Sorry again about the delay in updating... hope everyone's been having fun reading. SO happy that fall has arrived!

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Suyin thought she lost her stomach as the DSV detached from Mana One. She and Mac braced at the controls, impact with the ocean immersing them quickly below the surface. Suyin stared straight ahead, past the stalled breath in her throat. She'd switched out her tattered clothes for a more comfortable dive suit, but it failed to ward her growing chill. The sea stretched beyond all sight, humbling their stature- internal as well as external. Her vision softened as her body demanded she breathe. But it was squeezing in on her... compressing into her ears, smushing her chest.

"85 kilometers to Fun Island." Mac kept their up to speed, heading the direction of the DSV. Suyin heard nothing else and if she was right, the megs were already on their submersible. Which made their space even smaller... she needed to leave! She- it- Suyin's body gathered to rise, but she shut her eyes. Accept this! It is the only way!

Jiuming squeezed her shoulder. "Jiějiě."

The pinch between her lungs eased and Suyin opened her eyes. Immediately spotting the swarm of eels curling away from an advancing beta. As one, she and Mac drew the DSV up, bypassing the mouth.

"Jonas." Jiuming used the walkie talkie as he returned to the suits. "They've spotted us. Don't start the engine until we've lead them away."

"Copy that. Shoving off now."

Suyin pushed the DSV forward, north by northwest from Mana One. A few of the eels combated their windows but bounced off the panes like rubber bands. Mac chuckled. "If only it was that easy with the sharks."

The 3 of them stayed tense, knowing what was coming up behind them. Suyin drove them deeper, where they could open up the engines- ensure the megs' interest.

"To think Haiqi was considered unmatched yesterday." Jiuming reflected, eyes wide on the roof window. Right as the alpha dived down at them. Suyin involuntarily grabbed at her throat as Mac violently veered the DSV, first right then left. They nearly caught the side of its head, glass screeching cartilage. Mac wrestled at his controls. Suyin was doing the same... wasn't she?

"Follow the shinnies." Mac toyed with them, as full of puffy banter as Jonas was silent determination. Suyin put her mind on this familiarity and they righted. Still on their path and the megs still on their trail of jet-propelled bubbles.

"Any signal?" Suyin eyed the precious satellite phone, hoping to see past the tremor in her voice- and hands. They'd already tried for a signal onboard Mana One, but no luck. Mac shook his head. "We'll get the CCG to head to Mana One first, then Fun Island. Hopefully, one or more will be dead by then."

Suyin nodded, breaths coming longer and calmer. Once more, her ears attuned to the tones of mystery always found underwater. Rather than a forlorn memory, it was real now. Recalling the part of her that delighted it in. She glimpsed their radar, then Jiuming. "What is at our disposal?"

He kneeled between the two duffels they'd 'confiscated' from the mercenaries. Raising his head showed thought and impression. "Quite the few explosives."

"Same here." Jonas confirmed on their end. "Vials... my guess they were planned as depth charges. They're giving me an idea."

"I can only guess." Mac grinned, glancing back. "Oh, nice."

Suyin looked as Jiuming held up a long-range rifle. Useless underwater however. Gently, Jiuming placed it aside and turned back to the bagged explosives. "If we can hook one of the megs, I can then exit through the back and attach a bomb onto its back."

"You wouldn't get clear before it blew." Mac protested, steering them 10 meters back up. Jiuming began scurrying through the back; Suyin knew something was coming apart. "You're going to set it on a timer."

"Wǒ dāngrán shì." Jiuming reasoned, voice fading into calculating. Mac looked at Suyin with growing uncertainty. "That's... a one-man mission, right? Sounds like it."

"There's more than one shark." Suyin reminded him.

"And we're assuming we can hold them in one place." Mac responded, even while radar assured them the megs were behind them, undeterred.

"We corralled them with light the last time." Suyin suggested, holding her foot back from flooring the gas. Mac didn't point out it had only been one last time. "If we had hope of killing them ourselves..."

They wouldn't be leading the monsters towards an inhabited island. That twisted Suyin's stomach. There will be people... there will be more blood on our hands, for what we've invited to the surface.

"Mac," DJ came over the walkie. "So, uh, Macgyver here is making harpoons that could- or couldn't- blow us up. What're my chances of getting him to stop?"

Suyin stiffened and grabbed the walkie from the counsel. "Jonas?"

"At least we won't get eaten." was his response. Changing DJ's tone. "Oh, I hear that!"

Suyin looked at Mac in disbelief. He shrugged helplessly. "You have another suggestion?"

Sadly, no. Suyin moved her gaze to Jiuming. He waved any concern off. "We might not need them."

"We'll know when we get there." Mac added in. Even though all agreed they'd better know before then.

}{}{}{}{

"Jess' dead." Montes relayed into the phone, watching the horizon, mind mapping the course the raft had taken. "Taylor and his crew made it off Mana One. They'll need to be eliminated."

"The Zhangs need to be a last resort." Driscoll told him, not that Montes heard. He had a singular goal in mind; anything in his way was disposable. Driscoll sounded hurried, likely switching accessories or something mediocre. "Get the chopper ready, follow them. I'll have a second chopper radio in and you can tell it where to meet you."

"Absolutely." Montes motioned to Ricardo, who set off for the helipad. Driscoll started with something else, but Montes hung up. He watched the water a moment more, thrashing and frothy against the structure. He then climbed back up from the platform to the base deck. Phillips was bringing up the maps on one of the tablets, angling it for Montes to view. He already knew Thailand would be closest, but they needed to narrow down the islands.

"There." Phillips jabbed an area, enlarging the speck of land. "Since Jess jammed any signals, they'd head for anyplace with a population."

"Yeah." Montes gripped the edge, letting his anger mush the colors of the screen. Phillips arched his brow at him. "You and her, huh?"

Rage boiled higher and higher within Montes. "This one's heavily populated. They'll head there."

"Our backup can meet us," Phillips began walking with him, engaging his earwig. "They're closer and can contain-"

"Call them after we're clear of Mana One." Montes ordered, eyes and mind focused ahead. "I want us there first; no one's killing Taylor but me."

"Uh," Phillips stopped him short of the stairs, thick muscle to thick muscle. "It that important?"

Montes surged forward, flipping Phillips over the railing like a feather. The girlish scream was interrupted by a splash... then piercing wails of pain. Montes peeked over and watched the eels rise up, twisting around Phillips body... dunking him under while he fought to stay afloat, eyes wild. Within moments, he disappeared in a jolted flurry of tails and jaws.

}{}{}{}{

Sure enough, Haiqi and the males had darted after the sub. Jonas prayed that for once, they weren't as fast as their fins looked. He still paddled with DJ and Rigas the first few minutes before allowing Meiying to open up the motor. They clung to the sides as Jonas turned options over in his mind with the duffels he'd 'borrowed' of a merc. The harpoons shaped in his mind, but he couldn't risk it this far out. Rather, he instructed Meiying to watch the horizon as he sawed as carefully as possible in the bottom of the raft.

"You should've been there." DJ regaled them as the raft ate the gray miles up. "This one tried gettin' back up, I wouldn't let 'em..."

Jonas glanced at Meiying's intent listening, shrugging as Rigas rolled her own eyes. How else could they pass the time, really?

"We have enough here to place two bombs on a timer." Jiuming reported. "Mac and I will be able to attach them, using the suits."

"Use that on the alpha." Jonas relayed through the walkie, digging tape from the duffel. "We can provide support above water. I can drop the others off and help corral them away from shore."

"But-" Meiying started, but he silenced her with a look. Her shoulders wilted. Still too eager.

"Y'know," Mac came on. "You'd fit in the suit just as well, brother."

Rigas chuckled. "Yeah, but he wouldn't look half as good."

They had to be nearing Fun Island by now. Jonas reached in delicately, treating the tubes of C4 with the feather touches they deserved. Using the tape, he pulled them fasted to the sharpened pipes. He had 3, but couldn't risk anymore at the speed they were going. Say what you want about mercenaries; they know how to pack for an emergency.

"There's the island." Rigas took the motor over from Meiying. DJ however, was staring the other direction. "And, well, a helicopter... wanna guess whose."

Jonas looked up, tensing with the rest. The helicopter steadily got bigger and he already spotted the men leaning out of it. He zipped up the bag with the pipes, painfully aware of their exposure. DJ about stood up, hand in his survival pack. "They've got guns!"

"Hey!"

Jonas turned to find Meiying standing toward the bow, arms going crazy. "Hey, over here! Wǒmen guòlái le!"

Rigas cussed. "Meiying, sit!"

Meiying did, but kept pointing. Jonas squinted and realized they were coming up on a yacht.

"Witnesses." Rigas voiced, though she kept a suspicious glare on the helicopter. The helicopter was over them as Jonas stood, making them more prominent to the boat's party. A couple dozen people were crowding on the port side to glimpse them. Someone called. "Nǐháihǎoma?"

Sure enough, the mercenaries stayed their aim and the helicopter breezed past the raft- getting a head start to Fun Island.

"Someone'll have a phone!" DJ exclaimed, joining Meiying in waving to the boat. He grabbed the walkie. "Yo, Mac! We might-"

Static hit their ears, meaning Mac was trying to talk over DJ. At the same time, Jonas spotted the shadow and his stomach pulled tight. "Tell them to be quiet, Meiying. Tell them-"

The party boat startled to one side, leaving the people to yelp and screech, bewildered. Everyone stilled, while they scrambled- their only fear of the boat capsizing. Mac finally came through. "Something else broke through!"

"No-" Meiying started, but the boat rocked again, exposing two giant octopus arms. Gray suction cups gargled through the arms, slowly feeling its way on and around the boat. Bewilderment became confusion as the ever-long tentacles brought forth a lapis head, a slitted orange eye. Jonas' jaw dropped for the first time, once again bombarded by the sheer size of life. He looked down at the pipes, useless at this range- and unable to land without killing partygoers. He sat back down. "Rigas, get us to shore."

"Jonas?" Rigas hesitated, hand loose on the throttle. He stared her down as DJ lowered his head into his hands. "The sooner we get to shore, the sooner we can help."

Rigas punched the throttle, fueling her anger as the raft jerked over the next wave. Jonas sat down, severing the pack's strap; he had a plan, but they needed to get to shore. He spied Meiying, tears welling, staring at the boat. "Hey."

She startled.

"Don't look." Jonas insisted, unexpecting her to lean forward, hands over her ears. Not so eager anymore; and it killed him.