

  “Do not present yourself as an optional target,” Dr. Glouster said, turning to the other men in the vault. “That goes for all of you, as well. Remain still as the cage is lowered into the tank.”

  “Thought you said it wouldn’t see us?” Wagner asked.

  “There are more senses than sight,” Dr. Glouster replied.

  The cage hung over the tank then was slowly lowered until it rested on the top. Dr. Glouster took a deep breath and tapped at the tablet. The sound of something sliding open echoed in the vault and the bottom of the goat cage opened up. The goat fell screaming into the tank and was lost from sight.

  “Where the hell did it go?” Wagner asked. “Where the hell is the goat?”

  “The creature took it,” Dr. Glouster said as the empty cage was swung out and away, then lowered, the bottom snapping back in place as it touched down on the vault floor. “Look closely and you will catch glimpses as it feeds.”

  “How the hell can it hide a goat?” Wagner asked.

  “The creature’s natural ability to mimic its surroundings means that anything wrapped up in its arms will be almost impossible to detect,” Dr. Glouster said.

  “That goat was four feet tall, Doc,” Wagner said. “Your creature would need to be what, twenty feet long to hide something that size?”

  “The creature’s mantle is eight feet long by four feet wide with an arm span of thirty-eight feet,” Dr. Glouster said proudly. “As far as we, I mean, as far as I can estimate, it weighs close to three hundred pounds. Hiding a goat of that size is not an issue. Especially once you consider the size of the web between the arms. It could envelop you, Mr. Wagner, and no one would even know.”

  There was some thrashing in the water and Wagner took a couple of steps back. Dr. Glouster tapped at his tablet then looked up in alarm.

  “The hatch is not locked!” Dr. Glouster shouted. “Why won’t it lock?”

  “Your tank, Doc,” Wagner said, taking another step back. “You lock it.”

  “Your damn interface!” Dr. Glouster shouted as he waved the tablet at Wagner. “I never had this issue in my own lab!”

  “Lock it down!” Wagner shouted as he pointed at three of the guards. “Get your asses up there and make sure that hatch is secure! Now!”

  The three guards stared at the tank, none moving. Wagner withdrew a pistol from the holster on his hip, stepped up to one of the guards, and placed the muzzle against the man’s temple.

  “Who do you fear most? That thing or me?” Wagner asked. “Get up there now.”

  The other two guards scrambled to a ladder propped against the wall and set it up against the tank. The third guard waited until Wagner had removed the pistol before hustling over to the ladder and joining his comrades.

  The first man to the top screamed and disappeared instantly.

  “Oh God,” Dr. Glouster said. “The hatch is fully open.”

  “Shit,” Wagner cursed. “Lock it the hell down now!”

  The two other guards scrambled to the center of the tank and dove at the hatch. The first man to reach it was able to pull it halfway across before he was snatched away, lost in the murky waters of the tank. The last guard left grabbed the hatch and slammed it closed. The hatch bent upwards suddenly and the man was lifted a foot in the air. He screamed like a teenager, his voice cracking with pure fear.

  “Get up there and help him!” Wagner ordered.

  The remainder of the guards climbed the ladder and all put their weight on the hatch, pulling it back to keep it closed, while Dr. Glouster furiously tapped at his tablet.

  “Doc? Making any progress?” Wagner asked, his pistol still out and pointed directly at the tank.

  “I am trying, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster said.

  A man’s face was pressed against the glass, his dead eyes bulging in their sockets. The head was pulled back into the shadows then thrust forward with enough force to shatter the skull, sending blood and brains leaking out into the tank’s water. Dark clouds floated up from the crushed head and Wagner glared.

  “That was Henricksen,” Wagner said. “He was a good man.”

  “I highly doubt any of your men could be described as good considering the line of work they are in,” Dr. Glouster said.

  “What did I say about the holier than thou crap, Doc?” Wagner snarled. “Keep it to yourself.”

  There was a loud whirring and a distinctive thunk then click. Dr. Glouster let out a long breath and lowered the tablet to his side.

  “It is locked down and secure,” Dr. Glouster said. “I had to reroute two systems and override your security protocol to do it, but it is done. The creature will not
be able to harm anyone else.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Wagner said, letting out his own long breath. “Now, what do we do about the bodies in the tank?”

  “The creature will take care of them,” Dr. Glouster said. “While it primarily drinks blood, it will also strip the bones of the flesh and eat that as well. It may even pulverize the bones if it gets bored. Their uniforms are another issue. You will need to figure out how to remove them so they do not clog the filtration system. I’ll leave it to you to come up with a solution.”

  “Nope,” Wagner said, holstering his pistol and clamping a hand on Dr. Glouster’s shoulder. “You’ll figure it out. I didn’t spare your life so I end up doing the janitorial work, Doc. You can direct my men how you need, but you don’t leave this vault until all the bugs are worked out.”

  Wagner walked to the door and patted the huge locking mechanism.

  “This room may be nearly impenetrable, but that thing in there is not a natural part of this world,” Wagner said. “Which means there are variables. You will remove as many variables as humanly possible.” He smiled. “Then you’ll remove the rest that aren’t humanly possible. Are we understood, Doc?”

  “Yes, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster replied. “And no need for threats. If the creature gets out of the tank and ends up loose on this ship then I am in as much danger as you are. It is in all of our best interests that I fix the problems you have created.”

  Wagner started to respond to the barb, but only shook his head and left the vault, leaving Dr. Glouster with a group of guards that looked too terrified to move from their spots on top of the massive tank, hands glued to the hatch’s handle.

  8.

  “Benjamin,” Maggie said as she pointed at the yacht in front of the speedboat. It grew larger and larger as they got closer and closer. “What is that?”

  “Half of the gross domestic product of any decent-sized country,” Ben said then tapped Nick on the shoulder. “No way that’s yours, Nick. Want to tell me how you can possibly afford that thing?”

  “What that really is, to answer the pretty lady’s question first, is a Baglietto 65M Motor Yacht. She’s called the Lucky Sucker, which is about as perfect as it gets,” Nick said as he slowed the speedboat down and steered it towards the aft end of the huge yacht that waited for them in the Sound. “And to answeryourquestion, Benny Boy, Ican’t afford it. The upkeep and maintenance alone is more than my trust fund allowance for half a year. Don’t get me started on the crew’s salaries.”

  “Trust fund?” Maggie asked.

  “Yeah, I have one,” Nick shrugged. “But it only covers the lease on the duplex in San Francisco and the condo here in Queen Anne. With just enough left over for some nights out on the town. Did you know I learned how to cook, Benny Boy? Had to or I’d starve.”

  “You could get a job,” Maggie said.

  “Whoa there, no need to get offensive,” Nick laughed. “Jobs are for the loser masses and the noble few. I belong to neither of those categories. I applaud your dedication as a, uh, teacher, Maggie, but I don’t even have a bachelor’s degree. Neither does my boy here. Straight outta high school and into the real world was how we attacked things.”

  “I wouldn’t call being rounders the real world,” Ben said. “Not seeing sunlight for five days straight doesn’t exactly count as real, Nick.”

  “You had to support that brand new baby somehow,” Nick shrugged. “That was pretty real.”

  “What the hell?” Maggie whispered as a portion of the yacht’s hull slid open wide enough for Nick to expertly guide the speedboat inside.

  Florescent lights turned on as soon as the tip of the bow was in. More flickered to life as Nick cut the engine and two deck hands jumped aboard and began to tie the boat down. It was lifted a few feet in the air and the hull behind them slid closed. There was the sound of loud pumps and the water under the boat was quickly drained out.

  “After you,” Nick said, pointing to the hand being offered to Maggie by one of the crew members. “That’s Carl.”

  “Dennis,” the man said. “He calls us all Carl.”

  “Jesus,” Ben said. “You can’t learn their names, Nick?”

  “No need,” Nick replied. “Like I said, I can’t afford this thing. I’m selling it ASAP, dude, so no need to learn anyone’s names.”

  “If you can’t afford it then why did you buy it?” Maggie asked, smiling at Dennis as he helped her onto the short platform next to the boat.

  “Buy it? I’d never buy this thing,” Nick said. He gave Ben a huge grin. “I won it. Fair and square.”

  “Fairand square?” Ben asked. “Those words never apply to how you play cards.”

  “Not cards,” Nick said. “Russian roulette.”

  Ben nearly stumbled and fell from the platform as Dennis helped him up as well. He turned and looked over at Nick as the man jumped effortlessly next to him.

  “Have you lost your mind?” Ben asked.

  “Me? Nope. But the guy that lost to me did,” Nick said. He spread his arms wide, which other than his blindingly bright smile, seemed to be his trademark feature. “Was my luck good or what? Told you the name fits.”

  Maggie shook her head. “Can we get the bags? I want to change out of these damp clothes.”

  “Let me show you to your cabin, my good friends,” Nick said. “The Carls will get your bags. Although, I think we should toss Ben’s overboard. I know he only brought jeans and t-shirts. That just won’t do on such a beautiful vessel as this.”

  “So you want me to walk around the ship naked for the next couple of days?” Ben asked. “I know you’re a little loose on your sexual preferences, but I have no plan to let you ogle my junk on my vacation.”

  “No ogling will occur because I have outfitted your cabin with some of the finest suits that money can buy,” Nick said. “Only the best for my buddy.”

  “Suits? Plural?” Maggie asked. “Was I supposed to bring dresses? I only brought one. Everything else is sweaters and pants.”

  “Did you think I’d leave you out, Ms. Rodriguez-Kimura?” Nick said, looking hurt. He put his hands to his chest. “I’m going to have to change your perception of me, I can see.”

  “Knock it off, Nick,” Ben said. “Show us to our cabin so we can change. Then we’re going to sit down and you’re going to tell us exactly what the bloody hell is going on.”

  “Bloody hell?” Nick laughed and gave Maggie a wink. “Uh-oh, Benny Boy must be really irritated with me if he’s pulling out the Brit slang.”

  He put an arm around Ben’s shoulders and one around Maggie’s.

  “Come on, guys, relax,” he said. “I promise that you are about to have the time of your life. Trust me.”

  9.

  There was a knock at the door and Wagner sighed. He pushed the plate of food across his desk and leaned back.

  “Enter,” he said.

  The door opened and a guard ushered Dr. Glouster inside.

  “How goes the work on keeping that thing from eating more of my men?” Wagner asked.

  “Not as well as I would like,” Dr. Glouster said, standing in front of the desk. “This ship’s systems are not compatible with the systems I have in place in the tank. You thought you did your homework, Mr. Wagner, but you did not.”

  “Doc, listen, the only reason I left you alive and brought you with me is because you said you could control that thing,” Wagner said. He opened a drawer, pulled out a pistol, and set it next to the plate of food. “If you can’t control it then you are dead weight.”

  “I didn’t say I couldn’t control it, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster said. “I said the ship’s systems are not compatible with the tank’s systems. I believe I know a way to make them compatible. But I will need some time and a few of your best techs.”

  “Techs I have plenty of,” Wagner said. “Time I don’t. We will reach our destination in three days. Then I hand off that tank and it’s not my problem. What is my problem is that thing killing my
men. I need it fixed now. Not in three days, butnow. Can you do that or not, Doc?”

  “No,” Dr. Glouster replied. He was smiling. “But fixing it isn’t the problem. Your men being killed is. I suggest we look at this another way.”

  “And what way is that?” Wagner asked.

  “I suggest we leave the tank open,” Dr. Glouster said. “That vault is more than able to hold the creature. To feed it, we open the top hatch in the vault and drop down the food. The creature will remain in its tank because it must in order to survive. While it is fast, it cannot scale four decks fast enough to get out. I assume you can open the inner hatch remotely?”

  “I can,” Wagner said and smiled. “Good plan, Doc. We open the top hatch, drop in some goats, close the top hatch, then open the vault hatch and let the barnyard slaughter begin.”

  “Precisely,” Dr. Glouster said.

  “You figure out how to get those uniforms out of the tank yet?” Wagner asked.

  “I have a solution, yes,” Dr. Glouster said. “Which is why I am here.”

  “Oh?” Wagner replied, surprised. “The improvised feeding chute wasn’t the real reason?”

  “It was one reason,” Dr. Glouster said. “But that was an easy fix compared to the issue of removing your men’s clothing before it clogs up the filtration system.”

  “Spill it, Doc,” Wagner said. “I’m all ears.”

  “I will need a distraction,” Dr. Glouster said. “We will need to lure the creature from the tank so one of your men can go in and remove the clothing. Once that is accomplished, we will need to lure the creature back into the tank. That part should not be hard as the creature prefers it in the tank. It is its safe place.”

  “Safe place?” Wagner laughed. “This thing sounds like a spoiled college freshmen with trigger issues. Safe place, my ass.”

  Dr. Glouster coughed softly and waited. Wagner looked the man straight in the eyes then shook his head.

  “No,” Wagner said.

  “Excuse me?” Dr. Glouster asked, his turn to sound surprised. “Did you say no?”