Chapter 3: Very delicious bait

#DeepOcean

    Not much food living in the sea...?

    I thought that was the most ridiculous statement because I had never been short of food since I had lived here. Though we did not have space to grow vegetables, I would travel once a month to stock up with many things that you would never starve as long as I was alive.

    But if I died, they could still get out of here by ship. It was only up to how lucky they were.

    If they made it out alive, I only wished for their happiness upon their return, but if they did not make it...

    I would have to express my condolences that some of them might end up inside the bellies of the megalodons.

    "Crunch." I took a bite from the red apple that had just been taken out from the fridge five minutes ago when I walked over to gather the equipment for feeding all the fish. I smiled, putting on a wetsuit, though I would not dive anywhere. I had no snorkel, just a wetsuit that would protect me from the cold when I was in the water.

    "You got up real early." I placed a bucket of raw fish to the side. It was a surprise to see Steve in the whale calf area. I glanced at my watch; it was just a little past seven o'clock. I did not expect that there would be others who woke up early besides Bernard and Eric. "I won't give you any bonuses, Steve. Unless you can make them healthier, then I might consider giving you a raise."

    "I'll do it even if you won't give me a raise."

    "Hmm."

    "Good morning, boss. Are those for me?" Steve pointed at the silver bucket, which was full of little fishes. They were for dolphins and the whales. I was going to feed them, but it seemed like someone was already on it in this pool.

    "If you want this, you need to show me a little something." I grinned and crossed my arms, looking at Steve, who was smiling. He patted the little whale's head back and forth, and it let out a high-pitched squeak as a greeting to me. A spray of water shot out from the blowhole on top of its head and splashed me a little. It impressed me so much that I had to clap for it.

    I handed the silver bucket over to Steve and rubbed the little whale's head when he brought it closer to me. Then, I changed the target to ruffle the hair of the younger man.

    "Work hard, please." Steve shook his face endearingly. He did not mind when I did that. I picked up another bucket and headed towards the dolphins. As soon as the fishy smell wafted forward, they all rushed towards me. "Hey, kids. Breakfast's ready."

    "Squeak!" Their high-pitched noises greeted me when I slipped into the water. I was a little startled by the cold of the deep-blue sea, but it was not enough to drive me out. I picked up the small fish and put the half-eaten apple on the dry floor. Then, I fed the fish to the dolphins which swarmed around me. I loved their cuteness as much as I loved teasing the sharks.

    "Hey, Ace. Your wound seems to be getting better, and you swim faster too."

    "Squeak," it squealed in response. I teasingly pouted and laughed when their slippery mouths gave me a smooch. They circled around and waited for their breakfast. When I was away, Steve and Bernard would take care of them, so I did not have to worry about whether they would starve to death.

    I was more worried about the monster who had just woken up.

    Bang!

    "Rampaging so early in the morning," I muttered, shaking my head at the crash that shook the cage. At a glance, I saw one long fin floating about. I recognized which one it was from the middle of the fin, which was slightly indented.

    If it was Dylan, there would be a scar on its back.

    "Good morning, Dy. Is it a nightmare that makes you so irritated this early in the morning?"

    Bang!

    "Oh, are you jealous because I kissed these dolphins? They're cute, not destructive like you." I tried to provoke the stupid shark which did nothing but use its head to bump into things. I caught a dolphin, tipped its face up, and kissed it on the mouth again. Its high-pitched squeak frustrated Dy. He circled around. If there had not been something in its way, Dy would probably have charged at me. "Don't be so loud. You are scaring them."

    "Squeal."

    "It's okay, kids. That is just a mean shark." I smiled to calm the dolphins down in front of Dy. I continued feeding the dolphins, and gently patting their heads. I turned back to the monster, who constantly asked for attention. It seemed like he was going to wake Dylan up to help him knock on the rail.

    I peeked at my watch. It was almost feeding time.

    "Take this first." I threw Dy a small fish, but he ignored me. He turned away as if he did not care, even though the bloody smell of dead fish should have alerted him. "You're being too hard to please."

    I murmured while glancing at the two brothers swirling around and threw a fish at Dylan. He swung back and bit it like someone had stuck a knife on its back. He was way more dramatic than his brother, and he made me laugh out loud because he was so funny in my eyes.

    "You guys are equally stupid." I heard the faint sound of teeth snapping together when I said that. He gave me a warning that if I refused to stop bad-mouthing them, one of them would jump up and snatch me. I threw them another fish. Dylan did not eat it this time. He swam away in frustration, leaving his older brother behind.

    I smiled, knowing what he was waiting for.

    I had something special for them every Tuesday.

    "Bernard, where's the beef that I brought?" I shouted to the person who was cleaning nearby. It was a surprise to see him. I thought he would rest and spend more time contemplating what had happened yesterday. "A big chunk of meat, almost as big as a whole cow."

    "Oh! It's in the meat storage room."

    "Can you please fetch it for me? Today's Tuesday."

    "Oh, today is Tuesday?! Oh God. Roger that, Mr. Sol. I'll handle it quickly!" Bernard was frantic for a moment. The word 'Tuesday' was like an order here. When I said, 'go get the meat', and reminded what day it was, everyone would know exactly what to do.

    It was a promise. We agreed that every Tuesday we would prepare something special for Dy.

    He seemed to love it ever since I had first given it to him.

    Bernard put a large piece of beef into a cart. He pushed it to the crane, which we used to drop bait down for Dylan and Dy. It was safer than having to throw it on our own and risk losing an arm. An employee almost went crazy once because he had thrown a dead calf into the water and Dy had lunged for him instead.

    A body soaked with blood and fearful reactions would be better than any dead animal.

    I pushed myself up from the dolphin pool and strolled along the walkway with Dy. I left Steve to feed the dolphins, and I helped Bernard load the meat into the crane, preparing to lure Dy closer. I could tell that he was hungry for the meat from his frustrated demeanor. There was not even a drop of blood dripped down, but I thought the smell alone was able to alert him easily.

    This was probably similar to crocodiles which were raised with chicken carcasses.

    "I'll go up on the crane."

    "You can't do that. If Dy misses, it'll bite your leg.”

    "It won't..."

    "If it knocks the crane down, you'll be in big trouble," Bernard sternly warned me, pointing to the new red-and-black crane. It looked sturdy enough to climb up onto. As it was extended into the water, however, no one dared to try it.

    Except for me.

    "You think too much, Bernard. They won't bite my leg.”

    "Sol!"

    "Okay, I'll sit and hang my legs as a lure, and you'll pull out the meat yourself." I patted his shoulder and ignored his warning. I jumped onto the giant crane and scrambled to the middle of it, near the grappling hook. I almost fell down when I tried to sit. Luckily, I could balance myself, otherwise Dy would have eaten me instead of the beef.

    My pale legs reflected on the surface of the water where the beast was circling. I hung my legs and looked into the unmeasurable depth. I bit into what was left of the apple and gave Bernard a nod to lift the crane up.

    The sound of the crane caught a bit of Dy's attention. He circled back, eyes fixed on the pinkish beef. I smiled, telling Bernard to adjust the grappling hook so the bait would be at an appropriate height. If Dy snatched the bait at a proper distance, he could devour this chunk of beef enjoyably. But if he jumped even higher...

    My legs would go into its mouth.

    "Come on. Come here and eat," I whispered. My lips curved into a challenging grin. How was it going to be this time? "It's mealtime, Dy!"

    I shouted at the water, looking for the monster who had disappeared into the water until I could not see its back. I swept my eyes back and forth in case he popped up from somewhere else. I shook the crane vigorously. The beef flapped about baiting the shark. All I got was silence. I kept my eyes on the rippling waves.

    All was serene, as if there was nothing...

    The water suddenly blasted as Dy jolted up. My heart was pounding with excitement!

    Chomp!

    His mouth opened wide enough that I could see how captivating it was inside. He jumped at a speed that was so fast that the tip of his snout lightly touched my toe. It was like I was stepping on him. Our eyes met, and I saw a pair of eyes full of challenge.

    I threw the apple into his mouth just to give him a lesson to eat more fruit instead of meat, and it was also a reward.

    If he had jumped with greater strength, I would have lost my legs.

    I smiled at the big fish, which sank back into the sea after getting what it wanted. Drops of water splashed all over Bernard who was on the walkway, and a little fell on my legs. The chilly touch on the soles of my feet made my heart pound. I recalled what I had read about the meaning of kisses.

    A kiss on the foot was a sign of allegiance.

    It was to show that they would solely worship that person.

    But with Dy, I think it might be a little different.

    It was a warning that he could kill me whenever he wanted, because if he had jumped harder than that, at this distance, he could easily take me down and tear me to pieces.

    But he did not.

    "Still want to play, don’t you, Dy?"

    ………………

    I went back to my room and removed my wet clothes from feeding the dolphins. Dy did not bother me anymore, probably because he got what he wanted, so he stopped his rampage. As for Dylan, he swam around like usual. This bad boy stayed under the deep ocean most of the time.

    He would come up when there was prey like me yesterday.

    "Five minutes late."

    "At least let me have a smoke." I rolled my eyes at Eric, who greeted me with an accusation the moment I opened the door to the control room. It was ten o'clock. I had lost time taking care of unfinished work, including preparing documents that I would discuss with the research team today.

    The topic was sending the fourth U-4 of the year under the sea.

    "I saw the report on the U-4. We'll be discussing this today," I said, while placing the papers on the table. I walked to the hologram screen to project the latest conditions of the undersea area. I flicked it around with my fingers to the spot where Jordan had pinpointed.

    It was where Dylan destroyed our new U-4.

    "As far as I know, the U-4 broke because Dylan crushed it. As a result, we can't use the signal to pinpoint where it fell.” I drew a red circle, and the research team turned their attention to me. "But if we look at it according to these theories, Dylan didn't eat it. That means the remains of the U-4 could have floated over here."

    Beep!

    I pinned the picture and showed everyone a model of the structure. They slightly wrinkled their brows, but nodded in understanding. I showed the distance from the research center to that spot. It would be a lot of diving, but if we gave it some thought, we had previously sent the U-4 under the research center.

    It was Dy and Dylan's home. Invasion would surely upset the homeowners.

    If we tweaked the game a little and used a longer route, it may seem like a waste of time, but there was likely to be a higher percentage of survival than the former place.

    "I think we should go a little farther away from where we want to explore and use stealth mode for our return trip. Then, we won't be on their radar that much.”

    "Stealth mode means a person needs to control the submarine," argued Jordan. I rested my arms on the table and cracked a sly grin.

    It was a sign of a terrifying challenge.

    "Please don't smile like that."

    "Mmm."

    "You're not thinking of... sending us as bait to lure the sharks?" Jordan gulped. Fear overtook his face. I would normally see his cheeky expression, except for now. He seemed to highly disagree. "You're a nice person, right?"

    "I'll only be mean if I have to, Jordan."

    "..."

    "And if we don't explore further, our research won't be going anywhere." I grinned while everybody else frowned at me. Nobody wanted to go there, and that was why the U-4s were created. At least no one would die if the U-4 was destroyed. But if you sent someone down there and they got caught by the megalodons...

    We would die both ways.

    "When this mission is over, I'm building a new U-4 with a camouflage mode to hide from the megalodons."

    "That won’t be finished in time, because you are acting like you will send us down today."

    "You should resign and be a fortune teller, Jordan."

    "Ah!"

    "Set the RG4 down the water. You and Steve have to come with me." There was no arguing, however risky it would be. But as I had said, if we did not do it, we would walk around in a circle like those two creatures. I ordered Jordan and Steve to prepare for the operation. I had chosen these two because of their unique abilities.

    Jordan was skilled at computer systems. If we were attacked and the equipment was damaged, he would surely know how to fix it. Steve was good at the physiology of aquatic animals. He could be another pair of eyes for me, who would be piloting the submarine. I volunteered to go down when I did not have to because if the two megalodons caught us...

    They could be sure that they would not die—even if there was only a fifty percent chance of survival.

    As long as we did not catch their attention or lure them out, I hoped we could finish before sundown.

    "Release the bait into the water to lure them away. The lights will attract them," I ordered Eric, who would be responsible for ground control. Everybody here must help bring Dylan and Dy away from the submarine, because if they knew we were going down there, they would charge straight at us as soon as we were lowered into the water.

    They did not want to eat us. They just wanted to tease us for their entertainment.

    They were a lot worse than we had expected.

    "Are you sure you want to do it this way?"

    "Maybe it would be a better idea if we use the U-4 according to plan. You won't have to risk losing anyone's lives," Eric said to me. He put his hand on the door of the submarine when I was about to go in. Our eyes met, and I gave him a mischievous grin. "Can you please not treat this like it is fun? We can't just easily shoo those sharks away, Sol."

    "They won't eat me."

    "..."

    "As long as I'm alive, every single one of you'll be safe. So, follow the plan. If there is any mistake, I'll be back as soon as possible." I gave him a pat on his shoulder. I knew he was worried, but we could not back down at this point. I had already given Jordan hours to steel himself.

    If we told him that we would send the U-4 instead, I was afraid he might feel like he had wasted his time.

    Eric sighed. He was probably tired of my stubbornness. I pulled him closer by the collar and whispered close to his lips.

    "I won't die until I can have sex with you one more time."

    "Sol...!"

    "I'll claim my reward after my return. When the time comes...don't chicken out." I chuckled, let go of him, and ducked inside the submarine. I took my usual seat and gave Eric a “We can do it!” thumbs-up. Eric could only run his hand through his hair and wearily rub his face. He was undoubtedly stunned.

    "I should have taken a picture of that and posted it on Twitter."

    "Saying good-bye to being alive, Jordan?"

    "Sol!" I smiled when I saw his shocked expression at my retort. "Not funny. Please don't make my sanity go to waste."

    "It will not go to waste for sure, Jordan. I'll definitely make this journey fun for you."

    "..."

    "Get the system ready. We're going in now," I ordered them both. Steve raised his thumb to say that he was ready. I heard a faint, grumpy murmur from Jordan. They had little choice. I turned back and looked at the water in front of me. We were inside the RG4, a submarine that could travel deep under the sea. I checked the air pressure, sound systems, and many others.

    When everything was ready, we watched Eric's team occupying the sharks' attention. Two long fins drifted in the sea toward a large piece of meat with the sound of a whale calf as bait. When they were at the designated spot, Nashley dropped us into the sea.

    Splash!

    The water splashed as the submarine sank, warring with the sound of a large piece of meat being snatched from the giant crane. I used the time when the brothers were eating the dead whale to accelerate the submarine, moving farther forward, and then we dived into the sea. I could not help but peek to see how much they enjoyed their meal and dimmed the guiding headlight a bit, so they would not notice us.

    Because if they knew we left the research center...

    The big chunks of meat would immediately be us three.

    "Check the sensors regularly in case something comes near us."

    "Roger that, Commander." Steve saluted like a soldier to acknowledge the order. I chuckled and moved the submarine forward. We needed to move at a slow pace, or else we would attract predators. I monitored both sides, fixated on the newly loaded simulation.

    If we got closer to the point that I had marked, we should be able to detect the magnetic waves from the broken U-4.

    I licked my lips. We passed through a thick layer of ocean. It did not differ from a black veil of fog. No one had ever entered this area. It was too deep and dangerous. No one could guarantee our return to those on the surface.

    But I would save us all.

    "Turn on the lights, Jordan, and change the mode to floating."

    "Roger that."

    "Divert to the right. If you guys see anything, report immediately," I said to the monitor connected to the research center. I could somewhat hear their answers. It was enough to trust that the signal was still there, at least. The light was turned up, shining across the sand below. I gasped lightly. The forbidden area was much more abundant than the coral reefs I had seen.

    I flashed the light and sped up slightly as I glanced at the monitor.

    Nothing had come closer to us yet.

    “The sensors caught something, Sol,” Steve said, and swiped the screen so that it was in front of me. "It looks like a large piece of metal. Perhaps it is the remains of the U-4."

    "Then put a pin on it and turn on the camouflage mode. We will go over to inspect it slowly."

    "How can we see if it's this dark?"

    "We must use our instincts." I smiled at him, turned the headlight off, and turned on the camouflage mode that had been prepared. In this mode, the sound of the engine would be lowered, and unnecessary parts would be shut down except for the propeller that moved the submarine. I inhaled, feeling that breathing was harder, even though we had more than enough air.

    Or maybe it was because the lights were off, and we could not tell if there was anything in front of us.

    I bit my lip, taking the team toward the spot. The monitoring screens showed that we were almost there. We used infrared waves to check if there was anything in the surroundings. Everything was silent—shockingly silent, almost like it was inviting us to go in.

    "Did you see anything?" I pressed the wireless communication button to talk to ground control team. "Anything we need to be aware of?"

    [We don't see any traces of movement so far, Sol. This might be a good sign.]

    I exhaled. Her words were not really reassuring to me. As long as we were under water, I could guarantee there would never be a good sign. Unfortunate events were bound to happen, eventually.

    Jordan rested his hand against the glass pane, trying to see through the dark.

    "I can't see anything apart from those rocks."

    "..."

    "Do you think there is anything out there?" He spoke of what I also had in mind. It was impossible that our mission had been this smooth. I touched my wireless communication earpiece to speak with Nashley, who was watching us from another monitor. I asked her about the most dangerous creatures in the sea.

    "How are our two boys?"

    [I... I'm not sure. Maybe they are having fun diving.]

    "What did you just say?"

    [The trackers on their bodies say that they are not far from here.]

    I heard the typing sound on a keyboard. She was probably keying in some data.

    [The coordinates say that they are in front of your bedroom. They seem to be staying still. Maybe they are sleeping.]

    "This isn't their bedtime, Nashley. I know them better than anyone."

    [Where do you think they are?]

    "Maybe at..."

    Bam!

    "Whoa!" Before I could answer, something hit our submarine out of the blue, and we went off course. The impact was so powerful, just like an elephant ramming into a building. At that moment, I tried to keep the submarine steady. I wanted to turn on the light so badly to see what had hit us, but if we did that, we might encounter what we did not want to see.

    We already had our hands full!

    [What's going on, Sol, what's happening?!?]

    "Something hit us, Eric. Maybe it was a rock...!"

    Beep! Beep!

    The sensors raised a blaring alarm, warning us that something was nearby. All three of us snapped towards the monitor. The target flashed on the screens as four large arrows facing each other. It was not very far from us, but I turned off the engine because of its speed, even if we were in camouflage mode. We parked the submarine among the lower rocks where there was just enough space for it.

    We turned off the lights inside and let the silence swallow us. I heard voices from the wireless communication channel on and off, but I did not reply. I focused on the darkness ahead.

    My heart pounded like when the sharks chased me.

    "What... What do you think it is?"

    "..."

    "Is it the mega..."

    " Shhh." I held my finger up to my lips to silence Jordan. I did not know how good the senses of the thing outside were. If it could not see us, then we would be fine, but we should not risk speaking loud enough for it to identify our location. I bit my lips and stared at the calm darkness again. My heart was pounding hard. Still, I would never, ever scare my staff.

    I pointed at the communication equipment. It was like an iPad, but its structure was different. We had to check where the U-4 we were looking for was.

    "Pin a new spot, maybe it..."

    Bang!

    "Ah!" Something struck our submarine again. This time, it was so violent that I fell out of my seat. Everyone somersaulted around inside the submarine that rolled numerous times. My head hit the controller. I could smell blood wafting all over. "Ouch... this is insane."

    "Sol!"

    "Oh no, are you okay?" Steve and Jordan rushed over to help me up. I frowned at the pain, trying to balance myself. The submarine had stopped moving. I did not know where we were. The sudden crash had cut off the power system. The wireless communication tool could not be used to contact the people on the surface. "Oh my God, your head is bleeding. We need to find a cloth to stop the bleeding first!"

    “Shhh!" I held my finger up to my lips while snapping Jordan's mouth shut. The sound of panic would catch the attention of the predators. "Do not make a sound. We don't know what's out there."

    "Ngh.”

    "Calm down. I told you we will be safe."

    "A... and did you expect this?"

    "What?"

    "That." My brows furrowed. I did not understand what Steve was saying. He pointed forward. His face was ashen and full of fear. My heart pounded very hard in that second. I did not realize that I was holding my breath. I followed his gaze and saw a creature which was staring right at us.

    A glowing light extended from the head, revealing the petrifying teeth that indicated very well that it could just swallow us in one bite.

    I felt like someone strangled my throat and I could not breathe.

    The monster in front of us was just as terrifying as the megalodons.