Pine, Alive: A Science Fiction Romance Pinocchio Retelling (Foxwept Array Book 1)

by A. W. Cross

  Unless we disappear completely.

  Pine steered the pod down onto the sea bed, where it landed with a soft thump.

  “Now what?” After the way he’d felt on the boat, this was strangely anticlimactic. It had never been this quiet on the Perimeter; the threats there were always straightforward.

  “Now we wait. It won’t be long.”

  He believed her.

  As though on cue, the water around them darkened. Sea life swam past them in the opposite direction, and James fought down the urge to demand that he and Pine did the same. This might be our only chance to find Joseph.

  The pod lifted and bucked, and Pine bent over the controls, trying to keep them on an even keel.

  Nausea roiled in James’s stomach. “Pine. Pine.” He clutched her shoulder, unable to say anything other than her name. What he wouldn’t give to be fighting mutated plants right now.

  A shape appeared in the murky water, a shape darker than the deepest ocean. It was larger than anything James had ever imagined a living thing could be, larger than a whale, easily the size of a small cruise ship.

  Pine flicked on the pod lights, igniting them into a beacon.

  “What are you doing?” James fumbled blindly at the control panel, trying to switch them off until Pine covered his hand with hers.

  “Making sure it sees us. We need it to see us, James. It has to be able to find us.”

  “I thought—” What had he thought? That they were just going to observe?

  Whatever the creature was, it saw them; Pine had placed them directly in its path. As James watched in horror, it entered the illumination of the pod’s beams, moving slowly enough that they were able to get a good look.

  His dream from the sub, the nightmares he’d had all his life, had come true.

  It was a shark, but unlike any shark James had even heard of. It made the beast that had attacked them look like bait. It seemed to push the storm before it, the water outside the pod so cold it chilled the air inside. Even the plants anchored in the rocks of the sea floor seemed to shrink from it.

  The behemoth faced them head on, drawn to their light. Its head was triangular with rounded edges, the wide, lower half studded with a circular, closed port. A large vent topped the flanks of the dorsal section like nostrils, and James made out a great, protuberant, blind eye on either side of its head. It curved slightly as it swam toward them, showing a segmented body with strange projecting gills ringing its belly. Further back, its body was encircled with ridges at regular intervals, and its fins were angular and oddly jointed.

  “What the hell is that, Pine?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen what brings the storm.” She seemed mesmerized by it.

  “Is it alive?” It couldn’t be. There was no living thing like that. “It looks like a machine.”

  The shark gave no indication of attack, moving toward them at a steady pace.

  Maybe it hadn’t seen them. Maybe—

  The large circular port at the front of its face spun slowly open, revealing a single row of savage, backward-curving teeth surrounding a girdled throat that terminated in a black hole.

  “Pine, what do we—”

  The pod lurched and plunged forward in a vacuum, picking up speed. All around them, creatures who hadn’t been able to escape hurtled alongside, end over end, their bodies slamming against the pod until James could no longer see the monster’s gaping jaw.

  That’s probably a blessing.

  The unnatural current tossed them over the teeth and down, down into the darkness.

  “James? Are you awake?” Pine groped about in the darkness, trying to grasp something familiar. “James?”

  “I’m here,” a groggy voice spoke from her left. “And in one piece. I think.”

  Pine patted over the floor until she found his foot. “Let me see if I can get the emergency lights going.” She felt her way blindly to the control panel, pressed a few buttons, pulled a lever, and waited. A few seconds later, the pod hummed into life and a dim glow flooded the interior. At least they still had power.

  The exterior of the pod was plastered with a vibrant mosaic of scales and fins, claws and tentacles, and leathery ropes of seaweed so thick Pine couldn’t see anything beyond them. She climbed onto the dash and pressed her ear against the cool surface. Wherever they were, they were no longer in the water.

  James was sprawled on his back at the far end of the pod. “Where the hell are we, Pine?” He caught sight of their marine-life cocoon. “Oh sh— Is that what I think it is?”

  “I think we’re in the belly of the beast.” She racked her memory, trying to pull up any information she could about a being—biological or mechanical—that could explain where they were. Nothing.

  “Do you think that’s what happened to Joseph? That he just happened to get in its path?” James rolled up his sleeve and rubbed a large bruise forming on his arm.

  “I hope so, because otherwise…” What had they done? What had she done? She should’ve insisted he stay behind. Panic seized her. “What if this was a mistake, James? What if—”

  “Shh. It’s okay, Pine. He’ll be here. And if he’s not…at least we’re together.”

  Pine couldn’t help herself. She wrapped her arms around him. “How can you be so calm?”

  “Oh, I’m not.” He grinned. “I’m actually screaming in my head right now. So either my military training is kicking in, or I’m in shock. Either way, let’s hope it lasts.” He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. “So now what?”

  Pine squared her shoulders and gathered her composure. “Now we find out where we are.” She rooted around under the control board until she found a couple of flashlights. “Here, from the survival kit The Owl insisted on.” She stood and pulled the straps of the kit over her shoulders. “I’m going to open the hatch.”

  “But you’ll flood us.” James glared at the seams of the hatch as though the water had already started seeping in.

  “We’re not in water, James. Can’t you feel it?”

  How could he? she chastised herself. She had to remember this was beyond anything he knew.

  Pine motioned to him and he stepped to her side and braced himself, one arm protectively around her. She pressed the emergency button on the dash. “Here we go.” The roof mechanism groaned then shuddered to a halt, opening only wide enough to let in the faintest whiff of bloodied, salted air. “Damn. I think we’re going to have to help it along.” She handed one flashlight to James. “Ready to push?”

  James braced his feet and planted his hands against the pod roof. “On the count of three.”

  Twenty minutes later, they’d managed to open a large enough gap for the two of them to squeeze through. They found themselves knee deep in squishy, boneless bodies and squirming, gasping beasts. The glow from the pod was barely enough to illuminate five feet, yet countless eyes shone up at them, reflecting the dim light.

  “Just don’t look down,” James whispered, although Pine didn’t know if he was talking to her or himself.

  A weak light shone in the distance, but the surrounding gloom made it impossible to judge how far away it was. “James, look. There.” Pine groped in the murkiness for his hand, and they treaded carefully across the writhing floor.

  Twenty feet from the pod, the mass of sea life on the floor thinned out. Pine tilted her light downward to expose what appeared to be a concrete surface, discolored by damp and reeking of the sea.

  James squatted, gingerly tracing his fingers over the surface. “Definitely manmade. What the hell is this place?”

  Pine continued wordlessly on toward the light. As they drew closer, it materialized into a globular emergency light, marking a bulky steel door surrounded by concrete and steel-ribbed walls. “There’s no way we’re going to be able to shift this. I can’t see a control panel.” Pine traced and retraced her beam around the doorframe.

  James reached past her and tugged experimentally on the handle set into the door.
To Pine’s surprise, it swung open, leading into a softly lit corridor. James chuckled at her look of surprise. “Guess they’re not worried about intruders.”

  A clanging of metal on metal sounded from further down the corridor, an arrhythmic, unmistakably human sound. Pine clutched James’s arm. “Can you hear that?”

  James inclined his head and waited, but the sound didn’t come again. “No, I can’t.”

  “Well, I heard something. I think there’s someone down here.” Joseph, Pine’s heart pleaded. Please, let it be Joseph.

  She strode down the corridor, hope welling inside her. It was definitely human. We’re coming, Joseph. Unable to wait any longer, Pine broke into a run, her feet slapping on the smooth floor. Beyond the door at the end, the sound started again, this time more boisterous. It’s Joseph. It has to be.

  It wasn’t.

  Pine threw open the steel door at the end of the corridor. As it smashed back against the wall, a man, his face creased in shock, dropped the mallet he’d been holding.

  He and Pine stared at each other until James came hurtling through the door, slamming into Pine and nearly knocking her over.

  “Pine, what the hell—” He gaped at the man slouching in coveralls before him.

  The man recovered first, bending over and retrieving the large hammer from the floor. “Got sucked in too, did you? Well, welcome to hell.” He turned away from them and lifted the tool over his head with a whistle.

  Disappointment clawed at her. She’d been so sure. “Wait!”

  The man paused and squinted at Pine, as though he’d forgotten they were there.

  “Where are we?” Pine asked.

  The man looked faintly surprised then nodded to himself. “Ah, right. I guess you’ll be wanting a tour then?”

  “A tour of what? And who are you?”

  “My name is Tunny. And this—” He placed the mallet carefully back on the ground and pointed to a door at the far end of the room. “This is the 9791 Atlas Four Holding Center. This way, please.”

  “9791 Atlas Four? But there’s no—” James paused, as though searching his memory for the phantom Atlas. “But 9791 is a Foxwept military—”

  “Is there a man named Joseph here?” Pine demanded. She didn’t care what this place was. She only cared about finding her father.

  But Tunny had gone on, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

  “Just follow him, James.” Pine hurried after Tunny, determined not to let him out of her sight. He’d acted like they weren’t the only people to get caught there—which meant there must be more people here. Missing people. Like Joseph.

  The door opened into another room, this one brighter and less industrial. A dozen tables were spaced out on the brown-tiled floor, chairs tucked neatly under them. At the back was an open kitchen, shelves laden with shining pots and pans and heavy with the odor of fried fish.

  “This is the mess hall,” Tunny said, giving a perfunctory wave without slowing down. “Hope you like seafood.”

  Pine was lightheaded as they neared the door on the opposite side of the room. Thank goodness I don’t have a real heart. It would be exploding out of my chest.

  Tunny put his hand on the door handle.

  Pine clenched her hands at her sides then unclenched them. Joseph, we’re here.

  Tunny took his hand off the handle. “This is the cell block. So, you may or may not be familiar…”

  Open the door.

  “I, in fact, was one of the original—”

  “Open the damn door!” Both Tunny and James started and turned to stare at her. “I’m sorry, I just need— James, please.”

  James nodded. “She’s right. I’m sorry, Tunny, this is very interesting, but we’re actually looking for someone. There are other people on this thing, aren’t there?”

  “Oh yes,” Tunny agreed sagely. “You have some of the original prisoners, a guard or two, and of course, the few people like you who somehow manage to get sucked in—”

  Pine couldn’t wait any longer. She pushed past Tunny and yanked the door open herself.

  Beyond was a large rectangular room, flanked on either side by two stories of steel-barred cells. Here the reek of the ocean was minimal, overlaid with the scent of mold and living people.

  There were so many cells. How would she find Joseph before anticipation fried her circuits?

  “Joseph!” Pine’s screams echoed through the cavernous room, ricocheting off the walls and back, taunting her. “Joseph!”

  Several people stepped out of their cells to see the new inmates. Pine deciphered the expressions on their faces—everything from wariness, to hope, to despair. A few raised their hands in greeting before shuffling back into their cells to hide anything of value before the fresh faces got too comfortable.

  “He’s not here, James.” The walls of the prison began to close around her. He’s gone. He’s— “What do we do now?” Her voice was swallowed by the cells.

  “I—”

  “Pine? James? Is that you?” From a unit midway down the row, a familiar figure emerged, rubbing his eyes as though waking from a dream.

  Joseph.

  He’s here. He’s actually here. Pine understood then how tenuous her own hope had been, how big a leap of faith they’d taken.

  But they’d found him. Alive.

  Pine reached him first and threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking him to the floor. “Father.” She pressed her face against his, murmuring it over and over until she felt a wetness on her cheeks. Am I finally crying? She pulled back and raised her hand to her cheek. No, but Joseph was. For both of us.

  A strong pair of arms wrapped around both of them, squeezing until Joseph groaned and began to laugh. “James.”

  “Is this who you were looking for?” Tunny asked mildly, his eyebrows raised. He’d ambled up behind then and was leaning on Joseph’s cell door.

  “Yes, this is my father.”

  Tunny squinted as he glanced from Pine to Joseph. “Your father, eh?” He shrugged. “Yeah, well, why not? Okay then, I’m back to work.” He wandered away, stopping briefly to chat with a few of the other residents.

  Joseph chuckled. “Never mind Tunny, Pine. He’s been down here a long time.” He put a hand on each of their shoulders and stood back, drinking them in. “I can’t believe this is real, that you’re actually here. How did you find me? I thought I’d be in here for years, if not forever.”

  “Well, we haven’t gotten out yet—” James began.

  “Why don’t we go sit down somewhere to talk?” Joseph looked thin and frail, despite his cheerfulness. Being trapped in an underwater prison had clearly taken a toll on the older man, despite the relatively short amount of time.

  “We can go into the mess hall, if you like,” Joseph said, leading the way. “My cell is comfortable enough for sleeping, but not particularly good for company—the washing machine broke a few years back, I’m told.” He paused before the door and hugged Pine again. “I just still can’t believe it.”

  They chose a table in the center of the room, trying to find a middle ground between the wafting stench of raw and rotting fish on one side and the layers of grease on the other.

  Joseph took the seat across from James and Pine. He was the most marvelous thing Pine had ever seen. His eyes sparkled, and his smile told her he was looking at the two things he loved most in the world. “Now, before I tell you my tale, I want to hear yours. Tell me everything.”

  So they did.

  Joseph leaned so far back in his chair, James worried he would tip over.

  The old man’s face had run through such a range of emotions—shock, anger, sorrow, mirth—James was wrung out by the time they’d finished with their daring escape from Paloma’s island.

  “I can’t believe all that happened while I was stuck in here. And…Oh, Pine, I’m so sorry. I never should’ve let my excitement get the better of me. I should’ve waited. I just wanted to see you so badly, to let you know you still had a home�
��” Tears rose again in his eyes, tracing down the creases of his face.

  “No, Joseph, please—” Pine’s face was pinched, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her fingers kept rearranging themselves around Joseph’s hand, smoothing then squeezing then smoothing again.

  James could only imagine the pain she must be feeling. Every time he thought about what she’d been through, from believing the person sworn to take care of her was dead, to fleeing from uncertainty about his loyalty, only to end up strapped to a table and nearly dismantled, his throat constricted, and his blood roared in his ears. Never again.

  He snatched up her other hand. “Now it’s your turn, Joseph.” Pine leaned her forehead on his shoulder, composing herself.

  Joseph smiled. “Well, you know how I ended up here—the same as you, except by accident. It should’ve been a short trip, but the storm took me by surprise, though I understand why, now. I jumped into my life-pod, figuring I could wait it out at the bottom then continue.” He scratched his head ruefully. “It’s been a while since I’ve driven one of those things and I ended up crashing it—nothing serious. But of course, when Alpha Four came by, I was a sitting duck.”

  “And the others? Tunny said some were here by accident, and some were guards and prisoners?” James’s mind leapt ahead toward more practical matters, like how they were going to get out of here. He wasn’t ready to give into his relief just yet. They may have found Joseph, but they still had to get home.

  “That’s right. Tunny himself was the handyman.”

  “How long has he been here? I mean, this vessel has a military name, but I’d know if such a prison existed. It doesn’t. Not on any records I know of, anyway.” No matter how much James racked his brain, he couldn’t remember any information regarding a shark-shaped prison swimming free around the Ghostlight.

  “Ah, that’s because it’s not supposed to exist. It’s a black site.”

  “What’s a black site?” Pine glanced from James to Joseph.

  James leaned back in his chair. Now he understood. “It’s an off-the-record site for projects the government doesn’t want people to know about. And it’s wholly illegal.”