Jude’s eyes did the old-fashioned typewriter thing, ratcheting back and forth at high speed as he read on. After a moment, he looked up at her, his expression one of marked surprise.
“They’re . . . they’re completely different.”
“Night and day.”
“So, the smaller albino variety we tracked last summer, we already knew they were more sluggish--”
“Like giant six-gills, adapted to life in the deepwater trenches.”
Jude glanced down, focusing on a particular paragraph, then eyeballed the corresponding chart. “Their circulatory system is completely unlike Ursula’s. Instead of internally warming cold, oxygenated blood coming from the gills and cooling it via vascular heat, the abyssal sub-species uses . . .” He paused and looked at her. “Is this correct?”
Kat nodded. “That hunk of skin we got from the bait cage confirms it. Their blood is clear and saturated with natural antifreeze glycoproteins, most likely manufactured by the pancreas.”
“So, they don’t have to rely on movement-generated body heat like Ursula does. They can exist in sub-freezing temperatures indefinitely, using the ice-inhibitors they carry in their blood – like an Antarctic notothenioid fish?”
“Exactly.”
“But in a shark? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Kat shrugged. “Convergent evolution. The Arctic cod evolved antifreeze proteins in its blood and it’s completely unrelated to notothenioids.”
Jude’s lips tightened and he drew a deep breath. “Well, sharks have been around since the dawn of time. If any fish could develop it, they could.”
“Of course, this means that the two species are incapable of interbreeding.”
Jude glanced up at her, realizing her hand was still on his shoulder. “Well, that goes without saying.”
Kat reached onto his lap to retrieve her tablet. She hesitated as she clocked the contemplative look on his face. “What’s on your mind?”
Jude felt a sudden surge of excitement. “We can use this,” he announced. “As a sideline, once we acquire those Navy contracts.”
“Use what?”
“The anti-freeze proteins,” he said. He stripped off his glasses and stood up, his eyes running wild as his mind raced to catch up. “For cryogenics technology. I’ve seen the current research. They’ve been trying to develop a preservative based on notothenioid glycoproteins for decades, but they’ve gotten nowhere. The ice fish’s evolutionary gap is too wide. But with the Meg--”
“I love it,” Kat interjected. She wore a huge grin as she hugged her tablet to her chest, like a geeky high-schooler with a favorite textbook. “And I love how your mind works. Do you really think you can do it?”
“Do I really think we can do it.” Jude wagged a corrective finger at her. “And the answer is yes.” Awash with anticipation, he reached out and gripped her firmly by the shoulders. “Just think: we’ll pioneer food that can be kept frozen indefinitely. And, eventually, we’ll find a way to suspend astronauts for deep space travel. My God, we are going to do some amazing things together!”
As he saw her cock an amused eyebrow up at him, Jude realized he was still holding her. He released his grip and stood there, wallowing in waist-high doubt. Finally, he ran a nervous hand through his sand-colored hair. “I’m sorry, Kat. I, uh, got a little worked up.”
She smiled. “That’s okay. I liked it.”
“You did?”
“Absolutely. I love when all your cylinders start firing and you get assertive like that. It shows me what you’re made of.”
Jude nodded. “Uh, thanks. I’m really glad we’re together on this.”
“Me too.” She pursed her lips, her eyes flitting about. “And for the record, I think your ex-wife is an asshole.”
He chuckled. “That’s something we have in common.”
As Kat headed toward her station, Jude found himself drawn to the bright pink thong, peeking out from the top of her sweats. A second later, he realized she had glanced back over her shoulder to say something and caught him red-handed.
“Are you checking out my ass?”
“What? Uh, no! The, uh . . . color of your underwear inadvertently drew my gaze, like a brightly-hued bass lure does to a passing fish.”
She turned back around, an entertained expression on her face. “Wow, I pray to God you never have to take the stand in my defense. As a liar, you suck!”
Jude stared a hole in the ground. “Sorry. I . . . it won’t happen again.”
“Why not?”
He blinked and did a double take. “W-what?”
Kat gave him an appraising look. “Initially, you caught me off guard with the whole, ‘I’m gonna kick Grayson’s ass’ routine. But when I thought it through, I decided it was very ballsy.”
Jude didn’t know where she was going with this and decided to play it safe and just stand there. Kat stared deductively at him, like he’d seen her do a hundred times as she was weighing the pros and cons of a new discovery.
She walked over to a nearby porthole and glanced outside, shielding her eyes against the bright sun. “You know, I like men, too.”
Jude tried to speak, but discovered he had the Gordian knot lodged in his throat. She glanced back at him and smirked.
“Not often, mind you. Usually, there’s an issue.”
“What, uh . . . what would that be?”
She pinned him with a look. “In strictly clinical terms, most guys don’t know how to eat pussy. And, not to sound mean, but I don’t like giving lessons.”
Jude nodded slowly. He felt like a deer staring into an oncoming tractor trailer’s headlights; he was scared to death, but too fascinated to get out of the way. He frowned as Kat turned back to the portal, eyeing the calm seas beyond. Beneath their feet, Insolent Endeavor continued to cut through the waves like a scythe through wheat, smoothly and efficiently.
She glanced up at the low ceiling, studying the rugged big game fishing rods they had suspended directly overhead. “I’ve been thinking about it for the last few days and I’ve come to a decision.”
Jude swallowed the painful lump in his throat. “And what’s that?”
“I have decided to have sex with you.”
Omigod.
He couldn’t believe it. Just like that, she’d thrown it out there. No discussion. No ‘would you like to?’ or any such nonsense. She just made the announcement, as if his compliance was a given and it was the most natural thing in the world.
Jude hesitated, trying to make sure his ears weren’t playing tricks on him before responding. “Okay . . .”
Kat started walking around the cockpit, observing things as if she had just arrived and not been there 24/7 for the last two weeks.
“If you like it and you want us to continue having sexual intercourse, that’s great. And if you don’t, or if you think it’s bad for our relationship and you want to stop, or even if you decide you never want to see me again, that’s fine, too.” She moved closer, eyeing him up and down as she tucked a stray lock of scarlet behind one ear. “I don’t care.”
Jude stared at her with a dazed ‘Where have you been all my life?’ look. Over the last few weeks, he’d fantasized about being with her dozens of times. And now it was going to happen. He felt a heatwave start to build in his toes. It moved rapidly upward and nestled in his groin. “I’m sure it will be great. So, uh . . . what do we--”
“There is one condition, however,” Kat interrupted.
“Oh, sure. What is it?”
“I get to pick the position.”
Jude’s eyes lowered to half-mast as a depressing thought shot through his head. Despite her words, it was obvious his prospective lover was into women only, and the thought of sleeping with some hairy male was anathema to her. He imagined she couldn’t stomach seeing a man’s face while she had sex.
“Let me guess,” he hazarded. “You want to do it from behind.”
She chuckled. “No, silly boy. I don’t have my stra
p-on with me. You’re perfectly safe.”
“What?”
Kat burst out laughing as she spotted his bewildered expression. “I’m kidding, Sharky. Relax. I just prefer to be on top . . . at least for starters.”
Jude felt himself begin to perk back up. “Wait, you mean you’re going to do all the work and all I have to do is lay there?” He scoffed. “Are you kidding? I am so your guy!”
“Good.”
“So, uh . . . what do we do now?”
“We get naked.”
By the time her words had registered inside his head, Kat’s tank-top was tossed and her thong and sweats lay in a pile around her ankles. He stared, unabashedly ogling her nakedness. His eyes ranged hungrily downward, starting at her slim throat, then over her perky breasts, down her tight stomach, and around her immaculately waxed pubic region.
Oh well, so much for strawberry-flavored carpeting.
He started to fumble with his belt, then stopped as she turned, bare-assed, and headed for the controls. “What are you doing?”
“Putting us on autopilot, silly,” she said with an evil smirk. “I don’t want any excuses when I’m riding you like Secretariat and the finish line is in sight.”
“Oh, well . . . that makes sense,” Jude said as he started wrestling out of his shirt. He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but he was dying to find out.
“Let me help you,” Kat said. Reaching down, she pulled his t-shirt up and over his head, her mouth meeting his even before his arms were free.
Jude felt his adrenaline kick in as her nipples pressed against his chest like the hot little hitchhikers they were. As his shirt fell to the floor, he wrapped his wiry arms around her and drew her close, their orifices meeting in a kiss that started off hesitant, but then increased rapidly in urgency and intensity.
BING! BING! BING!
“What the hell is that?” Kat breathed as they broke apart. She licked her lips and glanced worriedly around the cockpit, her breasts lifting as she pressed her palms over her ears.
Jude’s ardor cooled as he rushed to the nearby helm. His already adrenalized eyes swept their monitors. “It’s ANCILE’s proximity alarm!” he yelled over the shrieking claxon. “Ursula’s slowed down for some reason and we’re closing on her fast – less than three hundred yards!”
“Is she coming after us?” Kat asked. Despite her pensive eyes, she didn’t bother to retrieve her clothes. Instead, she bent over and scanned a nearby monitor, then jabbed a key, silencing the alarm.
“No,” Jude said, checking their sonar systems. “It’s the whale pod. They’ve stopped swimming.” He checked ANCILE once more. “Weird. They’re just milling around. I don’t think they know she’s following them yet.”
Kat clicked her tongue. “Good. The cow must be dying. She can feed and then we can get back on course.”
“Most likely. Which will be good because--” Jude’s head hauled back hard on his shoulders. “What the hell?”
On ANCILE’s screen, the signals marking the giant Megalodon and the gray whale pod grew convoluted, the readings bunching up. Despite Kat disabling the claxon, warning signals flashed on the screen. Shirtless, Jude plopped down in his chair and leaned forward, his slim fingers attacking the keyboard.
Beside him, Kat stood with her feet spread apart and her arms folded atop her breasts. She was watching all the monitors at once, most especially Ursula’s. “What’s with the whales?”
“I don’t know,” Jude fretted. “Something weird’s going on. According to the system, while we were . . . busy, the pod turned around and started heading straight toward Ursula. Then they stopped cold. Now they’re all bunched up and acting very skittish.”
Kat frowned, then reached over and hit a switch, turning on the ship’s external hydrophone array. A moment later, the squeaks and squeals of frightened gray whales filled the cockpit.
“Listen to that racket!” she exclaimed. “They must have spotted her.”
“Definitely,” Jude said, tapping keys and activating their recording equipment. “You can even hear their sonar clicks as they--”
He stopped talking as a rumbling groan spilled from their internal speakers. It was a low-pitched sound that shook their hull like an approaching train. A second later, the sound stopped.
“What the hell was that?” Kat asked. She hugged herself as goose bumps pricked up all over her arms, legs, and stomach.
“I don’t know,” Jude said. He saw a red warning signal flash on the SVALIN monitor and studied it, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, the screen came alive with movement. “Holy shit, the whales are freaking out! They’ve definitely spotted Ursula, but it’s like they don’t know which way to run.” He zoomed in with the locator’s infrared lens and then switched on the ship’s integrated hull cameras. He checked them all, then shook his head in exasperation. “The water clarity sucks. I can’t see anything, but there’s something else out there!”
“What kind of something?”
Jude pointed at the sonar screen. “ANCILE’s showing a mobile, non-cetacean biologic on the other side of the pod. Whatever it is, it’s got the whales trapped between Ursula and it. Look, now the entire pod’s breaking away at full speed!”
Kat swallowed nervously. “What is it? What’s out there?”
Jude shook his head and swore under his breath. “I don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s big.”
CHAPTER
27
“Dr. Grayson, with your permission, we’re ready to get started,” Dirk Braddock announced, looking down toward the far end of the conference room’s expansive mahogany table as he addressed his silver-haired mentor.
“By all means, Derek. Please proceed.” Eric Grayson replied, sitting back and relaxing in his executive chair. Although the nine remaining seats lining the conference table were roomy and comfortable, the CEO’s Galuchat leather seat was so massive and luxuriously appointed, it looked like a throne by comparison. Next to him, Admiral Ward Callahan sat rigidly upright, scratching at his salt-and-pepper mustache and gripping his coffee mug as he waited for the festivities to begin. Dirk thought it was ironic that, affixed to the wall directly behind the verbose and, at times, insensitive naval man’s head, was a plaque inscribed with one of his and Dr. Grayson’s favorite Jean-Jacques Rousseau quotes:
“Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.”
Dirk gave Callahan a polite nod and then gazed around the room. The post-demo meeting’s itinerary included more than just a follow-up sales pitch for the Navy. There would be a call to arms, so to speak, and as he swept the brightly-lit chamber’s forty-foot length, he took note of everyone else in attendance.
First around the table, moving clockwise, was Dr. Stacy Daniels, his off-again-on-again paramour and head of Tartarus’s pliosaur program, followed by Captains Braddock and Dragunova, commanders of the base’s ORION-Class Anti-Biologic Submarines. Seated across the table from the two captains were their second-in-commands – Jayla Morgan from Gryphon, and Javier Gonzalez from Antrodemus. Morgan was a familiar face to Dirk. She was notoriously tough, but steadfast and dependable. Gonzalez, on the other hand, was a relative newbie. Dirk didn’t know him well; he’d been with the CDF for only six months. An Annapolis grad that transferred over, the dark-skinned Cuban’s combat record showed him to be a superb tactician with a hard-earned reputation for coolness under fire. At just over six feet in height, he was two inches shorter than his imposing captain, but with his raw-boned and rugged physique and intense eyes, he cut an impressive figure, nonetheless.
Besides, Dirk thought, if Natalya approved of him, the SOB had to be tough.
Last, but not least, standing two yards behind Grayson’s chair, stood Acting Security Chief Oleg Smirnov, garbed in his traditional black fatigues and boots. The big Ukrainian’s presence was a formality – his duties at the meeting basically amounted to helping the aged CEO in and out of his chair and fetching coffee.
Dirk stood up and cleared his th
roat. “I’d like to thank everyone for coming on such short notice after the meeting was moved up.” He glanced down at the array of tablets he had propped up before him like a poker hand, his eyes taking in his notes. “Our first order of business is to follow-up on this morning’s demonstration.” He reached for a glass of water and held it up. “I may be premature in my evaluation and, please forgive the pun, but I think things went swimmingly. That said, I’d like to propose a toast to my fearless colleague, the one and only Dr. Stacy Daniels.”
A chorus of cheers and some surprisingly loud clapping resounded throughout the conference room. Even Grayson joined in.
“I saw what you deed on video afterward and eet was the most courageous theeng I ever saw,” Dragunova admitted, raising her glass and giving Stacy a sincere nod of respect. “You are a credit to all womankinds.”
“Uh, thank you. Thank you, all,” Stacy said, flushing under the unexpected praise. She glanced fondly up at Dirk. “We were just doing our jobs.”
Callahan hoisted his coffee mug and chimed in, “And a damn fine one, the two of you. Man, that performance sure stirred my sweetbreads!”
“I assume that means you’re satisfied with our new implant technology?” Dirk implied.
The admiral angled his head in Grayson’s direction. “I already told your boss, kiddo. I’m not only buying every new unit I can get my hands on, I’m having all the old ones upgraded, as well.”
“Excellent. Then let’s move on to our next two points, which are updates on the global pliosaur population estimates and the Cuban political situation, as it pertains to Diablo Caldera.”
“Derek,” Grayson interjected. “The admiral has requested a report on Typhon. Let’s focus on him, please.”
“Damn straight,” Callahan said. “After seeing your Kronosaurus queen Tiamat in action, I won’t rest until I have a whole fleet of those fang-faced, four-finned death-dealers at my beck and call. And in order for that to happen, we need that big bull pliosaur to breed that bitch and make lots of little sons of bitches.”
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