Up From The Deep Vaughn Jackson (book club suggestions TXT) 📖

Greenwood steeled herself. “Dr. O’Hara claimed to have permission to gather tissue and blood samples from Inkanyamba during our initial stratagem. Apparently, she brought back a little more than discussed.”

“I see,” the general said, stepping forward. “Would anyone care to explain to me what exactly is going on here?” Her words hung like icicles on her tongue.

The group had succeeded in pinning the snarling creature down. It let out a disgruntled grumble before settling down.

“We were trying to take some blood and tissue samples, and Akuma here,” Skylar turned around, “Oh…”

MacPherson gave a frigid smile. “Oh indeed.”

Skylar looked to Devonte for help. The young man half shrugged. She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “Such help. Wow.” Skylar turned back to the general. “I’m not going to apologize for acting for the advancement of science,” she said. “I will apologize for letting science rampage inside the hangar.”

MacPherson scanned the large open space. “What’s the damage?”

“None,” Gunner said. “We were able to mostly pin him as soon as we realized he was fixin’ to throw a fit.” He paused. “Slippery bastard just managed to give us a bit of a fight.”

The general nodded. “Are you aware that there are almost a hundred of these things crawling over the island formerly known as Alcatraz?”

“They all hatched?” Devonte asked. “I suppose that makes sense…eggs are laid and hatch in clutches.” His eyes widened. “Did you say one hundred?”

“I did. And are you aware that the mother of these bastards seems to have one nasty protective streak in her?”

“No?”

“No.” The general folded her arms behind her back. “Keep it secure.”

Devonte and Skylar both blinked in bewilderment.

MacPherson took a brief moment to relish in their uncertainty. “As Dr. O’Hara stated, this is for the advancement of science. Not everyone in the military wants to shoot first and ask questions never.”

“But with Inkanyamba…”

“Inkanyamba is a skyscraper-sized creature that has been actively threatening our nation. She needs to be destroyed.” Her eyes flickered over to the pinned creature. “For now, this one can be wrestled into submission by two young adults and a cluster of welders. Low threat.” Her face darkened. “But understand this: once it becomes a threat, it will be terminated without hesitation.”

“About that,” Devonte said, “Akuma here is…surprisingly docile. Almost like a cat. Like I said earlier, he only lashed out because we hurt him.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“It’s only my theory. I’ll need to work with Skylar to truly determine the possibility, but given the fact that the creature seems to have imprinted on me when it hatched, and its general relaxed disposition, we may be able to…train him?”

“You want to make that your pet?” MacPherson resisted the urge to pull at her hair.

“We were actually thinking more like as a defensive measure,” Skylar added.

“It’s highly unlikely,” Devonte continued, “that Inkanyamba will be the last kaiju threat we see. As unlikely it is that she was the first.”

“Don’t tell me that,” the general said. “Please don’t tell me that.”

“Sorry,” Devonte said, “but it’s true. In fact, whatever caused Inkanyamba to wake up might lead to more awakenings.”

“Or aliens,” Skid interjected.

“Excuse me?” the general said, spinning on her heel. She fixed a look halfway between confusion and frustration.

Skid sputtered. “You know. If the aliens have been watching us all along, and they see that we can barely handle an overgrown moray, they might come on down with their probes and plans for world domination!”

The general was glad to see that even Devonte and Skylar were as taken aback as she was by the idea of an alien invasion. “All that aside,” she said, “do you really think that we’ll see more Inkanyambas?”

“More kaiju? Yes. More like Inkanyamba? Probably not, but maybe.” Devonte punctuated his response with an exaggerated half shrug.

It was Greenwood’s turn to ask a question. “But Inkanyamba woke up because we dropped an oil rig on her. We don’t make a habit of that.”

“That’s most likely not what woke her up,” Skylar said. “It was just the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.”

“Then what did wake her up?”

“My honest opinion?” Skylar asked. “Global warming.”

“Or pollution,” Devonte said.

“Or irradiation from nuclear waste.”

“Or—”

“Okay,” Greenwood said, “next time, just say you don’t know.”

The general clapped her hands together. “We don’t have time for idle chatter and speculation. There. Is. A. Mission.” She pointed at Devonte. “Can you train it?”

“Uh, yes?” Devonte said.

“Do it. O’Hara, help him.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Greenwood, is Brannigan able?” the general barked.

“If you ask him, yes.”

“Get him to the briefing room. He and Raymond are going to lead the assault on the nest.”

“You’ll lead a task force in an improved version of the Las Vegas plan.” The general smirked at Skylar. “I think I have an idea to failproof your plan, Doctor.”

“Ma’am!” Greenwood snapped to attention and gave a full salute. “What about the prisoner?”

“Captain Dehane should be finishing up his interrogation as we speak. I’ll have him meet us in the command center.”

#

“They plan on capturing and enslaving several of Inkanyamba’s children to create a monster army,” Raymond said, “on top of their original plan to control Inkanyamba. Kurtis seems to think they will make an attempt during our next attack on the mother.”

“Well then,” General MacPherson said with a smirk, “for once we are ahead of the enemy. On two fronts, even.”

Raymond quirked an eyebrow, glancing between the general and Greenwood.

“Devonte and Skylar have an infant creature in containment in the hangar,” Greenwood said. She kneaded her forehead with her fist. “They’re trying to train it like a pet.”

Raymond couldn’t help but let out a deep belly laugh. “That’s…that’s magnificent!” He wiped the corners of his eyes. “So that’s one, what’s the other?”

“A two-pronged attack,” the general said tersely. “On Inkanyamba and the nest on Alcatraz Island.”

Raymond nodded. “They’ll never see us coming on the island. Kurtis claims to be their strategic mastermind. Without him, he seems confident Tempest’s actions will suffer in quality.” He paused. “I’d like to request being part of the Alcatraz Island