From the Deep

by Michael Bray

  “Dr Thompson,” Freeman said, snapping her back to reality as she turned towards him.

  “What is it?”

  “He wants to know if you are able to meet him today.”

  “When?”

  “Right now. He can send a helicopter to pick you up in thirty minutes. From there you will be transported by plane to his location.”

  “And where is that exactly?”

  “Alaska.”

  CHAPTER 13

  East dock

  Freeport,

  Kodiak, Alaska

  Rainwater cast his eyes to the sky. The clouds were a threatening shade of deep grey, and as he looked beyond the relative calm of the harbour, he could see vicious whitecaps rolling in increasing velocity as the ocean threw wave after wave towards land.

  “You getting on or not?”

  Rainwater turned to see Mackay walking down the dock. His stomach involuntarily knotted with fear, yet he didn’t get the impression Mackay was there to dish out another beating. Instead, he waited as the former soldier stood beside him and looked at the Lisa Marie.

  “How’s the eye?” Mackay said, flicking his gaze towards Rainwater’s swollen cheek.

  “It’s fine. Looks worse than it is.”

  “Some good memories on this boat,” Mackay said, smiling reflectively “This is where I cut my teeth as a greenhorn. Nobody would give me a job, said I was too old at thirty to start life as a fisherman. Sam gave me a shot anyway. I spent the best years of my life sleeping, puking, and working so damn hard I wished I was dead on this boat, and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.”

  Rainwater said nothing, and waited as Mackay lit a cigarette, then looked out over the bay.

  “I was deck boss for a while you know,” he continued. “A few years back your uncle had a falling out with your father. Said he was done with fishing. We thought it would blow over, but he was a stubborn one, and he left the boat. For three seasons, I ran things alongside your father. Course, we all knew Joey would be back, we didn’t know when. Some of the best memories I have were on this old girl.”

  “I don’t remember much of this boat. I was only a kid the last time I was on it.”

  Mackay nodded “I remember. You were a whiny little bastard.”

  Rainwater looked at Mackay and was about to protest, when he saw the older man was smiling.

  “Hell, even back then you hated being out on the water. You couldn’t get back on dry land soon enough. I think your dad understood that fishing wasn’t in your blood the same way it was his and his fathers before him.”

  “I get it, I’m a failure. You don’t need to remind me.”

  “You ain’t no failure.” Mackay said, glancing to Rainwater then back to the Lisa Marie. “That wasn’t what I was saying. What I mean is, you just ain’t a fisherman. Nothing wrong with it. Hell, some might say it makes you the most sensible of us all.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway. I don’t think I can do this. Hell, I don’t know what to do. You were right, Mackay. I should shut up about this and get on with my life.”

  “If you had said that yesterday, I would have agreed. Truth is, I’m starting to think maybe you have a point.”

  “What do you mean?” Rainwater said, turning to face Mackay.

  “Well, it seems to me this fella who went to see Valerie was asking a lot of questions about the accident. Normally, I wouldn’t think twice about it. Some folk are just nosy, can’t keep out of other people’s business. This guy seemed different.”

  “Different how?”

  “You gotta remember, I was in the forces for twelve years before I got out and started working for your dad. I know military when I see it, and this guy stank like high end government.”

  “What would the government want with you and Valerie?”

  “It wasn’t really us he was interested in, it was you. That got me thinking about the stuff you were saying about this thing you claim hit us. Maybe this Andrews guy knows more about it than he’s letting on.”

  “That’s a bit of a stretch.”

  “Well, there’s more. I called an old buddy of mine from the forces. Served with me in Iraq. Anyhow, he’s pretty high ranking, so I asked him to snoop around for me and look into this guy.”

  “How did you know who to look for?”

  “The guy gave me his business card. Anyways, this buddy of mine took the info and made some enquiries. It turns out this Andrews guy is working with a slimy piece of shit called Russo.”

  “You know him?”

  “In a way. He was responsible for funding cuts to my unit when I was serving in Iraq. Long and short of it is that we didn’t have enough body armour to go around. My squad got ambushed during patrol and the three of my guys who didn’t have vests were killed. My CO told me to leave it alone, said it was just a case of casualties of war. I knew Russo was responsible and I ain’t never been good at holding my temper. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I went to his office and before he could try to worm his way out of it, I punched the motherfucker square in the mouth.”

  “Holy shit, what happened?”

  “He got a bloody nose, I got kicked. Dishonourable discharge. Thanks for the years of putting your life on the line, Mackay, but this prick in a suit wants you out.”

  Mackay grinned, and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I was about done with the army by then anyway. Seen too much shit, spent too long fighting other peoples wars. I will tell you this, if this Russo guy is involved, you can bet your ass there’s an angle in it for him.”

  “What else did your contact dig up?”

  “Well, he couldn’t find much. A lot of it was locked tight, and he didn’t have the clearance. All he knows is that Russo and Andrews have commandeered a ship and the government have thrown a ton of money at them to do whatever it is they intend on doing. He couldn’t say for sure, it seems they are looking for something, which was enough to make me interested as it is, but there’s more.”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, you know when we were adrift in the lifeboat after the accident, and we assumed we were picked up by the Coast Guard?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it wasn’t. It was Andrews who picked us up. He was looking for something in the exact area where you say something hit our boat. By the time he’d come back to the hospital to question us, we’d checked ourselves out. The only reason he couldn’t find you when he came looking is because you aren’t registered as living here anymore. Now I’m a realist, but I also don’t believe in coincidence, and things are stacking up here that makes me think maybe you might not be as crazy as I thought.”

  “So you believe me?”

  “Do I think you saw a sea monster? No. That’s something I can’t buy until I see it for myself. I do believe that whatever you saw is the thing Russo and Andrews are looking for, and that’s enough for me to be interested. Maybe some new piece of military kit that has gone rogue. A sub maybe, I don’t know. Whatever it is must be important to have the government sniffing around like this.”

  “I don’t get it, if it was Andrews who found us, why keep it quiet? Why ask us later on about the accident if he was there?”

  “Exactly. Nothing about this situation sits right. I get the feelin’ we have only scratched the surface.”

  “I still don’t understand why top line government would be involved in this. Maybe we should get in touch with them, see if we can work together.”

  “I don’t think you understand. If Russo and Andrews want to find this thing, I want to get there first.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I still owe that asshole one. You might think I wouldn’t be so bitter after all these years, but you’d be wrong.”

  “I thought you didn’t believe me?”

  “I said I’d have to see it for myself, and I ain’t ever gonna do it from here on dry land.”

  “It’s no good,” Rainwater said, shaking his head. “If they have the resources
you say they have, and the expertise, we don’t stand a chance.”

  “They’re soldiers and pencil pushers. Not fishermen. We know the seas, and that gives us the advantage.”

  “Maybe I should go with them. I’m no fisherman either, you said so yourself.”

  “Maybe it’s time you learned. What I’m saying is, if you really want to find out what this thing is, I’ll come out and help. Maybe you’ll prove me wrong and I’ll see this monster with my own eyes, although I suspect it won’t be anything quite so dramatic when we get to the bottom of it.”

  “I don’t know if I can do it. The thought of setting foot on that boat scares me, Mackay. I keep thinking about the accident, how close we came to dying…”

  Mackay nodded.

  “It’s normal to be scared. Fear keeps you on your toes. If you don’t conquer this, it’ll eat at you until there is nothing left.”

  “I don’t think I can do it.”

  “You will.”

  “Why so confident?”

  “Because despite whatever you choose to call yourself, you still have Harris blood running through your veins. You belong on the water, even if you don’t know it yet.”

  A mixture of pride, nerves and fear surged through him as he looked at the boat rocking against the dock.

  “It won’t be enough with just us, we need more help.”

  “I might know a guy. He’s ex-army too, but he knows about hunting things. He a tough son of a bitch, spent some time in Japan working on a whaler and also did some safari stuff in Africa in between tours in the forces.”

  “We aren’t hunting lions here, Mackay.”

  “I know that, my point is that he knows the way to hunt things. He’s our only option anyway, so it was a case of take it or leave it.”

  “So where is he?”

  “Flying in today as it happens. We recently got in touch again and had been planning to meet up anyway. I asked him to come and see if he can help us.”

  “You don’t want to leave right away?”

  Mackay shook his head.

  “Not without prepping first. We should head out in a day or two. It gives us a chance to make some kind of plan instead of going out into the unknown.”

  “I’m not sure this is anything we can plan for. Not really.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared though, kid.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Let me make a few calls, see what I can arrange. In the meantime, you need to get your shit together and be ready for when we leave. If there’s one thing I know about Russo, it’s that he doesn’t fuck around when he has a job to do.”

  CHAPTER 14

  The Victorious

  Dutch Harbour,

  Alaska

  Andrews paced in the meeting room, waiting for his guests to arrive. Russo was pushing to get things underway as soon as possible, and, anxious not to upset the man who had ensured that the trip was funded, Andrews didn’t want to be the one to let him down.

  Freeman knocked on the door and entered the room, followed by Clara and Dexter.

  “Miss Thompson,” Andrews said, striding to meet them and extending his hand.

  “I’m Doctor Martin Andrews, thank you for coming to meet me. I trust the journey was comfortable?”

  “It was fine, thank you. I certainly didn’t expect the private jet. Seems you were in a hurry to get us here.”

  “Indeed I was. We have much to discuss. Please, take a seat.” Andrews gestured to the large meeting table.

  As Clara and Dexter took their seats, Andrews pulled Freeman aside. Clara watched as the two shared in hushed conversation, following which, Freeman left quickly, closing the door behind him. Andrews took his seat and folded his hands on the table.

  “My colleague emailed me the findings of your investigation on the remains of the Blue whale. I thank you for your observations.”

  “I wanted to discuss them with you in person when I got here. Mr Freeman was pretty forceful about sending them ahead of me.” Clara said, making no attempt to hide her annoyance.

  “I’m sorry about that, as I’m sure you understand, we are on a strict timetable here.”

  “Maybe you are. As a rule, I don’t appreciate being bullied for answers, especially before I have had sufficient time to analyse the results.”

  Andrews smiled. Clara remained neutral.

  “My apologies. I don’t wish for us to get off on the wrong foot here. We asked you to come because you are said to be the best in your field. You were the one and only name on our list. I can only ask you to forgive my urgency. As you by now know, this situation is unique to say the least.”

  “Well, until you tell me exactly what I’m dealing with, we aren’t going to get anywhere. Why did you bring us here?”

  “Your findings about a potential predatory attack to the whale carcass are in line with our own observations.”

  “I’m sure you could have confirmed that by telephone.”

  “This is a confidential situation. An unsecured telephone conversation wasn’t an option I’m afraid.”

  “You do intend to tell people about this? To warn them?”

  Andrews squirmed and offered a strained smile.

  “You know as well as I do that the public would panic if they suspected something in our oceans was capable of such a violent attack, not to mention the impact to the fishing and shipping industry. They would demand action, and until we have an answer to give them, it’s important to remain discreet.”

  “I don’t think the public would react as badly as you seem to think. In fact, maybe it would be better if people were told that the oceans might not be a safe place to be right now.”

  “You don’t understand as much as you think,” Andrews said as he looked at them in turn.

  “Then let’s not waste any more time.” Clara shot back “Tell me what you know and I’ll see if I can help you.”

  “You have to understand this is, as I said, a very sensitive subject. Due to the nature of this operation, I need to ask you to work with us with the limited information I am authorised to provide.”

  “I’m not sure I do understand. Do I get access to the research or not?”

  “Well,” Andrews said, choosing his words carefully, “the subject matter of this investigation is highly, highly confidential. We have our own team of scientists and experts involved already who will deal with the more… sensitive aspects of the investigation. We would only require you for certain clarifications and confirmations of our findings.”

  “You either want me in or you don’t. I won’t play second fiddle.”

  “I’m afraid there are limits to the information I can give you.”

  “Then we have nothing to discuss. I can’t be expected to consult with you without access to all the information.”

  “Don’t make any hasty decisions,” Andrews said, offering a wry smile. “There are other marine biologists who would crawl over broken glass for an opportunity like this.”

  “That may be so,” Clara shot back with a smile of her own. “As you said, I’m the best, and I don’t think you would be prepared to settle for anything else.”

  “You have, if you don’t mind my saying so, a very high opinion of yourself.” Andrews said, his face a mixture of admiration and frustration.

  “No, I just have respect for my work, and think you should too. You valued it enough to fly me out here to talk to you. To then deny me access to the research is an insult.”

  “We don’t need you, Miss Thompson. Let me make that perfectly clear right now. We can easily manage with someone else.”

  “I’m more than happy to walk away from this if I need to. Believe me, I’m interested in helping, just not as some out of the loop lackey.”

  “I don’t believe you would have come all the way out here if that was the case. You’re as desperate as the rest of us to find this creature.”

  “I don’t think you would have flown me all the way out here if you weren’t desperate
for my help.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “I don’t think I am.”

  “By all means, feel free to leave. If you can’t work with us, then we will have to make other arrangements I’m afraid.”

  “Okay. No problem.” Clara said, standing. “Come on, Dexter, it’s time we were going.”

  Dexter looked from Clara to Andrews then stood and followed her to the door.

  “Wait,” Andrews said, the desperation in his voice impossible to hide.

  Clara turned to face him, folding her arms as she waited for him to speak.

  “What is it you would need exactly? To stay, I mean.”

  “Full disclosure. I’ll need real time access to every part of your research.”

  “I can’t do that,” Andrews said, shrugging. “My hands are tied.”

  “Then good luck with the mission.” Clara shot back and turned back towards the door.

  “Hang on, just give me a second.” Andrews stammered, standing and crossing the room to meet her.

  “Okay, let’s say I can get you full mission access. You will both need to sign a non-disclosure agreement about anything you see, read, or hear.

  “No problem. I’m a professional, and NDA or no NDA, I would have kept the findings private. Before we go any further let me make something clear right now. The first inkling that something is being withheld from me, I’m gone. No second chances. You’re right when you suggest this is a fantastic opportunity. Even so, I won’t put my professional reputation on the line for anything, even a secret as big as this one. Got it?”

  “Yes, I understand,” Andrews sighed, showing a rare moment of weakness. “I need to make a few calls and get those NDA’s readied. I’ll have Freeman show you to your rooms.”

  “When do we leave?” Dexter asked.

  “Within the hour.”

  “Just one thing,” Clara said, trying to keep her expression neutral despite the butterflies in her stomach. “I’m right aren’t I? About this being some kind of new species of predator.”

  Andrews simply looked at her blankly.

  “First things first. Let’s sign those NDA’s then we can talk.”