Sea Raptor: A Deep Sea Thriller

by John J. Rust

  “That’s where Pilka worked.”

  Karen nodded. “Maybe it was because I was young, but I thought he was so smart, so confident, and he was in great shape back then. The more we worked together, the more…well, you can imagine.”

  Rastun clenched his jaw. He really didn’t want to imagine Karen and Pilka doing …that.

  “So what happened?” he asked.

  “We broke up.”

  “And?”

  Karen stared at him, biting her lip.

  “C’mon, Karen. I had a couple of bad break-ups when I was in college, but eventually I got over them. Why can’t Pilka do the same?”

  An uncomfortable silence hung between them. Karen drew a slow breath. “Raleigh was married when we were together.”

  “Did you know he was married?”

  “Yes.”

  Rastun’s face tightened. Dammit! His first relationship since Marie and now…

  “Jack, please don’t look like that. I know it was stupid, okay? Yes, I was young, but I should have known better. Raleigh’s marriage ended because of what we did. That’s why he’s so hostile around me. I swore I’d never do anything like that again.”

  Rastun stared hard at the ground. He’d always had a dim view of adultery, maybe more than others. Duty, honor and loyalty had been hammered into him by the Army. Not just as an officer, but as a man. To commit adultery, to cheat on a person you supposedly loved, was a violation of all three values. That might make him old fashioned, but so what? In this day and age, duty, honor and loyalty were more important than ever.

  He turned back to Karen, saw the pleading look in her eyes, the regret on her face.

  Like she said, she was young.

  I was young, too, and I never cheated on my girlfriends.

  Not everyone is like you.

  Karen had made a mistake, a big mistake. Then again, he’d made a big mistake, too, one that forced him to leave the Army.

  “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

  “That’s why you asked me that question, back at the wildlife refuge. About whether I was involved with someone.”

  Karen again nodded. “Like I said, I’m not going to make that sort of mistake again.”

  Rastun stared off in thought. His gaze returned to Karen. “Is Raleigh Pilka Emily’s father?”

  “Yes.”

  “That guy you said you were engaged to, that was Pilka, right?”

  “Yes. We were supposed to get married after he got divorced. Luckily I wised up before saying, ‘I do.’”

  Karen slid over to him. “I’m sorry, Jack. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “It’s just…this is my first assignment for the FUBI, and it’s a big one. I was afraid if anyone found out about me and Raleigh, I might be taken off this expedition. And… And I didn’t want you to think differently about me.”

  She took hold of his hand. “You’re a great guy, Jack. I like being around you. I’m sorry.”

  Rastun reached out with his free hand and gently grasped Karen’s shoulder. “You made a mistake. Who hasn’t? The main thing is learning from that mistake. And I believe you when you say you’re not going to get involved with a married man.”

  “Thank you.”

  Karen kissed him. “You’re not going to tell anyone about me and Raleigh, are you?”

  “No. But I am going to have to do something about it.”

  ***

  Bold Fortune returned to Manahawkin Bay at sunset. Rastun and Karen returned to the boat first, with nothing to show for their efforts. As they sailed toward the shoreline, Rastun found Pilka along the starboard railing.

  “Doctor. A word, please?”

  Pilka’s harsh gaze went to Karen first, then him. He groaned. “All right.”

  Rastun led them to the storeroom and shut the door. Karen stood on one side of the room, Pilka opposite her, and Rastun in the middle.

  “First off,” he looked at Pilka. “Karen told me what happened between you two when she was in college.”

  Pilka’s eyes widened, fixed on Karen. “You what? What were you—?”

  “Quiet!” Rastun ordered.

  Pilka shut his mouth. His face stiffened, as though holding back a torrent of anger.

  “I overlooked all the tension between you two because you were able to keep it from boiling over, until last night. I’ve seen what happens when soldiers can’t separate their personal and professional lives. Not only do they become ineffective in the field, but they become a liability to the entire unit. That’s not going to happen on my watch.”

  Rastun looked from Pilka to Karen. “I know you two will never like one another. Whatever. I am not here to mend fences or resolve your issues or have you hug it out. When I was in the Army, I had to work with other officers I didn’t like. But I sucked it up and did my job, because whether or not we liked one another was irrelevant. We were on the same team and we had the same goal. That’s how it’s going to be with you two. No more arguments, no more glaring at one another. From here on out, you will conduct yourselves with the utmost professionalism. Any conversations you have between one another will deal strictly with the search for the Point Pleasant Monster. Is that understood?”

  “Yes,” said Karen.

  Pilka just nodded.

  “Doctor. I said is that understood?”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. And another thing, Doctor. Karen and I are involved. You may not like it, but that’s the way it is, so deal with it. Understood?”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. Now, what was said in this room stays between the three of us. So long as you two can work together, I see no need to bring it up to our superiors. But if there is another incident like what happened last night, I’ll have no choice but to report it to Doctor Ehrenberg, then whatever happens is out of my hands. Understood?”

  Both Karen and Pilka answered, “Yes.”

  “Good. Dismissed.”

  Pilka left the storeroom without a word.

  Karen started toward the door, then stopped in front of him.

  “Thank you, Jack.”

  “You’re welcome. Just don’t let me down, Karen.”

  “I won’t. That’s a promise.”

  ***

  Rastun’s eyes snapped open when the alarm on his cell phone blared Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” He lay spooned against Karen, about the only way they could sleep together in his small bunk.

  He freed his arm from her and rolled out of bed. Karen, for her part, moaned and pulled the blankets tighter around her.

  Rastun shut off the alarm, put on a pair of red and white Philadelphia Phillies boxer shorts and padded into the bathroom. He relieved himself and splashed water on his face before heading back out, ready for his morning regimen of push-ups and sit-ups.

  Karen was still in bed.

  “You plan on getting up any time soon?” he asked.

  Karen muttered something into the pillow that sounded like, “Five more minutes.”

  Rastun cracked a half-smile and stepped over to the bunk. “Rise and shine, Thatcher!”

  He ripped the blanket off her.

  “What the hell?” Karen looked at him, a shocked expression on her face.

  “The alarm goes off, that means you get out of bed, now.” Rastun’s smile grew.

  Karen flipped him the bird. “This is why I never wanted to join the Army. Jackasses like you waking me up from a sound sleep.”

  Rastun continued to grin, running his eyes over Karen’s naked, slender body. He was tempted to jump back into the bunk for a little more quality time with the sexiest wildlife photographer in the world.

  Before he could act on his desires, Karen got up and put on a t-shirt. She went to the bathroom, mumbling something under her breath.

  “You’re not much of a morning person, are you?”

  Karen answered with a groan, then slid the bathroom door closed, hard.

  Rastun chuckled,
then started doing push-ups. They’d survived their first argument and things were good between them again. Better than good. Actually, life in general was pretty damn good. He had a challenging job. He had an incredible girlfriend.

  For the first time since leaving the Army, he didn’t find civilian life all that bad.

  Someone knocked on the door.

  “Coming.” He put on a t-shirt before sliding the cabin door open. Geek stood before him.

  “What’s up?” asked Rastun.

  “We just got word from the Coast Guard. They found a sailboat covered in blood near Surf City. Looks like our monster is back.”

  EIGHTEEN

  Rastun walked along Bold Fortune’s port side, scanning the ocean. Karen did the same on the starboard side, while Geek and Pilka were positioned on the bow and stern respectively.

  The Coast Guard learned the sailboat belonged to a middle-aged couple from Beach Haven and assumed both had been on board when the monster attacked. That brought the death toll to seven. Seven too many as far as Rastun was concerned.

  He passed the yacht’s curved bridge and saw Karen on the opposite side, shaking a tube of sunscreen. When she opened it, some of the beige substance spat out and over the side. She squeezed more into her hand, rubbed it on the back of her neck, then dabbed some on her ears.

  Probably a good idea. He had been in such a rush to change he’d only slathered some lotion on his arms. It wouldn’t be long before the sun was high enough to start burning his neck and ears.

  He reached into his tactical vest for the sunscreen.

  “Heads up, everyone,” Ehrenberg radioed. “We may have a sonar hit on our monster. It’s three thousand meters south and closing.”

  “Roger that.” Rastun unslung his Aster 7 dart launcher and checked the four-chamber cylinder. He had it set up to fire the toxin dart last. Next he looked over the four flash/bang grenades on his vest.

  “Geek.” Rastun waved over the big ex-sergeant.

  “On the way, Cap’n.” USAS-12 in hand, Geek headed over to him. The pair hustled toward the stern. Karen was already there, scanning with her camera while Pilka looked through binoculars. Ehrenberg and Malakov emerged from the bridge, followed by Hernandez.

  Rastun pressed the binoculars to his eyes with one hand, looking for any large, dark shape in the water.

  “Contact is two thousand meters south of us,” Montebello radioed. “Still closing on us.”

  “Great,” said Geek. “If this thing sees boats as a source of food, it’s got a whole damn buffet here.”

  “Contact one thousand meters south and closing,” reported Montebello.

  “Anyone have eyes on this thing?” asked Rastun.

  Everyone answered in the negative.

  Except Karen.

  “I see it.” Her camera clicked a couple of times before she pointed. “There! See that wake?”

  Rastun looked, as did everyone else gathered on the stern. Karen continued to take pictures.

  He saw a dark hump poking through the waves, then a serpentine neck ending in a crocodilian snout.

  No doubt about it. That was the Point Pleasant Monster.

  Ehrenberg turned to Hernandez. “Manny. Get the lift net ready.”

  “You got it, Doc.” Hernandez ran to the lift net along the port side and jumped into the control seat. He pulled the levers and switches on the console. The net moved left to right, then up and down.

  “The lift net’s working fine.”

  “Contact five hundred meters south and closing.” Montebello’s voice quivered.

  Rastun brought up his Aster 7 and activated the laser sight under the barrel. “Geek?”

  “I got your back, Cap’n.” He stood next to him, shotgun at the ready.

  “Don’t you—”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Geek cut off Malakov. “Don’t kill it. I heard you the other hundred times you said it.”

  Rastun tuned it all out. His universe focused on the monster. It made a beeline for the Bold Fortune.

  Four hundred meters. Three hundred meters.

  Just a little closer. Their hunt was going to end right here, right now. He’d make damn sure of that.

  Two hundred meters. One hundred-fifty meters.

  “What are you waiting for?” asked Pilka. “Shoot.”

  Rastun ignored him. He put the red dot from the laser sight on the monster’s neck, then switched to its back. It was a much bigger target.

  One hundred-twenty meters. One hundred-ten. One hundred. Ninety.

  A soft pop of air came from the Aster 7. A blue feathery tail jutted out the monster’s back.

  “Got ‘im!”

  “Good job, Jack.” Ehrenberg nodded to him, then looked to Hernandez. “Stand by to fish it out.”

  “I’m ready.”

  The Point Pleasant Monster didn’t slow down. Eighty yards. Sixty. Forty.

  “Everyone back up!”

  The group obeyed, except for Karen. She continued snapping pictures.

  “That means now.”

  Rastun grabbed the back of her t-shirt and pulled her away from the stern. The monster drew closer. Rastun willed the tranquilizer to start working. Contrary to Hollywood bullshit, tranquilizer darts didn’t normally take effect instantly.

  Even worse, Rastun could no longer see the dart sticking out of the monster’s back.

  Water exploded near Bold Fortune’s stern. The Point Pleasant Monster leapt out of the ocean and crashed onto the deck.

  NINETEEN

  Water sloshed over the deck. The bow rose from the monster’s weight. Rastun tried to keep his balance and aim. The heel of his boot hit a patch of water. He slipped and fell. His finger squeezed the trigger. The tranq dart struck the gunwales.

  “Shit!” Rastun scrambled to his feet.

  The Point Pleasant Monster rose and stared at them.

  “Inside!” yelled Ehrenberg. “Everyone inside!”

  He herded Malakov, Pilka and Hernandez toward the bridge.

  “Don’t let them kill it!” Malakov hollered at Ehrenberg.

  The monster started after them.

  Rastun couldn’t afford to wait for a tranq to work.

  “Geek! Take it out!”

  Geek raised his USAS-12. The big shotgun boomed twice.

  “No!” Malakov screamed before Ehrenberg pulled her into the bridge.

  Rastun expected to see bloody holes in the monster.

  The sabot rounds failed to penetrate it.

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me!” Geek fired three more shots.

  The monster remained unaffected. It lowered its head and charged.

  “Move!” Rastun leapt to the right. He hit the deck, rolled and sprang up on one knee. He saw Karen snap a picture before hurrying through the bridge door. She slammed it shut.

  The monster smashed into it.

  “No!”

  Rastun jumped to his feet. Shattered pieces of glass littered the deck. The bridge’s fiberglass hull crumpled as the monster tried to push its way inside. Captain Keller pressed himself against the helm, eyes wide with terror.

  There was no sign of Karen.

  Rastun hurried to the other side of the bridge. Geek came up behind the monster and fired three rounds. The shotgun still had no effect.

  Panic swelled within Rastun as he stared through the darkened windows on the front of the bridge. He still couldn’t see—

  There! Karen was huddled against the right side of the helm. The monster extended its neck and snapped its jaws, missing her by a few feet.

  Rastun pulled out his Glock and fired two rounds into the window. The glass exploded.

  “Karen!”

  She looked up at him and scrambled over the helm. The Point Pleasant Monster snapped at her again. Rastun holstered his pistol and pulled Karen through the window.

  “Captain, c’mon!”

  Keller just gaped at the monster, the color drained from his face. The hull of the bridge groaned as the monster pushe
d harder.

  “Captain! Move your ass!”

  Keller remained frozen.

  “Dammit!” Rastun picked up the Aster 7. There was no way he could miss from this range. His finger wrapped around the trigger.

  The monster smashed through the bridge. Keller screamed as it slammed into the helm.

  The impact threw Rastun from the pilothouse just as he fired. He struck the deck. Pain hammered his back.

  The monster threw itself against the helm again. What glass remained shattered. The front of the bridge cracked and bent.

  “Jack! Are you okay?” Karen knelt beside him.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  The monster poked its head out the window. Rastun swore it looked right at Karen. It hissed and crashed against the helm.

  “Get to the stern,” Rastun ordered. “Now.”

  “What about—”

  “Go!”

  Karen bit her lip, worry in her eyes. She got to her feet and ran.

  Rastun got to one knee and brought up his Aster 7. The only dart left was the toxin one.

  The Point Pleasant Monster rammed into the helm. The bridge exploded in a shower of white fiberglass.

  Rastun fired. He glimpsed the red feather of the toxin dart sticking out of the monster’s stomach. It pitched forward. Rastun rolled out of the way just as it crashed onto the deck.

  He got to one knee, brought up the Aster 7, then lowered it. The gun was empty. Given the way the monster looked he doubted he’d—

  It raised its snout.

  Rastun’s eyes widened. There’d been enough Golden Poison Frog toxin in that dart to kill a dozen men. How the hell could the monster still be alive?

  The beast turned toward him. Rastun glanced at his Aster 7. No time to reload it. He flipped it around and held it by the barrel like a club. If he was going down, he was going down fighting.

  The monster twisted around. Its tail whipped toward Rastun. He threw himself to the deck. The tail struck the dart gun. It tumbled out of his grip and clattered along the deck. He scrambled after it.

  The dart gun slid under the railing and fell over the side.

  “Dammit!”