the fire.
The winch releases him, and the mini sub plummets into the sea.
…
Kelsey walks over to the side of the ship and looks down at the water. Please, Luke, be alright.
Ben grabs her shoulder and says, “Don’t worry, Kelsey, he can take care of himself.” She nods, and he walks away.
Suddenly, she hears a voice behind her say, “Hello, Kelsey.”
She recognizes the voice immediately. No, it can’t be!
Kelsey turns around. Shawn is standing fifteen feet away from him. A smile brakes across his face as he points the gun that he stole from the guard and asks, “Miss me?”
Kelsey can hardly breathe. She begins to take small steps back, but she knows that there is no escape. “How… how did you get free?”
Shawn ignores her question and says, “So, it appears that Luke isn’t around to save you.”
Kelsey asks, “After all that we’ve been through, you’re going to kill me because you want to save an ancient lizard?”
“This isn’t about my pet anymore!” Shawn screams. “You betrayed me! Why? I proposed to you! I loved you!”
“Did you, Shawn?” Kelsey asks. The words seem to burn him. “Did you?”
Shawn nods as he says, “Yes, I did. But you destroyed it. You ripped my heart out. And now, you are going to die for what you did.” He puts his finger on the trigger, aims the gun, and says, “Right between the eyes.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Kelsey sees Ben slowly sneaking up behind Shawn. He gives her a slight nod, and she tries not to look in his direction as he begins charging. Shawn notices that she is looking slightly away from him, so he turns around and fires.
Ben screams as the bullet hits him in the left arm. He falls backwards, and lands belly-up. Blood pouring out of his arm, Ben can only look up at the sky. Shawn laughs evilly as he walks slowly across the deck. He squats and puts the gun only inches from Ben’s face.
“You’re a fool for siding with Luke over me. You know that, right?” Shawn asks. Ben says nothing. “I guess it is a lesson that has to be learned in a painful way.”
“Shawn, stop!” Kelsey shouts. Startled, Shawn quickly turns to face his ex-girlfriend. Aiming quickly, he pulls the trigger again, and shoots her in the left knee. Her legs buckle, and she falls. She puts her hands out, and can barely breathe because of the pain.
Shawn starts laughing again. Kelsey looks up at him, and he slowly walks over to the railing. “Ah, Kelsey, you would have been a great wife!” Knowing her fate, she puts her head down, awaiting the final bullet. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure that Luke dies as well.”
Tears run down her face. Only a miracle can save me now.
Kelsey hears Ben screaming. She turns to see the quiet and docile scientist charge at Shawn. Before Shawn can do anything, Ben lunges into him. Shawn takes several steps back, and he accidently pulls the trigger. Kelsey doesn’t see where the bullet goes. She looks back from Shawn, to Ben, and back to Shawn.
There are several moments of silence. Suddenly, Shawn drops the gun. Slowly, he looks at his abdomen. The bullet has torn through his stomach. Shawn looks up at Ben.
“I’ll see you in hell,” is the last thing that Shawn says before he falls off the USS Jupiter. His dead body plummets into the ocean.
Ben helps Kelsey up to the side of the ship. Only seconds before Shawn’s body is to hit the water, the enormous jaws of the Liopleurodon break through the surface and grab the murderer in midair. The three-hundred-thousand-pound reptile submerges with her liberator in her jaws.
“You can thank me later,” Ben says to Kelsey who watches in disbelief.
Chapter 37
King of the Carnivores
Luke is having a much harder time piloting the mini sub than he thought he would. The sea surrounding him is pitch black, so he is driving blind. For the fifth time in the past minute, he looks at the sonar. What did John say the different colored dots represent?
There is a yellow dot in the very center of the green screen, which Luke figures represents the sub. Very slightly to the north is a larger red dot, and in the corner of the screen is a blue dot, which is larger than both of the other dots put together.
The big blue dot must be the USS Jupiter. But if I’m understanding this right, that means the Liopleurodon is directly in front of me. I wish it wasn’t so dark. Wait a second. I forgot to turn on the lights! Luke flips a switch and the lights power up immediately. That’s much… holy crap!
The sight that Luke sees is frightening. Directly in front of him, is the Liopleurodon’s green eye, staring at him! The sudden bright light causes the pliosaur’s pupil to shrink. Luke looks for the front end of the reptile to find his jaws, and he sees the animal occupied eating something human. Is that Shawn?! Shawn’s mouth hangs open, and his eyes roll to the back of his head. The Liopleurodon’s mouth begins to pull Shawn’s dead body down its throat.
Luke watches in horror as the Liopleurodon devours its next victim. You loved the Liopleurodon so much, Shawn, now you get to feed it.
Still hungry, the Liopleurodon lunges at the mini sub. Seeing the enormous mouth coming towards him, Luke turns right with the joy stick, and narrowly escapes death. That was too close!
Luke speeds away from the Liopleurodon. While the reptile is no longer in his sight, Luke still knows its position from the sonar. He can tell that it is far below the mini sub, Luke thinks that the Liopleurodon plans to attack using its favorite strategy. Luke knows that since it is so dark in the water that the Liopleurodon can’t see him either; she is relying on her sense of smell to track him.
The red dot that symbolizes the Liopleurodon begins its ascent. Suddenly, the radio beeps, and Hawkins’s voice says, “Careful kid, its coming up from below.”
“I know!” Luke shouts. He grabs the joystick and pulls it back, causing the mini sub to rise and dodge the Liopleurodon’s attack. The Liopleurodon explodes through the surface, and crashes down. It submerges, and its foot-long teeth glow from the light given off by the mini sub.
This is a good spot! Luke thinks as he flips open the top of the joystick and presses the red button down. The first missile fires and explodes after five seconds. The blast scorches the side of the Liopleurodon’s head.
Enraged, it lunges towards Luke again, who this time pushes down on the joystick. The Liopleurodon’s massive body glides over him. Luke grabs the radio, presses down on the button, and says, “Hawkins, I think I will try a sneak attack from above. The mini sub’s small enough that it shouldn’t be able to sense me.”
“Don’t try anything too fancy,” Hawkins advises.
“I won’t,” Luke says. He leaves the radio and grabs the joystick. He pulls it back. The mini sub rises, and Luke turns it sideways. He puts his finger on the red button and shoots forward. The mini sub is agile, so Luke races towards the Liopleurodon’s head and prepares to fire the second missile.
Luke has underestimated his opponent, however. The Liopleurodon swings its colossal skull, and strikes the mini sub’s starboard side. Crap!
The mini sub spins, turning over and over. As if things couldn’t possibly get worse, Luke accidently presses down on the red button. No! The second missile fires, and slices through the water until it strikes the USS Jupiter.
…
Kelsey is standing near the edge on the deck, looking down at the water, trying to see what is going on. Unaware that she is in grave danger, she thinks, Please Luke, don’t die.
Suddenly, the entire ship shakes, and Kelsey is thrown over the railing. What the hell is going on?
She falls fifty feet and lands in the ocean. For the second time in the past ten minutes, she escapes the grip of death. Kelsey rises to the surface, the back of her head throbbing.
Little does she know that the blood from the bullet that wounded her knee is attracting the Liopleurodon.
…
Luke looks at the small orange screen, trying to find what damage the mini s
ub took from the Liopleurodon’s attack. It appears that the engines are damaged, but still functional. The starboard wing is completely crushed. I need to contact the Captain. Luke grabs the radio, presses the side button, and says, “Hawkins, I took some –”
The radio only buzzes. “Hawkins?” Luke asks. Failing to get a response, Luke tosses the radio aside and curses, “Damn it, the radio’s dead! I’m all alone, now.”
He looks at the sonar and sees that the red dot is moving in the direction of the blue dot. Why is the Liopleurodon moving towards the USS Jupiter? Then, he sees someone treading water. Even from a distance, he knows who it is: “Kelsey!”
His engines propel him forward. How am I supposed to get the Liopleurodon’s attention?
Although he knows that it is risky, Luke aims for slightly below the Liopleurodon and presses down on the red button. The third missile fires.
…
Kelsey is barely able to stay afloat because of her injured knee. She takes a big breath of air and then puts her head under the surface, wishing to see what is happening. She is shocked to find the Liopleurodon’s open jaws heading toward her.
Suddenly, there is an explosion below the Liopleurodon. The pliosaur changes its concerns and pulls back its attack, turning around to investigate the noise. Kelsey hears noise above her, and looks up. It is Hawkins shouting, “Wait there!” He turns to the right and shouts, “Ben, get the Zodiac!”
…
Great, now I have your undivided attention! Luke thinks as he turns the mini sub around. The damage that the engines took, however, has caused the mini sub to move much slower. Luke looks down at the sonar. The red dot is beginning to get very close to the yellow dot. Damn it, it’s gaining on me!
Due to the loss of the starboard wing, Luke realizes that the mini sub is no longer as agile but he refuses to give up. He continues to move forward!
Suddenly, Luke thinks that all hope is lost when a shadow comes over the sub, and then the Liopleurodon’s ten-foot-long jaws clamp down around it.
Luke finds himself and his sub intact, but in the mouth of the giant. Luke looks at the foot-long razor-sharp teeth blocking his exit. They surround him.
Crap, I’m in its mouth!
Thousand of pounds of force is put on the mini sub. Luke looks at the control panel. It reads: engines- off line.
Damn it! Luke thinks as he turns to see his port-side wing has snapped off. The walls on the sub appear to begin to cave in. The high impact glass hatch begins to crack. At first it is only one pane, but within moments the cracks begin to look like a spider web! If the hatch breaks, it is all over.
Is this my destiny? To die in the monster that I have spent my life trying to understand? Fate has brought us together, and destiny has forced us to do battle. But today it is going to kill me.
In that moment, everything becomes clear to Luke. It doesn’t matter whether he lives or dies, just as long as the Liopleurodon is destroyed and the woman that he loves is safe. Then, it will be a victory.
I have to get out of here, but how? The missiles will simply hit the teeth and blow up! It will be fatal to me, but the Liopleurodon may survive. I wish that I had another weapon. Wait, I do!
Luke presses down on the large blue button. While the sonar blast is too high pitched for Luke to hear within the mini sub, it is deafening to the Liopleurodon. Luke laughs in joy as the Liopleurodon’s killer-jaws release him!
Now that I’m out of that hellhole, it’s time for one of us
to die!
Luke flips a switch, and the propeller activates! While not as powerful as the engines, the propeller still is able to push him forward. Luke turns the joystick to the right. With the loss of both wings, the mini sub has a much more difficult time turning.
After a few long moments, Luke is facing the side of the Liopleurodon. Her demonic grin makes it appear as if the reptile is smiling at Luke. It’s laughing at me. Always laughing! It’s time to wipe that smile off its face. With the huge black and red target in front of him, Luke barely has to aim.
“Take this, you lizard bitch!” Luke shouts as he presses down on the red button. The final two missiles fire one right after the other. The first missile strikes the Liopleurodon’s reinforced ribcage while the second one hits the pliosaur’s stomach.
After five long seconds… both missiles explode!
The blast thrusts the Liopleurodon to the left. Its enormous crocodilian jaws appear to snap at Luke one final time before the pliosaur’s life finally slips away. The green eyes fade. The red stripes are scorched, blackened by the explosions. The largest and most powerful carnivore in history finally dies after one hundred and fifty-five million years.
“YES!” Luke screams, cheering in his cockpit as he watches the Liopleurodon sink to the ocean floor. While he is saddened since he has taken the life this magnificent animal, he knows that he has saved the lives of many.
When the remains of the monster hit the sandy bottom, a twelve-foot-long great white shark slowly swims over to investigate. The shark’s white triangular teeth slice through the enormous reptile’s flesh. The former apex predator of the sea is now consumed by its successor.
…
Luke raises his mini sub to the surface. He presses a button, opening the hatch. Luke takes a deep breath of fresh air. He looks at the moon and smiles. He can’t help but laugh. He has done it. It was a one-in-a-million shot, but he had defeated the Liopleurodon. This is the happiest moment of his life, outmatched only… by the next one.
Luke can hear the propeller of the Zodiac. He stands on his chair and waves. Kelsey leans over the side and reaches towards him. She can barely wait to hug the man that she loves. Ben smiles while Hawkins turns off the motor and waves.
“Well?” Captain Ryan Hawkins asks.
Luke smiles as he says, “It’s dead. Two missiles to the side.”
His friends begin cheering. Luke jumps aboard the Zodiac. Kelsey jumps to him and says, “I love you.”
Luke smiles as he replies, “The feeling’s mutual.”
Finally, after years of waiting, they kiss.
Chapter 38
Liopleurodon
All is peaceful in the coral reef. A family of clown fish looks for food while a male angel fish tries to attract a mate. The peace is ended, however, when a seven-foot-long reef shark shows up. Its killer instincts engaged, the shark’s ampullae of Lorenzini allows it to know that there are several potential meals here. Lunging forward, the shark attempts to kill the angel fish, but the small animal is able to retreat to its crevice within the coral in time.
The shark swings its head the other way, and smells the clown fish family swimming away in panic. The shark’s tail gives it a burst of speed, but still misses the small fish. The clown fish family is not out of danger yet, though. The shark comes up from below, and bites down on a young female’s tail.
The clown fish thrashes around, but only causes the shark’s teeth to sink in harder. Finally, the fish’s tail is sliced off, and it can’t swim away. The shark swallows the tail whole, but isn’t finished yet. The rest of the clown fish escape into an anemone. They can only watch as the shark attacks again, and bites the young fish in half.
The shark devours its meal, but soon detects the presence of a larger, deadlier hunter. The shark barely dodges the ten-foot-long juvenile Liopleurodon’s attack. The Liopleurodon aims its snout upwards, and pulls up before it smashes into the seabed.
The shark and Liopleurodon face one another. The Liopleurodon is three feet longer, but it isn’t as experienced in battle. The reef shark is an elder and has many scars from years of territorial battles.
The shark is the first to move; it lunges forward and bites down on the young pliosaur’s tail. The Liopleurodon swings its weight and pulls the shark along with it. Soon, the shark lets go and the fight goes on.
The Liopleurodon thrusts its small flippers and bites the shark’s dorsal fin. Having more mass, the Liopleurodon is able to slam its enemy in
to a coral mass. It has a poor grip on the shark, so the Liopleurodon is forced to release its adversary.
Enraged, the shark bites the Liopleurodon’s rear right flipper. The reptile rolls and throws the shark off. The shark regains its balance and slaps the Liopleurodon in the face with its tail.
Neither is able to get an advantage and neither is seriously wounded. The shark attacks from below, and the Liopleurodon is not able to move in time. Suddenly, the shark is thrown off balance by a powerful ocean current. Nature has spared the Liopleurodon’s life, for the moment at least.
The Liopleurodon attacks from below just as the shark is about to regain its balance. The pliosaur bites deep into the shark’s stomach. The shark begins to spasm, but the Liopleurodon’s thick neck keeps its head steady.
Thrashing its jaws back and forth, the Liopleurodon inflicts mortal damage to the shark. The shark’s spasms become less and less, until it stops completely. The shark sinks to the ocean floor, and the Liopleurodon is victorious. The reptile swims to the surface for air, not realizing that it is being watched.
Whomp!
The fifteen-foot-long Liopleurodon juvenile arrives at the scene and smashes into its younger sibling. Being the largest of the triplets, the fifteen-foot-long juvenile was always dominant, even in its mother womb.
The ten-foot-long Liopleurodon infant struggles to escapes its bigger sister’s grip, but to no success. The larger pliosaur slams its little sibling into the seabed. With its jaws clamped down on the smaller Liopleurodon’s throat, the larger sister simply waits until its smaller sibling drowns.
With its flippers balancing it, the larger Liopleurodon maintains its death grip. Water floods the little sibling’s lungs. The shine in its green eyes begins to fade. The ten-foot-long Liopleurodon dies, killed by her larger sibling.
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