by Michael Bray
“I love you, Milton.” She whispered, and then pushed the button.
The winch cable was set free and was dragged into the water. Her world that had been a cauldron of noise and violence was now silent. Trembling and exhausted, she fell to her knees and started to sob. At some point, they became screams.
CHAPTER 32
First officer Pendleton raced through the corridors of the Victorious, heading for the command centre. Russo and Andrews were poring over charts as the young officer entered.
“Sir,” the man said, a single sheet of paper clutched in his hands.
“Not now, Pendleton,” Russo said without looking up. “As you can see, I’m busy.”
“Sir, you definitely want to hear this.”
Russo and Andrews looked at the officer, who cleared his throat and continued.
“We just intercepted a transmission to the Coast Guard from a boat claiming they had been attacked by the creature.”
“Where?” Russo said, giving Pendleton his full attention. The officer handed over the sheet of paper.
“Six miles from here. Another vessel is on the scene and assisting.”
Russo handed the paper containing the coordinates to Andrews.
“Give this to the captain. Tell him to get us to that location as fast as he can.”
Andrews did as he was asked, leaving Russo and the officer alone.
“What else do we know about this attack?” Russo asked.
“Not much right now, sir. Seems it was some kind of news crew who were looking for this thing and got more than they bargained for. It was hard to tell, the woman who called it in sounded pretty hysterical.”
“Keep me informed on any new developments as you get them.”
“Yes sir,” Pendleton said as he turned and headed towards the door.
“One more thing, Pendleton. The boat that is assisting on scene. Do we know anything about that?”
“It’s a crabber. Four man crew.”
“Do we know the name of the boat?”
“Yes sir, it’s the Lisa Marie.”
Russo stared at the charts, and in a sudden fit of rage, swept them off the table to the floor.
Mackay and Rainwater had helped Melina onto the Lisa Marie. Despite trying to find out what had happened, she wasn’t able to relay the story with any coherence. The Coast Guard helicopter had arrived and airlifted her to safety, advising Mackay they would send out a crew to pick up her boat, and they were to wait with it. They watched as the bright orange helicopter grew smaller as it distanced itself from them.
“I think we should get out of here and go home.” Rainwater said as the sound of the helicopter faded.
“Coast Guard told us to stay with the boat,” Mackay said.
“I mean after they have come and picked it up. This has gone too far.”
“You sure about that? If you call it quits now, you can’t be changing your mind later. This is a one-time deal. I won’t be doing this again.” Mackay said.
“I understand, and I get it now. I was stupid to come out here and put you all in danger. I think we should call it off.”
“It’s about bloody time,” Ox said, his eyes scanning the water. “Whatever this is, its way too big for us.”
“No.” Morrison said.
He was standing at the stern of the boat, staring out into the ocean.
“What do you mean no?” Ox said, looking from Morrison to Rainwater for some kind of backup.
“That fish finder on the other boat.”
“What about it?”
“The screen is empty.”
“So?” Ox said.
“So that means something has scared away the fish. Anyone want to hazard a guess what it could be?”
“Are you saying this thing is close?” Ox said, backing away from the edge.
“Oh yes, it’s very, very close now.”
Rainwater wasn’t sure what disturbed him most, the fact the creature they had been looking for was in the vicinity, or that Morrison looked not only completely unafraid, but ever so slightly unhinged.
“Let’s leave it be. If the lad says he has had enough, that’s good enough for me.” Mackay said, trying his best to be assertive.
Morrison widened his grin, and this time Rainwater saw a man that wasn’t just unhinged, but one who could well be insane.
“We came all this way,” Morrison said, Reaching into his jacket and pulling out a grenade.
“Let’s at least have a look at her,” he said as he pulled the pin.
“No!” Rainwater shouted, but it was too late.
The grenade was already arcing through the air, away from the boat and into the ocean. There were a few seconds of utter silence, and then the ocean exploded, sending an eruption of spray ten feet into the air.
“You dumb son of a bitch,” Mackay hissed, glaring at Morrison, who simply smiled as he concentrated on the water.
“You boys might want to pay attention and take a second to see exactly what we’re dealing with here.”
There was no more argument, and everyone looked at the spot where the grenade had exploded. Rainwater didn’t know how long had passed. It could have been seconds, hours, or even days. Everything around him had come to a standstill. He was incredibly aware of his surroundings, more than at any other time in his life. The knot in his stomach, the dull creaking of the hull of the Lisa Marie as it bobbed in the water, the dry sensation in his throat, the sweat on his brow. All of it seemed so clear, so vivid. It was then that it happened, and it took all of his effort to keep from screaming outright.
To call it a wake would be a gross injustice. It was more a wave, a mountainous displacement of ocean rolling towards the impact point.
“Holy mother of God,” Mackay muttered under his breath as the creature broke the surface of the water and he finally saw it with his own eyes.
The creature’s slick grey body glistened in the afternoon sun as it swam towards where the grenade had impacted. Its scale was incomprehensible. A flicker of a tentacle breached the surface of the water as the giant creature passed less than thirty feet from the boat. The wake slammed against the Lisa Marie, pushing both it and Melina’s boat some ten feet back in a lazy half circle.
When Rainwater had first encountered the beast, it had been too dark and too quick an incident to make out any detail. He had seen no more than a flash of skin through the rain before it had slammed into the Red Gold. Now, under the blazing sunlight and amid the crystal clear waters, he could see well enough. Part of him was filled with a mesmerised wonder, the rest a deep, sick terror. The creature angled towards the boat and dived back under the surface of the water. Nobody spoke as the creature passed directly underneath them.
“We can’t kill that, no way, it’s not possible.” Ox whispered, wringing his hands.
“It’s beautiful,” Morrison said quietly as he watched the creature dive deeper and out of sight.
Collectively, held breaths were exhaled, and each of the crewmembers looked at his colleagues with utter disbelief. Morrison was the only exception. He was still staring at the water, a half smile etched onto his lips.
“I need a drink,” Mackay said.
“Me too,” Ox agreed as he followed Mackay towards the inner deck.
“I’ll join you.” Rainwater added.
Morrison waited until they were gone, then with a sigh, took out his tobacco pouch and started to roll a cigarette. Just a few miles away, The Victorious was bearing down on their position.
CHAPTER 33
Dexter knew exactly where the small inflatable speedboat known as the Zodiac was stored, but with an entrance at either side of the engine room, anybody could walk in and catch him in the act of stealing it. The network of pipes offered him ample places in which to hide, however, the sheer noise emanating from the room would make it next to impossible to hear anyone approach.
He could see the storage locker ahead that contained the rolled inflatable raft and the lightweight ou
tboard motor. He paused and checked his watch, hoping Clara had managed to figure out the distraction as she promised.
The plan was simple enough. She would trigger the fire alarm, which would mandate an evacuation of the boat. They were now tantalizingly close to the coast and their escape route.
At the same time, Dexter was waiting with the Zodiac, Clara was psyching herself up to put her part of the plan into action. She hoped in the confusion whilst everyone else was waiting in line for the rowboats, she and Dexter would be in the motor fitted zodiac, which would enable them to easily outrun Russo, Andrews, and their crew, and get to shore.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. They would either escape or not, win or lose, and maybe, just maybe live or die. It really could be so extreme. She had already managed to lose her escort by complaining loudly to Russo that she refused to work under such circumstances. To her surprise, he had agreed, and the security detail had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Now all that remained was to put the plan into action. Clara took a deep breath and set off the fire alarm, firing three distress flares into the air for good measure. Instantly, the ship was filled with the high-pitched wail of the alarm, which triggered Clara into action. She began to make her way back through the ship towards the stern, where if all went to plan, Dexter should be waiting with the Zodiac. She was pleased to see, as she made her way through the narrow corridors that the plan was working perfectly. The Victorious had come to a halt, and armed guards hurried past without paying the slightest attention to her as they headed towards the lifeboat stations at the front of the boat. She pushed her way through the stern door, and felt a huge sense of relief as she saw Dexter in front of her. The relief lasted no more than a split second, as her eyes immediately fell to the gun pointed at Dexter’s head by Russo, who glared at Clara with a twisted half smile on his lips.
“You stupid, stupid bitch.”
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Clara said.
“I could ask you the same,” Russo fired back, pushing the gun harder against Dexter’s head. “Just where did you plan on going?”
“Away from here. I don’t want anything to do with this. Not anymore.”
“There was really no need for this little display. You could have left when we next docked. This is all so… dramatic.”
She looked Russo in the eye, trying to ignore the gun in his hand.
“Come on, let’s cut the bullshit. We both know that would never have happened. You can’t risk me telling people about Project Blue.”
Russo began to laugh, and the sound made Clara flush cold.
“Oh, it seems somebody has been watching too many movies. True enough, you might go spill your guts, but who will believe it?”
“The press will.”
“And when they come to look for evidence they will find it doesn’t exist.” He shot back.
“This thing we’re looking for is a pretty big piece of evidence if you ask me.”
Russo smiled, but his eyes remained without humour.
“So what happens now?” she asked.
“That, as they say, is the million dollar question. Where do we go from here?”
The stern door opened, and Andrews rushed out. He did a quick double take as he saw what was unfolding, and hesitated.
“What is it, Andrews?” Russo asked.
“We have it on sonar.”
Clara looked at Andrews then back at Russo.
“You’re still interested aren’t you, Dr Thompson? You still want to know what it is.”
She declined to answer, because Russo had read her perfectly and she hated him for it. He knew it too, because he widened his slick, predatory smile as he turned towards Andrews.
“Get the men back on board and follow our target. Keep your distance. We don’t want to spook it.”
“Got it,” Andrews stammered, unable to retreat quickly enough from the standoff.
“What do you say, Clara? Doesn’t the chance to study a unique design of evolution stir you? Does the opportunity to see something unseen by man not entice you?”
“When you are pointing a gun at my assistant, the answer is no.” She said, forcing herself to lock eyes with him.
“Touché,” he said simply as he lowered the gun and shoved Dexter towards Clara. “Despite what you might think, I’m not a monster. I’m here to do a job. As are you.”
Dexter rubbed at his temple as Clara glared at Russo.
“Take this as a warning,” he said, tucking the weapon into his pocket and pulling out a roll of mints. “No more stupidity. I see no reason why we can’t all get along and do our jobs then go back to our civilian lives.”
“We both know that’s bullshit. You have no intention of ever letting the two of us off this boat again.”
Russo popped a mint into his mouth and shrugged. “You really shouldn’t watch so many movies. Once my mission is done, it will be buried in red tape and hidden away. You might leave here and stir the pot, but you will never have a big enough spoon. What I can’t have happen, is you spilling your guts whilst the mission is still in progress.”
“Let me guess, national security?” she spat, feeling the colour flush in her cheeks.
“Actually, no. Professional pride. I have a certain reputation. When I say I will complete a task, I follow it through. This is no different. There’s nothing personal, nothing against you or your assistant here. Just a desire to complete the job I was assigned without undue problems. I’m sure you can understand that.”
“And what happens to us?”
“That is entirely up to you. If you do as I ask, you will go back into the world and do whatever it is you do. I have no desire to harm you.”
“What if I decide to make trouble?”
“I hope we don’t have to deal with that. After all, nobody likes a troublemaker. Now, it seems our elusive fish has surfaced, and we all have work to do.”
“I hope this isn’t some bullshit ruse to get me onside.” She said quietly.
“And I hope you don’t make me regret leaving your assistants brain inside his skull.”
Russo countered as he walked towards the hatch door. The Victorious surged to life, angling away in pursuit of the creature.
“There is something you should know about me, Miss Thompson, and that will make our time together more bearable.” He said as he drew level with them.
“What’s that?”
“No matter how you think you have fooled me, no matter how smart you think you are, I’ll always be one step ahead. I always have a plan.”
“One day, someone’s going to surprise you.” She said as the boat picked up speed, whipping her hair about her face.
“I doubt it.”
He grinned and walked towards the door, leaving Clara and Dexter alone to watch the tantalising safety of the coastline drift away as they headed out to sea.
CHAPTER 34
Ever since retirement, Paul Milla had wanted to swim with sharks. It had grown from a half-baked idea when he first saw a documentary on the Discovery Channel, to an obsession that had been financially out of reach until earlier that year. A supervisor in the warehouse where he worked had drunk a few too many lunchtime beers and run him down in a forklift truck. He had suffered shattered ribs, crushed vertebrae, and a broken leg. The doctors told him from the start that he would make a full recovery, even if the chances of him going back to work were slim.
It was only later, deep into his gruelling rehabilitation, when he was trying to figure out how he would be able to pay for the house and feed his family, when a word popped into his head that could solve all his problems.
Compensation.
He took some legal advice, more out of curiosity than with any intention of making a claim. When his legal team told him he could be looking at a hefty settlement and his wife chipped in to convince him it was money that he deserved, he reluctantly filed the claim, and was astounded with the outcome. He came out of it with a seventy-five grand pa
y out. The supervisor who had run him down did a hundred hours unpaid work for the community. Good deal.
Booking the trip to California was pretty much the first thing he had done when the cash landed in his bank, and he was now moments away from actually achieving his dream.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, honey?”
“We’ve already been through this. It’s perfectly safe. The sharks won’t be able to get anywhere near me. I’ll be fine.”
He looked at the man who would be responsible for overseeing the dive – a bronzed, blond haired, blue-eyed Australian named Greg Michaels, who was waiting patiently in his wetsuit for the Milla's to finish their dispute. With his wife for the time being silenced, Paul forced his body into the charcoal grey wetsuit, hiding his scar covered back from the heat of the sun.
“You ready there, mate?” Greg asked, making a few final checks to the cage.
“Absolutely, I’ve been ready for this my entire life. What if the sharks don’t show?” he asked as he zipped up his wetsuit.
“Oh, they’ll show. Seen a few big ones out already earlier this morning.”
“I guess for you it’s no real thrill anymore is it?”
“It’s always a thrill, mate, although with over a thousand dives under my belt, it takes something a little bit different to get my blood pumping.”
“Like what?”
“You ever heard of free diving?”
“No, what’s that?”
“Well, it’s pretty much the same as going in the cage, only without the cage.” Greg said with a grin.
Paul glanced over to his wife, who was now snoozing, iPod earphones wedged in her ears as she soaked up the California sun.
“Could someone like me do that? I mean swim outside the cage?”
“I wouldn’t advise it as a first timer. Trust me, you’ll get enough of a thrill from inside, especially if one of those big buggers from this morning come to take a look.”
“How big?”
