by K D McNiven
The beast of a man took a step forward and back-handed India. The raw power in it forced India backward and into the center beam which kept her from falling. She tasted a salty metallic taste on her tongue, and with the back of her hand, she wiped a trickle of blood from her split lip. She had no intention of taking her eyes off this colossus of a man and resolved that Callie and Kat would have to fend for themselves. India was no stranger to the martial arts and could hold her own with most anyone. However, she could never remember coming to blows with such a fierce opponent. She feigned a confident smile on her swollen lip, and her icy stare bore through him. No matter the outcome, she would make sure he knew she was a formidable foe.
Truth be told, her adversary appeared to be enjoying the exchange of blows. Tightening his jaw and spreading out his chest like a cobra he attempted to terrify India. His lip curled back away from his teeth and with a growl, he came at her with a vengeance, his steely eyes set like daggers. Cocking his arm, he threw a punch, though India anticipated it and followed up with a sweeping inside hand block to deflect the blow. She seized the man’s wrist; her fingers digging deep into his flesh and drove a side snap kick deep into his ribs. She was thankful to at least hear a grunt tumble from his lips. Not giving him time to respond, her left foot snapped outward, her heel smashing into the man’s knee cap. He howled with pain.
India continued her assault, knowing if she didn’t rush him and keep her momentum, he would be after her again, and with his monstrous size, she wasn’t sure how long she could repel him. She got a firm hold on a cylinder pipe laying on the counter and waited as he rushed forward, preparing to strike.
He doubled his fist, cocked his arm, then swung forcefully at her head. At the same time, India raised the pipe, holding it firmly in both hands. Gargantua’s knuckles slammed hard into the steel, and the sickening sound of bone snapping followed. He let loose a blood-curdling scream that made even India shudder.
Incensed, he charged her, hurtling her back against the long wooden counter. India, pipe still in hand, swung it with all of her might at his head. Another cracking sound resonated through the room as it hit its target and a stream of blood spilled over into his eyes and onto the floor. A groan tumbled from his mouth as he crashed into the narrow hall outside the lab in a dead heap.
Callie had taken the offensive as soon as she saw India take the offensive. The abrupt assault had drawn the attention of the other man which enabled Callie to take him by surprise. She ran forward like a bull, driving her shoulder into his solar plexus. He grunted as the air was knocked out of him. The force drove him backward into the corner of the work bench shaped at a ninety-degree angle, and he yelped in pain but managed to shrug it off and took a fighting stance.
Callie was taken off guard when he landed a sharp right jab. His knuckles glanced off her cheekbone just shy of her eye. Pain shot through her, and she swayed dizzily. For a split second, she saw stars and blinked several times to focus back in.
The man didn’t waste time and bolted toward her, but before he could reach her, she let loose a snap kick that caught him squarely in the stomach. She heard the sharp exhale of air as he stooped over to catch his breath. It took only a moment for him to reengage in their hand-to-hand combat. He curled his fist into a ball and rushed toward her his arm drawn back, ready to strike. As he threw the punch, Callie ducked, his arm raking across the counter top, sending test tubes flying through the air, shattering as they dropped to the floor.
From behind, Karina panicked and grabbed the small stool at her side and swung it forcefully, striking the man directly in the back. The impact caused him to teeter unsteadily on his feet, but it was not enough to eliminate him from the fight. He pivoted, his eyes burning with anger and slammed his large palm into her face with enough power to knock her to the floor. Karina cried out with pain as some glass fragments from the shattered test tubes penetrated her hand and upper thigh.
The man turned back and started for Callie again. She could feel her strength waning, and her legs were trembling, but she knew she had to continue the attack. Inhaling deeply, Callie threw a right punch, striking the man soundly on the bridge of his nose. Blood spurted outward onto the floor and soaked his shirt. He swayed slightly and grasped the counter behind to steady himself.
Callie caught the glint of metal near the man’s hip and realized he’d pulled a knife out from a leather sheath attached to his belt. He moved from side to side, flashing the knife threateningly. Callie felt her pulse quicken and droplets of sweat pop up on her brow. She knew she would have to keep a careful eye on the knife and anticipate its coming or he’d take her out.
Gathering his wits, he charged forward only to meet with a front snap kick that landed squarely in his solar plexus winding him. He doubled over with pain. Callie wasted no time, she turned and grabbed hold of one of the broken stool legs, and when he straightened up, she swung it with force, striking him in the throat. He gagged, and his face turned blue as he fought for air. Eyes bulging, he dropped like a rag doll to the wood-planked floor, the knife clanking at Callie’s feet as it fell free of his hand.
Callie leaned against the counter to catch her breath, her knuckles scraped up and bruised. “You two okay?”
“Considering we just went ten rounds, yeah,” India chuckled.
“A few cuts,” Karina said, “but making out okay.”
India squatted to take the pulse of Gargantua, then moved over to the other man to see if Callie had crushed his throat. “Well, this turned out to be one hell of a day.”
“You can say that again,” Callie agreed wholeheartedly.
It was in that moment of celebratory victory that Decker and Dax rounded the corner. Seeing the two men incapacitated on the floor and the three women, hair-mussed and bloodied, standing over them, all they could do was stare in stunned silence.
“What the devil! Are you ladies all right?” Dax asked.
They nodded.
“We must have tired them out for you,” Decker laughed, looking for something to tie the men up with, and thankful that they had managed to subdue the two assailants.
I’m sure you’re right,” Callie chuckled, her eye burning from where the man’s fist had caught her.
“I can’t believe you took on these tyrants by yourselves,” Dax said, though he had seen India in action on more than one occasion. She was a bulldog and knew how to take care of herself. He also became aware at this moment that Callie could hold her own as well.
“Not like we had a choice,” Callie pointed out. “They barged in and began an assault on us. I was suddenly glad I took several self-defense courses, especially when the one man started wielding a knife.”
“The two guys jumped Decker and me a short time ago,” Dax said. “I can’t believe they came here and attacked you also.”
“That’s not a coincidence,” India responded with arched brows.
“I feel like I let you guys down,” Karina expressed, looking dejected. “But I’m a scientist, not a heavyweight boxer. I was so stunned all I could do was stand like a frozen pillar. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, Kat,” India shook off Karina’s comment. “We took care of it. Besides, the best defense is taking your opponent by surprise. My guess is they had no inkling we could defend ourselves. And don’t forget, you distracted the man by hitting him with the stool that helped give Callie the upper-hand again.”
Decker stood with a look of bewilderment on his face. He couldn’t figure out how India could take down Gargantuan when he himself had been like putty in the man’s hands. It was more than a little perplexing, and perhaps a bit deflating, but then he didn’t know India’s history or her training in the martial arts.
India laughed out loud as if reading his mind. “It wasn’t my iron-hard fist that took him down, Decker. See that metal pipe?”
Decker grinned. “Thank your lucky stars it was laying around.” He removed his cell phone from his pocket and took a moment to call the pol
ice. He gave them the pertinent information—what little he knew. He was stumped as to why the men had come after them, but clearly, since they had also come to the Shark Eater, it was not a random act of violence. “Police are on their way. Hopefully, these two will be locked away for a long while,” Decker said, shoving his cell phone back into his pocket.
“They’re going to love this,” Dax laughed, wondering what the police officers would think. After all, he and Decker had been released from the police station, and now here they were again.
Decker shook his head. “This has certainly been a day of days. At least now we might figure out who the heck these two cronies are and why they’re after us. Have to tell you, I’m rather bewildered by all of this hoopla.”
“That would be nice,” Dax agreed. “If this stream of bad luck continues and my equipment keeps getting trashed, we may be paddling a canoe to do research.”
Decker saw the blood dripping down Karina’s fingers and down her thigh to the knee cap. “Let’s take you to the infirmary and have a look at your wounds Kat. Callie, come along, and we’ll find a cold pack for your eye. No doubt it’ll be black by morning.”
As Callie started for the door, she gave India a high-five. She realized that if India had not been there, the outcome could have been fully reversed. She dreaded to even think about it. Luckily, the police would be there soon enough, and the two hoodlums would be locked behind bars for quite some time.
Dax waited for the police to arrive and fill out the reports. They were flummoxed as to why the men had come after them with such vengeance. Presently, there didn’t seem to be any answers. One thing they agreed on, they didn’t have to worry about the two men after today because they’d be locked behind bars.
After the officers left with the two men in handcuffs, the team met in the pilot house with Captain Manny. They needed to make some decisions about their salvage project and what to do about the side boat. All of their good intentions had fallen by the wayside with the aggressive attack on them.
“Now that the police have their reports, let’s say we deal with the dinghy and head back to sea,” Manny said.
“I’m all for that,” Decker replied, discouraged that they’d put everything on hold to deal with these thugs. He wanted nothing more than to return and explore the sunken ship.
CHAPTER 18
Ambergris Cays
A couple days later, the Shark Eater lay anchor off the Ambergris Cays, and the team took to their duties preparing for the morning dive. The day was already warm but offered up a pleasant breeze. The diving conditions were perfect.
Dax tossed out the trail line with an orange float attached to it from the stern. The current would move the float out approximately fifty feet behind the ship and would be a guide for the divers to hold onto when they jumped in. The mooring line was already secured, as well as the safety line between the ship and the shipwreck. Dax also secured the granny line—a weighted descent line.
Decker had already pulled on his wetsuit up to his waist, his feet and bronzed chest were bare as he made his way to the diver’s platform to put air in his buoyancy compensator. He was filled with anticipation. They would dive to the wreckage on the lower level this time, and Decker was hoping to find relics still intact.
The dive platform was the area where all of the diver’s equipment was stored. Dax was busy filling the eighteen-pound aluminum tanks and fortifying the emergency pony oxygen bottle to the main cylinder. It was his job to make sure all of the equipment was one hundred percent in working condition. He double checked the air hoses for any signs of cracks or breakage—the last thing they wanted was for a hose to split underwater. It was an ordeal to remove a face mask while treading water and at the same time put an emergency regulator in the mouth.
“Hey mate,” Dax greeted Decker. “You ready?”
“You know it.”
“How’s Callie’s eye this morning?”
Decker shook his head. “Swollen and black, unfortunately. But she’s a trooper and doesn’t let things deter her.”
“I’ve noticed that about her.”
“I’m a lucky man,” Decker said.
“That you are,” agreed Dax, slapping him on the back.
While Dax busied himself with the gas analyzer and oxygen sensors for measuring the mix of air in the containers, Decker pulled out the waterproof dive log books and set them out for the team. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Lars rushing across the deck toward them, his arms loaded down with camera equipment. His long ponytail whipped back behind him. As usual, he was bouncing like a kangaroo on steroids.
“Who is on this morning’s team of divers?” he inquired, drawing up alongside Decker and Dax.
“Us three,” Dax informed him. “Plus Callie, India, Chase and Ottomar.”
Having Chase and Ottomar along was a great benefit. Both were maritime archaeologists, and Ottomar had studied extensively on surveying underwater structures. Though Ottomar was the youngest on the team, he was undoubtedly the most qualified of the divers so far as experience goes, other than Dax.
“What about Karina?” Lars asked.
“Karina is going to work at the moon pool today and test for water quality,” Dax relayed. “She’s still analyzing POPs and various chemicals. I’m taking some water-tight containers to bring up more samples from around the coral and the bottom tier. It’s imperative that she has an accurate report to give to the Caribbean Environmental Research Center to begin their investigation.”
The remainder of the group was beginning to show up. There was an air of excitement that was almost tangible as they gathered their gear. Shipwrecks called divers like honey called bees. There was something mysterious and compelling about sunken ships, especially those from centuries ago, that birthed a sense of nostalgia.
Callie stepped up alongside Decker, clad in her wetsuit. In spite of her injury, she was ready to hit the water and get to business. She pecked Decker on the cheek and he, in turn, gave her a tender squeeze around her waist.
“Beautiful day for diving and the water looks transparent,” Callie said brightly. “That ought to be great for you Lars.”
“I’m excited. That’s for sure. I was disappointed on the last dive because my camera lens wasn’t making contact. However, I was overjoyed when we opted to go to Florida because it allowed me to purchase a wider angled lens, plus I needed some extra strobe lights.”
“I can’t wait to see your photos and film clips when you’re done.”
“Me too, Callie,” he replied. “Much like a jigsaw puzzle. You fit one piece after another, and pretty soon this amazing tapestry manifests before your eyes. Nothing quite like it!”
“Okay,” came Dax’s voice over the whine of compressors. “We’re going to do a pendulum search today. We are unable to do the standard circular search because of the rock cliff. We’ll survey the top shelf and move on to the bottom where the stern is located. How much we accomplish is predicated on what the visibility is like down there, so we’ll see how it goes.”
“Are there any obstructions we will be working around?” asked Ottomar.
“I scoured the sonar charts with Linus, and there was nothing that would indicate a problem. However, there is some netting fixed to the frame on the starboard bow, so please be watchful, I don’t want you tangled up in it. You all have your knives, don’t you?” Dax asked.
With smiles, they all grabbed their knives and held them up to be counted.
Dax chuckled. “Decker and I are going in first. Grab your buddy and follow in after us. Linus will be monitoring us from the pilot house, and I’ll be communicating with him while down there. I think we are good to go. One more thing, we will have a debriefing this evening after dinner.”
Dax and Decker slid into the cool water and made their way, hand over hand, out to the marker where they would descend. The rest of them joined them and one by one, they made their way downward, past the shelf where they had focused their first dive, and
onward to the floor beneath.
The current was not strong, and the water was clear, a green light for Lars who no sooner had come into contact with the wooden skeleton below, he began to film. The others took hold of their tablets to make notes and jot down the dimensions as Dax and Decker took them. It was clear they would have to use the dredge hose to investigate the hull further because of the layers of sediment that had settled over the wreckage.
There was what appeared to be a cannon leaning over the starboard side. It was heavily
corroded, but an exciting discovery. Decker caught sight of an object to the left of him and motioned for Dax to follow. With his hand fan, he swept the top of the object gently and found that it was a three-foot-by-two-foot box. There were two rusted, oxidized bands holding it together, and a rusted lock that miraculously still held fast. The wooden box itself was decayed from woodworms and salt water but had held together.
The two of them lifted it enough to slide it into a watertight container, attached it to a balloon lift and notified Linus that they were sending it to the surface so it could be examined later. Their sense of adventure was surging and, behind masks, their eyes were dancing with excitement.
Decker was the search diver and responsible for maintaining tension on the line by using a reel to control the rigidity. Too much slack could result in entanglements as they made a sweep of the ocean floor. By making an arch over the designated area, they located another section which offered up one of the ship’s masts.
Lars began photographing the structure. The water was clear, and he was able to catch the distinct features. As he took a myriad of unobstructed photos, he was particularly enthused when a Blacktip Reef Shark wound its way through the framework. The dark outline of the shark showed up striking against the deep blue water. Threads of sunlight pierced the surface, lending the right amount of light to capture an extraordinary picture. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest with excitement.
Lars kicked his way around the side where he began photographing Decker and Dax as they worked on making the sweep over the ocean floor. He too noted the absence of many marine creatures that one would expect to see at this depth. He hoped he could raise awareness through his documentary about the heavy cost of pollutants in ecologically sensitive areas.