The section of the cage that struck the water now has a severe dent, and that is the section that the Liopleurodon attacks. Using its extremely powerful jaws, the largest carnivore in history is able to bite off a chunk of the round cage. Since the front of its jaws are thin, the Liopleurodon is able to slide them into the hole. Nathan tries to swim away from the jaws, but they are still able to clamp down on his waist. Nathan screams, blood now coming out of his mouth.
The Liopleurodon pulls Nathan out of the cage and bites down on his partially full air tank, the pressurized air causing a small explosion. The Liopleurodon ignores the blast, but Nathan’s head implodes under the pressure. The Liopleurodon swallows what is left of her prey.
Chapter 19
Proposal
Shawn is wearing his brown jacket when he walks up to Kelsey’s hotel room. He knocks on her door. Hawkins decided that while he and Luke make new plans of how to defeat the Liopleurodon, the others should be allowed to leave the ship and sleep in the comfort of a hotel room instead of being forced to stay in their little rooms aboard the USS Jupiter. The hotels in California are always full of visitors, and without booking reservations for rooms, the group’s rooms are far apart from one another.
After a few seconds, Kelsey opens up her door. She is smiling as he asks, “Are you ready for our date?” She nods as they head for the elevator. Shawn closes the door for her and secretly checks to make sure that he still has the small jewelry box in his pocket.
…
Shawn has made a reservation at a nice restaurant to impress Kelsey. After a maître d’ shows them to their table, Shawn pulls out Kelsey’s chair and allows her to take a seat. Let’s see Luke try to take her away from me after tonight.
After Shawn passes Kelsey a menu, she says, “My, you’re being nice tonight.”
“Well it’s a special occasion,” Shawn says as he looks at the appetizers.
“Why, what’s tonight?” Kelsey asks.
Shawn’s heart skips a beat. He stops halfway sitting down. His mind races to think of something to say. Damn it, she’s going to suspect something. I cannot let her know! Got to think of something…
“Uh… nothing. I’m just a little confused.”
“About what?” Kelsey asks, curious.
Damn it, woman, don’t push me! Shawn thinks. “You know… I’m just frustrated about what Hawkins is putting us through,” he lies.
“He gave you a choice if you wanted to join,” Kelsey reminds him.
“I didn’t know that our lives would be threatened!” Shawn exclaims.
“What did you think was going to happen? That the Liopleurodon would just sit there?”
“Maybe I thought that Luke would do what he was supposed to!”
“Luke is doing more for this cause than anyone else!” Kelsey shouts.
People begin to turn their heads towards their table. Shawn’s eyes shoot daggers at Kelsey. He demands, “Forget about it.” He turns his head and asks, “Where is the God damn waiter?”
Kelsey leans forward and says in a lower voice, “No, I want to know the real reason why you don’t want to do this.”
Shawn thinks for a moment. I can’t let her really know. Then she’d realize that I was the one who released my pet. He decides to change his reasons. “I think that this entire thing is a waste of resources.”
Kelsey appears shocked. “How is killing a creature that is threatening so many a waste of resources?”
“Threatening what?”
“People! Not to mention all of the damage to the ecosystem it could cause.”
“Damage to the ecosystem?!” Shawn laughs. “It’s one animal, okay?! How much damage could it cause?”
“Exactly. The entire species went extinct over one hundred million years ago. Its return can cause a tremendous amount of damage.”
“It’ll die on its own within a month or two. It won’t be able to adapt. The oxygen and nutrients in the ocean have decreased vastly since the Jurassic Period. It won’t survive for long.”
“Reptiles can adapt better than all other animals.”
“If they can adapt so well, then how did mammals gain power after the K-T event?”
Kelsey tries to think of something, but she knows that he is right. She lowers her head.
“It is not just about the oxygen and the nutrients,” Shawn continues. “It is also about the other animals. Liopleurodon lived with other giant reptiles. It never even saw a mammal! Mammals didn’t even move to the water until the Eocene epoch!”
“What if it reproduces? Then there would be more of them.”
“Reproduce? Are you kidding? There is no mate to reproduce with!”
Kelsey simply looks at him and says, “Don’t underestimate the power of life. You study mass extinctions… you should know that.”
Suddenly, finally…Shawn realizes that Kelsey has turned the tables on him in their argument. He has no way to beat what she has just said. He picks up his menu and says, “Whatever… let’s just eat dinner.” Behind his menu, he secretly smiles and thinks, Poor fool, she thinks that she has convinced me. She’s not even on the right topic!
“Fine,” she says, as she picks up her own menu. “You were right about one thing, Shawn.” He raises his head, curious. “The service here does suck.”
After dinner, Shawn and Kelsey head back to the hotel. Shawn takes her to the rooftop of the building. From there, there is a beautiful view of the ocean. The sun set has a pinkish glow and the waves are moving gently. Kelsey is in awe once she sees the striking view.
“Oh, wow, this is amazing,” Kelsey says.
“I know,” Shawn gloats, impressed with himself. Kelsey kneels next to the building’s edge. Shawn stands next to her. “Kelsey, do you remember how we met?”
Dazed by staring at the awe inspiring view of the ocean in front of her, she nods and says, “Paleontology convention.”
Shawn smiles. “I feel that we were made for each other. Seeing you the first time was the best moment of my life. Except for perhaps this one.” Kelsey turns to him, confused. Shawn pulls the small black box out of his pocket. Kelsey inhales deeply when Shawn goes down onto his knee. He opens the box up, revealing a small white gold ring. It has a 3/4 carat diamond in the center, shining at her. “Kelsey Fainter… will you marry me?”
Kelsey takes the ring. She isn’t sure what to do. She wants to say yes, but her heart is telling her something else.
Shawn says. “So what do you say?”
Kelsey still isn’t sure. She closes her eyes briefly. I don’t know what to do! Kelsey thinks. In her mind, one man keeps appearing… and it’s not Shawn. It is Luke that she keeps thinking about. Why do I keep thinking about Luke? It’s Shawn that I’m in love with, isn’t it? I mean… they are both great guys, but Shawn has a decent reputation as a scientist and it was Luke who embarrassed me at my lecture last month. Then again, Luke did prove us all wrong… and he is nicer than Shawn. He also seems to care more. Kelsey shakes her head and says, “I don’t know.”
The smile fades from Shawn’s face. “No? Your answer
is no?”
“I’m not saying no, I’m just saying that I need some time to think about it. I really wasn’t prepared for this tonight. I mean, like you said, we were nearly killed.”
Shawn nods and says, “Okay, well, I’ll let you think about it… and you can give me your answer when you’re ready.” He reenters the hotel… leaving Kelsey alone on the roof top with her thoughts…
Chapter 20
Blue Whale
The blue whale is one of the largest animal in Earth’s history. It is one hundred feet long and over one hundred tons. A huge pod is migrating together in search of plankton. Since food is so scarce, the whales have been forced to rely on their fat reserves separating the healthy whales from the sick ones. A large female and her calf are barely able to keep up. The mother whale is sick, and she barely has enough food for herself, yet alone enough to make milk for her child.
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The calf swims close to her mom, and tries to grab a hold of her nipples. At first the mother only gives a deep groan, but then she pushes her child away until she gets the picture. The calf, still hungry, swims away from her mother. As if things could not get worse… they do.
A pod of hungry orcas attack and begin to test the pod, seeing which whales are healthy enough to fight back, and which would be an easy kill. A large male orca begins to bull rush the mother blue whale, who is too weak to fight back. Realizing that he found an easy target, the orca signals to the rest of his pod.
The orcas attack, the male swimming past the small calf to get a piece of the larger meal. It bites down on one of the whale’s pectoral flipper. The mother whale is in agony, and attempts to swing its massive tail at its attacker. The orca is too fast, however, and easily dodges the attack. The rest of the orca pod begins to attack, some biting down on the whale’s tail while others grab a mouthful of meat from the stomach area. The orcas are literally eating the whale alive.
A large female orca begins to dig into the blue whale’s ribs. Tired of the attacks, the whale begins to roll, throwing the orca away. While this has helped her temporarily, the orcas soon begin to deliver more attacks, and the calf can only watch as the vicious hunters continue to rip at her mother’s flesh.
Finally, between her illness and wounds, the mother whale’s heart goes out. She dies, and the orcas begin their feast. One whale rips off a chunk of the mother’s flipper while another grabs a hold of the stomach. The calf begins to swim away from her mother’s body, hoping to be able to catch up with her pod.
Suddenly, the orcas detect the presence of the sea monster they encountered several weeks ago. The Liopleurodon rises from the depths, and it wants a chunk of the blue whale’s carcass. The large male orcas swim to the front lines, using loud sounds to try and intimidate the Liopleurodon. But the Liopleurodon fears nothing and recognizes the orcas’ scent.
The orcas charge towards the Liopleurodon, who uses her flippers to dodge them. But unlike the humpbacks, the orcas are fast and agile, and begin to attack the Liopleurodon, attempting to protect their kill. Annoyed by the smaller predators’ interference, the Liopleurodon grabs a medium sized female in its jaws and bites down with full strength.
The power of the Liopleurodon’s jaws is enough to break the orca’s spine. After a few seconds, the orca body breaks in two. Scared, the other orcas retreat. Both halves of the orca’s body sink to the ocean floor, immediately attracting small sharks.
The Liopleurodon massive jaws slam shut onto the blue whale’s dead body. Using its powerful neck, she rips huge chunks of flesh from the carcass. A meal of this size will take hours to devour. The orcas swim away from their enemy, who has now killed two members of their pod.
Chapter 21
Tracking Device
For at least three hours a day for the past week, Luke has been planning with Captain Ryan Hawkins on how to defeat the Liopleurodon. They are both sitting in the conference room, Hawkins with small sketch pad writing down ideas, while Luke is on his laptop typing.
Finally, Luke puts down his screen. “What are we doing? Even if we are able to find a way to defeat the Liopleurodon, we still have to be able to find it. I have a loose idea of where it might be, but I think that we should focus on how to keep the Liopleurodon within our sight before we try to kill it.”
Hawkins nods and says, “That’s what I was going to say. I have a tracking device that might work, but you’d have to be in the water with the Liopleurodon to attach it. Would you be willing to do that?”
Luke thinks about it. That’s quite a risk, but being able to find the Liopleurodon without spending hours looking for it would save a lot of time. I’d feel better if I had some sort of defense. But how do I defend myself against an eighty-foot-long carnivorous reptile that wants to kill me?
“Well?” Hawkins asks, becoming impatient.
“I’m thinking!” Luke states. “Okay, I’m in, but I want a way to be able to protect myself.”
Hawkins gives a wicked smile as he says, “My favorite strategy in fighting a more powerful opponent is to use their greatest strength against them. Besides its jaws, what’s the Liopleurodon’s greatest strength?”
“I’d have to say… its powerful sense of smell. Its nose is more powerful than a vulture’s.”
“How would feel about using a smell suit?” Hawkins asks.
Confused, Luke asks, “What’s a smell suit?”
“Smell Suits were used in the Pacific during World War II. When Marines had to travel through shark infested waters or crocodile infested swamps, they would use smell suits. These suits release chemicals that discourage the animals, so the Marines could travel through safely. A smell suit is basically a wet suit that has a bottle of noxious chemicals connected to the belt. Small pipes connected to the belt release the chemicals into the water when you pull the trigger. It should keep the Liopleurodon from attacking you.”
“Should?”
Hawkins smiles sarcastically as he folds his arms and says, “Sorry, but I haven’t actually done this before.”
Luke smiles and asks, “Okay, fine, what type of chemical do you think we should put into the smell suit?”
“What about a shark repellent?”
“No, Liopleurodon’s a reptile. A shark repellent probably wouldn’t work. But putrescene might.”
“What’s putrescene?”
“It’s a chemical that has the scent of rotting reptile flesh. It will make the Liopleurodon think that one of its own kind is dying.”
“Wouldn’t that just make the Liopleurodon hungry… it is a cannibal isn’t it?”
That’s a good question, will it scare the Liopleurodon away or make it want to attack? “Well, I certainly hope not.”
…
Will sits alone in his hotel room watching TV and drinking a beer when the phone rings. “Hello?” he asks as he turns his
TV off.
“Will, it’s Luke.”
“Luke, where have you been? Have you been working with Hawkins this whole time?”
“Yes, but we have a plan. I need you to come to the USS Jupiter immediately.”
…
The Sea Monster Hunters are in the conference room an hour later. Luke comes in holding the tracking device while Hawkins is holding a smell suit. The tracking device is a small, round, silver object. The smell suit is mostly black with two blue oval shaped spots on the sides. It has five tubes connected to the belt, which has a bottle full of putrescene inside.
“What are those things?” Will asks.
Luke steps forward and says, “This is a tracking device. The plan is that we go into the water when the Liopleurodon is feeding, so it is occupied, and attach the tracking device to the back of the Liopleurodon’s neck. There it will not be able to reach the tracking device, allowing us to always know where the Liopleurodon is.”
Shawn, who is putting on a fake smile, thinks, If they are able to always know where my pet is, then I may as well give up trying to save it now! I have to sabotage the tracking device tonight!
Will puts his hand up. Luke points to him, signaling that he is allowed to speak. “Who is it that will be putting the tracking device onto the Liopleurodon?”
“I was thinking I would put the tracking device on while you keep watch.”
Will exclaims, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, there is no way that I am getting into the water with that monster. You saw how it attacked the helicopter… it’s suicide.”
Hawkins steps up and says, “Not if you are wearing one of these. This is a smell suit. If the Liopleurodon attacks, you switch on this valve and there will be an explosion of chemicals in the water, that will make you seem very unappetizing and the Liopleurodon will leave you alone.”
“What chemical are you using?” Will asks.
“Putrescene,” Luke answers, “is a chemical that smells like rotting reptile flesh.”
“Will it work?” Will asks.
Will nods and sits down, still not certain about getting in the water with the Liopleurodon. “Relax,” Luke says, “You’re not even the one who has to attach the tracking device!”
Hawkins says, “Okay, you can all go home, but I want you all back here at three a.m.”
“Why so early?” Kelsey asks.
Hawkins smiles as he says, “because it’ll be dark out, which means that the Liopleurodon will be relying on its sense of smell. That’ll make the smell suit even more effective if the Liopleurodon decides to attack Luke.”
…
At one o’clock in the morning, Shawn sneaks back onto the USS Jupiter. While the group isn’t supposed to be there for another two hours, he has something important to do. Shawn is walking down the hall, trying to remember which room holds the tracking device. Being up so early, Shawn is exhausted, but he knows the danger of entering the wrong room.
Dazed, he barely can grab a hold of the handle when he opens the conference room door. The room is spooky at night, the tables and chairs all appear pitch black. Shawn pulls out a flash light and begins to shine it on the table. Finally, he sees the tracking device, just laying there.
I knew that Luke would be too lazy to put his toy away, Shawn thinks as he picks the tracking device up and pulls a pair of scissors from his pocket. Using a screw driver, he carefully opens up the control panel. Taking the scissors, he cuts a blue wire, and then screws the control panel’s lid back on. The blue wire is the one that supplies the tracking device with power, and with it cut… the tracking device will deactivate in twelve hours.
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