by Jake Bible
“Thanks,” Ingrid said and gulped. “But we don’t have helmets for everyone.” She shrugged then hurried off to help a man struggling with the collar of his suit.
“We good?” Delana asked Kinsey. “We need to be good.”
“We’re good,” Kinsey said. “No more dick measuring, I promise.”
“Unless it’s dicks we want to see,” Delana said and laughed.
“You can count me out there,” Lucy said. “I was off dick before, but I’ve spent two years seeing the Reynolds cocks swinging in the showers. I’ll be avoiding dicks like the plague.”
Kinsey shivered. “They really need to towel up when they get out of the showers, right?”
“No fucking shit,” Lucy said.
Delana smiled and clapped Kinsey then Lucy on the shoulders. “Alright. No dicks. Better that way. Dicks get tripped over.”
“True dat,” Lucy said.
“Come on,” Delana said. “We’ll grab some coffee in the mess before we hit the bridge. We’ll want the jolt.”
“I should check in with the elves in the Toyshop,” Kinsey said. “But I can do that after.”
“If there’s time,” Delana said. “They’re auxiliary support personnel. If they want to hide in that box, then let them. Everyone we’ll need is on the bridge waiting. Best put some hustle in your steps, ladies.”
***
“Did you just call me a chicken shit?” Carlos snapped at Moshi. “Why? Because I can be of more use in here than on that ship? What does that say about you, Moshi? Huh? What does it say about you?”
Moshi set the soldering iron down and lifted the goggles off her face. She turned and glared at Carlos.
“I have work. Real work. Ballantine work. You are hiding like a bitch,” Moshi said. “You want to help? I’ll give you Ballantine work to do.”
“You aren’t the boss of me,” Carlos said. “This is my workshop. I built this. Ballantine put me in charge.”
“That was before,” Moshi said, pulling the goggles back down as she picked up the soldering iron. “This now. You aren’t in charge of anything.”
Carlos sputtered for a couple seconds then stormed off into the stacks. Moshi sighed and got back to work.
A steady beeping sounded from the front of the Toyshop, but Moshi ignored it. She was only a couple steps away from finishing her latest project. Ballantine had been very clear that each one of her projects needed to be done when they saw each other next. He’d been very clear.
A full five minutes of beeping was ignored until Moshi couldn’t take it any longer.
“Carlos,” she hissed. No response. Plenty of beeping.
Moshi finished her project, but didn’t test it, and stood up. She stretched and walked to the front of the Toyshop. Her eyes studied the control console until she found the source. Deep scan alert. Moshi rolled her eyes and sat down before the screen that displayed the flashing blip.
Moshi’s eye rolling stopped when she realized that the blip was similar to the one she’d seen before the Toyshop had been picked up by the Fallback. She dug deeper into the data and recoiled.
“No,” she whispered. “No.”
“No, what?” Carlos asked as he appeared by her side, a huge bowl of ice cream in hand. He had chocolate dripping down his chin. “What are you complaining about?”
“This,” Moshi said. “See? This.”
“What? A deep scan alert? Okay. So what?” Carlos asked. “Could be all kinds of things. Whale. Giant squid. See the data set? It’s saying it is organic in nature. The ping we’re getting back isn’t mechanical. The ocean is home to lots of creatures, Moshi. Big ones. Nothing new there.”
He began to turn away, but Moshi grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back.
“Shit, Moshi!” Carlos snapped as he stared down at the glob of ice cream that missed his mouth and hit the front of his T-shirt. “What the hell?”
“No. Not nothing new,” Moshi said. “Old. Old enemy. Look at data?”
“I don’t have time for this,” Carlos said and yanked his arm free. “I may not have been given an assignment from Ballantine, but my work is just as important as yours. Which you won’t get done if you keep worrying about a school of fish that’s messing with the deep scan.”
“Not a school of fish!” Moshi shouted. “You are so stupid! Look at it!”
“Let me get a napkin first,” Carlos said.
Moshi shot to her feet and slapped Carlos across the face. He recoiled and she followed, slapping him again. Then she wiped the ice cream that got onto her hand onto his shirt.
“Sit down and look,” she snarled so intensely that Carlos choked on his last ice cream bite, swallowed hard, and sat down immediately.
“We, we, uh, we need to talk, yeah, we need to talk about, you know, that temper of yours,” Carlos sputtered as he studied the data once more. “Hold on…”
“Now you see it?”
“I said hold on.”
“No time to hold on,” Moshi said. “I call Kinsey now.”
“Wait a damn minute, will you?” Carlos said. “Sorry. I just need one minute to make sure I’m seeing what you want me to see.”
Moshi crossed her arms and tapped her foot for a full minute. Then she slapped Carlos upside the back of his head. He barely seemed to notice as he turned in his seat and looked up at Moshi
“This is not good, Moshi. How can this be? The last one was nuked. We saw the mushroom cloud. They’re supposed to be gone.”
“This one is not,” Moshi said. “Move. I call Kinsey now. We have problem.”
“No shit,” Carlos said and moved. “A big damn problem.”
***
“The harbor is our only viable point of entry,” Aubrey said as she swiped along a satellite image of Wire’s island. “We believe that her scanners won’t pick us up if we stop here to deploy.”
“That’s a long swim,” Kinsey said as she studied the distance between the point Aubrey indicated and the entrance to the island’s one and only harbor. “That could take an hour or more. Everyone will be exhausted by the time we need to strike.”
“I know, but we have no other choice,” Aubrey said. “Our tech will mask us for a short while, long enough to get all of you to the harbor, but once Wire knows the Fallback is out here, she’ll send everything she has at us. Our hope is she will think the attack is coming, not that it is already in motion. While she comes for the ship, you can rest up. Once she engages with us, we’ll give you the go ahead and you book your asses into that harbor and onto that island.”
“We have a basic idea of where the quantum mines are,” Delana said, taking over as Aubrey stepped back. Red dots appeared on the table’s screen. “Despite the new suits we’ll be wearing, we have to avoid any and all direct contact with the mines. In theory, we can bump them and nothing happens. But that is only if the mines don’t recognize us as enemies. They need to see us as marine life. But they learn. Physical contact is one way they learn. We quickly stop being part of the abundant marine life and start becoming intruders if those mines combine data and put a clear picture together of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Tactics not tech,” Lucy said. “Rely on our skills, not our suits.”
“Exactly,” Delana said. “Use your eyes and ears. Stay alert and lead your squads around the mines. Find the widest points and exploit them. Be synchronized in your movements. Look like a school of big fish, not a bunch of operators coming to take the island. Random chaos will get the sensors’ attention and the mines will become alert. We need to avoid that.”
“Kinsey,” Moshi’s voice called over the com. “Kinsey!”
“Moshi? What’s up?” Kinsey replied.
“Something more important than this, Ms. Thorne?” Aubrey asked. “If so, please share.”
“Moshi, I’m in the middle of something here,” Kinsey said. “Let me call you back.”
“No!” Moshi yelled.
Kinsey jolted at the volume and tone in Mosh
i’s voice. Eyes fell on Kinsey at her sudden movement.
“Okay… What’s going on?” Kinsey asked.
“Shark,” Moshi said.
“I’m sorry…what?” Kinsey asked.
“Ms. Thorne? Either cut the convo or take it outside,” Aubrey said. “I think you know my preference.”
“I’ll be right back,” Kinsey said.
“Seriously?” Delana responded.
“It must be important,” Lucy said. “She’s talking to Moshi and Moshi doesn’t call unless it’s important.”
“Give me a second!” Kinsey snapped at everyone and hurried off the bridge and out onto the walkway directly outside. The evening sun was hot, but there was a nice breeze. “Okay, Moshi, I can pay attention. What the fuck is happening?”
“A shark,” Moshi said. “A big shark.”
“Yeah, you said shark before,” Kinsey said. “Define big. Big like a Great White? Or big like our old friends we put down?”
“We didn’t put down,” Moshi said. “One survived. The big one survived.”
Kinsey stood there and stared out into the open waters that surrounded the ship.
“Kinsey? You hear me?” Moshi called.
“I heard you,” Kinsey said. “I just don’t believe you. That shark died. We made sure it died. We watched it die. We blew it the fuck up, Moshi. Then the whole island got nuked and everything around that island for miles died. If this is one of the mega sharks, then it has to be a new one, right? Right, Moshi? A new one?”
“No,” Moshi stated. “Same shark. I logged bio-signature into Toyshop database. For study later and…just in case.”
“Fuck me,” Kinsey whispered.
“I check the data,” Moshi continued. “Carlos check the data. We double check the data. Same shark. And it is coming our way.”
“Double fuck me,” Kinsey said. She leaned heavily on the railing in front of her, her hands gripping and relaxing, gripping and relaxing, as she continued to stare out at the water. “How soon?”
“Before we reach island,” Moshi said. “It sees us.”
“There is no way to know that,” Kinsey said, but even she didn’t believe her own words.
“It sees us and it is following us,” Moshi said. “The Fallback is not big enough to survive.”
“And we don’t have Grendel on board to stop this thing,” Kinsey said. “What does the Toyshop have? How about those torpedoes you used against Wire’s boat that came for you?”
“One left,” Moshi said. “Plasma cannon might work. But only if perfect shot. Must be perfect. Shark is big, but fast. It will move.”
“Yeah, I fucking know,” Kinsey said. Her hands began to shake and she gripped the railing harder. “Fuck! Now I gotta go back on the bridge and let everyone know that our close to impossible rescue and take down plan is now pretty much gonna get scrapped because somehow a giant fucking mega shark survived explosives and a goddamn fucking nuclear warhead!”
“Sorry,” Moshi said. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
“Ya fucking think?” Kinsey snapped then sighed. “That wasn’t meant at you, Moshi. I’m just scared.”
“Me too,” Moshi said. “I will have Carlos get weapons together. We kill sharks before, we kill shark now. Just won’t be easy.”
“No, it won’t,” Kinsey said. “Do me a favor and send the data to the bridge, will ya? I want everyone to see it for themselves. Lucy will know what’s going on, but the Fallback crew won’t. Any chance you can come up here and help explain it?”
“Oh…”
“Moshi, I need you,” Kinsey insisted. “I’d have you send Carlos, but with his lack of interpersonal skills, he’ll have his throat slit in ten minutes by either Aubrey or Delana. Maybe me too considering the day I’m having.”
“I having bad day too,” Moshi said.
“I know. But, please? Send the data and I’ll get everyone warmed up before you arrive.”
There was a long pause then, “Okay. I will be there soon.”
The com cut off and Kinsey took several deep breaths before turning back to the bridge. She stood straight, squared her shoulders, and marched inside.
“Hope the time was worth it, Ms. Thorne?” Aubrey growled. “We have been busy planning while you were out gossiping.”
“Suck my dick, Captain,” Kinsey said.
“Oh, shit,” Lucy muttered. “I don’t even want to know.”
“Ms. Thorne, I understand that you are used to being able to get away with a cavalier attitude, but this is not the Beowulf III,” Aubrey said. “On the Fallback, we have a chain of command and we stick to it. I am the top of that chain. You are only on the chain because I allow it. Now, from this moment on, if you ever take that tone with me again, I will have you slapped in irons and thrown below decks. I’ll go old school maritime punishment on your ass, if I have to. No more warnings.”
“Oh, goody, no more warnings,” Kinsey said. “That’s good because maybe you’ll shut up and listen to what I have to say.”
Kinsey pointed at the scanner station where a tech suddenly sat up straight. He turned and looked at everyone at the command table, his face pale.
“Maybe ask him what he’s seeing before you get all high and mighty on me, Captain,” Kinsey said. “Dude? Go ahead.”
“I…I, uh, I’m not sure exactly,” the tech said.
“Then you are wasting my time too,” Aubrey said. “We have a very narrow window of success. That window is closing with every comment that doesn’t contribute to the plan.”
“Yes, Captain, but I believe you need to hear what she has to say,” the tech said. “If what I’m reading is true, we have a situation brewing.”
“A situation brewing is one way to put it,” Kinsey said. “Another way to put it is that we’re about to get ass raped by a shark that’s nearly as big as this ship. Is the use of ass rape crude? Yeah, it’s fucking crude. But it is the most accurate description of what will go down if we do not prepare for the fucker that is headed straight for us. That shark will tear us stem to stern. Literally.”
“No,” Lucy said, shaking her head.
“Yes,” Kinsey said. “I’m sorry, Luce, but we didn’t stop it. It took the fucker a while, but it found us.”
Aubrey began to say something, but Delana held up a hand.
“Are you saying that one of Ballantine’s megas is still active?” Delana asked. “I thought you had killed them all.”
“Not just one of the megas,” Kinsey said. “The mega of the megas. This is the bitch that wouldn’t go away. It destroyed everything. Everything. We thought we nuked it, but it must have slipped away somehow.”
“I’m sorry… You nuked it and it’s still active?” Delana said. “Fucking Ballantine.”
“I second that,” Kinsey said. “But blame Ballantine all you want, that isn’t going to get us out of this mess. We need to shift our thinking, people. The strike on the island will have to wait.”
“The strike will not wait,” Aubrey snapped. “Ms. Thorne, I thank you for your input and your concern for this ship, but we have planned for something like this.”
“Captain, I don’t think this is what we planned for,” Delana warned. “We should listen to the ones that have engaged this monster before.”
“If it is the same monster,” Aubrey said. “Survive a nuke? No. I don’t buy it.”
“You don’t have to buy it!” Kinsey yelled. “You don’t have to do anything except pull the bullshit out of your ears and fucking do what I say!”
There was a frightened squeak from the bridge’s main hatch. All eyes turned to see Moshi. The woman shrank back, but Lucy hurried over and basically dragged her all the way onto the bridge.
“Moshi is here to explain it all,” Kinsey said. “If you don’t listen to her, then we’re out. We get in the Toyshop and leave you fucknuts to die. Maybe this ship will occupy the shark long enough for us to get away. Maybe not. But we’re heading for land fast and we’ll fucking deal with
those zombie guard things. That’s way better than this fucking shark.”
“Zombie guard things?” Moshi asked. “Oh, yes, better than shark. Yes.”
“Ya hear that? If Moshi would rather step foot on land where dead people are electronically controlled to kill and keep killing, then maybe pay attention for five fucking seconds, okay?” Kinsey snarled. “Can you do that, Captain So Fucking Sure Of Herself?”
“I’ll tell you what I can do, Kinsey Thorne,” Aubrey said. “I can have you thrown in the brig so this insubordinate and chaotic behavior doesn’t spread. Guards!”
“Oh, dear,” Moshi said and managed to slip back off the bridge before the guards could get near her. Disappearing in plain sight was a very Moshi thing to do.
Lucy and Kinsey weren’t so skilled or lucky. The guards came down on them hard. All the two women could do was appear as passive as possible to avoid getting shot. There were suddenly a lot of guns pointed at them and just as many angry, distrustful faces.
Chapter Fourteen: Well, Ain’t That A Pisser
Darby waited for the sun to go down. The pause in action was only about thirty minutes, but those thirty minutes were crucial. That was plenty of time for someone that may have been hidden aboard the Resurrection to come out from their hiding spot and alert Wire and her people on the island proper that things were not as they left them on the ship.
So, Darby occupied her time and used those thirty minutes to make sure no one came out of hiding. She scoured the ship, leaving a trail of blood as she walked the passageways, and hiked up and down stairs. Her instincts told her she had cleared the ship of any threats, but she knew better than to rely simply on instinct.
Yet, when she was about to torch the ship, because that was the only way to make sure, she hesitated. It was that damn instinct again, gnawing at the back of her mind, squirming in her guts, telling her that they may need the Resurrection. They were going to have to get off the island somehow and Darby didn’t exactly see a ton of options sitting in the harbor. The empty harbor.
In the dim light of dusk, Darby walked down the gangplank to the dock, her body loaded down with weapons. She’d returned for the .338 rifle and added an M4. Her belt had two holsters, one holding a .45 and one holding a Desert Eagle. Darby had a sneaking suspicion the Desert Eagle belonged to Lake. She recognized the scratches on the grip from where he always slid it in and out of its shelf on the bridge of the B3.
