Chapter Eight
Admiral Harriman Nelson chuckled inwardly, his tight-lipped smile meant to soothe the impending storm brewing in Captain Crane just now. It wasn't like he hadn't expected just this kind of reaction from his friend. True; Lee was responsible for the well-being of every man aboard Seaview, but there was also something else at play here. Lee had grown very protective of him over the years, maybe even a little too much, he added internally. So, he was aware that his friend's protest was rooted as much from his personal concern as his duty as captain. It would be immensely irritating if he didn't know exactly where his young friend was coming from. Truth be known, he was just as protective of Lee, which is why he gave Johnson an earful just about every time ONI's head man called Lee into action for covert work. However, avoiding perilous situations wasn't a skill either man had mastered, but duty had always won out and the two had always managed to get the job done despite their concern. This time would be no different, Harry decided.
"It makes perfect sense, Lee. FS1 is large enough to attract the squid's attention and draw it out into the open where Seaview has a clear shot."
"Admiral, do you know how close you'll have to get to that squid? Its reach has got be several hundred feet! And I seriously doubt the flying sub can outrun it," he added.
"Well, you may be right there, considering a natural squid is capable of swimming 20 knots. At its present size, its propulsion would correspondingly increase and no doubt, easily outrun Seaview, even at flank speed. But that's exactly the reason why we need to be in control of the attack, Lee; and this is the perfect time to act, while the creature is still sluggish from its last feeding. Once it decides to hunt, I'm afraid that all we'll be doing is damage control," Harry argued reasonably.
Lee raised a tired hand to rub away the dull ache beneath the bandage square on his brow.
"What makes you think the squid will make a move on you if it's not ready to hunt yet, anyway?"
"The Giant Squid mostly dines on shrimp or even other smaller squid, so it's always on the lookout for its next meal. It won't pass up an easy meal, and at its current size that's exactly how it will see the flying sub," Harry explained, picking up that Lee was now, at least, considering the plan. "Now, we sweeten the deal by putting FS1 right in the middle of its 'favorite' spot," Harry added, barely drawing a breath before he continued. "The water samples reveal that the concentration of mantel elements was, of course, strongest at the fissure. The last sample we retrieved wasn't the most distant from the vent, but it was taken after the fissure had been sealed and the parts-per-million reading indicates that it contained the weakest solution of mantel elements."
"That would explain why the squid adjusted its position," Lee speculated.
"Exactly," the enthused admiral agreed; the pursuit of knowledge a natural stimulant to the scientist. "It moved in as close as it could before the deterrent frequency discouraged it from moving closer."
"Why would it be drawn to the fissure?" Lee's question stated merely to understand the problem and not necessarily to play devil's advocate.
Harry sighed and shook his head remorsefully. "I wish you could have known Dr. Sterling before he'd been exposed to the elements; he was a rational man; his scientific method was flawless," he lamented. "The man I talked to aboard the sea lab was nothing like that."
"He went mad," Lee added as explanation.
"There's no doubt about that, but I think there was something more. When Miss Sloan visited Santa Barbara to convince me commit Seaview to a visit, I was undeterred. We were swamped, and I initially denied the request. But then Dr. Sterling called on the video phone. He was sane and rational, and it was he that convinced me to make room for the voyage. He wasn't the same man that I visited on the lab a week later. I'm convinced that the madness came on gradually. Now, this is just speculation," he qualified, "but I believe there is an addictive quality to the elements' properties; something that drove him to throw caution to the wind; something that clouded his judgement and drove him to continue, even before he went mad, despite losing two men and endangering the woman who loved him… something beyond the pursuit of scientific discovery," he added.
Lee shook his head; Harry's pursuit of scientific discovery had, at times, put Seaview in a difficult position, but the admiral had always been reachable through logic. And the times he'd had to "put his foot down" as captain were simply disagreements regarding the acceptable safety parameters, not because Harry was unreasonable. "What exactly is your plan?" he relented.
"We turn off the deterrent frequency and launch FS1. The flying sub's movements toward the fissure will attract the creature and entice it into position…"
"I'm not in favor of trying to contain the creature. It's grown too big and it's far too late for that," Lee interrupted, putting his foot down on the idea of stunning the creature and radio tagging it for study as Harry had suggested earlier.
Harry raised a hand to stave off Lee's protest. "I agree," he said, admitting that he had come to the same conclusion. "We'll wait for it to commit to the attack by allowing it to grab us with its feeder tentacles to ensure that Seaview gets a clean shot."
"What's to keep it from crushing the flying sub?" Lee asked incredulously, as if shocked that he was even considering the crazy plan. "Admiral, what if it manages to get the flying sub to its beak?"
"I'll rig a nuclear charge through the hull to prevent that, but you'll have to take your shot then, and Lee," he paused dramatically, "it's got to be a good one," Harry cautioned solemnly.
"This is madness, Admiral," Lee lamented as he threw his hands into the air and paced.
"It's the best option to ensure that we don't lose the creature before it hunts again," Harry replied with sober resolve.
Lee stopped pacing and hung his head in thought. Harry was right; if they lost the creature, all they'd end up doing was damage control. And even then, they would likely end up with the same solution.
"All right, Admiral," he relented almost apologetically, "I'll call for a volunteer to co-pilot," he said regretfully and feeling a pang guilt for not taking on the dangerous job himself. He swallowed back the notion; it was his responsibility to stop the creature from killing again, and they both knew that his place was at Seaview's helm.
"I'll take Sharkey… I'm sure he'll agree," Harry stated with full confidence regarding the steadfast Chief.
A brief moment of silence passed as Lee made one last ditch effort considering whether there were other options. Thinking of none, he committed fully to the plan and raised his eyes to meet Harry's.
"When do we do it?"
"The sooner the better," Harry replied, his conviction as strong as his resolve.
# # # # #
The deck vibrated only slightly when FS1 dropped from her berth as Lee watched the flying sub's departure, a crucial element in their plan to neutralize the massive squid that had taken so many lives. As well-thought as the plan was however, the inherent risk to the inhabitants in the flying sub was undeniably high; too high he had privately decided, but he was between a rock and a hard place. Using FS1 as bait was the best viable option for reeling in a sea creature whose mere size was a threat to any ship in its path, not to mention the insatiable hunger driving it. Though he didn't intend on sacrificing Harry and Sharkey to accomplish his task; he was well aware that their lives were in his hands.
"We have you on visual, Admiral," Lee stated into the mic from the chart table.
"Very well, deactivate the deterrent frequency," the Admiral ordered calmly, without a hint of the danger they were inviting upon the small submarine as he guided the flying sub toward the now-closed fissure.
"Aye, Sir," Lee replied in the mic then turned toward his first officer. "Sound General Quarters, Mr. Morton and deactivate the frequency," he ordered, completely concealing any internal regret for the course of action they had formulated with much consideration.
"Attention all hands; battle stations," Chip ordered into the mic and then double-clicked to issue the next order to kill the deterrent frequency. "Frequency deactivated," Chip reported.
Lee acknowledged with a short nod. "Sonar?" he inquired in a one-word question over his shoulder.
"Nothing yet," Kowalski answered, reporting on the squid's position. "Wait! It's on the move, Skipper."
"Admiral, you've got its attention," Lee passed on.
"Good..." Harry replied, "Proceeding to the collapsed vent, and Lee… good luck," he offered sincerely knowing that their success depended entirely upon Seaview's ability to strike definitively. His well-wishes, however, weren't self-serving; indeed, it applied directly to Seaview's safety. Seaview had to move in close enough for visual contact in order to obtain the clean shot required. A wounded animal could prove far more dangerous, and the kill-shot had to be clean. Unfortunately, that entailed sailing precariously close within the squid's long reach in order for the windowed submarine's floodlights to illuminate its target.
"Aye Sir, you too," Lee replied, the sentiment appreciated but tucked deep inside to be considered later, when he wasn't preoccupied with the task at hand. "Sonar, report," he ordered.
"Target is eight miles out and closing fast."
"Very well, sing out its progress. Mr. Morton, take the helm," he ordered, heading forward to the laser sites and pulling the unit from its stowed position overhead. He positioned the sites to his height as Chip moved the submarine closer to the collapsed vent. In the background, Kowalski sounded off the squid's progress.
"Seven-miles and closing at 50 knots, Sir."
Lee stretched the mic, holding it in one hand and positioning the other on the trigger guard.
"Seaview, this FS1. We're in position," the Admiral reported.
"We read you Admiral. The squid is closing fast…"
"…five-miles and closing," Ski interjected.
"Admiral, did you get that?" Lee asked. "You can expect a visitor in five minutes," he added, doing the easy math in his head.
"Affirmative, Lee. We're ready."
"Engines all-stop," Chip ordered, bringing Seaview in as close as they dare until the squid arrived. "We're in position, Skipper," he reported.
"Very well," he replied leaning into the sites with both hands on the dual triggers.
"…four-miles and closing."
Every successive minute harbored a mixture of tense updates and heightened adrenals, invoking skilled readiness as every crewman in the Control Room prepared to battle a massive mutated squid before it killed again.
"…one-mile and closing," Kowalski reported, his voice penetratingly poignant with the news of the impending creature's approach.
"Less than a minute, Admiral," Lee informed, leaning into the laser sights and removing the safety on the trigger device.
"We have visual contact," Nelson reported followed by Sharkey's voice heard over the VOX summing up the creature's arrival succinctly.
"Good lord, Admiral! Look at the size of that thing!"
# # # # #
The flying sub's flood lights pierced through the inky depths at 200 feet below the surface, its illuminatiion reflecting off an approaching shadowy large mass. A form emerged from the furthest point of the flood lamp's reach, revealing an obscure semblance of the long reaching tentacle of the squid; its appendage so large and far removed from its mantel that it appeared to have a life of its own.
Sharkey's shocking observation hadn't been an overplayed sentiment. Indeed, the Chief's eyes were wide in shocked horror as the creature inched closer, hunting its prey with careful resolve.
"Ready the hull for a nuclear charge, but wait for my order," Harry ordered, the last issued with passionate insistence, completely suppressing his own shock and trepidation in order to accomplish the tasks at hand.
Sharkey cleared his throat to refocus and allowed his military training to win over the dread in his belly. "Aye Sir; nuclear charge ready," he answered resolutely.
"Lee, the feeder tentacle is just about to make contact," Harry informed calmly.
The simple "Aye Sir," was devoid of emotion as Seaview's Captain concentrated; Seaview was stationed just out of visual range and wouldn't move in for the kill until the creature committed to the attack.
"Admiral?" Sharkey questioned nervously just as the tip of a large tentacle appeared.
"I see it, Chief," Harry returned undaunted by the spectacle closing in on the yellow sub. "A little further…" he coaxed the animal, knowing that once the feeder tentacle made contact, there would be little time before they would be drawn close to the squid's mantel.
Slowly and deliberately the tentacle wrapped under the flying sub without making contact, until it enveloped the manta-like sub in its terrifying grasp. FS1 rocked violently as the squid's hold tightened, throwing the flying sub's inhabitants around in their seats, despite being harnessed.
"It'll crush us, Admiral!" Sharkey warned excitedly.
"No, not yet; first it will draw us closer to its mouth," Harry countered coolly, as if he were giving a science lecture and not at all like a man that knew he was damn near going to be lunch for a hungry cephalopod.
Sharkey blew a breath out and shook his head, gaining little comfort from the Admiral's calm prediction but, all the while, trusting the Admiral completely.
"Ready on the charge," Harry instructed, the view out the window complete obscured by two large suction pads pressed precariously against the small sub. "Switching to outside cameras," he stated, reaching to flip the toggle switch himself to ensure Sharkey was focused on the hull charge.
The outside camera monitor offered no improvement to their view, revealing only a close-up mass of tentacle. "Switching to camera two," Harry announced as the movement of FS1's unwilling progress toward the voracious squid was felt.
"We've got a picture, Admiral!" Sharkey exclaimed.
"I see it," Harry replied as the creature's cylindrical body came into view, the large black platter-sized eyes focused on its prey; its beak, with bone crushing ability at its normal size, was terrifying even to the brave men inside the flying sub. The creature drew its prey close enough to dine and opened its beak, revealing its teeth laden tongue-like radula and invoking a terror-filled gasp from his co-pilot. "Seaview, are you in position?" Harry demanded as much as inquired, his adrenaline fueling the classic fight or flight response, of which his body was vehemently voting for flight; nonetheless he held to the plan.
"Thirty seconds more, Admiral!" Lee responded over the radio desperate for more time.
"It's now or never, Lee!" Harry countered, staring down the last seconds of their existence if Seaview failed to fire on time.
The squid's disturbing tongue lurched greedily toward the helpless yellow sub, invoking the order he could no longer delay.
"Now, Sharkey!" he shouted, ordering a nuclear charge through FS1's hull.