Jeremy Robinson - Island 731

Drake mulled the question, patting the ax handle in the palm of his hand. “Blok will stay on board. He’ll have no trouble getting the Magellan back to the mainland.”

Hawkins glanced at Blok. The man nodded, validating the captain’s statement, though Hawkins wasn’t sure if the man was simply afraid of leaving the safety of the sealed ship.

“This is no longer a search and rescue mission,” Drake said. “Our people are not lost . They were taken . We’re not going to find them sitting on a rock, munching coconuts. We’re going to have to take them back. By force. You and I both know that you can handle that. But can he?” Drake pointed to Bray, who looked supremely uncomfortable at being singled out, and equally confused. Drake’s finger shifted to Joliet. “Can she? I can tell you from experience that Blok here can’t stand the sight of spiders. That the kind of man you want in a hostile environment? Or do you want someone like you? Someone who can do what needs to be done?”

While Hawkins didn’t know Drake’s detailed past, he suspected the man had been in the navy—maybe even as a SEAL. In his current state, he definitely seemed capable of defending himself. He looked at Blok. The skinny bookworm probably wouldn’t be much use in a fight. With a nod, he said, “I never disagreed. Just wanted you to be sure.”

“I’m sure,” Drake said. “Jim, Ray.”

The Clifton brothers both looked up. They wore twin masks of discomfort, probably wondering what Drake was going to ask of them. “See to Jones while we’re gone. Anything he wants, you get it for him.”

The brothers looked relieved. Ray even gave a salute. “We will. Of course. No problem.”

“Bennett.”

The skinny kid stood silently, looking at Drake. He kept his head up, but a quivering lowered lip revealed the boy was terrified. And rightfully so. Being brave while looking at a dissected turtle was one thing; facing the possibility of being kidnapped, killed, or maimed was something else entirely. Some people just couldn’t do it, no matter how desperate the situation. The look in Bennett’s eyes was easy to read—a little more pressure and he’d break.

To his credit, Drake adjusted his tone and body language. He placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “Look, Phil, I know you’re scared. But here’s the situation. Jones isn’t feeling like himself right now. DeWinter’s missing. That makes you my chief engineer. You copy?”

Bennett nodded quickly. “Yes… yes, sir.”

“While we’re gone, I want you to keep working on the ship’s controls. See if you can’t have us in a better situation than we are right now. You’re a smart kid. You can do it.”

Bennett lowered his head. “But… down there is where—”

“The ship is clear,” Hawkins said. “Seal the doors after we leave and don’t open them until we get back. No one will bother you.”

Bennett still looked unsure, but nodded. “Okay.”

“One last thing,” Hawkins said to Drake. “On the ship, you’re in charge without question. But out there, in the jungle, you need to do what I say. If I say jump, you jump. If I say duck, you duck. Not listening to me could get you killed. Deal?”

Drake stared at Hawkins for just a moment before allowing a slight grin. He took Hawkins’s hand and shook it. “Deal.”

Hawkins turned to Bray and Joliet, who were standing by the door, looking ready to leave. He appreciated that neither had to be asked to join their little rescue mission. They were good people, and good friends. “Ready to go?”

“Lead the way,” Bray said.

While Hawkins, Bray, and Joliet gathered by the door, Drake knelt down next to Jones. “We’ll get her back.”

Jones mumbled something.

“What was that?” Drake asked.

“I said,” Jones said, speaking loudly, “she’s already dead.”

Drake looked stunned. He just stared at Jones.

“Bullshit,” Hawkins said. “She was alive when it took her. That’s why you stopped me from shooting.”

“Would have been better if you’d shot her,” Jones said.

“How can you say that?” Joliet said. “She’s your daughter!”

“You didn’t see it!” Jones shouted.

Drake took Jones’s arm. “Dammit, Harry, what did you see?”

Jones’s turned to the captain. “I’m not sure. Something. Large. Fast. Its eyes. They were… human. But the rest… I don’t know. It was dark. But if you’d seen it, you’d know.” Tears filled his eyes. “She’s dead. My baby is dead.” He waggled a finger at Hawkins. “Ask him. He saw it.”

“I saw a shadow,” Hawkins corrected.

“But you know . I can see it in your eyes.”

“I’ve seen enough,” Hawkins said. “ It is big, and fast, and strong. It is a killer. And it is not a human being. It’s an animal. Maybe something like draco-snakes. Another experiment. I don’t know. But here’s something I do know. The Earth is in the middle of its sixth mass extinction. But the cause isn’t climate change, or an asteroid, or a biblical flood. It’s mankind. Us. There isn’t a creature on this planet we haven’t figured out a way to kill. We’re the top predator and we’re pretty goddamn good at killing things. I don’t care if it’s a lion with eagle’s wings waiting for us, we’ll find a way to kill it. And we’ll get your girl back.”

Jones just shook his head.

Hawkins nearly lost his patience with the man. No matter what he’d seen, how could he give up on his daughter? Hawkins opened the door and stepped into the hallway. “Let’s go.”

Drake gave Jones’s arm a squeeze and stood up. “We’ll find her.”

As Drake headed for the door, Jones shouted after him. “You’re all going to die out there! Don’t go, Jon. Don’t—”

Hawkins slammed the door closed, cutting off Jones’s voice.

“Don’t hold it against him,” Drake said. “He’s speaking out of fear. Jackie’s his world. He’ll be lost without her.”

Hawkins allowed his anger to melt away. He motioned to Bray and Joliet, but spoke to Drake. “Our packs are still ready to go from yesterday. If you want to get your pack ready, we’ll find some weapons.”

“Thanks for doing this,” Drake said. “It’s above and beyond. All three of you.”

“Thank us when we make it back,” Hawkins said. He wouldn’t admit it, but Jones had gotten to him. Still, there was little in nature that could take a few .44-caliber rounds and keep coming. He just needed time to pull the trigger. He turned and headed toward the stairs that would take him to the dive room and two high-powered spearguns. “We leave at first light.”

The warmth of the new day and scent of flowers in the air did little to calm Hawkins’s nerves as he powered the Zodiac across the lagoon. He knew the picturesque setting concealed something much uglier, the evidence of which lay straight ahead, uncovered on the beach.

Hawkins angled the Zodiac away from the mass grave of deformed bodies. He beached the boat and the four passengers hauled it high up onto the sand. As Hawkins tied the Zodiac to a palm tree, Drake inspected the bodies.

“What kind of person would do this?” Drake said.

The captain spoke loud enough for all of them to hear, but Hawkins knew it was a rhetorical question, because none of them had an answer.

“We should cover them,” Bray said. “We forgot to yesterday.”

“We’ll lose daylight,” Drake said. “No time.”

“He’s right,” Hawkins said as he unloaded their gear—four backpacks with food, water, medical supplies, and assorted survival gear. He quickly checked over their weapons. They had four “heavy-hitting weapons”—Bray’s term—the fire ax, two pneumatic spearguns, and the rifle. They also brought several smaller weapons, including several knives and a can of pepper spray. The ax could be used again and again until the user grew tired, which is why Drake had requested it. The spearguns were high powered and out of the water would have ridiculous penetration power, but reloading took time as the air pressure needed to be recharged by a hand pump. Aiming the weapons would also be difficult, so they were weapons of last resort, to be fired up close and, most likely, just once. Bray and Joliet agreed to carry the spearguns.