Depths of Paradise

by Vance Albright

  “I can…” She took a deep breath. “I can try.” Before she could begin her drawing, Riley laid the cake between them. The smell of hot fudge and chocolate filled their nostrils.

  “Why don’t we take a break and eat?” Max suggested.

  “Great idea,” Mya agreed.

  “Tell me when it’s over,” Okada said, getting up from his seat.

  “You don’t like listening to romantic lunches?” Ashly teased.

  “I want him to wrap things up so we can continue the investigation,” Okada said, looking at the clock. “He should know work and romance don’t mix. Liz and I show no affection towards each other when we’re on duty.”

  “Not everyone is that disciplined,” Ashly replied. For about half an hour, Max and Mya talked about life, work, and what video games they liked. As they talked, Mya would draw on the pad from time to time. When a painful memory surfaced, she focused on her conversations with Max. Finally, Mya said, “I’m finished. I drew every detail I could remember.” Max took the drawing and looked at it. The paper had two separate drawings: a paw with claws, and a long tail. It was by no means a masterpiece, but it was good enough. At the first glance, Max could tell the drawing matched the claw and tail of the water panther.

  “I don’t mean to push, but did you see any other part of the creature? The body or the head, for example.”

  Mya’s expression changed from having fun to slight sadness when she said, “Sorry, that’s it. When it first attacked, I was struck by part of it, but I can’t remember what it looked like.” Max could tell this was painful for her; inside, he felt bad he had forced her to relive it. Ashly was causally listening in when Samuel started waving a card in front of her face.

  “Samuel, he cannot hear me unless I want him to. You can speak.”

  “I need to remind him to ask something.” Ashly handed the extra headset to him and told him what button to press.

  “Max, this is Samuel. Can you hear me?” Max was slightly startled by the voice in his ear. Fortunately, Mya did not seem to notice.

  “He can hear you. Just tell him whatever you need to and shut up,” Ashly snapped.

  “Max, try to get information on how the creature attacked, and ask if she felt any sudden feeling of fright or felt like her body was paralyzed.” He turned to Ashly. “Do I need to say over?” Max tried to keep a straight face. He could just imagine what Ashly was saying. He also wondered why Samuel wanted to know the second part of his question.

  “Something wrong?” Mya asked, wondering why he had not replied.

  “Sorry, I was just thinking whether or not I should ask these next two questions.”

  “Go ahead,” Mya replied. She appreciated the fact that he was thinking about how she felt and not just shooting her question after question without any thought to her feelings.

  “I know this will be painful to remember, but can you tell me about the attack from start to finish?” Mya gave a quick version of what happened. She had told the story several times before, so she was used to it.

  “What was the next question?” Mya asked.

  “Okay, this is going to be a little odd.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Before or during the attack, did you have any unexplained feeling of dread, paralysis, or nausea?” Max asked. He knew how stupid the question probably sounded to her.

  “My sister was getting torn apart in front of me! Of course I felt frightened and sick!” she yelled. “Sorry,” she apologized a few seconds later. “As you can imagine, reliving my encounter is painful and I’d like to stop talking about it.”

  “Sure, no problem. Sorry I brought it up.” For a few moments, both were silent. Mya’s face formed a look like she just remembered an important detail.

  “I don’t know if I imagined this, but right before the attack, I thought I heard thunder.”

  “Thunder?” Max said, a little surprised, before disregarding it.

  “Mean anything to you?” Ashly asked Samuel.

  “Yes; in fact, that’s the most important thing she said. It confirms my theory.” Samuel pulled off the headset and walked out of the room.

  “I just want to kill whatever took Jade from me so bad.” She made a fist and slammed the table gently in frustration. “But I can’t.” She looked up at him. “I kind of wish this whole thing was a fantasy story. If it was, I would end up meeting someone who knew about the ocean and believed me when no one else did. Then we would team up, track the creature to whatever hidden cave system it’s hiding in, and kill it. That’s why I love video games and fantasy worlds. In the end, the hero always comes out on top. Even if something terrible has happened to them.” Max understood the subliminal message she was using.

  “Max, there’s no way we can bring her on the team. She would be nothing but a liability,” Ashly said, worrying he was going to spill the beans and recruit her.

  “Please don’t do anything stupid. This is the real world, not fantasy, and the ocean can be a very dangerous place,” Max said seriously.

  “I know that all too well,” Mya replied. She highly doubted he was going to take the bait and team up with her, but it was worth a try. Max looked at his watch and saw he needed to get going.

  “Unfortunately, I have an appointment at two, so I need to be heading out.” Mya had been dreading this meeting and now she felt upset it was going to end. She had really taken to the young biologist.

  “I understand. I hope the information I gave you was helpful.”

  “It was,” Max replied. “Do I need to wait for a check?”

  “No, you pay up front. I get ten percent off. So, I can take care of it.”

  “No way. Food’s on me,” Max said. Mya blushed. Max pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card. “Here’s my contact information. Call anytime.”

  “Thanks.” She pulled a piece of scrap paper out of her purse and wrote on it. “Here’s my number and email. Promise you’ll call if you find anything?”

  “Sure will. Care if I call you just to chat sometime? You seem like a fun person to hang out with.” Mya lay back, hoping she would melt into her seat as the butterflies returned to her stomach.

  “Sure,” she managed to get out. Hearing that brought a small smile to Max’s face. To this point, not many girls had interested him, but this one made him not want to think about his work life. They stared at each other for a few moments before Max walked over to the register to pay. Riley slithered into Max’s seat with a mischievous grin.

  “So how was it?”

  “Go away,” Mya replied, hiding her lovesick expression with her hands. After paying, Max exited the café.

  Chapter 31

  1:47 PM 04/17/2021 HST

  The short ride to Oahu felt like an eternity to Max. With Okada flying and Samuel in the co-pilot seat, buried in his notes, he was left sitting between Liz and Ashly, who for the entire trip had been watching the video recording. Both girls were more focused on how he and Mya interacted then any information on the water panther. Ashly, of course, knew where all the highlights were and was showing Liz, who was making every joke she could think of. After what felt like hours of torture, the X-7 touched down at Pearl Harbor-Hickam air base. Suijin Squid was escorted to the base commander, who was waiting for them outside the warehouse where the wreckage of the Alexandria was being kept.

  “This is Captain Allen Pierce,” the guard escorting them said. Introductions were quickly made.

  “I’m sure your team is anxious to get to work,” Captain Pierce said in a heavy Texas accent.

  “Yes, we are,” Okada replied. “You spoke with my assistant Saburo regarding the current situation?”

  “Mr. Nakamura has brought all high-ranking base staff up to speed on the current situation regarding this.” He paused for a moment as he thought of the creature’s name. “This water panther.”

  “Does this mean the Navy is going to take action against the creature?” Ashly asked, thinking it would make the
ir job so much easier.

  “Governor Fatu has not authorized us to conduct any military actions in U.S. waters. However, to help ensure the safety of the people living on Oahu, I ordered several destroyers to discreetly patrol the island. If they get a sonar reading on the sucker, your team will be our first call.”

  “What if the water panther attacks one?” Liz added.

  “Then the wrath of the United States Navy will be brought down on it,” Captain Pierce replied as he reached towards the warehouse door and punched in a security code. He pushed the door open, which made a metallic creaking sound. The Alexandria was sitting in the middle of the warehouse held several feet off the ground by two large steel structures located on the front and back of the sub.

  “Captain, can you explain what the situation was like when you located the Alexandria?” Samuel asked.

  “To give you the short version, the Coast Guard vessel Titan entered the disaster area about an hour after the last known GPS signal was received. Divers entered the water and attached towing cables to the wreckage. After that, the wreckage was brought here by orders of Governor Fatu,” Captain Pierce answered.

  “You wrote that down. Right?” Samuel asked, looking towards Ashly.

  “No, I’m not your court reporter,” Ashly snapped back.

  “Did the divers or sonar spot the water panther?” Max inquired.

  “And how many bodies did you recover?” Liz added.

  “The Titan’s sonar captured no unusual activity, and we currently have recovered no bodies,” Captain Pierce replied, sounding a little surprised by the last answer.

  “That might be good news,” Max said to no one in particular. Ashly looked at him like he was nuts. “I’ll explain later. Right now, I want to examine the wreckage.” Once Suijin Squid started their examination, Captain Pierce left the area. Max walked around the Alexandria several times. The windows on the right and back side of the sub were destroyed. Claw marks created a grey stripe pattern across the ship’s hull. Ashly entered the sub to check out the radio equipment. The inside of the sub was intact and surprisingly clean.

  “Did they clean this already? Because I’m seeing no blood?” Ashly questioned. She was expecting to see a bloody scene from a horror movie, but there was nothing.

  “No, it has not been touched. The only other people who have been in here were the rescue divers,” Liz replied.

  “Any fresh blood was removed by the water, Ashly,” Max added. He looked at the destroyed back viewing window. He could tell by how the remaining edges of glass were facing that the glass had been broken from the outside.

  “Hey, Samuel,” he yelled. Samuel was standing on top of the sub, examining the claw markings. He stopped what he was doing, climbed down, and walked over to him. “Is there any information about water panthers having a thick skull?” he asked, thinking back to the bone pattern he noticed under the creature’s skull.

  “It’s funny you brought that up,” Samuel replied, noticing the same details Max was. “There is a lesser known cryptid called the splinter cat. The splinter cat is said to ram trees to locate honey.” Max gave him a skeptical look. “I don’t know if I believe that,” Samuel defended. “More reasonable accounts state the splinter cat is seen frequently in water and is believed to feed on fish. Some accounts even state that they steal fish from fishermen lines.”

  “What does that have to do with our water panther?” Max replied.

  “Some cryptozoologists have suggested that the splinter cat and the water panther are the same species—the splinter cat being the juvenile of the species.”

  More reports of these creatures coming on land, Max thought.

  “Did you learn anything useful from my conversation with Mya?” Max asked, wondering if Samuel had picked up on something he missed. He had enjoyed the time with Mya but felt she proved no new useful information.

  “Yes; in fact, her stating she heard thunder pretty much confirmed a theory I had about the creature.”

  “What theory would that be?” Okada asked as he and Liz joined them.

  Samuel did not answer right away. The look on his face said he had an idea but was trying to work it correctly.

  “Let’s just say this creature may have a unique ability that is rare in the animal kingdom.”

  “What kind?” Okada asked.

  “I know what you’re talking about,” Max added. “Infrasound?”

  “Yes, exactly. It has been suggested that some cryptozoological species have the ability to produce infrasound.”

  “Okay, you two, please explain to the nonscientist in the room what infrasound is?” Liz said.

  “Okay, I’ll explain it so even you can understand it,” Max teased. Liz threw a slow jab, which Max blocked.

  “Infrasound is simply a sound that has a frequency lower then 20 hertz a second. In nature, events like ocean waves, earthquakes, and lightning cause infrasound. It’s been theorized that’s how some species of animals can predict earthquakes: by hearing infrasound waves traveling though the earth.”

  “So, you’re saying we should use cats to track this creature,” Liz said sarcastically.

  “Liz,” Okada said in a voice that showed he was getting annoyed. He turned his attention back to Max. “Can known organisms use infrasound?”

  “Some species of animals like whales and elephants use infrasound to communicate with one another.”

  “Can we hear infrasound?” Liz interrupted.

  “No, humans cannot hear infrasound, but we can feel it.”

  “So, if we cannot hear infrasound, why is it dangerous to us? And if known animals use infrasound, why is it such a big deal that this creature might be able to use it?” Liz commented.

  “Just because you cannot hear infrasound does not mean it cannot affect you. Infrasound at high intensities can be felt and even bruise internal organs. People who work with tigers at times have reported sudden symptoms of fear, hallucinations, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and even temporary paralysis. These symptoms were caused by the tiger using infrasound. It has also been suggested that infrasound can….” Max paused and looked at Samuel.

  “You want to take this, Samuel?”

  “No continue, you’re doing a fine job.”

  “Recent studies have suggested that at the right frequency, infrasound might”—he stressed the word might—“be able to drain batteries, and shut down electronic equipment.”

  “That sounds a little farfetched,” Liz said.

  “But it makes sense,” Okada added. “The Hawaiian Coast Guard reported that no distress call came from the sub.”

  “What about the Luck Dragon? It sent out a distress call, and the recovered VDR was working fine,” Liz added. “Too bad it didn’t provide any useful information.”

  “Perhaps the creature did not use infrasound on the Luck Dragon. It was the first attack, after all; maybe it learned that using infrasound makes hunting easier,” Okada suggested.

  “More likely, the water panther needs to directly target something with the infrasound,” Max said. Liz looked at him, confused. “Think of it more like a bullet that needs to be aimed than a blast wave that hits everything.”

  “Okay, that makes sense,” Liz said. Satisfied with the answer, Okada walked to the opposite side of the sub to check on Ashly’s progress, while Liz checked the scratch marks on the sub’s hulls to see if the water panther had lost a claw during the attack. Ashly was sitting in the driver’s seat looking over the electronics.

  “Ashly, how does the electrical equipment look?”

  “Everything is completely fried,” she answered.

  “Can you determine the cause?” Okada inquired, thinking of the infrasound theory.

  “Unfortunately, no. I cannot say whether the damage occurred before or after hundreds of gallons of water poured into the sub.”

  “Didn’t find anything on the hull,” Liz shouted to Max. He was not surprised to hear that. Even if the water panther had lost a claw, it would
have most likely been dislodged when the Alexandria was moved.

  “Does anyone know if this sub had?” Samuel snapped his fingers as he tried to think of the right wording. “One of those cameras that records the tour for the passengers to purchase later?”

  “I don’t know,” Max said, intrigued. “Ashly.”

  “What?” she replied in a voice that showed she was concentrating hard on her work.

  “Did the Alexandria have a tour camera?”

  “No, but cell phones or personal cameras may have been recovered,” she replied. Max pulled out his phone and called Saburo. Saburo reported that along with several non-relevant items, eleven cell phones had been collected, none of which were working. Max looked at Ashly.

  “Do you wanted to look over the damaged cell phones?”

  “I can take them back to base and see if I can recover some of the data, but in all honesty, I will most likely do a lot of work for nothing.”

  “Why don’t we take them back to check for unusual damage? It might provide more evidence for the infrasound theory,” Max suggested.

  “The infrasound theory?” Ashly asked, confused.

  After Max explained it to her, Liz said, “Well, I don’t think there is much more we can learn here.”

  “Agreed,” Okada said.

  After the Alexandria examination, the team had about an hour of down time before the car that would be transporting them to the Hawaii State Capitol building arrived. Okada was talking with Captain Pierce, and Liz was hanging out with some naval friends she had on base. Ashly and Samuel went to the mess hall to grab a quick bite to eat. After that, Ashly examined a few of the damaged cells phones recovered from the Alexandria. As she suspected, due to the severe water damage, it was impossible to tell if the phones were damaged by infrasound. Max decided he wanted some alone time, so he found a bench under a large tree overlooking the bay. Time slipped away from him as he looked across the waters of Pearl Harbor. He was mainly thinking about Mya, about what that poor girl must have truly gone though. After seeing what the water panther had done to the submarine, he could not imagine how terrifying it must have been for a diver to randomly come across it.