“Lucky you,” Mya said in a slightly jealous voice. Mya grabbed her gear and got aboard. “What kind of boat is this?” she asked as she looked at the controls under the large blue bimini top.
“A 2020 Nevada 36,” Jade replied. She handed her diving gear to Mya and unhooked the ropes that held the boat to the dock.
“Where’s the kitchen and sleeping area?” Mya joked.
“It’s not that fancy, but it does have this little feature.” Jade walked over to the side of the control panel and opened a small hatch in the floor. “Here,” Jade said, handing Mya a champagne glass.
“You’re not,” Mya said with a smile.
“Yes, I am,” Jade replied as she opened a bottle of champagne. Some sea gulls flew off the pier, startled by the cork’s loud popping sound.
“Take my glass, quick!” Jade said, laughing. Suds started to spill all over the boat. Mya grabbed Jade’s glass and put both under the opened bottle. Jade filled both glasses and set the bottle down.
“Now a toast. To Mya’s first boat ride and dive. A day we will never forget.”
“To a day we will never forget,” Mya replied. The sisters clanged the glasses together and drank. After the glasses were empty, Jade put them and the champagne bottle away.
“We can finish the rest of the bottle at dinner tonight,” Jade said. “Now one more thing before we go.” Jade pulled out her HD diving camera. She flipped the screen and put her arm around Mya and smiled. Mya stuck out her tongue and made the peace sign.
“Got it! The first of many pictures this week,” Jade said. She turned to Mya. “You ready to get this adventure started?”
“Yes!” Mya replied, eager to get started. Jade started the engine and pulled away from the dock. “Oh, Mya, I heard something strange on the news this morning.”
“What?” Mya asked. Jade gunned the engine forward. Mya grabbed onto the bimini top support beam, slightly losing her balance.
“There’s this hotel called the Nautilus. It has underwater hotel rooms.”
“Okay,” Mya said, wondering where Jade was going with this.
“One of the underwater rooms flooded last night.”
“What? How did that happen?”
“They don’t know yet,” Jade replied.
“It would be cool to see it,” Mya said, hoping Jade would get the message.
“You want to?” Jade asked.
“Can we really?” Mya replied with an excited smile.
“Sure. It will only take us an hour to get to Kaanapali.”
“Do you think the owners will let us dive down there?” Mya asked.
“No, best case scenario is we can see the wreckage from the boat. Worst case is the area is blocked off and we need to turn around,” Jade replied. “We can stop there after breakfast.”
“Sounds good.” Mya said, enjoying the salty air striking her face.
“That’s the Nautilus up ahead,” Jade said a few hours later.
“That place looks fancy. We should have eaten here,” Mya replied, staring at the five-story hotel and thinking about the average-at-best French toast she had eaten at a local beach side breakfast café. Mya’s thought went off the hotel when she noticed two small patrol boats stationed in front of them. “Jade, are you sure it’s okay that we’re here?” she asked. One of the men started waving his arms, motioning for them to stop. Jade started to reduce speed and brought the boat to a stop a few yards from the patrol craft.
“Good morning,” Jade said, moving her sunglasses to her forehead.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. These waters are currently restricted and unsafe. You’re going to need to turn this vessel around,” the man replied in an authoritative tone. The sight of the shotgun he was holding made Mya uneasy.
“Come on, Jade. Let’s go,” Mya said, not waiting any trouble. Jade ignored her. Mya knew that meant she was curious to see what had happened herself.
“My name’s Jade Kendig. I’m the lead diver with the Maui Diving Experience. In the past, I have helped the Coast Guard with diving rescue operations. I’d like to offer to help with the Nautilus disaster.”
“Thank you for the offer. However, we have orders not to let any divers in these waters until further notice. Even Coast Guard divers have been ordered to stand down,” the man replied.
“What! Who on earth ordered Coast Guard divers to stand down?” Jade asked, stunned.
“Look, like I said before, these waters are restricted,” the man said, getting visibly frustrated with her. “Please leave the area now; otherwise, I’m going to have to place both of you under arrest.” Mya swallowed.
“Jade, please, let’s go! I don’t need to see the damaged hotel room.” Jade was upset about the situation but got the message.
“Okay, okay,” Jade said, putting her hands up. “I just wanted to offer my help. Sorry to trouble you.” The man was too busy listening to a message over his radio to notice what she said. Jade turned the boat and headed away from the restricted zone. Mya looked up, noticing the soft roar of a helicopter engine in the distance.
“I cannot believe what he just told us,” Jade said, angered. She had the boat moving at a crawl while staring back at the disaster sight.
“What has you so worked up?” Mya asked.
“The Coast Guard should have multiple dive teams down there searching for bodies and trying to figure out what caused the structural failure.” Jade paused and took a deep breath. “I don’t understand why anyone would ever order dive teams to stand down.”
“Maybe he was lying so we would leave,” Mya suggested.
“Well, nothing we can do about it either way,” Jade said. She turned her head around just in time to see a low-flying helicopter flyover. “Jeez!” she screamed in alarm.
Mya ducked down. The helicopter was a good twenty feet above them, but it felt like they could have touched the wheels. The winds the chopper blades created briefly stirred up the sea around them.
“Mya, are you okay?” Jade asked.
“Yes,” Mya replied, a little shaken. “Are helicopters allowed to fly that low?”
“No! It’s probably the billionaire hotel owner who thinks he can do whatever he wants.” Mya watched as the chopper’s back door opened and two divers dove into the water.
“Oh, no divers are allowed in the water!” Jade yelled in annoyance.
“They left the back door open,” Mya said, trying to lighten the mood. They watched as the X-7 landed on the nearby shore. “What kind of helicopter is that?” Mya asked, looking at the propellers on the side wings.
“I have no idea, but I’ve seen that helicopter flying around before,” Jade replied in a very annoyed voice. Having seen enough, she gunned the engine. “I know one thing. I’m looking into this issue the minute we get back.”
“Why is this bothering you so much?” Mya asked. Normally, she was the one who got annoyed easily, and Jade was the calm one.
“Because, Mya, what if people are waiting to be rescued down there and die because of that stupid no divers order, or what if that low-flying helicopter caused you to fall off the boat when it scared you?” Jade pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes. “That’s what I have issues with.”
“How long until we get to the dive sight?” Mya asked, trying to get Jade’s mind off the issue.
“About an hour,” she replied. She turned to Mya and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be over it by then.”
Chapter 8
8:17 AM 4/9/2021 HST
“We’re nearly over the Nautilus sight,” Okada said, bringing the X-7 to a hover. “Go.”
Liz opened the X-7’s side door. Max tossed the rebreathers and diving fins out. Max brought his arms to his chest in an X shape and jumped. Seconds later, Liz did the same. Max and Liz put on their equipment and advanced towards the destroyed room. The sunlight lit up the clean water, making the visibility excellent. A large portion of the dome facing them was destroyed. The remaining glass around the destroyed area was covered
in white streaks.
“Do those markings look familiar?” Liz asked.
“Yes, they’re just like the marks I saw inside the Lucky Dragon,” Max agreed. He moved to the remaining glass to closely examine the marks. “Okay, this is definitely the same creature that attacked the Lucky Dragon.”
“What makes you say that?” Liz inquired. She was not doubting what he was saying. She was more curious to learn what he was seeing that she wasn’t. Max swam next to her.
“Liz, look at that set of claw markings. What do you see?”
“Four straight claw marks that go out from the hole about seven feet.”
“Okay, now look at those marking to the left,” Max said.
“That set only has three streaks.” Liz’s eyes lit up and a feeling of excitement came over her. She had figured it out.
“The claw we found on the Lucky Dragon!”
“Bingo,” Max replied. He handed her the dive camera. “Get some wide shots of the dome. I want to examine the hole.” Max swam inside the room and looked at the hole from the inside. The steel bars that held the glass in place had been broken, and the remaining sections were bent inward, revealing that something had forced its way into the room from the outside.
Liz finished with the pictures and joined him. Max pulled a measuring tape from his dive pocket. “Liz, go to the other end of the hole.” Max said, handing her the end of the measuring tape. “We’ll measure side to side and then top to bottom.” The size of the hole was thirty-three feet wide, fifty-seven feet high.
“Okay, professor, how big is this thing?” Liz asked.
“All I know for certain is the animal caused the damage. The question is was the hole created by the creature’s head or the entire creature?”
“I hope it’s the latter,” Liz stated, not wanting to imagine a creature with a head that large.
“Look around the room for small markings like the ones we found in the Lucky Dragon,” Max said. The two of them started a thorough search of the room.
“How much do you think it costs to stay in one of these rooms?” Liz pondered as she scanned the floor.
“I would imagine a lot,” Max replied. “What I want to know is why the hotel staff did not notice anything until this morning.” A slight movement from above caught Liz’s eye. She looked up and spotted something odd drifting through the water above her. She swam a few feet up from the floor.
“Max, I found one of our missing tourists.” Max looked up to see Liz waving a severed arm at him.
“Great, bag it up,” Max said, laughing inside at her dark sense of humor. Max continued to scan the floor until he saw what he was expecting to see.
“Liz, I found more claw marks,” Max said and pointed to the four claw marking in the marble floor. They were barely visible, but there was no doubt what they were.
“Great, tag em,” Liz said as she scanned the area for more body parts. Max placed a red block down to tag the location. “And if I’m guessing correctly, I should find another set here,” Max said to himself. He moved several inches to his left and found a set of three claw marks in the floor. Max put another block down and continued to think out loud. “At least half its body was in the room. Now I wonder.” He tried to imagine the creature standing in front of him; he swam to the location he thought the back legs would be. A moment later he yelled. “Liz, the entire animal was in the room! I just found claw marks from its back legs.” Liz swam down to look at the new claw imprints Max was tagging. She put her fist out for a bump. Max smacked it. “Now we can get a rough estimate of how big this thing is.” Max and Liz measured the length between the front and back claw marks.
“How many feet?” Max asked.
Liz looked right at him then said in a serious, slightly frightened voice, “This thing is at least twenty-eight feet.”
s s s
Okada sat at the hotel’s conference room table across from Jeremy, the hotel’s chief security guard, and Carlos, the senior hotel manager. Okada’s face had an emotionless expression. Jeremy was visibly annoyed by the continuous questioning. Carlos was showing clear signs of nervousness. Questions from the Coast Guard and hotel ownership were expected, but why was he getting questioned by this stone-faced Japanese military officer?
“If I’m reading this correctly. The blueprints for the underwater room states there are four different sensors placed around each dome,” Okada said, staring at a computer screen and pointing to the area he was talking about. “The sensors will alert the hotels front offices if any cracks or leaks occur.” Okada paused. “Is that correct?”
“Yes, sir. The sensors are supposed to alert us if even a small crack occurs in the glass,” Carlos replied anxiously.
“When did the sensors alert you to the problem?” Okada asked, leaning forward. Sweat started to seep through Carlos’s white suit.
“Well, sir… they didn’t. We were not even aware any damage had occurred until this morning when guests in the adjacent rooms reported it.”
“So, all four of the sensors failed?” Okada said, returning to an upright position. Carlos tried to form words as he thought of an answer.
“I don’t know how it happened, but yes; however, all the sensors in the other rooms are working.”
“How can you be sure?” Okada asked. Carlos motioned to Jeremy. Jeremy pulled up a screen on an iPad.
“You see here? All sensors in the four remaining rooms are working. The screen showed that sixteen of the twenty sensors were working.”
“How often is this system checked?” Okada asked.
“Once every twenty-four hours. It was last checked at eight-thirteen last night,” Jeremy replied.
“What about underwater security cameras?” Jeremy said, slightly looking towards Carlos.
“I advised we set up an underwater camera network. However, with the sensors in place, management thought it was not worth the cost.”
“That’s not true!” Carlos snapped. “The reason we decided not to place cameras around the rooms is we felt that it would make the guest feel uncomfortable. With the glass domes and all.”
“Why were one-way windows not installed when creating the domes?” Okada questioned.
“Our research and management teams felt the mirrors’ reflections would have a negative effect on wildlife, which could result in bad business.” Okada’s cell phone rang. He motioned for them to wait and answered it.
“Hello,” He said. He started tapping his index finger against the table as he listened to the person on the other line. “Good work… I’m in the conference room…. Bring it inside.” Okada put the phone down. He looked right at Jeremy.
“I thought the room had been searched by rescue divers?”
“It was searched by our underwater technicians.”
“Did your divers find something?” Carlos asked. Okada slightly moved his head up and down. Jeremy cleared his throat and speak.
“Sir, if I may ask a question?” Okada showed no sign of objection, so he continued. “Why is the Japanese government interested in a damaged American hotel room?” Before Okada could answer, Liz walked in and slammed the severed arm on the table. Carlos fell out of his seat, screaming in horror.
“Yeah, lawsuits,” Liz said. Jeremy had a look of disgust on his face. Knowing it was coming, Okada was unfazed.
“Is that all you found?”
“Of human remains, yes. Max found more evidence of our friend down there.” Okada stood up and looked down at the horrified Carlos.
“I suggest you close down all your underwater rooms until further notice,” Okada said and walked out.
“Yeah, happy to lend a hand,” Liz added and closed the conference room door.
“Liz, I need to make a call. I’ll meet you and Max at the helicopter.” After Liz left, Okada pulled out his phone and called Saburo.
“Yes, Okada?” he answered.
“Saburo, we completed the investigation of the Lucky Dragon wreckage.”
“Did y
ou determine a cause?” he replied inquisitively.
“Max strongly believes the wreckage was caused by an unknown marine organism. His theory was reinforced by a large unidentified claw found at the wreckage.” There was a slight moment of silence. Saburo could not believe that Commander Okada Takahashi had just all but confirmed he was hunting a sea monster.
The only words Saburo managed to form were, “Sir, what is your next move?”
“I am creating a task force to gather more information on this creature and, when the time comes, destroy it. Max, Liz, and I are returning to Tokyo. I must personally speak to the Japanese Self-Defense Force high command.”
“I will make the travel arrangements,” Saburo confirmed.
“As you do, get two tickets for yourself and Akio. The two of you will fly to America to personally recruit the two new members of the task force.”
“Sir? Two new members?” Saburo asked, surprised.
“I am adding two new members to assist our current team,” Okada replied.
“Understood. I assume you already have candidates in mind?” Okada sent Saburo an email that contained information on the two candidates. “Ashly Cross, an expert in field equipment, computers, and robotics. Samuel Richards is a leading expert in the field of cryptozoology,” Saburo read out loud. “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, is there a reason we are taking them to Tokyo and not Niihau?”
“If they decide not to accept becoming members of the team, base security will not be compromised.”
“Understood, sir. I will be on the next flight to the American mainland.”
Chapter 9
9:28 AM 4/9/2021 HST
Mya clumsily tried to fit into her wetsuit. The closer they got to the dive site, the greater the nervous knot in her stomach became. The idea of going diving sounded great when she arrived. Now that she was actually about to do it, she started to feel uneasy.
“What’s wrong?” Jade asked. She noticed the expression on her sister’s face.
Depths of Paradise Page 4
