8.Feb.09
Summer Waters
Chapter Three:
Sighting
“Calm down! CALM DOWN!” Alaina yelled trying to pull the panicked people aside. Not to see the empty pod for she was the one that discovered it that way, but to give the Skipper room to breath and talk. Most of the other Divemasters and ship’s crew on deck were also trying to get some form of order back.
Alaina really should have seen what was about to happen and maybe in the back of her mind she did know what was coming. But all her attention was focusing on what was in front of her. Not behind her where the still open gate, forgotten in the excitement of when the pod had been pulled up on the great vessel, and the rope ladder to the sea level was still there as well.
All it took was one shove, an elbow in the gut and Alaina stumbled to get her breath back before tying again to yank the researcher away. Her foot slipped on the edge of the slick deck and kept on going down. Dark brown eyes became wide as Alaina frantically tried to both straightened up and grab the nearest rail.
The Divemaster’s fingers brushed the metal of the rail as gravity took over. Alaina had one last look at Willem, her friend’s expiration turning to panic as he realized what was happening.
Time snapped back into place and Alaina let out a short scream before sucking in air and twisting at the same time so when she plunged into the dark waters it was feet first. She knifed down rather deeply thanks to the almost thirty foot drop from the deck above.
The water was colder then Alain was use to, more so sense she was still in her pajamas, shorts and a tank top, not a wet suit. It was as she was orientating herself that some instinct or something subconscious, but Alaina opened her eyes. The saltwater stung like a hundred tiny pinpricks but she couldn’t close them.
Alaina was transfixed with a mixture of disbelief, awe and terror. Everything in her mind seemed to have shutdown, the automatic motion of her hands treading the water stilled and she stopped mid-kick.
Twin, blood red oval shaped…eyes? They glowed brightly in the darkness of the night time waters like gems… they were not even ten feet away and staring straight into Alaina’s own eyes. Almost like they were looking into her and reading everything about her past.
That alone was scary enough…
Even in the dark, the woman could see the general shape of the creature. With exception of the glowing eyes it seemed even darker then the back drop of reef behind it. It was humanoid in shade, massive triangle like ‘wings’ on the back and a long, wiping tail could also briefly be seen. Over all it was remarkably streamlined and almost radiated barley contained power.
It was still looking right at Alaina, giving off the impression of mild interest as she drifted closer.
Wait
a minute!
The currant…it was starting up again from slack and bringing her with in even closer reach of the monster!
Reality came crashing back into place with that frightening realization in the form of the burning need for air. Panic came as she clawed the water to get back to the surface as she felt cold, smooth metal wrapped around her furiously kicking legs as well as par of her torso.
Alaina couldn’t help the involuntary yelp, letting precious air escape as she struggled for freedom. She honestly thought she was going to be dragged back down deeper as reruns of old cheesy movies with water monsters replaying in the back of her mind.
Alaina didn’t expect to be shoved upwards. Something sharp brushed against her stomach as the monster’s grip loosened before letting go.
She broke the surface and gasped in air as she fought to keep herself up and find the boat. Or preferably one of the pangas that were still in the water. People were yelling down at her but she ignored them in favor of holding her breath again so she could look back underwater, searching for those glowing red eyes of the metal monster.
They were still looking back at her, almost right under her!
Alaina yelped out right and jerked up. She heard someone yell at her to swim and Alaina didn’t give it a second thought, fallowing the order with vigor. The swim though, was strangely harder then earlier that day, or was it the day before at this point?
“Aw crap…” The Divemaster almost whined, the ocean current! It was picking up faster then she could swim. A life preserver with a rope tied to it splashed down a meter in front and slightly to her right. Alaina put another surge of energy into her kicks and storks to get to it.
It seemed like all she could do was to stay a mere foot away from the float now. Alaina’s energy reserves and oxygen was starting to run low as her endurance started to ebb away. She was oblivious to the second splash as one of the other Divemasters plunged in, another rope tied to his middle.
Willem’s sudden appearance surprised Alaina enough that she stopped swimming for a moment, but it cost her another foot and a half. She tried to regain it back as Willem reached out, on hand grasping the float the other stretched out.
“Alaina grab on!”
What does it look like I’m trying to do?! The woman thought indigently as she started to slow down again. Panic was rising again born of fear from both the increasing current and the reality that that monster was still right below them. It was shoved to the side for the moment as Alaina struggled to get within grasping range of hand or…or…!
“Swing your legs out!” Alaina gasped out at the same time the cool metal from before slide around her hips and she found herself under water again, but only a couple of inches.
Those glowing red eyes from before were there still, but not solely fixed on Alaina anymore. The monster was in mid water, powerful thrusters on its back coming to life to keep it there. Alaina could feel the vibrations more then she could hear them, a deep thrumming in her chest that would have made her heart speed up if it hadn’t already been frantically trying to keep up with her.
As Willem twisted franticly in the water, thinking his friend had gone under for an entirely different reason, Alaina found her self pushed forward again. She saw the leg and latched onto it, trying to pull herself up again. The other Divemaster did that for her, hefting her up to his shoulders and unknowingly pulling her out of the now loose grasp of the creature below.
A panga swung in along side of the two as they were being pulled back to the ship. Hands reached out and pulled the two Divemasters in. Questions of if they were alright were fired off in English, Spanish and German.
Willem nodded as he inhaled deeply. “Si, I’m okay…’Laina?” he looked the woman that was sprawled on the floor of the panga, one of the deck hands was trying to help her back up. His hands held her shoulders firmly, holding the woman up as she gave up on doing that for herself, too busy sucking in air to do more then lightly thump the bottom of the panga and make a week, yet clear ‘okay’ sign.
“Rico,” Alaina tugged on the shirt of the man who hadn’t stop supporting her, even now as they were back on the ship.
“Vat?” He looked down, unfazed with carrying the shorter young woman to medical, where she’d be looked over.
“I need to talk with the Skipper,” Alaina looked up, her face a mix of emotions. She was shaking too, from both the aftermath of an adrenaline high as well as left over fear that had nothing to do with the current she had been fighting against, “Now.”
…
Alaina couldn’t stay still anymore. She paced the length of the wheel house and back, tightening her hold on the blanket that was given to her. She couldn’t remember who had gone down to her shared cabin and gotten her some light sweat pants and a t-shirt.
Rico looked at her again, still concerned, “Ya sure ya don’t want to zit?” His duel ascent was thicker than normal, from both the lack of sleep and the early hour.
“I can’t…” Alaina muttered but stopped pacing. The fear was still there and she shivered at a combination of resent memory and the thought of the red eyed monster somewhere under the Particle Plantation.
Movement on her peripheral made her turn. Rico reached out as he stood and pulled the divemaster into a hug.
That seemed to do the trick. Alaina sighed and put her head against the man’s chest, she listened to his heart beat and it seemed to calm her down.
“Ya okay?” Rico asked after a few minutes, resting his chin on the top of the woman’s head. Part of him took a little pleasure out of their position but Rico did his best to squelch the feeling. It was hard, coming from a family that drilled into their sons that they should always protect the other gender as well as having a high honor code.
“Am I nuts?” Alaina asked, her still wet hair making Rico’s shirt damp.
“I don’t think ya are.” Rico shook his head.
Alaina sighed deeply, but winced pulling away and lowering one hand to her middle, the other still holding onto Rico’s shirt. She pulled her hand away and stared stupidly for another moment. Than she cringed as she saw the long, red stain and the realization that it was blood making her become away of the new pain.
“Vat da?” Rico’s odd accent slipped a little more as he started to reach but yanked his hands back.
Alain however had no problem pulling her shirt up enough to expose the lovely new red mark that started just above her left hip and across her belly up to the right side of her rib change. The skin wasn’t quite broken all the way but in patches so the mark would most likely burse more than scab.
How had she missed this?
The after affects of adrenaline leaving probably, that and she really hadn’t been paying attention when changing. Her body moving on automatic as her mind still reeled over what had happen.
Than, Alaina remember the feeling of something hard and pointed scraping over her middle when the red eyed monster had let her go at the surface.
“Goddness!” Dr. Sarah Long exclaimed as she and Dr. Charles Paterson came into the wheel house. The older woman hurried over to inspect the damage.
“I think so,” Alain nodded, but winced a little.
“Are you up to telling us what you saw?” Dr. Paterson asked coming over, grateful when Alaina pulled her shirt back down. “The Captain is staying up top to keep order.”
Alaina nodded before shamelessly edging over to Rico before taking a deep breath. She thought for another minute trying to put her earlier ramblings into clearer word.
“It was huge,” She said at last, “And…bipedal.”
“What?” Dr. Paterson sat up in the chair he had unfolded, beside Sarah who was sitting down with a note book. Trust Dr. Long to always have a pad or book and pen for note taking.
“You know bipedal,” Alaina flapped her hands slightly, “Two arms, two legs….” She paused and her brown eyes unfocused as she tried to remember past the fear and see what had really been there. “It…looked like…it had wings almost.”
“Wings?” Dr. Long looked up, “What kind of wings.”
The young woman made a shape with her hands, “Not like a bird but triangles, roughly. They curved forward and there was a tail…I think…and…”
Rico moved closer to wrap an arm around Alaina as she trailed off.
“It’s okay,” Dr. Paterson leaned forward to place his hand on the divemaster’s, “Take your time.”
“It’s eyes were red,” Alaina spoke again and tried to space her hands apart but the combination of burring sight under water and how the water itself tended to magnify things made it a little hard so she had to estimate some, “They glowed….but it wasn’t a reflection like how the eyes of some fist refract dive lights making them look like they’re green…they were glowing.”
“Dr. Paterson sir!” a crewman rushed in, startling everyone. Dr. Long’s pen jerked over her pad, Charles started out of his chair and Alaina did a marvelous job of impersonating a leach on Rico’s side. “Sir you have to see this!” The man practically dragged the owner of the ship out the door.
The remaining three exchanged baffled looks before Sarah stood and fallowed. Rico hesitated long enough to shift Alain onto his back before fallowing as well. The young woman tightened her hold on his shoulders as they came back down to the deck.
“My heavens…” Dr. Long put a hand to her mouth as she stopped at the railing, her green eyes wide in disbelief along with many other.
“Vat is it?” Rico asked, using his size to push through. He shifted as Alaina sat up on his back, looking over his head.
“Oh my god…it’s a manta…” Alaina whispered, watching in fascination as a massive form gracefully swam in and out of the under water lights that had been turned on.
It wasn’t just a manta ray, nor the only one to take advantage of the lights. It was however, the largest anyone on the vessel have ever seen. The biggest manta spotted so far on the expedition was a good nineteen feet for pectoral tip to tip. This giant dwarfed both that one as well as the other five mantas that were dipping under the hauls of the Practical Plankton. This old man, for it had to be old at that size, was twice to three times bigger than the ones feeding on the plankton that was attracted to the lights.
The massive ray glided up to the surface and one pectoral fin lifted out of the water and fell with a splash before the creature slipped under the ship to the other side and vanished into the darkness. In its place two more mantas appeared in the glow under the catamaran as if waiting for the bigger one to leave.
Alaina, who had slid off Rico’s back to fallow the giant manta ray to the other rail, blinked. Her skin crawled across her shoulders before the eerie feeling of being watched by something unknown settled on her.