Spawn Of The Deep

by Michael Bray

  The three men applauded as Decker went on. “We know relatively little about this wonderful creature. We know they have existed on earth since the Triassic period. Because they are a self-replicating species, the adult Bitabulato lo Gigas had no need for a mate. It is a creature which lived and hunted alone, fiercely defending its territory from any perceived threat. During the last ice age when many of the other sea dwelling creatures became extinct, the Bitabulato survived. It moved into colder waters, its massive body able to regulate its temperature. The colder waters also had an effect on the creature’s metabolic rate, vastly decreasing its appetite.”

  “How did the creature survive all this time without being discovered?” Anderson asked.

  “Excellent question,” Decker replied and moved on to the next slide. It showed the government photographs taken during Russo’s exhibition to capture the first creature. “What you are looking at here, gentlemen, is a cave located deep underneath the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Accessible only via a natural passage cut into the seabed, the cave became the creature’s refuge. Whilst the rest of its kin became extinct, it survived in its own unique environment, a self-contained ecosystem if you will, protected from the harsh outside environment.”

  “Are you saying these things are millions of years old?” Aquil asked, folding his hands on the desk. “That seems a little hard to believe. No creature could survive for so long.”

  “You are of course, correct my friend,” Decker said, smiling pleasantly at the Malaysian. “Please don’t be fooled into thinking that this one solitary creature has existed in the ice cave until it was freed. The creatures you are about to purchase represent an evolution of that original creature who either by design or good fortune found a safe haven from a harsh environment which killed many of its species.”

  “What did they eat? In such an isolated location there would be no food source to sustain it,” asked Prince al Mahamatom.

  “As I mentioned earlier, Your Highness, the creature’s metabolic rate had been slowed vastly by the lower ocean temperatures, which in turn vastly reduced its appetite. It went into a state of near hibernation, a self-defense mechanism to ensure its survival. As for food, the Bitabulato had a unique way of providing itself with the food it needed to ensure its sustained existence.As I mentioned previously, this is a self-replicating species, and in such a small, self-contained ecosystem, it was forced to take extreme measures to ensure its survival. As a result, it existed on a diet of its own young. A constant cycle of birth, allowing the young to grow and then devouring them before they were too large to challenge its dominance was how the creature survived, its slow metabolic rate allowing such a rudimentary existence to be possible. As the source creature grew old, it’s kin became too powerful to be overpowered and the strongest of them, upon killing its parent, took the position as the most dominant and continuing the cycle of producing its own young in order to sustain itself. This process went on until the ice quake opened the outside world to the creature, and allowing it to at last revisit the world it had been isolated from for so long.”

  “So these are cannibalistic animals?” Aquil said. “Is it wise to keep them confined together here?”

  Decker smiled and poured himself a glass of water. “Instinct has taught these creatures not to feed on their siblings until they have reached a size large enough to provide sustenance but not large enough to be a threat. The specimens that you gentlemen will be purchasing are, for the time being happy to exist together. They are fed twice daily. They have no need to attack each other.”

  “I agreed to purchase one creature for my new aquarium project. I do not want it to produce more. I wouldn’t have the space to hold it,” Mahamatom said.

  “And you won’t, Your Highness” Decker said. “For safety purposes, all three of the creatures have been sterilized. It is impossible for them to spawn any more young. Think of it as a safety precaution. Now, are there any more questions?”

  Decker looked around the table, knowing he had already won them over. Not one of them raised an objection. “Very good. How about a spot of lunch and then I will take you down to see your new purchases first hand. Later, we will discuss transportation options. I trust you all have viable methods to ship your merchandise once purchase has been completed?”

  A trio of nods followed and Decker clapped his hands together. “Very good. Then if you gentlemen would follow me, I believe our chef has conjured up some spectacular food for you to sample. This way, please.”

  Decker led the three buyers towards his private dining area, unable to resist the smallest of smiles. Everything was going exactly how he had envisioned it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The pristine blue skies of the Pacific had started to turn an ugly slate grey as the storm rolled closer. Waves lapped and crashed against the structure of the Triton Spire, sending spray ten feet into the air as the winds increased in bluster.

  “This is gonna be a bad one,” Mackay said, nodding towards the purple-tinted thunderheads on the horizon. “Really bad.” He added.

  Rainwater nodded as he too stared at the angry skies. “You’re telling me. This damn place is right in the path of the storm. We should have left when we had the chance.”

  Jade joined them, looking flustered, and barely acknowledged the approaching storm. “Decker’s on the move. He’s showing those men around the facility.”

  “Where is he now?” Rainwater asked.

  “Heading downstairs in my guess.”

  “Well, let’s go tag along. We’re guests here too after all.”

  They caught up to Decker just as he was entering the lift with his guests. There was a flicker of annoyance from the billionaire, who then transposed effortlessly into a warm grin. “Hello again, Mr. Rainwater. How are you enjoying the facilities?”

  “Fine. Since this storm is coming in and we can’t go anywhere, I figured I’d go take another look downstairs if that’s alright?”

  “Of course. We’re heading down there now. Please, join us.” Decker smiled and waited for them to board, then sent the elevator down towards the ocean floor. The ride was awkward and silent. Rainwater watched Decker, enjoying seeing him squirm just a little. Decker saw it and addressed him. “As the three of you have already seen the tour I am about to give our other guests here, you can feel free to wait for us outside the nursery. I’ll be along shortly and then we can all go in together. I know you didn’t get to see these magnificent creatures up close previously.”

  “I’ve seen these things plenty close enough thanks,” Rainwater muttered. He saw something in Decker as he said it. A momentary flash of absolute rage, but for all his faults, the billionaire was good, and he hid it behind a smile. “Well, not all of our guests have been so fortunate.”

  They moved into the Lexan portion of the tunnel, and Rainwater was silenced by the oohs and ahhs of those seeing it for the first time. He, however held Decker’s gaze, hoping to see another flash of the real man hiding behind the cool, smooth exterior.

  “I wouldn’t say it was fortunate. Not by any stretch,” Rainwater said, for the time being he and Decker forgotten as the others gawped out of the window at the impressive view.

  “Yet you survived, just like the proverbial cat with its nine lives.”

  “Lucky me.”

  “I’d be careful Mr. Rainwater,” Decker said, stretching that oozing smile even further across his face. “One day those lives might run out.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  “Of course not. Just an observation.”

  The elevator passed through the Lexan and once again hid the spectacular view. They descended the rest of the way in silence, Rainwater and Decker staring at each other, neither willing to blink. The other passengers in the elevator could now sense the tension between the two and looked on waiting to see if anything would happen. The doors chimed and opened, breaking the pair from their stare down. Decker straightened his tie and walked out of the elevator, his guests close beh
ind. “I’m sure you remember the way to the training pool. We shall join you there presently.” Decker nodded curtly, avoiding making eye contact with Rainwater, then led his three guests in the opposite direction, leaving the trio alone.

  “What the hell was that, lad?” Mackay said.

  “Nothing. I was just trying to make him crack, that’s all.”

  “You did something to him alright,” Jade said as the trio started to walk through the corridors. “If looks could kill, you and I wouldn’t be talking right now.”

  “The more freedom he gives us, the more I think he’s hiding.”

  They walked through corridors, passing laboratories filled with scientists who were all hard at work.

  “It’s like the Truman Show,” Jade said.

  “What’s that?” Rainwater asked as they moved into the next corridor.

  “A movie. It’s about this guy who is the lead character in this huge elaborate TV show. He doesn’t know it, and everyone in his life is an actor. The whole thing is recorded and broadcast to millions whilst he lives his fake life in this closed soundstage. It’s good. I’m starting to think that’s all this is. We’re just the oblivious actors and everything around us is a show. I don’t like it.”

  Rainwater nodded, glad Jade was also feeling the staged vibe to the place. “All these lab techs and their happy, smiling faces. None of it seems real.”

  “That might be about to change. Take a look.”

  The steel door to the training pool where Decker had told them to wait was open. Rainwater glanced at the others and shrugged. “Well, Decker did say we had the freedom to explore as we saw fit. Let’s go in and take a look.”

  “Is that a good idea?” Jade asked as nerves took over.

  “This is why we came. You said so yourself. Let’s go take a peek.” Rainwater led the way with Jade and Ross close behind. They could hear Conway at the edge of the pool, screaming at the creatures. He had the electro shock device in one hand and was repeatedly blasting the large male with jolt after jolt of electricity. The water in the pool was a churning mass, great waves washing up over the sides as the creature tried to escape the agony.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Jade screamed as she strode towards Conway.

  He looked her up and down, and then glared at Rainwater and Mackay. “My job. Keep the hell out of it.” He jolted the animal again, causing it to lurch out of the water and send a wave crashing over the side.

  “Give me that,” Jade said, reaching for the control.

  He held it above his head. “Why don’t you take it?”

  Rainwater grabbed him by the arm. “How about I take it?”

  Conway pulled his arm free then shoved Rainwater in the chest. “If you wanna try it, you try it. I’ve been waiting for this.”

  “What the hell is your problem with me, Conway? You’ve had it in for me from the start,” Rainwater fired back, not particularly wanting to get into a brawl with Conway, who looked like he could handle himself.

  “People like you shouldn’t be down here. This isn’t fucking Disneyland.”

  “People like me? What the hell does that mean?”

  “You know what I’m talking about. You’re a liability. I know all about you. Everyone around you ends up broken or dead. Well let me tell you, not me. Not if I have anything to do with it.”

  “So what, you’re going to make yourself feel good by torturing these animals?”

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I’m trying to control its behavior. This is how it works.”

  “Not anymore. Give me the control,” Rainwater said, feeling the blood start to flow a little bit faster as his adrenaline spiked.

  “Why don’t you take it?” Conway said, daring Rainwater to do it. He didn’t particularly want a fight, but he also had no intention of backing down. He lunged, tackling Conway down to the floor. Conway caught him with a punch to the temple on the way down, but it was a glancing blow and Rainwater shook it off. He tried to throw a punch of his own, but Conway twisted into it and rolled on top of Rainwater, putting his back to the wet floor. Conway fired off a short punch to the face, this time there was no way to avoid it, and Rainwater saw a flash of explosive white light as fist connected with cheek. On instinct he threw a fist of his own, catching Conway on the bridge of the nose. In response, Conway threw a head butt, but he telegraphed it and Rainwater saw it coming, he tried to roll Conway but rather than resist, Conway went with it and ended up back on top of Rainwater at the water’s edge. Strong fingers tried to push Rainwater’s face over the edge and under the water whilst at the same time Rainwater scratched and clawed at Conway. It was then that he saw it coming out of his peripheral vision.

  “Watch out!” Jade said as she saw it too.

  Conway looked out and scrambled to his feet, dragging Rainwater with him and stumbling back. Seconds later the three creatures breached out of the water and onto the edge of the pool, snapping their jaws where seconds earlier the pair had been fighting. Both Rainwater and Conway tumbled to the floor, staring at the three animals as they shuffled back over the edge and into the water.

  “Jesus what the hell was that?” Mackay said, staring at the creatures as they circled near the center of the pool.

  “I told you,” Conway said as he touched his bloody nose and got to his feet. “Behavior modification. They keep doing that.”

  “They were trying to take you,” Rainwater said, still sitting on the floor.

  “They were trying to take us,” Conway corrected.

  Mackay helped Rainwater to his feet. Aside from the dull stinging in his cheek, he felt in reasonable shape.

  “That’s why you were shocking them? To stop them doing that?” he asked, pushing his wet fringe out of his eyes.

  “Of course not, what the hell do you take me for?”

  “I’m just going by what we saw when we came in here.”

  “And what was it you thought you saw, fisherman?” Conway said, again touching his nose.

  “I saw an asshole bully who needed to be stopped.”

  “Yeah, well not everything is as it seems. I was trying to get them to stop making a particular behavior.”

  “What do you mean?” Jade asked.

  “Just keep watching,” Conway said, again touching his bloody nose.

  They stood and watched as the creatures moved to the back of the lagoon then raced at speed to the opposite end and slamming into the titanium frame.

  “Jesus,” Rainwater said, glancing at the others. “Why are they doing that?”

  Conway shook his head. “You think if I knew that I’d be hitting the big one with the shocker?”

  “Why just him?” Jade asked. “Why don’t they all have them fitted?”

  “The big one is the most dominant of the three. We found that if we can get it to comply, the others follow. Even with the shockers fitted to the smaller ones, they would take the hits and do nothing unless the big one told them to. If we can control him, we can control them.”

  “Wait, you’re saying these are intelligently communicating?” Jade asked.

  “Absolutely. Quite complex vocalizations too,” Conway said as he picked up control unit for the shocker device and put it on the bench by his radio. “Did you think these were stupid animals? They’ve survived on this rock longer than humans have been around.”

  They watched as the creatures again charged across the lagoon and slammed into the outer wall. Jade winced as they made contact.

  “Don’t worry,” Conway said. “They can’t break through.”

  “They’re not trying to break through,” Rainwater said as he watched them return to their starting position.

  “What do you mean?” Conway asked.

  “They’re calling for help.”

  II

  “Bullshit they are,” Conway fired back. “You don’t know that. You can’t know that.”

  “I’ve seen this before. Back when I’m was in the ice cave with the o
ne these were spawned from. It was throwing itself into the walls to try and communicate with its young when it was in distress.”

  “That’s all we need,” Conway said as he grabbed two towels from the table and handing one to Rainwater. “You have blood on your cheek.”

  Rainwater took the towel and dabbed it to his face. “Thanks. Does Decker know about this?”

  “I’ve been trying to tell him these things are unsafe for weeks now, for all the good it’s done me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re uncooperative. That breaching incident that almost took us, they’ve done that a few times now. Almost got me a couple of times. It’s a damn disaster waiting to happen.”

  “And he’s still selling them to these people?”

  Conway looked at Rainwater and shook his head. “You obviously don’t know the whole story, do you?”

  “Why the hell do you think we’re here?”

  Conway grunted and tossed the bloody towel on the floor. “You think these rich saps he has with him are the only ones? Or these three are the only creatures he has? There’s a lab back there off limits that is full of eggs. The three he has with him think they’re the only ones getting one of these bloody animals, but they’re not. In six months, there will be another three. And three more after that. He’s told them all the same thing, that they’re going to be the exclusive owners, then made them all sign confidentiality agreements so they won’t discuss it. Within a year, these things will be all over the bloody world and in the hands of people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing.”

  “Jesus,” Rainwater said, glancing at Jade. “This is going to get way out of control.”

  “It’s not just that,” Conway said, glancing at the lagoon as the creatures again slammed into the outer wall. “It’s only going to take one error. One thing going wrong and people will die. That’s why I was so off with you when you got here.”

  “What do you mean?”