“Modified colossal squid?” Yvonne repeated. “What?”
“Mr Baker wanted a creature that could easily destroy ships,” Wayne began to explain. “The genetics team began to work on splicing the genetic details of a colossal squid with other animals. Tougher skin, sharper beak, that sort of thing.”
“Because of course he did,” Yvonne sighed. Her mind continued to swirl, trying to understand what was going on. The last minute had such an overwhelming amount of changes that it became difficult for her to stand. She stumbled to the bookshelf, shaking it as she rested for a moment.
“How can we get out?” John asked Wayne. “Are there any escape pods left?”
“Yes, though not many,” Wayne said. “About seventy percent of the staff have risen to the top of the sea. A distress beacon was sent out to one of your ships and it should be by in an hour.”
“Good, good,” John muttered. “Where is the nearest pod, then?”
“About three levels up, a hundred metres south. Two buildings over.”
“Then lets get going!”
John ran out of the office before anyone could object. The three followed after him, watching as he darted down one of the corridors and up a ramp. He didn’t get far by himself. John was already out of breath by the time he reached the first level, the others close behind.
He looked at them with obvious contempt, though didn’t say anything. It was clear what they all thought. About why he would run to the escape pod before them. About how quickly he would have launched it if he was first.
“What?” he said, wheezing. “I was just… making sure it was prepared.”
“Sure you were,” Yvonne said.
“Look I was only trying to… what was that?”
The creaking sound of metal rang out around them. They were in one of the connection points between the circular bases. Hallways. Nothing here but a thin metal tube and glass windows beside them.
Weak points.
Yvonne looked out of the window beside them. For the first time, she could see the full scale of Aqua Trident.
It was huge. Bigger than Harvard’s main campus. It covered multiple square kilometres of the ocean floor, attached with both flexible cables and steel beams. Large cylinders dotted the area, buildings for all kinds of research and relaxation centres. If this were built above ground, it would already be one of the most impressive institutions in the world.
To one side she could see a large square box-like structure. One side of it had a smashed and torn section. Coming from within.
The animal tanks. And that must have been where the colossal squid escaped from. So where could it have-
The hulking mass of tentacles stabbed into the sides of the glass. Claws dug into it, cracks beginning to line the clear surface. Dribbles of water seeped through as it smashed at it again and again.
“Run!” Yvonne yelled.
The four of them sprinted to the other end of the hallway. Just in time. The glass burst open. Water sprayed in, a torrential wave of ocean flooded the halls. Wayne made it to the doorway first, holding it open for long enough to let them all stumble through. Angela, then Yvonne, and soon John all bundled through as he sealed it. Though by the time he closed it, their ankles had been submerged in the cold liquid.
Yvonne peered through the sealed doors tiny window. The colossal squid began to fill the space. Its large red body wasn’t hindered by the enclosed and restrictive area. It darted its way towards them, snapping it’s beak.
The squid collided with the door. A loud stabbing noise rang out, it’s beak grinding away at the door.
“We don’t have long,” Angela warned. “It can break through the hull of a ship in minutes with that beak.”
“How much further are we from the escape pod, Wayne?” Yvonne asked.
“Another pod of buildings,” he explained. “Shouldn’t be much further. Especially with that run we had there. Come on.”
“Wait!” John called out. “Wait.”
“What is it, sir?”
“Just… let me catch my breath.”
“Now?” Yvonne said. “We don’t have time for this, Mr Baker. Your squid destroying this base and we have minutes to get out.”
“What is it with you, Yvonne?” John said. “You think I don’t know that? That the creature Angela created may very well drown us in my base? Honestly, you women demand so much of us. I’m simply trying to catch my breath so we can continue. Once I have done so, I will gladly run down those corridors to escape from this place. But until then, you are all staying here.”
“Mr Baker,” Angela said quietly. “Please. We can keep the pod ready for you. If you need some more time–”
“Shut up, Miss Davidson!” he yelled. “I haven’t forgotten that this is your mess. You’d be good to stay quiet and do as your told. For once.”
He looked down, suddenly silent. Then, he chuckled. As if this whole thing were funny.
“You know I never should have listened to you,” he began. “I had a rather good scientist lined up for me. A man named Dr David Smith. A brilliant individual. That doctor was the foremost expert on marine life. He could have delivered results. He could have reduced the number of dead sea creatures we experimented on, thus keeping this operation secret. He wouldn’t have gotten us into this mess.”
John glanced up at Yvonne, curious.
“Do you know Dr Smith? I haven’t heard much of him in recent years.”
“Mister Smith,” she started, “Had his doctorate revoked after he performed horrible experiments on the animals he was supposed to be caring for. Around five years ago. And the scientific community celebrated his dismissal. Especially after all the misconduct allegations he had against him.”
“Allegations?” John said. “Ah, how bad. Terrible to see a man’s career ruined by baseless allegations.”
“I was one of his victims,” Yvonne clarified, staring straight at John.
He looked up to her, embarrassed.
“Ah,” he began. “Well, I… I didn’t know. I am… well, I’m sorry to hear that because uh… you know I feel a lot more energetic now. Why don’t we continue along?”
Mr Baker stood up and hurried along. Not running, but staying at a pace that kept him ahead of everyone else. Wayne followed after him, though stayed a small distance behind.
Yvonne sighed and caught up with them. Angela stayed by her side.
“I was one of his students,” Doctor Davidson said to her. “Taught me nearly everything I know. He was a genius, in a way.”
“Genius doesn’t excuse what he did,” Yvonne said.
“So I’m not excused either?” Angela asked. “After all I did here, I’m as guilty as him. In a matter of speaking.”
“You’re young, Dr Davidson. You were taught by a bad man and employed by a worse one. All at a pivotal stage in your career. Have you messed up? Perhaps. But not because of anything you are guilty of. When we get out of here – and we will get out of here – I can take you on as an apprentice and teach you more than Smith or Baker could ever.”
Angela looked up to her, eyes filled with wonder. She smiled and nodded.
As they made it to the end of the final corridor, they saw groups of scientists cram into the second last pod. One of them hit a button and they shot out into the ocean.
Just one left. Enough for four people.
Wayne began unsealing the door. A warning flashed up on the screen as he did so, alerting him of a danger within. As he tried to read it, John bolted through the opening and over to the pod. His exhaustion from earlier had clearly evaporated.
“John, wait!” Wayne called out. “This rooms got a build up of pressure. It’s not safe!”
But before he could make it halfway along the massive interior of the escape room, a pipe beside him burst. Water sprouted into the room, the force of a fire hose hitting the man as he flew to the side. He yelped out in pain, grasping at his leg.
“My leg!” he yelled. “My leg! I can’t feel my leg!”
Wayne rushed to his side, Yvonne and Angela close behind. He inspected the leg with a worried look. Blood began to seep into the rapidly rising water. He tore off a part of his shirt to patch it up, but it was a deep cut. Wayne grunted as he tightened it.
“What are you doing, Wayne?” John complained. “Help me get to the pod! We don’t have much time!”
“I’m trying to fix this, sir,” he said. “If I were to carry you with this injury you’d loose a lot more blood. I can’t accept that risk while I’m with you.”
“Just do it! That’s an order!”
While the two of them argued, Yvonne and Angela ran to the last pod, preparing it for launch. It hissed open like the jaws of a great animal, ready to fly up into the sky. Even with all that was happening around them, Yvonne couldn’t help but be amazed at how spacious and comfortable the space was.
They bundled inside. Angela began hitting buttons to set it up for a quick launch. Yvonne kept the door open, watching as Wayne lifted John on his shoulders and started to carry him. John kicked and screamed, blood pouring out of his leg like a leaking barrel. Wayne ignored the attacks, wading his way through the ever flooding floor.
After just five metres of walking, a massive tentacle appeared from one end. The door to the room was still open. It’s fangs clawed at them, tearing down all the equipment from it’s stores. A piece of debris hit Wayne, knocking him to the ground and under the water.
Angela ran out of the pod and over to Wayne. She raised him out of the water and began performing a quick health check. No water had entered his throat, thankfully, but he was knocked unconscious. She started to drag him over to the pod.
John, standing up, shoved them both to the side and stumbled his way over to the pod. Angela fell back, still holding Wayne above water. John fell into the pod and shut the door, blocking the outside. He glared up at Yvonne as she stood by the controls.
“Get us out of here,” he demanded.
“Not until we have the others,” she said. She couldn’t move. If she tried to open the latch, John would hit the escape launch and they’d leave the others to die.
“Who cares if they live? They’re the ones who caused this mess. It was their terrible security which let the animals escape. It was their unethical experiments that turned innocent sea creatures into slaves. It was their actions. And they deserve to drown in it.”
“No, Mister Baker,” Yvonne said. “It’s your base. It’s your people you hired. It’s your tight schedules that demand results which leads to events like this. It’s your drive to control the entire trading business that had killed countless people. Everything here is on you. Not them. You.”
They glanced out to the door. Angela and Wayne – who seemed to have recovered – ponuded their fists at the window. Though they couldn’t hear their words, they could see how much they begged to be let in. The tentacles of the squid were getting closer. Close enough to start slapping them and tearing them apart.
“Get out of the way, Miss Harding,” John threatened. “Get out of the way and let me launch the ship. We won’t survive if we stay.”
“I won’t let you.”
“Miss Harding!”
He threw himself at her. But with his poor strength, lack of skill, and bleeding leg, Yvonne easily deflected the blow. She hit him in the side of the head. He tumbled back against one of the chairs, knocked unconscious.
“That’s Doctor Harding,” she muttered.
She reopened the door, and the other two tumbled inside. She closed the latch, hit the escape button, and they flew up to the surface of the ocean. She collapsed against the soft chairs, feeling an immense pressure on her as they flew up and up. The G-Force pushed hard on them as they saw the sun light begin to return.
Their pod jumped out of the air for a moment, before crashing back down onto the flowing waves. Angela looked out of the window and began to cry. Yvonne smiled up to her and glanced over to Wayne. He was looking at John.
“I saw you hit him,” he said, turning to her. “You could get in serious trouble for that.”
Yvonne raised an eyebrow.
“But I suppose,” he continued. “It was pretty hectic down there. And I got hit in the head. Maybe I saw things.”
He smiled up to her, and she grinned back. She laid back against the couch, feeling rest take over her as she fell asleep.
#
“… And it is due to these reasons,” Yvonne finished typing. “That I believe that the underwater base known as Aqua Trident should be destroyed, along with all the research that it obtained.”
She sighed and leaned back in her office chair. She’d been surprised how much she missed this place. She was so used to being out in the open ocean that she hardly stayed around here anymore. But after the two weeks had passed since what became known as ‘The Aqua Trident Incident’, she decided to take a temporary break from any outgoing research.
She, along with hundreds of the employees who managed to escape, had provided multiple accounts of what had occurred on that base. An investigation was currently underway as to what caused the events to occur. But as far as anyone could tell, there was no evidence of foul play. No sabotage, no espionage, no anything. The base simply failed to operate in the way it should have.
Around twenty people died. Most of them weren’t even scientists. It was the plumbers and technicians who kept the place running. The first line of defence.
Yvonne made sure to include their names in the report.
She heard a knock at her door. Yvonne frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone to pop by today. All her lectures had been postponed while she wrote the report and recovered. She stood up and opened the door.
“Hi, Yvonne!” Doctor Davidson said.
“Angela!” Yvonne smiled, hugging her. “Glad to see you doing well.”
“Oh, I’ve been better,” she smiled. “May I come in?”
“Of course, of course. Make yourself comfortable. Feel free to use the water cooler.”
She appeared much taller now. No longer slouched down and quiet. Ever since John had been placed in custody for his crimes, she had begun to delete all of the files of her research. They agreed that even if the results were useful, their means were beyond sick.
She did have to spend some time in prison. She wasn’t free from her crimes, as much as Yvonne protested on her behalf. Yet it was a reduced sentance. Her lawyer was able to explain that the duress placed on her was overwhelming and could cause her to do things she wouldn’t normally do.
Yet now, out of prison, she was a changed woman.
Angela took a cup of water and sat on one of the couches.
“There have been no reports of the animals escaping, thank goodness,” she began. “Though the squid is still unaccounted for. Should be harmless, though. Once the power failed, the signal shut down and they stopped acting agrovated.”
“That’s good to hear. And how about Wayne? He doing alright?”
“Job-seeking, but otherwise fine.”
“Glad to hear it. He wasn’t all that great, but he proved himself in the end. Hope he ends up somewhere good. But I assume you’re not here to gossip. What can I do you for?”
“Well…” Angela said, shifting in her seat. “When we were on the base, you offered me a job to work as your assistant. And, given I’m also between work, I was wondering if that offer still stood?”
Yvonne smiled.
“Doctor Angela Davidson,” she said. “I’d be more than honoured.”
The End
Thumbnail Courtesy of ‘Pexels Free Photos’
Cheesman Chronicles 
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