In Deep Water: Chapter 21
In Deep Water
Eddie drums his fingers on a nearby AUV. “Did you guys see it? Is it dead?”
“We did.” Xander smacks his lips together. “Not hardly.”
I struggle out of the Hydra, Xander catching me as I stumble. “You okay, Em?”
“Yeah, missed a step.” I smile, my cheeks warm. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Xander plants a kiss on my forehead.
Eddie frowns when Xander doesn’t elaborate. He turns to Nathan. “What does that mean?”
“We’re back to the drawing board.” Nathan heaves a heavy sigh.
I roll my shoulders. “Is there a way we can fight it from the ship?”
“Perhaps.” Xander scratches his jaw, a line of stubble marking his otherwise perfect skin.
Eddie clears his throat and gives a small wave. “Before you do that, we’ve got another superstorm forming twenty-four miles northeast of our current location.”
“How long will it take us to get there?” Sophie glances between Eddie and Xander.
“Captain says just under an hour, depending on the storm’s trajectory.” Eddie chews on the inside of his cheek.
I frown. If we leave now, the creature lives to terrorize the sixteenth century. “But what about the Livyatan?”
“Fuck.” Xander hangs his head. “We’ve got a decision, then.”
“Stay and find this beast,” Nathan purses his lips. “Or chase this storm and hope we end up home.”
Xander drags a hand down his face, his blue eyes haggard. “That’s it.”
The room is silent as the implications hang in the air. My thoughts are at war; I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. While I’d like to pursue this animal, I want to go home.
I glance at Sophie, her expression telling me the same. She clears her throat. “Would it be selfish to say I prefer option two?”
“Not at all.” Nathan chuckles. “I believe that is our safest bet.”
Xander’s gaze locks on mine, his answering nod almost imperceptible. “Nathan’s right. Given what we know from the future, we might escape our fate.”
“I’m not sure that’s how time travel works,” Eddie interjects.
Xander waves his words away. “I think it’s worth a try.”
“You’re right.” I breathe. “Let’s change history.”
***
An angry buzz breaks through the hum of the Caferia. Xander answers on the third ring. “What? Get as many subs in the water as you can.”
Nathan’s eyebrows draw together. “What’s happened?”
“The Livyatan’s on sonar.” Xander stands, grabbing his tray. “Heading our way, and fast.”
“Oh, my god! What are we going to do?” I’m already up and dumping my plate. Sophie and Nathan are right behind me.
Nathan checks his watch. “We’re still twenty minutes away from the storm.”
Xander jogs to the elevator. “We get as many ROVs and AUVs in the water as possible. They’re equipped with explosives. Maybe enough detonating at once near it will make a difference.”
Not waiting for the doors to slide open, Xander squeezes into the Hangar. “How’s it coming, Max?”
Max wipes a rag across her forehead, her pixie cut dripping with sweat. “Ready to deploy number five.”
“I’ve got a visual!” Someone calls from the control room just off the bay doors. “Standing by for your orders.”
Xander and Max sprint towards the voice. “If you have a clear shot, take it.”
“Roger that.” The voice grows louder as Sophie and I follow behind Xander, finding a seat in a small space lined with dozens of computer monitors. “Firing now.”
An explosion resounds on all active screens. The whale groans, and I watch in horror as its jaw clamps down on a remote vehicle, interlocking with a crunch as it crushes the tiny submersible. The monitor blinks out.
“There goes number two,” Max whispers.
“Shit.” Nathan breathes; his fingers tangled into the hair on the nape of his neck. “We need more firepower.”
The wall of gray blubber grows nearer to the Griffin as a trio of small subs race to keep up.
“How many explosives are on each vessel?” Nathan asks the operator.
Xander answers him. “Each house six homing missiles. Why?”
“Think about it. When we searched for it earlier, a single explosive did nothing to the monster.” Nathan glances at the three remaining ROV cameras gaining on the prehistoric whale. “Now, we’ve witnessed four torpedoes do minor damage. Why not increase that?”
Sophie arches a brow. “You mean kamikaze?”
“Precisely.” Nathan grins.
“Wait. That thing crushed an ROV with five explosives aboard. Why didn’t it explode?” My eyebrows furrow.
Xander jerks his head to the footage featuring an ROV’s rear, closing in on the cetacean. “They were inactive, so they won’t detonate, even if compromised.”
“That’s a bummer.” Sophie fidgets with the hair that hangs behind her ears.
“Tell me about it.” Xander leans against the wall with the best view of the monitors at the front of the room. “But safety precautions.”
The vehicles look like flies compared to the monster they maneuver around. A fourth sub joins the fray.
Max’s gaze sparks. “Number five finally caught up.”
“Seven meters to base.” A navigator informs. “Orders?”
“Activate all missiles in one and three. Let’s try it Nathan’s way.” Xander nods to a helmsman. “Detonate when you’re touching that beast.”
“Copy.” Both pilots steer their respective submersibles into the Livyatan, detonating their torpedoes simultaneously.
The creature roars in pain, blood seeping from a large hole in its left side. Cheers erupt in the control room. The animal darts offscreen.
“No celebrating until we confirm it’s dead,” Xander yells over the crowd of voices.
The pilots of numbers four and five race to set their sights on the whale, the suite growing silent. As the camera veers right, the living dinosaur soars above them, his mouth hanging only inches from the lens.
“Fuck.” I squeak.
“That’s a negative.” Number four’s driver groans. “Still alive, sir.”
“Let’s go again,” Xander demands. “Aim for the head.”
Both subs stalk the cetacean, the creature approaching the Griffin at full speed.
“If you don’t strike soon, she’s going to ram us,” Xander barks.
The missiles are activated as the Livyatan and submersibles draw in on us.
“No, wait. You’re too close to the ship.” Xander raises his hand toward the controls, but it’s too late.
The Griffin vibrates with the impact as the cameras black-out.
Editor: Lucy Cafiero
