Hellhole

by Jonathan Maberry

  “Shut it, Simms,” Richards said.

  “Sorry, Captain.” Simms focused on his laptop.

  Richards pressed a key and spoke down toward the monitor. “Any sign of Dr. Blake?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  Cyan stood. “I wonder what’s keeping Mack.”

  Mack’s voice came through the intercom. “Cyan, meet me at the quarters hall.”

  “What is it?” she said.

  “Now.”

  Kau faced her with a concerned expression. “Can you check on Maia while you’re there? I haven’t heard from her in a while.”

  Cyan walked toward the door then stopped. “Please, let me know if you come across any sign of John.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Simms said.

  LIGHTS CAME ON as Cyan walked down the hall to quarters, but an uneasy darkness there remained thick and unmoving. “Mack? Where are you?”

  “In your room,” he said.

  “What?”

  All sleeping quarters had underwater view windows. Mack had his forehead pressed against the glass. But instead of clear, bright blue ocean with fish swimming by, stacked layers of black sea cucumbers blocked all sunlight. Crawling mouth holes puckered and sucked while their tentacles groped for purchase the way they did on Smith’s helmet.

  Cyan shivered. “Oh my god.”

  “I may just be the guy who fixes things ‘round here, but I think you’re right, and these dogs are up to something.”

  “Is it just this window?”

  “Nope. Every one of ‘em.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Checked. Can’t find Maia either,” Mack said.

  “Kau asked me to check on her. What am I supposed to tell him?”

  Mack pressed his lips to the glass and kissed.

  “That’s bloody disgusting. Get your shit together. We need to find Maia.”

  “I think she’s out there,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Thought I saw her speargun just over there, before these fuckers came and covered the window.”

  “That’s impossible. They can’t move that fast.”

  “Didn’t you say that topside? About their mass exodus down the devil’s throat.”

  “Do you think that’s what happened to John?” Cyan said, holding in a sob.

  Mack backed away from the glass. “Let’s find Maia. Then we’ll go after John. She’ll be all right. Don’t you worry.” He led her out by the arm.

  CYAN AND MACK circled the deck and met at the stern where they found Maia’s shoes.

  “Looks like she went in for our din-din,” Mack said.

  “Then where is she?” Cyan scanned the water’s surface. “I don’t even see the float she uses to bring up her catch.”

  “Possible she were the one caught this time.” He climbed down and stretched his leg out from the last rung of metal stairs that went into the water. After a minute, he pulled in Maia’s yellow mask and snorkel. “She couldn’t have gone far without these.”

  “We’ve got to tell Kau.”

  When they stepped back into comms, Captain Richards looked up at Mack. “You figure out what all that rattling was? It’s happened again twice now.”

  “Didn’t make it to engineering, cap’n sunshine, but I think I know what the problem is.”

  Cyan walked over to Kau and whispered in his ear.

  “What?” Kau pushed away from the desk and stood.

  “Calm down, mate,” Mack said. “She’ll be right.”

  Cyan rolled her eyes. She wished he’d stop saying that. Especially since she knew he thought the rori had killed her. Murdered by sea cucumbers? No way.

  “Smith find any signs of John?” Cyan said.

  “No,” Richards said. “He’s suited up again and is heading to Shelf 9.”

  “Other than the ones he ran into on the bottom of Shelf 5, has he come across any more of the black sea slugs?” she said.

  “Three hundred meters down any hole, everything’s black. Is there something we should be concerned about?” Captain Richards glared at her.

  “I don’t know, exactly,” she said. “What’s on Shelf 9 that’s so damn important?”

  “That’s classified.”

  “Then anything I’ve got to say about the slugs is likewise.”

  “Where’s Maia?” Kau shouted.

  He’d never raised his voice before. Mack and Cyan looked at one another with wide eyes.

  Smith’s voice came through the comms speakers. “Heading into Shelf 9.”

  They all turned to his video feed. Richards hadn’t lied when he said it was black down there. The cave walls absorbed the light beaming from Smith’s ADS.

  “Can you get a close-up of the rock on the sides?” Cyan said.

  “I’m in charge here, Dr. Blake. In fact, all non-authorized personnel, leave the room.”

  “Piss off, Captain,” she said.

  Richards reached for his sidearm. “I’m not asking. Taylor?”

  Taylor stood up with a pistol aimed at her.

  Mack put his hands up. “Oy. Stay calm, mate. We were just leaving.” He backed up and pulled Cyan along with him. “Come on Kau. Let’s get Maia.”

  They left comms ass-first and didn’t utter a sound or turn around until they passed the corner. Cyan broke their silence. “What the hell, Mack? I wanted to—”

  “Get shot?” he said. “They’re not going to let any of us see what’s down there. It’s classified. Don’t you get it?”

  “He’s right,” Kau said. “I listened while I was in there, playing dumb so they spoke over my head. The military hid something back in the caverns of Shelf 9. Something dangerous.”

  “Great,” Cyan said.

  “Forget about it. Let’s get some gear on and head down. We need to find Maia and John and bring them back. Then we can figure out what to do about the diggers.” Mack headed for the equipment room.

  Kau followed. “You know I’m too big to get into any of that. You two go. I’ll get on the lab computers and set up your A/V. You need me here in case the soldiers try something stupid.”

  “They’ve already done that, but you’re probably right,” Cyan said.

  “Cy, suit up.” Mack had already donned half his gear. “Put the drysuit on. We don’t want the...uh, cold to get in.”

  He loaded their vests onto nitrox tanks and checked the regulators and gauges. The air mixture had to be just right for deeper dives. “I’ll carry these up,” Mack said. “Grab knives, spearguns, lights, flares, and whatever else you can carry.”

  “You really need all that?” Kau said.

  “I don’t want to take any chances.” Mack headed for the diving deck.

  “Let me make sure A/V’s working before you jump in.” Kau walked toward the lab.

  After putting on his Predator full-face mask, Mack helped Cyan with hers. “Can you hear me?” he said.

  Cyan nodded. “Loud and clear.”

  “Copy that,” he said. “Kau?”

  A high-pitched squeal, static, and then Kau’s voice came through the Predator’s speakers. “Audio’s solid. Turn each other’s cameras on.”

  Mack pushed the button on the side of Cyan’s mask.

  “Cy’s is working,” Kau said.

  Cyan adjusted Mack’s camera then turned it on.

  “Cams are up and recording. The pressure in your suits is good, too. Be careful down there.”

  They gave each other the thumbs up in front of the cameras for Kau.

  “Fill up,” Mack said. “Let’s float to the hole.”

  “I’m right behind you.”

  Mack stepped off the deck and into the water. He submerged less than three meters then popped to the surface. She followed him in, eyes fixed on the bottom as they moved toward the devil’s throat.

  “You seeing this?” Cyan adjusted her mask.

  “Yeah,” Mack said.

  “Are those all rori?” Kau said. “They look like they’re moving as fast as you.
”

  “Reckon that’s ‘cause they are, mate.”

  “Doc, what did you do to them?” Kau said.

  “Since the Cook Islanders let other countries come and harvest them to near extinction, we genetically altered them to increase filtration. That’s it. The breeding rate and motility of these are... It’s unprecedented. Are you recording all this, Kau?”

  “Yes, Doc. But I’ve got a bad—”

  “Don’t say it,” Mack said. “We’ll go around the platform and look for Maia.”

  The piles of sea cucumbers decreased the original depth of the ocean floor around RURF by five meters. Incredible.

  Mack moved his fins in long, steady kicks with Cyan gliding in his wake.

  “I’m not seeing any signs of her,” Kau said. “Only the rori. So many...”

  “I’m sorry,” Cyan said. “We’ll look again on our way back.”

  “You’re right. Go. You’ll need all the nitrox in your tanks to find Dr. Blake. I can look for her, too. Maia’s a good swimmer. Maybe she went further away from the deck then she realized.”

  “You’re right about that,” Mack said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d swam all the way to the nearest atoll, looking to bring you home a good sup.”

  Talking between them ceased as if they knew she’d gone, giving her a moment of silence. Cyan pictured Kau in the lab, crying. Mack neared the blue hole’s opening and waited for her to catch up. Just the two of them took up most of the circle, its size deceptive compared to what waited below.

  “Going in,” Mack said. “Lights on, Cy.”

  He reorganized his spearguns. They each carried two with four extra shafts. Cyan turned on her torch and secured the cord around her wrist. At the entrance to rēwera o korokoro, they faced each other, floating upright.

  “Ready?” Mack said.

  “Let’s go.” Behind him, the darkness of the rock wall moved.

  “Look at me,” he said. “Keep your eyes on me as we descend, understand?”

  She nodded, grabbed her buoyancy control, and released air in quick bursts from her suit and vest. Sunlight coming through the small opening faded as they drifted down into the devil’s throat.

  “With what we’ve got on, we’re going to have about ten minutes of nitrox more or less, plus whatever’s stored in the tanks on the shelf. We might have to take turns so one of us can watch the other,” Mack said.

  “What if he’s not there, and went down to Shelf 9 like the captain said? If he’s been at that depth—”

  “Don’t think it. Smith’s on nine. If John’s there, he’ll bring him back, make sure he stops and decompresses.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said. “They’ll figure out a way to link up and buddy-breathe.”

  “That’s it,” Mack said. “Doc Cy’s back in action. Kau, you reading us?”

  Nothing but silence came through the speakers. Most dives, no matter how deep, the ocean always made sounds. A cacophony of fish rummaging and nibbling on coral, and popping and crackling came from all around, even movement of the surrounding water created gulping and swooshing noises. In the devil’s throat, though, silence made a deafening background. So, she focused on her breath sounds, slowing her respirations by listening to her breathing pattern. The deeper they went, the harder the pressure made it to inhale. Cyan often had to remind herself to draw in a breath.

  She and Mack stared at one another, and she knew John’s chances by the look in his eyes. Not a bit of evidence marked his way. They’d waited too long.

  Static blasted through the darkness and into their headset speakers. Kau panted then stopped. “Doc? Mack?”

  “Kau!” Cy said.

  “They’re not far behind you.”

  “Who?” Mack said.

  “The soldiers. They locked me in the supply closet, but I busted out. Something happened to Smith on Shelf 9. They lost comms with him, then came and found me. Saw that you’d left.”

  “How many of them?” Mack said.

  “All three,” Kau said. “And they’ve got guns. RURF’s been overrun by rori. Biting ones. They knocked out the battery and panels. Internet’s down. I’m using my laptop on deck to talk with you.”

  “What?” Cyan shouted into her mask.

  “They tore Taylor’s leg up pretty bad, but he didn’t want to stay.”

  “You need to get in the boat and head to land, Kau. Get help!” Cyan said.

  “I can’t leave you though—”

  “The hell you can, and will,” Mack said. “Go now! We’ll find John and shelf up for air and decompression.”

  “Mack’s right,” Cyan said. “You’re the only who can get away to call for a rescue. What did the captain say they were going to do down here?”

  “Protect Shelf 9 at all costs,” Kau said.

  The audio went out.

  “Can you hear me?” Cyan looked at Mack who shook his head no.

  “Dammit,” she said.

  They both looked up, and the opening appeared smaller, as if the devil’s mouth might swallow them whole.

  MACK GENTLY ROLLED sea cucumbers back into the water with his boots as they walked up onto Shelf 5. They neither went guts out or attacked him. Mack leaned his spearguns against the cave wall next to a row of ten nitrox tanks then helped Cyan take off her mask.

  “Do you think they brought another exosuit with them?” she said.

  Mack removed his full-face Predator as well. “Don’t think so. One set of huge cases was all I saw. Unless they had one drop-shipped after we went under.”

  “Kau said the backup generator... But they probably have military satellite phones. Maybe they got a call out before it shut down. Please, god. I hope Kau made it.”

  “Of course he did. She’ll be right yet. You’ll see.”

  “Stop. If you tell me now he likely found Maia snorkeling and picked her up on his way, you’ll lose me.”

  Mack laughed. “I’m not crazy, Cy. Maia was hiding in the boat this whole time, and Kau found her when he threw the cover off.”

  “I really wish that were true. It would give me more hope...” Cyan looked behind him, up the rocky trail into the cave of Shelf 5. “Come on. Let’s find John.”

  A single layer of sea cukes covered the trail. They parted as she and Mack headed in. “How are they surviving on dry land?” Cyan crouched and pointed her torch down then up the walls. “Where do you think they’re going?”

  “Hell if I know. These ones look confused.”

  He was right. Some slithered deeper into the cave, while others wiggled the other way. One plopped onto her shoulder from the ceiling and she screamed. Mack brushed it off and it fell onto another one, then headed up the wall again.

  “Maybe being out of the ocean is affecting their behavior,” she said.

  Mack stopped and shined his light along the cave floor. “Why would John go deeper if what he came to get was all around him?”

  “You’re right.”

  They eyed one another, thinking.

  “There’s no way we can get to Shelf 9,” he said.

  Shouting and screaming echoed from the entrance. Mack raised his spearguns and rushed toward the calamity. Cyan stood and pointed her torch down the long dark path. “John? I know you’re down there.”

  She’d never come this far into the cave before. Her instincts told her to go deeper still.

  A gunshot boomed then rang out. “Mack!” Cyan readied her spearguns and ran back the way she came.

  Three men stood near the water, one lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Her hands shaking, she raised her speargun.

  Mack turned around and saw her. “Stop! These dills shot their own man.”

  “He was dead anyway,” Richards said. “We should’ve left him at the first shelf. Those things followed his trail. We couldn’t keep them off him.”

  “So you killed him?” Cyan said.

  “No. We gave him mercy. Your man topside told us you modified these things. They’re what killed Taylor,�
�� Richards said.

  “We need this nitrox,” Simms said. He opened up his laptop case and started typing. “Smith’s still not replying, sir.”

  “You can’t have it,” Mack said. “We’re using it to find John. Then we’re heading back.”

  “There is no back,” Richards said. “Your platform was on fire when we descended.”

  Cyan stepped closer. “And you left Kau there? You bastards!”

  “Don’t believe him, Cy. He got away. We’ll find John and then head up.” Mack raised one of his spearguns.

  “You won’t win this fight, mate.” Richards pointed a handgun at Mack. “You can either help us, and we all get out, or fight us and die here.”

  Something bobbed to the surface at the water’s edge. “I got it!” Simms set his laptop down, went over, and pulled floating pieces of exosuit out onto the rocky ground.

  “Is that the one Smith had on?” Cyan said.

  Richards nodded.

  “Then he must’ve made it onto Shelf 9,” she said.

  “Maybe,” Richards said. “Not that it matters much now. Lower your weapons.”

  “All right, be calm,” Mack said. “You opened it while he was in it, though? You dag.”

  “Oh my god.” Cyan gasped and slipped forward, squeezing her trigger.

  A shot cracked the air. Wet heat splattered Cyan’s face. She dropped to her knees. “Mack!” His body fell back with a thud. The bullet left a hole between his eyes. Half of Cyan’s spear stuck out of the captain’s shoulder. He grabbed the base of his neck and winced. “Simms, get this out!”

  “It’s barbed, Captain.” Simms grabbed a pair of bolt cutters and a small package from his case then placed the blades around the shaft.

  “I’d have pulled it myself if it wasn’t.”

  “Okay, then. On my count. Three, two...” He snipped, and the captain howled then swore, spewing saliva from the corners of his lips as Simms dropped the cutter and yanked the metal from Richards’s flesh. He tore open the package and injected white into the hole. Richards screamed as the substance foamed. Simms went around and removed the other half of the shaft then filled the exit wound. Then he dropped the syringe, picked up Richards’s gun, and went back to his laptop. “There’s morphine if you want it.”