USS Jupiter.
…
The Liopleurodon is swimming through the ocean. The bullet wounds caused by Hawkins are already healing. The female reptile abandoned its kill because she sensed an enemy nearby. It is the only other predator on Earth that comes close in size: a male sperm whale.
Chapter 29
Battle with Sperm Whale
Sensing a vicious fight over territory, the Liopleurodon swims to the sea bed, camouflaging herself as it closes in on her enemy. The pliosaur’s sense of smell allows it to know that the sperm whale is directly above her, still trying to catch its breath after its last dive in deep waters. The Liopleurodon attacks, using its powerful flippers to propel it through the water.
The Liopleurodon’s mass and speed make it a lethal adversary. With the whale’s fluke in the Liopleurodon’s jaws, the pliosaur inflicts great damage to the whale’s tail. Despite the agonizing pain from the surprise attack, the whale turns around and uses the teeth on its lower jaw to bite down on the Liopleurodon’s left upper flipper.
Each having their teeth locked onto the other, the sperm whale and Liopleurodon begin to turn in circles before the Liopleurodon lets go. The sperm whale refuses to release its adversary, so the Liopleurodon is forced to roll to force the giant mammal to release her.
Both monsters are surveying their wounds along with each other. The whale is more severely injured. Its tail is broken in several places while the Liopleurodon’s flipper has sustained just a small bite.
The whale lunges forward, and attempts to bite down on the Liopleurodon’s tail. The Liopleurodon, being faster and more agile than her enemy, dodges the attack and bites the whale’s left flipper. Using its powerful neck, the Liopleurodon rips the flipper off and swallows it whole.
Weakened but not mortally injured, the whale tries to put some distance between itself and the Liopleurodon by thrashing its powerful tail up and down, swimming away. The Liopleurodon gives chase, and is able to get to the whale’s side. Lunging forward, the Liopleurodon bites down on the whale’s neck, but the whale’s blubber prevents the pliosaur’s bite from being fatal.
The two behemoths struggle, but neither is able to get the advantage. Finally, the whale fires a sonar blast, resulting in pain to the Liopleurodon’s auditory canals. The reptile lets go and the whale begins swimming away. The sperm whale turns back after a few moments, and fires another sonar attack. The Liopleurodon thrashes her enormous head back and forth, trying to dull the pain. The high pitched sound scrambles the Liopleurodon’s brain.
The whale knows that a powerful sonar blast is able to kill other large adversaries, so it makes the next attack more direct. This time the Liopleurodon stops breathing and begins to sink. Thinking that it has killed its enemy, the sperm whale hurries away.
The Liopleurodon quickly recovers and begins attacking once more. Opening its ten foot-long-jaws, the Liopleurodon digs into the whale’s stomach. Stunned, the whale stops swimming. Blood pours out of the mammal’s abdomen. The Liopleurodon pulls back, circling its dying enemy.
Instead of delivering a death blow, the Liopleurodon does something even more cruel. She leaves the whale to sink into the darkness, where it will drown and be eaten by scavengers.
Chapter 30
The Switch
The Sea Monster Hunters are all seated in the conference room aboard the USS Jupiter. Sitting next to Luke is Will, and on the other side of the table sits Ben, Kelsey, and Shawn. Luke looks at the other scientists and doesn’t want to believe that one of his colleagues would betray their efforts.
Finally, Hawkins enters the room. Across his chest he holds a dart gun. He puts it down and says, “The body count is now up to twelve people.” Everyone is silent, looking down in shame.
Annoyed, Ben asks, “Why did you try and save the fishermen without us?”
“I have my reasons!” Hawkins spats.
Confused, Kelsey turns to Luke, who gives a slight nod. Hawkins’s reason is that he knows that one member of the team is a traitor. Ben stands up and says, “What reason could you possibly have? We’re a team and you went behind our backs and attempted to rescue three more innocents. You didn’t even do much of a job at that, I saw on the news that one of the men that you tried to save is in a coma, one lost his arm, and the other has been so traumatized that he needed to be sedated!”
Enraged, Luke stands up, enraged. “At least Hawkins and I are doing something! He’s served in the Navy for most of his life and I actually went into open water with the Liopleurodon! You don’t do anything to help; you just criticize others!”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Jones!” Ben raises his voice.
Before Luke could say something back, Shawn stands up and says, “You should both just shut up and –”
Suddenly, Kelsey stands up and whistles loudly. Everybody covers their ears.
After everyone sits down, Kelsey asks, “What’s the matter with all of you? Is it because you’re men?”
Will raises his hand and says quietly, “Actually, I never said anything.”
Kelsey rolls her eyes before saying, “Look, the Liopleurodon is out there killing people and we are the only ones who can stop it. So how about we stop fighting amongst ourselves and work on killing the monster that is eating innocent people?”
Everyone stops talking. Hawkins turns to Kelsey. “Sit down, Miss Fainter.”
Kelsey nods as she takes a seat. Hawkins takes a deep breath and continues, “As I was saying, a dozen people have been killed by the Liopleurodon. I have a new plan to stop it, but I need to know that all of you are with me.” Everyone nods. “Good. This here is a dart gun.” He lifts up the dart gun and shows it to the team. “You simply put a traquilizer dart in, aim, and pull the trigger.
“We had the right idea when we went up against the Liopleurodon in the helicopter, but we went about it the wrong way. Instead of using a shot gun to weaken the Liopleurodon, what we need to do is drug it and put it to sleep.” He takes a small jar out of his pocket. “The drug that we will use is ketamine. It is a drug that will cause the Liopleurodon to lose consciousness after a few seconds.
“The plan is for Will to pilot the helicopter once again. Luke will sit in the passenger seat and will be the one to fire the drug dart. With a strong enough dose, the Liopleurodon will pass out within seconds and should float up to the surface. Meanwhile, I’ll make sure that the USS Jupiter is close by so we can take the Liopleurodon aboard and kill it painlessly. By tomorrow, the Liopleurodon will be dead, no one else will have to die, and I don’t have to see any of you again.”
Hawkins turns to Luke and says, “Remember, kid, you may only have one shot at this.”
Luke nods, “I’ll be ready.”
Shawn, who is sitting near the end of the table, thinks, Crap, they’re going to succeed this time. I can tell that they are beginning to catch on. I have to make sure that they fail, and that the Liopleurodon survives. It ends now, Jones.
…
An hour later, everyone has left to get ready for the mission tomorrow. A Naval officer is loading the ketamine into the dart. Suddenly, Shawn comes up behind him and knocks him out. The Naval officer falls down, unconscious. He’ll wake up in a couple hours with a bad headache, but he’ll survive. This will give me a chance to switch out the ketamine for something I would prefer.
Shawn tosses the ketamine aside and replaces it with methamphetamine, a stimulant used to increase stamina. It may make the Liopleurodon even more aggressive and deadly.
So, Jones, you wanted to put the Liopleurodon to sleep. Now the Liopleurodon will be even deadlier than it ever was before. It will become invincible. My pet will survive…but you will not.
Chapter 31
From Bad…To Worse
The next day Luke and Will are in the helicopter again. The helicopter is flying fifty feet above the ocean’s surface. About half a mile away, the USS Jupiter is following the helicopter. Since an infrared heat sensing device can’t detect the Liop
leurodon because it is cold-blooded, Luke and Will are relying on the USS Jupiter’s sonar. If it detects the Liopleurodon anywhere within five miles, Hawkins will warn Luke to prepare.
The tranquilizer gun lays across Luke’s lap. He picks it up and puts his finger on the trigger absent-mindedly. “Easy with that thing,” Will says when he sees Luke’s finger in the trigger.
“Sorry, I’m just nervous,” Luke says. He looks down at the ocean again. “I just wish that this day was over with.”
…
On the USS Jupiter, Hawkins is sitting on a chair in the bridge, studying the sonar screen. He has been staring at it for the past three hours, and he is getting tired. A yellow light on the screen represents the helicopter, and blue shadows on the screen represent large objects in the ocean. Finally, a blue dot appears on the screen, heading in the direction of the USS Jupiter. Excited, Hawkins picks up the radio speaker and says, “Guys, there is something big heading this way.”
“Is it the Liopleurodon?” Luke asks from the helicopter.
“I’m not sure, but it’s pretty fast. Try to find it from your position.”
…
From the helicopter, Luke opens his door and looks down at the blue water. He waits impatiently, but finally he sees the Liopleurodon’s black head come to the surface. As the pliosaur breathes, Luke points his gun at it, but the reptile submerges before he gets the chance to shoot. “Damn it!”
…
In the bridge, Kelsey, Ben and Shawn enter and take their seats. “What happened?” Kelsey asks.
“We found the Liopleurodon, but it submerged. The sonar is telling us that it is still near the helicopter, though.”
…
The Liopleurodon is fifty feet below the surface. It recognizes the sound of the helicopter and recalls it as an enemy who is invading her territory. The Liopleurodon waits below, circling.
…
“Where’d it go?” Will asks.
“I’m not sure,” Luke responds. He knows the Liopleurodon is toying with them, and he knows that it will attack if they wait around long enough. That’s just what she’s waiting for.
…
On the sonar, Hawkins sees that the blue shadow is rising rapidly. He picks up the radio speaker and says, “Luke, I think it’s surfacing.”
…
“What did you say?” Luke asks.
“I said that the Liopleurodon’s attacking!” Hawkins shouts over the radio. Suddenly, the Liopleurodon explodes from below and lunges towards them.
Another warning shot, Luke thinks as he aims the tranquilizer gun and pulls the trigger. The foot long dart soars through the air and hits the Liopleurodon in the back of the neck. The Liopleurodon falls back into the sea, and the dart is still attached. “Yes!” Luke exclaims. “I shot it!”
…
“What?” Hawkins asks.
“I hit it!” Luke shouts again.
Everybody cheers, except for Shawn, who is smiling in the corner. Wait for it…
…
The Liopleurodon thrashes its head back and forth beneath the waves. The amphetamine is taking effect slowly. The Liopleurodon’s heart rate is increasing, while its temper shortens. It is not sure how or why she is experiencing these things, but she knows that the helicopter is somehow responsible for it. She dives deep, turns around, and begins thrusting herself towards the surface.
…
Luke is confused. The Liopleurodon should have floated to the surface by now. The ketamine should have put it to sleep by now, unless something went wrong… Luke turns to Will and shouts, “Pull up!”
“What?” Will asks.
“Damn it, Will, I said pull up!”
It is too late. Within milliseconds, the super-aggressive Liopleurodon is jumping out of the water, its jaws biting down on the helicopter’s left pontoon. Luke looks into the monster’s eye. The slit-like pupil stares back at him. Luke can see red arteries surround the pupil, and he can barely breathe. Luke has never felt such fear before.
The Liopleurodon’s foot long teeth grip the pontoon. For a split second, the helicopter’s propeller matches the Liopleurodon’s power. Using its one hundred and fifty ton weight, the pliosaur pulls the copter down, and smashes it into the ocean’s surface.
Water explodes through the window. It floods the cockpit, and smashes Will’s body against the controls. Luke is slammed against the window. Within five minutes, they will both drown.
…
“Crap!” Hawkins exclaims as he stands up and rushes to the deck. I need somebody who I can trust, but who? Kelsey’s the only one, but she’s not strong enough! That leaves Shawn and Ben. Unsure of whom to trust, he points at Ben and says, “We need to get to the Zodiac. We’ve got to get to the helicopter before the Liopleurodon kills Luke and Will.”
Hawkins had prepared for this. He had a Zodiac strapped over the side of the ship. He and Ben jump on it. Hawkins then pulls out a knife and cuts the rope. “Wait a second, what are you–” Ben begins to ask.
“You wanted to be useful, now you have the chance!” Hawkins exclaims as the Zodiac falls and lands on the surface. Hawkins grabs the rudder on the motor and turns it until they are out of the USS Jupiter’s wake. Then, they begin their rescue mission.
…
Luke can barely breathe within the helicopter’s cockpit. The water has forced him against the window, and his lungs are being crushed under the pressure. Using all of his strength, he turns around. The impact caused a gash in his cheek and it is gushing blood. He wipes some blood away as he unbuckles himself, then he reaches over and unbuckles Will.
His friend is unconscious. “Come on, Will, don’t die on me!” Luke exclaims as lifts his friend in the water. Suddenly he hears something grab a hold of the tail of the copter. Great, the Liopleurodon’s trying to rip the helicopter apart. Luke looks up at the helicopter door that his head was slammed into. Leaning back, he kicks it open.
Luke pulls himself out of the copter, Will still in his arms. The Liopleurodon has begun pulling the helicopter under the water. Hearing the sound of the motor, he sees the Zodiac carrying Hawkins and Ben coming towards him. “He’s hurt!” Luke exclaims.
He jumps onto the Zodiac, and places Will down gently. Hawkins uses the rudder on the motor to turn the Zodiac around. They speed away from the sinking helicopter. Luke turns back, only to see the Liopleurodon tearing the helicopter apart.
SECTION IV
FINAL BATTLES
The battles of good versus evil, man versus monster, and life versus death will all be decided by two factors: the will to survive and chance. -- BEN ROSS
Chapter 32
Will Harris
Luke is exhausted as he tries to keep up with Hawkins and Ben. They are holding Will, who is still unconscious on a stretcher. They are rushing towards the medical bay, and are trying to get Will there as soon as possible. Luke looks at his friend, and prays that he will be alright.
“Move!” Hawkins shouts at some of the crewmen aboard. They get out of the way, and the team runs by.
Luke feels as if everything is in slow-motion, like he is in a nightmare. “Hang on Will, hang on.”
Finally, they reach the medical bay. Two doctors are waiting at the entrance, holding the double doors open. Hawkins and Ben hand them the stretcher, and they rush inside.
“Wait!” Luke exclaims, but Hawkins grabs him and pulls him back. He turns to Hawkins and shouts, “I need to be in there with him!”
“Calm down!” Hawkins orders. “Just take a deep breath.” Luke does so. “Now let it out.” Luke breathes out slowly.
He nods and says, “okay, I’m better.”
“Good,” Hawkins says. “I know that you feel guilty about what happened, but it’s not your fault.”
Luke shakes his head. “Yes it is. I didn’t warn him fast enough.”
Hawkins waits until Ben has walked thirty feet away before saying, “It wasn’t your fault. Something went wrong. Instead of blaming yourself, try
to fix this. You saved Will’s life. If it wasn’t for you, he would be dead right now.”
“And does that make any difference if he’s going to die in there?” Luke says, upset.
Calm, Hawkins confidently says, “Luke, he’s not going to die.” Luke rolls his eyes, so Hawkins repeats himself, “He’s not going to die.”
Luke nods as he slowly walks away from the double doors that lead to the medical bay.
…
Six hours later, Luke is sitting outside of the double doors in a chair. He has been waiting patiently to see how badly injured Will is from the battle with the Liopleurodon. Luke can’t stop thinking about what has happened. This was the greatest defeat we have ever faced. Will was nearly killed and the Liopleurodon is now deadlier than ever. We may not be able to stop it.
Finally, a doctor opens up the double doors. Luke stands up immediately and asks, “Is Will going to be alright?”
The doctor sighs as he looks at his clipboard. “Sorry, it’s just been a long day.” Luke nods impatiently, not caring. “Let’s see, Will Harris?”
“Yes.”
The doctor says, “Well, he suffered some severe injuries from the accident. Many of his ribs are broken, as are his right arm and left leg. His left wrist is also fractured. It’ll take a while, but he should eventually have a full recovery.”
“Do you have any idea how long?” Luke asks.
Thinking, the doctor puts his pen up to his lip and says, “It will be at least six months.”
“Six months?” Luke gasps.
The doctor says, “First of all, that’s just an estimate. And second, he has several broken bones and is lucky to be alive. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am very busy and have important matters that I need to attend to.”
Liopleurodon King of the Carnivores Page 12