The ride around the reservoir took about an hour and went uneventful. Neither Matt nor Jess saw any sign of a creature incursion, nor did the sonar pick up anything they didn't see. Matt leaned against the railing near the piloting station. Jess was seated at the bow of the boat, watching the water.
Matt reached for his comm. "Becker what's your status?"
"We're about twenty meters from the anomaly's location." Becker answered.
"What's taking you so long?" Matt asked.
"Connor decided to go swimming and lose the detector at the same time." Becker answered.
Jess snorted to herself. She turned her head, meeting Matt's amused look. "Does Connor still have the detector?"
"No Abby's reading it." Becker answered.
"Copy that. Contact us when you've secured the anomaly." Matt said.
"Copy." Becker replied.
"Becker sounds amused." Jess stated.
Matt nodded. "Must be this weather."
Jess giggled.
A soft beep sounded form the controls. Jess stopped laughing quickly. She rose form her seat and walked to Matt's side. Matt leaned over the controls beside the driver. They watched the sonar screen as several white dots appeared. They were large, moving fast toward them.
"Stop the boat." Matt ordered.
The man nodded and eased the boat to a stop.
"Becker, sonar's just picked up something." Matt informed.
"Creature?"
"Possibly." Matt replied.
Jess walked to the edge. She peeked over the railing, minding her distance from the eater. She held her EMD tight in her hands, ready to fire if needed.
Matt watched the sonar. The dots were growing closer to the boat. Dozens of them less than ten meters from the boat.
Jess watched the water's surface. She spotted something beneath the water. "There!"
Matt looked up at Jess. He moved from the controls to her side. "Where?"
Jess pointed where she had seen movement. "Just over there."
Matt watched the water. But there was only tide ripples. "I don't see anything."
Jess frowned and looked back at Matt. "I know I'm not experienced for fieldwork, but I'm seeing things."
"I know, Jess. And I'm not saying you didn't see anything. I just didn't see what you saw yet." Matt replied.
Suddenly the boat jerked. Matt lost his balance and fell onto the floor of the boat. Jess hit the side door of the pontoon and fell through the door. She gasped in surprise seconds before she fell into the reservoir. Matt moved to the edge quickly, searching for Jess.
"Jess!" Matt yelled.
Jess surfaced several meters from the boat, gasping for air. She turned toward the boat. "What was that?"
"I'm not sure. Give me your hand." Matt said. He leaned over the open door of the boat, reaching for Jess.
Jess swam to the boats edge and reached for Matt's had. Suddenly she felt something skim her legs. Jess gasped and looked at the water around her. "There's something here."
"Jess give me your hand." Matt urged.
Jess waited no time and grabbed Matt's hand. He pulled her from the water just as something green broke through where Jess had been. Matt and Jess watched the port side of the boat and something broke through the surface. It rose from the water. The surface was smooth, but from beneath extended four flipper-like limbs. Then a small head peeked from beneath the surface. It swam along the boat.
"It's a giant turtle!" Jess exclaimed.
Matt smirked. "Archelon ischyros."
"Late cretaceous, aren't they?" Jess asked.
Matt nodded. "Right."
"It's beautiful." Jess said. She leaned over the boat to get a closer look at the turtle. Jess slowly reached over the edge of the boat. She placed her hand on the turtles shell and giggled.
"Jess." Matt said.
Jess pulled her hand from the Archelon's shell. "It massive. At least two meter long."
"Believe it or not, this is a juvenile." Matt said.
Jess looked at Matt. "What?"
"Full grown Archelon can grow up to four meters long." Matt explained.
Jess sighed heavily. "That's big."
Matt nodded. "The good news is that they don't eat things like us."
"Well that's good news." Jess said.
Matt smiled at Jess's enthusiasm. Movement to his left caught his attention. He looked up and saw several more Archelon's swimming alongside the boat. Each one no bigger than two meters long. Matt nudged Jess's shoulder and pointed out at the pod. "Must be a family swarm."
"What would bring them here?" Jess asked.
Matt shook his head. "I'm not sure. Becker, Jess and I found a small pod of Archelon ischyros. Giant sea turtles. Any sign of the anomaly?"
"We've reached the coordinates now. It's on the south face of the reservoir." Becker explained.
Jess looked over her shoulder. The south wall was behind them. She could barely make out the three figures walking on the edge. The spillway was right beneath them. Jess' eyes narrowed on the spillway. She rose from the door and walked to the controls. She took the binoculars from the driver and looked at the wall. Jess watched the floor of the spillway. Water ran off from the inside.
"Matt, the spillway." Jess said.
Matt rose from the door and walked to Jess' side.
Jess passed him the binoculars. "Look at the base of the spillway."
Matt held the binoculars to his eyes and focused on the spillway. He watched as water ran down into the reservoir. "The water run off must be from a source on the other side of the anomaly."
"A beach?" Jess suggested.
Matt nodded, lowering the binoculars. "Could be. Becker, Jess and I think the anomaly's beneath you. Inside the spillway. We're seeing run off into the reservoir from within the spillway."
"Copy that." Becker replied.
Jess dropped her eyes back to the Archelon swarm, but they'd done. Jess looked down at the sonar; the entire swarm was retreating back toward the anomaly, very quickly. Jess frowned. What would send the pod fleeting toward the anomaly? They were massive, unless there was something bigger in the reservoir.
"Matt, the Archelon." Jess said.
Matt looked down at the sonar. "They're heading back."
"Heading back in a hurry." Jess noted.
Matt nodded slowly. "Something has them scared."
"Another creature?" Jess asked.
Matt nodded again.
Jess swallowed, fearful of her next question. "What creature hunts these turtles, Matt?"
Matt glanced to Jess before answering. "Mosasaurus hoffmannii."
Jess turned her head slowly, looking out at the water toward the spillway. "I read that the largest skeleton was seventeen meters long."
Matt nodded slowly. "Tylosaurus proriger, one of the subspecies of the Mosasaur."
Jess looked down at the sonar. "Sonar's not finding anything larger than the boat."
"That's good then." Matt replied.
The sonar beeped again. Jess and Matt looked at the screen. Another dot came into their view. It was large, large than the Archelon pod. It was moving up behind them fast. But there was something else. A loud buzzing sound, coming from behind them.
Matt looked over his shoulder. Another boat was out on the water, heading toward them. "What the hell are they thinking?"
Jess looked at Matt and then to the boat. "I thought the area was secure."
Matt nodded. "So did I. Becker, we've got a situation on the water."
"Yeah I see the boat." Becker replied.
"We'll send him back to the docks." Matt said. He gestured the driver toward the other boat. The driver nodded and started the boat again. He steered the boat from the spillway, toward the upcoming boat. They sped through the water toward the boat.
Matt flagged the boat driver. "You need to get out of reservoir! We have a situation out here."
"What's going on?" the man asked.
Jess noticed the small boy in the boat with the man. The sonar beeped again, catching her attention. She looked down at the screen. The large dot was moving past them, toward the spillway. But that wasn't right. The dot had stopped right beside them, yet it was still moving? Jess turned toward the spillway. She picked up the binoculars and watched the spillway.
The water walk calm, save for the Archelon's rising into the spillway. She couldn't see anything beneath the surface. Suddenly the water exploded in front of the spillway. Jess jumped as she watched a massive Mosasaur burst from the water, trying to catch on of the Archelon's within its large jaws. It missed the last Archelon before landing back in the water with a massive splash.
"Oh my god." Jess gasped.
"Cut the engine." Matt ordered.
"What the bloody hell was that?" the man asked.
Matt turned back to the other boat driver. "Cut your engine now!"
The man looked at Matt. "Are you mad? I'm getting the hell out of here." He revved his engine and quickly started toward the docks.
"Wait!" Matt called, but it was too late.
The second boat drove away fast, but it didn't did get far. The water exploded beneath the boat. The boat was thrown into the air, tipping onto its side. Matt and Jess watched helplessly as the people were thrown from the boat.
"Becker, we've got civilians in the reservoir." Matt explained. He threw his jacket off and tossed it onto the floor. He pushed the side door open and dove into the reservoir.
"Matt!" Jess yelled. She ran to the edge of the boat.
Matt surfaced several metered from the boat. He swam toward the capsized vessel. The small boy was floating by the boat, trying to climb onto the capsized boat. Matt swam up behind them kid and lifted him out of the water and onto the boat.
Jess watched Matt anxiously as he dove beneath the surface, looking for the driver, who had yet to surface. Matt surfaced, without the driver. He climbed up onto the capsized boat beside the child. The water rippled around the boat. Jess caught sight of the Mosasaur beneath the surface. It hit the boat, knocking it about the water. Matt held onto the child as the boat tipped toward the water unsteadily.
Jess bit her lip. If the boat sunk, Matt and the child would be easy prey for the Mosasaur. But if they started the boat's engine, the Mosasaur would attack it, and that would put more people in danger. Jess looked back at the spillway. It wasn't too far from the boat. Jess nodded, forming an idea. She turned to the boat operator. "When I give the word, start up the engine, and head toward the boat."
The man frowned.
"Just do it!" Jess ordered.
The man nodded.
Jess walked to the opposite end of the boat and pushed open the door. She nodded at the driver and dove into the water. She heard the engine of the boat start up. Jess surfaced and quickly propelled herself in the water toward the spillway. Her mind quickly shifted back to high school swim team competitions. Her eyes focused on the spillway entrance, her finish line, and her safe point.
yeah i'm kinda evil to people