Kraken Rising

CHAPTER 35

Alex stopped to unzip and then pull his suit down to the waist. Turning slowly, he saw Cate lagging behind and staring up at the column-like trunk of some sort of huge fungi. She smiled and nodded, and he understood exactly what was captivating her — the place they were in was beautiful, wondrous, and also terrifying. Everything he saw was larger than it should be, or its alien shapes defied being compared to anything that existed on the surface. If someone invented a time machine, and they stepped out in one of the most prehistoric of ages, this is what it would be like.

Alex remembered feeling exactly like Cate did now. He too had marveled at this world. But now, the only enjoyment he could draw from his time in this subterranean hell was that it had given him the opportunity to first meet Aimee. Everything else here was colored dark, as he knew that behind all the wonders lurked monsters, real monsters.

He watched Cate smiling and nodding at some other thing she had found. She could be a pain in the ass, but he couldn’t help liking her — strong willed, intelligent, resourceful, and with a sharp sense of humor — exactly the attributes that had first drawn him to Aimee. He looked up to the cave ceiling hundreds of feet above them, thinking of her. At least this time you’re safe at home, he thought.

Looking back to his companion, he noticed that Cate had pulled her wetsuit back up, even though he guessed her body streamed with perspiration like his own. She turned to him, and raised an eyebrow.

“That’s some wetsuit.”

He looked down at his pulled down suit — the tough looking material was more than a wetsuit, but also had armor plating woven into its Kevlar fibers. But for all its protective characteristics, it was designed more to retain heat in a cold climate, and wasn’t ideal for eighty degree heat and humidity.

She shook her head. “It’s a good look, Hercules, but I wouldn’t take it off if I was you.”

Alex shrugged. “I’m losing too much fluid through perspiration.”

“Me too, but look.” Cate pointed a gloved hand at the weird stump of a plant. Then to the stem of another — the growths held spikes, bristles, or reaching tendrils. “See the tips of these thorns? That glistening drop on each is probably venom, and given these things and humans have probably never met each other, I’ve got to assume that it’s something we’ve never had to deal with.”

Alex grunted, and looked at a stump that had four-inch thorns. “Big defenses against big eaters.”

“Big herbivores, means big predators,” Cate replied.

“You got that right.” Alex pulled the suit back up.

They walked in silence for many minutes, Cate stopping to investigate a frond here, or something crawling in the bracken there. She jogged to catch up to him.

“Can you slow down a tad? My legs aren’t as long as yours, you know.”

Alex glanced at her. “No, sorry, you must try and keep up. Every minute we’re down here increases our chances of being detected.” He lifted his pace, making her need to trot now.

“Must be hard, huh? I mean on your loved ones,” she said, slightly out of breath.

Alex didn’t turn. “Yeah, hard.”

“Have you any? I mean, loved ones, back home? Family like?” she asked.

Alex stopped and turned. Cate almost crashed into him, before taking a step back. He didn’t know why, but the question angered him, maybe it was because he wasn’t sure himself.

She held up a hand. “Forget I asked. I get it. None of my business.”

“It’s okay.” Alex turned back, and continued. “I just don’t know the answer to that anymore.”

“Yeah, me either.” She skipped over a brackish puddle, trying to keep pace. “Hey, you said something back there.” She walked on, waiting, but when Alex ignored her, she went on.

“You said, every minute we’re down here increases our chances of being detected. I got the impression you didn’t think that was a good thing.” She increased her pace to be within one stride of him. “Detected by who… or what?”

Alex stopped so suddenly that Cate bounced off him. He spun to stop her falling, but also held up a hand to quiet her protests. He turned his head slowly. She waited, seconds stretching.

He had a familiar sensation deep inside, like when you had tried to remember something, but couldn’t, and then hours later the answer just popped into your head. Except now, what had suddenly manifested was his mind telling him that they weren’t alone.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“Someone,” Alex said, concentrating.

Cate followed his gaze, but probably saw and heard nothing. “You heard something?”

Alex continued to stare.

“Is it the Chinese team?” She breathed out the words.

“I don’t know, but it feels different.”

“Feels different; what does that mean?” She looked up into his face.

“It’s in the same direction as the signal, so maybe…” He inhaled deeply through his nose. “Not good.”

“What? Come on, I’m right here. This is my field, I can help.” She tugged at his arm.

Alex looked down at her. “There are things down here beyond anyone’s field, things that have not been studied by anyone, anytime.” He looked at her — her expression was a mix of annoyance and frustration. “But perhaps we’re the ones being studied.”

She blew air through her lips. “Don’t treat me like an idiot. Okay, I admit, I was wrong back there. I’ve studied many prehistoric aquatic habitats, and should have known better. But we should be safer now that we’re well away from the water.”

“That means nothing down here.” Alex shook his head, taking a few steps.

She folded her arms. “You said, every minute we’re down here increases our chances of being found. You haven’t explained that yet, and every second you don’t explain it, leaves me at a disadvantage. I know you’re hiding something.”

Alex exhaled and turned. “What exist down here, are not things from some fossil room at the museum. These things are real. These are the things from legend.” He had to trust her, he needed her judgement and expertise. “Have you ever heard of the Kraken legend?”

Cate frowned. “Pfft, sure, who hasn’t? The Norse legend of the many-armed beast from the depths. Pulled ships under and all that.”

He nodded. “When we first came, we had no idea what was really down here. Had no idea about this creature, the Kraken, or massive cephalopod anomaly, call it whatever you like. The bottom line is, I lost a good team mainly because we underestimated our enemy.”

“Enemy? This thing isn’t a combatant. If there is something like that down here, its just an animal, working on instinct.”

He half smiled. “It was working on instinct all right. But it was far smarter than anyone suspected. And something else.” He looked into her face. “I got the feeling it enjoyed what it did. I could sense it.” He stopped and scanned the dark blue jungle around them.

“Impossible,” Cate said quickly.

“Why not? Killer whales, cats, some primates, they all take great delight in tormenting their prey prior to killing it. Aimee… ah, a friend of mine, told me how smart these things are. Normal cephalopods are only limited by their short life spans. But this thing, this thing might be hundreds or even thousands of years old.”

Cate shook her head. “Unlikely.”

“Yeah well, I thought we killed it.” Alex shrugged. “Maybe we did and maybe we didn’t. And maybe there was more than one.” He turned back to the jungle. “It gave off an ammonia stink.” His face was grim. “And I can damn well smell it now.”

“You can?” Cate sniffed and then stared off into the gloom for another moment. “Hey, you know, thinking about it, there is some recent paleontological evidence that might be a precedent. A few years back, a researcher submitted some findings at a Geological Society meeting for evidence of the Kraken. Putting flesh on the bones of the legend, if you like. He had found some strange marks on the fossilized bones of another great creature of the time, called an Ichthyosaur — a forty-five-foot sea dinosaur of the Triassic period.”

Cate tapped her chin as she seemed to pull the details from her memory. “When they arranged the Ichthyosaur vertebrae, they noticed an odd patterning on the bones.” She stopped tapping and looked up. “Sucker marks. The scoring on the bones of the dinosaur resembled the sucker marks that would have been left behind by the tentacle of a giant cephalopod. One that would have been over a hundred feet long.” She tilted her head. “But, not everyone agreed with the report’s findings.”

“That researcher was more right than he knew,” Alex said.

Cate inhaled again, but shook her head. “I smell nothing… but okay, I’ll keep an open mind.”

Alex nodded, turning away. Just over the top of the plants, there was a cliff face that ended at the water line, its base covered by a stand of what looked like huge straight trunks or columns. He looked down at his signal locator, and then back up at the cliffs where they met the water.

“The signal’s coming from over there,” he said.

“The cliffs?” She got on her toes.

“Looks like it. But I think it’s more than a cliff. I think it’s a structure.”

As Cate watched, his expression clouded. “Strange,” he said. “I can still sense something… familiar.”

“The Kraken?” Cate frowned.

“No. Some… one.” He tilted his head, trying to form an image; not believing what his instincts were telling him.

“Who?” Cate crowded in closer to him.

“We have to move — fast.” Alex started to jog.