Jeremy Robinson: Island 731

He descended the stairs three at a time, startling the waiting scientists. Dr. Dan Mueller, a senior oceanographer on his third voyage with the Darwin , jumped at Bachman’s sudden arrival. “Geez, Jason, excited much?”

“Sorry,” Jason said. “This is a little more exciting than what I’m used to.”

Mueller frowned. “If you’d been hauling trash out of the ocean all day for the past month, you might have a different opinion. Oceanography isn’t as romantic a profession as some people think.”

“I find your enthusiasm refreshing.” Dr. Kim Hale stepped around Mueller and gave Bachman a pat on the shoulder. She motioned to Mueller with her head. “If he had just a fraction of your good nature, my job would be a lot more fun, too.”

Bachman blushed. Hale was pretty, not too much older than him, and had a smile that twisted knots in his stomach. He stammered for a reply. The whine of the Zodiac engine saved him from embarrassing himself.

The Zodiac swung around and pulled up alongside the ship. The prize had been wrapped in a towel and was offered up to Bachman. He took it with a smile and said “thanks.” As the Zodiac buzzed away in search of more treasures, Bachman knelt down, placed the object on the deck, and opened the towel.

“Huh,” Mueller said. “I don’t recognize the species.

“What do you mean?” Bachman asked. “It’s a turtle shell.”

Mueller sighed.

“Look at the peaks,” Hale said. “And the coloration. It looks more like a species of freshwater snapping turtle.”

“Snapping turtle?” Bachman said, screwing up his face. “What’s a snapping turtle doing way the heck out—”

Eight black legs sprung from the sides of the shell.

Before Bachman could shout in surprise, the thing was airborne. He felt something wrap around his waist and squeeze, then three sharp stings in his stomach. His head swirled with confusion and sudden exhaustion. As he fell to the deck, he saw the thing jump on Mueller. A tail wrapped around the man. And then a stinger, like a scorpion’s tail, emerged and jabbed the man three times. As the creature released Mueller and pursued Hale, who’d ran for the stairs, he screamed in agony. He didn’t know how. Or why. But he could feel it. Something was inside him.

Eating.

Growing.

He died ten seconds after they tore out of his stomach, which was long enough to hear Hale, and several others, screaming on the decks above.

Pulse

Instinct

Threshold

Ragnarok

Callsign: Queen—Book 1

Callsign: Rook—Book 1

Callsign: Bishop—Book 1

Callsign: Knight—Book 1

Callsign: Deep Blue—Book 1

Callsign: King—Book 1

Callsign: King—Book 2—Underworld

Callsign: King—Book 3—Blackout

The Last Hunter: Descent

The Last Hunter: Pursuit

The Last Hunter: Ascent

The Last Hunter: Lament

The Last Hunter: Onslaught

Kronos

Antarktos Rising

Beneath

Raising the Past

The Didymus Contingency

SecondWorld

Project Nemesis

JEREMY ROBINSON is the author of bestselling thrillers, including SecondWorld, The Last Hunter: Descent, Project Nemesis, and the Jack Sigler thrillers, including Threshold and Ragnarok . His novels have been translated into ten languages. Born in the coastal town of Beverly, Massachusetts, Robinson grew up on a steady diet of seacoast exploration and science fiction, and began his creative career as a comic book illustrator and screenwriter. He now lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.

Visit Robinson online at jeremyrobinsononline.comand sign up for the newsletter for free content, contests, and updates on upcoming projects. Connect with him on Facebook at facebook.com/sciencethriller, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/jrobinsonauthor.

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.

An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

ISLAND 731. Copyright © 2013 by Jeremy Robinson. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.thomasdunnebooks.com

www.stmartins.com

Cover design by Ervin Serrano

Cover photographs: symbol by Young Jin Lim;

island by © Aispix by Image Source/Shutterstock.com;

ocean by © Nickolay Khoroshkov/Shutterstock.com;

sky by © Tyler Olson/Shutterstock.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Robinson, Jeremy, 1974-

Island 731 / Jeremy Robinson. — First Edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-312-61787-5 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-250-02259-2 (e-book)

1. Research vessels—Fiction. 2. Scientists—Fiction. 3. Suspense fiction. I. Title.

PS3618.O3268l85 2013

813'.6—dc23

2012042087

e-ISBN 9781250022592

First Edition: March 2013