The Iron Fin

by Anne Renwick

  “No.” Her voice quivered. “This is something I have to do.”

  On the far side of the room, Moray howled. And then she too felt a piercing pain, as the barbed tip of the braided wire pierced the skin of her thigh. Muscles in the octopus’s tentacle twisted and writhed, pushing the barb deeper, anchoring itself within her flesh.

  She whimpered as another tentacle twined about her shoulder. Gritted her way through another piercing pain. One more time. The beak. The hirudin. She could do this. But when the octopus bit down on her shoulder, sinking its beak into her trapezius, she could hold back no longer. She screamed.

  Through it all, Alec stayed beside her, steadfast and supporting, though she saw in his eyes the pain it brought him to be able to do nothing to ease her suffering.

  Panting, she struggled to keep her breathing even, waiting, dreading the final stage: blood vessel fusion. There it was…‌ a curious kind of lightheadedness. The room about her wavered and shifted as her blood pressure plummeted, as the creature siphoned off a full third of her blood volume.

  “Isa?”

  She couldn’t answer.

  Alec called to Miss Lourney. A needle pierced her arm. An intravenous saline line. But not fast enough, for stars twinkled and winked before her eyes a moment before blackness swallowed her whole.

  ~~~

  Floating. Rocking. Drifting.

  “That’s the one-hour mark,” Shaw called. “Tell him to come up and give us a report.”

  Isa peeled her eyes open. Some ten feet away, the BURR man stood on the pool deck, stopwatch in hand. Another man‌—‌impossible to name as he was suited up much like Alec had been when he’d attempted to rescue her after the megalodon attack‌—‌pushed the mouthpiece of his aquaspira into place and sank beneath the water.

  Aron surfaced a moment later, shaking water from his hair. “Amazing. Almost worth the pain.”

  “Might turn off the women,” Shaw quipped.

  “Might.” Aron’s gaze flicked in her direction. “Unless she was wearing one too.”

  “Watch it,” Alec growled.

  “What‌—‌?” Isa lifted her head from his shoulder.

  Warm, solid and fully dressed, Alec floated in the pool beside her. Despite the biomech octopus latched onto her back‌—‌a nightmare of a dowager’s hump‌—‌his arm was wrapped about her waist, holding her tight against his side. The other gripped the pool’s edge.

  “You passed out from temporary blood loss,” he reminded her.

  And he’d leapt into the water to hold her head above water. Warmth spread through her. “How long have you‌—‌?”

  “Two hours.” Worry filled the depths of his eyes. He pushed aside a lock of her wet hair. “How do you feel?”

  “Sore.” Her shoulder throbbed, and there was a sharp pain in her thigh. She shifted. So did the octopus. Its pliant flesh brushed over hers, sending a ripple of nausea from her stomach into her throat. But it was too late for regrets; it was done. She swallowed her disgust. “Uncomfortable. But otherwise fine.”

  “I hate to say it, but Moray’s results are impressive. The biomech octopus has an innate intelligence that anticipates his actions. It moves to assist him with every task. Your own octopus has kept a slitted eye on me this entire time, as if it remembers me. I’ve the uncanny feeling that with the slightest questionable move on my part, it would reach out to strangle me.” Alec’s hand slipped from her hip, trailing over the wet cotton of her chemise as he loosened his grip. “Moray has come full circle. At first he hated the creature, now he’s named it Rupert.”

  Isa rolled her eyes.

  “I know.” He flashed her a grin even as his arm fell away, leaving her bobbing in the water. “It’s time for you to trial any new superpowers you now possess. We’ve only a few more hours here in the pool.”

  “Hours?” The schedule drawn up last night involved a full day of training exercises.

  Alec’s mouth flattened into a grim and worried line. “Keeping this room on lockdown is proving difficult. A number of high-ranking Naval officers have made inquiries. One even attempted to personally gain access. My brother is worried your uncle covertly alerted Commander Norgrove. In any case, we’re being watched, and no one can be allowed to know Finn‌—‌or the biomech octopuses‌—‌exist.”

  “Agreed.”

  “While my brother arranged for Lady Roideach to claim her husband’s body, Miss Lourney worked with the engineers to assemble a container to transport you both to the submersible. Sea loch training maneuvers begin tomorrow.” He glanced over her shoulder, past the creature, and frowned. Isa turned. At the far end of the pool, Rip and Rowan‌—‌wearing dive suits and aquaspira breathers‌—‌slid into the water.

  Ah, he was needed elsewhere. “You should be with them, training.” She gave him a light push. “Go.” The octopus perched upon her back reached out with one tentacle and poked Alec’s shoulder.

  For an awkward moment, they gaped at the creature.

  “I’m not certain if it agrees with you, or remembers how I brutally separated it from Jona.” He squinted. “Is it the same one?”

  “Impossible to tell.” She forced a smile onto her face, not wanting to keep him from necessary tasks. Besides, he would still be in the pool, a short swim away. “I wonder what would happen if I were to kiss your cheek?”

  His eyes widened.

  “Go.” She laughed. “Train with Aron. There are at least half a dozen OctoFinn you will meet beneath the floating castle.”

  All humor drained from around his eyes. “When this is over, we talk.”

  Before she could respond, he turned, planted his hands on the edge of the pool and vaulted onto the deck. Folding her arms, she propped her chin on her hands and watched‌—‌unabashed‌—‌as he stripped away every last inch of his wet clothing, reminding her of all she’d yet to explore. Soon. The very minute this was over and her body was once again her own. He winked, then pulled on loose, linen trousers that‌—‌given the rough stubble of his dark beard and tousled damp hair‌—‌made him look like a shipwrecked pirate. On went his heavy rubber suit and the aquaspira breathing device. With a final wave, he grabbed a long stick and leapt into the deep end of the pool, ready to battle Aron and Rupert.

  She dropped beneath the water’s surface and swam the perimeter of the pool, adjusting to the feel of the octopus that gripped her back. With each kick, with each stroke, the creature assisted, propelling her almost effortlessly along the bottom of the pool. Four times she circled without the slightest urge to surface for a breath of air.

  Irritatingly impressive.

  Sinking to the deepest portion of the pool, Isa sat. As her red hair fanned out about her in a coppery cloud, the octopus adjusted its buoyancy, coiling its tentacles loosely about her arms and shoulders. Unable to bring herself to touch it any more than so-compelled, she folded her hands in her lap as the BURR men executed training maneuvers.

  Married to a military man.

  She tried to envision it. Never before had she had time for romance. Perhaps there had been a brief moment of possibility with Aron years ago. Standing in the moonlight on the beach when she’d received her first real kiss. But any chance they’d had was doomed long before he had petitioned her uncle for her hand. Not with a certified, licensed Finn physician living in Glasgow pressing his suit. With the slightest nudge, she’d rushed headlong into marriage, grasping at an opportunity that promised her so much, but delivered only disappointment and heartbreak.

  Marriage was a commitment she’d not intended to repeat, unable to believe that any man could possibly be worth taking such a risk again. She’d been content to live alone, carving out a new life one day at a time.

  Until Alec swept into her life, taking her by storm with his easy smile and his charming, flirtatious ways. Appearing at a Finn wedding, demanding escort to examine a dead body, swimming to her boat injured, but determined to unravel the mystery. A burst of bubbles escaped her lips. How long had
she managed to resist him? A few days?

  Beneath the water in front of her a mock battle raged. Aron played the role of an enemy combatant. Hand-to-hand‌—‌or rather hand to tentacle‌—‌combat as the BURR team tested a variety of techniques and weapons for fighting a man hosting a parasitic biomech octopus. The creature‌—‌Rupert‌—‌had bonded with Aron, observing and responding to his body language without delay. Between Aron’s BURR training and the octopus’s assistance, he had the decided advantage.

  From the very beginning, Alec had made it clear he had no interest in marriage. As had she. The sparks between them were to be fanned into a torrid affair, one that would eventually end. But somehow, despite being doused repeatedly by treachery, a stronger bond had been forged between them.

  What would it be like to be married to one Captain Alec McCullough? The very moment an engagement ring appeared in his hands, her heart had begun to pound with misplaced hope.

  A false engagement. A brief ruse to inject a touch of discord into a social event, just enough to ensure an overly persistent mother and daughter would allow them a few moment’s peace. She’d not expected for him to offer for her in truth, hardly dared hope that he would want more than the torrid affair he’d promised, but now she was the one who hesitated.

  These past weeks had been filled with excitement and terror. When this mission was over, what then? She would never ask him to leave BURR or the Navy, but could she handle being left on shore while he disappeared on secret missions for days, weeks, possibly even months? Would the worry wear her down? Would regrets surface?

  And what of her future? If she were willing to adjust to his life, would he extend her the same consideration? Standing together on the beach, he’d encouraged her dream of attending medical school. Would he do the same if she was his wife? She rather thought he might. Her heart flipped with joy. Was she a fool to hope she could have it all?

  Wrapped in rubber and an alarming face mask, Alec finned to her side, pointing upward.

  With a kick of her feet, she and her creature swam to the surface and joined Aron at the pool’s edge. Her octopus reached out with one arm to grip the side of the pool, holding her steady. Uncannily impressive.

  The clock hanging upon the wall indicated that, though she’d spent more than two hours completely submerged, not once had she felt a need‌—‌or even an urge‌—‌to breathe. Terrifyingly impressive.

  Alec peeled the mask from his face and caught her gaze. “It’s time,” he said, clasping her hand as he nodded toward the door.

  With a great clanking and rattling, several men pushed forth two cast iron bathtubs with wheels affixed to their claw feet. Attached to the side of each was an aerator, frothing and churning the water within.

  Mouths hanging open in shock and amazement, the men glanced at each other but said nothing, not daring to inquire about the odd, slitty-eyed octopuses that stared at them from the shoulders of a nearly naked man and woman.

  “Ready for your bubble bath, Moray?” Rowan laughed.

  With a smirk, Aron pointed at his teammate and a tentacle reached out to grab Rowan by the ankle and dunk him. He glanced at Alec. “That’s the solution to transporting us, tubs on wheels?”

  “Parasitic octopuses are rather outside the realm of Navy preparation and experience,” Alec answered. “This will be a short‌—‌if interesting‌—‌trip to the harbor.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  WITH A WHISTLE, the train pulled away from the depot. As the wheels clacked over the rails, Alec set his baggage on the floor of a cargo car beside crates of clucking chickens that were stacked from floor to ceiling. Shaw, Rowan and Rip did the same. A combination of steam trains, crank carts and coal carriages would carry them to points north.

  He lowered himself to the floor. A slight creak emanated from his knee. A frown tugged at his lips. Dr. Morgan had fixed it. He wore the brace religiously, and it had been fine for days. He muttered a curse under his breath. One more day. He just needed his knee to last one more day.

  Traveling with Isa and Moray via submersible had been the original plan, but was foiled by one Commander Norgrove who summoned Alec and the rest of the BURR team from the sea loch back to Glasgow on the very day the submersible needed to depart.

  Alec had sworn until he was blue in the face.

  Lord Roideach’s final words had been to name Commander Norgrove as a member of the CEAP Selkie Committee, to admit that the commander answered to Isa’s uncle, Commodore Drummond. Plans to sink the castle complex had been in place for months, plans that risked being exposed by CEAP inquiries into Davis’s death. Commander Norgrove had not been protecting the BURR team by objecting to unsafe use of aquaspira breathers, he’d been acting on Drummond’s orders to ensure that the BURR team never took their aquaspira breathers to depths that might interfere with any OctoFinn missions.

  But words gasped out by a dying man weren’t proof. Logan had been working around the clock‌—‌judging by the dark circles beneath his brother’s eyes‌—‌without time to search for definitive evidence of the man’s involvement.

  “He’s suspicious and rightly so,” Logan grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you fail to appear, he might manage to alert Drummond, and we’ve no way of adjusting to any changes made to the timeline.”

  Resigned, they hastily cobbled together plan B. Not remotely ideal, but they had little choice.

  “Go,” Logan said. “But see Miss Lourney first to pick up your new weapons and supplies. She’s been hard at work devising methods to ensure we don’t harm any Finn hosts. In particular, she has designed a contraption‌—‌a mechanical ring‌—‌that incorporates cephalopod stunning powder and physical pressure to clamp down on the biomech octopus tentacles.”

  The two dozen devices that Alec collected from Miss Lourney wouldn’t physically remove the creature from a Finn, but they would subdue the octopus while isolating the two circulatory systems. True separation‌—‌requiring vascular surgery‌—‌could then be performed at a time and location more conducive to surgery.

  “Use these only if the Finn are capable of keeping their heads above the water’s surface,” Miss Lourney warned, then pointed. “At lower depths, your team should use these spears. The tips are loaded with cephalopod stunning powder. Jab the creature to render it unconscious but still capable of oxygenating Finn blood.”

  He was impressed. The restrictions of working under Lord Roideach’s supervision had smothered her ingenuity and innovation. If this mission was successful, the Glaister Institute really ought to offer her directorship of her own laboratory.

  Isa and Moray planned to employ the experimental ring clamps‌—‌impossible to test them‌—‌immediately upon boarding the megalodon. He hated the very thought of them depending so heavily upon an unproven device, but there was little choice. To seize control of the megalodon, Isa and Moray would need to function in dry conditions. He hated everything about their plan but, most specifically, he hated her involvement. The risks were astronomical. Were this a true BURR mission, her participation would have been prohibited. Again his concerns had been noted, then overruled.

  Teeth gritted to the point of molar-cracking forces, Alec gathered his teammates and reported to headquarters.

  “You are on convalescent leave, are you not, Captain McCullough?” Seated behind a large oak desk, Commander Norgrove twisted his lips, unhappy at being informed that Sinclair and Moray were hospitalized, consoled only by forcing the majority of the team to stand at attention before him, a captive audience.

  “I am.”

  “Yet it has been brought to my attention that you have been involved in at least two BURR missions during this time period.” Commander Norgrove steepled his fingers, and Alec took note of a network of faint, white scars that ran along their inside edges.

  Finn. The missing connection that explained much. What position had Drummond promised the man? Military command of his fledgling nation? A young, pure-blooded Finn b
ride? He frowned. With luck, they’d never know.

  “Training missions, sir,” Shaw lied. “And only in a supervisory capacity.”

  Not the answer Commander Norgrove wished. He frowned. “That falls under the category of restricted duty. Has Dr. Morgan authorized your return to work?”

  Not a chance.

  “Has the appropriate paperwork been filed?”

  Given Logan was in charge? Unlikely.

  “I assume so, sir,” Alec equivocated.

  “Until such documentation crosses my desk, you are still on convalescent leave. No. More. Missions. Of any kind.” He looked at each BURR team member in turn, his expression pinched. “Your assignment to guard the royal wedding is cancelled so that you might attend to paperwork. Consider this a friendly warning to all of you.” Commander Norgrove tapped the top of his desk, uncertain they would follow orders. “I’ll be keeping a close eye on your activities.”

  “Yes, sir.” But they worked for the Queen now, if indirectly. Norgrove’s warning altered nothing, save their travel accommodations.

  “Dismissed.”

  Now, hours later, Alec leaned against the rough panel of the freight car’s wall and stared at his dinner rations‌—‌tinned beef. He missed her, Isa. That first night, he’d laid out a bed roll beside her tub, unable to sleep as an aching loneliness settled deep inside his chest, as if he could feel her drifting away from him. With the creature attached, he could barely hold her in his arms. Still, despite his many apprehensions, he was proud of her. At the sea loch‌—‌though she lacked the strength and aim of a BURR man‌—‌she’d impressed everyone but Moray with her aquatic skills, learning to exit and enter a submersible with relative ease.

  Without him, Isa and Moray would complete their mission by submersible, traveling in modified, aerated clawfoot tubs positioned mere feet from the exit hatch. The only way to accommodate their needs, what with the biomech octopuses attached.

  Leaving her in the care of another man‌—‌even if he trusted Moray with his life‌—‌left a permanent lump of lead in his stomach. He had to force himself to eat; the upcoming operation would sap his every last calorie. Tossing aside the tin can, he leaned against his rucksack and passed a hand over his eyes, forcing himself to sleep. A restless slumber, filled with dreams of Isa hovering just beyond his reach.