Andee the Aquanaut

Chapter Two Manhattan Island

Chapter Two

Manhattan Island

Dark thunderous skies dominated the city’s financial district; a torrential downpour bounced off sidewalks and New Yorkers raced to get out of the storm, taking refuge where they could. A tall slender woman hurried down the street then stopped at a café. Shaking off her umbrella, she stepped inside.

“Hey, Tony,” she said softly, “can I get a cappuccino to go, please.”

“Sure,” Tony replied. “Coming right up, Imogen.“

Imogen rapped her nails anxiously on the counter, glancing at the drenched people sitting at tables. She flicked her eyes to a clock on the wall – 8:58 am. Her meeting was at nine and it was still another fifteen minutes’ walk to get there. She sighed, pulling out her cell phone. She couldn’t be late. She was already on the watch list and if she didn’t produce results for the insurance company soon, she’d surely lose her job.

“Hey Rachel, it’s me, Imogen. Listen, I’m running late. I –”

Rachel’s muffled voice interrupted her, unimpressed.

“I know, I know,” Imogen apologised. “But this rain isn’t helping. Please, don’t start without me.”

“Imogen, Mr. Skinner doesn’t like to be kept waiting! And we’re already running behind!”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be there as quick as I can.” Imogen hung up, anxiously biting her lip.

Imogen Robinson was in her early thirties, an African-American woman with a tall slender frame, and long straight hair. She wore black framed glasses that went well with her red lipstick and dark eye shadow.

“There you go, Imogen.” A refill coffee cup hit the countertop.

“Oh, thanks, Tony,” Imogen smiled, turning to leave, but without warning she was startled by a slight tremor. The glass window of the café vibrated and coffee rippled in mugs as if a Tyrannosaurus rex were passing.

A woman gasped. “Oh my, what’s happening? Another earthquake?’

Everyone held their breath. Cups and saucers smashed to the floor. Then it suddenly stopped. There were loud sighs of relief.

Imogen checked the time, making a note of the tremor and how long it had lasted for. Then she left the café, hurrying down the street.

Moments earlier…

Across New York Bay past the Statue of Liberty and miles out to sea, the ocean’s surface sparkled, bathing in bright sunlight that pierced its way deep into the blue, silhouetting tubes of light. A shoal of fish darted to the shadows evading a three-meter tiger shark, snaking on the tips of its fins.

At the bottom of the seabed, sharks circled the ghostly wrecks of cargo ships. Debris scattered over the remains of a mining site – discarded containers and severed steel cables. Something buried beneath the sand flashed a golden glow. Then came a sudden vibration, an earthquake violently shuddering the seabed sending shock waves towards New York.

Coral rock crumbled away. A fifty-ton cargo ship groaned, sliding with the force of the quake, tipping into the shadows of a deep ravine. The ocean plumed in clouds of silt. A jagged head loomed from the murky depths, eyes on stalks followed by a muscular amor plated body, then colossal sized crab claws that could snip a human clean in half. Another appeared, then more scabrous shapes. An army of crabmen rose in a vacuum of bubbles from the seabed that was tearing apart revealing cavernous tunnels below. A strange alien language vibrated through the currents.

“Clak, nak, dak, fak,” rumbled the voice of Krackuess, the leader of the decapods as he pointed a serrated claw, ordering his army to get to work.

The misty silt cleared, exposing hundreds of monstrous sea creatures ripping open the seabed, destroying the continental shelf off the East Coast. The displacement of the continental slope would soon be catastrophic to New York City, causing a tsunami hundreds of feet high. An entire population would be wiped from the face of the Earth.

Imogen finally reached her meeting, quickly pinning a badge to her chest that read Deep Core Sea Mining Inc. OMI I Robinson (Oceanic marine investigations). She straightened her jacket and pushed on a heavy door.

“Ah, Miss Robinson. So glad you could join us after all,” snapped a stern voice. Important looking men and women sat around a large oval table with stony cold faces.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, everyone.” Imogen sheepishly took her seat.

“Now, if we can please get back to business.” Mr. Skinner shuffled through papers with bony hands. He was in his late sixties with thin gray hair slicked back, sharp pointed features and pale white skin that had never seen the sun.

“If you turn to page 52, you’ll see that the investigation has clearly ruled out foul play. The cause of this tragedy was indeed a rogue wave –”

Imogen spoke up in a croaky voice. “Sir, if I can stop you for a moment, I –”

“Rogue wave?” uttered a gruff voice from the back of the room. A tall man stood in the shadows.

“Who’s that?” demanded Mr. Skinner.

“Rogue wave?” repeated the voice. The man stepped into the light. He had a weathered face and shaggy dark hair and hadn’t shaved for weeks. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.

“Who are you?” Mr. Skinner snapped impatiently. “This is a private meeting. Rachel, call security and have this man removed at once!”

“That was no rogue wave,” the man continued. “I was there. I saw everything with my own eyes.”

“Who are you?” Imogen got up from her seat.

“I was working on one of the ships, missy! I saw those giant beasts and what they did to my ship and crew.”

“Beasts?”

“Sharks,” replied the man. “Giant sharks!”

“Sharks!” laughed Mr. Skinner. “Who are you? What is this? Some sort of prank? Leave this room immediately!”

“Security is on its way, Mr. Skinner,” Rachel confirmed.

“Giant sharks?” Imogen inquired.

“That’s right, mam. Bigger than cargo ships.”

“Those ships are 400 meters long,” interrupted a woman’s voice at the table. “You’re telling us the sharks were over 400 meters in length?”

“Yes.”

“Impossible!” snapped a male voice.

“Nonsense!” said another.

The boardroom erupted in disagreement.

“I’m telling you the truth because I was there!” shouted the man, stepping further into the light. I’m Captain Harry!” The room fell silent. “I was on the bridge when we came under attack from those monsters. I saw them with my own eyes. Pulling on the steel lines, tugging our ships down like they were nothing but bath toys!”

“What happened to you?” Imogen walked over to Captain Harry.

Captain Harry paused and his eyes softened, He looked at the floor then at Imogen. “I’m telling you we have a major problem here, lady. Those things out there weren’t human. They killed my men and took the gold! I heard a voice. I –”

Suddenly the boardroom doors burst inwards and security stood in the doorway with menacing faces.

“That man over there.” Mr. Skinner pointed a bony finger. “Get him out of here NOW!”

The guards marched across the room with furrowed brows. “You’re coming with us, sir. Please, this way.”

“Wait!” Imogen held out a hand.

“Miss Robinson, what do you think you’re doing?” demanded Mr. Skinner furiously.

“What do you mean ‘weren’t human’?” Imogen’s eyes searched Captain Harry’s face. “Who? It wasn’t just sharks? What voice?”

Captain Harry’s face turned white as if he’d seen a ghost and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. “Those things out there, they weren’t human. They looked like fish but like men as well. They controlled the sharks and they loaded the gold into the sharks’ jaws.”

The boardroom let out sharp gasps.

“Ridiculous!”

“What nonsense!”

“What’s going on here?”

“This is an outrage!” Mr. Skinner shouted, jumping to his feet. “Get this man out of here at once!”

The security guards grabbed Captain Harry’s arms, jerking him away from Imogen, marching him towards the door.

“Get your hands off me!” Captain Harry struggled.

“The voice?” asked Imogen, following him.

“I’ll never forget it,” Captain Harry shouted over his shoulder. “It pierced my soul.”

“What did it say? Who was it?”

“It sounded evil, like a witch. It said it’s time to go to phase three, then there was that laugh, I’ll never forget it for as long as I live – it sounded so sinister. Something’s coming, mam. This is not over yet! There’s more. You gotta warn people. You gotta –”

“Take that man away!” Mr. Skinner shouted.

The security guards dragged Captain Harry from the room. Imogen tried to follow them but Mr. Skinner stood in front of her with a snarl on his face. “If you leave this boardroom, Miss Robinson, you’ll be thrown off this investigation for good! I’ll have you fired. You hear me? You’ll never get another job in this city.”

“But Mr. Skinner I –”

“FIRED! Do you understand?” he growled, shifting his eyes like a wild animal.

Imogen lowered her head, backing away slowly, returning to her seat. “Sorry, Mr. Skinner.” She couldn’t afford to lose this case; she needed to prove it was foul play and not a rogue wave or the insurance firm she was working for would go bust, and she’d lose her job.