by Michael Bray
NEW YORK
To say that Greg was underwhelmed would be an understatement. He took in a lungful of salty air and stared at the blue-hulled vessel tied to the dock, dismayed to see that it barely looked seaworthy. The fifty two foot vessel was flecked with brown streaks of rust, its paintwork chipped and cracked. He checked the note Victor had given him, verifying the location and the name of the ship, verifying that he was indeed at dock seven and looking at The Mary Lou.
“Expecting something else?”
Greg turned to the man who stood beside him on deck. He was in his forties, and had a blonde crew cut and skin that was weathered and deeply lined. His eyes were pale blue and cold. “Yeah, I was actually.”
“You think the Italian would use his own boat for something like this?” the man said, putting his hands into the pockets of his parka.
“Sorry, who are you?” Greg said, turning towards the man.
“Name’s Cooper. You’re Michaels I take it.”
“How do you know that?”
Cooper nodded towards Greg’s missing hand. “That’s a pretty distinctive feature.”
“You’re not Italian,” Greg said, subconsciously putting his arm out of sight behind his back.
“Not that I know of,” Cooper said, turning back towards the boat. “This isn’t a job for Mallone’s mob heavies. This needs professionals like me. Consider me an external contractor if you want. That should cover it.”
Ignoring the nagging sense of discomfort at the entire situation, Greg nodded. “How many men do you have with you?”
“Just two, and you of course.”
“Just two? Is that enough?”
Cooper smiled and exhaled a plume of chill air. “We’re going into an unguarded facility which has no ability to defend itself. No security. Call it the rich man’s oversight. The four of us will be more than enough.”
“You know what we’re going into? What’s there?”
Cooper stared at Greg, his expression unreadable. “I make it my business to know everything about any job before I do it. That’s why I’m the best. I know all about you and your fear of these things. I hope it won’t be a problem. Normally I don’t work with outsiders, but for this I had no choice. I need to know you’re not gonna freak out or do anything stupid in there. I want to be in and out with the minimum of fuss.”
“You have it wrong.”
“I don’t think so. I don’t get things wrong. That’s why I get hired.”
“You said I was scared. That’s what Victor thinks. That’s what everyone else thinks. They look at me and see a washed up drunk who is afraid of his own shadow. People are wrong. I hate this creature for what it did to me. I’m not scared because it’s already broken me.”
Cooper nodded. “Revenge can be just as problematic as compliance. The original question still stands. Are we going to have a problem?”
Greg looked at the boat, then out over the ocean. “You know, I used to love it out there. I had a business. A life. A family. Those creatures took almost all of it from me. Even when I survived, Victor took the rest. Even so, I’m not stupid. Life is meaningless to me but I don’t want to die. You can trust me to do what needs to be done because Victor is using the one thing I care about to make sure I do as I’m told.”
“I’ve heard that about the Italian. He plays dirty,” Cooper said, rubbing his hands together against the cold.
“Yeah, he does. I can’t blame him though for covering all his bases. All I want to do is put this behind me.”
“That’s good,” Cooper said, putting his hands back into his pockets. “As long as we keep on the same page, everything will be fine. One thing to know about me is that I’m fair. But if you cross me, if you put me or any of my team in danger, I’ll end you and dump you into the ocean without a second thought. Understood?”
Greg locked eyes with Cooper, and realized that the ocean wasn’t the only place where monsters existed. “Yeah, I got it. Behave,” Greg replied.
“Good, then I think we’ll get along just fine. Come on, we’re wasting daylight,” Cooper said, boarding the vessel. Greg hesitated, remembering how he’d promised himself he’d never go out on the ocean again. Knowing there was little choice, he followed Cooper onboard the boat.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
TRITON SPIRE
Pacific Ocean
The initial excitement of being granted full access to the Triton Spite had quickly faded into boredom. Even Rainwater had to admit that maybe he had been wrong, and that Decker had nothing to hide after all. Ross had also given in to the boredom and given up on exploring, and had instead taken a position in the rec room, watching one of the televisions and chatting to a pair of off-duty engineers. Jade continued to explore, Rainwater in tow because as much as he was letting his guard down a little, he still didn’t trust Decker. They walked through the corridors in the upper levels, exploring the pods, taking in the layout of the place.
“So what do you think?”
“About what?” she said as the passed two scientists in the hall.
“Decker. This place.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. For as much as he granted us access, there’s something weird about it all.”
“Like it’s staged?”
“Yeah, exactly like that,” she said as they walked on, passing through another door to one of the larger pods, their conversation temporarily forgotten as they took in the room.
“Would you look at that,” Rainwater said, whistling through his teeth.
They had entered a large rest area. Unlike the rest of the structure there was no roof, the pod open to the elements. Gorgeous sunshine poured into a space filled with tables, benches and potted plants, the panoramic ocean view beyond absolutely stunning.
“This is something else,” Jade said, walking towards the rail surrounding the perimeter of the dome and leaning on it and staring out over the Pacific. “I’m not sure what to make of this place. I was all built up to getting some answers, but now it all just seems too easy.”
“Yeah,” Rainwater said, standing beside her. “You’d expect that with something as unique and expensive as this, there should be a little bit of secrecy.”
She turned to him, face framed in golden sun. He struggled to catch his breath, the similarities between her and Clara once again making him aware of just how much he missed her.“What do you think’s happening out here?”
He stared at her, willing the words to come and knowing that the longer he went without speaking the harder it would be. “I don’t know, but something isn’t right.”
“What is it?” she asked, pushing a stray hair behind her ear to stop it blowing in the breeze. “You look like you want to say something.”
“Sorry, I just… I can’t believe how much you look like your sister.”
She looked away again, staring at the ocean when she next spoke she was quiet, reflective, almost. “What happened between the two of you? She was always so vague about it.”
He stared at his hands, clasping them together as he leaned on the steel rail and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. “There’s not much to tell. We were brought together by grief and horror. It’s no surprise it didn’t last.”
“She was a mess for a while. You know, after the break-up.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I was pretty much to blame for that, especially in the months before the split. Drinking anything I could get my hands on, screaming at her every chance I could. I got addicted to painkillers too for good measure. Even that wasn’t enough.”
“Jesus.”
“It was my fault. I couldn’t handle what had happened. I always did struggle with intense situations. I think this just put me over the edge. She was right to leave me.”
“She changed too.”
“Yeah, but she still didn’t deserve what I put her through.”
She turned towards him, one eye closed against the glare of the sun. “You do that a lot.”
“What?”
“Blame yourself. You know none of this is your fault, don’t you?”
He turned and leaned with his back on the rail, staring at the shimmering white domed structure. “So people keep telling me. But it doesn’t change anything. When I’m lying awake at night hating myself for causing so much death, words, as well-intentioned as they are, are just that. Words.”
“Clara was stubborn. Even when we were kids. Nobody could ever get her to change her mind once it was made up. If her family couldn’t do it, I don’t know why you thought you could.”
“That’s not the point. I should have tried. I was in such a mess I didn’t even do that. I failed her. That’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Before Jade could reply, Mackay came out and joined them on deck. “I’ve been looking for you two.”
“What’s up?” Rainwater asked.
“News report just came in. There’s a bitch of a tropical storm on its way. If yer’ wantin’ to leave, it might better to do it sooner rather than later.”
“Great,” Rainwater mumbled as he looked at Jade.
“There’s somethin’ else.”
“Go on.”
“Yer pal Decker is back, and he’s not on his own.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
There were three men with Decker when Rainwater arrived back in the recreational area. He was showing them around, giving them the same ‘open and honest’ tour of the facility that he had already heard when he first arrived.
“Ah, Mr. Rainwater,” Decker said as they approached, a momentary frown immediately hidden with a beaming white smile. “I was hoping to bump into you. I’d like you to meet my other guests who will be spending some time here at the facility.” He turned to the man to his right, a heavyset Saudi who had a warm smile and bright eyes. “This is His Highness, Prince Ashram Ek Al-Mahamatom. Your Highness, I would like to introduce Henry Rainwater, a guest of ours here on the Triton Spire.”
Rainwater was unsure how to greet a prince, but was put at ease when the dignitary offered a warm grin and thrust out a hand. “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said in flawless English.
Rainwater shook the offered appendage as Decker turned to the second of the men. “This is Aziq Aquil, he works for the Malaysian government and is a keen environmentalist.”
“How do you do Mr. Rainwater,” Aquil said, shaking his hand. “This is quite the facility, don’t you think?”
“It is,” Rainwater said, remaining cordial and pleasant. Aquil was older, perhaps in his late fifties, his hair the colour of slate, eyes deep and full of knowledge behind thick-rimmed black glasses. “I think it’s wonderful how technology has progressed in the last twenty years. Quite remarkable.”
Rainwater again agreed, deciding not to cause any trouble for Decker just yet until he had found out more about what was going on. “It is. Our host should be immensely proud of his achievement.”
“Oh, I can’t take any credit I’m afraid,” Decker said, feigning modesty. “It’s the superb team of engineers who brought the place to life. I was just the visionary behind it.”
You arrogant piece of shit.
Rainwater wanted to say it, but somehow restrained himself despite being sure he would enjoy Decker’s reaction immensely. Instead, he nodded politely as their host introduced him to the third man.
“And finally, I’d like to introduce you to a man who is a native of your own country, Mr. Rainwater, this is Clark Anderson.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Anderson said, shaking hands with Rainwater.
He was tall. Rainwater was six feet but Anderson had a good five inches on that. His eyes were deep blue, hair blonde. He looked like the kind of man who spent his days playing golf at the country club. “Likewise,” Rainwater said.
“Mr. Anderson here works for a subdivision of the United States government.”
“They must pay you well if you can afford to buy one of these things.”
Decker squirmed; Anderson just laughed.
“I wish, I’m here on behalf of a private consortium of investors. The face for the anonymous buyers as it were.”
“I get it. Easier to wash your hands of something when you spend all the time in the shadows.”
Decker stepped in, flicking a frustrated glance at Rainwater. “Well then, if you’ll excuse us, we have a meeting to attend to,” Decker said, smiling broadly.
Rainwater couldn’t help himself, and made a point not to let Decker off the hook so easily. “I think we still have something to discuss about the length of our visit here?” Rainwater said, looking Decker in the eye.
“Of course. As soon as my meeting is concluded, you will be my first priority. Until then, please make yourself comfortable. This way gentlemen.”
Decker led the three men away as Jade and Mackay joined Rainwater. “Let’s not hurry away just yet,” Jade said as Decker led the men into the boardroom.
“Why not?”
“Because I recognize one of those men he was with and I’m not sure why.”
“Recognize him from where?”
“I’m not sure, but it relates to the investigation I was doing into Decker. I think we should hang around and see what we can find out.”
Rainwater nodded towards the news playing on one of the big screens; it showed the grey eye of the tropical storm as it rolled closer to them. “If we don’t get out of here soon, that storm is going to stop us from leaving until at least tomorrow. Maybe the day after.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do,” He snapped. “None of us signed up for this, and I still don’t trust that asshole as far as I could throw him.”
“I get that,” Jade replied, lowering her voice as a group of Decker’s staff members walked past them. “Look, I get that you don’t want to be here, but really, what is there to rush back for? We’re here now. We may as well follow this through to the end. You said so yourself, something is off about this entire situation. We should find out what we can. We won’t get a chance like this again. If you really want to put Decker in his place, this is the way we do it. We find something and bring him down.”
Rainwater turned to Mackay. “What do you think, big man? Stay or go?”
Mackay looked at the TV, which was showing the projected path of the storm, then back to Rainwater. “I didn’t come all this way from Scotland to leave wi’out answers. Ye said ye wanted closure on this. Ah don’t see a better chance to do it than now.”
“Alright, we’ll stay,” Rainwater said, then also glanced towards the television screen. “But fair warning, I’ve been out on the ocean in big storms, and even though it seems nice and calm now, it will be a different story once the Pacific decides to start trying to rip this thing off the sea bed. I just hope Decker’s engineers did as good a job at securing the structure as he says they did.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The Nursery
Triton Spire Lower Level
The lagoon where the juvenile creatures lived was in darkness, the tomb-like structure silent. The largest of the three creatures moved through the pitch dark, rubbing its snout against the familiar contours of its lifelong prison, then around the edge of the sliding steel door which separated lagoon to canal, then in turn canal to open ocean. Even though it was separated from the ocean by the five-inch thick titanium structure, it could still sense the thriving, open world beyond. The creature went deep, skimming across the bottom of the lagoon, using its pectoral fins to steer, its tentacles flush against its body and trailing behind it to aid the efficiency of its movement through the water. This had been the third consecutive week of performing this same ritual, the creatures learning when the humans wouldn’t be present, knowing that the lights being out signaled that they were alone. The creature opened its mouth and vocalized, a series of high-pitched squeals which were instantly picked up on by its smaller siblings. They joined the larger creature, falling into formation alongside it. As one, the three accelerated, swimming
at speed across the length of the lagoon, slamming into the steel outer wall and sending a concussion wave out into the ocean. The creatures regrouped, drifting towards the depths and shaking off the pain of the impact. The larger of the creatures made another vocalization, a sharp tone giving an order to the others. It led them back to their starting position at the opposite end of the lagoon, then once again they charged, cutting through the water as fast as they were able, the trio slamming into the titanium framework again, frustrated at not being able to get to the plethora of stimulus that they could sense.
Eighty miles away, the three wild kin of the creatures abandoned the beluga whale they had been stalking and changed direction, locking on to the signal and, thinking it was a threat to their dominance, set out to meet the challenge head on, bearing down on the rhythmic escape calls of the creatures held captive within the Triton Spire.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Decker stood at the head of the table in the boardroom, hands clasped in front of him. “Gentlemen, welcome to the Triton Spire. You are here because you tabled the three highest bids during the meeting in Dubai. Shortly, I will take you downstairs to view the incredible specimens which you are about to buy. Firstly, I would like to share with you the little we have discovered about their origins.”
He picked up a remote control from the table and pressed a button. The eighty-inch flat screen blinked to life. On it was a size chart comparing the creature to a blue whale, great white shark, and human. “As you can see, gentlemen, the animal you are about to purchase, when fully grown will dwarf even the mighty blue whale, and will become the true king of the oceans. Thanks to our tireless efforts to catalogue and observe these wonderful animals, we can now, at last, grant it a scientific name, verifying its validity as something more than a myth.”
Decker pressed a button on the remote, and the image on screen changed to an artist’s depiction of one of the creatures as a fully grown adult, painted in an ocean of deep blue.“May I present to you, ladies and gentlemen, the Bitabulato lo Gigas.”
