The Swarm (18 page)

The idea of re-entering the hell that they'd just left was a terrifying prospect, but Anawak knew he would never forgive himself if he didn't do everything in his power to help the
Lady Wexham
. ‘Greywolf wants to come too,' he said quietly.

‘In the same boat as Tom? You've got to be joking. I thought we were trying to solve a problem, not create one.'

‘Greywolf could be useful. God knows what's going on in his head, but we could do with having him around - he's strong and completely fearless.'

Davie nodded gloomily. ‘Keep the two of them apart, OK? And if it looks hopeless, come straight back here. I don't want anyone playing the hero.'

Anawak headed over to Shoemaker, waited for him to put down the phone, then told him of Davie's decision.

‘You want to take that phoney Indian with us?' Shoemaker said indignantly. ‘Are you crazy?'

‘I think it's more a case of him taking us.'

‘In
our
boat.'

‘Look, you and Davie are in charge around here, but I've seen what we're up against and I'm telling you now: we'll be glad to have him with us.'

The
Devilfish
was the same size as the
Blue Shark
and had the same horsepower, so it was small and easy to turn. Anawak prayed it would give them enough of an advantage. The creatures still had the element of surprise on their side. No one could tell when or where they might attack next.

As the Zodiac sped across the lagoon, Anawak wrestled with the question of why. He had thought he knew about whales, but now he was at a loss. He couldn't begin to work out what was happening. The attack on the
Barrier Queen
was his only obvious lead,. It must be some kind of infection, he thought. A strain of rabies, perhaps.

But what kind of disease would affect different species? The attacks had been carried out by humpbacks, orcas and grey whales. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that a grey had overturned his Zodiac.

Could the high levels of PCBs in the sea and the toxins in their food have played havoc with their instincts? But orcas ingested toxins through contaminated salmon and other creatures. Grey whales and humpbacks ate plankton. Their metabolism was different from that of toothed whales.

Disease didn't explain it.

He stared at the glistening water. He'd made this trip hundreds of times before, and each time he'd been full of anticipation at the thought of seeing a whale. He'd always known about the dangers: fog might come down; the wind might change and send treacherous waves pounding into the cliffs - in 1998 a skipper and a tourist had died like that in Clayoquot Sound. And then there were the whales: placid, friendly, but unpredictable animals of enormous size and power. They were a mighty force of nature, as any experienced whale-watcher could testify. Yet if you sought out storms, monstrous breakers and wild animals, they no longer seemed so terrifying. Fear gave way to respect - and Anawak had immense respect for nature.

But now, for the first time, he was afraid.

Seaplanes cut through the sky above the
Devilfish
as she sped across the waves. Anawak was at the wheel with Shoemaker, who had insisted on steering, and Greywolf was at the bow, scanning the water for trouble.
The tree-covered shores of tiny islets flashed past on their left. On the rocks, sea-lions sunned themselves, as if nothing could disturb their tranquillity. The Zodiac roared past them. The open sea lay ahead - a uniform expanse of endless water, at once familiar and forbidding.

Beyond the sheltered waters of the lagoon, the swell was higher. The Zodiac bounced noisily over the waves. During the past half-hour the sea had grown rougher and dark clouds gathered on the horizon. There was still no sign of a storm, but conditions were deteriorating rapidly - as was often the case in these waters. A rain front was probably heading their way. Anawak strained his eyes to glimpse the
Lady Wexham
. What if she had sunk? In the distance he saw another vessel, one of many cruise ships passing the Canadian coast at this time of year, heading north to Alaska.

‘What brings them here?' shouted Shoemaker.

‘I expect they heard the mayday.' Anawak peered through the binoculars. ‘MS
Arctic
. She's from Seattle. I've seen her before - she's sailed this way regularly over the past few years.'

‘Leon!'

A small, pointed outline had appeared in the distance, barely visible above the swell. Only the
Lady Wexham
's superstructure was still above water. People had gathered on the bridge and on the viewing platform in the bow. Orcas circled menacingly, biding their time until the vessel slid into the water.

‘Oh, God,' said Shoemaker. ‘It doesn't seem possible…'

Greywolf turned to them, making signs for them to slow down. Shoemaker backed off the throttle. A grey, grooved hump surfaced in front of them, followed by two others. The whales lingered on the surface for a few seconds, expelled their bushy, V-shaped blow, then dived without showing their flukes.

Anawak could sense their approach underwater. He could practically feel the impending attack.

‘Go, go, go!' yelled Greywolf.

Shoemaker slammed down the throttle. The
Devilfish
pitched forward and shot away. Behind them, the huge dark bodies of the whales surged out of the water and fell backwards. Travelling full-speed ahead the Zodiac shot towards the sinking
Lady Wexham
. At last they could make out individuals, waving at them from the platform and the bridge. Shouts carried over the water. To Anawak's relief the skipper was among the
survivors. One by one the gleaming black blades disappeared underwater.

‘We'll be next,' said Anawak.

‘You mean they're coming for us?' Shoemaker was panic-stricken. For the first time he seemed to take in what was going on. ‘What will they do? Capsize us?'

‘They might. The grey whales and humpbacks seem to be in charge of demolition, while the orcas take care of the rest.'

Shoemaker's face drained of colour.

Greywolf pointed to the cruise ship. ‘They're sending reinforcements,' he shouted.

Two small motorboats left the side of MS
Arctic
and moved leisurely towards them.

‘Tell them to hurry or get out of here, Leon,' Greywolf yelled. ‘At that speed they'll be easy pickings.'

Anawak grabbed the radio. ‘MS
Arctic
. This is
Devilfish
. You're in danger of attack.'

For a few seconds there was silence. The
Devilfish
was almost level with the
Lady
.

‘This is MS
Arctic
. What kind of attack,
Devilfish?

‘The whales will try to sink your boats.'

‘Whales? Is this a joke,
Devilfish?
'

‘For your own safety I advise you to turn back.'

‘We received a mayday from a sinking vessel.'

Anawak lurched forward as the Zodiac careered over a wave. He steadied himself and shouted into the radio, ‘We don't have time to talk, but you can take my word for it - you need to move faster.'

‘Are you kidding? We intend to assist that vessel. Out.'

Greywolf was signalling frantically from the bow. ‘They've got to get away from here!' he yelled.

The orcas had changed course. They were no longer bearing down on the
Devilfish
but swimming out towards the open sea, in the direction of MS
Arctic
.

‘Shit,' cursed Anawak.

A humpback soared out of the water directly in front of the motor-boats, a corona of droplets shimmering round it. For a moment it was suspended in the air, then it dropped to one side. Anawak gasped. The motorboats continued unharmed through the cloud of falling droplets.

‘MS
Arctic!
Pull back your boats! Clear the water! We'll take care of this.'

Shoemaker cut the engine. The
Lady Wexham
's bridge jutted through the surface at an angle and the
Devilfish
halted in front of it, where a dozen men and women were huddled. The swell crashed against the bridge, spilling over the side. Anawak saw more people on the viewing platform in the stern. As the waves battered the boat, they hung on to the railings, like monkeys in a cage.

The
Devilfish
chugged forward between the bridge and the platform. Beneath the Zodiac, the
Lady
's main deck shimmered green and white. Shoemaker manoeuvred the boat towards the bridge. A powerful wave seized the
Devilfish
and raised it into the air. The boat rose like an elevator till they were level with the bridge. For a moment Anawak was in touching distance of the outstretched hands. He looked into the frightened faces, seeing hope mixed with horror in their eyes. Then the
Devilfish
plummeted.

‘This isn't going to be easy,' said Shoemaker, through gritted teeth.

Anawak glanced round nervously. The whales had lost interest in the
Lady Wexham
. They had regrouped further out and were targeting the two motorboats, which were trying feebly to evade them.

Anawak knew they had little time. The whales could return at any moment and, in any case, the
Lady
was sinking fast. Greywolf crouched. A steep wave took the
Devilfish
and lifted her. The peeling paint of the bridge flashed past. Greywolf launched himself into the air and grabbed hold of a ladder on the side of the boat. The water rose to his armpits, then the wave fell away and he was left in mid-air, holding on by one hand, a living link between the people above him and the Zodiac below. He lifted his other hand towards the bridge.

‘Climb on to my shoulders,' he shouted, ‘one at a time. Cling to me and wait till the boat comes, then jump.'

The group hesitated. Greywolf yelled his instructions again. A woman grabbed his arm. In no time she was on his back, hugging his shoulders. The Zodiac rose. Anawak grabbed her and pulled her in.

‘Next!'

At last the rescue operation had gained momentum. One after another the passengers dropped into the boat. Anawak wondered how much longer Greywolf could hold on. He was bearing his own weight, plus that of each passenger and dangling from only one hand while waves surged
over him. The bridge groaned piteously as the metal warped and cracked. Now the skipper was the only one left. A sudden screech filled the air - the bridge had taken a hit. Greywolf's body smashed against the side of the ship and the skipper lost his balance and skidded off the deck. A grey whale raised its head above the waves. Greywolf let go of the ladder and dropped into the water. Coughing, the skipper surfaced a few metres ahead of him and reached the Zodiac in a couple of powerful strokes. Hands stretched down and pulled him in. Greywolf made a grab for the side, but was knocked back by a wave.

Behind him, a few metres away, a blade rose through the water.

‘Jack!' Anawak rushed to the stern. Greywolf surfaced and swam rapidly towards the boat. The dark blade pivoted, and followed. Greywolf reached up and clutched the side. The orca was ready to lunge. Anawak snatched Greywolf and, helped by others, heaved him into the boat. The orca looped round and swam off. Swearing, Greywolf broke free of the solicitous hands and slicked back his long, dark hair.

Why didn't the orca attack? wondered Anawak.

I'm not afraid of the whales. They won't hurt me
.

But that was all talk…

Then it dawned on him. The orca couldn't have attacked. The flooded deck beneath the Zodiac meant the water wasn't deep enough for it to launch itself. Unless, of course, it had learned from its South American cousins how to hunt in the shallows or on dry land.

The Zodiac's period of grace would last until the bigger vessel sank. It was crucial that they used it.

Anawak heard screaming.

A grey whale had smashed into one of MS
Arctic
's boats. Debris flew into the air. An engine howled as the other boat spun round to make its escape. Anawak stared at the spot where the whale had pulled the boat under, and saw a line of grey humps heading their way.

Now it's our turn, he thought.

Shoemaker seemed incapable of movement. His eyes bulged.

‘Tom!' yelled Anawak. ‘We've got to fetch the others from the viewing platform.'

‘Shoemaker!' Greywolf snarled. ‘Can't you handle it?'

Trembling, Shoemaker seized the wheel and steered the Zodiac towards the platform. A wave surged beneath them and the bow struck the railings where the passengers were stranded. He was breathing
heavily, trying to jockey the boat closer so that people could jump in.

The grey whales bore down on them, set on a collision course with the
Lady Wexham
. The wreck shook with the force of the impact. A woman was thrown off and landed screaming in the water.

‘Shoemaker, you moron!' shouted Greywolf.

Some of the passengers on the Zodiac rushed to pull the woman on board. Anawak looked at the
Lady
. How long could she withstand a fresh wave of attacks? We're not going to make it, he thought in despair.

Then something incredible happened.

Two mighty bodies rose up on each side of the boat. One was instantly familiar to Anawak: its backbone was covered with a pale criss-cross of scars so they'd nicknamed it Scarback. The elderly grey had already outlived most others of its kind. Both animals lay still in the water, rising and falling on the swell. Then one of the whales discharged its blow, followed by the other. Clouds of tiny droplets wafted over the water.

The real surprise wasn't so much the appearance of the two greys, but the effect they had on the others, who promptly vanished underwater. When they resurfaced, they'd travelled a considerable distance from the boat. Orcas continued to circle the wreck, but they, too, had backed off.