Mutiny (M.E.R. Series)

by Jacqueline Gardner

  “Why would we need a first aid kit? We were M.E.R. soldiers.” Frankie pointed out. “Definitely choose the lantern.” Davis nodded and picked up the lantern. “We won’t need a gun, unless that Clark guy follows us here but I doubt that.”

  “What if we run into something else,” Davis added. “We should have something to defend ourselves.”

  “What about the rope?” I suggested.

  “What about my fists?” Frankie chimed in sarcastically.

  “Come on, be serious,” I replied. “I think we should take the rope.”

  “What if something caves in and we need the shovel,” Davis said looking worried.

  “Why can’t we just take it all?” Frankie asked. “Like a ghost will be able to stop us.”

  “She’s watching us right now, man,” I added. “Can’t you feel it?” Frankie picked up the lantern, the rope and the shovel. When he went to pick up a fourth thing, he couldn’t. All the other tools sat tight to the ground like they were cemented into the cave floor.

  “There’s your answer,” I said. “Let’s not take all day making this decision. Remember, we came here for a very important reason and we can’t fail.” Davis nodded and Frankie dropped the rope and shovel. Davis went to pick up the first aid kit but it wouldn’t budge.

  “What!” he yelled. “But he put the stuff back! This can’t be happening!” The rest of the tools disappeared and we were left with the lantern, the shovel, and the rope. “Nice going Frankie. It looks like you just made the decision for us.” Davis was upset. Tension traveled off his body in sharp bursts and beads of sweat were starting to form on his brow. I put a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

  “This is how it starts,” I said. “Guys, we have to help each other out if this is going to work. Am I right Davis?”

  “I’m sorry,” Frankie said apologetically. “I didn’t know.”

  “Whatever,” Davis sighed. He stood up walking over to the narrow tunnel he’d chosen. Frankie and I followed. When we were about ten feet away from the entrance, a visible mist swirled around our feet. It was white and thick, and its dampness was so cold that my bones felt as chilled as the first time my commanding officer had forced me to take a midnight swim in the river behind Neptune House. That had been punishment for sneaking magazines, and I’d known I’d be back in my bed within the hour. The stakes here were much higher, and I had absolutely no idea if I would ever see a bed again, much less one I could call my own.

  The mist grabbed at our ankles, climbing its way up our legs and relenting when it had us waist deep in its grasp. Frankie gave Davis a look. “Seriously man?” But Davis set his jaw and marched forward. Frankie and I reluctantly followed him into the tunnel.

  After a tense minute Frankie took the lead with the lantern and we all walked single file. My shoulders hit rocks. When I heard the loud crack of a stone hitting the ground I blamed it on uncharacteristic clumsiness. I tried to move without touching anything else. But the cracks kept coming as one rock then another pounded the floor.

  “Uh, guys?” I shot Davis a look but he was busy dodging what looked like a small boulder. Ahead of me Frankie seemed to be struggling to keep his footing. That’s when I realized the ground beneath wasn’t steady anymore - it was shaking. Violently. Sure, we’d mastered fancy footwork to stay upright on the submarine, but we were not prepared for a full scale earthquake in a poorly lit cave. The ground gave seizing shocks and we instinctively clasped hands to keep our balance. Then rocks began falling quicker than rain.

  “Run!” I screamed. I didn’t want the extra stress of having to dig myself out of a rock slide. The ground moved beneath our feet and we were forced to run down the tunnel without observing our steps. Tiny rocks dropped from ceiling in front of us. Bigger rocks followed close behind. We continued to sprint. A sharp rock fell behind me. I could feel it slice against my arm and warm liquid rushed out. The cut stung like I’d poured a bottle of alcohol on it.

  Enormous boulders fell, trapping us inside. We didn’t stop running until the rumbling noise stopped rattling our eardrums. Frankie slowed down. The three of us caught our breath and looked back at the dusty rock pile.

  “I guess our decision is final,” Frankie commented. “We’ve chosen our tunnel. What do we do now?”

  “Keep walking,” Davis answered. “That’s all we can do.” I looked down and wiped the blood away from my arm. I was surprised it still stung but that would all go away soon. Surveying the tunnel, I couldn’t see much. The more we walked, the colder it got. The mist had wound its way through the debris and was grasping at our calves with creepy fingers. I could feel my teeth start to chatter as the sound of water drops echoed around us.

  “Davis,” Frankie started looking concerned. “You’ve read a lot of books and stuff. What sort of things actually live in caves?” Davis took a few minutes to think before he answered.

  “The Triton is a powerful object. I’m sure there are things guarding it.”

  “Like what?” Frankie asked anxiously.

  “Well, we are surrounded by water.” Frankie gulped and he looked a bit hesitant to move forward. My arm didn’t stop stinging and I looked down at my cut. It was still bleeding. My body should have regenerated by now.

  “Guys,” I said in a shaky voice. “We’ve got another problem.” I held out my arm. “I got cut eight minutes ago.” Davis and Frankie both looked at each other.

  “I guess we should have picked the first aid kit,” Frankie muttered.

  I’d never had to think about getting hurt - a M.E.R. soldier could lose a hand and it would grow back, no problem. A simple little cut should have taken all of thirty seconds to heal. But I wasn’t healing. None of us would down here. We shared a look that was anxious at best. This was bad.

  We found a small pool at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel we’d chosen had come to a dead end. The still water and silent cavern made me nervous. The walls were made of rock and as our light touched the water, it shone blue. But I couldn’t see the bottom.

  The three of us sat down wiping our faces. I ripped off a piece of my shirt and tied it around my cut. Frankie still looked shocked by the fact that our regeneration abilities weren’t working. It made things a lot harder. We were no longer invincible. We couldn’t be careless anymore.

  “At least we have the shovel,” Frankie said as he stared at the shallow pool. He ran his fingers along the surface and splashed fresh water on his face. “We can dig our way back and try another tunnel.”

  “I was sure this one would be it,” Davis muttered. “There has to be a way out around here. Maybe it’s hidden?” Frankie raised the lantern and flashed light around the cavern walls. There were no cracks or hidden holes. We were trapped and our bellies were starting to make noise.

  “Being normal sucks,” Frankie mentioned as he rubbed his stomach. “You think that water is drinkable?”

  “I wouldn’t chance it.” Davis looked at his reflection in the pool.

  “Maybe the way out is underneath?” I said. “Underneath the water.”

  “That’s crazy,” Frankie said. “Even if it was, I wouldn’t be able to hold my breath long enough to find out.”

  “All the more reason to put it under water.” Davis grabbed the lantern holding it over the pool. The water was clear and it sent reflections onto each cavern wall. Davis looked at the two of us taking a step into the water. Frankie and I stood up.

  Davis was almost up to his waist in water. I wanted to jump in behind him but before I could do anything, Frankie yelled. After one small step, Davis fell into the pool like he’d been dragged down. Frankie ran towards the water with our rope. The water bubbled and Davis surfaced with flailing arms. His entire body was soaked.

  “You okay?” Frankie shouted. His voice echoed around the cave ringing loud in my ears.

  “Yeah,” Davis yelled back with a mouth full of water. He kicked and swam back to the shallow end of the pool. “There’s a big drop off over there!” The pool made tiny wa
ves and a cool breeze traveled through the blocked cave. My chest felt heavy as I looked around for Melora. I couldn’t see anything but I could feel her watching us again. There were dozens of dark shadows moving around the room, but my sight was limited. I couldn’t see as well as I used to.

  “Did you see anything?” Frankie asked Davis.

  “I doubt it, Frankie,” I muttered. Davis quickly swam back, leaving our lantern. It was slowly drifting across the water.

  “We need that light!” I stepped into the water feeling a chill go up my back. I was standing still but the water was making tiny waves. I got the foreboding feeling we didn’t belong in the water, but we couldn’t let our only source of light drift away.

  I dove into the pool and swam to the floating lantern as fast as I could. Regenerator or not, I was still a strong swimmer. I grabbed the lantern, pulling it towards the shallow end. Frankie waded into the water reaching for it. I was just close enough to scoot it to him. Frankie grabbed the lantern and stared at something behind me. My chest felt heavy. Frankie couldn’t say anything. He was frozen.

  I turned around and saw a spot in the water starting to bubble. The water slowly started to rise. I couldn’t move. My feet wouldn’t budge. My brain had stopped working. The only thing on my mind was what dying felt like. It was an awful, empty feeling. I didn’t want to die. I had too many people depending on me.

  The bubbling water got stronger until it shot straight up to the ceiling. I saw Davis and Frankie leap back. I tried to glide backwards but I was too late. Two haunting eyes, as big as my head, looked at me through the water. They were black and not at all friendly looking. The body that accompanied the two creepy eyes was slimy and big enough to fill the entire cave.

  A tentacle rose out of the water. I didn’t want to know how many more of those things were wiggling around underneath me. The creature resembled a giant octopus except it had more than eight slithering arms. And its arms were much bigger than any octopus I’d ever seen. I gulped, waiting for the creature to lunge at me so I could duck. The creature growled. The sound filled my ears and shook my entire body.

  “Eric! Get out of there!” Frankie screamed. I tried swimming backwards again but the creature was one step ahead of me. The scales on its tentacles looked like metal spikes. One brushed past me and I could feel it cut into my side. A bloody red cloud formed around me. The creature growled again and I dove underwater before it could snatch me around the torso.

  The water felt refreshing on my hot, tired skin, but that was the only upside. I could barely see anything. The creature’s tentacles took up the entire pool. My side ached and pain burned around my cut. The tentacle spikes weren’t easy to dodge. The only thing that kept me going was hope – the hope that I would find a way out.

  The three of us were way too vulnerable. If we didn’t drop dead from lack of serum, this freak octopus would do the job. I dove as deep as I could but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold my breath very long. I maneuvered around the growling creature. It spun its tentacles like a blender. My energy was seriously running low. I needed more oxygen. The surface gleamed ahead of me. My lungs felt tired and I kicked to the surface.

  I gulped down air when I surfaced. Davis was screaming from the other side of the pool. I coughed, spitting out water. Waves splashed around the creature as it hurled its limbs across the pool. It looked like it was cramped, and pissed about being in such a small space.

  I tried to calm myself down. A rock fell from the wall in front of me and I wiped my eyes. Another tunnel had appeared. I could hear Davis panicking. I caught a glimpse of Frankie with the shovel. He swung it back and forth as limbs rose in and out of the water.

  “Frankie!” I shouted. “You have to come over here! I found a way out!” All the splashing and growling was too loud. Frankie couldn’t hear me shouting. “Frankie!” I had to swim back. The tunnel was right in front of me but I wasn’t leaving without the rest of my team.

  I took a deep breath and dove under water again. Each spiky tentacle had to be avoided or I’d be a goner. I got as close as I could to the pissed octopus and came up for air again. Davis was crouched behind Frankie. He had his hand against his chest and he was breathing heavily.

  “Frankie,” I yelled again. One of the creatures haunting eyes swiveled in my direction. I dove and back underwater as a slimy limb hit the surface right next to my face.

  “Eric!” I could hear Frankie yelling back as I re-surfaced.

  “Swim around it! I’ll distract it while you jump in the water!”

  “Are you insane?” Frankie screamed. “That’s suicide!”

  “Frankie, I found a way out! Come on! I got your back!” I could hear Frankie gulp as I waved my arms in front of the creature. It threw another slimy limb at me. I dodged it. I was lucky the creature was acting a little sluggish.

  I heard splashes in the water. Frankie and Davis dove in. The creature noticed. I waved my hands again and flicked water everywhere but I wasn’t distracting enough. The creature had made up its mind. Frankie and Davis swam up to the surface and the scowling octo-thing shot a spiky tentacle in their direction.

  “Watch out!” The tentacle hit the water and I heard a yell. My heart was pounding and I anxiously waited for Frankie or Davis to come up for air. The creature went wild, tossing its limbs even faster.

  “Frankie! Davis!” The waves settled down and I braced myself. I couldn’t see anything. Frankie and Davis were still underwater. I just hoped they were both still alive.

  MARIELLA

  19

  Shot

  Brian grabbed me by the arm. He was confident as he walked.

  “What’s the matter with you, Brian?” I asked, resisting against his pull.

  “I knew I should have come clean the moment you stepped on the Pugio.” Brian gripped my flesh even tighter. I leaned towards the floor hoping I could reason with him. “You’re not so mouthy now, are you?” Brian smiled, yanking me forward. In my attempts to break free, I fell to the floor.

  “I don’t get it? Why would you betray your team?”

  “I’m not betraying anyone,” Brian protested. “I’m simply following the rules and now I’ve come further than Eric ever will. I don’t take orders from the Commander anymore.” I raised my eyebrows and looked around. We were alone in the narrow, dark hallway. I stood up and tried to put an angry expression on my face.

  “I find that hard to believe,” I muttered. Z was the biggest, bulkiest and scariest guy I’d ever seen aboard the ship, and Brian was a teenage boy.

  “Well, believe it.”

  “Then who do you take orders from?” Brian looked more than pleased to answer my question.

  “The boss’s boss, Poseidon.” I remembered Poseidon’s stiff face. He’d promised me a lot of things, but the only thing on my mind was Eric. I could find out more information about my real dad later. Eric was the one that needed my help and I wasn’t about to disappoint him.

  “Look Brian, I know you don’t like me.”

  “It’s that obvious?” Brian chuckled.

  “Duh! I don’t like you either but I need your help.”

  “You definitely have a way with words,” Brian replied sarcastically. “Especially when you’re about to ask for a favor.”

  “Just listen,” I stated. “I’ll do whatever you want if you promise to take me to Poseidon.”

  “I’ve got news for you. You’re on your way to see him whether you like it or not.”

  “Finally some good news,” I answered. It was hard for me to collect my thoughts. My head was overflowing and I had to focus on what was important – staying alive and finding Eric. “Brian, do you know where Eric is?” The last thing I remembered before everything went dark was the Commander’s comments. He had said Eric was being punished.

  “You’re wasting a lot of time asking questions you already know the answers to. You’re a lot dumber than you look.”

  “Wow,” I replied. “Have you been thinking of that comeb
ack all day?” Brian looked annoyed. He pushed me forward again.

  “You know where he is, Mariella.” I gulped and my eyes got a little blurry from the tears. Brian chuckled again.

  “I’ll give you a hint. He’s where the fishies play.” I was quiet. So it was true. Eric was suffering in the ocean somewhere.

  “Please tell me it’s not true,” I said quietly.

  “What do you think? Any more stupid questions?” I shook my head. Brian nudged me and this time I followed him back to the room I’d just escaped from.

  “So what happens next?” I asked. “And be straight with me, Brian. If they’re planning on killing me I’d rather just know. That way I can at least tell everyone off before I die.”

  “You held up your end of the deal. Poseidon was impressed. He’s prepared to make you another offer.”

  “What kind of offer?” I couldn’t think of anything else Poseidon would want from me. He had William’s research. He had more than enough money. What use would I be to him now? I was a sixteen year old nobody and Poseidon was a crazy old man who brain-washed regenerators into doing his dirty work. “If he’s gonna ask me out or something, I’ll have to decline.”

  “Don’t be a smartass,” Brian chuckled. “You should be flattered. I haven’t killed you yet.”

  “Flattered? Eric is being punished for something that I did!”

  “Why the sudden interest in Eric, huh?” Brian opened the door pushing me inside. The office was just as I’d left it. My chair and severed ropes lay next to the desk in the corner. I sat on the hard floor with my back against the wall. Brian sat at the desk pretending to look through drawers.

  “Why did you run off?” I asked. “When you guys were scouting that market in Brazil, Eric said you got upset and ran off.” I could hear Brian’s breathing getting heavier.