Spawn Of The Deep

by Michael Bray

  “I thought you were the same. Another asshole who didn’t know what the hell he was getting into. Seems I was wrong on that one.”

  “Way wrong. Believe me, I don’t think anyone should be messing with these animals.”

  “Amen to that,” Conway agreed.

  “I need to talk to Decker, right now.”

  “I thought my ears were burning,” Decker said as he started to walk towards the group, his guests behind him.

  “Asshole,” Rainwater said as he lunged for the billionaire. Mackay grabbed Rainwater around the waist before he could get to Decker, who squirmed and twisted away as his investors also got between the two. They were all shouting, struggling to make themselves heard as they accused, explained, and tried to calm the situation down. Rainwater had managed to reach through the tangle of bodies and grab Decker by the tie, and was pulling it towards him, enjoying the bug eyes stare as Decker’s face changed color. Mahamatom was calling for calm as Aquil and Anderson tried to physically separate the two men.

  It was the rush of water followed by the piercing scream of Conway that brought the scuffle to a halt. Everyone froze and stared at the scene, unable to quite comprehend what they were seeing.

  Conway was on his knees, one leg in the creature’s mouth, its massive body on the edge of the pool. After weeks of trying, the large male had finally snagged its tormentor.

  “Jesus Christ, someone grab him,” Rainwater said, grabbing a hold of Conway’s forearms and trying to pull him free. Mackay joined him, but Decker and his investors stayed clear, watching in disbelief from a distance as the creature started to shuffle back towards the water.

  “Don’t let it take me, God please don’t let it take me!” Conway screamed as he dug his fingers into Rainwater’s flesh. Rainwater looked beyond him to the creature, its glassy, black eye just a few feet away and filled with intelligence and knowing. Rainwater and Mackay felt themselves sliding as the creature tried to retreat with its prize.

  “Please, get me out, get me out, get me out,” Conway was repeating it over and over again, delirious and frightened. Mackay lost his footing and crashed to his knees, losing his grip on Conway. Now only Rainwater had a hold of him. The two men’s eyes locked for a second, and then Conway was pulled under by the creature as it rolled back into the lagoon, his scream silenced as his head went beneath the waves. They stood staring at the waves, trying to see where the creature had gone. Time seemed to slow, and Rainwater was sure Conway must have gone, thinking there was no way he could have held his breath for so long, but the creature resurfaced in the center of the pool, Conway gripping onto its head and gasping for air as it dragged him along, leg still clasped in its jaws. He started to scream, hoarse, shrill sounds which echoed around the cavernous space. The creature dived again, silencing Conway once more.They all watched and waited, knowing there was nothing else they could do. The creature broke the surface again, this time parading Conway past them. He was close enough that they could see how afraid he was as he gasped for breath. The creature then let go of Conway some twenty feet from the edge and went deep, leaving the terrified instructor treading water.

  “Swim, damn it, swim!” Rainwater shouted.

  Conway bobbed there, not entirely aware he had been freed, then started to swim, realizing his life was on the line. He was just ten feet away when the creature breached, blocking his access to the edge. Conway changed direction, head down, throwing one arm over the other. The creature lazily pushed alongside him, keeping itself between him and safety.

  “It’s toying with him,” Jade said as they looked on.

  The creature flicked its fluke and was on him, again grasping his leg in its jaw. This time, instead of diving, the creature flicked its head out of the water and tossed Conway twenty feet into the air. He spun, arms and legs flailing before crashing down some thirty feet from safety. The other creatures were circling now as their larger sibling swam towards Conway, who was now treading water, too afraid to move. The creature dived and grabbed his leg, pulling him under, taking him just deep enough to use up his breath then released him and let him swim back to the surface to take in another precious lung full of air. It repeated the process, taking him deeper this time and testing Conway’s lung capacity to the maximum. This time when he surfaced, Conway was gasping and struggling to retain his composure. They could see in his eyes that he was beyond fear. He started to swim towards safety once more when one of the smaller creatures charged at him, launching him out of the water, the sound of his ribs breaking horribly clear as it echoed around the dome. The larger creature leaped from the water and caught him in midair, sending a huge wave rolling over the edge of the pool as it landed on its side, taking Conway with it.

  “Jesus Mary,” Mackay muttered as they watched the creatures toss Conway's body between them. Rainwater looked on, aware that Conway had long since stopped screaming, and that his arms and legs seemed to have extra joints in them as he was tossed through the air. Eventually, the creatures tired of their game, and left the broken remains of Conway bobbing facedown just under the surface of the water as they returned to their rhythmic assault on the outer walls.

  “They didn’t even eat him,” Jade said, shaking from the shock of what they had witnessed.

  “It was never about hunger. It was a revenge killing,” Rainwater mumbled.

  Decker stood there, sweating and glaring from face to face as all eyes fell on him. “I think we need to go upstairs and talk. All of us,” he said quietly. This was a different man, a broken man. Not physically broken like Conway, but mentally.Rainwater thought he could almost feel sympathy for him if not for the carnage they had just witnessed.

  Although he was tempted to give him an easy time, Rainwater just couldn’t help himself. “Tell that to Conway,” he said, enjoying the way Decker flinched.

  Decker looked past Rainwater to his head trainer still bobbing face down in the water, and then led the group out of the training pool and towards the elevator.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Decker’s hands were shaking as he poured himself a large brandy. He drained it in one, then refilled the glass a third of the way and turned to the others, who were sitting around the boardroom table, waiting for him to explain. Outside, the storm was starting to take hold, the rain barraging the windows in a rhythmic tapping which was the only sound to punctuate the silence.

  Decker took another sip, set his glass on the table and folded his arms. “It seems I may have some explaining to do. I’m afraid I’ve been less than honest with you all.”

  “I demand an explanation for this,” Aquil said. “You assured us these animals would be ready. That they would be docile and ready for transportation. Clearly this isn’t the case.”

  “Mr. Aquil, please,”

  “No, he’s right,” Rainwater said, determined not to let Decker off the hook. “Conway knew they weren’t ready. He said he tried to tell you more than once, but you didn’t want to know.”

  “Please, let me explain. If I could speak to my investors alone for a moment, I would appreciate it.”

  “Jesus,” Rainwater said, standing and walking to the window. “Do you think these people are going to buy into whatever you’re selling them after what we just saw? Whatever you had in mind is over. It’s finished.”

  “There’s no need to make any rash decisions here, we all need to calm down.” Decker was flustered, and finished his drink, slamming the glass on the table.

  “You need to destroy these creatures. Not just the ones downstairs, but the eggs too.”

  “What eggs?” Decker said, his eyes darting from Rainwater to investors.

  “Conway told us. He said you had more of them. A lot more. These three investors of yours are just the first of a long line of rich people you were intending to get top dollar from, isn’t that right?” Rainwater was glaring at Decker now, the rain splattered window at his back.

  Decker opened his mouth, then snapped it closed again when no words would c
ome.

  “You promised us exclusivity, Mr. Decker,” Prince Mahamatom said. “You assured us these were the only three creatures in existence. Is what this man is saying true?”

  “It’s not as simple as that, Your Highness. There are certain variables to—”

  “Oh for Christ’s sake, Decker,” Rainwater said, resisting the urge to walk around the table and punch the scrawny businessman in the face.“Just stop trying to play the game and give it to us straight. You have one man dead downstairs already; God knows how many more it could have been if you had managed to sell more of these things. Surely you can see that this is over. All you can do now is try to put it right.”

  “Mr. Decker, I require an answer,” Mahamatom said, angered by the situation.

  “And I will give you it in good time, Your Highness, but in private just as soon as our other guests have left us to speak.”

  “Alright Decker, I see how you intend to play this.” Rainwater said as he leaned on the tabletop. “If you won’t listen to me or any form of reason, then I don’t have a choice but to tell someone who will. We’ve stayed here and been a part of your little charade for long enough. You said when you got back, we could go. I’d hope you would honor that now and take us all back to the dock.”

  Decker was growing increasingly flustered, and the wide grin was starting to falter. He wiped the back of his arm across his sweaty head. “Look, as I said, you’re free to leave whenever you see fit. However, I have to ask you to stay for just a little bit longer until we resolve this… incident in a way that benefits all parties.”

  “No,” Rainwater said. “No more games, or excuses or delays. We leave now.”

  “I can’t allow that Mr. Rainwater. I’m sorry,” Decker fired back. Rainwater couldn’t believe how quickly a man could unravel. He could barely remember the slick, calm businessman of earlier.

  “I’m not asking anymore, Decker. No matter what you say to us to try and convince us otherwise, we’re leaving. Not later, not tomorrow. Right now.”

  Decker glared at him, head slick with sweat, cheek twitching ever so slightly. He picked up his glass and walked to the bar, pouring himself another generous helping of brandy. He turned back to the table, casting his eyes over them all then coming to rest on Rainwater.

  “You know, I didn’t get where I am today by being intimidated.” He took a sip of the drink, and swilled the liquid in the glass. “In business, the first rule they teach you is that weakness is failure. I don’t fail. I win at everything I do, and this will be no different.”

  He took another drink, savoring the flavor. “As much as I would like to let you leave, I’m afraid I can’t. Not right now. This storm is right on top of us. It would be irresponsible of me to allow you to leave until it passes.”

  “It was irresponsible of you to try and train these damn animals. Now one man has paid for it with his life,” Rainwater fired back, amazed at how quickly Decker’s confidence was returning.

  “Darrell was a good man,” Decker said, again swilling the drink around his glass. “But he was also aware of the dangers involved in the job and was paid well for his expertise. I can’t be responsible if he took his eye off the ball and paid the ultimate price for his negligence. We all saw it. He wasn’t paying attention, not to mention he was standing too close to the edge of the water.”

  “You’re going to stand there and blame him for this aren’t you, you son of a bitch.”

  “I’m telling the truth,” Decker replied, setting his drink down. “He assured me he was a professional. He came from a background of training large marine species. He assured me he could do as I asked and get these creatures prepared to be distributed. He was wrong, and although his loss is a sad one, make no mistake that it was very much his error which cost him his life.”

  “And what about the others?” Jade jut in. “The other eggs you’re incubating. Conway can’t be there to train them all when they’re spread all over the globe. It seems to me like you’re looking for a convenient excuse. To come out of this without blame.”

  “It was a condition of the terms of contract with the investors that they take full responsibility for the training and welfare of the creatures post transaction.”

  “You also promised exclusivity, which, the more I hear I’m sure you never intended to give,” Anderson said.

  “You have to understand Mr. Anderson that I’m a businessman first and foremost. If you all look into the contracts you signed, it states that you were to receive exclusive purchase rights to these three creatures.”

  “The contracts implied there were no more,” Aquil said.

  “Implication is a weak word in legal terms. I am assured the document you signed is legally sound. There has been no wrongdoing here.”

  “This is all about the money, isn’t it?” Rainwater said.

  “Of course it is,” Decker snapped.

  “To me it looks like ye have enough o’ that,” Mackay grumbled.

  “I wish it were as straightforward as that, but I’m afraid it’s not.” Decker sighed and drank the rest of his drink. “The truth is, I got greedy. Overspent on research, on building this place. I had no choice but to do whatever I could to recoup that cost, even if it meant using slightly underhanded tactics.” He turned to his three investors. “I apologize for my behavior. It was very unprofessional of me, but what’s done is done. We need to collectively decide what happens next.”

  “Nothing changes,” Rainwater said. “Heartfelt speech aside, we’re leaving.”

  “I already explained to you, the storm is—”

  “The storm is coming in behind us. If we leave now, we should for the most part stay ahead of it.”

  Decker glared at him and sighed. “What do you intend to do when you get back?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I assume you will go to the authorities. I’d like to think that you wouldn’t do that and give me a chance to rectify my mistake.”

  “What about Conway? He didn’t get a second chance after his mistake. No, I think we’ll be leaving now.”

  Rainwater expected that to be the killer blow that made Decker crumble. To his surprise, it ignited a fire in his eyes. Decker threw the glass overarm at the wall, where it shattered. “You don’t get to come here and tell me how things will be. This is my facility, I’m in charge. You’ll go when I deem it safe to do so.”

  Rainwater walked around the table. “You can’t keep us here.”

  Mackay stood and got between the two men; however unlike when they were down in the training pool, Decker no longer seemed afraid. “If you want to swim for it, be my guest. For the record, I’m not trying to force you to stay here, but I won’t risk the safety of my staff by having someone take you out there in those conditions. Take a look, dammit!”

  They looked outside, seeing that despite the outburst, Decker had a point. The waves were already large and undulating, coming at them and breaking against the facility, sending great walls of spray into the air. In the twin docks outside the window, the Incognito rocked and swayed against its moorings as torrential rain assaulted the hull.

  “You think it’s safe to go out there in those conditions?” Decker added, this time more in control. “The storm is closer than you think. Like me or not, I’m keeping you here for your own good. Why can’t you see I’m trying to do the right thing?”

  Rainwater was about to answer when Jade interrupted.

  “There’s a boat coming in.” She was still staring out of the windows as the others turned to see.

  “Here?” Decker said, going to the window to take a closer look. “We have no scheduled arrivals here at the facility.”

  “Looks like someone’s comin’ in regardless,” Mackay muttered, glancing at Rainwater. They could see it now on the horizon, a blue and white hull which was bucking and rolling with the waves. There was no mistake, it was definitely closing on the spire.

  “Will it be able to dock in these conditions?” Rainwate
r asked.

  “Without ploughin’ into the facility? Doubtful,” Mackay said. “Even for an experienced captain, that would be a challenge.”

  “I need to get word to them, deny them permission to dock,” Decker said, grabbing the phone from the table and punching in a number. As Decker shouted to some of his crew to try and make contact with the vessel, Rainwater and the others watched as it came closer.

  II

  Greg watched the Triton Spire grow larger as their vessel rolled closer to it. He was surprised at how big it was, and was now starting to feel the nervous energy about what they were about to do.

  Cooper joined him on deck, pulling his collar up against the bluster. “It’s bloody cold out here. You ready for this, Michaels?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “That’s not what I asked you. I asked you if you were ready. Two very different things.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Greg said, glancing at the machine gun slung over Cooper’s shoulder.

  “I wanna be sure you know what we’re about to do. Things might get violent. We might have to make a few threats. I don’t want you losing your nerve on me and causing a problem. I don’t want to have to shoot you.”

  Greg nodded and winced as the wind blasted a barrage of rain against them. “Do I get one of those?” he asked, nodding at Cooper’s machinegun.

  “With one hand? Not one of these, no. Here.” Cooper handed him the black pistol from his holster.

  Greg took it. Holding the weapon making everything they were about to do seem all the more real. Images of his family flashed into his mind, which he quashed. “Will I have to use this?”

  Cooper shrugged. “On this job probably not, but I’d—”

  A huge gust of wind rocked both men and blasted them with more rain. “Jesus, this is getting bad. As I was saying, on this job, probably not. Rich people like this will likely give up any fight as soon as they see you waving it around.”

  “What if they don’t?”