The Pouakai

by Sperry, David;

  The SEALs brought their four dead comrades with us, wrapped in plastic body bags. I guess having body bags in your supplies is just part of being a SEAL. Four people dead and all we had to show for the effort was another set of complications to try and sort through.

  Anuta faded away in the darkness, like a nightmare slowly disappearing into the mists of sleep.

  5

  Captain Baker sat at his desk, and calmly listened to our description of the day’s events. He’d already debriefed Lieutenant Hanson and the other SEALs.

  “What do we do now?” he asked.

  “We continue the search,” Colin said. “We are almost certain these creatures didn’t originate on Anuta, but came here in those boats. We have to go search for where these creatures came from.”

  Baker rubbed his eyes under his half-glasses. “We don’t have any other photos or data showing where, or if, these additional creatures exist, let alone where they came from.”

  “There’s this,” Colin said, and pulled out the original satellite photo of Anuta. “This group of signatures southwest of the island. It must have been one of those boats, carrying the creatures to Anuta.”

  “That doesn’t show us where they came from.”

  “It gives us a direction where they came from. Here, look at this.” Colin unfolded a chart on the Captain’s desk.

  “Who the hell authorized you to have this?” Baker stood up, waving a finger at the chart.

  “It doesn’t matter…”

  “Yes it does, professor. These are classified documents, with sensitive military information on them. We don’t just hand them out when asked. Who gave them to you?”

  Colin crossed his arms, and didn’t reply.

  “Okay,” the Captain said, sitting back down. “I’ll find out one way or another. There are no secrets on this boat. What’s so important on the chart?”

  Colin shook his head, and then turned the chart toward Baker, and laid the photo of Anuta on top of it. “On this photo, we have signatures of the creatures here on the island, and also here, about ten miles southwest. We think this was the second group of creatures heading toward Anuta in their boat. Alan and I did some quick calculations using the creature’s tissue samples before we came in here. The bone density is quite high. If they got in the water, they’d sink.”

  Baker looked at Colin with his head tilted to one side, as if urging him to continue.

  “This tells us the creatures probably aren’t aquatic,” Colin said, “or even semi-aquatic like the Pouakai. They had to come from land somewhere. Now, those boats they came in were huge, and crude. I doubt they were able to move through the water very fast, even if the creatures had unlimited endurance. With their lack of technology, I don’t think they used anything more than paddles to move the boat through the water. They came from somewhere nearby.

  “Maybe my people back in Honolulu and D.C. have found something since we lost communication with them, but as far as I know, there weren’t any other signs in the area of these creatures. Given the short time they had to move around and not be seen, I think they came to Anuta from somewhere in this general part of the Pacific.”

  “Actually,” the Captain said, “I think I can help you a little here. We have been getting VLF transmissions for you. Just a few words a day, mind you, but the one that came in while you were on the island said, ‘nothing new’. I’m assuming that means something to you?”

  Colin nodded. “Yes. It means my associates haven’t found any other signs of these creatures on older photos. They thought they were looking for Pouakai, but the result is the same. There’s nothing showing in the photos from earlier this week, before the satellites were shot down.”

  “So what are we going to do?”

  Colin pointed at the photo. “We backtrack from the location of the creatures in the boat. If they were heading directly for Anuta, we work backwards and find where they came from.”

  “They may have changed course along the way,” the Captain said. “Maybe they just happened to see the island and turned toward it.”

  “I don’t think so,” Alan said, speaking up for the first time. “From a boat like that, you can only see the island from a short distance away. Since two boatloads of these monsters arrived at the same spot at different times, they were probably heading there all along.”

  The Captain studied the photo for a moment. “Okay. Where did they come from?”

  Colin pointed at the chart. “Backtracking on the course from the creature’s boat to the island, you end up here.” He pointed at a speck on the chart, southwest of Anuta. “Tikopia.”

  We all craned our necks, looking at the chart.

  “That’s about seventy miles west-southwest,” the Captain said quietly. “There’s no way these creatures could see Anuta from there. If they did come from Tikopia, how did they know it was there?”

  Nobody else spoke, so I did. “Captain, that is what we’re out here to discover.”

  He studied the chart again, unfolding it further. “If they didn’t come from Tikopia, the next land is here, the northern islands of Vanuatu.”

  “They could have come from there,” Colin replied, “but those are more than a couple of hundred miles away. I think we need to be thorough, and check out Tikopia first.”

  The Captain’s chair squeaked as he leaned back. He took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes again. With a tired wave of his hand, he said, “I will consider it. You’re dismissed.”

  We all stood, too weary to complain.

  “Except you,” he said, pointing at me. I sat down as Colin and Alan squeezed into the tight corridor.

  “I heard about your little adventure on the beach,” Baker said. “What the hell were you thinking, walking up to one of those creatures? You put everyone in danger with that stunt, including your own team members.”

  “I’m sorry, Captain. I honestly don’t know why I did it, other than I wanted answers.”

  “Get any?”

  “No, sir.”

  “You won’t be doing anything like that again, will you?”

  “Not a chance.”

  He looked directly at me for several seconds.

  “Good.” Then a tiny, sad smile crossed his face. “Major, I understand your position, and motivation. I lost my wife two years ago when Jakarta was attacked by Pouakai.”

  “I didn’t know that, sir…”

  “She worked as a naval attaché at our embassy. Her evacuation was scheduled that day, but she didn’t make it to the airport.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I had no idea.”

  “It was a risk we both knew about. She died serving her country, so there’s no dishonor in what happened. I think it’s the way she wanted to go.” He paused, and looked at a photo on the wall. In it, Baker stood next to an attractive, older blonde in a Navy uniform. “We’re both military men, Major. We know what it means to follow orders. My orders say to do as the Professor directs. I also have orders to keep this sub safe, and protect the United States. While you were on Anuta, a Russian sub came by, probably looking for us.”

  “Did he detect the Ohio?”

  “Not that we could tell. We’d gone deep, as I told you before you left. The French sub we’d detected earlier was tailing the Russian and came through an hour behind. They both left heading southeast. If the French sub been any later coming through, we wouldn’t have been able to come and get you tonight. You would have all spent the night on Anuta.”

  “That wouldn’t have been…desirable,” I said, with a small laugh.

  He smiled. “No, probably not.”

  “So are we going to Tikopia?”

  “That’s what the professor wants, so we go there. We’re not completely alone out here though, and everyone is on a hair trigger. We have to be careful. If there’s any sign of other subs we’ll go quiet, and wait it out.”

  “How long until we get there?”

  “We could be there in a few hours, but first, I wanted to ask you if y
ou think those things really came from Tikopia.”

  “It’s as good a choice as any other. After what we found on Anuta, I don’t think they’ve been here long. Those boats are fairly new looking, recently built. I think they came here from somewhere else, but where that somewhere is, I’m not sure. We have to find them though. If those things are allowed to spread across the Pacific, let alone the world, it could be even more of a disaster than with the Pouakai.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they can live and travel on land. They’re tough, aggressive, and apparently fearless. Maybe we could stop them, or maybe not, but it would be bloody. Given how weak so many countries are around the world, the creatures may have the tactical advantage, even if we are technologically superior.”

  “I wouldn’t say they are all that primitive, Major. If they did come from the stars, or were engineered by someone, we could be in for a nasty shock when we reach wherever they come from.”

  I didn’t know what to say, because he had crystallized my fears about the origins of the Pouakai and these new creatures.

  “We’ll leave at first light,” he said. “That way we can keep an eye on the route between Tikopia and Anuta, in case there are any more of those things paddling their way here. Do you think you can convince the Professor it’s a good idea to wait until morning?”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good. I understand what your team is doing, Major. After hearing the reports from you and Lieutenant Hanson, I believe we are on the right track. I need you to understand that I have other obligations too. This can’t be strictly by your rules because I have to protect this sub, my crew, and look out for the defense of our country too. I will do whatever I can to help find the answers you’re looking for, but the safety of the Ohio comes first.”

  “I’d say the same thing if this was one of my airplanes.”

  On my way to the torpedo room and my waiting cot, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver of fear. The Captain was right. Wherever these creatures came from, what we were seeking out could easily be beyond humanity’s ability to handle.

  6

  The rest of our group accepted the overnight delay. We were all too exhausted to complain. I think I was nearly asleep before my head touched the pillow. I dreamt of monsters.

  Over coffee the next morning, we talked about our nightmarish day on Anuta. Steve hobbled in on crutches, with a big cast and bandage around his leg, and sat down with us. Whatever we were doing at our next landfall, it wouldn’t include him.

  Alan brought up the question of what to call the new monsters.

  “I don’t know,” Colin said. “The Pouakai name originated with the Nanumeans, and came from Polynesian mythology.”

  “Whatever they are called,” Mina said softly, “they were horrible, frightening.”

  “Then maybe that is what we should call them,” Steve said.

  “What?”

  “There’s a word in the language of Kiribati that roughly means frightful, or terrifying. It varies a little from island to island, but in general, the root word is Kakamaku.”

  “Kakamaku?” I said. “That’s not something that just rolls off the tongue.”

  “It works,” Colin said. “I think I’ll use it.”

  “Can you do that? Just name a creature whatever you want?”

  “If you are the first to discover a new species, and publish a paper about it, yes you can. There are more rules involved in giving it an official species name, but I like Kakamaku for public use. Besides, who’s going to complain about it? The Kakamaku?”

  A quiet chuckle drifted up from everyone at the table.

  “Then Kakamaku it is.”

  Most of our team wandered away after breakfast. I felt the sub start forward, and was happy to be moving away from Anuta. I didn’t know what we’d find on Tikopia, but I hoped that after Anuta the change would be welcome. Staring into my empty coffee mug, I heard Colin clear his throat. We were the only ones sitting at the table.

  “Want to talk about it?” he asked.

  “About what?”

  “What happened yesterday, on the beach.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. A lot of things churned around in my mind, and I wasn’t sure I could sort it all out right away. I made a noncommittal sound.

  “Boonie, I brought you along because you’ve always been a rock, and I could count on you when things got rough. What you did on the beach though, scared me.”

  “Sorry. I don’t know why I did that. It’s been a tough few weeks.”

  “I understand,” he said, a small smile on his face. “I just want to make sure you’re still up to the job here. I don’t want to push you into something that would be a problem for you, or for us.”

  “The last thing I want is to be a problem for all of you.”

  “You’re not a problem. I just want to make sure you’re thinking clearly, that’s all.”

  I stared into the depths of the empty mug, trying to pull it all together. Why had I walked out to face the monster—the Kakamaku?

  “Colin, have you ever lost something big, something important to you?”

  “Not really. Maybe a few little things, but not like you have.”

  I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to follow this train of thought. If not Colin though, there was nobody else I would talk to.

  “I’m not really sure how I should feel, and that’s what’s bothering me. I’ve lost Jennifer, my job, and the rest of my world is slipping away too. It’s like I’m flailing around in a vacuum, and I don’t know where the nearest handhold is. I’m looking for a reason, but there’s nothing to hold onto.”

  “We’re all flailing about these days, Boonie. The Pouakai have changed everything. You’ve just been hit harder than anyone else here.”

  I took a deep breath. “So what should I do about it?”

  “Rely on your friends and family. We’re all here. Just try to remember that you’re not in this alone.”

  I forced a smile. “Thanks.” He stood up and gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked away. I didn’t feel any better though. Intellectually, I knew he was right. But deep down inside though, that caged animal that’s part of all of us thrashed to get out.

  If it did, I sincerely hoped nobody else would get hurt.

  7

  “Take a look,” Captain Baker said. I stepped up to the periscope, and peered in. Colin looked through the set of eyepieces on the opposite side of the scope. Over the wavetops stood the outline of Tikopia, another tiny speck of land even more rugged than Anuta, with a high ridge circling a lake in the middle of the island. I couldn’t see the lake through the periscope, but it showed on the charts I’d seen of the island. The late afternoon sun blazed down and the island’s trees stood out in brilliant green against the deep blue ocean. It had been a quiet trip away from Anuta. We hadn’t seen anything on or under the water along the way. Now parked a few miles from the shore of Tikopia, we had to figure out what to do next.

  “No signals, sir,” came a voice from the forward end of the control room. “No signs of EM emissions at all.”

  “Thank you, Chief,” the Captain said.

  I looked at the island for a few moments, before turning to the Captain. “How long do we wait before going ashore?”

  “If we don’t find any electronic signals from the island, and we don’t see any of your Kakamaku, then tomorrow morning should work. I don’t want to send you and the SEALs ashore this late in the day.”

  Colin turned the periscope, looking around the area of the sub. He caught his breath.

  “Captain, look at this.”

  Baker brushed me aside and looked into the periscope.

  “Target, bearing three three five. Sonar, any contact?”

  “No, sir.”

  “It looks like one of those big boats you guys found on Anuta,” the Captain said quietly.

  “Yes, it does,” Colin replied.

  The Captain flicked a switch, and the image from t
he periscope appeared on the overhead monitors. In the distance, a big boat slowly moved northeast. The image zoomed in and the grainy picture bobbed on the screen as the sub rolled. It was clearly another boat like the ones from Anuta.

  “Got the target,” said the sonar operator. “It’s faint, no power. Sounds like manual oars. Course agrees, approximately zero-five-six degrees. Sir, they are heading directly away from Tikopia, and toward Anuta.”

  The Captain peered around the periscope at Colin. “It looks like you were right, professor. What do you want to do now?”

  “Could we follow them?”

  “Sure, but that would just take us back to Anuta.”

  “Then we’d be right where we were before,” Colin sighed, “with Kakamaku living on Anuta.”

  “Could you sink the boat, Captain?” I asked.

  “Certainly. Using one of our torpedoes is a bit of overkill on a boat that size. Even if one of those things survived the explosion, they’d sink. You said they are too dense to float in the water, right?”

  Colin nodded, but remained silent.

  “Professor, we should make a decision before we waste the opportunity.”

  “I know. I’m just not in favor of shooting first.”

  “If you have any other options, I’d be glad to hear them.”

  Colin stared through the periscope. I glanced up at the monitor again. The Kakamaku themselves weren’t visible from that distance, and only a hint of motion showed they were rowing themselves toward Anuta.

  “We have to go ashore on Tikopia,” Colin said quietly, “to find out what’s going on there.”

  “I agree,” Baker replied.

  “Captain, my concern is that if this is the home of the Kakamaku, or the Pouakai, don’t you think they would respond with aggression if we destroyed that boat?”

  “What are they going to do, Professor? We’ve never seen evidence of intelligence in those animals, and not a trace of electronics or advanced technology either. Are you expecting them to try and board the Ohio like a bunch of pirates?”

  Colin shook his head, and looked into the periscope again. “I don’t know, Captain. There’s just too much we don’t understand about them yet.”