Spawn Of The Deep

by Michael Bray

  “What happened to the others, the ones you went down with?” Anderson asked.

  “There was… an accident.”

  “Again? I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy it. Twice you’ve gone down to the lower levels as part of a group and twice you have come back alone. I think we all deserve an explanation, Mr. Decker.”

  “And you’ll get it in good time,” Decker replied, throwing off the blanket from his shoulders. “First, we need to get off this facility. As I keep saying, it’s unsafe. We can get some on the Incognito. The rest can go on the other boat. I’m officially giving the order. Full evacuation.”

  He waited, expecting his staff to spring to action, but nobody moved. They looked at each other, wondering what to do.

  “Are you listening to me?” Decker shouted. “Evacuate, right now. This isn’t a drill.”

  Still nobody moved. Decker stared at them, the expressions on their faces telling the story. They thought he was mad. A danger to them and everyone else. Decker supposed he could understand why. He took a deep breath and forced himself to be calm.

  “Look, I don’t know if you understand the situation here, which I can appreciate. This has been a taxing time. Please listen to me when I tell you that we are in danger by staying here. I’m going to go to my boat and set sail for the mainland. If anyone wishes to come, then we are leaving now. If the rest of you want to stay, then it’s on your heads. I for one am leaving.”

  He waited for a second, hoping it would change things. But his staff, the men and women he had paid well and tried to treat with respect, were staring at him like he was some kind of monster.

  “Fine. If that’s the way you want it, it’s up to you. I tried.” Decker walked towards the door.

  “Stop please, Mr. Decker.”

  He recognized the voice. It was Aquil.

  “We can speak on board the Incognito, Mr. Aquil. Please, come along.”

  “Mr. Decker. Stop now.”

  Decker turned around, hoping to try and appease his disgruntled investor, and that idea was halted when he saw the gun pointing at him. Aquil stood, feet apart, pistol expertly aimed at Decker’s head. The rest of the investors had backed away, as had his staff and were watching with interest.

  “What on earth is the meaning of this?” Decker said, genuinely confused.

  Aquil smiled. “Not everything is as it seems, Mr. Decker. Where is Henry Rainwater?”

  Decker’s lips moved, but no sound came out. He was desperately trying to make sense of what was happening.

  “Don’t try to work it out, Mr. Decker. This is far bigger than you could ever imagine. Now I’ll ask you again, where is Henry Rainwater?”

  II

  Ten miles away, an unmarked black helicopter struggled, feeling the first effects of the storm which was ravaging the Pacific. Andrews shifted position in the co-pilot’s seat, struggling to hear above the din of the rotor blades.

  “Say again, I didn’t get that last.”

  The man Decker knew as Aquil came over the radio, speaking slowly and clearly. “I said, Decker is neutralized. Rainwater is trapped below.”

  “But you have Decker?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Alright. Squeeze Decker, find out what he knows. We’re inbound.”

  Andrews closed the comms channel then turned to the pilot. “Alright, you have the heading. Let’s get moving.”

  “Sir, that storm is—”

  “That storm isn’t our concern. I want eyes on the Triton Spire ASAP.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The pilot changed heading, sending the helicopter into the leaden skies ahead.

  Andrews tried to relax, even after all the years that had passed he still wasn’t able to shake off the nerves. He had been working on the new operation for the last year, first in secret alongside Project Blue, then when it was dissolved exclusively. He had first heard the rumors of Decker trying to engineer the creatures shortly after Clara Thompson was killed. He had been put in charge of the mission to find out exactly what Decker knew and shut him down. The most difficult part was planting Aquil and building him enough of a backstory to make Decker believe he was a rich Malaysian businessman. In reality, he was a Malaysia-born American citizen by the name of Groves, who had worked for Andrews on and off in various guises for the last fifteen years. He was good, very good and had the almost unique ability to live the life of his created personas. Unlike many who only lived their characters when necessary, Groves fully immersed himself in the world. For all intents and purposes, he was Aquil. His mission had been simple. Gain Decker’s trust, secure the invite to the Triton Spire (a move which involved several dummy bank accounts filled with phantom funds to show Decker that he was rich enough to be considered) and secure proof of the billionaires genetic engineering. Just seeing the eggs of the creatures would be enough, but the time Groves had spent on the Triton Spire had given Andrews more evidence than he could ever have hoped to find. Every move, every action had been recorded via a tiny camera in Groves’ glasses, and relayed in real time back to Andrews’ team, who were now confident they had enough to put Decker on trial for war profiteering. By attempting to sell the creatures for military purposes, he was looking at up to twenty five years in prison for his troubles. As desperate as Andrews was to nail Decker, he also had a secondary mission, one which should have happened years earlier. Once Decker was secure and the civilians safe, he had instructions to destroy the creatures. Although the years of failure had cut him deep, in this he was determined to succeed. It had eaten away at him ever since that first meeting with Russo. He had changed since then. In some ways for the better, in others for the worse. He wasn’t prepared to fail again. This time he was playing for keeps. Rain began to spot the windshield of the chopper as they moved closer to the storm. Andrews hoped Groves was squeezing Decker hard about Rainwater. The last thing he wanted was any more deaths on his conscience.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The creatures reacted the instant Rainwater activated the controls to open the channel to the outside. Despite the concerns about the integrity of the structure if they opened the inner door, there was no change to the structure. The dome continued to creak and hiss. The trio of wakes in the lagoon raced towards the new opening, the largest of them in the lead.

  “Look at that, it’s like they knew,” Jade whispered.

  “They would have been held in there when the pools were cleaned,” Rainwater mumbled as the three creatures went into the holding area. “They would have been able to sense the ocean on the other side. It must have driven them crazy.”

  “So what now?” Jade said.

  “Now we seal them in and equalize the pressure. That’s the part I’m worried about.”

  “Then why bother? Why not leave them in there?” Greg said.

  Rainwater shook his head. “Too dangerous. With them so close to the outside, I don’t want to risk them going crazy in there and breaking through before we can equalize the pressure. If that happens, we’re all dead. It’s safer just to cut them loose and get them out of here. It might buy us a bit of time to think about what to do.”

  They all knew of course that there was nothing they could do. They had already searched. There were no more exits. No secret room leading to freedom. They were sealed in, at the mercy of the integrity of the dome.

  “Alright, here we go. It looks like the release sequence auto seals the canal between the lagoon and the outer door. In theory, it will seal, equalize, and then open the outer door.”

  “What if yer wrong?” Mackay grumbled.

  “If I’m wrong, none of us will know anything much about it before we implode.”

  “Fucks sake, lad, ye could have just lied.”

  “Yeah well, this is where we need a little luck.” He activated the equalization sequence. Subconsciously holding his breath, the sliding door in the lagoon wall closed, sealing the three creatures inside. The computer screen in the control room flashed, advising that equalization had
begun. This time there was noise, a dull, persistent groan which seemed to shake the entire facility. Rainwater gritted his teeth, Jade grabbing onto his arm as they waited to see if the dome would hold and give them just a few extra precious moments of life. Time seemed to freeze as they waited to live or die depending on whatever fate had in store for them. A minute passed as the pressurization sequence continued. As it neared completion, the vibrations ceased, as did the dull groan. The computer screen flashed up a new command.

  PRESSURE EQ COMPLETE. EXTERIOR DOCK NOW ONLINE.

  The controls for the exterior door were located beside the computer console. It was a red pull handle encased in a tallow and black striped outer box. Above was the word WARNING stamped in red, and below it in the same font:

  DO NOT UNLOCK HATCH UNTIL PRESSURISATION SEQUENCE IS COMPLETED.

  “Alright, here we go.” Rainwater muttered. He reached out and grabbed the handle, hesitating for a few seconds and wondering if he had the guts to go through with it. A few months ago, such a decision was one he wouldn’t have been able to take without a few drinks to help him. Now, sober and calm, he knew he had gone too far not to. He yanked down the handle. An amber beacon began to spin in the control room, mirroring several other around the outer edge of the lagoon. Rainwater waited for something. A noise, or a feeling of pressure changing like the way his ears always used to pop on long flights, but there was nothing. He glanced at the others, then at the screen, which flashed up with another message.

  OUTER DOCK OPEN.

  Rainwater walked out of the control room and stood at the water’s edge, staring out of the dome. The three creatures swam majestically, freed from their prison, the only place they had ever known.Somehow, they looked right out in the open. Better than held in captivity. They approached their kin, those they had signaled to for assistance… and were promptly attacked. The creatures who had survived in the wild saw not allies, but rivals. They were potential enemies, creatures that in time could challenge their dominance of the oceans. The creatures that had been born and raised in Decker’s labs stood no chance against the honed aggression of its cousins. It was a massacre. Decker’s creatures were annihilated, flesh torn away, bodies decimated. Their cries for help had been answered not by saviors, but by hunters looking to ensure they remained on top of the food chain. From inside the dome, the savagery was mesmerizing, the four of them forgetting for a moment where they were, how dangerous the situation was. All they could do was watch as the three juveniles were massacred.

  “Jesus, it’s a blood bath. Remorseless,” Greg muttered.

  “No, it’s not. Its survival. Nature at its best.”

  Greg looked at Rainwater who was still watching the frenzy outside, the water now a churning mass of blood.

  “What do you mean?”

  Rainwater turned to him, a faraway, haunted look in his eye. “The strong destroy the weak. That’s how these things survived for so long. They are eliminating the threat. Ensuring their survival.”

  “That’s barbaric.”

  “You shouldn’t be so surprised. Humans do it all the time.”

  Thy stood in silence, watching the show, resigned to their fate.

  “So what do we do now?” Jade asked.

  “We wait until it’s our turn, lassie,” Mackay said, sitting down on the floor. “Not much else for it.”

  Rainwater was about to suggest taking another look around for a way out when Conway’s radio crackled to life.

  “Hello, is anyone there? Is there anyone down there who can hear me?”

  Rainwater was first to react, sprinting to the table where the radios were kept. He snatched up the handset, unable to help but grin as he spoke into it. “We hear you. Who is this?”

  “My name is Groves, although when we met earlier I was Mr. Aquil.”

  Rainwater frowned and looked at Jade who shrugged. “I don’t think I understand.”

  “I don’t have time to explain, but you and I have a mutual friend. Does the name Martin Andrews sound familiar?”

  “Hell yes it does.”

  “Well let’s just say that not everything is as it seems. We need to get you out of there now before that dome gives way.”

  “We can’t get out. Decker is the only one with the access codes for the door. He’s locked us in. He’s down here in the facility somewhere. The elevators are out too.”

  “Decker is right here, Mr. Rainwater. I’m looking at him right now. I have to say he looks quite concerned at this recent turn of events.”

  “Can you get the access codes from him for the doors? It’s important.”

  Calm as ever, Groves responded. “I have already done that. Now if you want to make your way to the door and key in five, seven, nine, three, six, you should be greeted with an open door to freedom.”

  Rainwater ran to the door, following Groves’ instructions. He keyed in the override sequence, the doors opening immediately in response. There was no cheering, no whooping, just relief. They ran into the corridor.

  “Don’t forget to seal the door behind you,” Groves said over the radio.

  Rainwater doubled back and re-keyed the number sequence, closing the door and giving them a little more of a safety cushion.

  “Alright now listen up, this isn’t over yet. You have other issues,” Groves said, his voice calm and without panic. Rainwater couldn’t imagine the man he had met earlier being so clinical.

  “We could do without more bad news. We’ve pretty much had our fill down here.”

  “I bet,” Groves replied. “But the fact is the life support systems have been damaged, which means that in around twenty minutes, you’re going to be out of air. My suggestion is that you get out of there now.”

  “How do you suggest we do that? The elevator is out of action.”

  “I know. Do you know where Decker’s office is?”

  Rainwater shook his head. “Up there with you.”

  “No, his other office. The one down there.”

  “No.”

  “Alright then, listen closely and I’ll tell you where to go. Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of there yet.”

  II

  In the recreation room of the Triton Spire, a revelation came to Decker. He sat on one of the sofas, listening to Groves, or Aquil, or whatever he was actually called, relay instructions to Rainwater and the others as to how to get to his office and the escape pods which lay inside. He had been sitting in silence, coming to terms with what he had done and what was going to happen to him.

  Prison.

  No matter how good his lawyers were, he knew they couldn’t hope to get him off. Not only was he dealing in a creature created illegally from stolen government embryos, he was also responsible for the death of Conway. He was sure that when Rainwater and the others surfaced and told Groves what had happened in the dome, they would also charge him with attempted murder. His stomach tightened at the thought of what that would mean.

  Life imprisonment.

  The end to everything he knew. The private island in Barbados, the limited edition McLaren, the lifestyle. Beaches, cocktails and women. The life of a playboy replaced with a future consisting of itchy prison overalls and scrubbing floors for the rest of his life. He knew he wouldn’t be able to handle that. Not when he had grown so used to the lifestyle he currently enjoyed. He looked at Groves, who was the center of attention, everyone watching as he tried to help Rainwater and the others to safety. From Groves, Decker looked to the door, and the Incognito beyond, its hull rocking against the dock under the fury of the storm.

  Although on paper he would be bankrupt once everything was said and done—his entire fortune resting on the success of the project which he had poured everything into—he still had options. Poor to a rich man was different to the common people, and he was sure the four million dollars in the safe of the Incognito would enable him to start a new life somewhere. Somewhere warm where he could blend in. Thailand, perhaps. It would be easy. He could shave his head, grow
a beard and buy a new identity with enough left to live comfortably for the rest of his life, more so if he sold the Incognito. He was sure that he could get fifteen to twenty million dollars for it if he tried. It was either stay and face what he had done, or flee and live to fight another day. The thick soup in his brain parted, leavingone clear decision as to what to do. It was telling him to run, and he wasn’t about to start ignoring his instincts which had so far treated him well. He glanced to Groves, who now had his back to him as he spoke to Rainwater. Nobody was watching him, nobody was paying him the slightest bit of attention. Slowly, he stood, walking casually towards the outer door, knowing that stealth wasn’t an option. As soon as the door was opened, they would know what he was planning. He took a deep breath, hoping that his instincts would guide him in the right direction one more time. Knowing that he would lose his nerves if he hesitated anymore, he pressed the button to open the door, wincing as it slid open and let the storm in. He didn’t pause to see if Aquil had seen him. His focus was entirely on the Incognito. He sprinted towards it, knowing that whatever happened, he was now resigned to living out his life as a fugitive.

  In the rec room, Groves was torn between pursuing Decker and continuing to assist Rainwater. His desire was to get Decker. He had wanted to nail him down for so long that the idea of him escaping was unacceptable. However, he needed Rainwater and the others for their testimony. Although it went against everything he knew, Groves stayed where he was, content to let Decker go for now. Besides, he knew Andrews was on the way in on the chopper and should be able to pick him up with ease. Reluctantly, Groves turned away from the exit and lifted the radio back to his mouth.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Following Groves’ instructions, Rainwater led them to Decker’s office. Even here they could hear the persistent dull thump as the creatures attacked the structure, looking for a weak spot in what they perceived to be an enemy. They ran through to the room behind Decker’s office, then stopped, staring at the escape pods.