Barracuda (7 page)

Bob didn’t like the idea at all, but he knew it
was pointless to fight his older brother. He just wanted to enjoy
the rest of the dives before the dreaded assault on the
Saratoga
’s hatch cover.

***

After an entire week, Dr. Collins and James were
exhausted after diving and making notes during fifteen-hour days.
They were sitting by the pool enjoying a cocktail and discussing
their research, both having agreed to take a day off from diving
lest they suffer from complete exhaustion.

Dr. Collins had been having the time of his
life. Each morning, the intrepid scientists had gathered their gear
and carried it down to the dock. They’d made arrangements with an
older fisherman and rented one of his sixteen-foot skiffs powered
by a Mercury engine. They both loved the early morning air blowing
on their salt-crusted faces as they powered out into the crystal
blue lagoon. Relying on information supplied by Dr. Silver and the
local fisherman, the nutty professor located the gray reef sharks’
route into and out of the Bikini Atoll. He discovered that the gray
reef sharks in the area were apparently migratory and did not
always stay in the lagoon. It seemed that they only came in to
feed, in contrast to the subjects he studied in other oceans, which
inhabited a specific reef and became fiercely territorial of that
particular reef. Dr. Collins thought that years of radioactivity
exposure might have led to a new and undiscovered breed of gray
reef shark. James argued that environmental factors could have
forced the sharks to behave differently there than in other
locations around the world.

“James, these sharks do not stay and protect
their reef and food source like all other gray reefers,” Dr.
Collins explained with exaggerated patience.

“That’s true, Doctor, but that doesn’t mean this
is a new breed. Heck, there are so many reefs and wrecks here. Why
would they just act territorial about one? These sharks are the top
predators, so they can just come and go like this atoll is their
own personal restaurant.”

The two did agree that they had found the
sharks’ passageway into the atoll. At the southernmost end of
Bikini Atoll was a small set of islands called the Aereokoj-Eneman
chain. To the east of this chain was the wide ten-kilometer
entrance to the lagoon and the island of Eneu with the airport.
This was the route used by the supply ships. It was a fairly active
waterway, and the large pelagic avoided it. However, just to the
west of the Aereokoj-Eneman chain stood the small islands of
Enidrik and Lukoj. A narrow underwater volcanic mountain range was
located between the two landmasses, which served as the gateway to
the atoll for the gray reef sharks.

On the first dive at this location, James
lowered the anchor and fastened it firmly to the rocky bottom. They
geared up, Dr. Collins with help from James, and then performed
perfunctory safety checks on each other. When they were satisfied
that all the buckles were connected and the equipment was secured,
they did a backward roll over the skiff’s low gunwale and gently
slipped into the water.

The professor led the way through the clear
water as he followed the anchor line to the depths. He noticed that
they were in the middle of a rocky ridge with volcanic walls
resembling the insides of a subway tunnel. James’descent was slower
and more methodical that the professor’s.

When they were reunited at the base of the
underwater canyon, they checked their dive instruments. James
noticed that he had almost three thousand psi of air and that they
were in one hundred and twenty feet of salt water (fsw). The water
temperature was seventy-eight degrees. The cooler ocean water
entered the atoll at that point before heating up to more than
eighty degrees. James looked over at the professor, who was still
studying his instruments when suddenly he was startled by a chain
of gray reef sharks approaching from the open ocean.

The sharks passed the scientists in succession
as they entered the atoll. Dr. Collins fumbled with his underwater
camera attached to his vest D-ring with a brass clip. In his haste
to film the progression of gray reefers, he clumsily failed to free
the camera. James reached over and ended the poor professor’s
misery with a simple release of the brass clip, and the doctor
snapped picture after picture as the endless train of sharks glided
past.

James backed off from the sharks, knowing that
his exhaust bubbles could disturb their unwavering flight. The
professor noticed this and slid ever closer to the silent freight
train of sharks, who paid no attention to the scientists as they
swam with purpose through this underwater cavern into the
lagoon.

This discovery caused huge excitement for the
two scientists. Each day, the pair dove into the underwater
mountain range and observed the sharks’ behavior. They noted that
the sharks appeared to be more defiant than the common gray reef
sharks and were also much larger. Dr. Collins was able to video
these sharks and noted that they just ignored him. In other oceans,
the gray reefers were more skittish when he approached. James made
notes on his underwater slate and made the same observations.

The two were especially excited about attempting
a new experiment. The professor had developed his own underwater
satellite video tracking system and was anxious to utilize it. The
system was constructed with a high-tech high-resolution video
camera placed in a small waterproof ball attached to the wall of
the underwater mountain range by a stainless steel cable and
resembled a mooring ball. The camera was equipped with a wide-angle
lens, and the ball would float back and forth in response to tidal
action. The sun would provide power to the camera through a solar
panel attached by another mooring ball, and the transmitter would
send video images to a satellite that would then download the video
for later retrieval. When the sun would set, the rechargeable
battery would kick in for a few hours. The camera was set up so
that when the battery was the primary source of power, the night
vision lens automatically came on.

Dr. Collins and James were hoping they could
videotape the sharks coming through the passageway over the period
of up to sixteen hours. Leaving a camera moored at the entrance to
the atoll gave the scientists more time to conduct other
experiments and make other observations in the lagoon itself. Here
they noted that these gray reef sharks hunted in packs, and that
rather than attack individual fish, they brazenly attacked entire
schools. These sharks didn’t always return to the same reef but
moved from shipwreck to shipwreck, probably in an attempt to
confuse their prey.

Bikini sharks attacking entire schools of fish
was certainly a new idiosyncrasy of this species. This fact the two
scientists agreed upon. They were still at odds as to whether or
not this was a new breed of shark, but they both knew that the only
way to resolve this matter was to capture a specimen and dissect
it. They also needed to tag a live shark with a homing device that
could transmit where these sharks went after they fed and exited
the atoll.

“Doctor, we could probably find a specimen at
the fisherman’s dock for our necropsy, and we could also hire a
fisherman to help us tag a live one,” James offered.

“That would work. That would work,” answered Dr.
Two-Times. He knew that the task was too immense for them with the
small skiff they had rented for their daily dives. “We’ll meet the
fishing fleet when they return later and see if anyone has a gray
reefer to sell,” he said.

***

Several men and women were sitting in the pool
enjoying various libations, but the scientists preferred the
privacy of a shaded poolside table. The barmaid who had brought
them their drinks had introduced herself as Flacka. She was rather
thin, a short-haired woman with a bright smile, the kind of person
people instantly liked.

After they finished their first round, James
asked, “Dare we have another, Professor?” He flashed a playful grin
at this collaborator.

“Yes, we may, and I want to speak with that
gentlewoman,” Dr. Collins responded.

James motioned to Flacka that the duo required
another round. She dutifully complied and brought them fresh
drinks. As she was collecting the empty glasses, the professor
queried, “Do you know of any fishermen that capture gray reef
sharks?”

Flacka looked at the professor incredulously.
“No fisherman catches those sharks. Sometimes they catch a smaller
white-tip shark or a Thresher shark, but never a gray reefer.”

“Why is that?” he asked.

“The locals consider the gray reefer to be
sacred, and we thank them for our bounty. The reefer keeps other
large fish from entering our lagoon and eating our precious meals,”
Flacka answered.

James and Dr. Collins exchanged looks. “We’re
scientists,” James explained. “We would like to catch a reefer,
place an electronic monitor tag on it, and release it unharmed,”
James explained.

“Go see Celestial. He is the master of the
Hummingbird
. Tell him I sent you. He knows about these
things, but he is leery of outsiders.” Flacka flashed a one
hundred-watt smile at the men and returned to her duties.

With a little help from the alcohol, the happy
scientists heaped praise upon each other and the great progress
they had made in such a short time. When they finished their
cocktails, Dr. Collins generously handed Flacka a twenty-dollar
bill, thanking her for her assistance. The two then headed for the
dock.

It was a postcard sunset with the sails and
masts of returning boats silhouetted against a crimson sky. The
dock was newly built, but it was already showing signs of age and
use. The wooden pilings were stained and crusted with barnacles,
and old truck tires were being used as bumpers, hanging drunkenly
along the length of the dock.

Many of the locals gathered at the water’s edge
each night to greet the homecoming fishermen. As the boats tied up
to their places along the dock, cheers erupted from the crowd.
James thought this was part local legend, giving thanks for the
safe return of their loved ones, and part joy to have fresh food on
the table. Representatives from local eateries were also present to
purchase fresh fish. The Majestic bought their food this way, as
did the Bikini resort. In fact, the Majestic also sent a
representative to the Bikini resort dock and examined their fish
for purchase since they used larger quantities in their much larger
hotel.

The dock filled quickly as the boats arrived and
displayed the day’s catch. The smell of fresh fish soon became
overwhelming as the catch was laid akimbo on the dock. Dozens of
species were exhibited: yellow tail tuna, large amberjacks,
horse-eyed jacks, red drum, grouper, a variety of snappers, and sea
bass, to name a few. The scientists were truly amazed at the
diversity of the day’s catch.

Dr. Collins wished to be discrete with Celestial
and his plans for hiring him and the
Hummingbird
, so he said
to James, “Let’s come back later when this seafood carnival is
over.”

***

The scientists were enjoying a nice dinner when
one of the Japanese waiters brought Dr. Collins his journal. “Sir,
you left this behind after your lunch. I recognized it because you
always come to be seated with your ledger in hand.” The man smiled
and retreated toward another table of diners.

“You’re lucky he had waited on us before and
recognized your journal,” James exclaimed.

“Balderdash!” Dr. Collins cried. “Even if he
hadn’t recognized the journal, he would have known it was mine once
he opened it up. It obviously belongs to a scientist, and since we
are the only scientists here, he need not be Sherlock Holmes to
figure out to whom it belongs. Just look.” He flung open the
book.

James was laughing until he saw a look of
concern on the doctor’s face.

“This is a bookkeeper’s ledger, not my journal,”
Dr. Collins said. “This must belong to the hotel accountant.”

“Let me see it,” James replied.

The professor was muttering incoherently about
the incompetence of the little man while James perused the contents
of the ledger. The doctor ceased his muddled mumbling when he saw
James arch his eyebrows in astonishment.

James tried to gain the attention of the waiter
who had brought the ledger to them, but he was unsuccessful.
Suddenly, the maitre d’ appeared and in a thick Japanese accent,
asked, “Is everything all right, sir?”

“Oh, yes,” James answered. “The waiter thought
this was the professor’s journal, but he was mistaken.”

“I’ll take it to the lost and found,” the maitre
d’ offered.

“How about some coffee while you’re at it?”
barked the professor.

The man looked disdainfully at the doctor and
walked off in a huff. The rude scientist was about to protest when
James growled, “Let’s go to our room. We can order room service if
you’d like some coffee.”

The doctor mumbled his disapproval and
reluctantly followed James back to their rooms. When they arrived,
he demanded of his assistant, “What was that all about?”

“Where should I begin—with your rude behavior
toward the maitre d’ or the money laundering ledger?”

“I wasn’t rude to the…what did you say about the
ledger?”

“I was curious and looked it over. It shows a
steady inventory of funds being transferred from New York City to
San Francisco, then through to Honolulu and ending up in Tokyo.
Then the same accounts go in reverse from Tokyo back to New York.
Professor, I don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that this
is a register of laundered money. The Majuro Majestic Hotel is the
common source here. We questioned the unlikely alliance of Japanese
and Russian hosts here at the Majestic. Well, it appears to me that
the Russian Mafia is in bed with the Japanese Yakuza.”