Spawn Of The Deep

by Michael Bray

  “I can arrange transportation for you, completely off the books to anywhere in the world you want to go.”

  Rainwater wanted to scream at Decker. He was still trying to salvage some kind of deal, and it was obvious to everyone that Cooper wasn’t buying any of it.

  Cooper nodded and looked out at the water, then back to Decker. “Five hundred million you say?”

  “At least.”

  Cooper nodded again. “And who would I sell it to? Not you, because you already have one. What do you expect me to do, put the fucking thing on eBay?”

  “I have contacts, people who—”

  Cooper moved fast. He took a quick step forward and pressed the barrel of the machine gun into Decker's gut. He was glaring now, eyes wide, teeth gritted. “I told you why I’m here. Not for your money, not for your fucking fish. But for the eggs. I think I was clear enough in that instruction.”

  “Please, I’m just trying to help you out…” Decker said, stammering and sweating.

  “No, you’re making the mistake of thinking I’m some kind of fool. Let me tell you something, Mr. Billionaire. I might not have as much as you, but I’ve made my money. Enough to be comfortable. What matters to me is reputation. I get paid to do a job. I make sure that job gets done. It’s simple enough. I was paid to come here and take these eggs, and that’s what I intend to do.”

  He’s going to shoot him.The thought came to Rainwater and was an absolute certainty in his mind. It seemed that Decker had once again misinterpreted a situation and this time was likely to pay for it with his life. Cooper was still talking, getting in Decker’s face.

  “Do you think I’m stupid, Charlie? Do you think all this money makes you better than me?”

  “No, it was a misunderstanding I…I…”

  “Do you think that because you’re richer than me that your insides won’t get torn apart by the bullets in this gun? Do you think we ought to find out?”

  Greg was going through the same thought process as Rainwater. He was sure that Decker’s ignorance was about to cost him his life. He didn’t want to see it. He had already become more involved in the entire situation than he had ever intended, and was unsure if, despite his best intentions, he could ever get out of it again. He turned away from the conflict, staring out through the dome into the black ocean beyond. He was trying to ignore the intense claustrophobia he was feeling. He could imagine the pressures and stresses that the structure must be under. A mile down. He couldn’t do the math but knew well enough that the number must be incredible. He knew the dome wasn’t glass; it didn’t have the same way of warping light, but hoped that whatever material it was made of was up to the task of keeping the crushing ocean at bay. He tried to tune out Cooper’s abuse of Decker and the agitated circling of the creatures in the center of the lagoon, and focused on the ocean beyond. He tried to imagine he was above ground and looking at a starless night sky. As difficult as it was, he found himself drifting, able to imagine he could feel the cool summer breeze on his skin. He imagined he could even smell freshly cut grass. He couldn’t remember the last good memory he’d had and this was as close as he thought he would get for some time. He imagined he saw something, a cloud perhaps lazily drifting over his imaginary sky. He blinked.

  Not a cloud.

  A smudge.

  Something not in his imagination, but actually there outside the dome. He cocked his head, trying to focus, to make out whatever it was, but it was just outside the range of visibility. Something circling. A large shark or perhaps a whale. Ice filled his veins and he drew a sharp breath. Something was coming towards the dome at speed, something he had seen before back when he had a life and was forced to cut off his own hand when this same demon had appeared in his world and destroyed everything he had ever had.

  The creatures face grew closer. Mottled flesh, dagger teeth, and black eyes. He had seen it in countless nightmares and now it was in front of him, bearing down on the dome. There was no point running. He knew the impact would shatter the dome and kill them all. He held his breath, and this time rather than repress them, tried to bring forward the memories of his wife and daughter, determined that they would be his last memories before he died, but they wouldn’t come. All he could see was that massive demonic head surging at him out of the darkness. He closed his eyes and held his breath as the creature impacted the dome.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Greg exhaled. He was still alive. The dome hadn’t shattered and caused them to instantly implode like he thought it would. There was, however, an ugly crack spidering out from the impact point. The creature had retreated, circling in fifty feet of water. Alarm bells started to ring and the entire facility was bathed in red light. Decker, Rainwater and Cooper were confused, unsure what had happened.

  “What the bloody hell was that?” Cooper shouted.

  The dome started to creak, but for the time being held.

  “It hit the dome,” Greg said, still staring at the vague form of the circling creature.

  “What did, what the bloody hell are you talking about?”

  Rainwater knew. He could see it in Greg’s face. It was the expression he had worn himself when he last encountered it. It was the expression of a man who had looked into hell and somehow lived to tell the tale.

  “We need to get out of here,” Rainwater said, staring out of the dome to see if he could see the creature.

  “Nobody’s going anywhere, not until we get what we came for,” Cooper snapped, eyes darting as he tried to figure out what had happened.

  “He’s right,” Greg said, tearing his eyes away from the dome. “Forget the eggs. We need to make a move and do it now.”

  “Remember what we came here for, Michaels.”

  “Forget that. We need to go.”

  Cooper aimed his weapon at Greg. “Not so fast, pal. Back up, get yourself over there with the expert. You too Charlie boy, all three of you together.”

  The three men did as instructed as Cooper ushered them all back away from the dome, putting it to his back as he trained the weapon on them. “Right, I don’t know what’s happened here but nothing changes. I came here for those eggs and that’s what I’ll be leaving with. You’ll either help me, or I swear ill cut you all down right now where you stand. Where are they, Charlie boy? Where do you keep them?”

  “Are you blind?” Rainwater said. “The dome is fractured. If it breaks, we’re all dead.”

  “I’ve faced death before, expert. It doesn’t scare me. Where are those eggs?”

  “It’s not safe down here anymore there’s something out there.” Rainwater was hoping he would see sense. It was clear that spending any more time in the dome was madness. Cooper, however, didn’t seem to be taking the bait.

  “One more word out of you, expert, and I swear to god I’ll shoot you right in that smug, fucking face of yours.”

  “Look, whoever you are,” Decker said, glancing past Cooper to the crack in the dome. “You don’t seem to understand. If that dome breaks—”

  “We’re all dead men. I know.” Cooper adjusted his grip on the machine gun, his expression taking on a disturbing neutrality. “Now I don’t need all of you. I’m gonna ask again. Whoever answers the question gets to live. If you lie to me, someone gets shot. Where are the eggs?”

  “Just tell him. We’re gonna die if you don’t,” Rainwater said, glancing at the frightened, sweating billionaire.

  Decker however remained neutral. Looking straight ahead, lips pursed. Defiant in his silence.

  “Dammit Decker, tell him where they are,” Rainwater screamed, conscious of every creak of the structure, every inch that the crack spread further out from the impact point of the dome, knowing that at any time, it could give to the immense pressures outside and destroy them all.

  “I can’t just hand them over. It’s my life’s work. It’s all I have,” Decker said calmly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Decker, just tell him. This isn’t a game. Those eggs are no good to you if y
ou’re dead.”

  “Too late, expert. I don’t have any more time to waste on this. Sorry.” He leveled the gun at Decker and pulled back the firing pin, the sharp sound punctuating the air and making everything more real. Still Decker didn’t crumble. He clasped his hands in front of him, head held high, chin forward. Rainwater watched, unable to take his eyes away from the scene even though he knew what was about to unfold would be horrifying. He waited, watching Cooper’s finger as it started to curl around the trigger.

  It came from the water without warning, launching itself onto the edge of the pool and snatching Cooper in its jaws, the motion almost delicate, then it rolled back over the edge and was consumed by the water, the entire thing taking place in just seconds like some cheap magicians illusion. Cooper didn’t even scream, or get a chance to fire off a single round before he was taken.Rainwater gasped, shocked at the speed of the attack. He waited to see if it would throw the body around like they had with Conway, but it seemed this time, the creatures were in no mood to toy with their prey, and as they watched from the surface, blood pooled up from beneath the water. It was this which spurred Decker into action. He sprinted for the exit, gangly arms pumping as he went. Rainwater blinked and then followed, remembering the crack in the dome and how it was the key to their survival.As Decker reached the outside, he hit a button on the panel by the door which slid closed, the airtight seals locking Greg and Rainwater in the dome. Both men pounded their fists on the door, glaring at Decker through the reinforced glass window. “Decker, let us out. Open the damn door, it’s not safe in here.” Rainwater screamed.

  Decker looked at them through the window. He was trembling and sweating, hair sticking up at the back. Rainwater could see how afraid he was. He supposed he couldn’t blame him. In just a few hours his entire empire had come crashing down around him and it was obvious that he didn’t know how to react. Even so, despite the issues between them and the constant badgering by Rainwater, he never expected Decker to do what he did next. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then turned and fled, leaving Rainwater and Michaels to their fate.

  “Decker, come back. Let us out, you son of a bitch.”

  His words went unheard as he pounded on the door, the billionaire long gone.

  Rainwater turned back to look at the dome, the crack extending even further up the outer structure as the creaks and groans intensified. He slumped to the floor, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “What are you doing?” Greg shrieked, pounding on the door with the butt of his pistol. “We have to get out of here.”

  “Forget it. There’s no way out. We’re stuck here.”

  “But that dome could give at any time.”

  Rainwater looked at Greg, knowing the statement he’d made needed no answer. He watched as it hit home, as realization came. Greg stopped hitting the door, letting the pistol fall to his side. With nothing else to be done, he sat beside Rainwater in silence both of their lives now tied to the Lexan dome and how long it could retain its integrity.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  After attacking the dome, the creatures retreated, circling in the deep waters and confused by the stimulus they were receiving. Although the vibrations they had followed to the Triton Spire were similar to those of a creature in distress, they could sense nothing organic to feed on. Flanking the dominant male, the smaller of the creatures stayed in formation as their leader made a decision on what to do next. Cautiously, it approached the central shaft, tentatively biting at the titanium shell, then retreating, confused by the unusual stimulus.

  Within the Triton Spire, Decker walked through the deserted corridors, resisting the temptation to run. The structure creaked and groaned as the red alarm lights continued to flash above every door. Although he had every faith in the construction of the facility, he desperately wanted to be in the upper section on the off chance that the dome gave way. He reached the elevator, which, like the rest of the facility had been locked from use after the impact. He punched in his override code on the panel and was greeted by an angry squawk as the system denied him. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to slow down and punch in his number accurately. This time, the elevator chimed and the doors opened. He hurried inside and pressed the single button which would take him to the surface. As the doors slid closed, he felt a pang of guilt at what he had done, then quickly quashed it. In business there were casualties, and this was one particular situation which, although unfortunate, was necessary for the greater good. The elevator began to ascend, each foot closer to the surface and away from those crushing pressures easing Decker’s fears. The elevator moved into the Lexan portion of the shaft, allowing Decker to see the damage done by their attackers. The dome was still intact, the Lexan holding against the force of the blow. A large crack ran across the surface, stretching a third of the way towards the peak. Decker grimaced as he saw it. He could only imagine it taking a short amount of time before the reinforced plastic gave to the pressure and finally imploded. He was just grateful that both Rainwater and Michaels would know nothing about it when it came. A small mercy in what was becoming a tragic situation. Something caught his eye, and in that one second, he understood why Rainwater had been so desperate for him to destroy his creations. It came out of the dark, the sheer scale difficult to comprehend as there was nothing in the living world which he could accurately compare it to. The juvenile specimens he had engineered had impressed him with their size; however, even they paled in comparison to the near fully grown abomination which was approaching the Triton Spire. He stared at it, straddling the fine line between fear and awe. The giant flicked its muscular tail, propelling it closer to the Lexan elevator shaft as two of its brethren joined it from the opaque ocean and into the artificial light cast by the facility. Decker backed away, pressing himself against the back wall of the glass elevator car as the largest of the creatures approached. He could only stare as it opened its mouth, revealing a terrifying array of sixteen-inch razor sharp serrated teeth. Decker could hear a sound, a dull whimper which he couldn’t quite place until he realized it was coming from him. The creature rubbed it’s snout on the Lexan elevator shaft, its weight causing the structure to groan in protest. Decker grimaced, knowing what would happen if the structure was breached. He wondered if he would feel it as his body imploded as the sudden pressure changed reduced his body to nothing more than a pulpy, formless paste. In that instant, he had complete understanding of why Rainwater was so against his project. He knew, of course how large the creatures could grow, however numbers written on paper didn’t do the same kind of justice as seeing something so monumentally large just a few feet away. He stared until the elevator moved back into the titanium portion of the shaft, unsure if it was better that he could no longer see the creature or not.

  Panic.

  It arrived without warning. The claustrophobic confines of the elevator seemed to close in on him. He knew that death was only inches away, and that the creatures out in the water could take everything from him in an instant. His stomach somersaulted and he started to sweat, knowing he was too far from the surface. The only thing he could think of now was escape from the hellish things he had witnessed in the depths of the ocean.

  II

  The Triton Spire staff sat on the floor in the central elevator room, legs crossed, hands by their sides and flat against the floor. Johnson and Simons walked among them, weapons ready and waiting for Cooper to return. In turn, Mackay had been watching them carefully, trying to find some kind of an advantage that would swing things in their favour. Although the gunmen had insisted they only wanted what Decker had, he had learned over the years not to believe the things people said and to make up his own mind. He was a man who very much trusted his instincts, and now they were screaming at him to take control of the situation as soon as an opportunity arose.

  The elevator chimed, and everyone, Mackay included expected Cooper, not Decker. The billionaire staggered out onto the deck, breath coming in heavy, ragged gasps. Joh
nson and Simons swung their weapons towards him.

  “Where is he, where’s Cooper?” Johnson said, aiming his weapon at Decker.

  “We need to evacuate the facility, right now,” Decker muttered, still struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened.

  “Not without Cooper, where is he, what have you done to him?”

  “Are you listening to me? It’s not safe here anymore.”

  Johnson stepped forward, shoving his weapon in Decker’s face. “Where the fuck is Cooper?”

  “It’s too late for him, too late for all of them,” Decker mumbled, disregarding the gun, his brain still struggling to come to terms with the beast he had seen on his way to the surface. “How could I know how big they were? How could I know they could be that damn big?”

  Johnson lowered his weapon, aware that whatever had happened, Decker was a victim of it rather than an instigator. “What the hell happened down there?”

  “There was a breach. Something… something happened and the integrity of the structure was compromised. I barely managed to escape,” Decker sighed as he said it. The cool, calm exterior he had held for so long was now completely gone, leaving a disheveled, frightened man in its place.

  “What happened to Cooper and the others?” Johnson was calm, asking his questions slowly and clearly.

  “Cooper’s dead. He was killed by one of the juveniles when they breached the surface. I was trying to help him when… something hit the dome from outside. The system detected the change in pressure and went into emergency lockdown mode. It’s a matter of time before it gives way and floods the entire lower section.”

  “What about the lad?” Mackay said from the floor, glaring at Decker.

  “It’s too late for him. I barely escaped with my life… I’m sorry.”

  “This breach, how serious is it?” Johnson was trying to hide it, but he was afraid too. He glanced at Simons, who like him was young and inexperienced. It was clear that with Cooper gone, there was no longer a natural secondary leader.