“Such as eating contaminated fruits,” Jennifer said.
“Exactly,” Marty confirmed. “The only data we have on plutonium’s adverse biochemical effects are really out-of-date, from studies done on the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the Bikini Atoll area underwent an attempted resettlement back in the 1970s. It only took a few years before the settlers had to be relocated due to dangerous radiation build-up from ingesting the local fruits. Plutonium found its way into the coconuts.”
“What would you suggest I do?” Jennifer asked.
“I still want you to get proper treatment in Tahiti. I think that will be your best option for removing any radioactive elements in you.”
“Don’t you have any testing instruments here? I feel perfectly fine.”
Marty shook his head. “Unfortunately, we don’t have anything precise enough to detect plutonium in the body. And you may feel fine now, but the radiation could still be present. If sufficiently contaminated, you wouldn’t feel the effects until years down the road, when cancers would develop.”
Cancer. Jennifer recoiled in sympathy for the suffering of people living in this time with such primitive healing methods. In her home century tumor-causing diseases had been conquered but she was now living in a primitive world without staff and robots to do everything as she ordered. She felt guilty for her exemption to it and stupid for not thinking of the result these people expected from radiation exposure. But this was her new reality, and she had to get used to it.
Alice called from the galley, “Did everyone enjoy the tuna?”
“Now I know she’s just baiting me,” Marty said with a chuckle. “Come on, let’s enjoy the rest of our lunch. It was a fantastic catch, Jennifer. I’m sorry I questioned your and Alice’s fishing abilities.”
“Apology accepted,” Jennifer replied as she and Marty returned to dine with the others. She’d failed to convince Marty to postpone her treatment. How long before her secrets were discovered?
At the table, Alice was loudly boasting about their fishing trip. She had downloaded Jennifer’s photos onto Marty’s iPad and passed it around.
“Over three hundred and fifty pounds!” Mike gave a whistle. “Crikey, they say the yellowtail is pound for pound the strongest and hardest-fighting of all the tuna.”
“How long did it take to bring him in?” Marty asked as he went for another slice of sashimi.
“Just under an hour, I believe,” Jennifer answered.
Bill gave Jennifer a friendly slap on the back. “You’re stronger than you look, that’s damn impressive. Again, I’m sorry for making you fall in the water—but you got that dive bag back in the Zodiac no problem. I’m pretty sure I would’ve dropped it.”
“No worries, Bill.”
“Hey!” Alice said, “I got a good catch too. A one hundred-pounder!”
Marty laughed. “At least we won’t run out of food anytime soon, thank you, ladies. But you know, this just means I’ll have to get a bigger catch myself. Game’s on!”
“I’d just like to see you try,” Alice said with a laugh.
While the two teased each other, Mike offered a small plain box to Jennifer.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Well you gotta open it to find out.” He laughed. “It’s from Alice and me.”
Jennifer opened the box. Inside she found a camera, like the one Alice had lent her.
“Alice told me you take excellent photos. We thought you might want to use our extra camera.”
Jennifer dropped her mouth open, cheeks warming. “Thank you very much, I am so surprised by your generosity I can hardly speak. Thank you, Mike and Alice.”
“Don’t worry about it. We expect to complete our work here by midday tomorrow, so we’ll fly to the next site tomorrow evening. If you want, in the morning you can use the camera to document your survival on the island.”
“That’s an excellent suggestion. I will make sure I take plenty of photos. Perhaps it will make an interesting story.”
Jennifer found Alice in the galley and picked up a towel to dry dishes as Alice washed. “Thank you, Alice,” she said shyly.
“Shucks, it’s just an old camera,” Alice said.
“Not just the camera,” Jennifer added. “For letting me be part of the team; but most of all for your kind and caring friendship.”
The sun set while the crew wrapped up their discussions and prepared their gear for the next dive.
CHAPTER 9
Trip to Fangataufa
Jennifer and Alice woke early the next morning. The others all slept soundly in their bunks, still resting from the previous night’s dive. They would go out again around 10:30 a.m.
The two women quietly ate a small breakfast before packing into the small Zodiac. Setting the engine to low, they maneuvered away from the Albatross toward the beach where Jennifer had been rescued. As they crossed the water, Jennifer took her pictures using the gifted camera. The ocean was calm with gentle winds and clear skies, and she took pictures of the atoll at a distance and of the Albatross before Alice set the engine on full and her hands became too shaky.
They arrived at the beach where Marty had found her, marked by the charred piles of her signal fires. During her time on the island, Jennifer had collected many gallons of fresh rainwater. Agreeing that the extra water would benefit the Albatross, Alice and Jennifer traveled deeper into the island to fetch it from Jennifer’s main camp.
Jennifer took photos of her makeshift shelter. It was about ten miles across the large lagoon. She remembered how long it took to paddle against the wind—eight to ten hours. It had taken her weeks to build this shelter.
It took a few trips for the ladies to carry all the fresh water they could from the camp back to the Zodiac. Once the Zodiac was filled to capacity, they had enough time for Jennifer to show Alice her favorite spot. They walked down the beach, toward where Jennifer had found the most beautiful reef on the island.
Jennifer led Alice into the water, where they put on snorkels and flippers to explore the beautiful reef beneath the shallow waters. They took their time appreciating the complex structures and the schools of colorful fish. At one point, a small octopus surprised Jennifer and wrapped itself around her arm just long enough for her to take a photo. Eventually, they swam back to shore and walked to the Zodiac.
Jennifer felt the sand between her feet, strangely saddened this was the last time she would walk these shores. Once she boarded the Zodiac, Jennifer was silent as tears welled in her eyes.
They sped away from the island with their cache of water, Jennifer letting the wind dry her tears until only a thin film of salt remained. She did not turn back to watch the island disappear. Instead she focused on the excitement and anticipation welling up inside her at the idea of exploring this new century, of new mysteries and challenges. Still, she felt the pain of leaving the island she’d connected to during her stay there. A place where she had been safe and secure. She had left her mark on this small Pacific atoll, surviving where others might have perished. And now Jennifer was leaving all that behind. It felt too that she left behind her identity as Jennifer Hero, captain of the SS, who had abandoned her team in their direst hour for her own personal interest. Was leaving that woman behind so bad?
Did it mean she left Zexton behind too?
Thankfully, Alice spoke little on the trip back, allowing her to burn away her lingering regret in silence. They arrived back at the Albatross around noon, finding only Lacy and Ken aboard compiling samples, while the others finished up in the field. Alice walked Jennifer through the flight procedures, knowing they would likely take off soon after the others returned. Jennifer listened numbly, committing the instructions to memory. She spent the rest of the afternoon downloading her pictures to the iPad and writing notes about her survival.
Marty and the others arrived in the late afternoon. After a small dinner, Jennifer helped where she could as everyone else packed away equipment and supplies to get the Albatr
oss ready for takeoff. As the moon rose, Jennifer strapped herself into her seat and listened to the airplane engine roar to life. The engine’s power drowned her throbbing emotions as water whizzed by the window, “her” atoll disappearing as the Albatross gradually lifted from the water and climbed into the air.
“We’ll be setting down in Fangataufa in about twelve minutes,” Mike announced over the intercom. “It’s a short flight so just leave your shoulder straps and belts on in case of turbulence.”
Through the window, Jennifer could already see Fangataufa in the full moonlight before they started their descent. The landing at the diamond-shaped atoll was smooth as the Albatross taxied to its southern end. Once landed and anchored in the lagoon, the crew of the Albatross settled down to rest until the next day.
* * *
“I’d like to see if we can’t catch some more fresh dinner,” Alice said to Jennifer the following morning. The rest of the crew had set out immediately after breakfast to scout their new study sites. Alice had been eager to explore Fangataufa herself, and successfully convinced Marty to lend them the small Zodiac again.
“What would you like to go for?” she asked as they loaded their tackle into the Zodiac.
“I will follow your lead,” Jennifer answered.
“Let’s explore the reef for lobster. I think that’ll make for a superb dinner—five-star quality, no less!”
Jennifer laughed, her mood lightened by Alice’s unconquerable energy. “Yes, that will be fun.”
They climbed into the Zodiac and set off. It was another calm day, though Alice seemed disappointed at the smooth waters.
They traveled toward the east side of the atoll, the same side the rest of the team had headed for. They passed through a small bite into the ocean with only inches of water to clear the engine, as it was low tide. After they made a few passes over the shallows, Alice abruptly turned the Zodiac hard.
“I saw something interesting over there,” Alice said when Jennifer gave her a curious look. She slowed the Zodiac down to a halt over a patch of coral.
“Jen, think you can go down and have a look? I have a good feeling about this spot.”
Jennifer nodded her agreement and donned her mask and flippers. She slipped over the side and swam down to the reef. There she was met instantly with a world of color as hundreds of vibrant fish darted to and fro in response to her intrusion. The various corals held many holes and crevices where vast amounts of unique organisms grazed. Slowly exploring this alien landscape, Jennifer passed over a series of holes where she spotted multiple antennae sprouting.
Looking closer, she saw a large group of lobsters huddling together. Seeing one large enough to stir Alice’s ambition, Jennifer struck out and grabbed its back. With her free hand, she went for another one, but it flipped its tail hard, hitting Jennifer’s palm. She retracted her hand in pain and surveyed the damage. It was only a shallow cut by her thumb, which her Symbiotes were already repairing. Settling on her first catch, Jennifer swam back up.
“You were right, Alice,” she said as she broke the surface, holding the lobster up triumphantly.
“Ace, Jen! I have a knack for these things.” With a pair of thick gloves, Alice took the lobster from Jennifer and stored it in the cooler.
“How many do you want?”
“I’d like for everyone to be able to have some for dinner if we can,” Alice said.
“Certainly. There are plenty down there.”
“Excellent.” Alice rummaged in the boat and located the anchor. “Here, find a spot to set this in. I’m coming down.”
Jennifer took the anchor and set it under an alcove of rock, avoiding damaging the delicate coral. She returned to the Zodiac to grab a pair of gloves to head back for the reef. Alice followed her shortly after, camera in hand. Jennifer caught lobsters two at a time while Alice took pictures of several groups of vibrantly colored fish.
On their last trip back up from the lobster hole, Alice signaled Jennifer to pose with the lobsters, floating in place, the lobsters held in front of her and with a big smile. Alice took the photo then her eyes shot wide with shock beneath her mask. Frantically, she motioned Jennifer to return to the Zodiac.
Puzzled, Jennifer followed Alice back to the surface and threw the lobsters in as Alice climbed aboard.
“Forget the lobsters. Jen, get on!” Alice reached out and pulled Jennifer hard into the Zodiac.
“What’s wrong?”
“There was a shark down there behind you! Here, I got a picture of it.” Alice swiped through the camera’s photos to the latest one. Jennifer saw herself with two lobsters while a large shark swam behind, some distance off. Belatedly, Jennifer realized her folly. She took off her glove to check the wound she’d gotten earlier from the lobster. Her Symbiotes had closed the small gash, but a small stream of blood still leaked out.
“You were hurt?” Alice asked.
“Nothing serious. I didn’t even realize I was bleeding.” Jennifer looked at Alice with genuine appreciation. “Thank you, Alice. That was a good sighting.”
Alice let out a breath of relief, placing her hand on her chest as if to calm her racing heartbeat. “It’s fine, just got spooked. I’m pretty sure that was a blacktip shark, they’re known to occasionally attack people.”
Jennifer couldn’t deny her own momentary fright at the prospect of a shark attack. She thought back to when she’d first arrived in this century, underwater, and her initial fear when she thought she’d encountered her first shark.
“Shall we head back?” she asked, clearing her mind of the embarrassing flashback. “Thankfully, I caught enough lobsters for everyone.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Alice responded as she moved to haul anchor, bang-stick in hand.
They sped back to the Albatross without incident. The other Zodiac was still out, so the ladies unloaded their small boat themselves and stored the lobsters in a container of seawater.
“Marty would want us to wait but I’m so hungry,” Alice said.
The two of them prepared a meal with vegetables and leftover fish from the freezer. It was not long though, before they heard the motor of the other Zodiac approaching.
“Jennifer, d’ye hear that?”
“Yes. They must be returning early.”
“Damn. I haven’t even finished prepping for dinner. Can you help them unload by yourself?” Alice asked.
“Of course,” Jennifer responded as she went to port.
The group’s inflatable craft pulled alongside the Albatross. Tension marked their tight expressions.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Jennifer asked as she caught the line Lacy tossed.
“Kai was attacked by a shark,” Lacy answered. “We had to call it in early.”
“Damn thing was huge, too,” Kai said. She looked none the worse for wear but was clearly shaken.
Lacy climbed aboard and told Jennifer what had happened while the others unloaded the Zodiac.
“A big blacktip shark kept coming into our dive site,” Lacy stated. “It came in four times, and each time it made a beeline toward Kai. Bill was her partner and he drove it off by poking it in the nose with his sampling rod.”
“Damn straight,” Bill said as he climbed aboard. He offered a hand out to Kai as she boarded. “You sure do attract the worst, Kai.”
“It’s not my fault!” she protested with arms crossed.
“The fourth time it came around,” Lacy continued, “Marty was ready. He hit it in the head with a bang stick.”
“Scared the crap out of me,” Kai added. “I think that was worse than the shark.” She attempted a smile, but nobody laughed.
While everyone else climbed aboard, Alice came out of the galley to check on Kai. “Are you sure you’re all right? Jen and I had our own run-in with a shark today.”
“Yeah,” Jennifer said, holding up her hand. “I got hurt while diving and a shark appeared. It popped up in one of our photos.”
“Y
ou have a picture of the shark?” Marty asked. “Mike got a video of ours before I killed it. Might’ve been the same specimen.”
Mike and Alice compared the photo and video, concluding that was the same shark that Jennifer and Alice had encountered.
“Have you witnessed shark attacks before, Marty?” Jennifer asked as they settled down to dinner.
“This was my only one while diving, but I once saw a swimmer attacked. Seven years back, our Coast Guard aircraft went on a rescue mission. Six crewmen in the water from a shrimp boat that hit the rocks. One crewman was attacked as we were setting down. He lost a foot but survived.”
“How horrible,” Alice said.
Jennifer thought silently of physical imperfections—most far less serious than a missing limb—that had doomed so many Naturals to incarceration and experimentation in her own century. She shuddered.
Marty’s voice brought her back to the present. “This was an unfortunate event.” He sounded distant, tired. “We struggle to try and understand every shark attack, but sometimes they cannot be explained. Although shark attacks are rare, we have a duty to document this one.” He paused a moment before looking up to see everyone’s somber mood. He forced a smile. “Silver lining, though—I think my catch might beat Jennifer’s tuna.”
“You want to cook the shark?” Alice asked.
“After I test it, of course. Better than letting it go to waste. It’s tied to the back of the Zodiac. We can go back out and haul it in later.”
Alice caught on to Marty’s attempt to improve the mood. “Well, I appreciate your leveling up the culinary experience, Captain, but you’re going to have to go a long way to top lobster.” She lifted the lid from a pot of bright-red cooked lobsters and set a dish of melted butter on the table.
“Damn, Alice,” Marty said ruefully, “I think you’ve got me beat again.”
“Tuck in, everyone!” exclaimed Alice. “You’ll never go hungry at Chez Alice—as long as you like seafood, because that’s what we’re having every night this week.”
The crew finally laughed, the sound easing their strained nerves.
30th Century: Escape (30th Century Trilogy Book 1) Page 8