Infinity's Gateway, page 22
MacKay nodded, trying to contain his impatience. First Tanner, now Dr. Brennen. For the two men stuck on the beach, the clock was rapidly ticking down. All he wanted was some simple, concise answers to what he thought were straightforward questions. He didn’t have the time for detailed explanations, or the arguments he kept getting. “We appreciate that, Dr. Brennan, but frankly, you’re all we’ve got. So, to my question, will these men be at risk from any of the predators that you’ve spotted?”
Dr. Brennan picked up on the intensity boiling just beneath the surface of MacKay’s demeanor. “Yes, Captain, they most certainly will.”
“Very well. I want you to describe what these predators look like, their size, and the best idea you have as to how to protect our men,” said MacKay.
Brennan remained seated and said, “Judging by the pictures our cameras have taken, as well as what we’ve tracked on the sonar, the primary predator that we need to worry about is the Elasmosaurus platyurus. The name Elasmosaurus means ‘plated reptile.’ They were likely one of the most vicious marine predators to roam the seas during the late Cretaceous period.”
Mercer, trying to not smile, looked at MacKay and shook his head. “Doctor, we know nothing about the animal you just named,” said MacKay. “What can you tell us?”
“Let me show,” he said, pulling out his tablet and turning it on. “Mr. Sahir helped me to set this up; it’s tied directly into Argos.” Brennan typed a few commands into the tablet, then after a moment, handed it to Captain MacKay. “That picture was done by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. It’s as accurate of a rendering of what those things were supposed to have looked like that you can find.”
Taking the tablet back from MacKay, he once again went to work on it, smiled, and handed it back to the captain. “Those two pictures were taken just off the starboard side of the ship yesterday. As big as that thing is, unfortunately, they get bigger. If you take a close look at it, it’s impressive how close the rendering came in comparison to the actual photo. I hope to one day share this with the people at the museum,” said Dr. Brennen.
“I’m sure they’ll feel wonderful,” muttered Lieutenant Tanner, glaring at Dr. Brennan. “Just how big is that thing and how do we kill it?”
“We’re all but certain that this is the animal that killed that poor sailor the first day we arrived here,” said Dr. Chudzik. “Like so many marine animals, their sense of smell and hearing probably far exceeds anything that we have. We believe that the Eclipse, being the size that it is, sent enough noise through the water to draw the platyurus in. To the best of our knowledge, they’re not pack animals and it probably thought that another predator had invaded its territory.”
“That’s why we believe that it attacked. It may have just been hungry, but we think it was trying to scare us off,” said Dr. Brennan. “The one in those pictures is close to forty feet long and probably weighs in at around 4,700 pounds.”
The platyurus’ head sat on a very long neck that connected to a bulky body with four huge fins that enabled it to move rapidly through the water. Its tail, compared to the rest of its body, was surprisingly short. “Their teeth are quite long and the platyurus’ mouth has often been described as ‘sharp fanged.’ While there were certainly many other predators in the ocean in those days, the Elasmosaurus platyurus was near the top of the food chain,” said Dr. Brennan, as calmly as if he were lecturing a class full of college kids.
“Not hard to understand the damage done to the railing along that deck, is it?” said Mr. Mercer quietly. “You get something that big, moving fast enough to jettison out of the water, shooting up high enough to reach that deck with its jaws, and it’s going to leave a mark.”
“Slamming into the side of the ship, as it obviously did,” said Captain MacKay, “could it have hurt itself? The impact had to have been incredible. It destroyed twelve feet of iron railing.”
Dr. Brennan shrugged. “I doubt that it even felt it. It attacked, killed its prey, or at least one of its prey, and was rewarded with a meal. We believe that’s the reason it’s still here swimming around is because the Eclipse hasn’t moved on. We’re still in its territory, which is pissing it off, and it’ll most probably stay around until we’ve left.”
“Why didn’t those sailors see it coming?” asked Tanner. “I’ve seen pictures of these things before and they almost always have their neck and head sticking up out of the water.”
Dr. Brennan chuckled at this. “Yes, that is the popular rendering, much like the Loch Ness Monster. It makes it look dramatic. The truth is that we believe that their necks would have been fairly rigid. Although they’re usually pictured that way, it is impossible for them to hold their head high above the surface of the ocean in a swanlike posture. They can’t physically do that. It stalked us, approached from under the surface, and then shot up out of the water, attacking the two sailors.”
“Lieutenant, if you look at the two pictures we took, you’ll see what Dr. Brennan is saying,” said Dr. Chudzik. “There’s very little curvature in its neck.”
“Alright, good information. We now know what we are up against,” said MacKay. “So how do we defend against this thing?”
“We have plenty of grenades on board,” said Tanner. “We could launch several of them all at once, saturating the water, killing anything that’s out there. Once that’s done we have Shaw and Fuller launch their craft and get back as fast as they can.”
“That would not be advisable, Lieutenant,” said Dr. Brennan.
“Why is that?” asked Captain MacKay. “I’m not wild about slaughtering a bunch of fish, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to get those two men back here safely.”
“We all share in that common goal, I assure you,” said Meinhard, sighing deeply. He had been unusually quiet throughout the entire briefing. “But employing such ham-handed methods would end in disaster. If you want to get your sailors back, we’re going to need to employ a little more brainpower, and far less brawn.”
“They’re marines, not sailors,” growled Tanner, gripping the table with both hands and doing his best not to knock Meinhard off his chair. The man could probably piss off a saint, given the opportunity.
“Under the right circumstances, your idea might work, Mr. Tanner,” said Dr. Brennan, inserting as much diplomacy into the conversation as he could. “The problem is that we have to move quickly. At this point in time, we don’t know where the platyurus is. By killing all those fish, we’d end up putting a great deal of blood in the water, which would certainly draw it in. And maybe his friends.”
“It is no different than pouring chum into the water,” said Mercer. “I get it. So, what do we do?”
“I would suggest we try using sound waves,” said Dr. Brennan. “We could lower speakers into the water and send out large booms, coordinating this action as your men approach the ship. The vibrations should make most of the marine life around us scatter, as they’ll think that something much bigger is now in the area.”
“You think that will scare this monster off?” asked Captain MacKay.
Dr. Brennan thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I don’t. But I believe it may buy us the time we need to get those men back.”
The room turned quiet. All eyes were on MacKay. “Any other ideas?” he asked. No one else had anything to offer.
“Very well, then,” said MacKay. “Dr. Brennan, work with Mr. Sahir and get everything you need ready to create these loud noises in the water. Mr. Mercer will see to it that you get complete cooperation.”
Dr. Brennan nodded and Dr. Chudzik said, “I’ll help as well.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” said Captain MacKay. “Lieutenant Tanner, position your three best snipers at different positions along the ship to cover those men. If they get the opportunity, and that creature breaks the surface, I want them to take the shot. Headshots, Lieutenant, that’s what I believe it’s going to take. I’ll be on the bridge. In twenty minutes, I’m recalling those men, so let’s get moving.”
The radio started to buzz. Private Shaw, who was closest to it, scooted over on his stomach to answer it. “Private Shaw, over.”
“Private, this is Captain MacKay. I want you and Private Fuller to get one of the boats ready and be prepared to head back to the Eclipse in ten minutes. Do you copy?”
“Yes sir, but Captain Garrett and the Commander have not yet returned,” replied Private Shaw.
“We understand, but we need you back on the ship before this storm breaks,” said MacKay. “Is Private Fuller with you?”
“Yes sir, he’s right here,” said Shaw. He looked at Fuller, thinking hard. He didn’t like the sound of this and was trying to think of anything that would buy them more time. “Sir, we’ll get the boat ready, but it’s going to take us at least thirty minutes, if not more, to gather up and load all of the equipment.”
“Leave it,” barked MacKay. “Private, you have ten minutes, and then you and Fuller are going to launch one of those boats. Am I making myself clear?”
“Sir, yes sir,” said Private Shaw. He barely stopped himself from saluting the radio. MacKay could be intimidating when he wanted to be.
Fuller was looking at him. “What was that?”
“You’re not going to like this,” said Shaw. “We’ve been ordered to pull out.”
“What about the captain, the men?”
“You know as much as I do,” said Shaw. “We need to get moving. Captain MacKay doesn’t sound like he is in a very patient mood.”
MacKay grabbed the phone as it started to buzz. “Mercer here, sir. We are ready and standing by. Argos will be sending out deep, baritone sounds as soon as their craft hits the open water. It’ll also be sending out whale sounds.”
“Whale sounds?” said MacKay.
“It was Dr. Meinhard’s suggestion, and it may actually be a good idea. Whales are the biggest marine animal there is, or, at least, will be, and because it’s bigger, the sound may help to scare that thing off. I still can’t pronounce its name.”
“Platyurus,” said MacKay. “I’m not a highly trained scientist, but this doesn’t make any sense to me. How is a platyurus from sixty-five million years ago supposed to know what a whale is? And on top of that, how would it know if an animal that doesn’t even exist is bigger than he is?”
“Can’t explain it, but it’s not all that different from what big game hunters do on safari. At night, they sprinkle elephant piss all around the perimeter of their camp. It helps to keep lions and other night stalkers away. Just from the smell alone, animals can tell that it’s bigger than they are.”
“Alright, whatever it takes,” said MacKay, shaking his head. “Tanner has his marine snipers in place, so here we go. We’ll give them two minutes to launch the boat, then start the music.”
“Private Shaw reporting. We’re ready to launch.”
“Very good, Private, well done,” said MacKay. “I want both of you to keep a sharp eye out and be ready to use your rifles. We believe there may be a large marine predator in the water that’s been stalking us. It is big enough to do significant damage to your boat. We’re going to give you as much cover as we can, but we need you to push your boat as hard as you can and get back here as quickly as possible.”
“What kind of predator would that be?” asked Shaw. “Do you mean some kind of shark?”
“No, it’s very different from that, but just as deadly. Now move out, Private.”
MacKay turned and addressed the bridge. “We are trying to get two of our marines back to the ship. Hatfield, you’ve been working with Dr. Brennan and you know all too well that there are large predators in the area. Keep a close watch and let me know the first sign you see of anything big approaching us or the small craft that our marines will be using.
“Aye, aye sir,” responded Hatfield. He’d not only been working with Dr. Brennan, but he’d also seen several more of the pictures they’d taken of the terrifying things swimming around the ship, more pictures than even MacKay had seen. The pictures had flat out given him nightmares to the point that he felt nervous just being on the Eclipse. He couldn’t begin to imagine the utter terror he’d be feeling if he were with those two marines, knowing what lay beneath the waves between the beach and the ship.
Using his binoculars, MacKay watched the small craft exit the inlet they’d been using as a landing site. They were just beginning to head out into open water. Using his radio, MacKay said, “Mr. Mercer, they are on their way. Start the music. Mr. Tanner, have your men keep a sharp lookout for anything that moves.”
The winds had continued to increase and were blowing hard against the marines’ small craft. The waves crashing onto the beach had grown, so much so, that at first, MacKay feared they’d be swamped by the rough water. Three times he lost sight of them, thinking they’d been taken under, only to see their small boat burst up over the water. He could just make out the two men, struggling to keep their boat on course, while hanging on to keep from being thrown into the sea. It was evident that if they were attacked they wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.
“Sir, it’s back and it is heading right for us,” said Seaman Hatfield.
“Range?” asked Lieutenant Gallo.
“Two hundred twenty yards and closing rapidly,” replied Hatfield. “At the rate it’s moving, it’ll easily get to us before the marines do.”
“Mr. Mercer, how are we doing with the bursts of sound?” MacKay shouted into his radio. “We have company and its heading right for us.”
“We’ve picked up the creature’s course and we’re adjusting the speakers, turning them more towards the beast and increasing the volume.”
“Get it done, Mr. Mercer; we have to buy those men more time.” MacKay turned his attention back to the marines. He didn’t make a sound, but inwardly groaned. They weren’t making much progress. The waves and the wind kept pushing them back.
“The creature has slowed down,” reported Hatfield. “It appears to be swimming in circles, but the patterns are very irregular.”
Shaw and Fuller were now far enough out from the beach that the waves breaking on the shore were no longer as much of an issue. They were finally starting to make better time. The craft they were in was especially built for this kind of work and continued to plow its way through the large swells. As best as MacKay could make out, Fuller had tied himself to the boat, freeing up both hands so that he could use his rifle if necessary.
“Sir, it’s moving again, heading towards us, but at a slower pace. It’s heading down into deeper water,” reported Hatfield. Lieutenant Gallo stood next to Hatfield, making sure that his reports were accurate.
Up until a about an hour ago, MacKay might have taken this as good news. Unfortunately, he now knew that this was not a good sign, not good at all. Dr. Brennan had explained that from what they understood, when a platyurus attacks, quite often it comes straight up at its prey from below.
“Keep your eyes sharp, Hatfield,” ordered MacKay. Picking up the radio, he said, “Shaw, Fuller, can either of you read me?”
“Aye, aye, Skipper. You’re coming in loud and clear.”
“Who is this?” asked MacKay. The noise of the wind and the ocean combined had nearly drowned them out.
“Private Fuller, sir.”
“Fuller, there is a large marine animal the size of a small whale headed your way. The minute you see it, open fire. Did you read me?”
“Yes sir, we’ll be ready.”
MacKay didn’t want to take his eyes off the small boat, but he needed to see where the creature was in relation to his men. Crossing over to Hatfield, he leaned over the young sailor’s shoulder. “Where is it?”
Pointing to the screen in front of him, Hatfield indicated one of the white spots. “That’s him. He’s not far now, although the good news is that he’s really slowed down. If he holds true to his present course, he’ll be right under us in about five minutes.”
MacKay grabbed the radio. “Mr. Mercer, that thing is almost on us. He’ll be directly under us in just a few minutes. Crank up the volume as much as you can!”
Turning back to the window, he could see that the small boat was now about thirty yards out. The marines were hanging on as best they could as the waves tossed them all over the place. MacKay realized that even once they pulled alongside the Eclipse, it was going to be a struggle to get them safely on board.
Setting down the binoculars, MacKay prepared to leave the bridge. “Mr. Gallo, you have the bridge. Hatfield, keep me informed as to what that thing does, good or bad.” MacKay rushed down the steep stairs and ran as fast as he could to the rear of the ship. Less than three minutes later he emerged onto the lower deck to see Tanner and several sailors and marines already in position, waiting to pull the two men on board.
MacKay watched as Shaw desperately battled against the waves, trying to bring the small boat next to the Eclipse. As soon as they were close enough, Fuller threw a rope to one of the sailors. Despite the strong gusts of wind that seemed to be deliberately working against them, the sailor snagged it on the first try. He, along with two other sailors, began to pull the two marines towards them. MacKay clicked on his radio. “Hatfield, where is it? Has it moved?”
A split second later the question was answered for him as the sea erupted in violence. The creature’s head, with its gapping jaws, burst through the waves, smashing into the rear of the small craft, lifting it out of the water. The impact of the platyurus sent Shaw flying out of the small boat and towards the ship. He slammed into the side of the Eclipse, as well as part of the deck railing before falling unconscious into the sea.
