From the depths (THE DEPTHS TRILOGY Book 1)

by DAN MONTY

  His feelings were sincere, his eyes genuine and concerned but his words cut like razor blades. “You don’t know a thing about me!” Abigale spat, and Bo nodded his head, “...But I know men like Hans Strucker. Hell, I’ve known a lot of men like that, and trust me when I say this, a guy like that has always got something cooking in the kitchen he don’t want no-one else to smell. There’s something he’s not telling us, and he himself said he wouldn’t tell us everything... “ He sighed, taking a breath and looking around before lowering his voice, “...Look, I might be talking out my ass. Hell, maybe it’s the booze doing the talking, but ever since we got here I don’t feel right. All I’m saying is be careful. Something here don’t feel right,” Bo said, walking away from the balcony and into his room, shutting the door behind him. Abigale watched him go, sighing and returning her attention to the ocean beyond the palms. It had been a long day.

  ◇◇◇◇

  Ray unloaded a fishing boat by the dock next to fishing supplies and made his way to a boat shed, unlocking the door and carrying the supplies inside.

  He turned to leave the shed and stopped suddenly, right in front of the white suit of Hans Strucker. “JESUS, MAN!” he shouted, quite startled, “Forgive me sir, you scared me half to death!” But Hans was laughing. “If you weren’t so high all the time, you wouldn’t be so jumpy, Ray. I need you to do something for me. Can you do something for me, Ray?” he whispered oddly. Ray nodded his head, “Ya man, o'course!” he nodded, catching his breath and following Hans as he led him down the long staircase into the laboratories below.

  As they passed through the megalodon tunnel, Hans put an arm around Ray and spoke softly. “You and I have worked together for some time, yes?” the German asked him. Ray nodded, “Ya man! Going on three years!” he said... and Hans whistled, “Three years? My goodness. That’s a long time. Do you know that I’ve not given anyone a promotion in that time? No? I suppose I have been so busy with my work, I have neglected my staff. This is something that must not continue,” he said kindly as Ray smiled.

  Hans led him into the room at the end of the hall – the room of glass where the five had first met, and through the last door the other end. Ray watched as sharks glided beneath his feet.

  The next room was a lobby, a white room with windows looking out into the waters. A song by Groove Armada played from a speaker. It was relaxing and trance inducing. Ray remembered it from somewhere and knew the track to be called At the River. There were only few lyrics and they were simple, calming, and etched their way into Ray’s mind.

  “If you’re fond of sand dunes and salty air... quaint little villages here and there... “

  The lyrics repeated over and over until Ray lost count of how many times. A red haired woman wearing white typed on a computer at her desk, greeting Hans with a nod, and he smiled back. The secretary blushed and cursed as she spilled coffee at her desk.

  The white lobby was narrow, serving mainly as an entrance to the three glass elevators that allowed transport to the other levels below. These were levels A, on the very bottom, and B, and C above that. A special level clearance card was required for each level. If you had level C clearance, you could not access levels A or B. Level A clearance meant you could access all three levels. Only very few people had level A clearance, and Strucker was naturally one of them. He used his card to tap the reader by the elevators and one of the doors slid open. He motioned for Ray to step inside and Hans joined him... Hans entered ‘A’ and winked at Ray. “We are going to Level A?” Ray inquired, and Hans nodded.

  The glass doors closed and the elevator began its descent. Hans had never taken him to level A. In fact, he had never even heard so much as a rumour of what level A even was. Was Hans giving him a promotion? What would his new job be? He was confused, excited and enthralled, but one thing was absolute – when the elevator reached its destination, Ray would finally see what he had wondered about ever since he first arrived on the island. He would finally know the best kept secret the island had to offer.

  As the elevator slowly descended, Hans whistled to the Groove Armada song which continued to play in the elevator. The song ended abruptly and replayed from the beginning. He’s got this playing on a loop, Ray thought to himself and Ray became aware that a new emotion had kicked in. Fear.

  5

  Sunrise streaked in through the curtains of the room where Abigale Channing slept, and she rubbed her eyes... the sound of a light tropical rainfall causing her eyes to flutter open.

  Her dreams had been unremarkable and she had found peaceful sleep. She ran a hand over her naked body and sat up aware that she was on the island again. She stood up, walked across the room and poured herself coffee, sitting nakedly on the wooden chair by the desk, and lit a cigarette.

  Abby didn’t smoke much, mostly in the mornings and sometimes after sex. She had her vices, but aside from drinking booze and the occasional smoke rolled from her tobacco pouch, she was pretty fit and healthy. Athletic, and attractive, Abby had no insecurities about her body. She was comfortable with her sexuality and even an occasional exhibitionist. She sipped her coffee, walking to the open window and taking several shots of the rainwater sparkling on the palms. It would often rain on the island, mostly at night and in the early morning. Abigale liked rain.

  She walked out onto the balcony nude, raising her hands over her head, and basking in the sun shower. She licked her lips, running a hand through her wet hair and allowing the beads of water to run down her body. Bo Landers stepped out onto the balcony unapologetic, and like it was the most natural sight in the world. “Morning," he said, and she smiled at him. “Beautiful, isn’t it? You know it rains almost every morning here? I love that. I think I could get used to this place," she added and Bo smiled. “You might want to put some clothes on, Abby. The perverts are waking up,” he added, and she gave him a mock salute, “Aye aye, Captain!” she giggled and walked back inside her room to dress.

  Bo shook his head, pulling out his pack of Marlboros and sparking a cigarette. He took a long satisfying drag, looking out over the sea. He’d seen plenty of naked women, hell he’d swum naked with them in coral reefs and lakes. He knew exactly what kind of girl Abby was – flirty, adventurous, and carefree. He liked that in a girl, but he also liked getting to know a girl before seeing her in her birthday suit.

  Abby emerged from her room wearing black shorts and a t-shirt. She walked over to Bo, grabbing his cigarette and taking a long drag.

  “So, if you’re from California, why do you sound Texan?” she asked, and Bo took back his smoke. I was born in Utah. I moved to California when I got into show business. I had to get away from my family, you know?” he replied. Abby pointed a finger at him, “Right!” she said.

  She pulled out her cell phone, cropping and editing the shot she had taken earlier of the rain hitting the palm leaves. “I wanted to be a singer once. Dad used to say I was talented, but he was always so bloody eager to get me to prove myself. I tried out for Australian Idol one time. I thought I really had a chance. Didn’t even get to the audition. I had a panic attack backstage. I couldn’t do it.” She spoke softly, gradually brightening up again.

  “I stuck to my photography and really pushed myself. At premieres, I got shots that no-one else got. In Sydney I was invited to exclusive parties and I mingled with the best and the brightest. I razzled, I dazzled, and I made all the right friends. You say that I don’t belong here, but you have always been in the spotlight. You don’t look at me and see talent, you see a hack. Well I’m not a hack. I’m a bloody good photographer. Don’t go getting pissy because that German guy sees it, and you don’t, okay? I have just as much to offer this team as you do,” she said.

  Bo was feeling a little cut. He didn’t mean to imply he had doubted her abilities – he was sure she must have made some kind of impression on Hans to capture his interest. Bo was just concerned that there was more to this place than met the eye. He couldn’t explain why he felt that way, he just did. Call it
instinct. Abigale walked back into her room and closed the door. Somehow she’d show him how talented she was.

  ◇◇◇◇

  Jerry and Connor walked downstairs to the lobby of the resort and were met by Hans, who was wearing his usual white suit, but today also donned a white panama hat. “Guten morgen gentlemen!” Hans said, bidding them good morning in German. “...I trust you both slept well?” he asked, friendly as ever. Jerry spoke, Connor never really talked much in the mornings. “Yeah, it was great. So we were wondering when we would get to meet your sharks, Mr Strucker. My colleague and I are very much looking forward to getting up and close," he replied.

  Hans raised a hand in agreement, “Say no more, my friend! Today you’ll see more sharks than you have seen in some time, I guarantee it. I was just coming to find the two of you but I’m also looking for Bo as well... “ he began, as Bo casually stepped down the stairs, walking into the lobby. “So, what are we doing?” Bo asked. Hans regarded him with a devilish grin. “Today, we collect DNA samples!” he replied, and the three men followed him out of the resort.

  ◇◇◇◇

  Retrieving a core sample from a shark isn’t always fun and it’s rarely easy. There’s an art to it and some sharks can become aggressive when they are jabbed with anything.

  Collecting samples from nurse sharks is easy. They are considered harmless and generally they are not aggressive towards humans – but hammerheads and great whites are another story entirely, and risk must be carefully managed.

  There are two common ways to tag or collect a gene sample from a great white, one involves getting the shark onto a boat and keeping it wet while the extraction of DNA core is completed – great for male sharks that are smaller and more manageable.

  The second option and much more common is to get in the water with a shark cage, bait the water, and jab it with a spear, preferably near the dorsal fin. Now it sounds relatively easy, but even being in a shark cage has its risks. The other thing to consider is, if the shark bites down and punctures the floats designed to support the cage in the water, there’s a good chance the cage could be sent to the bottom of the ocean. There have also been cases where sharks have been caught in the cage and panicked to get free, causing damage to the cage. Sometimes sharks can even find their way into the cage, and you don’t want to be in a shark cage with a panicking shark.

  Cage diving is risky and should always be carefully performed by professionals. The island had a rig set up for just this purpose, a crane set up over an open pool in the centre of level C laboratory . The level was surrounded by glass walls monitoring the sharks out in the water.

  Just three miles out to sea, fences with state-of-the-art camera equipment and sensory alarms prevented the sharks from escaping. The sharks had nowhere to go around the facility but down, and the glass windows of the facility went all the way to the ocean floor, 500 metres down. The sharks could also swim out as far as the fences.

  There were several species of sharks at the facility, but some were cut off from others. For example, hammerhead sharks had been segregated from great white sharks, as hammerhead sharks were typically shy. However, there were larger hammerhead sharks at the facility that swam freely around great white sharks.

  The lab itself was massive, boasting seven individual research stations complete with equipment. The large pool in the centre of the room allowed divers to submerge freely, in a cage or in a small submersible to conduct research or extract samples from the sharks. There were computers, monitors, and display screens set up along a circular catwalk around the central pool. Scientists in white lab coats looked in microscopes and studied three-dimensional holographic images of the sharks – allowing researchers to look at the structure of the fish and pull it apart piece by piece, isolating imperfect genes, mutations, and imperfections.

  In other words, the place was a marine biologist’s wet dream. Surrounded by sea life and state-of-the-art marine life research equipment, what’s not to love? Bo Landers had to admit he was impressed. Jerry and Connor had mouths so wide they’d swallow flies.

  Hans Strucker stood on the balcony outside the elevator with the men looking down at his research facility. “Gentlemen!” he began, removing his panama hat, tossing it onto a nearby hat stand, and regarding them each with enthusiasm, “Welcome to level C!” he concluded... walking down the spiral steel staircase leading to the lower platforms.

  The central pool had a transparent dome over it for now, but they noticed a shark cage hanging ten feet above the pool. There was a rack of spears along one of the railings – spears with a variety of different tips. Jerry wasn’t interested in spears though. He was frozen stiff looking out into the ocean beyond the glass. The water was dark and blue, and normally teeming with fish, but now there was a 20 foot female great white shark swimming past, its black eye glaring inward. Right at him.

  “Ah guys? C-can she see me right now? She’s looking right at me!” he said surprised. Hans appeared at his side following his gaze and placing an arm around his shoulders. “Ah she’s got her eye on you, Jerry. That’s Rachel. I named her after Jennifer Aniston's character in Friends. Why? The first time I saw her I spilled my coffee! She’s got those eyes, you know? The kind you could get lost in. If you were to stare into them long enough you’d go mad!” he said, and Jerry adjusted his glasses, and gulped. “I was always more of a Seinfeld fan,” he replied nervously.

  A second great white appeared out of the blue, differentiated by a jagged scar that went from its snout and down over its left eye. “...and that is Scar," Hans added, his voice lowering.

  Scar was a 14 foot male and despite the massive size of his female counterpart, Scar looked far more menacing. It opened its mouth bearing its teeth as rows of them jutted outwards. Bo Landers had to remind himself that the glass was strong enough to contain these beasts. “I’ve never seen sharks this size,” he said and Hans nodded. “These two are our test sharks. They have adapted to their surroundings, otherwise we couldn’t keep them like this. Great whites typically can’t be held in aquariums. They freak out, many of them simply die of fright but these two are quite resilient. We’ve had these two for three years,” he said, and Bo piped up suddenly full of questions. “How long can they live for? They seem to be very healthy,” he asked. “Sharks can live up to 70 years, maybe a little older. Great whites have 300 teeth, which are constantly replaced when they lose teeth. They never chew meat, rather they rip off massive chunks which are then devoured whole. These two are great survivors," Hans added in reply. “How many sharks have you got in this facility?” Bo wondered aloud. Hans thought it over carefully, “the two great whites, five mako sharks and four bull sharks. We also have two tiger sharks, four hammerheads, three nurse sharks, a frilled shark, and a small nursery of babies.” Connor shook his head in disbelief, “21 sharks? Holy crap... ” he muttered. Hans nodded. “And a nursery where we are genetically engineering new species which are faster, healthier, and more resistant to cancers and infections," he added.

  “Sharks can get cancer?” Jerry asked. Hans nodded knowingly, “...Of course! Cancer is a mutation. Every creature hides unknown mutations in their DNA, it’s one thing that makes stem cell research and DNA replacement so risky. You never know what else is lurking in a creatures DNA. Now, we are 200 metres below the surface, so diving equipment utilizes Trimix breathing gas; a combination of oxygen, helium, and nitrogen - and deep diving suits I designed myself. When you’re in the cage, these diving suits must be worn or as I’m certain you’re aware, nitrogen narcosis sets in, which is caused by the anaesthetic of certain gases at high pressure. 284.5 PSI of water pressure would surely kill even the most experienced divers,” Hans added, pointing to three diving suits with domed heads. “These are state-of-the-art diving suits. The only time you won’t be using them in the water, is when you’re on the surface, or in a submersible. They each have built-in microphones, mounted lights, and cameras. They don’t just look cool gentlemen - they are fully insulated an
d oxygenated survival suits. Think of them as your American express cards; don’t leave home without them.” Jerry laughed at Hans’ little joke. He liked a guy with a sense of humour. “As you can see the suits are all fluorescent yellow and very high-tech. These suits cost just over a million dollars to put together, so please look after them so they will continue to look after you.”

  Hans took a breath and looked around the large lab. “Okay, let’s meet the team," he said finally. He lead the three ‘shark men’ over to the research stations. Each of the seven stations was a small separated cubicle.

  The first was a diving communication section. It was manned by an Asian woman named Lucy, who wore a headset and studied video feeds, weather satellites, and monitored perimeter fencing. “This is our communications girl, Lucy. She looks after the island security feeds, keeps an eye on our weather, and communicates with divers both in suits and in submersibles. She’s our tech wiz, so if you ever have any problems on the surface or below she’s your go-to,” he said.

  Lucy, who looked about 27 was short and petite. She was all smiles, and bowed to the men politely. “Welcome to level C, guys! It’s great to meet the new diving boys. Don’t worry, I am your eyes and your ears up here,” she insisted, turning back to her work station, rubbing the head of a small golden Buddha.