Omnigalactic

  Jord took her by the hand and guided her away from the patient. My cheeks burned. I asked the Pantheon why he was acting that way and hoped for some kind of answer or sign. Doctor Rupert said something about the patients in the corner and took him there. I stayed behind. If I had to see any more of it, I was going to lose my temper, and that was not good for branding. It showed instability within the company.

  I heard someone rambling behind me. If that guy had made it past the pre-operation health screen, then it was probably another dementia case. I turned around and saw someone in blue robes. It was Glennsworth.

  He held that strange, leather-bound book in front of the patient's face. The patient started to scream in bloodcurdling terror. Then, they scurried backward in the bed and covered their head with the sheets, as if in absolute fear of the book.

  Doctor Rupert yelled and ran toward Glennsworth, her shoes clicking with every step. He looked at her and darted out of the infirmary. She gave up chase and waved a nurse over. “Make sure that man, whoever he is, doesn’t set foot in here again.” She returned to Jord and showed him the other patients. What had he been doing, showing the book to that patient, when he wouldn't tell us anything?

  I felt a tug at my bomber jacket. The dementia patient pulled me toward him, within inches of his face. His breath reeked of stale blood and tooth decay. “The eye! Pray for the eye! Pray for the—”

  I shoved him off me. “Let go of me, you crazy psycho!”

  “Mister Cadel!” Doctor Rupert yelled. “Don't you dare assault my patients!”

  “He grabbed me!” I defended myself, adjusting my jacket.

  “Don't worry, Ellen,” Jord stepped in. “We got all the info we need. We'll be going now.”

  “Ellen?” I asked. “Just like that, you're on a first-name basis with her?”

  Jord pulled me away from the crazy patient and took me into the hallway. I could still hear the patient, screaming about eyes and whatnot. We left the infirmary and headed toward the construction site.

  “What are you doing, man?” I asked.

  “Relax,” Jord said. “I almost have it all figured out. Just need a bit more.”

  “I didn't attack that guy.”

  “I know you didn't. You saw him; the guy was crazy.”

  I stopped, and my boots sunk into the fine, white sand. “And what's up with you cutting me off like that? I thought I was supposed to be the CEO. You're making me look like a joke.”

  He cocked his head from side to side. “You're kind of digging your own hole, bud. I'm just trying to take away your shovel.”

  I sighed. Maybe he was right. It was hard, shaking off my tendency to be a screw-up. I decided to change the subject. “I saw Glennsworth in the infirmary. He was showing his book to one of the patients.”

  “And?” Jord asked. “What about it?”

  “You don't think that's weird?”

  He waved it off with his cyborg hand. “I don't care about what he's doing. All I care about is the contract. C'mon.”

  I followed him through Melville, passing by beeping forklift mechs as they stomped along the main road.

  “So, why are we heading to the construction site?” I asked.

  “A bunch of the guys do maintenance work on the structure that houses the ruins under the water.”

  “Under the water?”

  “There's an underwater dome around the ruins. The guys who were attacked do maintenance on it to keep water from leaking into the site. Some of them may have seen the animal.”

  I nodded. “What do you think we're dealing with?”

  “It's big, vicious, and aggressive. But, it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Just need some confirmation.”

  We went down to the construction site and questioned the workers. They looked tough and dependable. Their stories matched up with what Jord had said. The animal was the size of a tank, but struck as fast as a trapdoor spider. I’d seen a nature show about those things once. Imagine minding your own business, then suddenly, you’re in the iron clasp of a hungry, eight-legged monster, slowly sinking its fangs into you and secreting venom to liquify your organs, only to have them sucked out. I shuddered just thinking about it.

  Despite our limited knowledge of the beast, one thing was for sure: We were going to need the big guns. This animal, this thing, whatever it was… it was more than willing to kill.

  Once we finished with the construction workers, we headed back to the Brick to get a good night’s sleep. We were going to need it for the next day, when we would finally confront it. I wasn’t looking forward to that.

  ****

  I lay there in bed, eyes itchy and red. It must've been three hours since Jord and I had turned in for the night. He was fast asleep, rattling my bed with his snores. I swore he could have slept just about anywhere, under any condition. This one time, on a hunting trip, a vicious, sky-cracking thunderstorm roared down onto our campsite. Rainwater smacked the outside of our tent like rocks thrown against a sheet of aluminum, crudely punctuated by lightning strikes. I never fell asleep, but Jord - he slept the whole night away.

  I sighed hard, threw the covers off myself, and sat up. Was I nervous? Maybe, but I didn't feel like it was about the job itself. My world was so unlike how it had been a couple weeks ago. I was out-of-sync, like a twin-engine craft with only one engine working. I couldn't fly straight, no matter how hard I tried.

  I snuck out of the room, taking careful measures, so my steps made only hints of noise. The door hissed open as I crept out and down the stairs. I headed toward the beach, where the high tides crashed against the white sand. I took a deep breath, and brine filled my mouth. I would've thought of Anura, but most of the water there was fresh. Instead, I thought of the time my dad and I went fishing on Danara, the first Anuran colony.

  For two days, we’d fished the torrential waters aboard a tiny boat, hoping to catch that one good silver vanarfish. We must've been a hundred miles off the coast. If we’d capsized, that would've been the end of us; we would’ve been dead. I remember shaking from the wind and rain, trickles of warm urine running down the insides of my waders. I was sure Dad was scared too, but he’d never showed it. He’d kept us out there. “We're not leaving 'til we take one home to eat,” he’d said. “Keep your eyes on the line, and your hands on the rod, no matter what happens.”

  My hands had been chafed raw from torrents of rain, and battering waves of saltwater. I’d wanted to let go so badly. Then, the line tugged, and the rod bent inward, and my kid-sized body slid across the “slide-resistant” deck. I dug my boots into the metal d-rings that lined the sides of the boat and whipped the rod back toward myself. My hands stung, and my arms ached with each pull. Dad rushed over, urging me on. “Don't give up, son!”

  I’d tried to pass it off to him. I couldn't do it. He'd just shoved it right back into my hands. But, it was too much; my arms fell to my sides, limp from exhaustion, and the rod flew overboard and into the churning ocean, gone forever to the depths.

  I'll never forget the look of utter disappointment on my dad's face. His eyes bored into mine like two violet laser beams. I’d looked away in shame, the way only a failed son could understand. That wasn't the worst of it, though. It was what he’d said. “Never in my life did I think for a second that I'd raise a quitter. But here it is, happening before my eyes. Your grandfather would've tossed you overboard, son. It'll take some work, but I refuse to quit on you.”

  I kicked a lump of sand in front of me as the tide swept in, washing the memory away. Footsteps rustled softly in the sand behind me. I turned to see Doctor Rupert walking toward me, still dressed in her white coat.

  “Hello, Doctor,” I said. “What brings you out here so late?”

  She whipped out a pack of cigarettes, lit one up, and took a long drag. I watched the tiny ring of fire as it burned down the cigarette. She exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. “I finally had a chance to take a break from that hellhole. Needed to
clear my mind.”

  I winced. “That bad, eh?”

  “You have no idea,” she said, shaking her head. “Patients urinating and defecating themselves, bleeding all over the place, shouting nonsense and unable to understand reasoning, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal bleeds, traumatic injuries… the list goes on.”

  “That does sound like a lot to deal with. But hey, it's a labor of love, right?”

  She took another drag. “I don't know why I do this. Why we do this.”

  My eyes narrowed. “‘We’? What're you getting at?”

  “Why we try to cheat death, you know?” she said, exhaling. “None of it means anything, anyway. Organisms come into existence, they live and hope to reproduce, only to die. That's it. And here I am, trying to preserve those with meaningless existences.”

  “Whew, that's some heavy stuff, Doctor. You must've had a really rough day.”

  She stayed silent, eyes fixated on the tide. Her hair blew in the gentle breeze.

  “Wait, you don't seriously believe that, do you?” I asked. “That it all amounts to nothing? That's kind of depressing. How do you wake up in the morning?”

  She continued to gaze out at the sea. “Because I have to do something, Mister Cadel. I have to find meaning in it all. I have to find meaning in my own life. I get up in the morning… because others need me. They'll die if I don't.” She turned to look at me. “And more will die if you don't get rid of this thing.”

  I froze. “I, uh, you can count on me.”

  “I'm not the one counting on you,” she said and pointed at Melville. “They are.”

  I watched her flick the cigarette onto the sand, turn, and walk away. Probably back to the infirmary, where all the sick and crazies were.

  What had I gotten myself into? This was too much pressure. I wished I was back in the commercial shipping game, where the job was easy, and nobody's life depended on me.

  I headed back toward the Brick to get some sleep. As I trudged through the sand and onto the asphalt, I hoped it would be the one time I didn't mess it all up.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Too Early

  Jord made the wise decision to wake us both up before dawn to go on the hunt for the murdering sea beast. For a brief moment, I took my hands off the Lady Luna’s controls and rubbed the remnants of crust from my eyes. I blinked a few times to make sure I got the rest of it. Yep, all gone. Now, if I could chug down my stimulant drink, I'd be operating at one-hundred percent. Well, more like eighty percent. It was too damn early.

  The ocean turned oil-black as we descended farther into the depths with only three beams of piercing white light to guide us. I considered myself an outstanding pilot - the best, really - but maneuvering through the ocean felt strange and alien to me. It was nothing like flying around in zero gravity. I felt the currents push against the ship, knocking my trajectory off-course. My hand jiggled the flightstick around to make the slightest of corrections.

  Thumping boots crescendoed from the hall behind me. A metal hand clanked on the control board to my right. “See anything yet?” Jord said.

  I shook my head. “Don't really know what I'm looking for, quite honestly.”

  “You don't remember the witness’ descriptions?”

  “‘Big as a tank’ isn't the most helpful piece of information I've ever heard,” I said, then took a sip of my stim-drink. I pointed through the viewing window. “Can't see shit out there. What was your super-genius plan you had to wake me up early for, anyway?”

  He snatched the stim-drink from my hand and sipped it. His face wrenched in disgust. “How do you drink that? Ugh, that tastes like mold cooked in feet-sweat.”

  I snatched it back from him. “I wouldn't have to if I actually got some sleep last night. Now, what's your plan?”

  “This thing acts like an ambush predator,” he said. “So, the idea is to…”

  “…is to what?” I asked and leaned toward him, raising an eyebrow.

  “Act as potential prey.”

  My back shot up straight. “What? Are you trying to get us killed already? On our first job?”

  He held up his organic hand. “Hear me out, now. This thing only attacks when it has the element of surprise. We can exploit that and catch it off-guard, then give it a warm ‘hello’ with the railgun. Right in the face… if it has a face.”

  I disengaged the prograde thrusters and sent the Lady Luna to a slamming halt. “No way. What you're saying is that we go fishing, using ourselves as bait. I didn't sign up for suicide missions.”

  “You signed up for this when we applied for our GBL,” Jord said. He pointed at the surface of the water. “You think it'll look good if we just turn back? Like a couple of cowards? I don't know if you've realized this yet, but we are in the business of killing for money. Cowards don't do well in this line of work.”

  “Of course, I do. I just don't want to die in the process.”

  “Getting killed is a potential job hazard.”

  “Well!” I threw my hands up and let them slap down onto my trousers. “I'm glad you're okay with tha—”

  He shoved his cybernetic hand over my mouth. “Did you see that?” he hissed.

  I ripped his hand away. “See what?”

  “Some big-ass cephalopod shot across us. Quick! Tail it!”

  I engaged the prograde thrust and turned us to the right. “How do you know what it is? It's pitch-black down here.”

  “Shut up and keep going! There it is!”

  A shadow — blacker than the abyssal waters around us — darted between mountainous boulders and towering, amber, semi-luminescent stalks, spewing dusty clouds toward the ocean’s surface. I tapped into my inner stunt pilot and wove through the labyrinthine maze of the seafloor. My hands gripped, vice-like, on the stick and throttle as I ripped left and right. I couldn't keep up. I was going to lose it! I edged the throttle forward. Yeah, it was dangerous, but a little more speed was nothing I couldn't handle. And, a little more speed was the only thing that kept the shadowy apparition in sight… until it shot straight up and out of view. Damn it.

  “Where'd it go?” Jord asked.

  I yanked back on the throttle and brought us to another stop. “I dunno. Just disappeared.”

  I glanced back at the aft cameras, then the sides, then back to the front. Nothing but bubbles, and the soft glow of the fuming stalks.

  Bang! Something crashed into the side of the Lady Luna, and we tumbled through the ocean before smashing into the seafloor. Instinct kicked in, and I steered us in a corkscrew toward the surface. I had to get us out of there.

  “What are you doing?!” Jord yelled.

  “We're the hunted now,” I said as I glanced at the aft cameras. It was difficult to make out, but I could see a vague silhouette, a shade blacker than the seafloor. “Damn, he's fast! Looks like your plan worked!”

  “You're going the wrong direction! We should be heading straight at it, not away from it!”

  “Do you want to find out how long you can hold your breath? I sure don't!”

  He cursed. “You're right. I'll get the bastard with the gun. Keep her steady!”

  His boots thudded loudly with each stride as he sprinted down the hall. The ship shook violently, rattling me in my seat. I wasn’t sure if it was some kind of underwater turbulence or if the beast had lashed out at us. Either way, I didn't want to discover the answer.

  I saw a blue flash in the aft cameras, accompanied by Jord's woohooing and obscene shouting. Of course, he thought it was fun. Meanwhile, I was shitting my pants, flying at breakneck speeds, swerving, and spinning like it was a stunt show.

  My teeth rattled as another shockwave reverberated through the ship. Yep, it was trying to kill us. I didn't know how — or with what, exactly — but I didn't care to find out. The waters flashed blue for mere seconds and revealed a steep drop-off into a nearly bottomless, vast trench, shrinking the amber stalks to twigs. For a fraction of a
second, I thought of Anura. Not even our largest body of water, Lake Lolua, compared to the ocean’s span and depth. I was a tiny plankton, swimming for his life.

  Jord screamed from the gunner's seat, and I was thrown forward in my seat. What the hell? Why weren't we moving? The thrusters were at maximum! I jerked the stick and throttle around, trying to get some movement, any movement.

  “Sai!” he shouted through the intercom. “He's got a hold of us!”

  The hull around me started to whine like the sound of sheet metal folding under pressure. A bolt shot out from a wall panel and dinged against the floor. It was smashing us alive. How strong was that thing? I couldn't wrench free. I had to think of something, anything.