by Michael Bray
He couldn’t hide it anymore. He was trembling, unable to think or concentrate. He wondered how many people had sat in that very seat where he was now, quivering and in an impossible position, forced to do the bidding of a man who had no remorse or empathy.
“You’re asking the impossible,” Greg said, running a hand through his hair. “I can’t capture one of those things I don’t know how.”
“You don’t have to capture them. That’s the thing.” Victor leaned close, his face again becoming a horrific shadowy mask. “He has eggs. Bring me those. As many as you can. I believe your fear of these beasts is real. How can you refuse now knowing that you won’t even have to encounter them? Surely you’re not afraid of a few eggs?”
“And how do you expect me to get them? You think he’s just going to hand them over to me?”
“I doubt he would, no. I’ll give you a team of men, as well as a boat with facilities to safely store and transport them.”
Greg hesitated, considering his options then realizing he had none. The idea of anyone hurting his daughter was too much to bear. “Looks like I have no choice. When do I start?”
Victor grinned, the selfish face of a man who always got his own way. “I thought you would see things my way. You have a few days yet. The preparations are being finalized.”
“Finalized? You mean you were doing this anyway regardless of what I said?”
“You were always doing this regardless of what you said. There was never any free choice. Do this for me, and consider your debt to me fulfilled.”
“And my family? You promise you’ll leave them alone?”
Victor laughed, throwing his head back. “I’m not a monster, just a man who needs to ensure his business continues to run smoothly. I’m sure you understand. Do as I ask, and you will all be free to live on unharmed and as estranged as you are right now.”
“Alright, count me in. But this is it. No more. As long as we’re clear.”
“Absolutely,” Victor said, taking another sip of his wine. “I’m glad we were able to reach an agreement.”
Greg nodded, still in a daze, unsure if he truly comprehended what he had been asked to do or if he was even able to do it. The idea of facing those creatures again terrified him, but not as much as the thought of what might happen to his family if he didn’t do as Victor asked.
CHAPTER NINE
THE INCOGNITO
Alamitos Bay, Long Beach
California
The fifty-two-foot Incognito bobbed against the dock. At a cost of fifty million dollars, it was luxurious to the extreme. Fiberglass hull, on-board Jacuzzi and fully stocked bar, twin Rolls Royce engines. This was Charles Decker’s favorite possession. He strode down the dock, even the night not bringing any relief from the stifling heat. He admired the vessel, then climbed on board, disappearing into its belly.
Further down the dock, Jade Thompson stepped out of the shadows. She grabbed the Nikon camera that hung around her neck and snapped a few pictures of the boat, then edged closer.
Rather than deter her, Rainwater’s story had blown her mind and made her more determined to see what Decker was up to. She had already made up her mind to pursue her interest in Decker even before she had heard the end of the story. Her sister’s death had always been filled with holes, things that had been omitted from the official records. Now that those holes had been filled in, she wasn’t sure how she felt. On the one hand of course, she was still devastated by her death. Jade was twenty four and Clara was only five years older than her when she died, which seemed horribly cruel. Nobody should have their existence snuffed out so soon, especially someone like Clara who still had a lot to offer the world. Despite this, she still felt a deep and nagging resentment. Her sister had changed, and in the last year or so of her life had been almost like a stranger. She had hidden behind the arrogance her literary agent had helped to create in making her a brand. Gone was the fierce, caring, sensitive woman. In its place was a self-centered, fame-driven media whore who loved the glare of the limelight and had no problem stepping on anyone who got in her way.
That had been Jade’s lasting impression of her sister right up to her death. Although Rainwater’s account of what happened hadn’t changed it as such, it had helped Jade to see things more from Clara’s perspective, to understand her reasons for risking everything to get back into the water with the creature which almost cost her life once before.
She smiled to herself as she stood in the shadows, as she realized the two of them were quite similar in their willingness to do anything for what they believe in. She turned her attention back to Decker’s boat, trying to see if there was any kind of movement. Satisfied as she could be that nobody would see her, she stepped out of the shadows and started to head towards the boat.
As she stepped towards the boat, someone grabbed her arm. She whirled around, expecting to see one of Decker’s men, and readying one of the prepared excuses as to why she was there, when she saw who it was.
“What the hell are you two doing here?” she whispered, ducking back under cover.
“We were following you,” Rainwater said. “I had an idea you might come here anyway despite promising not to. Looks like I was right. I thought you’d agreed not to go any further into this?”
“If you knew my sister half as much as you say you did, you shouldn’t be so surprised.”
“Why the hell do you think I’m here?” Rainwater fired back, even the conversations between the two of them reminding him of Clara.
“Is that his boat?” Ross said, nodding towards the Incognito.
“Yeah, he’s just gone on board. If he’s up to something, then I bet there’s evidence of it on there.”
“You can’t just go and get on his boat. It’s trespassing.”
“I have a cover story, actually. I’ll say I’m a photographer and was looking for the boat owner to ask if I could take some pictures.”
“Jesus,” Rainwater said, shaking his head. “You have it all figured out, don’t you? You’re just like Clara.”
“And you’re every bit the pig-headed dick she said you were.”
Ross chucked, slapping Rainwater on the back. “Gotta say, the lassie has ye’ down to a tee there.”
“Don’t you start,” Rainwater grumbled, smiling despite himself. He turned his attention back to Jade. “As I was saying, you can’t just walk up there and get onboard. It’s never gonna happen without you being seen.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well you just watch me.” Before he could respond, she was on the move, jogging down the dock.
Ross and Rainwater watched from the shadows. “She won’t de’ it,” Ross whispered. “The lassie hasn’t got the bottle fae’ it.”
“Oh she’ll do it. Don’t worry about that.”
They watched as she took a last look around the dock, then back towards where they were hiding, beckoning them towards her.
“What the hell do we do now?” Ross said.
“Looks like we don’t have much choice.” Rainwater replied, ducking out and jogging down the dock towards her, Ross following close behind. As he got closer, he saw that she had that look on her face, the one he was so familiar with and had seen on Clara more times than he could ever remember. It was the cocky look of victory.
“Just hurry up,” Rainwater grunted. They followed her as she climbed aboard the boat and ducked inside.
II
The inner deck was as luxurious as the outside. A fully stocked bar dominated the room, with the steps leading to the lower quarters tucked away to the right. Beside the bar, an elaborate kitchen stood ready to prepare anything the owner might desire.
“So this is how the other half lives,” Rainwater muttered as Jade made her way towards the large table in the living area, sifting through the folders and papers strewn out on top of it.
“Hey, come on, we need to get out of here,” Rainwater whispered. Jade glanced at him then carried on lookin
g through the papers.
“There’s people talkin’ doon’ there,” Ross said, nodding towards the steps.
“Jade, come on,” Rainwater whispered as he strode towards her, grabbing her by the arm.
“I’m not done yet, I need to see what these are.”
“This is illegal. You think Decker won’t press charges? Let me tell you, rich people are dicks by default. It’s how they’re built.”
She stared at him, eyes dark with defiance. “No, I don’t think he will. He’s got too much to lose.”
“Or so you think.”
“Yeah, so I think,” she fired back.
“Quick,” Ross said, “Someone’s comin’ upstairs.”
They could all hear them now. Voices, at least three, growing louder as they came closer. Going back wasn’t an option. They would be seen making their way off the boat. Their only option was to try and hide on deck and hope they wouldn’t be spotted.
“Quick, in there,” Rainwater said, pointing towards a door and hoping the room behind it would be unoccupied. He opened it, relieved to see it was a larder filled with cans of food and other goods to feed the crew. Rainwater ushered Jade and Ross inside, then followed, closing the door just seconds before the owners of the voices made their way onto the upper deck. Their voices were muffled, making it hard to understand what they were saying. As they stood, huddled in the pantry, the voices stopped.
When one of them next spoke, it was much closer and easier to hear. “Whoever is in the pantry, please come out.”
The three of them stayed where they were unsure if they should do as they had been told or stay where they were.
“If you don’t come out, we will be forced to call the police.”
Knowing they had no way of delaying it any further, they reluctantly exited the pantry. The man standing before them wasn’t angry as they expected. Instead, he smiled broadly and thrust out a hand.
“Good evening to you all. I’m Charles Decker.”
III
Ten minutes later, they were all sitting below deck in the small meeting room which had been built into the boat. At the head of the oak table sat Decker, smiling and apparently amused by the arrival of the stowaways. His unexpected guests had been served drinks and were looking around the room, wondering what was about to happen. Rainwater’s eyes fell on a samurai sword hanging on the wall, its design flawless, handle bound in rich black leather.
“Eighteenth century.” Decker said, following his gaze. “I picked that up in southern Asia five years ago. Magnificent, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I suppose it is,” he said, then looked at Decker. “Look, I think this has all been a misunderstanding. We were just passing and—”
“Please,” Decker said, raising a hand. “We don’t need to go down that route. I know who you are and why you’re here.” He looked at Jade, giving her a warm smile. “You look a lot like your sister, Miss Thomson.”
She frowned, then looked to Rainwater, prompting Decker to laugh. “Don’t look so surprised, I’ve known you were looking into me and my business dealings for a while now. I make it my business to be aware of who might be poking around my affairs.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind telling us what we want to know,” she snapped.
Decker smiled again. “Of course not. I’m happy to share my work with you or anyone else who wants to know about it. It’s no secret. All you had to do was ask. An appointment made through my assistant would have been better than hiding in my larder.”
“That’s what they all say,” Rainwater muttered.
Decker grinned and stood, pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. “I think you might have watched too many movies featuring unscrupulous villains, Mr. Rainwater. I, however, don’t fit in with the whole horror movie cliché, sadly. I’m a respected businessman; I have a global public profile. Believe me; I wouldn’t risk it all to do something stupid which would damage my reputation.”
“So why all the secrecy?” Jade asked.
Decker shrugged. “You call it secrecy; I say I’m working privately and diligently towards a goal. Does Microsoft announce new software before it’s ready for market? Does Richard Branson tell the world about every new venture as soon as it’s in its infancy? No, of course not. Business is cut throat, it’s filled with pitfalls and projects which never get off the ground. This is just the way businesses are run. Nothing sinister. Nothing to be alarmed about.”
“I think we all know this is different, especially considering the subject matter,” she countered, going toe to toe with Decker.
“Is it?” Decker said, walking back towards his seat. He grabbed a folder from the tabletop and walked towards Jade, handing it over to her. “Those are all the necessary permits I require to conduct my research. Granted, the specific creature isn’t named as such in the documentation, but it’s all above board and most of all, legal. I wouldn’t dream of venturing into something where I don’t have the correct permissions.”
Jade skimmed the documents, frowning as she read. “These are vague at best. All it grants you is permission to run the laboratory equipment. It doesn’t give specific permission for what you are doing.”
“And what is it that you think I’m doing?” he was grinning, enjoying the game.
“Playing God.”
“How did you get the material to clone it?” Rainwater asked, deciding to jump in before Jade lost her cool any further. “This isn’t Dolly the sheep. You can’t just go get the source material.”
Decker smiled. “Actually, I have you to thank for that, or, more specifically, Mr. Mackay’s brother here. His brave actions in bringing down the cave at the Ross Ice Shelf left a veritable treasure trove of material. DNA material, to be specific. The harsh environment there meant that it was incredibly well-preserved. It was remarkably easy to get what we needed.”
“Not possible. That place was destroyed,” Rainwater said, uneasy at the casual, offhanded way Decker was referring to the creature. It was obvious he didn’t understand what he was dealing with.
“It was more than possible, I assure you. We managed to get in underneath the collapse by using a small submersible. We were able to gain access to the creature’s remains and take valuable samples which assisted us in our efforts to recreate these magnificent creatures.”
“Assist, you say. So you had other help?”
For the first time, Decker seemed rattled. He licked his lips and stared at Jade, considering her question. “We had certain assistance, yes.”
“Let me guess, from the research done as part of Project Blue.”
“Actually, yes. Buying the research from someone willing to sell was much quicker and cheaper than spending several years doing so ourselves. As I say, in business, you do whatever you have to. The research we purchased accelerated our project by at least three years, maybe more. I have no issue in admitting that. It was worth every penny we paid for it.”
“Why are you being so open about it all?” Jade asked, relentless in her questioning. “You seem too keen to share.”
“Because I have nothing to hide.For the sake of argument though, let’s look at it from the other perspective. Say I tell you nothing. I call the police and have them come and arrest you all for trespassing. The media gets wind of it. What then? My reputation is damaged, my businesses are damaged and all of a sudden I’m under intense pressure from our shareholders to give them information that right now we are not ready to share until we have trackable results to present to them. Frankly, I don’t want that. Decker Industries prides itself on being at for forefront of scientific technology. I want to present our findings when we are ready. Besides, it’s obvious that the three of you have a very personal interest in this project. I thought it was the right thing to do and be as open and honest about it as I can be. Despite the impression you may have of me, I’m not a bad person.”
Rainwater cleared his throat, trying to keep calm. “I appreciate you being open with us about this, but of anyone,
I’ve seen this thing up close. I’m not talking about the one from two years ago either, but I’m talking about fully grown. That creature, it’s not of this time. I don’t know where it came from or how it survived. What I do know is that it was never intended to exist alongside mankind. As much as you think for whatever reason that reintroducing these creatures is a good idea, let me tell you right now so there is no mistake, you’re wrong. So wrong in fact that if you continue, when these creatures get out into the world you’ll have a lot more to worry about than keeping shareholders sweet.”
Decker sat silent for a while, considering Rainwater’s statement. When he did speak, it was slow and thoughtful the words carefully considered. “I don’t think any of you understand what I’m trying to do here.”
“You’re rich,” Ross said. “Chances are you’re trying te’ make yersel’ even more money.”
Decker grinned. “I can’t argue with the logic, Mr. Mackay, but in this instance, you’re wrong. No, what I’m looking to do is leave a legacy. I want to leave something behind that people will remember when I’m just dust and bones in the ground.”
“You’ll do that alright. You’ll be the man who made the oceans uninhabitable for humans because they are full of these things.” Rainwater didn’t intend to say it, the words just came out before he could stop himself.
“We’ve taken precautions. Every care to ensure that can’t happen.”
“You sound just like another man I knew once who thought he had it all under control. He was wrong too.”
“If you’re referring to Russo, I’m offended at the comparison.”
Rainwater was surprised. He didn’t have any inkling that Decker would know anything about him. “You met him?”
“No, but I know all about him. For a while I thought he was a ghost. A legend. A myth. My efforts to learn about who he was were frustrating to say the least.”
“He was a violent psychotic asshole, and he’s better off dead.” Rainwater didn’t like to talk about him. The things Russo had done were still there, buried deep in his subconscious.