Mega 6: No Man’s Island

by Jake Bible

  “They must be getting ready,” Kinsey said. “This place is like a ghost ship.”

  “Getting ready for wrong thing,” Moshi said as they rounded a corner and came face to face with Ronald. Or face to chest since Ronald towered over all of them, even Lucy. “Oh. Hello.”

  “Hello,” Ronald said and smiled. “Moshi. Kinsey. Lucy. I would expect two of you to be on the bridge and for Moshi to be in the Toyshop with Carlos. But, my expectations are rarely in line with reality. What, may I ask, is happening now?”

  “We got our asses locked up,” Kinsey said. “The captain refuses to listen to us about the mega shark headed our way.”

  Ronald’s eyes went very wide.

  “Oh. Well. That could be a problem for all,” Ronald said after a second of thought. “I assume we are evacuating.”

  “We need to get everyone to the Toyshop before that shark hits this ship,” Kinsey said.

  “And by everyone, you mean who exactly?” Ronald asked.

  “Our people,” Kinsey said. “B3 only. Fallback operators and crew are on their own.”

  “That is unfortunate,” Ronald said. “Many will die.”

  “Which is what I’ve been fucking telling that bitch sitting in the captain’s chair,” Kinsey said. “She threw me in the brig instead of listening.”

  “That is unfortunate, as well,” Ronald said then turned on his heel and motioned for them to follow. “We are in here. I was on my way to the mess to fetch tea and perhaps some cookies, but I believe tea and cookie time is no longer an option.”

  “Not for a while,” Kinsey said.

  Ronald ducked his head as he stepped through a hatch and into the infirmary. The women followed and were greeted with smiles. Then frowns.

  “Shit,” Gunnar said. “I know that face. How deep are we, Kins?”

  “Up to our eyeballs,” Kinsey said. “We’re leaving. Now.”

  “Oh,” a man said from his stool next to a long counter. “Leaving? The captain has allowed this? We’re in open waters. Where will you go?”

  “Kinsey Thorne, meet Dr. Tom Thomas,” Gunnar said. He sighed, shook his head then looked at Tom. “This is going to be awkward.”

  “How so?” Tom asked.

  “Well, Tom, as much fun as I have had talking with you, we’re going to have to tie you up and gag you now so we can get away clean,” Gunnar replied. “Nothing personal, but I can see by the way Kinsey is glaring at you that this escape isn’t sanctioned by your captain, so that means you’re a liability.”

  “You nailed it on the head, Gun,” Kinsey said. “We don’t want to kill you, Dr. Thomas.”

  “I don’t want to be killed,” Tom replied. “So, I’ll take the binding and gagging option. Just don’t gag me too tight. I have a sensitive, well, gag reflex. I could vomit and aspirate. That would be an awful way to go.”

  “Quite awful,” Boris said from where he was lying down on one of the med tables. “I’ve seen that happen. It is not pretty to watch.”

  “Why would you watch that and not help?” Lucy asked then waved a hand. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

  “Ignorance is sometimes best,” Boris said. “I certainly prefer to be in the dark regarding most goings on. Once you get into business with Ballantine, mental blinders become self-preservation.”

  “Where did Dr. Morganton get off to?” Ronald asked.

  “Lavatory,” Tom said.

  A door in the far corner opened and Dr. Morganton stepped out. She froze in place as everyone turned their attention on her. Her shoulders slumped as she started walking again.

  “What now?” she asked.

  “Gotta go,” Lucy said. “Mega shark is coming for us.”

  “A mega shark? I thought they were all dead,” Dr. Morganton replied.

  “One isn’t,” Kinsey said. “The big one.”

  “Wonderful,” Dr. Morganton exclaimed. “Of course, Ballantine develops a shark that can’t even be nuked.”

  “How big are we talking?” Tom asked. “For reference sake.”

  “As big as this ship, pretty much,” Lucy answered.

  “Oh,” Tom said. “That is big.”

  “Yes. Big shark,” Kinsey snapped. “Time to go.” She turned to Moshi. “Where’s the Toyshop right now?”

  “Where we left it,” Moshi said.

  “That’s up on deck,” Lucy said. “In plain view of everyone. How are we going to get inside without being shot?”

  “Good fucking question,” Kinsey said.

  “You all work for Ballantine, yes?” Tom asked.

  “Yeah,” Kinsey replied. “Sort of.”

  “Sort of works,” Tom said. “I work for Ballantine as well. Everyone on this ship works for Ballantine. We’re on the same side. I am sure we can work this out together.”

  “Thrown in brig,” Kinsey said slowly. “Work that out.”

  “This isn’t about sides,” Lucy said. “This is about a huge shark that’s about to destroy this ship.”

  “Mega shark,” Moshi said. “Eat the ship. All of it.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Enough!” Kinsey shouted. She took a deep breath. “Listen. You want to live? You can come with. But that’s it. We’re not here to force people to believe us. Shit, I’m not sure why we’re here. What I am fucking sure of is I want off this ship before the shark hits. The Toyshop isn’t exactly my idea of being safe, but it has armor and capabilities that this ship doesn’t have. That and the shark will be distracted attacking the Fallback, so we should have time to slip away and get to the island. Once I set foot on land then we can talk about sides and who works for who. Until then, we get the fuck out of here. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Tom said.

  “You coming with?” Gunnar asked.

  “Might as well,” Tom said. “I have a job to do when this is all over, so it’s better I stay alive. Also, I like living.”

  “Don’t we fucking all,” Kinsey said. “Now, how do we get into the Toyshop without alerting the entire ship?”

  A klaxon began to blare and Kinsey rolled her eyes.

  “That answers that,” Kinsey said. “We’ll use the chaos of the shark attacking to…” Then her eyes went wide. “Shit! Carlos is in the Toyshop! They’re going to drop him back into the water! We gotta go now!”

  “Aren’t we missing someone?” Gunnar asked.

  “What? Who?” Kinsey replied.

  She did a quick head count and the number did seem off. But who could they be…?

  “Goddammit,” Kinsey yelled. “Where is she?”

  “Engineering,” Gunnar said. “With Cougher and Popeye.”

  Chapter Sixteen: So, You Think You Can Live?

  “All systems are a go,” Carlos said into the com. “Please put me in the water before the shark reaches us.”

  “I have men coming to join you,” Aubrey said.

  “No time,” Carlos barked.

  “The shark is exactly five hundred meters dead south,” Gene replied over the com.

  “See?” Carlos said.

  “It is moving fast. Very fast,” Gene continued. “We have maybe two minutes!”

  “Yes, I get how these sharks move,” Carlos replied. “They all move fast. That is why you need to get the Toyshop into the water now. Do I have to say please?”

  There was a loud clang and Carlos felt the Toyshop shift.

  “Good for you guys,” Carlos said. “You know how to work a crane.”

  He shifted uncomfortably in the control station seat. It had been created for Moshi’s smaller frame, not his. He frowned as he tried to get his left butt cheek to shift to the right. Carlos watched the surface of the ocean get closer and closer on the video screen directly in front of him. He’d tried the goggles, but they made him motion sick. There was a loud thunk and the Toyshop was free falling.

  “A little warning!” Carlos shouted then let out a little burp. “Amateurs.”

  The Toyshop bobbed in the water for a few seconds
then slowly began to sink. As soon as it was fully submerged, Carlos engaged the propulsion drives and turned the Toyshop around. He aimed it for the direction of the island, not the direction of the incoming mega shark.

  “Carlos? Where are you going?” Aubrey called over the com. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Calibrating propulsion and steering systems,” Carlos said as he banked the Toyshop and started to descend. “I need to know the limits of its maneuverability. You haven’t dealt with monsters like this before. I have.”

  “You have one minute, Carlos,” Aubrey replied. “One minute. Then I need you and that Toyshop of yours between the Fallback and the shark. We gave you torpedoes and you assured me that your plasma cannon could punch a hole in that beast. Hundreds of people are relying on you. Not to mention your crew mates that are being held prisoner by Wire.”

  “Right. Yeah, I know,” Carlos said. He continued to send the Toyshop deeper. “I…know.”

  Carlos gulped as he leveled out the Toyshop then pushed the drives to full. The workshop turned vehicle sped away from the Fallback.

  “But, you haven’t dealt with monsters like this before,” Carlos repeated. “I have. Sorry, Captain. I’m not dying for Ballantine. I’m not going to commit suicide for a bunch of people that should never have followed that man in the first place.”

  “Carlos! What the fuck are you doing?” Aubrey shouted. “Get your fucking ass back here!”

  “No,” Carlos said. “I’m going to the island and I’m going to see if I can strike a deal for my survival. That’s all I can do. Did you really think this Toyshop could kill a shark that size? Nothing can, obviously. The thing won’t die!”

  “You know who will die? You, asshole, when I catch—”

  Carlos killed the com and the only sound in the Toyshop was the far-off hum of the propulsion drives and his own labored breathing. He struggled not to tear up, but failed. Wet, hot tears fell down his cheeks as the enormity of his choice hit him. He’d left hundreds of people to die. He did that.

  But, if he’d stayed he would have died too. He told himself that. There was no way a plasma cannon was going to take down that shark. A nuke failed. How could anyone expect him to succeed?

  He snorted and wiped at his eyes.

  “Their fault,” he said aloud. “It’s their fault, not mine. They are fools. Stupid fools.”

  ***

  “Ingrid!” Kinsey yelled as the group burst into the engine room. “Cougher! Popeye!”

  Mechanics, engineers, and techs all stopped what they were doing and stared.

  “Keep staring, fucknuts!” Kinsey yelled. “Where’s Ingrid? Ingrid! Cougher! Popeye!”

  “Jesus H, Kinsey,” Popeye said as he came out from behind a huge turbine. “What are you bitching about now? You should be locking and loading so we can take out the goddamn shark!”

  “We’re not taking out shit, Popeye,” Kinsey said. “We’re getting off this ship. We need to get to the Toyshop before Carlos ditches us.”

  “He already has,” Delana said, appearing behind the group with ten operators in tow, each with a lot of firepower in hand. “Your friend Carlos took off with the Toyshop as soon as we put him in the water. He ran like a coward.”

  “No shit,” Kinsey said. “If you’d asked me first, I would have told you he’d do that. That’s one giant piece of chickenshit there. He’ll always save his own skin over saving others.”

  “That is apparent now,” Delana said.

  “So, what? You going to shoot us? Lock us up again?” Kinsey asked. She motioned for the others to get behind her. “You refuse to listen to reason, now you’ll simply murder us to get us to shut up, is that it?”

  Delana shook her head then lowered her rifle. “No, Kinsey, I’m not here to murder you or to lock you back up. I’m here to ask for your help so we can save as many people as possible.”

  Kinsey blinked. “Say what?”

  “I have stayed alive all these years because I have known when to fight and when to flee,” Delana said. “You failed at killing this shark before, even though you all had the experience to do so. Why would we have a better chance?” she grumbled. “Especially when our captain is not listening to reason.”

  “You can fucking say that again,” Kinsey said.

  “Hey, someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Popeye asked. “We leaving? We staying? We fighting? What’s happening?”

  “Kinsey?” Delana asked.

  “We’re leaving,” Kinsey said. “Carlos took the Toyshop, so we don’t have mustaches or compression suits. That’s a problem.”

  “Mustaches?” Delana asked.

  “Specialized rebreathers,” Ingrid said as she finally showed herself. She was covered in grease. “I did see normal rebreathers in a supply room. Along with shark suits. They’re heavy, but maybe if we combine them with—”

  She didn’t get to finish as the klaxons were turned up to full blaring volume. The ear-piercing sounds were accompanied by a collision that rocked the entire ship. The groaning of metal and the distinct sound of rivets popping free forced everyone to turn and stare at the far wall of the engine room.

  A small trickle of water began to seep through one of the inner hull’s seams.

  “Well shit,” Popeye said.

  Then the trickle became a flood and the flood became a full deluge as the seam tore open and the ocean began to fill the engine room.

  “Go!” Kinsey yelled as another impact shook the ship. “No time for rebreathers or new suits. We get off this ship now!”

  “I can get us to the lifeboats,” Delana said as she turned and left, her operators following close behind.

  Everyone looked at Kinsey.

  “What? You think I have a better idea? Move your fucking asses!” Kinsey shouted.

  Everyone, including the Fallback’s engineering crew, moved their fucking asses.

  ***

  “I’m not stopping!” Lake warned everyone as he plowed into the first group of dead sentries that filled the road.

  “Thanks for the warning, Marty!” Darren yelled. He was busy handing fresh magazines to everyone in the Humvee that needed them. “You know you have a man on the outside, right?”

  “I’m up top now!” Shane yelled as his head appeared through the .50 cal’s turret, right next to his brother’s ass. “I saw what was about to happen!”

  “I grabbed him,” Max said, ducking his head down quickly then returning to his job of firing the big machine gun.

  The .50 cal drowned out all noise and sound, forcing many of the Humvee’s occupants to clamp their hands over their ears. Then it went silent.

  “Out!” Max yelled. “Hand me a rifle!”

  One of the deckhands gladly gave up his weapon.

  “Thanks, dude,” Max said as he held a hand down. “Ditcher? A couple magazines, if you will.”

  “Fuck and you, Max,” Darren said, but handed the Reynolds brother two fresh magazines. “We’re about out, folks. Eight magazines left!”

  “Jesus,” Lake snarled as he swerved around six dead sentries that leapt at the Humvee from the side of the road, appearing out of nowhere. “Whatever Darby did to the fence, it’s gotten worse. There are open spots all over.”

  “Structural integrity was compromised,” Thorne said as his M4 clicked empty and he held a hand back to Darren. A magazine was slapped into his palm which he in turn slapped into the carbine. “Any other weak spots in the fence became exponentially worse. The whole enclosure will go down soon.”

  “That side is holding,” Darren said, nodding at the opposite side of the road and the intact lines of fencing. “At least we only have half the things to deal with.”

  “Half is plenty fucked up!” Lake yelled as he swerved to the right then back to the left then to the right again.

  One of the deckhands threw up all over the floor of the Humvee.

  “Are you kidding me, Kevin?” Lake shouted. “You can keep it down on a fucking sh
ip, but throw up because of some swerving?”

  “It’s you’re driving, man,” Shane said, ducking his head inside the Humvee again. “You really need to stick to ships.”

  He held out his hand.

  “Already?” Darren said.

  “I finish fast,” Shane replied. “I’m not proud of it, but at least I always hit the target.”

  “If that’s a metaphor, it makes no fucking sense,” Darren snapped as he handed Shane another magazine. “Try to conserve your shots, alright?”

  “I’m the shooter I am and there is nothing to be done about it,” Shane said, disappearing up top once more.

  A mass of at least twenty dead sentries lurched into the road directly in front of the Humvee and Lake didn’t have time to avoid them. The vehicle plowed straight into the sentries. Lake pressed the gas pedal down to the floor and the Humvee powered through, but it was obvious after a few meters that the bodies had done some serious damage to the Humvee.

  Smoke started to billow out from under the snub-nosed hood, followed by a loud grinding and shrieking of metal from the undercarriage.

  “Grab what you can and get ready to bail,” Lake said. “This truck is done.”

  “How many?” Thorne asked Darren.

  “Five,” Darren said as he held up the magazines. “Plus whatever you have for pistols.”

  “Pistols are empty,” Thorne said.

  “Even my new Desert Eagle,” Lake said.

  The grinding got louder and the Humvee shook and shuddered then came to a sudden, jolting halt. Black, acrid smoke filled the inside of the vehicle and everyone began coughing and waving their hands in order to breathe and see.

  “Out!” Thorne ordered.

  He shoved open his door and opened fire on the encroaching dead sentries. Max and Shane jumped down from the top and joined him. The three men cleared a path so the deckhands, Darren, and Lake could exit the Humvee without getting grabbed and torn apart.

  That didn’t last long, though.