by Flash Rex
Captain Pearson was enjoying a steaming cup of hot coffee when I got to the bridge. Captain, it's only a thousand degrees out today. Why don't you give it a rest with the coffee already? I wasn't annoyed by the coffee so much as I was by the lack of any tension on the bridge. I mean we just saw our shark tear a kid's arm off live on TV and... and only Burns and I saw it. "Captain, we've got to head closer to the beach. Our shark just attacked a kid on Fire Island."
"Are you serious?" Pearson shook his head. "How close do you want to get?"
"I'm not really sure. We don't know where the shark is going to go. I assume it will head back out this way to deeper water but I'm just guessing. Just bring us to where we can see the beach itself."
"You got it."
"Can you spare a man or two? We need one to operate the crane and one to chum."
"I heard we already found our chummer." Pearson smiled.
I started to return the smile but I remembered what Grimshaw did earlier. Oh no. What if someone accuses us of attracting the shark to Fire Island? At that moment Grimshaw walked onto the bridge.
"Speak of the devil." Pearson muttered while still smiling broadly.
"I just saw Burns down in the lounge. He said we found a shark!" Grimshaw was out of breath and sweating again.
"Maybe we should just get out of here." I said more to myself than to anyone else, but loud enough for the other two to hear.
Pearson and Grimshaw looked at me. "Are you insane?" Grimshaw asked. "We found a shark! What else do you want? You can't be serious!"
"I am serious! A kid just got mauled live on TV and we just happen to be here looking for a shark."
"Its just coincidence. We were just lucky." Grimshaw looked at Pearson for support but Pearson's neutral expression didn't change.
"If someone finds out we were out here throwing chum in the water trying to attract a shark... we'd be screwed!"
Grimshaw didn't look so confident anymore. Now he knew screwed up before but he was still defiant. "We threw the chum in at least twenty miles away. We didn't attract the shark out here!"
"The truth doesn't matter Grimshaw! You know that. Perception is everything. We, I should say you, threw the chum in the water and a shark attacked the kid! That's all anyone is going to care about!"
Grimshaw knew I was right and he caved in. "Let's get out of here. I want to get out of here before someone sees us!"
"It's not up to us now! It's up to Burns and he's down there watching the shark on TV. There's no way we can leave without him knowing." I felt like a mutineer.
"We'll just go down and explain the situation to him. I think he'll see we're right. What we all don't need is bad publicity." Grimshaw made a you-go-first gesture.
Why me, I thought. But I figured I had a better chance to get our concerns across to Burns than Grimshaw would. Before walking out, I turned to Pearson. "Take us in so we can see the beach please, captain. Also get your crew together. I need one guy on the crane, one guy on the chum and the rest as lookouts around the boat. I think Burns will want to stay. Might as well have the chum guy start chumming. I assume he'll know how." Pearson nodded. I turned to Grimshaw. "Let's see what we can do."
Grimshaw and I found Burns in the lounge swearing at the remote control in his hands. The TV was so loud we could barely hear him. The local station was replaying the attack with the commentary of two experts live on the phone. The footage of the attack itself was turned into a loop and Carl, the anchor, warned of the graphic nature of the video at the start of each loop. "Once again, the footage you're about to see is quite graphic. We advise viewer discretion. We are receiving hundreds of calls both for and against showing the video. We have decided to continue showing the video because it is a news event."
"The victim of the attack, ten year old Tommy Johnson, of Manhattan, is being airlifted to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in upper Manhattan. Ironically, Johnson lives within three blocks of Columbia Presbyterian in the Inwood section of upper Manhattan. We will of course update you on his condition throughout the day. We turn now to our two experts..." Burns had stopped fiddling with the remote while Carl talked about the victim. This was my only chance to talk Burns into leaving.
"Mr. Burns, perhaps we should reconsider what we're doing here," I began.
"What are you talking about?" Burns returned his attention to the remote.
"Maybe we'd better get out of here for today."
"That's ridiculous! We may never have a chance like this again!"
"I just think we should..."
Burns was getting angry again. I assume the remote control was mostly to blame but I was going to take the brunt of it. "Bolding, why don't you think about this? Zaller said we couldn't do it. Zaller's not here anymore. There's a connection there that you should..." That worm Grimshaw was behind me but I could see his reflection in a mirror as he slunk out the door we came in. Now I was pissed.
"You listen to me! I know we can do it! That's not the issue! The problem is that the media and the public are going to connect our search to the attack!" I caught Burns off guard. I caught myself off guard. I'm sure neither of us thought I'd raise my voice to the boss. But I was mad. How dare he compare me to that jackass Zaller. I was doing Zaller's job and my own. What more did he want?
My outburst actually calmed Burns down. "We didn't have anything to do with the attack. What connection can they make?"
I closed the door so Burns and I could talk privately. "They'll say it's too much of a coincidence that the very first day we come out to look for a shark, a shark attacks a kid not three miles from our boat. It doesn't help that Grimshaw was chumming while we were passing Jones Beach. Somebody at Jones Beach had to have seen at least the slick of chum Grimshaw made. In fact somebody probably saw him actually doing it."
"Grimshaw was chumming already?" Burns shook his head in disgust.
"Mr. Burns, I think we should just get out of here."
"And go where?" Burns asked.
"We should just follow our plan and head out past Montauk. We can just pretend today didn't happen. We're just right back where we started this morning. We haven't lost anything."
Burns appeared to consider that for a moment, but again shook his head. "If we let this opportunity pass, we may never get another shot. We can save the aquarium this afternoon. I say we go for it." I took a deep breath and Burns grinned. "You disagree."
"Yeah, I do. We're risking everything whether we get the shark or not. Catching the shark is still not something I'd bet on even though we know it's close."
"You're right."
"Let's say we don't catch it. We can still be blamed for the attack. We'd be the villains on the front page of the tabloids for a week. We might even be charged with crimes up to manslaughter or even some sort of homicide if the kid dies. There's no way the state could prove that beyond a reasonable doubt but I'd rather not take that chance."
"I wouldn't either."
"In addition to any criminal proceedings brought against us, there would definitely be civil suits. Everyone would sue the crap out of us. The kid's family. The kid himself if he survives. Everybody on the beach could sue us for inflicting emotional distress. Even the federal government would probably sue us for violating the kid's civil rights. In fact we could be dragged into court if the family sues the state or the city and they turn around and drag us in."
"Okay, okay. I get the picture."
"That's just the legal ramifications. The public would most likely consider us murderers whether the law does or not. The media would crucify us. There'd be protesters, boycotts, vandals, you name it. What family is going to cross an angry picket line to see some penguins? I know there may be no such thing as bad publicity but the blame for this kid's death would close the aquarium for good."
"Well, if we don't catch something that can draw crowds on this trip, I'll close the aquarium."
"Let's say we do catch the shark then. We face the same problems as if we didn't. However, we'd pr
obably also have legal challenges to our right to keep and display the shark. Plus, somebody is going to raise moral questions like how we could possibly display an animal that killed or at least maimed a kid. How many parents are going to bring their ten year olds to see the animal that ripped another kids arm off?"
"I'll bet thousands will! We're staying out here until we catch that shark!" Burns pointed at the TV screen. The two experts were having as animated a discussion as two disembodied, phoned in voices could have.
"It could be nothing other than a great white!" The first one said in a voice that expressed exasperation even over the phone.
"How can it be a great white if it’s completely black?" The second one shot back.
"What else could it be? Don't tell me you thought it was a killer whale! Look at the extended jaws! The pointed snout is lifted!"
"I didn't say it was a killer whale! No killer whale has ever attacked a human."
"Well what else could it be?"
"It's definitely a shark of some kind. You can tell it is not a mammal because the caudal fin is vertical. Basically a shark swims by moving its tail from side to side while a mammal, like a killer whale, swims by moving its tail up and down."
"So we agree it's a shark. What kind of shark could it be other than a great white?
Just look at the conical snout!"
"Mako's have conical snouts."
"Come on! That was no mako! Look at the extended jaws! Look at the teeth!"
"Look at the color! You're skipping the greatest evidence we have that it's not a great white! It's not white! It's pitch black!"
"Great white's are only white on their undersides. They can be quite dark along their backs and sides."
"They're gray or blue-gray but not pitch black! How do you account for that?"
"It could be any number of things. It could just be the camera angle and the lighting. It could even be an anomaly in this particular animal. It could be anything."
"From what we could see the underside was as dark as the back. And in all your years of studying great whites have you ever seen one, just one, that was pitch black? I doubt it!"
"No I've never seen one that's black but just because I've never seen it doesn't mean it can't or didn't happen!"
"I'll bet everything I have that no one has ever seen a completely black great white."
"Well you keep saying what it isn't. Why don't you tell us what it is if it's not a great white because I want to know!"
"This may be the first time any man has ever seen this animal."
"What is it?"
"I think it may be a megalodon." Burns and I looked at each other.
"Oh come on!"
"I'm afraid we're going to have to leave it there gentlemen. It's been very interesting and we thank you both very much. We're now going to return to our regularly scheduled broadcast, which is already in progress. Be sure to stay with us for the latest on this tragic story that has marred this first weekend of summer." Carl signed off and the first soap opera kicked in.
"Did he say megalodon?" Burns asked.
"He certainly did." I replied.
"Why does that word ring a bell?"
"You probably read about megalodon in your shark books."
"I didn't realize they were in these waters."
"They're not supposed to be in any waters. They're supposed to be extinct."
Burns was flipping through one of his books. "Let me just check. I think it's in here somewhere."
I didn't have time to wait for him to thumb through each page of a five hundred-page book and I wasn't enough of a smart ass to tell him to look in the index. "So we are going to stay here and go after this shark?"
"You're damn right we are! This could be the greatest find of all time! Just think of the publicity and the crowds if we catch a megalodon! We'll be rich!"
"You already are rich," I reminded Burns.
"Yeah but you're not and I'm not rich enough! Go find me that shark!"
I walked out into the sun and I could see the beach on Fire Island. My eyes weren't good enough to pick out any people on the beach but I assume it was still crowded. This was close enough so I went to the bridge to tell Pearson to stop. On my way I had to pass two lookouts. They looked dead serious now as they scanned the water. They weren't in the good mood they'd been in earlier when they were laughing at Grimshaw. Pearson must have told them about the attack on the kid.
"This is close enough, captain. Hey, how can I contact you if I'm at the back of the boat and I need you to do some maneuvering?" I asked Pearson.
"Just tell Frank. He's doing the chumming. He's got a headset on so he can speak directly to me." Pearson replied.
"Why don't I wear the headset so I can tell you myself?"
"You're not going to wear a headset because you have no idea of the directions seamen use. You'd probably just say, "Go left" or "Go right" and I'd have no idea what you're talking about. So you just tell Frank where you want to go and he'll translate it for me."
"Fair enough." I felt like an idiot. Pearson was probably right but he didn't have to make me feel like a jackass. I was the one running the whole show. Pearson was just my damn chauffeur. "Do the lookouts know what to look for?"
"Sharks?" Pearson was getting to be a wise ass.
"Yeah, sharks. They have to look down as much as out. Sharks don't swim with their dorsal fin out of the water like they do in the movies."
"They know what to look for." Pearson seemed to be getting impatient with me. I guess he didn't like some hotshot young lawyer telling him his business. Too bad.
I walked back outside and saw a good-sized chum slick running nearly parallel to the to the shore. If skillful chumming required any particular skills, Frank must have it. If the shark were on his way out to deeper water, he'd have to cross right through our slick. How could any shark resist the combination of fish oil, chopped fish and blood? If I were a shark, I'd be all over it. Of course, if I were a shark, my teeth would already be a part of some necklace somewhere.
I wanted to talk to the crane operator before any of the action started so I could explain to him what I thought we could do. That wouldn't take long because I only had one idea. I was just about to introduce myself to the guy operating the crane when Grimshaw came around the corner. "Hey, Bolding, what do you what me to do?"
Why don't you tie a rope around you're waist and jump in, you big slob? I wanted to say. Eating Grimshaw would probably exceed a shark's recommended daily allowance of cholesterol. "Grimshaw, why don't you be a lookout?" I asked a guy with glasses so thick that sunlight took ten minutes to get through to be a lookout. "Go stand over there. Don't forget to look down as well as out. Shark's don't swim with their dorsal fins sticking out of the water like they do in the movies." At least Grimshaw would listen to that piece of advice.
"Well you're wrong on that one. Here comes a shark now." Grimshaw was pointing about thirty yards away. Sure enough there was a dorsal fin sticking out of the water. But it was headed the wrong way and it was clearly gray in color. My wish that it was a regular great white were dashed when the crewman closest to it said it was a blue shark. Blue sharks have been known to attack man but they're not too scary looking. Their eyes look very big almost like a stuffed animal's. Nobody would line up to see a blue shark.
As the blue ate the bigger fish chunks in the chum slick, my disappointment disappeared. The blue was about six feet long. I thought of two uses for this six-foot blue, practice and bait. I walked over to the crane and spoke to the operator. "Could you lower the net into the water?" I asked him.
"Sure thing." He responded and lowered the net into the water. The net was only ten feet across. I didn't want it to be too big because I was afraid a shark we tried to capture would become hopelessly entangled and possibly drown if we had to abort a failed attempt. The four corners of the net were attached to cables that ran up to the hook on the crane.
"Basically, what we'll try to do is lure the shark ove
r the net and yank it up as fast as we can once the shark is in place. The most important thing is to get the shark out of the water in one piece. Once we get it in the air we'll lower it into the transport box over there. You got it?"
"No problem."
"Great. Grimshaw! Come over here and start chumming. And whatever you do, don't throw it at the blue. We want the other shark to have some too." I turned to Frank. "Frank get some bait for the blue. Get some crappy stuff. We'll save the prime cuts for the good shark."
"What do you want the blue for?" Frank asked.
"Practice," I said. Then I whispered, "Because I have no idea if this is going to work."
"I gotcha." Frank went inside and came out with some big chunk of fish. He stuck it in a burlap bag and held it open while he directed Grimshaw to throw some scoops of chum in. Oil and blood trickled out of the bag as Frank tied a rope around it. He then threw the bag in the water over the net. "Come and get it!" He yelled. It wasn't very funny but it relieved the tension on the boat and everybody laughed.
Burns came out and saw what was going on. "Hey, you see him? I wanted you to come get me if you saw him!"
I shook my head. "No. We're just doing a practice run. We've got a blue shark out here and we're just about to try to catch him."
"What are you gonna do with him if you get him in here?" Burns leaned on the rail to look at the blue that was just now noticing the burlap bag.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but I think he'd make irresistible bait."
"Why don't we just keep it until we find something better?" Grimshaw jumped in. Normally I would have agreed with Grimshaw on this one but Burns wanted the big one.
"I don't want a blue shark. I want a great white at the very least. If we don't get at least a great white then the aquarium is done. Does everybody understand that? Good." Everyone understood that no great white meant no more job.
"We'll just use the blue to try out our little plan here and then he'll be a little Memorial Day lunch for the shark we really want." Everyone laughed a little at that but the tense atmosphere that Burns introduced with his ultimatum lingered. This was literally do or die for us.