Menace From the Deep

by Michael P. Spradlin

  Dr. Geaux was cautious, making sure her people were always paired in teams, and insisted they maintain regular radio contact with Park Ops. All week he watched airboats leave the headquarters facility and never once did less than two rangers depart in a single boat. His microphones in the briefing room supplied him the grid coordinates the teams would search each day. He’d also planted tracking devices on the boats weeks prior, in anticipation that they might be useful. Now he could track their locations from the tablet console on his own craft.

  He’d shadowed some of the teams in his boat as they searched, looking for any sign of him or his creatures. Though he had no plans to release any of his animals until Dr. Geaux closed the park, so far she’d refused. Now there was no choice but to force her hand.

  Early that morning, Dr. Geaux and Dr. Doyle dispatched the search teams. After completing further study of the recovered Pterogator corpse, they also left the lab and headed into the swamp aboard an airboat. Thinking this might be the chance he was looking for, he followed them.

  For a reason yet undetermined, they returned to the very island where Hammer and Nails encountered the boys the previous weekend. The water was lower this time, so they anchored their airboat and waded ashore. Dr. Catalyst maneuvered his boat as close as he thought prudent to observe them.

  Dr. Doyle removed a pair of large tripods with an instrument attached to each one. Dr. Geaux carried another set. She headed to the east end of the island, while Dr. Doyle went west. This was his chance. It would be dangerous, and he must act quickly. With his boat engine in stealth mode, he approached the island from the south side. Carefully, he steered it parallel to the shore and navigated toward the west end, following Dr. Doyle.

  After quickly anchoring the boat in shallow water, he waded onto the sand. Creeping through the underbrush, he moved silently into position behind Dr. Doyle, who knelt forty yards away, readying his instruments. The man was so intent on his work that he was oblivious to Dr. Catalyst’s approach.

  Dr. Catalyst aimed the tranquilizer rifle, sighting down the barrel to a spot on Dr. Doyle’s neck. He slowly let out his breath and pulled the trigger. Dr. Doyle stood up when the dart hit his neck, slapping at it, like a mosquito had bitten him. He stayed conscious long enough to remove the dart, staring at it without comprehension, then he sank to his knees and collapsed face-first on the ground.

  Dr. Catalyst hurried forward as quietly as possible. Hefting the unconscious Dr. Doyle over his shoulders in a fireman’s carry, he returned to his boat, laying him on the deck. Checking to make sure he was breathing and his pulse was steady, Dr. Catalyst leapt aboard, and with the silent engine engaged, the boat cut through the water.

  When he was out of sight from the island he removed the goggles and engaged the main engine. The tablet on his console showed him the location of all the other NPS boats. It was a simple matter to avoid them on the way back to his compound. He knew the swamp far better than they did.

  As he piloted the boat, he composed his next message to the media in his mind. The park is to be closed, or Dr. Doyle shall perish. The stubborn Dr. Geaux would have no choice but to do as he demanded.

  Now the world would find out who was a charlatan and who was not.

  AS THE BOYS CROSSED THE YARD, CALVIN BENDING Emmet’s ear about Riley, Dr. Geaux emerged from the French doors onto the deck.

  “Hello, boys,” she said. “What are you up to?”

  “Not a thing,” Emmet said, hearing Calvin breathe a sigh of relief that the Riley discussion was at least temporarily over.

  “I need you guys to come inside for a second,” Dr. Geaux said.

  Emmet wasn’t sure why, but he felt a prickling sensation along the back of his neck.

  “Where’s my dad?” he asked as they entered the living room through the doors.

  “Let’s sit,” Dr. Geaux said. Emmet could tell she was trying to stay calm, and that only made it worse.

  “Where’s my dad?” Emmet insisted.

  Dr. Geaux sighed. “Emmet, I’m sure it’s going to be okay, but right now your dad is missing.”

  Emmet’s body tightened. It felt like electricity was crawling over his skin. This was the same feeling he’d experienced when his dad told him his mom was sick. And he didn’t like it.

  “What do you mean, ‘missing’?!” Emmet shouted at Dr. Geaux.

  Dr. Geaux took a deep breath. Emmet could see pain on her face, but right now he didn’t care. She had brought Apollo with her from the office. His dad took him along to work every day, so he didn’t have to stay home alone. The dog sensed Emmet’s distress and stood on his hind legs, his forepaws on Emmet’s waist. Emmet scooped him up in his arms and he licked Emmet’s face and nose enthusiastically.

  “He and I were setting up motion-sensor cameras on the island where those two things attacked you,” she said.

  “The pred-a-gators,” Emmet said quietly.

  “Yes, your father keeps calling them that now, too. As good a name as any, I guess. You remember when my rangers and I came back from the island? I carried a bag of … something?”

  Emmet nodded, even though he barely remembered.

  “When we searched the island, we found the fresh remains of a half-eaten python. It was literally torn in two. I brought a sample back and we tested it. We found DNA similar to that of the creature we have in the lab. Dr. Catalyst, as he calls himself, is definitely breeding these things to eat snakes. He needs the bird influence because some raptors can be trained to seek out a specific kind of prey,” she said.

  “What does this have to do with my dad?” Emmet asked.

  “Ben … Dr. Doyle thought he might be using the island to test his creatures before he released them in the wild. It might have been a coincidence that you and Calvin just showed up on the island that day, but he thought it was worth investigating. Either way, Dr. Doyle thought we should set up motion-sensor cameras and we might get lucky and find out what he was up to.” Dr. Geaux was obviously stressed and tired, but Emmet didn’t care. He felt like yelling at her to get back out in the swamp and find his dad.

  “Anyway,” she went on, “he took his equipment to the west end of the island while I took the east end. This Dr. Catalyst keeps feeding the media and we’ve turned up no sign of him anywhere in the park. It was a shot in the dark, but there were no other leads. We thought we might catch a break.”

  “Where is he, Dr. Geaux? Where’s my dad?” Emmet asked, his frustration mounting.

  “Emmet, I’m sorry, but I don’t know. Not right now. I came here to tell you. I’ve recalled every ranger I have to duty. First responders, county sheriffs, tour guides — anyone who has an airboat is out looking. I’ve got choppers, spotter planes, and the FBI is on the way with a tactical response team.”

  “How could he hide him? You must have some idea! You know that stupid swamp better than anyone!” Emmet insisted.

  Dr. Geaux tried to stay calm.

  “I think whoever this Dr. Catalyst is took your father hostage. We found a small tranquilizer dart on the ground by the cameras your dad was setting up. It’s being tested now at the county crime lab, but I’m sure it will be some kind of paralyzing agent. This is good news. It means Dr. Catalyst took your father alive. But there are any one of a thousand places both in the swamp and out he could have taken him. But we will find your father. You have to believe me, Emmet.”

  “How is any of this good news? What does he want? Why my dad?” Emmet was doing everything he could to keep the tears from coming. To his surprise, Dr. Geaux took him in her arms and embraced both him and Apollo.

  “Emmet, I don’t know what he wants. I think your dad was a target of opportunity. The last few days Dr. Catalyst has been saying he wants the park closed. I think this is his way of forcing our hand.” She stood up again and put her hands on his shoulders.

  “I’ve cleared it with the local police. I want you and Apollo to stay here with us until we find your dad. Which we are going to do, Emmet, I swear.
I’m going to close the park. I’m going back to HQ in a few minutes and make the announcement to the news media.”

  “I’m going with you,” Emmet said.

  Dr. Geaux shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ve got to coordinate —”

  “I’m going!” Emmet said. “You can’t keep —”

  “Mom,” Calvin interrupted quietly. “You can’t close the park. You can’t give him what he wants.”

  “What? Yes she can! If she closes the park, then he’ll let my dad go,” Emmet said.

  Apollo started squirming, so Emmet set him down and Calvin got him a bowl of water.

  “Every time you see the president or some police spokesman on television, they always say don’t negotiate with terrorists, and —” Calvin started to say.

  “Shut up, Calvin! Just shut up!” Emmet yelled.

  He turned and sprinted back out the door and climbed up into the tree house. All he wanted was his dad back.

  And he swore as soon as he saw him again they were getting in the truck and driving back to Montana.

  DR. CATALYST FELT VICTORIOUS. DR. DOYLE REMAINED unconscious while he piloted the airboat to one of his secondary buildings. It was a fail-safe backup in case his original location was accidentally discovered. It was stocked with supplies and used an energy source similar to the one that powered his main compound. The past week was spent preparing it to hold a hostage. It was his original hope to capture one of Dr. Geaux’s rangers, but he was overjoyed that his prize was Dr. Doyle, the eminent avian biologist.

  Now everything was set. This would be his most dramatic broadcast yet, and he was certain it would send a tidal wave of fear through all of South Florida. Dr. Geaux would have no choice. Her superiors would force her to close the Everglades.

  Dr. Doyle was seated in a chair placed inside a heavy mesh-steel cage. His right arm was handcuffed to a steel chair bolted to the floor. A long length of chain was attached at the end of the cuff. The cage held the chair, a cot, and a small chemical toilet in one corner. There was a water cooler outside the cage, but within reach for his prisoner. The water was also mixed with a mild narcotic that would keep Dr. Doyle tired and less likely to think about escaping. In a cardboard box were several days’ worth of protein bars. The cage was not tall enough for Dr. Doyle to stand up in, but he would be able to move around inside it. This would allow for Dr. Catalyst to leave him here alone, when he must attend to business elsewhere.

  A web camera was affixed near the ceiling in a corner of the room. Another was attached to a steel bracket in front of the cage. He checked his laptop to make sure it was transmitting correctly. The split screen showed a close-up of Dr. Doyle, his eyes closed, his head drooped slightly forward.

  The second screen was what would send shivers down the spine of anyone who watched it. It showed that Dr. Doyle’s cage was placed atop a platform approximately two feet high. The floor around him was submerged in eighteen inches of water. The water contained some grasses and reeds Dr. Catalyst had removed from the swamp and placed inside the room. But it was what lurked beneath the water that was truly scary.

  Swimming about the platform where Dr. Doyle sat unconscious were his two hybrids Hammer and Nails. Occasionally they lifted their elongated necks to peer around, and on the video screen the effect was chilling. Again, Dr. Catalyst had no intention of harming anyone if his demands were met. But if they were not, then he might be forced to take more drastic measures.

  If Dr. Geaux did not close down the Everglades and allow him to release his hybrids to destroy the big snakes, he would open Dr. Doyle’s cage and let Hammer and Nails inside. It would be another test of how his hybrids reacted when confronted with humans.

  EMMET DIDN’T KNOW HOW LONG HE LAY ON THE TREE-house floor. Apollo circled the tree, barking and scratching at the trunk, whining for a while, until Emmet finally climbed down. Dr. Geaux was still in the house on her cell phone when he came back in. She and Calvin gave him some time and space, and he appreciated it. When he entered the kitchen she told whomever she was talking to that she would have to call back, and she stood up.

  “I’m sorry, Emmet,” she said again. “We’re going to find your dad, I promise you.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Emmet said. “You didn’t kidnap him. It’s just …”

  He couldn’t go on. This didn’t seem like the right time to talk about being afraid of losing his dad, just like he’d lost his mom. But Dr. Geaux understood.

  “Emmet, I think I understand a little bit about what you’re feeling right now. I’ve … we’ve … Calvin and I have lost someone, too. But my husband’s death was an accident, and your mother was sick. Those are tragedies we couldn’t do anything about. We can fight back here. And we’re going to. We’ll find him,” she said.

  She stood up and reached into her pocket, handing Calvin and Emmet cell phones. “I brought these over from the operations center. They’re military-grade phones that we use in the park. I want both of you to keep these on you at all times. They’ve been pre-programmed with my number, the Florida City PD, Park Ranger Ops Center, Homestead PD, and the county sheriff’s department. If you have any trouble, any trouble at all, you hit one or all of these buttons and you’ll be surrounded by rangers and cops in a matter of minutes. There are chargers in the kitchen. Keep them fully charged at all times.

  “Emmet,” she said, looking at her watch. “It’s about seven now. It’s going to be dark soon. I was going to call my neighbor Mrs. Clawson to come stay with the two of you, but I’ve decided to take you both with me to park HQ. If your dad is in the swamp, I think he’s going to want to see you when we find him. I’m going to be busy — and you’re going to have to promise me you’ll let us do our jobs — and in return I promise you we’ll keep you informed. Deal?”

  “All right,” Emmet said.

  Dr. Geaux smiled at him and put her hand on his head, running her hand through his hair. Emmet hadn’t really thought about it before because she had an important job and was all business most of the time. But she was a mother, too. She understood what he was going through.

  “Okay. Let’s get Apollo and get back to HQ,” she said.

  The four of them piled into her silver Buick and hit the road.

  UNBEKNOWNST TO EMMET, DR. CATALYST RELEASED the video feed of Dr. Doyle in captivity with the two hybrids in the water circling his cage. Within minutes it was running on every television channel and website in South Florida, and by the time they arrived, the media was in full-on insane mode. The main lot at the operations center was a mass of trucks and SUVs from every radio and TV station from Florida City to Miami.

  Reporters with microphones chased after Dr. Geaux’s car as it pulled up to the gate. Only a line of county sheriff’s deputies kept the horde from surging through and following them all the way to the operations center. Still, they screamed and hollered questions at her through the car windows.

  “Why are there so many reporters here?” Emmet asked.

  “I told them I was holding a press conference at eight P.M., and everyone wants to get the best spot,” she said. There was a falsely cheerful tone to her voice, and Emmet thought she wasn’t telling him the whole truth. He wished he’d checked the TV before they left the house. It made him wonder if there was some new information about his dad she was keeping from him.

  Calvin and Emmet, with Apollo in tow, went to wait in a conference room while Dr. Geaux stayed behind, speaking with a group of rangers, cops, and other law-enforcement personnel gathered in the parking lot. Inside, Calvin sat at the table while Emmet paced nervously back and forth across the floor. Apollo sat on his haunches watching Emmet for a while, then curled up in a ball and went to sleep.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Emmet said.

  “No big deal,” Calvin said, with the familiar shrug.

  “You said there were protestors down here all the time. Has anything like this ever happened before?” Emmet asked. “Somebody being taken ho
stage or kidnapped?”

  Calvin shook his head. “Not that I can remember. I don’t recall Mom ever saying anything about it. Things can get heated, though. My mom … her job is not all that easy. She has to try to keep everyone happy, and gets pulled in a lot of different directions. You’ve got the environmental extremists, and those types who have all kinds of ideas about how the Everglades should be preserved. My mom says they range from ‘the nutty to the reasonable.’ At the other end you’ve got people who want to exploit the Everglades. They want to drain it all and build condos. Also nutty to reasonable. And then there’re the people who want to open it wide to hunting, boating, all that. She gets a lot of grief from all of them.” Calvin paused for a moment. “Even my dad.”

  “What do you mean?” Emmet asked.

  “He was basically living out there when they met, in a camp. He was probably more on the ‘close it down’ or ‘give it all back to the Seminoles and let them manage it’ side of the ‘what to do with the Everglades’ debate. Right before my dad … at the end … they actually fought a lot about it,” Calvin said.

  “Really? It seems like they would be on the same side. My mom yelled at my dad sometimes, because he kind of has his head in the clouds a lot thinking about his work, but she was all about nature and supported my dad’s career,” Emmet said.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Calvin said. “They supported each other. I just think my dad was old-fashioned and my mom realizes that things are just too far gone, and someone has to make really hard choices to protect the River of Grass.”

  “River of Grass?” Emmet asked, confused.

  “It’s what the locals call the Glades sometimes,” Calvin said.

  Emmet couldn’t stop pacing. He kept looking at the map of the park on the conference-room wall. It was an immense area, over one and a half million acres. He thought that if Dr. Catalyst was holding his father somewhere in the swamp, he could be anywhere.