by Jake Bible
“Fire crew is stuck one deck above you, sir,” Nunez replied. “All deck hatches have been locked down per security protocol. They can’t get through to you.”
“Then unlock the hatches!” Wagner barked. He quieted down and shook his head. “You can’t because we’re locked out of the systems. Sorry.”
“Have you gotten a look at the creature, sir?” Nunez asked.
“I have,” Wagner said, “and you’re right. The damn thing is growing. Did anyone get eyes on Dr. Glouster? Do we know where he is? I have a few questions about some obvious modifications he’s made to the project without anyone knowing.”
“No sign of the doctor, sir,” Nunez said. “But he has to still be in the vault. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, though.”
“Time to find out,” Wagner said as he took a couple of deep breaths, got into a tight crouch, and crept around the vault door and inside the space itself, staying as small a target as possible.
The room dripped with blood. Offal littered the floor along with bones that looked picked clean. Clothing was piled up in one corner with weapons in another. The weapons looked like they’d been jammed into a blender, their metal barrels and grips warped and twisted into useless chunks of steel.
The creature was nowhere to be seen. Not a trace of the huge beast.
Wagner held up a hand and motioned forward with two fingers. He pointed left then right and two men crept in past him, each taking a different side of the vault. Wagner kept his eyes locked onto the tank that stood in the middle, its water a murky rust color. More than a couple of limbs floated in the saltwater, bobbing up and down with the motion of the ship.
Wagner brought his MP7 up and took aim, his eyes sighting down the snub-nosed barrel. His finger touched the trigger lightly and he prepared to squeeze.
“I wouldn’t,” Dr. Glouster said from the far corner of the vault, a tablet in his hands, a sneer on his face. “You of all people know how thick that glass is.”
“Armor piercing,” Wagner said, his aim switching instantly to the doctor. “I know what I’m up against, Doc.”
“I do not think you do,” Dr. Glouster said. “None of you do. Not NCDC, not Ms. Marion, not any of these men here. Not even OAS or McDowell. I have made sure of that.”
“How big is it now?” Wagner asked, his eyes darting from Dr. Glouster to the tank and back. “Is that shadow in there the creature? Hard to tell with all the blood.”
“All the blood,” Dr. Glouster whispered. He cleared his throat and spoke up. “Yes. The blood. That I hadn’t planned on. I knew the creature would have an increased appetite due to its enhancements, but I did not think it would have such a hunger for the sanguine fluid. Of course, the moment I realized it did, I took full advantage of the benefits of such a diet.”
“Benefits?” Wagner asked. There was a shifting of the shadow and Wagner brought his MP7 back to bear on the tank. “Benefits like rapid growth?”
“Amongst other attributes,” Dr. Glouster said. “You see, Mr. Wagner,Enteroctopus dofleini, is an amazing species. It’s genetic structure is incredible. Did you know that many species of octopuses can actually change their genetic structure within one generation? One generation! I was able to tap into this miracle of evolution and speed up the process, allowing my creature to adapt within its own lifetime.”
“Your creature?” Wagner asked.
“Yes, Mr. Wagner, my creature,” Dr. Glouster said. “Did you think I would create such a marvel and allow it to be sold to the highest bidder? Leaving me to begin all over again with some new project that is decided by the whims of shareholders and moronic CEOs? I think not, Mr. Wagner. I think not. I put plans in place long ago to make sure my work would be privately secured.”
Dr. Glouster tapped at the tablet and the tank’s water churned and swirled as three huge tentacles broke the surface and slid over the glass. Two of the tentacles moved in opposite directions, each heading for one of Wagner’s men. The third hovered in the air, undulating slowly as Dr. Glouster began speaking again.
The doctor held up his tablet and smiled.
“This is the only modification that I have made to my creature that is not natural,” Dr. Glouster said. “While it means I do not have a specifically pure biological product, it does allow me an immense amount of control. See?”
Before Wagner’s men could react, the two tentacles grabbed them, lifting them up high and then bringing them down to the floor in the blink of an eye. The men didn’t even have time to scream before they were cracked open like walnuts hitting hard pavement. Fresh blood was added to the coagulating gore that slicked every inch of the vault.
Wagner aimed at Dr. Glouster, but before he could pull the trigger, his weapon was yanked from his hands and thrown against the wall, shattering on impact. Wagner’s men’s bodies were pulled into the tank and the water’s murk increased.
Wagner stared then regarded the doctor.
“I gave you the keys when I handed you that tablet, didn’t I?” he asked.
“No, Mr. Wagner, I already had the key,” Dr. Glouster replied as he reached into his pocket and produced a USB drive. “Your men were looking for weapons when they patted me down. They had no clue that eighteen gigabytes on a piece of plastic and metal was more dangerous than any gun could ever be.”
“Your mods are on that?” Wagner asked.
“Yes,” Dr. Glouster said as he held up his tablet.
Wagner narrowed his eyes, turning back to the tank.
“Why not have it kill me as well?” Wagner asked.
“I could, I could,” Dr. Glouster said. “But I need you. For now.”
“Need me?” Wagner asked. “Can’t see why.”
“Can’t you?” Dr. Glouster asked. “Mr. Wagner, I am a scientist, not a sailor. You are in charge of this ship which means you can give the orders to turn us in the direction I need to go.”
“Where you need to go?” Wagner asked. “Where in the hell do you need to go?”
Dr. Glouster tapped some more at his tablet. “I have sent the coordinates to the bridge,” he said. “Please get on your com and instruct the captain to set the ship’s course for those coordinates, if you will be so kind.”
“None of this makes sense, Doc,” Wagner said. “You obviously have some plan in mind, but there is no way in hell you could have known I was working for NCDC and was going to move the creature. How the hell is your plan still viable?”
“Because my plan involves me, my creature, and a ship,” Dr. Glouster said and shrugged. “The ship need not be an OAS ship, specifically. A NCDC ship will work just as well. In fact, it works even better since if anything is to go wrong, I can blame NCDC and come away looking like an unwilling captive. You, Mr. Wagner, have given me a cover, if I end up in need of one.”
“Doc, listen to me,” Wagner said. “I don’t know who you are working with, and before you try to deny it, I know you are working with someone, okay? It’s obvious. Like you said, you’re a scientist. You’re not a sailor and you are certainly not a weapons dealer. I’m guessing that whoever you are meeting at these coordinates, they are the weapons dealer. How much have you been offered, Doc?”
“I already said I am not selling my work to the highest bidder. But, you are close. Yet not quite there, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster said. “And that is all I am going to say on the subject. I’ve said what I want and do not intend to be the man that shares his plans in a revealing monologue. Please instruct the captain to turn this ship towards the coordinates I have sent him.”
“And if I don’t?” Wagner asked.
Two taps on the tablet and a tentacle gripped Wagner around the throat. The pressure was surprisingly light and Wagner was able to breathe easily without any restrictions. As he felt the wet skin of the creature pulse against his neck, he knew that all it would take was one squeeze and he’d find the light pressure gone and possibly his head as well.
“Do I need to ask again?” Dr. Glouster said.
&
nbsp; Wagner pressed a finger to his ear. “Captain? This is Wagner. Did you just receive a set of coordinates?”
“Yes, Mr. Wagner,” a voice replied.
“Plug them in and head that way,” Wagner said. “We’re taking a detour.”
“Mr. Wagner, I am under strict instructions not to deviate from our rendezvous with the NCDC facility,” the captain replied.
“You have new instructions,” Wagner said. “We’re giving the doctor and his creature a ride, it looks like. Our rendezvous will have to wait until another time, are we clear as a bell, Captain?”
“I understand the code you just gave me, Mr. Wagner, and I’m sorry to say our long range and satellite communications systems have been disabled,” the captain said. “NCDC has no idea what has happened on this ship. They won’t come looking for us until we miss our arrival window. By then we’ll have reached the new coordinates and whatever waits for us there will already have happened.”
Wagner glared at Dr. Glouster.
“Is he informing you that the cavalry is not coming, Mr. Wagner?” Dr. Glouster asked. “By the look on your face, I would say that he is.”
Wagner glanced around the vault. He calculated the lives lost, the men murdered, and realized that his life was going to be added to the list of casualties the moment Dr. Glouster got what he wanted.
“You win, Doc,” Wagner said. “I can’t fight you. Not with that thing in your corner. So, how about we make a deal?”
“I have no desire to make a deal, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster said. “I’m sorry, but I don’t.”
“You sure?” Wagner asked. “This other player, or is it players? Doesn’t matter. This other player on the board. Do you trust him or her?”
“Of course not,” Dr. Glouster said. “I’d be a fool if I did.”
“Then what is to stop this person from just killing you and taking your creature?” Wagner asked.
“Are you really so dense?” Dr. Glouster laughed and swept out a hand. “Look around you. I made this happen. These men were highly trained professionals. I have more than proven that I can handle myself.”
“No, you have proven you understand the element of surprise,” Wagner said. “Which you will not have when you arrive at your destination. They know you are coming, they know you have the creature, they know you can control the creature. They are counting on it. That makes you a serious liability and risk. The sooner they dispose of you, the better. You are a dangerous variable, Doc. You aren’t getting out of this alive.”
“I beg to differ,” Dr. Glouster replied, but the tone in his voice revealed a different feeling.
Wagner heard that tone and locked onto it.
“You need someone that can navigate the world you are about to step into,” Wagner said. “Trust me, Doc. What you’ve done here is pretty cold blooded, but I can guarantee that whoever you are working with is a million times more cold blooded. You’re already dead and you don’t know it.” Wagner smiled. “Unless you have me watching your back and making sure the trap they have set isn’t sprung.”
“There is no trap,” Dr. Glouster said, but his voice sounded even less convinced than before.
“Oh, there is, Doc. Probably more than one,” Wagner said. “How much will you get paid to be whatever it is you think you’re going to be?”
“A good amount,” Dr. Glouster said. “High eight figures. But, that money will allow me to work more, create more. I do not care about riches, I care about greatness.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of, Doc,” Wagner said. “Because for this other player of yours, it is about the money. It’s always about the money.” Wagner pointed at the tablet in Dr. Glouster’s hand. The tentacle tightened just a hair and Wagner froze. He waited, but when his head wasn’t popped off, he continued. “All they need is that tablet and some smart techs and they have your project. And those techs cost a lot less than high eight figures.”
“This tablet is not the only reason my creature obeys my commands,” Dr. Glouster said. “I raised it from birth. I have been there every single day of its life. It knows me, Mr. Wagner. And I know it. Techs may be able to work out the software from the tablet, but they will not be able to work my creature.”
“All the more reason to stay alive, Doc,” Wagner said. “Because if they can’t control the creature then they’ll just kill it.”
“Easier said than done, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Wagner?” Dr. Glouster chuckled.
“Yes, I would,” Wagner agreed. “But once again, you had surprise on your side. All it would take is a couple torpedoes, or some well-placed explosives, to blow this ship to fragments. End of your creature, Doc. Your mystery friend has wasted some time, and maybe some resources, but in the end it’s just another deal that didn’t pan out. Trust me when I say that if this person is a true professional, they are used to deals not panning out. They are also used to forgetting about them and moving on to the next thing.”
“The next thing?” Dr. Glouster snapped. “There will be no next thing like this without me!”
Wagner’s hand slowly, carefully moved to his side.
“Do you think that NCDC or OAS will ever be able to replicate what I have done?” Dr. Glouster asked, his face red with anger. “No, they will not! My partner knows this and will not miss the opportunity I am presenting.”
“Still doesn’t mean you’ll get out of this alive, Doc,” Wagner said. His fingers found the hilt of the combat knife strapped to his thigh. “Yes or no? Do you want my help or not?”
“I think not,” Dr. Glouster said, his finger moving towards the tablet.
Wagner pulled his knife and slashed at the tentacle around his neck. Part of it fell away, landing at Wagner’s feet. It flopped about, spurting blue blood, slapping at the blood coated floor on its own. Wagner kicked it away as he rushed at Dr. Wagner before the injured tentacle, or one of the other seven the creature had, came for him.
Dr. Glouster’s eyes went wide just as Wagner reached him. The tablet flew out of the doctor’s hands and tumbled through the air, spinning end over end until it landed on a broken ribcage. Dr. Glouster turned to reach for the tablet, completely ignoring the attacking Wagner, his focus only on the device that helped control the creature. With his attention on the tablet, he missed seeing the combat knife coming at him.
Wagner jammed the knife up under Dr. Glouster’s ribs, pushing the blade at an upward angle until it pierced the man’s lung. Dr. Glouster gasped then began to choke and cough as he fell to his knees. Wagner pulled the knife free, stepped behind the doctor, grabbed him by the forehead, then reached around and slashed his throat, sending a geyser of blood spurting out to create yet another pool on the floor.
As the man gurgled and died, Wagner shoved him aside and rushed over to retrieve the tablet. He made it halfway when the tank behind him shuddered so violently that it moved an inch across the floor, digging a deep gouge in the metal.
Wagner slid to a stop, looked at the tablet on the ribcage, then looked at the tank.
A massive eye was pressed against the glass, staring at him. Wagner met the stare, his blood going as cold as the creature’s inside the tank.
Time stretched, but neither Wagner nor the creature made a move.
Then everything broke at once.
Tentacles grabbed the edge of the tank at the same time that Wagner decided to hell with the tablet and started sprinting towards the vault room exit. The creature pulled itself up out of the water and Wagner caught a quick glimpse of the massive thing, all bulbous mantle and pink red skin, before he reached the vault door. Spinning about as the thing landed on the floor, Wagner picked up a stray rifle and opened fire, making sure every shot hit the creature’s soft mantle.
But the mantle wasn’t so soft.
The bullets fell away without doing any damage as the creature’s rosy pink skin became gunmetal grey, hardening into an armor that sent the slugs ricocheting around the vault. Wagner caught a bullet in his shoulder and nearly fell to
the ground, but the adrenaline that surged through him, and his years of honing a survival instinct that refused to let him fall, kicked in and he tossed the rifle aside as he sprinted out of the vault.
Wagner put every last ounce of strength he had into shoving the vault door closed. Two tentacles made it through the gap and wrapped themselves around Wagner’s legs, pulling him off his feet. But before they could yank him into the vault, the huge door’s momentum slammed itself shut and the tentacles were severed, cut off from their body.
Unfortunately for Wagner, the tentacles came from a creature that did not have a central brain like other animals. The tentacles themselves had enough neurons to act independently and they proceeded to finish the task they had been sent to do.
Wagner tried to pry them from his body, but he did not have the strength to do so. His screams filled the passageway as his legs were squeezed apart below the knees. Another noise quickly joined his wailing. A noise from inside the vault. It was the noise of metal tearing and the ship being ripped apart.
With his last bit of strength, Wagner put his finger to his ear.
“Captain?” he whispered. “Captain… Correct…course…now.”
“What was that?” the captain responded. “Wagner? I can barely hear you. What did you say?”
Wagner tried to speak, but he couldn’t find the words. His mouth opened a few times then stayed open as his hand fell away from his ear and his eyes closed.
“Wagner? Come in,” the captain called over the com in Wagner’s ear. “Wagner! Are you there? I need you to repeat that order! Wagner!”
The sound of glass breaking, metal shearing, and men screaming, filled the com next.
“Oh dear God!” the captain shouted “What is that—?”
A choked gurgle and then a wet splat was heard.
Then silence.
Wagner heard none of it.
18.
One of the hulking guards stepped to Tony’s side and whispered in his ear. He smiled then nodded at the guard. The large man left the game room quickly as everyone took their seats around the poker table.