by Jake Bible
“The mast is at the bottom of that cove you found me in,” Nivia said. “I just need it put back on and I can take off.”
“Sails might be damaged,” Lucy said and held up a hand before Nivia could respond. “We have people that can fix that. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here. If you don’t want to ride with us, then we won’t make you. We’re the good guys. Right, Kins?”
“Most of us,” Kinsey said and glanced up at the bridge. No sign of Ballantine, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t watching. That guy was always watching. She shook her head and focused back on Nivia. “You going in? The breeze is pleasant.”
“The sun is almost set,” Nivia said. “You want to be locked inside when it is all the way down. Nights aren’t good.”
“Okay, we’ll be in in a second,” Kinsey said.
Nivia shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “Don’t waste any time. The beetles are fast. Really fast.”
“I know,” Kinsey said and ice seeped into her voice.
“Good,” Nivia replied, matching the ice.
They stared at each other then Nivia shivered again, turned, and disappeared into the hatch leading below decks.
“She’s tough,” Lucy said. “Most would have cracked under the pressure. She should be a ball of goo crying on the floor, but she still has plenty of fight in her.”
“Yeah, she does,” Kinsey said. The sun was just a sliver of light. “We should go in.”
No sooner had she said that than their coms came to life.
“All personnel below decks now,” Lake ordered. “We are sealing all hatches in five minutes. Drop what you are doing and get below. This is not a request. This is an order. You get stuck outside after hatches are sealed and you are out for the night.”
“That’s kind of dick,” Shane replied over the com. “You wouldn’t really leave me outside, would you?”
“Shut up, Shane,” Lake said. “Get your ass inside.”
“I am inside,” Shane said.
“Then what the hell are you busting my balls for?” Lake snarled.
“I think it’s dick to give people ultimatums like that,” Shane said. “What if someone slips and hits their head before they can get inside? Are we going to punish them for an accident? Are we really not going to open the hatch and let them in? Total dick.”
“Jesus Christ,” Lake muttered. “Where are you?”
“I’m down in the mess,” Shane answered. “Where are you?”
“Coming to kick your ass,” Lake said. “Everyone else, get your goddamn asses below decks!”
“I’m not in the mess,” Shane said. “I’m, uh, in the Toyshop.”
“Nice try,” Lake said as he cut the com transmission.
“Never boring,” Lucy said and stood up. “Coming?”
“In a second,” Kinsey said.
“Kins? You aren’t going to do something stupid are you?” Lucy asked.
“I have five minutes,” Kinsey said. “I’ll be in in four.”
Lucy sighed. “Suit yourself.”
Once Lucy was gone, Kinsey moved to the other side of the ship so she could stare at the island. It looked like any other tropical island, the trees all afire from the last of the sunset.
“We’re coming for you,” Kinsey said.
The sun set completely and that grey-blue of twilight set in. Far off in the jungle, a low humming began. Kinsey tensed and backed towards the closest hatch.
“Get inside,” Thorne said, standing by the hatch. “Tomorrow, we take on the island. Tonight, we lock everything down and plan.”
“Lucy send you?” Kinsey asked.
“Lucy? No,” Thorne replied. “I just know my daughter. I figured you’d be the last one still up here.”
“You figured right,” Kinsey said and moved past him.
Thorne gave her a quick smile then slammed the hatch closed.
The humming on the island grew louder until it was an all-encompassing drone.
Then a black mass lifted from the island and spread across the sky, blackening the stars and swallowing the moon.
***
Everyone was gathered in the mess. Team Grendel, the crewmen, Lake, Cougher, Popeye, the elves, Gunnar, Ballantine and Dana, Ronald. Dr. Lisa Morganton and Dr. Boris Kelnichov came into the mess last, Boris talking excitedly, his hands gesticulating in great arcs as Dr. Morganton listened.
Most everyone gave them little notice, all absorbed in their own small conversations.
The conversations stopped as the sound of pings and dings began to ring throughout the ship. All eyes turned to look at Nivia who was seated at the end of one table, keeping her own company.
“What?” she asked.
“How long does this go on for?” Thorne asked.
“All night,” Nivia said. “If they know we’re in here, then they don’t stop until the sun starts to come up.”
“How can they know were in here?” Popeye asked. “There’s a lot of steel between us and them.”
“We attacked them earlier,” Darren said.
“So? Did they put a tail on you?” Popeye replied. “They have a scout bug that followed you to the ship?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Nivia said.
“Then what’s it like?” Popeye asked.
“I am glad you asked that question,” Boris said. He produced a small, clear box and held it up for everyone to see. Inside was the specimen that Darren had brought back to the ship. “This here is a marvel of entomological science. It is unlike any beetle, specifically any scarab, that I have ever seen.”
He shook the box and nodded at Ballantine.
“I applaud your ingenuity, Ballantine,” Boris continued. “I’d actually applaud, but one of my hands is occupied.”
“I thank you for the sentiment,” Ballantine said.
“Wait? You made those things?” Nivia exclaimed, standing up fast.
The pings and dings grew louder until the ship vibrated with the noise. No longer could individual impacts be heard. It was all one thrum of steel. Nivia spread her arms and looked up at the ceiling.
“You made these bugs? Why?” Nivia snarled.
“I can’t take credit for their specific invention,” Ballantine said. “The science is well beyond my capabilities.”
“But you gave the order, right? You told someone to make them,” Nivia said, walking quickly to Ballantine who was seated at one of the tables. “What kind of crazy asshole wants nightmares like these things to exist?”
“No one wants nightmares,” Ballantine said. “But sometimes nightmares are just a part of life. The natural order is not all puppy dogs and rainbow unicorns.”
The slap was fast, hard, and effective enough to knock Ballantine from his seat and onto the mess floor.
“Fuck your natural order,” Nivia said. “My brother, my husband, and my friends are dead because of you. And you don’t give a shit. Fuck you. I hope those beetles eat your ass.”
She kicked Ballantine in the ribs and stomped out of the mess. No one moved to stop her. No one moved to help Ballantine either. He grabbed the edge of his seat and pulled himself back up to the table.
“She has quite the kick on her,” Ballantine said, rubbing at his ribs. “Excellent toe placement. May have cracked one.”
He looked around when no one replied. All eyes were on him. They were less than friendly eyes.
“Mike’s dead,” Gunnar said.
All heads nodded.
“Yes, well, I am terribly sorry for that, believe me,” Ballantine said. “I never wanted that to happen.”
“Girl has a point about you and your nightmares,” Kinsey said.
“She does,” Ballantine said, “I don’t deny that. I am responsible for creating things that should never have existed. Many a death is my fault. I will live with the weight of those souls on my shoulders for the rest of my life. I am more than certain there will be more weight added before I say my last goodnight.”
“No dou
bt there will be,” Thorne said. “But it doesn’t matter. We have a job to do. We have a teammate to help and that’s where our focus needs to be. Boris? What have you got for us?”
“Huh? What? Oh, yes, right, my apologies,” Boris said, startled by the shift of attention. “Wait? What are we talking about?”
Thorne rubbed his face. “The beetles.”
“Oh, yes!” Boris exclaimed and shook the box. “The scarabs, to be more precise. And if you’d like to get even more precise, they are a mix of several scarab species, mostly the Goliath beetle, the dung beetle, and the common cockchafer.”
Shane spat loudly. He wasn’t drinking anything, which was a good thing, but he still managed to spray Kinsey with a good amount of spittle.
“Did you say cockchafer?” Shane asked. He looked around, incredibly disappointed his brother wasn’t in the mess with him. Max was still occupied with standing watch outside the specimen bay that held Darby. “Come on! Cockchafer? Too much, man, just too much.”
“Well, there are other species’ characteristics mixed in, but those three are the dominant ones,” Boris responded, not seeming to get Shane’s excitement over the name cockchafer. “Let me explain why.”
“Oh, God, yes, please explain why one of the dominant species’ names is cockchafer,” Shane said. “My life will then be complete.”
“Shane,” Thorne growled.
“Oh, Uncle Vinny, you got to give me this one,” Shane pleaded. “Cockchafer, man. Cockchafer! There exists in this world a species of beetle called cockchafer!”
“There are more than just the common cockchafer,” Boris said. “There’s also the forest cockchafer and even the larger cockchafer.”
“Larger cockchafer!” Shane said and stood up, his arms raised over his head in triumph. “Larger cockchafer for the win!”
“Yes, larger cockchafer for the win,” Boris echoed, not understanding any of Shane’s antics. He just seemed pleased someone was so enthusiastic about what he was saying. “The common cockchafer is also known as the May bug or doodlebug.”
“The cockchafer is known as the doodlebug?” Shane gasped. He sat down and put his head between his legs. “I can’t breathe. This is too much, man. I can’t breathe.”
“The doodlebugs killed Mike,” Gunnar said, his voice flat and cold.
Shane sobered up instantly and sat up to look at Gunnar.
“Shit,” Shane said quietly. “Yeah. They did. Fuck. Sorry. I’m…I’m sorry, you guys. Fuck the doodlebugs.”
“Yes, fuck them,” Boris said, continuing on as if nothing was happening. “But the cockchafer parts are not the dangerous parts. They do allow for the intense swarming happening right now.” He raised a finger and pointed at the ceiling, indicating the constant thrum. “That swarming is dangerous, yes, since it allows the beetles to overcome their target with numbers that are beyond overwhelming.”
“So what are the dangerous parts?” Thorne asked.
“Cockchafers are a European species,” Boris said. “They can’t survive in the tropics. That’s why the dung beetle DNA, as well as the Goliath beetle DNA, are so important. Those species can handle the heat. The dung beetles are also experts at burrowing and creating incredible labyrinths for their nests. While the Goliath beetles are known for their size.”
“That’s why they’re over half a foot long,” Thorne said. “But that doesn’t explain why they eat people.”
“Oh, their appetite has nothing to do with people,” Boris said. “They wouldn’t know people from cattle. They could tell a difference in smell, but in the end, it is all carrion to them.”
“But we aren’t carrion,” Thorne argued. “We’re alive.”
“Yes, that was puzzling at first, except I believe that the Goliath beetle’s DNA has been altered so that the intense craving for protein the larvae has remains with the adults,” Boris explained. “They never stop craving meat. Usually, that would be dead meat, carrion, but these are not usual in any sense of the word.”
“We know that,” Thorne said, his voice filled with impatience that washed right over Boris.
“There are other elements to their DNA matrix that drive them to find and consume any available flesh, but the specifics do not matter,” Boris said. “In fact, what really matters isn’t their DNA at all. No, no, that’s not true, of course their DNA matters, but that’s not what’s the unusual part. No, that is not correct, either. The DNA is unusual—”
“Boris. Please,” Ronald said. “You are rambling, my friend. Continue on and explain to everyone present what we found.”
“You know what’s going on?” Darren asked Ronald.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Ronald replied. “Once I discovered the issue, I brought Dr. Morganton into it and let her and Boris work out the issue together.”
“What’s the issue?” Thorne asked. “Dr. Morganton? You handle advanced bio-alternatives. What does that have to do with these beetles?”
“Enough to be worried about,” Dr. Morganton said. She took the box from Boris and opened it. Immediately, the mess was filled with an awful stench. “I apologize for the smell. The bodies decompose at a rapid rate.”
“So the beetles don’t learn to feed off each other,” Ballantine stated. “It would defeat their purpose if they satisfied their hunger cannibalistically.”
“Yes, quite,” Boris said. “That was very good thinking.”
“Doesn’t help the smell,” Shane said.
“Is there a reason we have to smell it?” Thorne asked. “What do you need to show us?”
Dr. Morganton pulled a pair of tweezers from her pocket, reached into the box, and plucked out a small, flat item. A small, flat item that was distinctly not fleshy, not boney, not organic.
“Is that a microchip?” Gunnar asked.
“No,” Dr. Morganton replied. “It is an entire motherboard. Very small, but very specialized.”
“What the hell would genetically engineered beetles need a motherboard in them for?” Thorne snapped and glared at Ballantine.
Ballantine held up his hands and said, “Don’t look at me. I didn’t authorize that. These were to be a completely organic solution to a completely organic problem. Big monster gone wrong, kill them, bring them to this island, beetles eat them down to their bones. Problem solved. I don’t know a thing about motherboards being included.”
“I’ll decide whether or not I believe that later,” Thorne said and focused back on Dr. Morganton. “What do the motherboards do?”
“They control the beetles,” Dr. Morganton answered. “They control them like drones. Hundreds of thousands of drones.”
“Control them how?” Darren asked. “Is there some preset programming going on?”
“No,” Dr. Morganton said. “There is remote programming. These swarms are being directed.”
The room went silent. Boris didn’t notice.
“Yes, the swarms are being directed remotely,” he said and pointed at the tiny motherboard. “In fact, they are being directed right now. This motherboard is quite active.”
Ballantine and Thorne turned to each other immediately, each with the same look on their faces.
“There’s someone else on this island,” Thorne and Ballantine said in unison.
“Oh, come on!” Shane said and threw his hands in the air.
Chapter Seven: Recon-A-Go-Go
The Zodiac hit the beach, and Team Grendel was out and set before the motor died down.
“Darren, you’re on point,” Thorne ordered. “Kinsey has our six. Shane, you’re nine, I’m three. Lucy?”
“Set,” Lucy called over the com. “I have the beach covered. Nothing breaks that tree line without me seeing. And if it’s not Grendel, then it’s dead.”
“No hesitation,” Thorne said. “We have no allies here and we aren’t going to make any. I don’t care who we find at the facility or how nice they pretend to be. They die, we take the facility, we get Darby to the facility, we take care of her, then we get th
e hell out of here. That is the plan, we stick to the plan, there will be no deviation from the plan.”
“What if we can’t get back to the ship before sundown?” Shane asked.
“We shelter in place,” Thorne said. “The facility must be safe from the beetles if that is where they are being directed from.”
“Just checking,” Shane said.
“One night at the max for recon and securing the facility,” Thorne said. “I want Darby in the facility and being worked on no later than tomorrow morning. Dana says that it shouldn’t take her more than 48 hours to get Darby stabilized. She may not be fixed, but she won’t be trying to kill us. 48 hours and we leave.”
“Ballantine had better find us another island,” Kinsey said.
“Ballantine isn’t in charge of that anymore,” Thorne said. “I am. When we leave, we’re leaving and heading back home. We take the consequences and we deal with them. We can’t keep running.”
“That could be a death sentence,” Shane said. “Seriously, Uncle Vinny, we probably won’t see a trial, not even by court martial. At best, we’ll each be thrown into very deep, very dark holes.”
“That’s not the best,” Kinsey said. “The best is we won’t see the bullet coming and it will all go dark like that.” She snapped her fingers. “Lights out.”
“We assume there’s anyone that even wants us,” Darren said. “Ballantine is a pretty big target. He may be all that’s in their sights.”
“Too bad we don’t know who they are,” Shane said. “That would be some handy intel to have.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Thorne said and pointed at the jungle. “We complete this op first and get everyone off the island and safely on the ship. Then we deal with the next op, which is getting us out of our Ballantine mess for good.”
“Hooyah,” Shane said.
“Hooyah,” the others echoed.
“Darren? Move out,” Thorne ordered.
Darren took point and led them into the tree line, his M4 pointing the way into the jungle’s shadows.
***
