Chapter No. 20 Revelation of the Glory

A green light flashed on the control room's main instrument cluster, alerting Carl to the fact that the docking compartment hatch had been closed.

"The Hauptman's are back, sir."

With a smile of relief, Captain Stubens immediately issued orders to his helmsman. "Get under way, Carl. Take us out of here on the quickest course to deep water."

"That would be three four six," Henry said.

"Coming to three four six," Carl said. "Speed set at twenty five knots."

"Good. Keep an eye out for any vessels. I don't want any more surprises."

Henry saluted. "Aye, aye, captain."

"I'll be down in the docking compartment." Stubens paused before he opened the hatch to the control room. "In case you need me."

When the Captain disappeared down the hatch, Carl turned to Henry with an amused gleam in his eye and a smirk on his lips. Henry shook his head in mock disgust.

On his way down, Stubens ran into Wang and Stevens.

"What's the hurry?" Stevens asked him, noting his uncharacteristic enthusiasm.

"The Hauptman's have returned. I'm going down to see how they made out."

The two scientists followed the captain to the lower deck where they found Eric and Margaret peering through the docking compartment's observation window. The Hauptmans turned to glance at the three men and acknowledge their presence but quickly returned their attention to the window.

"We've got three of them trapped inside the docking bay," Eric said without turning around again. "I don't know if we can get them to enter the dolphin holding tank or not."

"What do you have trapped?" George asked, excitement--and frustration--welling in his voice.

Eric turned to him and smirked. "Why, the creatures of course. Isn't that what we went out to find?" He turned back to the window. "I don't know what the hell we're going to call them. They're unlike any species I've ever seen. The zoologists will have a field day with these creatures."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Goddamit George, see for yourself."

Eric and his wife allowed Stevens and Wang to look through the observation window. Stubens peered over Wang's shoulders. All three men's eyes soon ballooned with awe.

His face etched with confusion, Stevens turned to Eric. "Good God! What the hell are they?"

"Good question," Eric said, almost chuckling, "You're the marine mammal specialist, George. You figure them out."

"Why are we standing out here?" Wang calmly asked.

Eric's face took on the spectra of deep concern. "I wouldn't advise going in there. We have reason to believe that they're carnivores . . . and they've tasted human flesh."

All three men looked at Eric with incredulous expressions.

Stubens expressed his frustration by shaking his head. "That figures. How are we going to study them if they're sizing us up as prey?"

Wang was the first to turn back to the window. "Maybe, we can entice them into the holding tank with a seal."

"I think you're all assuming that they're killers," Margaret said with frustration showing in her voice. "If they were as blood thirsty as you're making out, they would have taken us. They sure as hell had plenty of opportunities."

"Ok," her husband said with a sarcastic tinge and matching grin. "Now what do we do: go in there and entice them with pizza?"

Margaret made a face at him. "Very funny, dear." She turned to look through the observation window, her face relaxing to a more contemplative expression.

Eric turned to Stevens. "Why don't you go in there, George? I'm sure they'd find you too tough."

"You're probably right, Hauptman; Even sharks ignore me."

Everybody laughed, except Margaret. She continued her observation of the creatures as if she thought she was going to miss something.

But their status had not changed; they were still seated on the docking ledge, looking around, making noises that sounded like singing, and acting as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"Maybe they would prefer something more tender," Margaret finally said without taking her eyes from the creatures. "I'm going to get out of my wet suit and see if I can get them to follow me into the holding tank."

"Are you crazy, Love? When they see your skin they'll go crazy."

"At my age, I'd be happy if anyone would get excited about seeing my skin."

Nobody laughed. Instead, they stared at her with quizzical expressions.

She laughed. "That was a joke, guys."

Her husband tried to smile but the attempt was anemic. "You're crazy, Love."

"Maybe not," she said. "Perhaps they'll appreciate seeing a female--something more like themselves."

Margaret sashayed to the hatchway and turned before leaving to flash a playful smile and shake her hips. "Hang around, fellows. The show will start in ten minutes."

After his wife left, Eric turned to the others. His face reflected a blend of confusion and concern. "She is crazy. Maybe she has the bends."

"She's excited," Wang said. "No scientist could be here and not be excited."

"Did you see any males?" Stevens asked Eric.

"No. I don't think there are any males in this species."

"How in the hell do they reproduce?"

"As I said, that's your department, George. You're the expert."

Stevens was thoroughly confused. He continued to stare at the creatures through the window, trying desperately to convince his mind that his eyes were playing tricks on him, that he was observing an illusion.

"How did you entice them into the docking tank," Wang asked.

Eric shook his head. "Oh, we didn't entice them. They followed us in." He waved his hand as if erasing a blackboard. "That's not exactly precise. We . . . they pushed us back to the ship."

All three men stared at him with expressions that elicited an explanation.

"Well, you see, they saved us in the volcanic shaft." Eric appeared embarrassed by the revelation. He ran his hand through his hair. "Well, I . . . we became trapped in the shaft and the creatures got us out. They pushed our sub back here and we . . . I have no idea how they knew the location of the Nautilus. You know, I don't understand why they allowed us to approach them in the cave. We examined them and they never moved. For some strange reason these three came with us."

Without saying anything, Wang wrote something on a piece of paper torn from a small notebook and handed it to Stubens. "Code this message and send it to Anderson."

"I had better wait until we're out of Ecuadorian territory. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention."

"Very well, Captain."

His face etched with concern, Stubens left for the control room.

Eric, George, and Wang stayed at the observation window.

After several minutes had passed the hatch creaked open and Margaret entered wearing a bright yellow bikini that more than adequately revealed her feminine charms. Stevens stared at her with more than clinical interest. Even Wang reacted with raised eyebrows.

They had good reason. Despite her age, Margaret was in great shape, the product of exercise and diet. An active job didn't hurt either. Her long silver hair draped down her back instead of being tied up in a bun, making her look ten years younger. The bikini subtracted another ten years.

But that was only the half of it. Her legs were lithe and nicely shaped with no signs of cellulite. Her breasts appeared firm under the thin fabric, gravity having been robbed by good pectoral development. Only her face showed signs of age,

Nobody was looking at her face.

Her husband's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Good grief, Love! Where did you get that . . . it doesn't leave much to the imagination."

"I've had it for quite some time," she said, coyly smiling back at him. "Where have you been?"

"Not paying attention," he mumbled.

She flashed a beguiling smile at the gawking men before entering the docking compartment hatch and standing just inside. The creatures turned to look at her, stopped making noise, but didn't move. She wasn't quite sure whether she should test their behavior, but there was no other way to get them into the holding tank where they would be easier to control. If they attacked her, the only way she could be rescued would result in their deaths. That was one scenario she was not willing to accept. They deserved her gratitude.

Gathering courage, she casually strolled to the edge of the docking ledge and jumped into the water. Without hesitation the creatures slithered into the water and swam after her.

"Open the holding tank hatch," Eric yelled at Stevens.

George punched a button on a wall module. A flashing red light indicated that the hatch was opening. Margaret swam through the hatch and the creatures followed her.

Eric waved his hand at George. "Close the hatch."

When the green light flashed on the control module, all three men rushed out to the hatchway that led to the holding tank. They quickly entered the compartment and moved to the railing on the observation ledge that ringed the tank. After a few minutes, Margaret surfaced and swam over to the ledge.

"See, Dear, they haven't eaten me yet."

"You be careful, Love. We have no idea what they might do if provoked."

"They just seem to be observing me," she said. "Maybe they're just curious."

"I don't think there's any doubt about that," Stevens said. "Why else would they have come to us?"

"Well," Margaret said, tensing her jaw. "Let's see just how interested they are in me."

She began swimming around the tank, and the creatures quickly followed her, mimicking her moves. The action had a mesmerizing effect on the men. They stood there in silence watching the four swimming figures circling the tank in a rhythmic aquatic dance, not understanding what was happening but appreciating it, nonetheless.

###

Two familiar light taps on his office door told Dr. Anderson that his secretary desired entrance.

"Come in."

Janice opened the door and quickly walked over to his desk. "Rawlings just decoded this message from the Nautilus."

He glanced up at her and then returned to looking at a paper. "Read it."

Janice pulled her reading glasses down from their usual perch on her head. "It says: Have captured three Aqua sapiens. Two adults and a juvenile. All females. Sorry about the orders. We had no choice." She looked up at him. "It's signed by Dr. Wang."

Anderson buried his face in his hands.

"What's an Aqua sapien?" she asked.

He looked up at her with strain showing in his eyes, but he didn't answer her question. "Inform Talliman that I want to see him as soon as possible."

Janice turned to leave the room, but Anderson wasn't through with her. "What ever you do, don't tell anyone about that message."

Her face twisted with indignation. "Nothing marked confidential ever goes beyond these walls."

Anderson nodded and his secretary turned and marched out in a huff. He slowly extracted his lanky frame out of his plush leather chair and trudged to a window. About to retire for the night, the sun hung low on the horizon, its golden rays skimming across the blue waters of the Pacific in glistening reflections. He watched sea gulls lazily settling into landings on the glimmering beach, only to take off again to scan the sea for careless fish. How he wished that this peaceful scene would never end.

Alas, peacefulness was not to be. With the reception of that message life had just become a great deal more complicated.