The ships were built in record speed do to the resources, lack of bureaucracy, and a forced, loyal labor force. So when they were completed, Mike was forced to be part of the crew for their maiden voyages. Mike hated being on submarines. The small shallow ones weren’t bad, but being trapped in the deeper crafts was awful. These ships easily reached a depth of three hundred and fifty meters. Number two was tested to four hundred and twenty. They were small, thirty-five meters, but the thick double hull construction made them feel even more cramped and stifling. Then there was the perpetual dim light and complete loss of any sense of time. That in and of itself was awful enough, but being imprisoned in the perpetual locker room atmosphere was worse.
The only thing worse than a sadistic gangster, was a bored sadistic gangster. Tests of strength and toughness were incessant, whether it was wrestling, arm wrestling, strength competitions or all out fighting, everything was subject to a competition of power and manhood. He did learn how to fight though. At night, the subs would surface to charge the batteries by running the diesel engines and refuel from another of the company’s ships. The hatches opened to clear the foul, stale air, and the matches on the deck would ensue with the loser being tossed overboard. He tasted his share of salt water more than his opponents, but he eventually earned respect from even the most archaic of thugs for not giving up. The crewmembers who didn’t participate were harassed mercilessly and sank to the lowest standing. He’d never been to prison, but imagined the social structure wasn’t too far off, since most of the men making the rules had done their share of time.
The only guys who didn’t get bothered were the Spetsnaz guys. No one messed with them. A few of them fought and they kicked everyone’s ass. Mike fought them too. He never submitted early like some of the other guys and got hurt for his diligence. Although he never beat them, he never gave up, and by the end of the second submarine’s maiden voyage he was winning more than half his fights with the gangsters. As a sign of respect, they labelled him an “Official American Badass just like Clint Eastwood”, and presented him with a Smith and Wesson Model 29 with a six inch barrel.
After the ships were built, Mike worked with some of the other ships, went on salvage missions and waited for something that needed fixing. He added recreational features to the luxury yachts that were operated by the company, and made a few submersibles and to be sold to research facilities and universities. The company was thinking of making it another aspect of the business. It was a good arrangement, he was making about 250k on the books that he could report to the IRS, and the other 1.75 million went to a Swiss bank account. He was free after another year, to be called back only for consulting work if there was a problem or modification. It had only been four months since both of the ships had sailed. Unlike the name suggested, the main port and offices were in Vladivostok. That’s where the pieces of the submarines were gathered and put together. When a section was finished, it was trucked up the coast to the sea of Okhotsk where final assembly and launching took place.
Mike passed through the gates of the shipyard, parked his car, grabbed the suitcase, and headed up to the offices. Gavril Alkaev, the man who recruited him and oversaw the operation as a whole was there. He was the person everyone answered to. Next to him was Dmitri Markovic, an ex-Spetsnaz commander who was in charge of personnel and kept the goons under control. No one tangled with Dmitri out of either respect or fear. Stepan Polzin, a former naval submarine captain sat across from Markovic. Mike was relieved when seeing the three of them. Not only did he have their respect, he was able to speak above the lowest common denominator of women, sports, and other feats of masculinity. “Where is Valeri?” Mike asked in Russian.
“He is coming.” Alkaev said.
“What do we know?”
“The ship was on schedule for Iwaki. It usually makes the next delivery three to four days later near Yangjiang.”
Mike looked at the map, “That is almost thirty-five hundred kilometers,” he said. “Are we sure it was not just a lost transmission? It takes over a week to get to Australia. They may make contact then.”
“Yes, we considered that,” Dmitri answered. “However, if they are late, then we are two weeks behind. You understand that these vessels must not be found.”
“Yes, I understand.” Joossens said, “What do we have?”
“We have The Dafna,” Alkaev answered. The Dafna was the salvage vessel the company used to recover ships and cargo. “You and Valeri will be on that with the normal crew. Captain Polzin will be in charge. Commander Markovic and I will be on the Ivonne.” The Ivonne was one of the yachts that were used for entertainment and recreation. “As far as the authorities are concerned, we will be looking Alena.” The Alena was a ship that went down several months ago carrying classic automobiles from the United States for Asian buyers.
Mike looked at the map again, “They follow a similar route every time?”
“Yes, I know the routes.” Polzin answered.
“We start at the last location and follow the course through the shallows?” Mike looked up and contemplated what was ahead of him when the door opened. Valeri Savin came into the room with two low level thugs. He was shaken, but didn’t look hurt.
“Those engines cannot be found,” Alkaev reiterated. The diesel engines, batteries, and charging units were Russian navy.
Savin was the other engineer who was responsible for the propulsion system and procured them. Valeri was eager to join the team, live the life, and act like a big shot. Like Joossens, he was never accepted as a real member, but Savin was infuriated about it. On top of that, he didn’t have the nerves or composure to handle the risk and deal with the thugs. He was in way over his head and was always a heartbeat away from fleeing. Weekly photographs of his sister and mother going about their daily lives kept him close to the company. A phone call like the one that woke up Mike would have had him scurrying to the countryside. That’s why they sent for him.
“Mr. Joossens, you will take the place of the robot operator and Captain Polzin will take the place of the standing captain,” Alkaev continued. “The rest of the salvage crew will remain onboard. Mr. Domashevich will keep an eye on things. Mr. Savin, you will provide technical assistance for the recovery. If the vessel is found in shallow water, recover any cargo. If the engines can be recovered quickly, do so. After it is dismantled or if nothing can be recovered, you need to find a way to tow the ship to deep water where it will not be found. This is a very sensitive matter and we cannot spend a great deal of time carrying this out.”
Mike nodded and headed for the salvage ship with his suitcase. Valeri trudged onboard looking as if he was going to boot camp. Savin was one of those guys who didn’t fight and he was getting on the ship with Fyodor Domashevich. A huge, barrel-chested figure that was incapable of feeling pain and whose favorite pastime was picking on everyone smaller than himself. Mike had nicknamed him Fido and had run-ins with him even before the sub voyages. On the submarines, he seemed to have to fight him daily. Domashevich seemed to fight everyone daily. Mike was destroyed in the beginning, but he never gave up. He took it personally for a while and did everything he could to beat him. When that failed, he took him head on, knowing he was going to lose, and did the best he could. After learning a few things from the Spetsnaz guys, he eventually won a couple of rounds. Domashevich was teased mercilessly. Fido was the one who gave him the gun. Having him on the ship was a mistake in Mike’s eyes. These were legitimate sailors, working people, not gangsters bucking for position and power, and Domashevich was going to exhaust them with harassment. When all was said and done, they would probably lose a few good crewmembers, but Mike was not in power and he wasn’t going to question Alkaev’s judgment. “Shut up, do your job, and mind your own business,” he thought.
After he unpacked, Mike went to help load and secure the remotely operated submersibles (ROS’s). Then he went to the control center to make sure all of the video and scanning equipment was loaded and functioning prope
rly. When everything was to his satisfaction, he gave word, the ship was released from its moorings and headed into the Sea of Japan. He went to the galley and ate alone, and then headed up to the bridge. Fido punched him in the shoulder when he came through the door. “Good to see you,” he laughed, “just like old times.”
“Ow, good to see you too,” Mike answered. “Where are we headed?”
“South,” Polzin answered. “We will intercept its path and go backwards. Once we round the island, we head one hundred kilometers southeast of Katsuura and travel south along the ridge to the ships last known location. The yacht will head west through the Luzon Strait. The robot operator from this ship is over there. Their capabilities are limited, but it will give us a head start.”
“So we are going to see the Karakatitsa,” Domashevich said.
“What?” Mike asked.
“The Karakatitsa, the morskoye chudovishche.”
“A Devilfish, a sea monster,” Polzin translated in English.
“Yes, it is eating all of the fishing boats. It was found floating in the sea yesterday. Maybe it ate our boat too,” Fido laughed.
“What are you talking about?” Mike asked again.
Domashevich grabbed a tablet and gave it to Mike. A blurry aerial photograph of a ship was floating ahead of a light, multicolored oblong shape. From the photographs, he guessed it was about 150 meters long. “You see, the Karakatitsa. Here, look.”
“It’s a bigfoot picture.” Joossens said handing it back to him. Polzin laughed.
“No, it is real.” Fido thumbed through several news sights from different countries showing the same photographs, and then read through one of the Russian pages. “The creature was spotted floating four hundred kilometers off the coast of Japan and is being towed to Tokyo for study. At least sixteen fishing boats from Sapporo to Kochi have vanished or have been found destroyed over the last ten weeks. Other vessels report having nets torn from their riggings. Many villagers of the fishing communities believe the giant beast is responsible. Right where we are going. Ha, ha! I know you are looking forward to it Valeri,” he said, pounding Savin on the back at the same time.
“More people,” Mike speculated.
Polzin nodded.
“I sure hope this is not real.”
“We can use it to our advantage. It gives us an excuse for being there. We have lost a ship of our own. If this thing gets to Tokyo, we will be ignored. The attention will be there. ”
“I suppose. Do you need me up here?” Joossens looked at the men who shook their heads. “I’m going below.” Joossens said before going to his cabin and sprawling out on the small bed. It wasn’t long before the motion of the sea rocked him off to sleep.
*****
Hiroshi Kojima was standing at the railing of the coast guard ship, staring at the creature just below the surface. Someone had spotted the light colored mass from the air and a coast guard helicopter was deployed for a closer look. When it was determined that it was some sort of animal, Kojima’s vessel was the first to arrive. When he first saw it, he thought it was a huge chunk of a coral reef. It was an enormous mass of flesh, light pink with splotches of grey, yellow, and black. Odd horns and growths covered the thing. It had tentacles that were webbed and huge, heavily browed eyes that made it look permanently angry. Someone said it looked like some sort of devil or demon and the name stuck. Another coast guard ship joined them and a large trawler was commissioned to tow the “Devil Fish” to shore.
Hiroshi couldn’t take his eyes off it. He, like many of the sailors on board, had to be reminded to do his duties, but everyone gathered to stare at the creature on their breaks or after their shifts. Luckily, the captain was understanding. He travelled the length of the ship, staring at the monster when his shift was over until darkness made it impossible to see any detail. He was about to go to his bunk when it disappeared into the depths.
There was no sound, it just vanished. He was looking for it over the side when he heard a loud bang from the towing vessel and saw its stern sit heavily in the water. He ran along the port side of his own ship when it listed heavily starboard. Kojima grabbed the rail and prevented himself from being catapulted into the sea. A large tentacle grasped the ship less than a meter away from him and pulled the ship upside down. He took a deep breath as he headed toward the surface of the ocean, but the railing caught him along the midsection and knocked the wind out of him. A deep empty hollow pain seemed to collapse his chest inward as he swam in the black water. Straining metal, pops and cracking mixed with the roar of churning water and filled his ears as he attempted to get out from under the ship. He swam in the lightless ocean, struggling against his airless lungs through the cacophony that was all around him. Something hit him and red lights flashed in his head. The pain in his ears was increasing from pressure, it was the only orientation he had, so he changed direction to lessen it. His strokes became more frantic as the desire to breathe intensified as red lights flashed in his eyes. Finally, he broke the surface, opened his mouth, and tried to draw air, but his diaphragm was still locked in spasm. He paddled wildly to keep his head above water and tried again, but no breath would come. A wave hit him in the face, filling his mouth and nose with salted water as the contraction was released, initiating a coughing fit hard enough to make him vomit.
The noise was tremendous. Hiroshi looked over to see the capsized ship bob up and down, being pulled from the bow. Screams now mixed with the sounds of twisting metal. After a few breaths, he began swimming to the opposite cutter when something floated up underneath him. Kojima grabbed onto it and tilted his head back to catch his breath then looked down into a large, angry looking eye.
*****
Mike slept soundly so he didn’t hear Savin enter the room. He awoke before dawn and went to the galley for some coffee. Then he wandered onto the deck to smell the cold salt air. He looked at the lights in the distance, watching them blink and flicker, looked at the stars, and tried to remember the constellations. They would be at the ridge around daybreak, so after finishing his coffee, he went below decks and readied the computer equipment. The crew was roused as the ship began to slow and get into position. When the ROS was in position, a final check was made, and it was pushed overboard to lead the ship. The small submersible descended into the dark waters driven by small propellers. A rough three dimensional image of the ocean floor came into a kind of focus that would identify very large objects and contours. Joossens played with the size of the area and resolution and started the craft north, hovering about a hundred and fifty meters above the floor. The speed and direction of the ROS was relayed to the bridge where the Dafna followed its course.
The sea floor showed on the screens in various blurred and colored images. The going was slow and monotonous, so he was grateful when Domashevich came in. “Mikey, look, there is another sea monster.” Fido showed him a picture of several ships along the still blurry mass making its way to Tokyo. “It says that something grabbed the creature last night breaking the rigging of the ship that was towing it. Another ship was capsized and sank. Crewmembers believed that the Karakatitsa had come back to life and attacked the ship, but it was there floating, dead in the water. They think it’s another monster that attacked them. What do you think of that?”
“I am glad it is nowhere near us.”
“I can’t wait to tell Valeri. He looks like he’s about to shit himself as it is.” Domashevich laughed. “Think we’ll see it?”
“The monster? I don’t think so.” Mike didn’t believe it existed, but he wasn’t so sure about his compatriot.
“What about the submarine?”
“There is a lot of sea to cover. I think if we make a thorough look over the shallow waters and don’t find it, we can assume it won’t be found.”
“Have you seen this?” Fido showed him a picture of a squid like creature.
“It is a cuttlefish, I think.”
“They are calling it a Karakatitsa, a Devilfish.”
“Some people call them Devilfish.”
“Oh, the translation is different. Maybe it looks like one.”
“Maybe. Do you see anything?”
“No, no metal.”
“If you see a sea monster, you let me know.”
Mike laughed, “So you can terrorize Valeri? I will let you tell him.”
“You are much more fun to work with,” Fido laughed. “Do they cut the balls off scientists in college?”
“Not in America.”
“Ah, good one, I think they do here. You let me know before anyone else,” he said as he walked out of the room.
“Can you bring me some coffee?”
“Valeri is the devka , I will send him.”
After a while, Savin brought him the coffee and sat next to him and looked around. “Do you think you could help me get to America?”
“No,” Mike answered. “Don’t ask anyone to help you. You put them and yourself in danger. Trust no one.”
Savin sighed and looked down, “They know where my family lives. I swear, I’m going to kill every one of them when I get the chance.”
“Finish the contract you have and leave.”
“If they want to replace this submarine, I’m telling them to fuck themselves?”
“You do anything and they will kill you and your family. If they want another one, we will build another one. The ships are sturdy. There is no problem with them. You did a good job. Doing a bad job or, trying something to get out will get you killed. If they ask you to do something, you do it. If you plan to disappear, do not tell me or anyone.” He was going to ask what a devka was, but thought he should probably consult someone else.
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