Apex Predator Thriller Series Collection (Including the blockbuster new shark park thriller, Salechii)

by Carolyn McCray

  The boy ran to the far door. “Come on, mum, we’ve only got an hour until dinner and I want to see all the sharks!”

  “Well, I guess we’re off,” the woman said, following after her boy that had disappeared down the tunnel. “Nice to meet you.”

  She put her hand out and Nick shook it. “And can I say you were amazing, simply brilliant in Master of Bangkok.”

  Nick smiled. “That was one of my favorites too.”

  That wasn’t true at all. The shoot had been hot and sticky and he wasn’t the best with a nunchuck. He still had the lumps on the back of his skull to prove it. And John Woo could party with the best of them. Nick couldn’t remember the second half of the shoot and really didn’t want to know all the chemicals he’d put into his body while in Thailand. It would have put The Hangover to shame.

  “Mom!” the boy screamed from somewhere down the tunnel. The woman let go of his hand and hurried off. Nick followed, albeit a bit slower. He followed the blue lines although at this point he was certain the computer was just jacking him around.

  “Nick!” a voice called out behind him.

  Who did he know on the island that he was on a first name basis with? He turned around to find a cowboy hat wearing South African man trotting toward him.

  “Fancy finding you here,” Jack the Shark Hunter said, thrusting his hand out.

  Yes, fancy that. You just happened across me with your entire film crew in tow, cameras rolling. Still, Nick had to be polite.

  “Jack, nice to meet you,” Nick said, shaking the host’ hand. The man was pumping their hands up and down, apparently trying to make a point. This was yet another side effect of Nick’s fame. Everyone felt like they had to prove something to you. Especially another guy in the industry.

  “I was hoping to catch you,” Jack said. Finally the truth coming out. “I’ve got a joint project that would be just perfect.”

  Nick bet. Every project out there was “perfect” for him. Who cared that it was supposed to star Olympia Dukakis. With a little rewrite, he’d fit right in. Nick was used to getting pitched the weirdest stuff in the weirdest places. At least this wasn’t at the bathroom at the Ivy. And at least Jack hadn’t mentioned mutant salamanders… yet.

  “Really?” Nick said trying to not act too annoyed in front of the cameras.

  “Yah, yah. It’s a script about exotic animal trafficking. You’d be perfect for the customs agent.”

  Out of all the pitches Nick had heard, this one wasn’t too bad, but he couldn’t encourage the guy. “You’ll have to speak with my manager. They don’t let me talk about anything without them in the room.”

  “Of course, of course,” Jack said, letting go of Nick’s hand. “Have you had a chance to swim with Lebowski?”

  “Sorry?”

  “The whale shark. We were going over to get a little footage in. It’s supposed to be the maader.”

  Nick indicated to his tux. “Not exactly dressed for it.”

  “Ah, We’ve got plenty of trunks for you. I can tell you from personal experience it is something you don’t want to miss. And we’ll film you. We’ll get great footage for Access Hollywood, I promise you. A win-win situation.”

  Nick usually found when people said a “win-win” situation it meant a little bit of a win for Nick and a huge win for the other person. This was no exception. Nick would get a thirty-second clip and Jack could promote the hell out of the fact he had Nick on one of his episodes.

  Although swimming with the whale shark was about the only thing that had sounded really appealing about the park. And it would make some pretty stunning footage. He did have a reputation to uphold since everyone thought he was some kind of adventure addict. Supposedly he’d climbed Mount Everest. Spelunked his way through Russia and could fly a fighter plane. None of which was true. It might be nice if he actually did something daring and on camera.

  He also was rumored to do his own stunts, which was also just flat out not true. The insurance companies wouldn’t even let him near the set if anything dangerous was happening. If he even broke a pinkie finger, the entire production could be shut down for days to weeks, costing the company tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars.

  They would be so pissed if they knew he was contemplating swimming with a shark. Which pretty much confirmed he was going to do it.

  “Lead the way,” Nick said.

  A surprised smile crossed Jack’s face. “Really?” Then he seemed to remember that he was on camera. “Lukka. Absolutely, lukka.”

  * * *

  Tonaka could not be more proud. He had to admit he was as proud of QX59 as he was of his own offspring. The robot had exceeded his every expectation. His STEM results were off the charts. His reaction to emotional situations were nearly identical to a young adult’s in their third year of college.

  Better even since there was no chance the robot was going to get inebriated at a frat party. His IQ was, of course beyond genius level. But that had been done before. Smart robots were almost a cliché’. Emotional robots though? That was new development, outside of science fiction, and it was all his.

  “I really should be getting back to the amphitheater,” QX59 stated. Again, being anxious had been a wholly human emotion until now.

  “It’s okay,” Shalie said, putting a hand on the robot’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a half an hour before the investor’s meeting. We’ll get you out of here in time.”

  The robot sighed. Sighed. It was a sight to behold. If the robot’s eyes had been equipped to roll back in his head, Tonaka was pretty sure that they would have. Fascinating. He would need to add that to the list of features for the new models.

  “Do you think Callum will let me buy this unit back?”

  Shalie shook her head. “I doubt it.”

  Tonaka frowned. “But I heard that this QX won’t do the work he was purchased to do?”

  “Oh, you mean interact with the sharks?” Shalie said with a chuckle. “Yah, no. He won’t go near them.”

  “Then why would Callum want to keep him? I would fully refund him.”

  Shalie patted the robot on the back. “Because Dillon and he have become BFFs.”

  Tonaka tilted his head. “I am not familiar with this term.”

  “Best friends forever. Dillon would never agree to be separated from him, sorry.”

  This was not good news. Ever since creating this robot, Tonaka had tried to install emotional intelligence chips in other models, with no success. He really needed to study this robot to discern why the chip worked in him and not any other robot he’d built.

  “You do realize that I modified his chip, right?” Shalie asked.

  “But that violates his warranty.”

  “Don’t tell the boss, okay?” Shalie said with a grin.

  Tonaka studied her more closely. She was a brilliant scientist, but he worked with a hundred brilliant scientists. What made her so special that she could get his chip to work when no one else, even himself could?

  Shalie’s smile broadened. “I turned off the behavior inhibitors.”

  As the woman’s smile widened, Tonaka’s frown deepened. “But those were put in as a protective measure.”

  The scientist waved off his concern. “That’s so Asimov old school. Do toasters have three laws? Cars? Why should a robot? Are we really going to allow a ‘Golden Age of science fiction dictate to us how actual science advances?”

  “Because, because…” Tonaka couldn’t think of a rebuttal off the top of his head.

  “Because they can act on their own?” Shalie suggested.

  “Yes. Yes. A toaster can’t decide to explode on its own.”

  “Ah, but if you want a robot to truly have feelings, you can’t cut off an entire spectrum of negative emotions. They must have all of them to be whole.”

  “But what if he decides to turn on a human?”

  “Well, just like when a human decides to turn on a human? There are consequences.”

  To
naka while beaming with pride at his robot was also deeply worried. The point of creating artificial intelligence was to create a more perfect form of intelligence. One not corrupted by petty jealousy and other negative emotions that had held back the human race for millennia.

  To find out that it was those negative emotions that drove this latest breakthrough was a bit disheartening.

  “I really should be getting back,” the QX said.

  Shalie nodded to the robot. “Go ahead.

  “Thank you,” the QX responded and hopped off the exam table and headed for the door, his tail swishing behind him. He picked up a can of oil with it as he exited. Truly amazing. The QX turned back. “I would never harm a human. I love humans.”

  Then the robot was gone.

  The problem was Tonaka knew from experience how fine a line there was between love and hate.

  CHAPTER 6

  Nick was beginning to regret his decision to come along to the whale shark enclosure. What had sounded like a transcendent experience was in reality turning out to be a pain in the ass. Sure under the water was pretty quiet, but on the upper deck there was a wicked squall.

  The rain pounded against the glass of the changing area sounding like the water was actually mad.

  “Oweh,” Jack shouted before tossing Nick a set of swim trunks with the national flag of South Africa across the front. It was quite colorful with a green sideways “Y” and blue and red stripes. Nick turned it over in his hand hoping that he didn’t create some kind of international incident by wearing another country’s flag other than his own. “Come on, don’t be such a toppie.”

  Nick could only imagine that wasn’t a compliment. Making sure the cameras weren’t on, he stripped down quickly, folding his tux neatly so it didn’t crease and pulled on the trunks. By the time he turned around, Jack was already changed and heading out into the storm.

  His intrepid crew was right behind him.

  It was now or never. The investors meeting was in a few minutes then after that his “date” with Shalie. Nick wasn’t sure which he was more nervous about. Swimming with a whale shark or going to dinner with a beautiful woman.

  About time he found out. Nick opened the door and got pelted by rain drops hurled with such force from the storm that they actually hurt. He ducked his head behind his hands as he ran over to the side of the enclosure.

  “Isn’t there some procedure for this or a life guard or something?” Nick asked.

  “In theory the exhibit had been shut down, but that isn’t going to stop guys like us, now is it, toppie?”

  With the cameras rolling, how could Nick say no?

  Jack tipped over backwards, falling into the undulating water. Nick followed suit. He could not, under any circumstances look like a wimp compared to Mr. Shark Hunter.

  The water was cold, but not as cold as Nick would have thought. It was pleasant actually. It washed away the stale sweat from the long plane ride. Jack handed Nick a snorkel. Nick blew out the water, floated to the surface and took a nice long drag of air.

  From below he saw a huge shadow rising toward him. And by huge he meant huge. Like crazy huge. Elephant on steroids huge. For a moment he could feel panic well. He’d seen the cellphone footage of Rusty’s accident enough times for his own throat to start to close. He could only imagine Nami’s panic if she were here.

  Jack swam further out into the enclosure and gave a thumbs up. As the massive shadow got closer and closer, Nick made his way over to Jack. No wimps allowed.

  Once the whale shark was close enough, Nick started to make out the fish’s spotted scales and large, sweeping fins. It was like nothing Nick had ever seen before. Sure he’d seen pictures. There were quite a few whale sharks in various aquariums around the world, but to see one close up? With no glass between you? That was a little heady.

  They paddled a bit further out to give the shark room to rise to the surface. Its dorsal fin, flopped over, skimming the surface. It was too big and fatty to stand up on its own.

  Now Nick could see why the shark had come. One of Jack’s crew was banging a plastic container at the side of the enclosure. Nick had read somewhere that they used brine shrimp to entice the shark into the “swim with the sharks” area.

  As the shark swam by, Nick put his hand out. The shark’s skin was actually smooth and soft. Not scratchy like Nick would have suspected. Not quite baby bottom smooth, but not old granny heel rough either.

  Jack urged him forward as he grabbed hold of the whale shark’s pectoral fin. The shark didn’t seem to mind as it swam forward to collect its brine shrimp reward, towing the Animal Planet host with him.

  Nick watched as the great shark opened its gaping mouth. The orifice was the size of a car and sucked in the cloud of brine shrimp in a single gulp. Jack urged Nick to grab hold.

  With the cameraman only a few feet away, Nick had to pony up. He reached out and grabbed the soft tissue of the shark’s fin and got taken along for the ride.

  It wasn’t quite a spiritual experience, but it was pretty damned close. He and the shark really did seem one. Nick could feel the shark’s pulse under his fingers. So odd. The shark’s flesh even felt warmer than the water.

  Jack patted the shark on the side, smiling for the camera. He then draped his arm over Nick’s shoulders pulling him into the shot. A small price to pay for such an experience.

  Then Nick’s brain started demanding oxygen. The same must have been happening to Jack as he pointed a thumb up to the surface. Still Nick was hesitant to let go of the shark’s fin. He hadn’t felt so at peace since… well, getting married to Talia.

  But he couldn’t wait any longer and finally had to release his grip and follow Jack to the surface. As they bobbed on the rough water Jack yelled, “Did I not tell you that was going to be agro?”

  Nick didn’t think much of the shark hunter, but in this case he was right on.

  * * *

  Callum watched the weather projections run over and over again. It wasn’t good. It wasn’t even bad. It was god awful. The hurricane was barreling right toward them.

  “Don’t worry,” Shalie said. “I’ve checked the engineering mechanics myself. We can withstand, Hurricane Ralph.”

  “It’s already a category four,” Callum stated feeling more than a little annoyed at the doctor. First she’d accepted a dinner invitation from a guy she’d just met and now she was all dressed up in a red long dress with jewels at her throat and high heels of all things.

  He’d had a thousand meals with her and all he got was a khaki pair of shorts and t-shirt. Which she looked great in, but still.

  “It will be a category five by the time it gets here,” Callum stated feeling especially glum.

  “Stop worrying,” Shalie said with a nudge of her hip. “You’ve built a foundation that can survive even a category five hurricane.”

  Callum wasn’t so sure. He’d been sure when he’d drawn up the plans. He’d been sure when he built the rigging. He’d been absolutely sure until this moment when the massive cyclone was spinning across the screen at them.

  “You know what I think?” Shalie said.

  “No, what?” Callum asked.

  “I don’t think this has anything to do with the storm.”

  “Really?” Callum queried, nodding to the huge cyclone that filled the entire main screen. “And what is it about then?”

  “You don’t want to leave for the amphitheater,” Shalie said. “You’d rather wring your hands here then go into that meeting and ask for more money.”

  Callum would have loved to argue with her, but he couldn’t, because she was right. There were things he hated even more than a category five cyclone and that was begging for funds. But after the Hammerheads’s live birth, there probably wouldn’t be any better time.

  “Fine,” he said pushing off the railing. “See you at dinner?”

  “Maybe,” Shalie teased as she led the way out of the control room. He felt so much more at home here. This was the nerve cen
ter of the facility. Water pH’s streamed down the side screens. Video feeds of each and every enclosure gave them real time feeds on all the sharks. He felt in control here. In the amphitheater, not so much.

  But he couldn’t avoid it any longer. The entire population of investors should be assembled and it was best he didn’t make them late. They were probably all hungry and chomping at the bit to get to dinner. He better make it short and sweet.

  Maybe he should change? He was still in the shorts and shirt that had gotten drenched out by the helicopter. However, he would rather die than get into a monkey suit. He’d gotten over seven hundred million in investment in shorts, he’d hope his luck continued.

  Shalie turned down a side corridor, heading toward the dining room while he took a right and walked toward his doom. A QX opened the door that led to the stage and Callum entered the stage.

  Behind him a twenty-five foot wall of acrylic showed off perhaps the best view in the park. The reef teamed with life as the Gabby, the Great White shark prowled her domain. Her scales flashed grey as she passed by. As the sunset, the water was illuminated with bio-friendly “twilight” lights. The reef and the shark needed to know it was night, but the guests needed to see the star attraction. All lights went off after eleven pm.

  The Great White shark was majestic and in all her glory as she swam by.

  Callum had to put a hand up as bright lights came from the interior of the amphitheater. He looked out over the two hundred plus seating to find a camera pointed at him.

  Jack, of course.

  “I don’t remember arranging to have this meeting filmed,” Callum snapped, wishing he hadn’t, or at least not in front of this assembly.

  Jack shrugged. “Not filming you, mate. We’re filming that beauty behind you.”

  Callum didn’t answer back. What was the point? The cameras just added to the pressure of the meeting. Trying to shake off his irritation, Callum climbed the short steps to the podium.

  He didn’t need any kind of multimedia presentation. He had that swimming behind him.

  Good girl, Callum thought. Hang out right there and we’ll be fine.

  He looked out at the audience. All eyes were on the Great White. She was making quite a show. Swimming to and fro, sliding right along the glass, her mouth slightly open, showing off her teeth.