Frank Schatzing - The Swarm

Anawak didn't feel comfortable about being so secretive. The role didn't suit him. He'd kept quiet about his own life for so many years that any kind of secrecy was beginning to get on his nerves. It occurred to him to tell them the truth, but then he remembered the look in Li's eyes. She always seemed friendly and supportive, yet Anawak sensed that she'd be seriously angry if she found out.

He glanced around the office. All of a sudden he realised how distant the Station had become in the short time he'd been away. This wasn't his life any more. So much had changed since he'd patched things up with Greywolf He felt as if something decisive was about to happen; something that would turn his life upside-down. It was like being a kid on a roller-coaster – it had started moving, and he couldn't get out. The fear and horror were tinged with an indescribable sense of elation and expectation. The Station had been a kind of wall around him, but now he felt as though he was in the open and everything was bearing down on him with an intensity he wasn't accustomed to – too loud and too bright.

'Well, you're going to have to keep on dusting those guidebooks,' he said. 'You know as well as I do that your place is here, not with a bunch of scientists who'd never let you get a word in edgeways. Besides, Davie would be lost without you.'

'Was that supposed to be motivating?' Shoemaker asked.

'Why should I have to motivate you ? I'm the one who's been told to keep my mouth shut and not talk to my friends. Why don't you try to motivate me ?'

Shoemaker twisted the beer can in his hands. Then he grinned. 'How long can you stay?'

'As long as I like,' said Anawak. 'They're treating us like kings. We've got our own private helicopter service, day and night. I only have to call, and they'll be here to pick me up.'

'You're getting the full royal treatment, huh?'

'Well, they do expect us to work for it. In fact, strictly speaking, I should he working right now, in Nanaimo or at the aquarium or wherever – but I wanted to see you.'

'You can work here too, if you have to. OK, I'll motivate you. Come round to dinner tonight. You'll have a big fat steak to look forward to, and I'll fry it myself. It'll taste like pure heaven.'

'Sounds good,' said Delaware. 'What time?'

Shoemaker gave her a funny look. 'I'm sure I'll have room for one extra,' he said.

Delaware frowned. Anawak wondered what was going on, but promised Shoemaker he'd be there at seven. It was time for them to get moving. Shoemaker headed over to Ucluelet for a meeting with Davie, while Anawak set off down the high street in the direction of his boat, glad to have Delaware to talk to. She might be a pain in the butt but, somehow, he'd missed her.

'What was all that about?' he asked.

'What?'

'You know, about dinner tonight. I got the impression that Tom wasn't too keen on you bringing a friend.'

She fiddled with a strand of hair and scratched her nose. 'I guess there've been a few changes since you went away. I mean, life's full of surprises, isn't it? Sometimes you can't even believe it yourself.'

Anawak stopped in his tracks. 'Go on, then.'

'Well, the day you went to Vancouver – you disappeared overnight and never came back! No one knew where you were, and a few people got worried. And one of those people was, uh…Jack. So Jack called me up – well, actually, he wanted to talk to you, but you weren't there, and so…'

'Jack?' asked Anawak.

'Yes.'

'Greywolf? Jack O'Bannon?'

'He said you'd had a chat,' Delaware continued hastily. 'And I guess it must have been a positive chat. Or, at least, he was pleased about it, and he just wanted to, um, talk to you some more…' She looked him in the eye. 'It – was a good chat, wasn't it?'

'Well, what if it wasn't?'

'That would be a bit awkward because, you see…'

'OK, fine. Jack and I had a good chat. All right? If you've finished tying yourself in knots, maybe you could get to the point.'

'We're going out,' she said quickly.

Anawak's mouth opened and closed again.

'He drove up to Tofino – I'd given him my number because I thought he was kind of cool … I mean, well, you know I always had a kind of sympathy for his point of view, and…'

Anawak tried to stay serious. 'A kind of sympathy. Well, yes, of course.'

'So he came over. And we had a drink at Schooners, and then we went down to the jetty. He told me all kinds of things about himself, and I told him a bit about myself And you know how it is – we talked and talked and then… out of the blue… Well, you can guess the rest.'

Anawak grinned. 'And Shoemaker isn't happy.'

'He hates Jack!'

'I know. And you can't blame him either. Just because Greywolf has taken a liking to us – well, you in particular – doesn't change the fact that he behaved like an asshole. I mean, let's be honest here: he behaved like an asshole for years. He is an asshole.'

'No more than you are,' she blurted out.

Anawak nodded. Then in spite of all the wretchedness in the world, he laughed. He laughed about Delaware's awkward explanation, about his grudge against Greywolf, which had really been anger at the loss of a friend, and at himself He laughed so hard that it hurt.

Delaware cocked her head. 'What's so funny?'

'You're right,' chuckled Anawak.

'What do you mean, I'm right? Are you feeling OK?'

His hilarity was edging towards hysterics, and he knew it, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed like this – if he ever had. 'Licia, you're priceless,' he said, between gasps. 'You're so darned right. We're assholes. Absolutely! And you're seeing Greywolf Oh, man, I can't believe it.'

Her eyes narrowed. 'You're laughing at me.'

'No, no, I'm not,' he spluttered.

'Oh, yes, you are.'

'I swear I'm not. It's just-' Suddenly he thought of something and his laughter dried up. 'Where's Jack at the moment?'

'I don't know.' She shrugged. 'At home, maybe.'

'Jack's never at home. I thought you two were together now?'

'For God's sake, Leon, we haven't got married. We're just having a hit of fun. I don't keep tabs on him.'

'No,' murmured Anawak. 'He wouldn't like that anyway.'

'Do you want to speak to him?'

'Yes.' He put his hands on her shoulders. 'OK, listen to me. I've got a few things to sort out, but try to find him, would you, Licia? Before dinner, if you can. We don't want Shoemaker going off his food. Tell him I – I'd be pleased to see him. No, I'd love to see him right now.'

Delaware smiled uncertainly. 'OK… Men are weird – I mean, honestly. And you two are just as weird as each other.'

ANAWAK WENT ON BOARD HIS BOAT, checked his post and dropped in at Schooners, where he got himself a coffee and talked to the locals. During his absence, two men had died. They'd defied the regulations and gone to sea in a canoe. In less than ten minutes, a pack of orcas had capsized them. The remains of one man had been washed ashore later, but there was no trace of the other, and no one felt like looking.

'And they don't give a damn about it,' said one of the fishermen, referring to the ferries, freighters, factory trawlers and warships. He was drinking his beer with the bitterness of one who was convinced he'd found the guilty party, and nothing was going to stop him laying the blame at their door. He looked at Anawak, as though expecting confirmation.

But that's where you're wrong, Anawak felt like saying. The big ships weren't faring any better. He kept quiet. He wasn't allowed to mention the other incidents, and the residents of Tofino saw only their corner of the world.

'They're probably laughing up their sleeves,' the old man grumbled. 'Those big fishing companies had the monopoly already. First they gobble up our stocks, and now they mop up what's left, while regular fishermen like me have to sit and watch.' He took a swig of his beer. 'We should shoot those damn whales. We need to show them who's boss.'