by Jake Bible
“I did, Doc,” Wagner said. “I’m not risking more of my men. Do we really need the filtration system if we’re leaving the tank open? Can’t it get air from there?”
“You killed a lot of goldfish as a kid, didn’t you?” Dr. Glouster glared.
“I killed all kinds of things as a kid, Doc,” Wagner replied. “It’s why I do what I do.”
“The filtration system is already compromised,” Dr. Glouster said. “If we do not clean it out soon then the entire environmental system will collapse and the creature will have maybe twenty-four hours before it dies from the toxicity levels that will build up in the tank. As much as I have enhanced it, it is still a living being and susceptible to harm from a toxic environment.”
“Then what freakin’ use is it?” Wagner barked. “The whole world is a toxic environment! The thing needs to toughen up if it’s going to do the jobs it’s been built to do!”
Dr. Glouster took a couple of steps back. He composed himself then stepped forward to his previous position.
“Mr. Wagner, how will it look to NCDC if you allow the creature to die on your watch?” Dr. Glouster asked. “Will they care that you refused to risk your men's lives? Did they hire you to keep your men safe or did they hire you to deliver an asset that is worth millions? Possibly billions if it is fully successful and I am able to recreate the process on a larger scale.”
“Those are good questions, Doc,” Wagner said. “And we both know the answers to them.”
Wagner took a deep breath and held it. He let it out slowly through his nose, creating a whistling effect that visibly annoyed Dr. Glouster.
“How many men do you need?” Wagner asked.
“At least four,” Dr. Glouster said. “Two to lure it out of the tank and two to go in and clean the filtration system. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. But it would be advisable to have several more outside the vault. Just in case.”
“Just in case. Right,” Wagner said with a distrustful smirk. “Why don’t we just tranq it? I know you’ve done that before.”
“The move has put the creature under great stress,” Dr. Glouster said. “If I were to use tranquilizers then there would be a considerable risk of the creature dying. Its body cannot handle the amount needed to incapacitate it.”
“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you, Doc?” Wagner said. His eyes were cold, but Dr. Glouster met them.
“I am supposed to have an answer for everything,” Dr. Glouster said. “It is why I am paid what I am paid. Or was. I doubt I’ll be paid the same once you hand me over to NCDC.”
“Not my problem,” Wagner said and picked up the pistol from the desk. Dr. Glouster stiffened. Wagner’s smiled widened. “Relax.” He placed the pistol in the desk drawer and pulled the plate of food back to him. “Anything else?”
“No,” Dr. Glouster said. “I’ll get started right away. Please inform your men that I will be directing them and they need to listen to my orders. If they do not listen, and hesitate in the slightest, they will not make it.”
“Of course,” Wagner said and nodded at the door. “Keep me posted, Doc.”
Once the doctor had left, Wagner pushed his food away again and opened a different drawer. He pulled out a satellite phone and quickly dialed a number.
“This is Wagner. I need to speak to Ms. Marion,” Wagner said. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll hold.”
He tapped his fingers on the desk as he waited. Several minutes went by and Wagner began to get impatient. His annoyance level rose to the point where he almost hung up.
“Mr. Wagner? Is everything alright?” a woman’s smooth, almost soothing voice asked on the other end of the phone. “I wasn’t expecting a call from you so soon.”
“I think we have a problem with Dr. Glouster,” Wagner said.
“No hello?” the woman asked.
“What? Oh, right, sorry. Hello, Ms. Marion,” Wagner said.
“I thought you had handled the issue of Dr. Glouster by allowing him to think you spared his life in exchange for his help,” Ms. Marion said. “Is he not helping?”
“He is, but I don’t trust the guy,” Wagner said. “We’ve had a couple of hiccups already. How close are your lab people to learning the process for making another creature like this?”
“Close, but not close enough,” Ms. Marion said. “I would prefer you keep Dr. Glouster alive long enough for us to interrogate him and make sure we have all the nuances of the process in hand. Can you do that for me, Mr. Wagner? Can you use your skills to keep one man alive? I know you prefer to kill, and you will get to kill Dr. Glouster, but for now I need you to do the opposite.”
“Yeah, I can keep the guy alive,” Wagner said. “But if I catch a sniff of him trying something, I will not hesitate to feed him to his own creation.”
“Try something? Such as?” Ms. Marion asked.
“I don’t know,” Wagner said. “But I think the project advanced further than I thought. Those hiccups we had today looked like accidents, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
“You think the doctor has control of the creature?” Ms. Marion asked.
“I think the two of them have a relationship of some kind,” Wagner said. He laughed at his words. “I know how that sounds, but think of it like a dog and his master.”
“That is how I think of most things, Mr. Wagner,” Ms. Marion said. “And like a good dog, I expect you to protect the project and make sure it is not compromised.” There was silence for a couple of seconds. “If you know for sure that Dr. Glouster will prevent you from accomplishing those goals then I authorize his sacrifice. It will put us behind, since I am not confident we have all of his files, but it is better than him sabotaging the work.”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Wagner said. “I will do everything I can to keep things under control and exactly as planned. But it makes me rest easy knowing I have the option of removing Dr. Glouster from the equation.”
“Is there anything else, Mr. Wagner?” Ms. Marion asked.
“No, ma’am,” Wagner replied. “Next time you hear from me we will be about to arrive at the NCDC facility.”
“And that is allI needed to hear, Mr. Wagner. Goodbye.”
“Yeah, good—” Wagner started to respond, but the line was dead in his hand before he got the first word out. “Bitch.”
10.
“Holy son of a…” Maggie trailed off as she stared at the size of their cabin.
Ben wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck.
“I hope you’re talking about that bed,” Ben said. “Because we could do some serious damage in that bed. It’s like a super king or something.”
“It’s a normal king,” Maggie said, turning herself in his arms and giving him a long kiss. “But, Mr. Horny, I was talking about the whole room. Did you notice the wet bar?”
“I did,” Ben said. “Want me to fix you a drink?”
“Yes,” Maggie said as she started to slip out of her clothes. “Bring it to me in the bathroom. I’m going to shower, change, and get ready for dinner.”
“I like the sound of that,” Ben said.
“It’s just a shower,” Maggie said as she unhooked her bra and tossed it at him. “We’ll have plenty of time for fun later.”
“Want me to bring you your clothes?” Ben asked.
“No,” Maggie said quickly. Ben frowned. “What? Let a girl have her secrets. No peeking in my suitcase.”
“Okay, okay,” Ben said, hands up in defeat.
Maggie smiled at him then stepped into the bathroom. She started to close the door and stopped in mid-movement.
“Oh. My. GOD!” she cried out. “There’s a tub in here bigger than your minivan!”
“And that tub will get some use tonight too,” Ben said as he went to the wall and popped open one of the closet doors. He stared at what was inside and then shook his head over and over, faster and faster until his face was red with anger. “That son of a bitch. That stupid son of
a bitch.”
He grabbed out a crimson silk shirt and stomped into the bathroom.
There was already steam filling the room as Maggie stepped into the shower stall and sighed.
“On second thought,” she said as she saw Ben come in. “Maybe you should join me.”
When Ben didn’t answer, she wiped the condensation from the shower glass and frowned.
“What are you holding” she asked “Benjamin? What is wrong?”
“It’s a crimson silk shirt,” Ben nearly snarled.
“Okay… Is that bad?” Maggie asked. “You like crimson, don’t you? I wear it all the time and you always compliment me on it.”
“Yes, I do like it,” Ben said. “But I don’t wear it. Not anymore.”
“Not anymore? What does that mean?” Maggie asked.
Ben stomped out of the bathroom as Maggie called after him. With the shirt clutched in his fist, he yanked open the cabin door and stormed out into the passageway. He turned to the right and blindly started rushing through the ship.
Upstairs, down stairs, around corner after corner. He found two media rooms, a small ballroom, a full bar done up to look like an Irish pub, a billiards room which confused the hell out of him, a formal dining room, a not-so-formal dining room, a solarium maybe (he wasn’t sure), and finally the steps that led up to the bridge.
“You!” Ben roared as he threw the shirt in Nick’s face. “You son of a bitch!”
“Dude, chill,” Nick said, tossing the shirt aside. “What is the problem? You like crimson. You love silk.”
“You know exactly what the problem is!” Ben shouted as he got up in Nick’s face.
A man in nautical dress standing by the wheel moved towards the two, but Nick held up a hand and he stopped.
“Ben, I’d like you to meet Captain Marcus Staggs,” Nick said, pushing Ben back a couple feet. “He’s the guy that keeps us from crashing into rocks and shit.”
“Not that there are many rocks out in international waters,” Captain Staggs replied. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Clow.”
“International waters?” Ben asked. “Why would we possibly need to go out into international waters, Nick? Would it have to do with why my closet is filled with crimson silk shirts? Shirts you know I always wore at the table?”
“Yeah, I was going to break the news to him at dinner, Staggs,” Nick said to the captain. “But I probably should have told you that.” Nick reached out and took Ben by the elbow. “Let’s go have a drink, dude. We could both use one.”
Ben yanked his elbow free and pulled his arm back like he was going to hit Nick. Nick just stood there, ready to take the hit. After a couple of seconds, Ben calmed down and shook his head.
“Screw you, Nick,” Ben said as he turned and stormed off. He stomped down the stairs. “Turn this boat around! We are going home!”
Captain Staggs looked at Nick. Nick shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“We aren’t going home,” Nick said.
“Sir, I can’t keep a man here against his will,” Captain Staggs said. “That is kidnapping. I’d not only lose any chance of staying on this ship when you sell it, but I would probably go to jail.”
“No one is going to jail and I already promised you that part of any sales agreement is for you to stay on the ship,” Nick said. “It’s all good. Ben gets a little heated sometimes. We have a long history and it’s complicated.”
A door behind them on the opposite side was flung open and Ben stepped back onto the bridge.
“What? How the hell?” he glared at Nick. “Did MC Escher design this stupid boat?”
“Maybe. And it’s a yacht.” Nick smiled. “Come on, dude. Let’s have that drink and then I’ll show you how to get back to your cabin. You can tell everything to Maggie and see what she thinks. If she agrees that I’m a son of a bitch and that you two should go home then I’ll have Captain Staggs turn this baby around and that’s what will happen. You will go home. But just hear me out, alright?”
“Why, Nick?” Ben asked, some of his anger gone. He looked more exhausted than enraged. “From the second I saw you today this has all been wrong. I could feel it in my gut before I got out of the car.”
“Minivan,” Nick said and smirked. “And if you hear me out and decide to stay then you won’t be driving a minivan anymore. You’ll be driving any damn car you want. Maggie won’t have to work as a teacher and be treated like crap all day. Your kids will be set for life.”
“My kids already are set for life,” Ben said. “Thanks to Bobbi’s parents.”
“But what about yours and Maggie’s kids, man?” Nick asked. “She’s only thirty. You’re only thirty-five. Those are baby-making years nowadays. You think Maggie doesn’t want one of her own? Or a couple of her own? How the hell will you afford them on her salary and the crap money you make from your blog?”
“I don’t make crap money,” Ben said.
“Really?” Nick asked.
“Shut up,” Ben said. He looked at Captain Staggs. “What do you think?”
“Huh? What?” Captain Staggs asked. “No offense, Mr. Clow, but I don’t know you well enough to offer advice.”
“Yeah, but you’re a captain,” Ben said. “You make life-saving decisions all the time. I write a blog on professional poker. What the hell do I know?”
“The first step is admitting it, dude,” Nick said then held up his hands. “Sorry. Too soon.”
“The ship is worth approximately sixty-five million,” Captain Staggs said. “I will be getting five percent of that, as Mr. Sheeran has promised, and I believe he mentioned that you would be getting thirty percent. So you have to ask yourself if thirty percent of sixty-five million is worth the trouble, Mr. Clow.”
“But worth the trouble of what?” Ben asked, turning his attention back on Nick. “What are you up to?”
“Drinks,” Nick said, slowly, cautiously putting his arm around Ben’s shoulders. “Let’s calm your grrrr down then I explain the plan. Cool?”
“Not cool,” Ben said. “Way not cool. But I am going to let you explain. Then I’m going to let you explain to Maggie. You have to sell her, not me.”
“Benny Boy, dude, the only thing I hope that gets sold is this damn money pit,” Nick said. “Honestly. That is what this is all about. Now, come on, I’ll show you how to get to the bar. Or one of them. There are a few. That is important information to have. Trust me.”
11.
Dr. Glouster looked at the two men in front of him. He glanced past them at the vault door and nodded.
“Are you clear on the exact plans?” Dr. Glouster asked the men. “To deviate would mean great risk to yourselves and this ship. As soon as this vault opens, I will open the tank’s hatch and you will lure the creature out. It will suspect a trap which is why we will keep this vault door open. It cannot resist the urge to escape.”
“Seems like a stupid risk,” one of the men said. “What happens if the thing gets out?”
“The same thing that happened to your comrades,” Dr. Glouster said. “Only ship wide.” Dr. Glouster looked up and down the passageway at the dozens of men in each direction. “It is why these men are in place. If you fail at containing the creature then they will be forced to do your job for you.”
“If we fail then that means we’re dead,” the second man said. “I really don’t feel like getting killed by sushi.”
“Cute,” Dr. Glouster said, glaring. “But your joke tells me you do not take this seriously. Perhaps you need to be replaced?”
“No, no, we can handle this,” the first man replied, patting the long baton in his hand. “You’re sure it will stay back if we spark these up?”
“I am positive,” Dr. Glouster said. “It fears electricity, fire, extreme heat of any kind. Due to the creature’s nervous system not being centralized, and spread throughout its body, especially its appendages, its legs are extremely sensitive. It knows what electric shocks feel like. It will avoid them at all cost.”
>
“You got this thing pretty trained up, doctor,” the second man stated. “Why not tell it to sit and stay?”
“It is a wild creature, despite its time in captivity and its conditioning,” Dr. Glouster said. “It will no more obey my commands than a stray mutt you’d find in an alley.”
“Give a stray a hot dog and it’ll do whatever you tell it to do,” the first man laughed.
“Yes, but you would be the hot dog in this scenario,” Dr. Glouster said. “How do you feel about your analogy now?”
“I’m not getting paid to feel,” the first man replied.
“But getting paid triple like Wagner said won’t matter if we end up as fish food,” the second man said.
“It is not a fish,” Dr. Glouster snapped. “It is in the mollusk family.”
“Mollusk? That thing’s a giant clam?” the first man asked and lifted his shock baton. “Then what we need is a bucket of garlic butter and a flame thrower, not these joy buzzers.”
“Once the creature is out of its tank and focused on you then your teammates will drop down from above, enter the tank, and clean the filtration system,” Dr. Glouster said, ignoring the joke. “I have briefed them thoroughly, so it should only take about five minutes for them to complete their tasks. Once they are done, and clear of the vault, then you will drive the creature back with the shock batons and force it into the tank. You leave quickly, we lock it down, and then you will not have to deal with the creature again. It will all be automated from there. Understood?”
“I understood the plan the first six times, man,” the first man replied.
“Let’s get this over with,” the second man said.
“Yes,” Dr. Glouster said as he motioned to the vault door. “Let’s.”
12.
Bourbon in hand, Ben walked around the oval table, his eyes studying the felt surface. There were eight places to sit, all identical, with inlaid trays for chips on the table as well as a small platform next to each seat for food and drink. Ben took a sip of his bourbon and shook his head.
