Depths of Paradise

by Vance Albright

  Chapter 29

  2:47 AM 04/17/2021 HST

  The water panther swam near the ocean floor. Some time ago, he was driven from his territory by a larger male; being the runt of his litter, he was never good at fighting nor had he developed effective hunting techniques. To survive, he had found a new delicacy. The humans who traveled the water turned out to be an easy and delicious source of easy food. He had gotten weeks’ worth of food from the submarine kill. Now he needed to safely store the remaining portions. He dug into the ocean floor until he felt his claw touch the soft flesh of a body. One of the many bodies he had temporarily stashed across the area. He bit down and pulled it up, shacking it around to remove any sediment clinging to it.

  He suddenly felt an impending feeling of danger. Before he could turn his head, two large tentacles wrapped around his body and back legs. He let out a cry of pain as the tentacles, hooks, and suction cups dug into his body, ripping and tearing his flesh. He turned to see the tentacles attached to the body of a colossal squid pulling him towards a sharp beak, and a legion of smaller tentacles. Knowing he had one shot of escaping, he reared his head to the side and bit down on the feeding tentacle wrapped around his body. After several chops in rapid succession, the tentacle came loose. The pain caused the colossal squid to release his back legs. The water panther swam to a safe distance, then turn to face his opponent.

  The squid, who was twice as big as the water panther, had recovered and was jetting towards him. He remained still, waiting for the last longer feeding tentacle to reach him. When the tentacle was about to wrap around him, he jolted to the left side, causing it to miss. He latched on to it with his front limbs pinning it to the ocean floor. The end of the tentacle wrapped around his front right leg, ripping into it. Even with his tentacle pinned to the ground, the colossal squid still had the strength to pull the water panther towards him. Like before, the water panther bit down and separated the last feeding tentacle from the squid’s body. With his enemy writhing in pain, it was his turn to strike. The water panther swam towards the colossal squid. Right before he was in range of the smaller tentacles, the sound of a thunderclap exited his throat. A sudden pain filled the colossal squid’s body. To counter, the colossal squid released a stream of black ink and moved back rapidly. It did nothing to stop the pain, and soon the colossal squid’s insides started to fail, as a feeling of pleasure filled the water panther when both the colossal squid’s eyes exploded from their sockets. He had won.

  The water panther swam on top of his adversary. His started biting and digging into the squid’s mantle and fins. The red cloud he had become so familiar with surrounded him. The squid’s body went limp and hit the ocean floor. He was victorious, but he had paid for his victory. His body was covered with cuts and gashes from the tentacles. He was fortunate the first infrasound blast had done the job. The more he used it in rapid succession, the weaker it got. He grabbed several human bodies and headed to his lair. He would need some time to recover before he hunted again.

  Chapter 30

  10:14 AM 04/17/2021 HST

  The X-7 touched down on one of the helicopter landing pads at Kahului Airport. Max got out and slung a small travel bag over his left shoulder. Since the phone was off limits, Max had brought along drawing and writing material. The idea was to get Mya to draw what she had seen so they could compare it with the images they had of the water panther. Max looked down at his watch, which read half past nine.

  “I’m going to head to the café. I should be back around one.”

  “Don’t forget to stop at a florist,” Liz added.

  “Why?” Max asked, not picking up on the joke.

  “To get flowers for your darling. Oh, and get some chocolates, maybe a bear that says ‘I love you.’” Max gave her an annoyed look and started to walk away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Okada giving Liz a talking to, which made him smile.

  “Hold on a moment,” Ashly said.

  Now what? Max thought, hoping she was not going to start acting like Liz. Ashly ran over to him and handed him a sliver ring. Max took it. The ring was in the shape of a wolf’s head. The large eye holes were covered by bright blue stones.

  “Why do I need a ring?” Max asked, confused.

  “It’s not just a ring,” Ashly replied. She brought the ring to Max’s eye level and held up her tablet with her other hand. A live video of Max was on the screen. “See, the eyes are actually small cameras, and the wolf’s nose is the camera’s speaker. The live video is connected to my tablet by Bluetooth. The feeling of guilt returned to Max. Not wanting to deceive Mya, he gently pushed Ashly’s hand away.

  “Ashly, Mya made it clear she did not want to be filmed.”

  “Well, that’s too bad for her. We need an accurate record of the account,” Ashly said in a serious tone.

  “Ashly, the poor girl’s been through hell. I feel bad enough I cannot tell her the truth. I don’t want to go against her wishes any more than I have to,” Max replied in an equally serious tone. Okada noticed an airport security officer’s car coming towards them. He ordered Liz to speak to them, then walked over to Max and Ashly. Ashly quickly explained the situation to him.

  He replied, “Max, we want to have her story on video record. Just in case you miss some time, or we need to revisit it.” Max did not like it, but he knew he was right.

  “Fine,” he said, reluctantly taking the ring.

  He started to leave when Ashly said with an embarrassed laugh, “Sorry, I forgot to give you the ear piece.”

  “Why do I need an ear piece?” Max asked, annoyed. Ashly moved her eyes to the side like she was about to say something she knew he would not want to hear.

  “Along with watching, Okada and I felt it would be better if we had the ability to talk to you.”

  “What! Why is that necessary?” Max said as a feeling of discomfort came over him. It was no secret he found Mya attractive. That was going to make things awkward enough; the last thing he needed was Liz’s voice in his ears.

  “We will only speak if we need to remind you to ask her something important,” Okada reassured. Max looked at Ashly.

  “So, you’re going to do all your surveillance work from inside the chopper?” he asked, mainly to break his current train of thought.

  Ashly shrugged. “Don’t act like we’re spying on you.”

  But that exactly what you’re doing, Max thought.

  “Anyway, I made arraignments for us to use one of the helicopter tour buildings that is closed today,” Ashly added. They noticed the security car leaving the area.

  “Paperwork is in order. We’re good to use the building,” Liz shouted and gave a thumbs up.

  “How did you manage that on such short notice?” Max asked.

  “She hacked the system and forged the paperwork. That’s how,” Samuel said, walking past them, carrying a box of equipment.

  “I did not. I contacted the owner of the building and arranged for us to use it for the day,” Ashly yelled back. With everything finalized, Max departed from his teammates, this time without any interruptions. He hated having to lie to Mya but saw there was no way to avoid it. So, like a good soldier, he followed orders.

  s s s

  Mya Kendig sat at a table for two at the Crescent Moon gaming café. She was wearing blue jean shorts and a black t-shirt. She was staring into the coffee cup, watching the white ring of cream disappear as she stirred.

  “Girl, I thought you were leaving early today; why have you not gone home yet? You okay?” Riley asked.

  “Umm, I’m meeting someone in a few minutes,” Mya replied, looking up at Riley. Riley could tell by her body language she was uneasy.

  “Oh, as in someone special?” Riley replied, raising an eyebrow.

  “No, nothing like that,” Mya answered in a reassuring voice. “Remember when I got that call from the biologist wanting to know about my…my encounter?”

  “How could I forget? You sure read him the riot act.” Mya moved he
r eyes downward, remembering the incident. Max seemed to be a nice guy, and now she felt bad for treating him so poorly when he called the first time.

  “After you told me about the submarine attack, I knew I had to do something. So, I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience with someone who actually wanted to hear about it.” A man in his late fifties wearing a polo shirt and khakis walked by the window Mya was sitting by.

  “This might be him,” she said nervously. Both girls watched as the man walked by the door and continued on. Mya’s face had a look of disappointment.

  “Why do you look so nervous?” Riley asked.

  “I’m just worried something will go wrong. I want him to get here so I can get this over with.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll wait your table and when I get free time, I’ll check in on you. If I see he’s giving you trouble, I’ll read him the riot act.” Hearing that made Mya feel better.

  “Thanks,” Mya replied, feeling good she had an ally around if things got out of hand.

  “No trouble. I have to get back to work. Catch you later.” Mya put both hands over her ears and the back of her head. She was mentally preparing for the worst. Her thoughts were broken up when a voice behind her spoke her name.

  “Hi, Mya Kendig?” She looked up to see a handsome young man wearing a black shirt with a skull knight—a skull knight from her favorite game, Legendary Quests and Creatures.

  “Uh, hi?” Mya replied, not knowing who he was. This couldn’t be the biologist, could it? Liz noticed the look on her face.

  “Good news, Max. She’s into you.”

  Shut up, Liz. Why are you even using the microphone? Max thought.

  “Hi, Max Varian,” Max said, extending his hand. Mya slowly extended her hand and shook it. Max was just waiting for Liz to say something.

  “Now that she’s interested. You need to get her on the hook. Mention you like that game.” Before Liz could finish, the headphones were pulled off her head. “Hey! What da?” Okada used his free hand to grab the office chair and started wheeling it towards the door.

  “Ashly,” he said. She looked towards him in time to catch the headphones.

  “Hey, I wasn’t finished talking yet. I need to know how this plays out,” Liz protested. Okada did not answer. He opened the door, then placed both hands on the head of the chair and pushed it outside.

  “Start readying the helicopter or do something productive,” Okada said and shut the door. He grabbed an extra folding chair and sat down next to Ashly.

  “Max, Liz is gone; just act natural,” Okada said. Hearing that made the butterflies in his stomach die down. The fact that he found the girl in front of him more attractive in person made it hard enough to focus.

  “Um, you’re the biologist I talked to?” Mya asked, trying to calm the butterflies in her own stomach.

  “Sure am.” Mya gave a doubtful look. “What? Were you expecting an old guy with a white beard and wearing field khakis?” That was exactly what Mia was expecting.

  “I was not expecting a guy wearing a skull knight shirt from my favorite video game.”

  “Hey, I love Legendary Quests and Creatures too. So, I wear shirts like these when I’m off work. May I sit down?” Mya stared for a few seconds, then broke out of her trance.

  “Um. Yeah. Sure. Sorry,” Mya replied, already feeling more comfortable with the situation. Max sat down.

  “First, I just wanted to say sorry about losing your sister. Jade seemed like a nice girl.” A slight glare formed in Mya’s eyes. This guy had made a good first impression, but she was in no mood for this type of suck-up.

  “How would you know what she was like?” Mya asked in a rude voice.

  “She’s touchy,” Ashly said. She had not pressed the speaker button, so Max did not hear the comment.

  “Because I talked to her once,” Max said in a confident voice that showed no sign of lying.

  “What? You knew Jade?” Mya said, taken back by the response. “She never mentioned knowing someone like you.”

  “Well, I never met her face to face. She emailed me about possibly setting up a dive with the dolphin event using the show dolphins I work with. I called her back and said that since the dolphins were owned by a third party, I could not authorize such a thing.” Mya calmed down after hearing that. The response made sense. The conversation was interrupted when Riley approached.

  “Hi, my name is Riley. May I get you a coffee to start?” she asked.

  “Uh. Hold on a second,” Max said. He picked up a menu and started skimming over it.

  Riley turned her back to Max and, looking straight at Mya, softly said, “Liar.” Mya made sure Max was not looking and started frantically shaking her head no.

  “It’s not like that at all. Go away,” Mya replied, equally softly.

  “I’ll have the lava hot chocolate,” Max said, diverting Riley’s attention. “Have you eaten?” he asked Mya.

  “Yes. I didn’t want to waste your time, so I had lunch before you came,” Mya replied. “I don’t need anything,” she said to Riley.

  “I thought you said you were going to order dessert?” Riley said with a smile. Max gave her a puzzled look. Riley motioned a hand to Mya. “We work together; that’s how I know her.” She moved slightly over to the menu Max was holding. “Here, I can show you her favorite dessert.” Under the table, Mya was franticly kicking at Riley.

  “We get rid of Liz, and now this nonsense starts,” Okada said. He looked at the clock, which read eleven-ten. He wanted Max to get the meeting over with as soon as possible. The sooner the team could get to Pearl Harbor, the more time they would have examining the submarine wreckage.

  “So, can I get you one chocolate fudge rock golem cake to share?”

  “Sure,” Max said. Mya did not protest, but she felt like getting up and tossing Riley into the kitchen.

  “Okay, be back in a bit.” Riley turned towards Mya, raised her eyebrows, and said. “Enjoy.” Mya tried to kick at Riley again, then put her hands over her face and moaned.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said, embarrassed and annoyed.

  “I know the feeling. I also have a co-worker I want to kick sometimes.” Mya’s face turned red with embarrassment. Had he noticed the whole thing? “Let’s get back on topic, shall we?” Max asked, wanting to break the awkward feeling both of them had.

  “Yes,” Mya agreed. Max laid the travel bag on the table. He opened it and pulled out around a dozen photos.

  “I brought several photos of prehistoric and modern-day animals, and I promise there are no sharks.”

  “Better not be,” Mya said seriously.

  “When I hold up a photo, I want you to say yes, no, or tell me what features look familiar.”

  “Got it,” Mya said. They were briefly interrupted when Riley brought Max’s drink. He held up the first photo, which was a photo of a giant squid.

  “I doubt this is it, but I want to get it out of the way,” he said.

  Right away, Mya replied, “No.” Max put the picture down and held up a picture of a plesiosaur. Mya looked at it for a few seconds. “No, the creature I saw had a clawed arm, not flippers.”

  “Well, that eliminates some creatures.” Max replied. He removed five pictures from the list. Mya smiled as she looked at a photo of a kronosaurus. For once, someone was listening to her and not treating her like she was crazy. “What about this one?” he asked, showing her a picture of a marine iguana. Mya took the picture and looked at it.

  “I don’t think it was a marine iguana,” Mya said like it was an obvious statement.

  “I doubted it was, but are any of the features similar?” Mya looked at the photo again. She closed her eyes. A slight look of pain formed on her face like she was remembering something terrible.

  “The claws were long like that, and the tail may be similar.”

  “Okay, here’s my number one suspect,” Max said. He handed her a photo of a large saltwater crocodile. “Does that look like
the animal you saw?” Mya had a confused look on her face, thinking back to when Riley had suggested the same thing.

  “Well, I don’t remember any scales on the arm. The skin was smoother; it might have even had fur.” Mya sighed in frustration. “I don’t know. To be honest, I don’t remember if the tail had scales, or spines, or anything.”

  “Well, at least you know it wasn’t a shark,” Max said jokingly. A stern look formed on Mya’s face. Seeing it made Max worried she was going to get up and leave right then, but the look soon changed into a slight smile. He even saw her lightly laugh at the joke. Max showed Mya the remaining photos. On Okada’s orders, he had intentionally left out a photo of a water panther or anything looking like it. The only photo Mya showed any interest in was the photo of the Nothosaurus.

  “Okay, whatever this is?” she said, holding up the photo of the Nothosaurus. “And the salt water crocodile are the closest to what I saw. She laid both photos in front of Max. “You’re the expert. What do you think is more likely?”

  “Scientifically speaking, I would love to discover a living Nothosaurus, but I have to lean towards the salt water crocodile as the prime suspect,” Max said, hoping that would satisfy her. Mya understood why he suspected a crocodile, but she was still not convinced. When she asked what a salt water crocodile would be doing swimming around Maui, just like Riley, Max explained that people often keep exotic animals as pets and it was very possible for a salt water crocodile to have escaped. After hearing the explanation, Mya still did not look convinced.

  “If my encounter was the only one, I would believe the crocodile story, but how do you explain the other attacks that have been going on around Maui? We both know there is no way a crocodile could have sunk a submarine or destroyed an underwater hotel room.”

  “True, but in all honesty, we don’t even know if these incidents are connected.” Mya gave him a look that said: you really believe that?

  Crap she’s smart, Max thought. Personally, he admired her for it, but it also made achieving the goal of convincing her she had seen a known animal difficult. Max could tell he was going down a dangerous road, so he decided to change the subject. “How about this? To help me better understand what you saw, would you mind drawing everything you remember about the creature?” He pulled a drawing pad and pencil kit from the travel bag. An uneasy look formed on Mya’s face. She did not want to relive anything about that day.