Mega

by Jake Bible

  “No, there’s something else,” Darby said.

  Mr. Ballantine turned his attention from the clamps and to her. He saw the look in her eye and he smiled.

  “Do you think?” he asked.

  “I think,” Darby replied.

  “Then what were they shouting about before?” Mr. Ballantine said.

  Darby shrugged. “Possibly a great white.”

  “Hmmm,” Mr. Ballantine mused, “possibly.”

  ***

  Lake cut the engines, hoping the Beowulf II would coast close enough to the Zodiac. He didn’t want the engines going and miss the Zodiac, allowing it to get caught in the wake of the ship. He needed to limit the variables that already complicated everything.

  ***

  The water below was a deep blue and just got darker as he looked deeper and deeper. Shane put his eye to his scope and couldn’t see anything. There just wasn’t enough light to pierce the deep blue of the ocean.

  “They’re passing us!” Jennings shouted.

  “They’re getting us to the stern,” Darren said. “See Ballantine up there? He’s going to use the clamps.”

  “Huh,” Shane said, taking his eye away from the scope then putting it back.

  “What?” Bach asked.

  “I don’t know,” Shane said. “What do you see down there?”

  “Nothing,” Bach replied. “No…wait…what is that?”

  “Oh…FUCK!” Shane screamed just as they saw the massive jaws coming up at them.

  Shane couldn’t see anything before because his scope had been looking right down the throat of the giant shark. A giant shark that was rushing up to them at close to fifty miles an hour.

  “What?” Darren asked. “What is---”

  His words were cut off as the Zodiac was lifted up into the air.

  ***

  “COCKSUCKING MEGASHARK!” Max yelled as he watched the Zodiac launch into the air, gripped in the jaws of a beast he couldn’t even wrap his head around. “HOLY FUCK!”

  Instinct kicked in and he started to fire, sending round after round into the belly of the giant shark. Lucy’s .50 barked next to him, matching him shot for shot. They both went Winchester and their rifles clicked empty. They dropped their magazines and slammed in new ones, almost in perfect synch.

  Then started firing again.

  The monster had barely crested and started to fall back to the water before it already had close to twenty massive holes in it.

  But when it did fall, it took the Zodiac with it. The boat, and the men inside, were lost from sight in a splash that launched water twenty feet into the air.

  “SHANE!” Max shouted.

  ***

  Water filled Shane’s nose and mouth, and he lost the grip on his .338 as he slammed into the ocean’s surface, then was dragged under as the Zodiac collapsed around him. All he could see were clouds of bubbles and a darkness spreading. Blood.

  He didn’t know if it was human or shark blood.

  He didn’t really care.

  All his SEAL training kicked in and he instantly sought the surface, knowing that if he didn’t right himself, he’d drown fast. But something clamped onto his leg and pulled at him, making him lose his sense of direction. He yanked a large knife from its sheath on his belt and was about to cut some serious shark flesh when he realized it was Bach clinging to him.

  Bach’s eyes bulged and Shane could see that the man had run out of air and was about to inhale seawater if they didn’t get to the surface. Shane dropped the knife, reached down, and pulled Bach’s hand from his leg, taking the man with him as he swam to the surface.

  Their heads broke the surface and Bach gasped so hard that he swallowed half a wave that slapped him in the face. He choked and gagged, but managed to stay above water.

  “Thanks,” he gasped as he smiled weakly at Shane.

  “No problem,” Shane said. “Now fucking swim.”

  The two men looked around and realized they had surfaced further away from the Beowulf II, not closer. They started to stroke, swimming as fast as they could to the ship.

  “Hey! Over here!” Darren shouted at them from the whale carcass. He and Jennings had climbed on top of the rotted corpse.

  “Fuck…that!” Shane shouted back as he kept swimming. “We’re going for the ship!”

  “You won’t make it!” Darren shouted, pointing into the water. “It’s fucking coming back!”

  Shane risked a glance into the water and almost froze; if he hadn’t been conditioned to ignore fear, he would have stopped swimming and just pissed himself. Instead, he pissed himself as he kept swimming.

  But Bach did stop.

  “Holy fuck!” Bach screamed as the shark came up at him from below.

  It breached the surface, Bach clutched in its jaws, and started to twist and dive.

  The thing had launched itself so fast that it rocketed over Shane and he watched in terror as Bach was crushed in the monster’s massive jaws. But the man didn’t go down without a fight. Over and over, Bach slammed his stump into the creature’s nose, hoping it would let him go. He put every ounce of strength he had into each blow, but the shark didn’t care. And in less than two seconds, they were both underwater.

  Shane shook off the shock and kept swimming towards the Beowulf II. The water around him bloomed red with blood. He wasn’t a shark expert, but he knew the big ones had saw-like teeth and shook their prey back and forth, ripping them to pieces. He tried to shove the thought away, but all he could see in his imagination was Bach being cut in half.

  Shane was almost overtaken with gratitude when Bach burst to the surface ahead of him. He swam to the wounded man and grabbed him around the neck, ready to swim with him the last few yards to the Beowulf II. But he quickly realized the weight placement was all wrong.

  He held only the top half of Bach in his arms.

  “Fuck!” he shouted as he let go and back stroked away from the half-corpse as fast as possible. He could hear the shouting from the deck, but didn’t look back or change his stroke. He just kept swimming backwards, his eyes locked on Bach as the top half of the man’s body bobbed up and down in the waves.

  Every nerve in his body felt like live wires. He knew the thing was close and getting closer; he didn’t have to look, his instincts told him he had maybe two or three seconds of life left. But he was a SEAL and he didn’t give up; SEALs never quit.

  “SHANE!” Max screamed from above and he took the time to look up just as a rope and lifesaver was tossed overboard.

  The ring smacked Shane in the face, but he shook it off and looped his arm inside as Max and the others started to pull. He was out of the water and swinging against the boat, his feet planted on the side, trying to gain some traction so he could help his ascension to the upper deck.

  Rifle fire filled the air and Shane could see Lucy with her .50 caliber at the rail, aiming just behind him. She went Winchester twice, putting fresh magazines into the rifle each time it clicked empty. She had just put a third one in when Shane was yanked up over the rail.

  “Give me that!” he yelled.

  Lucy didn’t argue as Shane took the hot rifle from her hands. He spun about and placed the rifle on the rail, his finger on the trigger. Later, when they all sat about to discuss the shot, Shane would say he had no clue how he knew where it would be, just that at that hyper-aware moment, it was like he knew where every fish in the ocean was.

  He squeezed the trigger just as the shark came bursting out of the water. Blood exploded from the monster’s forehead and its mouth slapped shut. The beast tilted and fell back into the ocean on its side. It floated there for a minute then began to sink.

  “Holy fuck, bro,” Max said at Shane’s elbow. “That was fucking crazy.”

  “Get us turned!” Mr. Ballantine shouted. “I want that shark!”

  “Fuck you,” Kinsey said. “We’re getting our crew first.” She looked up at the bridge and could see Lake looking from her to Ballantine. “Who are you goi
ng to fear most when you close your eyes, Lake?”

  He kept the Beowulf II steaming towards the whale carcass.

  “Lake!” Mr. Ballantine screamed. “I will throw you overboard if you don’t obey me this instant!”

  “You’re not the captain,” Darby said at his side, “back off, sir.”

  “Who’s team are you on, Darby?” Mr. Ballantine snarled, whirling on her. “Be careful you don’t pick the wrong one.”

  Darby watched him for a minute then moved over to the Wiglaf and opened the hatch. Mr. Ballantine gave her a quizzical look and she just sneered at him.

  “I’ll get your shark, sir,” Darby said, and then turned. “Kinsey! You’re coming with!”

  Kinsey looked over and frowned, then saw what she was doing and smiled.

  “Fine by me,” Kinsey said as she climbed on top of the Wiglaf. “Max? Make sure Ballantine gets Darren and Jennings on board. We’ll go get his shark.” Max nodded as Kinsey followed Darby through the hatch.

  Darby locked the hatch in place and started up the sub, checking systems and gauges.

  “Gonna show me how to pilot this?” Kinsey asked.

  “I am,” Darby said. She turned on the com. “Ballantine? Shove us in the water.”

  The response was a loud thud against the side of the sub and then the two women could feel the Wiglaf being lifted into the air. In seconds, they were plunged into the ocean and the sub began to dive as Darby piloted away from the Beowulf II.

  “I’ll circle around,” Darby said, “go deeper and scan as we come up. The shark couldn’t have sunk too far.”

  “Why didn’t it float like the whale?” Kinsey asked as she studied the inside of the mini-sub.

  “It will once it starts to break down,” Darby said, “when gasses are generated. But for now, it will sink.”

  “Let’s get it and get the fuck out of the water,” Kinsey said. “I’m running on adrenaline right now, otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten in this thing.”

  “Afraid of tight spaces?” Darby asked as she studied the sonar readings.

  “I don’t like to be confined in the water,” Kinsey said. “I like to swim in it.”

  “Not the most hospitable ocean today,” Darby said. “You will want to think twice before going for a swim.”

  The sonar bleeped and Darby changed trajectory and aimed the Wiglaf at the source.

  “There it is,” Darby said. “I’ll pilot and you can manipulate the arms. They aren’t as strong as the ones on the Beowulf, so try not to tear the body too much. Mr. Ballantine is already pissed off.”

  “These controls here?” Kinsey asked as she put her hands on two large joysticks in front of a small video screen. “I got this.”

  “Play with the claws a little, get the feel,” Darby said as she aimed the nose of the sub at the blip on the sonar. They were quiet for a minute as they each performed their tasks. “Did you know Bach?”

  “What?” Kinsey asked. “Bach? No, not until I got aboard.”

  “Me either,” Darby said, “seemed like a nice fellow. It’s a shame.”

  “Yeah,” Kinsey said. “How close are we?”

  “Ten meters,” Darby said, “I have it in view.”

  Kinsey saw it also on her screen and manipulated the claws and arms in place.

  “Steady,” Darby said. “Steady. And…grab!”

  The claws grabbed onto the massive shark, one close to the tail and one by the gills. The mini-sub strained with effort to turn itself as Darby pointed it back towards the Beowulf II; the shark was longer than the sub by a good couple meters.

  “Is it secure?” Darby asked.

  “As far as I know,” Kinsey said.

  “Good,” Darby replied, “then lock it and come here. I’ll show you the basics.”

  Kinsey made sure the claws and arms were locked into place, then sat down in the seat next to Darby’s.

  “Basic joystick controls here, also,” Darby said. “Up, down, left, right. This lever accelerates, pull back and it decelerates. Don’t forget that you’re in water. There’s no instant braking. Plan for your stop and change of direction. Be ten steps ahead.”

  “And the gauges?” Kinsey asked.

  Darby pulled a plastic coated manual from a slot next to the pilot’s chair. “Read that. Study it, know it. We’ll take this out in the morning again and you can show me what you learned.”

  “Why the sudden urge to teach me how to pilot this?”

  “Because the men won’t show you,” Darby said, “trust me. They’ll either want to play with it themselves or just won’t bother to learn. Lucy is a shooter and Bobby has the Wyrm. That leaves you to teach.”

  The manual was thick and heavy and Kinsey dreaded the reading, but she got what Darby was saying. The woman had made it further than most men in her field and she knew that even that amazing accomplishment meant nothing to the dicks and balls topside. To them, she was tits that could fight.

  “Got it,” Kinsey said, “thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me,” Darby said. “This thing is used when shit gets crazy. It’s not the safest place to be when that happens. The boys know that and despite their bravado and chivalrous fronts, they’ll send you down in this every time. They’ll think they’re showing equality, but they’re just showing how chicken shit they are to take this baby down 3,000 feet.”

  “It goes that deep?”

  “More,” Darby said, “5,000 is the maximum, but Ballantine has hinted it can withstand more. I don’t want to be the one to find out if that’s true.”

  The Wiglaf approached the stern of the Beowulf II and the two women saw the ship’s claws plunge into the water and move towards them.

  “What’s your story with Ballantine?” Kinsey asked while they were still alone.

  “Nothing sexual,” Darby said, “if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t know if Ballantine even has sex.”

  “Okay, wish I hadn’t asked,” Kinsey smiled, “now all I can picture is my old Ken doll and his smooth place.”

  There was a jolt and a crunching sound, and then the Wiglaf was lifted from the water and swung about until it was docked. Darby went to the arm controls and positioned the shark carcass onto a loading deck just feet away. She smiled at Kinsey and then reached up and opened the top hatch.

  The ocean breeze that blew in pushed out the stale, canned air of the mini-sub and Kinsey breathed deeply. Darby went first and Kinsey followed. The sweet scent of the ocean air was quickly replaced by one of rotten flesh and death. The whale carcass covered the empty helipad.

  “Damn,” Kinsey said.

  “There it is!” Mr. Ballantine shouted as he jumped to the loading deck and hurried to the shark. “Fifty feet, easy!”

  “Yeah,” Shane said, Lucy’s .50 caliber in the crook of his elbow, “easy. Real easy. Just one crew member dead.”

  “Super. Fucking. Easy,” Max said at his shoulder.

  Ballantine looked up at the faces of the crew that peered down at him from the deck above. He tried to think of something inspirational, but nothing came to mind. He nodded and then looked back at his shark.

  “That’s what I thought,” Shane said and turned away.

  “Team Grendel,” Thorne said, “briefing room in five. We need to talk.”

  “I’ll say,” Bobby said and walked over to where Darren stood staring at the bloated whale carcass. “Bach died for this.”

  “Bach knew what he signed up for,” Darren said.

  “Seriously?” Bobby snapped.

  “What?” Darren asked, then looked at her. “Sorry, sorry, shit. You’re right. It’s just that I didn’t think I’d see this again. I lost sight of priorities.”

  “I have to meet with Thorne and the others,” Bobby said, “you play with your fish. We’ll talk later.”

  “It’s not a---”

  “Fish,” Bobby interrupted, “I know.”

  Darren watched her walk off with the rest of Team Grendel. He saw the crew staring at him
. They all had duties to attend to, but none were moving.

  “You have about five minutes to straighten things out,” Kinsey said as she came up behind him. “Better get control before you have a mutiny on your hands.”

  “They’ve been with me a long time,” Darren said, “they knew it could happen.”

  “No, they didn’t,” Kinsey said, “not until it actually happened. Look at them.”

  Darren did, then looked at Kinsey.

  “They aren’t scared,” Kinsey said, “they trust you. They just need to know they won’t be next. Give them that.”

  She walked off to join her father and Team Grendel in the briefing room, leaving Darren to stand there by himself, his crew watching from various decks above.

  ***

  “That was shit,” Thorne growled once everyone was seated. “That was fucking chaos. Reactive chaos, which is the worst. It won’t happen again.”

  “It all happened so fast,” Lucy said.

  “It always happens fast,” Thorne said, “but we are professionals. Our job is to slow that shit down. Next time, we don’t let a single fucking crew member off this ship until every last motherfucking duck is in a row. A man died today. Why? Because everyone got all amped about a dead fucking whale.”

  Thorne took a deep breath then continued.

  “A whale is not more important than a human life,” he said. “I don’t fucking care how much they pay us or the crew. Next time, we take control just like any other op. We assess and then plan accordingly. Tell me what we could have done better.”

  “Not take a Zodiac into deep waters when there’s a fucking shark frenzy,” Shane said. “We use the Beowulf II.”

  “Exactly,” Thorne said. “There’s a reason we have a big fucking ship like this. What else?”

  “We don’t listen to Darren or Ballantine,” Max said, “we listen to you.”

  “Hey, Darren is captain,” Bobby said, “we have to listen to him.”

  “No, we don’t,” Thorne said. “Understand this, pilot. Darren is Captain, and that is all. He isn’t Team Grendel. I lead this Team. And that’s all that matters. You don’t want to be a part of this Team? Fine, you can be a chop jock. We’ll use you when it’s time to fly. Other than that, you can sit on your thumbs.”