Blood Cruise: A Deep Sea Thriller (5 page)

“Yes, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster replied. “And no need for threats. If the creature gets out of the tank and ends up loose on this ship then I am in as much danger as you are. It is in all of our best interests that I fix the problems you have created.”

Wagner started to respond to the barb, but only shook his head and left the vault, leaving Dr. Glouster with a group of guards that looked too terrified to move from their spots on top of the massive tank, hands glued to the hatch’s handle.

8.

“Benjamin,” Maggie said as she pointed at the yacht in front of the speedboat. It grew larger and larger as they got closer and closer. “What is that?”

“Half of the gross domestic product of any decent-sized country,” Ben said then tapped Nick on the shoulder. “No way that’s yours, Nick. Want to tell me how you can possibly afford that thing?”

“What that really is, to answer the pretty lady’s question first, is a Baglietto 65M Motor Yacht. She’s called the Lucky Sucker, which is about as perfect as it gets,” Nick said as he slowed the speedboat down and steered it towards the aft end of the huge yacht that waited for them in the Sound. “And to answe
r
you
r
question, Benny Boy,
I
can’
t
afford it. The upkeep and maintenance alone is more than my trust fund allowance for half a year. Don’t get me started on the crew’s salaries.”

“Trust fund?” Maggie asked.

“Yeah, I have one,” Nick shrugged. “But it only covers the lease on the duplex in San Francisco and the condo here in Queen Anne. With just enough left over for some nights out on the town. Did you know I learned how to cook, Benny Boy? Had to or I’d starve.”

“You could get a job,” Maggie said.

“Whoa there, no need to get offensive,” Nick laughed. “Jobs are for the loser masses and the noble few. I belong to neither of those categories. I applaud your dedication as a, uh, teacher, Maggie, but I don’t even have a bachelor’s degree. Neither does my boy here. Straight outta high school and into the real world was how we attacked things.”

“I wouldn’t call being rounders the real world,” Ben said. “Not seeing sunlight for five days straight doesn’t exactly count as real, Nick.”

“You had to support that brand new baby somehow,” Nick shrugged. “That was pretty real.”

“What the hell?” Maggie whispered as a portion of the yacht’s hull slid open wide enough for Nick to expertly guide the speedboat inside.

Florescent lights turned on as soon as the tip of the bow was in. More flickered to life as Nick cut the engine and two deck hands jumped aboard and began to tie the boat down. It was lifted a few feet in the air and the hull behind them slid closed. There was the sound of loud pumps and the water under the boat was quickly drained out.

“After you,” Nick said, pointing to the hand being offered to Maggie by one of the crew members. “That’s Carl.”

“Dennis,” the man said. “He calls us all Carl.”

“Jesus,” Ben said. “You can’t learn their names, Nick?”

“No need,” Nick replied. “Like I said, I can’t afford this thing. I’m selling it ASAP, dude, so no need to learn anyone’s names.”

“If you can’t afford it then why did you buy it?” Maggie asked, smiling at Dennis as he helped her onto the short platform next to the boat.

“Buy it? I’d never buy this thing,” Nick said. He gave Ben a huge grin. “I won it. Fair and square.”

“Fai
r
an
d
square?” Ben asked. “Those words never apply to how you play cards.”

“Not cards,” Nick said. “Russian roulette.”

Ben nearly stumbled and fell from the platform as Dennis helped him up as well. He turned and looked over at Nick as the man jumped effortlessly next to him.

“Have you lost your mind?” Ben asked.

“Me? Nope. But the guy that lost to me did,” Nick said. He spread his arms wide, which other than his blindingly bright smile, seemed to be his trademark feature. “Was my luck good or what? Told you the name fits.”

Maggie shook her head. “Can we get the bags? I want to change out of these damp clothes.”

“Let me show you to your cabin, my good friends,” Nick said. “The Carls will get your bags. Although, I think we should toss Ben’s overboard. I know he only brought jeans and t-shirts. That just won’t do on such a beautiful vessel as this.”

“So you want me to walk around the ship naked for the next couple of days?” Ben asked. “I know you’re a little loose on your sexual preferences, but I have no plan to let you ogle my junk on my vacation.”

“No ogling will occur because I have outfitted your cabin with some of the finest suits that money can buy,” Nick said. “Only the best for my buddy.”

“Suits? Plural?” Maggie asked. “Was I supposed to bring dresses? I only brought one. Everything else is sweaters and pants.”

“Did you think I’d leave you out, Ms. Rodriguez-Kimura?” Nick said, looking hurt. He put his hands to his chest. “I’m going to have to change your perception of me, I can see.”

“Knock it off, Nick,” Ben said. “Show us to our cabin so we can change. Then we’re going to sit down and you’re going to tell us exactly what the bloody hell is going on.”

“Bloody hell?” Nick laughed and gave Maggie a wink. “Uh-oh, Benny Boy must be really irritated with me if he’s pulling out the Brit slang.”

He put an arm around Ben’s shoulders and one around Maggie’s.

“Come on, guys, relax,” he said. “I promise that you are about to have the time of your life. Trust me.”

9.

There was a knock at the door and Wagner sighed. He pushed the plate of food across his desk and leaned back.

“Enter,” he said.

The door opened and a guard ushered Dr. Glouster inside.

“How goes the work on keeping that thing from eating more of my men?” Wagner asked.

“Not as well as I would like,” Dr. Glouster said, standing in front of the desk. “This ship’s systems are not compatible with the systems I have in place in the tank. You thought you did your homework, Mr. Wagner, but you did not.”

“Doc, listen, the only reason I left you alive and brought you with me is because you said you could control that thing,” Wagner said. He opened a drawer, pulled out a pistol, and set it next to the plate of food. “If you can’t control it then you are dead weight.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t control it, Mr. Wagner,” Dr. Glouster said. “I said the ship’s systems are not compatible with the tank’s systems. I believe I know a way to make them compatible. But I will need some time and a few of your best techs.”

“Techs I have plenty of,” Wagner said. “Time I don’t. We will reach our destination in three days. Then I hand off that tank and it’s not my problem. What is my problem is that thing killing my men. I need it fixed now. Not in three days, bu
t
no
w
. Can you do that or not, Doc?”

“No,” Dr. Glouster replied. He was smiling. “But fixing it isn’t the problem. Your men being killed is. I suggest we look at this another way.”

“And what way is that?” Wagner asked.

“I suggest we leave the tank open,” Dr. Glouster said. “That vault is more than able to hold the creature. To feed it, we open the top hatch in the vault and drop down the food. The creature will remain in its tank because it must in order to survive. While it is fast, it cannot scale four decks fast enough to get out. I assume you can open the inner hatch remotely?”

“I can,” Wagner said and smiled. “Good plan, Doc. We open the top hatch, drop in some goats, close the top hatch, then open the vault hatch and let the barnyard slaughter begin.”

“Precisely,” Dr. Glouster said.

“You figure out how to get those uniforms out of the tank yet?” Wagner asked.

“I have a solution, yes,” Dr. Glouster said. “Which is why I am here.”

“Oh?” Wagner replied, surprised. “The improvised feeding chute wasn’t the real reason?”

“It was one reason,” Dr. Glouster said. “But that was an easy fix compared to the issue of removing your men’s clothing before it clogs up the filtration system.”

“Spill it, Doc,” Wagner said. “I’m all ears.”

“I will need a distraction,” Dr. Glouster said. “We will need to lure the creature from the tank so one of your men can go in and remove the clothing. Once that is accomplished, we will need to lure the creature back into the tank. That part should not be hard as the creature prefers it in the tank. It is its safe place.”

“Safe place?” Wagner laughed. “This thing sounds like a spoiled college freshmen with trigger issues. Safe place, my ass.”

Dr. Glouster coughed softly and waited. Wagner looked the man straight in the eyes then shook his head.

“No,” Wagner said.

“Excuse me?” Dr. Glouster asked, his turn to sound surprised. “Did you say no?”

“I did, Doc,” Wagner said. “I’m not risking more of my men. Do we really need the filtration system if we’re leaving the tank open? Can’t it get air from there?”

“You killed a lot of goldfish as a kid, didn’t you?” Dr. Glouster glared.

“I killed all kinds of things as a kid, Doc,” Wagner replied. “It’s why I do what I do.”

“The filtration system is already compromised,” Dr. Glouster said. “If we do not clean it out soon then the entire environmental system will collapse and the creature will have maybe twenty-four hours before it dies from the toxicity levels that will build up in the tank. As much as I have enhanced it, it is still a living being and susceptible to harm from a toxic environment.”

“Then what freakin’ use is it?” Wagner barked. “The whole world is a toxic environment! The thing needs to toughen up if it’s going to do the jobs it’s been built to do!”

Dr. Glouster took a couple of steps back. He composed himself then stepped forward to his previous position.

“Mr. Wagner, how will it look to NCDC if you allow the creature to die on your watch?” Dr. Glouster asked. “Will they care that you refused to risk your men's lives? Did they hire you to keep your men safe or did they hire you to deliver an asset that is worth millions? Possibly billions if it is fully successful and I am able to recreate the process on a larger scale.”

“Those are good questions, Doc,” Wagner said. “And we both know the answers to them.”

Wagner took a deep breath and held it. He let it out slowly through his nose, creating a whistling effect that visibly annoyed Dr. Glouster.

“How many men do you need?” Wagner asked.

“At least four,” Dr. Glouster said. “Two to lure it out of the tank and two to go in and clean the filtration system. It shouldn’t take more than five minutes. But it would be advisable to have several more outside the vault. Just in case.”

“Just in case. Right,” Wagner said with a distrustful smirk. “Why don’t we just tranq it? I know you’ve done that before.”

“The move has put the creature under great stress,” Dr. Glouster said. “If I were to use tranquilizers then there would be a considerable risk of the creature dying. Its body cannot handle the amount needed to incapacitate it.”

“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you, Doc?” Wagner said. His eyes were cold, but Dr. Glouster met them.

“I am supposed to have an answer for everything,” Dr. Glouster said. “It is why I am paid what I am paid. Or was. I doubt I’ll be paid the same once you hand me over to NCDC.”

“Not my problem,” Wagner said and picked up the pistol from the desk. Dr. Glouster stiffened. Wagner’s smiled widened. “Relax.” He placed the pistol in the desk drawer and pulled the plate of food back to him. “Anything else?”

“No,” Dr. Glouster said. “I’ll get started right away. Please inform your men that I will be directing them and they need to listen to my orders. If they do not listen, and hesitate in the slightest, they will not make it.”

“Of course,” Wagner said and nodded at the door. “Keep me posted, Doc.”

Once the doctor had left, Wagner pushed his food away again and opened a different drawer. He pulled out a satellite phone and quickly dialed a number.

“This is Wagner. I need to speak to Ms. Marion,” Wagner said. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll hold.”

He tapped his fingers on the desk as he waited. Several minutes went by and Wagner began to get impatient. His annoyance level rose to the point where he almost hung up.

“Mr. Wagner? Is everything alright?” a woman’s smooth, almost soothing voice asked on the other end of the phone. “I wasn’t expecting a call from you so soon.”

“I think we have a problem with Dr. Glouster,” Wagner said.

“No hello?” the woman asked.

“What? Oh, right, sorry. Hello, Ms. Marion,” Wagner said.

“I thought you had handled the issue of Dr. Glouster by allowing him to think you spared his life in exchange for his help,” Ms. Marion said. “Is he not helping?”

“He is, but I don’t trust the guy,” Wagner said. “We’ve had a couple of hiccups already. How close are your lab people to learning the process for making another creature like this?”

“Close, but not close enough,” Ms. Marion said. “I would prefer you keep Dr. Glouster alive long enough for us to interrogate him and make sure we have all the nuances of the process in hand. Can you do that for me, Mr. Wagner? Can you use your skills to keep one man alive? I know you prefer to kill, and you will get to kill Dr. Glouster, but for now I need you to do the opposite.”

“Yeah, I can keep the guy alive,” Wagner said. “But if I catch a sniff of him trying something, I will not hesitate to feed him to his own creation.”

“Try something? Such as?” Ms. Marion asked.

“I don’t know,” Wagner said. “But I think the project advanced further than I thought. Those hiccups we had today looked like accidents, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

“You think the doctor has control of the creature?” Ms. Marion asked.

“I think the two of them have a relationship of some kind,” Wagner said. He laughed at his words. “I know how that sounds, but think of it like a dog and his master.”

“That is how I think of most things, Mr. Wagner,” Ms. Marion said. “And like a good dog, I expect you to protect the project and make sure it is not compromised.” There was silence for a couple of seconds. “If you know for sure that Dr. Glouster will prevent you from accomplishing those goals then I authorize his sacrifice. It will put us behind, since I am not confident we have all of his files, but it is better than him sabotaging the work.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Wagner said. “I will do everything I can to keep things under control and exactly as planned. But it makes me rest easy knowing I have the option of removing Dr. Glouster from the equation.”

“Is there anything else, Mr. Wagner?” Ms. Marion asked.

“No, ma’am,” Wagner replied. “Next time you hear from me we will be about to arrive at the NCDC facility.”

“And that is al
lI
needed to hear, Mr. Wagner. Goodbye.”

“Yeah, good—” Wagner started to respond, but the line was dead in his hand before he got the first word out. “Bitch.”