MEG 01 - MEG

by Alten-Steve

  The wooden boat began moving, slowly at first, revolving in a counterclockwise direction. They were spinning in a whirlpool, caught within a fast-moving current originating far below the surface. The two men hung on to the side for support as the craft began picking up speed.

  Philippe had his six-shooter out, pointing into the water. "De devil hisself down dere!"

  The horizon swirled about them. Jonas looked down and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Something large and white was hurtling toward the surface!

  Both men screamed as the massive white abdomen exploded out of the water. Philippe raised the gun, pumping six rounds into the belly of the dead orca. Seconds later, the twelve-foot tiger shark tore at the twenty-eight-foot carcass of the dead whale, sending gouts of blood straight into the air.

  The boat stopped spinning, coming to a rest. Jonas shone his flashlight across the dead creature's stomach. That's when he and Philippe saw it — the huge bite mark, several feet deep, nearly ten feet across.

  "Mother of God! What de hell did dat?!" Before Jonas could answer, Philippe slammed the outboard motor into the water and started the engine.

  "No — wait!" Jonas shouted.

  Too late. The engine roared to life, Philippe steering the boat in a sharp turn back toward shore.

  "No nuthin', Dr. Jonas! Dat a monster down dere, somet'ing real big! No fish I ever seen coulda killed an orca wit one bite like dat! You chasin' de devil, mon. Keep yo' damn money — we goin' in now!"

  THE MEETING

  Terry Tanaka entered the Aura naval hospital and glanced at her watch — 8:40 a.m.. That gave her exactly twenty minutes to get Jonas to Commander McGovern's office, assuming he was in any condition to travel. She walked down to the empty hallway, curious why the Navy MP no longer stood on duty. In fact, Jonas's door was ajar.

  Inside, a woman with bright blond hair was ransacking a chest of drawers. The bed was empty. Jonas was gone.

  "Can I help you, miss?" Terry asked.

  Maggie jumped and nearly dropped the clothes she was carrying. "Yes, you can help me. For starters, where's my fucking husband?"

  "Your hus... You're Maggie?"

  Maggie's eyes narrowed. "I'm Mrs. Taylor. Who the hell are you?"

  "Terry Tanaka."

  Maggie eyed her up and down. "Well, well..."

  "I'm a friend. I stopped by to drive Dr. Taylor to the naval base."

  Maggie's disposition suddenly changed. "Naval base? What does the Navy want with Jonas?"

  "He has a meeting scheduled with Commander McGovern to discuss the Meg—" Terry hesitated, wondering if she'd said too much.

  Maggie smiled, her eyes full of venom. "Well, it appears that you're too late. He's gone. When you see him" — she pushed past Terry abruptly — "tell him his wife needs to speak with him — if he's not too busy."

  Maggie marched down the hallway, her heels clacking on the tile floor.

  Terry could only turn and stare at the empty bed.

  * * * * *

  Terry arrived at the naval base at 9:05, only to learn that the meeting had been move to Warehouse D on the far side of the grounds. By the time she got there, the meeting was already in progress.

  Warehouse D contained a refrigerated storage area used to "hold" the bodies of deceased soldiers awaiting transport back to the States. Under three set of mobile surgical lights lay the remains of the Megalodon. An MP handed Terry a white coat as she entered the cooler.

  A conference table had been set up adjacent to the carcass. Heller, DeMarco, and Commander Bryce McGovern sat on one side. Terry didn't recognize the two men seated across the table or the two Japanese examining the enormous jaws of the shark.

  "Where's Taylor?" Frank Heller barked across the room at her.

  "I don't know. He must have left the hospital."

  "That figures."

  DeMarco pulled a chair out for her. "Terry, I think you've met Commander McGovern."

  "Ms. Tanaka, we're all sorry about what happened to your brother. This is Mr. André Dupont of the Cousteau Society, and over by the carcass are Dr. Tsukamoto and Dr. Simidu from the Japan Marine Science Technology Center." Terry shook hands with Dupont. "And this gentleman is Mr. David Adashek. He's been asked to cover this story on behalf of the local government."

  Terry shook hands warily with the bushy-eyebrowed reporter. "I've seen you before, Mr. Adashek. Where have we met?"

  David smiled. "I'm not sure, Ms. Tanaka. I spend a lot of time in Hawaii, perhaps..."

  "No, not Hawaii." She continued staring at him.

  "All right, gentlemen... and Ms. Tanaka," announced Commander McGovern, "if we can all take a seat, I'd like to get started. The United States Navy has assigned me to investigate the incident that occurred in the Mariana Trench. My rules are simple: I'm going to ask the questions and you people are going to give me the answers. First" — he pointed toward the carcass — "would somebody please tell me what that thing is over there?"

  Dr. Simidu, the younger of the two Japanese, was the first to speak. "Commander, JAMSTEC has examined the teeth of the creature and have compared it with those of Carcharodon carcharius, the great white shark, and its extinct predecessor, Carcharodon megalodon. The presence of a chevron or scar above the root indicates that this is definitely a Megalodon. Its existence in the Mariana Trench is shocking, to say the least."

  "Not to us, Dr. Simidu," replied André Dupont. "The disappearance of the Megalodon has always been a mystery, but the Challenger I 's discovery in 1873 of several ten-thousand-year-old fossilized teeth over the Mariana Trench made it clear that some members of the species may have managed to survive."

  "What the Navy wants to know is whether there are any more of these creatures alive and whether any others have surfaced," McGoven stated. "Dr. Heller?"

  All heads turned to Frank Heller. "Commander, the shark you see here attacked and killed the pilot of one of our deep-sea submersibles seven miles down, then apparently got itself entangled in our cable and was attacked by another one of its kind. These creatures have been trapped in a tropical layer at the bottom of the trench below six miles of freezing temperatures for God knows how many millions of years. The only reason you even see this specimen before you is because we accidentally haued it up to the surface."

  "So you're telling me at lest one more of these... these Megalodons exists, but it's trapped at the bottom of the trench."

  "That's correct."

  "You're wrong, Frank." Jonas Taylor entered the room, holding a white coat in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Masao Tanaka followed closely behind.

  "Taylor, what do you think you're—"

  "Frank," Masao interrupted, "sit down and listen to what Jonas has to say." Terry stood to greet her father, who hugged her tightly for a long moment, then took an empty seat beside her, still holding her hand.

  Jonas approached the head of the table. "Late last night I hired a local fisherman to take me out to an area where a humpback whale had recently been killed. I wanted to examine the carcass to see if the Megalodon could have possibly killed it. While we were out there, the remains of a slaughtered twenty-eight foot orca surfaced alongside our boat with a wound that was definitely the result of a shark attack. The bite radius was no less than ten feet in diameter."

  "That proves nothing," Heller said.

  "There's more. Here's this morning's paper. Wake Island residents report that whale carcasses have been washing up along their northern beaches all night. Commander, the second Megalodon not only mamaged to surface, it's now adapted to shallower waters!"

  "Ridiculous!" retorted Heller.

  "Dr. Heller, please sit down," McGovern commanded. "Dr. Taylor, since you seem to be the closest thing to an expert on these creatures and you were present in the trench, perhaps you can tell me how this monster managed to surface. Dr. Heller seems to believe these creatures were trapped below six miles of frigid water."

  "They were. But I witnessed the second shark attacki
ng the first down in the trench. The first Meg was bleeding badly, and the second was gorging itself on its innards, ascending while within the dense blood stream. As I explained yesterday to Terry, if the Megalodons are like their cousins, the great whites, their blood temperatures will be about twelve degrees higher than the surrounding ocean water, or, as in the case of the hydrothermal layer of the trench, about ninety-two degrees. The Kiku hauled the first Meg topside and the female followed the bait straight up to our warmer surface waters, protected by a river of hot blood streaming out of its mate!"

  "The female?" André Dupont looked perplexed. "How do you know the second Megalodon is a female?"

  "Because I saw her. She passed over my sub when I was in the trench. And she'd much larger than this first shark."

  McGovern didn't like what he was hearing. "What else can you tell us about this... female, Doctor?"

  "Well, like its mate, it's totally white, actually luminescent. This is a common genetic adaptation to its deep-water environment, where no light exists. Its eyes will be extremely sensitive to light. Consequently, it won't surface by day." He turned to Terry. "That's why no one on board the Kiku saw her rise. She would have stayed deep enough to avoid the light. And now that the shark has adapted to our surface waters, I think she's going to be very aggressive."

  "Why do you say that?" Dr. Tsukamoto spoke for the first time.

  "The deep waters of the Mariana Trench are poorly oxygenated compared with our surface waters. The higher the oxygen content, the more efficiently the Megalodon's system will function. In its new highly oxygenated environment, the creature will be able to process and generate greater outputs of energy. In order to accommodate these increases in energy, the Meg will have to consume greater quantities of food. And, I don't need to tell you, sufficient food sources are readily available."

  McGovern's face darkened. "Our coastal populations could be attacked."

  "No, Commander, these creatures are too large to venture into shallow waters. So far, the female has attacked smaller sharks and now whales. My concern is that her mere presence among the whale pods may affect the cetaceans' migration patterns.

  "How so?"

  "Please understand that Carcharodon megalodon is the greatest predator, the greatest killing machine in the history of our planet. As it develops its taste for warm-blooded whales, it will go on a feeding frenzy. Our modern-day whales have never come across anything like this creature before. This female is aggressive and as large as most whales. Her mere presence could very well cause a cetacean... stampede, if you will. Even a slight change in the migration patterns among whale pods now coming south from the Bering Sea could create an ecological disaster. For instance, if the whale populations that currently inhabit the coastal waters off Hawaii were to suddenly flee into Japan's coastal waters in an attempt to avoid the Megalodon, the area's entire marine food chain would be affected. The additional presence of several thousand whales would cause an imbalance among those species that share the same diets as these mammals. The competition among marine life for plankton, krill and shrimp could drastically reduce the populations among other species of fish. The inadequate food supply would change breeding patterns, severely affecting the fishing industry in that locale for years to come."

  Dr. Simidu and Dr. Tsukamoto whispered to each other in Japanese. Haller, Adashek, and Dupont simultaneously fired questions at Jonas.

  "Gentlemen, gentlemen!" McGovern stood up, regaining control of the conference. "As I said before, I'll ask the questions. Dr. Taylor, I want to be sure that I understand our situation correctly. Essentially, it is your belief that we have an aggressive sixty-foot version of a great white shark on the loose, the mere presence of which could indirectly affect the fishing industry of some coastal nation. Does that about sum it up?"

  "Yes, sir."

  Heller stood up. "Masao, I'm leaving. I've had enough of this nonsense. A cetacean stampede? No disrespect intended, Commander, but you're taking advice from a guy whose overreaction to this creature seven years ago got two of your officers killed. Let's go, DeMarco. You can take me back to the boat."

  DeMarco stood up, excused himself, then followed his shipmate out the door. Jonas sat, stunned by Heller's words, while David Adashek turned away, scribbling furiously on his notepad. As the two men walked to the door, Masao whispered in his daughter's ear. Terry nodded and kissed her father's cheek, then followed the men out of the warehouse.

  "Commander" — Jonas cleared his throat — "let me assure you that—"

  "Dr. Taylor, I don't want your assurances. What I need is options. So perhaps you could tell me what the hell the United States Navy is supposed to do about this?"

  OPTIONS

  "Commander, why must you do anything?" André Dupont spoke up first. "Since when does the United States Navy concern itself with the behavioral patterns of a fish?"

  "And what if this 'fish' starts devouring small boats or scuba divers? What then, Mr. Dupont?"

  "Dr. Taylor," said Dr. Tsukamoto, "if this creature's presence alters the migration patterns of whales around Japan, our entire fishing industry could suffer a major setback. Theoretically, JAMSTEC and the Tanaka Institute could be held legally responsible. The UNIS program has already been suspended, and we can't afford any more financial setbacks. JAMSTEC therefore officially recommends that this creature be found and destroyed."

  "Dr. Taylor," said McGovern, "I happen to agree with Dr. Tsukamoto. I don't think nature intended to release this monster from the abyss. That was your doing. Despite your assurances, I can't take the chance that this Megalodon might venture into populated waters. We already have one dead" — McGovern paused — "and I'd rather not wait for a body count before we act. Thererfore, I'm going to take the recommendation from one of my senior officers in Hawaii and assign the Nautilus to track the female down and kill her.

  "And the Cousteau Society will have every animal rights group picketing your naval base in Oahu starting tomorrow," Dupont said.

  "Jonas." Masao was a voice of reason. "In your opinion, in which direction will this Megalodon head?"

  "Difficult to predict. She'll follow the food, that's for sure. Problem is, there are four distinct whale migration patterns occurring at this time of year in this hemisphere. West toward the coast of Japan, east and west of the Hawaiian Islands, and far east, along the coast of California. At this juncture, it appears the female is heading east, toward Hawaii. I'm guessing she'll continue east, eventually ending up in California waters... Wait a minute!"

  "What is it, Dr. Taylor?" McGovern asked.

  "Maybe there's another option. Masao, how close to completion is the Tanaka Lagoon?"

  "Two weeks — until JAMSTEC cut off our funding when the UNIS systems went down," said Tanaka. "You're not thinking of capturing this creature?"

  "Why not? If the lagoon was designed to study whales in a natural environment, why couldn't we use it to capture the Meg?" Jonas turned to face the JAMSTEC directors. "Gentlemen, consider the opportunity we'd have to study this predator!"

  "Tanaka-san," Dr. Simidu asked, "is this option feasible?"

  "Simidu-san, hai, it is possible, assuming we can locate the beast to begin with." Masao reflected for a moment. "Of course, the lagoon would have to be finished quickly, the Kiku refitted. If we could locate the creature, perhaps we could tranquilize it, then drag it in."

  "Masao," Jonas interrupted, "if we're going to attempt this, we'll need to rig some type of buoyant harness to drag the Meg. Remember, unlike a whale, the shark will not float. Once we tranquilize her, she'll sink and drown."

  "Ah, excuse me," interrupted Adashek. "Exactly why don’t sharks float?"

  Jonas looked at the reporter for the first time. "Sharks are inherently heavier than seawater. If they stop swimming they'll sink." Jonas looked at Commander McGovern. "Why is this man here?"

  "About an hour ago, I received a call from several local officials who were concerned about the presence of another Megalodon i
n their coastal waters. One official requested I allow Mr. Adashek to be present during these discussions. In order to maintain good relations, I agreed to the request."

  The two representatives of JAMSTEC had been talking among themselves. "Tanaka-san," said Dr. Tsukamoto, "you have already lost a son to these creatures. With respect, if you so desire to capture this female, we will agree to underwrite the project and allow you to complete th lagoon. Of course, assuming you are successful, JAMSTEC will expect full access to the captured Megalodon, as well as our agreed-upon financial share of the lagoon's tourism trade."

  Masao paused, tears welling in his eyes. "Yes... yes, I think D.J. would have wanted this. My son dedicated his life to the advancement of science. The last thing he'd want would be for us to destroy this unique species. Jonas, we must attempt to capture the Megalodon."

  McGovern rejoined the conversation. "Mr. Tanaka, Doctors... just so we understand each other, the Navy cannot support your efforts. The Nautilus will be assigned to track down this creature and protect the lives of Americans. If you manage to capture the shark first, so be it. Personally, I hope you're successful. Officially, however, the Navy cannot recognize this course of action as being a viable option." McGovern stood up, signaling an end to the meeting.

  "By the way, Dr. Taylor" — the commander turned to face Jonas — "what makes you think this shark will travel all the way into California waters?"

  "Because, Commander, as we speak, over twenty-thousand whales are migrating from the Bering Sea south toward the peninsula of Baja, Mexico, and the Megalodon can literally sense the beating of their hearts."

  * * * * *

  Twenty minutes later, David Adashek was at a pay phone outside the naval base, dialing the number of a local hotel room. He waited until the female voice answered.

  "Maggie, it's me. Yeah, I got into the meeting. Tell Bud he did good. Yes, I got exactly what you were looking for."

  * * * * *