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Chapter Text

2020, Mexican Coast

“Jonas Taylor, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jiuming Zhang held out his hand, an all-knowing grin on his aging face which accented a body as free as it could be.

Jonas had never met Suyin’s ‘rebel’ brother. Her delicate lips once described him as the black sheep of the family. Meiying said she only saw him a few times, but she went out of her way to add in that he was her “fun” uncle who regularly joked and sought danger.

Which is why, when Jiuming made a comment about how he never knew Suyin had a taste for smooth-headed men, Jonas just ignored it with that passive attitude Meiying always pointed out.

He swung his gaze to the land of the sea before him. The sun punished his skin, and he wondered if, by any ounce of overgrown of ego or need to impress seeded in insecurity, Jiuming was secretly melting due to the black business suit he decided to adorn his thin figure.

Jonas eyed him. “I came as soon as my friend Mac left me a message. Where you got the meg?”

On the horizon came a figure resembling a boat. Jiuming didn’t need to answer the question after all.

“She will make a fine addition to the institute.

Jonas’s head turned with the speed of a torpedo. “What?”

Jiuming caught his look and chuckled, the wrinkled lips wasting no time in taunting Jonas. “Not to worry, Mr. Taylor. We have taken every precaution known to man.”

The space of air between them was no longer there. Jonas was so close to Jiuming he swore he could count every pore on his forehead.

“You intend to house an 80 feet long killing machine?”

“Oh, it’s not 80 feet, not close at all.” Jiuming’s smile refused to leave his face.

“Fine. 60 feet. Or 100 feet. Why does it matter? Point is, it’s a dangerous animal.”

“She is nowhere near that length yet.”

“What?”

“She’s a pup, Mr. Taylor.”

Suddenly reality froze for Jonas and his head spun and jumped in all directions. Oh, and a weird feeling came to his muscles. “A pup. How is that possible?”

“We have found no other megalodons in the area. I believe it’s a rogue thing, possibly escaping from where its mother came from.”

Jonas’s sweaty palm met his forehead, rubbing it with all the frustration he could emphasize.

“This is bad. This is really, really bad.”

Jiuming appeared unmoved, his face clear as day.

“I understand that you have a problematic history with the megalodon, Mr. Taylor. But I can assure you, I don’t intend to be a fool. We are in a new era of scientific discovery, and megalodon is a newly discovered species. Instead of running away to a corner like a cat’s tail in between its legs, I will stand here and study the mighty and previously thought to be completely extinct shark.”

Every word that came from Jiuming’s mouth might as well have been slurred sentences from a drunken man, because Jonas cared not for his oration on “scientific discovery.” He placed his hand on his hips and bit his lip.

“You? Study a killing machine that could wipe out an entire ocean’s ecosystem in seconds? A bit too hopeful, isn’t it?”

“We have the world's top engineers at work building its enclosure.”

“You can’t possibly believe that you can cage it properly for however long you want without facing inevitable consequences?”

“Preparation is what neglects yielding consequences.”

A huff of air came out of Jonas’s nose. “Right,” he said, rather condescending.

The boat was coming closer to the shore. A man on the deck waved at Jiuming, and Jiumung waved back. He then looked at Jonas with almost-pleading eyes. “Mr. Taylor, we need you.”

“What?”

“We require your help. You know better than anyone of the megalodon. You’ve come face to face with them. Met their menacing eyes and saw their big fins. With your expertise, we could be successful in learning more about the animal. Join me and become part of the institute again.”

Jonas rolled his eyes, but in the back of his head, strings of voices came to him, seducing him into saying the word yes to Jiuming’s proposal.

Yes, he hated coming face to face with megalodons.

Yes, megalodons brought him pain and years of guilt he was still mulling over.

Yes, he had a duty to Meiying as her father.

“Suyin would have wanted you to. Marine life was her life,” Jiuming mused, "and I know that it is yours as well.”

Of course Jiuming had to use his dead sister to push Jonas to his side. He squinted his eyes at him, unsure on whether or not to judge him outwardly for the manipulative tactic or to…he didn’t exactly know.

Suyin…he missed her so.

The boat reached the shore and swirls of mens’ voices hit his ears, as did the pounding of his heart.

The anticipation was building up and he even felt his own fingers twitch. Jiuming left his side and went up to the men, giving them instructions by yelling at them to work smarter towards his new ‘pet.’

Sharks were not pets.

A big box full of salt water was lowered onto the dock.

That was it. Jonas was going to see it. His world was about to be changed.

“Mr. Taylor, meet Haiqi,” the long proud arm of Jiuming stretched out to point at the tub of menacing damnation.

Jonas found his legs walking before he could even register the movement.

He looked into the metal box.

A silky gray and white mixture of color came to his view. A splashing body of pure fish.

It was a six foot long megalodon pup. No, it definitely wasn’t just a normal shark. No great white or blacktip could have passed for it.

He looked into its eyes and he swore it looked into his.

Chapter Text

Mana One seemed to be handled well by Jiuming Zhang, but at the moment Jonas was still wary of him. Not only did Suyin’s brother unironically plan to house a megalodon pup, but he also had the audacity to ask Jonas to join the institute again as a director.

He was mulling it over while being flown to a newly built enclosure on an island a couple thousand kilometers from the Mana One station. He could distinctly recall the way Jiuming spoke to him, sounding like a charlatan, trying to entice him to meet eye to eye with a species of shark that basically ruined his life. Of course, he was about to walk out of that godforsaken deck, ready to leave it all behind him, when Mac had appeared and somehow talked him into “giving” Jiuming a chance.

Why did he ever listen to Mac in the first place?

The image of him “raising” a megalodon pup was enough to make him want to hurl his already eaten breakfast out the window.

His heart was thumping and he felt a million of his nerves jump. Enclosed spaces were still not his friend, no matter how much exposure therapy he had been through. He looked around the small space of the helicopter, and his wide eyes avoided the window as much as possible. At least the pills were working.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were working with Jiuming?!” Jonas yelled to Mac through the sound of the motor and the moving blades of the aircraft.

Mac made a quick turn over his shoulder, then back at the landscape before him, his eyes focused on piloting the helicopter properly. “I was starting to miss my days of flying. Plus, those small checks from the aquarium were beginning to be as appetizing as spoiled eggs. I figured, why not be a thrill seeker again?”

“So you go to Jiuming?? And what do you expect? For me to raise that monster as my own? What exactly is he planning?”

“It’s just a shark. You know, an animal. Not a monster. You and I know that. And besides, studying these animals would be good for us. We know they’re down there. We need to be prepared.”

“What??” Jonas said, his lips parted in disbelief.

“Where’s the old Mac? The old Mac that used to just want to sit around and drink booze all day and hook up with strippers? The Mac that wanted to move on from what happened two years ago??”

“Well you clearly don’t know me as well as you think. I was literally working with Zhang in his institute before ‘it’ happened, and I certainly wasn’t complaining.”

“But you said afterwards that you were done with that line of work!”

Mac shrugged. “Call it a mid-life crisis, I guess,” he hollered through the buzzling air.

The conversation ended there.

An island came into view. Its size was massive, and attached to it, was a circular enclosure in which the megalodon pup would familiarize as its new home.

It was too much. Images and countless images and scenarios of megalodons’ gums and teeth and devil eyes flashed into his mind at light speed. Then it spiraled into his memory of 2018…almost dying under their colossal bodies…he and Suyin sitting on that deck of Jack Morris’ ship when he was preparing to tag the meg.

Yep. That did it.

He threw up on the floor of the helicopter.

“You’re a complete mess, man,” Mac said as Jonas exited the aircraft, stumbling and grasping to the door for dear life.

Several coughs left Jonas as he attempted to recompose himself.

“Of course I am,” he huffed, bent over with his hands on his knees and his eyes on the concrete floor. “I’ve seen enough megs to last me a lifetime.” He coughed some more, “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

“You’re a free man, Jonas. I just gave you an invitation, you’re the one dancing on the table,” Mac said cooly, patting Jonas on the back. “Come on, straighten yourself up. We gotta meet Jiuming down in his fancy conference room. You’ll love this place. It’s beautifully constructed.”

“Jiuming,” Jonas said, unable to comprehend that his dead fiancé’s brother was the one purposefully bringing in a megalodon in close proximity to humans. What a fool! “Can you believe it? Well I know you can since you started working with him behind my back!” He huffed, with a few too many hinges of annoyance.

“Look, I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want you to start ranting. And plus, I kind of wanted it to be a surprise. But I didn’t know that he’d actually find a pup.”

Jonas finally straightened his back, the anxiety in him dissipating. “So, those thousand calls and messages you sent me, you were just what? Pulling my leg? You had me thinking it was a full sized threat!”

“Like I said, I didn’t know it was a pup. I just knew that he found one. Now, are you going to just stand here and chew me out, or are you coming to the conference room?”

Jonas closed his eyes and breathed in and out, his therapist’s map of lessening anxiety replaying in his head. “Alright,” he said, voice calm, “let’s go. See what exactly he plans. If it’s worth my time, I’ll consider it.”

Mac grinned. “I knew you had it in you.”

“Hey, it’s just a consideration,” Jonas pushed.

“Whatever you say.”

They started walking to the institute. The air met Jonas’s skin and he felt it soothe him.

The place was impressive and there was no doubt in that. Everything held a modernized design of sleekness and corporate appeal. But no amount of said sleekness lowered Jonas’ worries. He still didn’t know what the hell was doing there —every step he took brought him closer and closer to death and damnation. But for some reason he could not bring it with himself to stop and turn around. He didn’t know why.

The first story of the place was underground, and the scenery of the ocean through the acrylic glass was a mouth dropping view. Jonas would have appreciated it if it wasn’t for the fact that his insides started to twist and turn.

Finally the black double doors of the conference room stood before them. Jonas felt the ocean’s light illuminating his peripheral vision and he tried in every single way to simply ignore it.

“Is he in there?” Mac asked the security, to which he said, a “yes, you’re clear.”

Mac turned to Jonas. “You ready?”

Jonas didn’t answer as he stared straight ahead at the doors. A click from the opening came, booming through the large hallway of the institute, and there stood Jiuming Zhang. “I’m glad you came, Jonas.”

Chapter Text

“Nice view, isn't it?” Jiuming gestured Mac and Jonas to their seats. The room screamed corporate and minimalist, all the furniture — even down to the pens — was dressed in black. A large white-board hung against the wall, and parallel to it, was the view of the lagoon, its watery colors flashing through the acrylic glass.

Jonas felt his heart thump.

While he and Mac sat, Jiuming gave them a look with creased eyebrows after turning his head in all directions. “Where is my niece?”

“No way I’m going to bring her here. Left her with a friend,” Jonas asserted, voice low but menacing. Ignoring Mac’s raised eyebrow, he laid his forearms on the black minimalist table and cleared his voice. “Why am I here and what do you want, exactly? And where’s the megalodon?”

“Cutting right to the chase, I see,” Jiuming took his hands out of his pockets and took a seat before the two men. “Well, if you must know, I am being one hundred percent transparent with you when I say that my intentions with the megalodon pup are purely ethical and scientific. Marine Biology is not my strong suit, but I believe it is my duty to continue the work of my father and my sister.”

Jonas took notice of the way Jiuming’s Adam’s Apple bobbed when he said ‘my sister.’ He spoke up. “Your father originally did research on humpback whales.”

“Yes, but he also was keen on exploring the deep. That was his main focus — to find the life that dwells in the Mariana Trench. From what Suyin told me, he was in awe of the discovery of the megalodon, and he was curious. He wanted to learn more of them.”

“When was this?”

“She called me right when you all boarded upon Jack Morris’ vessel.”

Jonas shifted in his seat, the memory of Suyin and that particular time in his life washing over him. Then he noticed Jiuming look away with a tight jaw. Mac’s eyes diverted from them down to the wood material of the table, and he tapped his fingers onto it.

The unspoken discomfort in the room turned to silence, and the air surrounding Jonas thickened, at least he felt so, and it was so pressuring that he swore he would collapse due to asphyxiation at any moment.

A ping of a notification from Jiuming’s pocket sounded and Jonas almost jumped out of his seat. Jiuming took out his device and his eyebrow raised in satisfaction. “Well, it looks like Haiqi has just arrived at her new home. The chopper is only a few minutes away.”

That was enough to take Jonas out of his dissociation. Every pound of his sprung up from the chair, and the alarms in his mind rang in his ears. “You’re playing with fire and making a huge mistake,” he said in a low tone, but he knew that anyone could hear his fear.

A huff of air left Jiuming’s nose. He stood up, unfazed by the protest. “Jonas, I have everything under control.”

“Oh no,” Mac uttered.

“Everything under control?!?!? You bring in a big shark, one of nature’s most powerful creations, and you expect to have things under control?” Something was bubbling in Jonas’ veins.

“As I said before Mr. Taylor, the top engineers in the world,” Jiuming said, almost as if he was talking of some whimsical magic. “No one could do what they — I, can.”

Jonas scoffed, shook his head, and stared out into the lagoon. The depth…the shade of blue that it encompassed…as a kid he wouldn’t have imagined feeling pure fear in the face of the sea.

“Jonas,” Mac said, “we aren’t perfect, but would you rather us house this pup here and let it grow accustomed to this place or would you rather she be free out there, in the ocean? She escaped the thermocline, and now we don’t really have a choice.”

Jonas closed his eyes, repeating his therapist’s mantras in his head. Take a deep breath to calm your anger down, she would say.

Unfortunately, Mac was right. The megalodon had escaped the thermocline, and therefore it was better to attempt to keep it under watch rather than let it roam free and destroy everything in its path like a bulldozer.

He turned around. “Say we take care of ‘her’ then. Feed her. Treat her as some sort of..pet. What then? What do you possibly want to learn from the pup?”

“Well first and foremost, its physiology and biology. The density of its cartilaginous skeleton. We could learn so much of its evolutionary history. Not to mention that I am amidst collaborating with Gio-Tech industries, which is dedicated to exploring the deepest oceans. Knowing of this creature could aid us in our research,” Jiuming said.

Jonas put his hands on his hips. “Sounds like bullshit.”

“Jonas.” Mac piped in, giving his friend a certain look of please just go with it.

Jonas couldn’t believe it. “What’s in it for you, Mac? Why do this?”

Mac shrugged. “Like I said, midlife crisis.”

“More bullshit.”

Mac chuckled. “Actually, it really isn’t. I like ocean exploration, it’s where I belong.”

“I thought you belonged to piloting aircraft.”

“Well, that too. Jiuming here gave me the opportunity to do both.”

Jonas opened his mouth only to find that a loud splash and a slight reverberation of the glass hit his ears. He twirled in a panic.

Behind him, he could just feel Jiuming’s grin. “She’s here.”

And there she was. A grayish white body wiggled itself in the lagoon. The pup was tiny compared to a full sized meg. It was practically a baby. But Jonas knew better than to humanize an animal.

The pup resembled a great-white, and it swam close to their view. The shark appeared to be inspecting the inside of the conference room as it swam in a few figure eight-like circles, once again appearing to Jonas to be looking straight into his eyes.

The shark swam out of their sight. On its caudal fin, Jonas noticed a slight scar.

“Well, Jonas. What do you think?” Jiuming asked, sounding pleased with himself for playing God.

Jonas turned around. “We need some ground rules.”

Mac’s lips stretched, revealing his own pearly teeth. “So you’ll stay?”

Jonas licked his lips. “Only to make sure that beast doesn’t tear up half of the ocean and the world’s population.”

Jiuming smiled even wider Mac ever could. He clapped his hands and said, “well, isn’t this fantastic?”

His cheerfulness didn’t rub off of Jonas. “Like I said, ground rules. We need top notch security. I expect to read your list of your supposed best engineers of the world,” he pointed at Jiuming, showing him he meant business. “And, I want Meiying’s quarters to be the furthest from the lagoon.”

“Done,” Jiuming said.

No one spoke for a few moments. Jonas stared with strong intent at Jiuming, who only stared back.

Jiuming cut through the awkwardness and stood up from his chair. “I expect to see her soon. I haven’t seen her in two years.”

“I’m surprised you’ve noticed.”

“Excuse me?”

Mac stood up in a hurry. “Jonas is still working on his initial trauma from the incident.” He eyed Jonas and turned back to Jiuming. "It wasn’t easy, you know, going back to regular life. Neither was losing Suyin and raising Meiying.”

“I understand,” Jiuming said, looking at Jonas with a hardened face. He turned to Mac. “James, with your experience I want you to be our chief director of the control room and the facility, as well as one of our pilots. Jonas, you’ll be our senior diver and handler of Haiqi.”

Jonas titled his head and squinted an eye. “And what will you be?”

A small chuckle left Jiuming’s lips, which annoyed Jonas to the max. “Well, I'm the CEO and head of the engineering department. I professionalize in groundbreaking technology as a physicist. At the moment I am working on underwater suits that can withstand pressure up to 10,000 feet.” Jiuming held up his head high, almost as if to brag of his speciality. “Now, in the next few days the CEO of Geo-Tech industries, Benedict Singer and his investors will arrive, and we must make a good impression.”

Chapter Text

Meiying and Jiuming met in a sweet embrace and greeted each other in familial mandarin.

Jonas couldn’t savor the reunion as he stood across from them, hands in his pockets and the big glassed lagoon before him. Every few seconds his eyes stared far into the abyss, hoping to get a glance at the new pup he unfortunately came to be the handler of, searching for any indication that it didn’t magically escape its pen.

If someone told him he’d be standing there, in front of a big man-made shark pen, ready to become step-daddy to an ancient killing machine he would have lost his mind.

He turned to Meiying and Jiuming. “How is this going to work? She needs proper schooling.”

Jiuming began to pet Meiying’s hair. She looked up at Jonas, stars in her eyes.

“Nothing a few tutors won’t fix,” Jiumung said.

“Yes!” Meiying squealed with a bright smile.

Jonas put his hands on his hips. “She needs to be around people her own age.”

“Many of my employees have families stationed here on this very island. There’s plenty of community.” He then grinned and held Meiying even tighter than before, who smiled back at her uncle.

Jonas was about to protest some more when the sound of boots came into view.

“This place is fucking badass. Sir Jiuming, I’m in awe of your structural engineers. Everything here is so compact and well-done.” Jaxx crossed her arms and looked over to the glass of Haiqi’s enclosure, seemingly in complete awe judging by the way her lips parted and her eyes darted.

Jiuming appeared pleased with the praise. “Why thank you, Ms. Herd.”

“Jaxx is a structural engineer herself, uncle! She built that tank that my mom..” Meiying stopped speaking and her eyes went to the ground.

No one spoke a word.

Jonas overwhelmed himself with a need to comfort her were it not for Jiuming already holding her. Jiuming’s eyes went to the ceiling and Jaxx bit her lip.

A cough left Jonas. “Meiying, you should show Jaxx your room.”

Meiying forced a smile and went to Jaxx’s side, putting on a display of excitement. Jaxx happily took her delicate hand and her pink lips stretched into a warm smile.

“Jaxx! You should see my quarters. They’re on the opposite side of the building because Jonas believes that this place is super dangerous and that Haiqi will somehow escape and sleep walk, but it’s a huge space, and there are so many books and plushies..”

Meiying pulled Jaxx like a doll, and they both went on further into the corridors. “Oh yeah?” Jonas heard Jaxx tell Meiying, who went on and on about how exciting being there was.

Then the two figures disappeared into nothingness.

Jonas took another look at Jiuming, who was still as composed as ever. What a weird man. It was as if nothing in life scared him or startled him or shook him. Jonas could not understand how he always stayed so calm.

No, he did understand.

He understood because it was clear that Jiuming was a man who feared nothing. And if a man fears nothing, then what could he be moved by? Not the mountains, not the tremors, and certainly not a huge shark.

Meanwhile Jonas feared everything.

His eyes met the blue abyss before him. Haiqi came into view like a torpedo. Still a pup and yet she was faster than an olympic runner!

“We will begin research tomorrow effective immediately. I certainly don’t want to waste another minute. A marine biologist will arrive tomorrow, her name is Eiza Chavez, she-”

Jonas put his palm up. “Wait wait, you’re bringing someone else in?”

“Well you certainly can’t expect to be the only person to be studying Haiqi? This is a multiple-man operation.” Jiuming laughs as if to almost mock Jonas. “You didn’t think you’d be doing this alone, did you?”

“I know plenty about marine life. I have a degree in marine science as well as years of diving under my belt.”

“Ah, but you’re no expert on ichthyology, are you? When studying new species,” Jiuming raised an arm to point at Haiqi who was still within view, “especially one of this kind of merit, it’s imperative that scientists work together not independently.”

“But this is a dangerous animal. You are just adding more people to the list of potential lives lost if something goes wrong.”

“It will all work out, my friend. You just have to wait and see. A list of precautions is being finalized as we speak.”

Jonas said nothing.

Jiuming continued, licking his lips. “So, Eiza Chavez will be working beside you in the study of Haiqi. We will need a blood sample taken from her so we can study its DNA content, get a real look at its line of ancestry. Scientists used to theorize that megalodons and great whites were related, however hypotheses have changed since. Eiza’s field of expertise is cartilaginous fishes such as sharks and rays. She has published dozens of papers pertaining to their physiologies and the like.”

Jonas had checked out before Jiuming started his speech on the marine biologist’s competency. Everything he was hearing was hogwash, and he decided he had enough of Jiuming already. They could never really be friends, much less partners in the new megashark-housing operation.

“I can assure you, she’d know what she’s getting herself into. Lots of contracts and multiple rounds of discussions took place before she finally signed on,” Jiuming finished.

Jonas crossed his arms. “So, assuming we successfully house this shark. Get its blood. Squeeze whatever amount of scientific discovery we can out of it. Then what?”

Jiuming shrugged with his hands in his dress pants’ pockets. “I will continue my research on underwater pressure and technology on the side. It’s my life’s work, and I also just want to continue my family’s legacy, as I’m sure I’ve alluded to before. I’m the last one other than Meiying standing.”

Chapter Text

The dark waters before him are vast and unpredictable.

Jonas is alone in the submersible and his heart is almost pounding out of his chest.

He checks his screen monitor.

35,000 feet in the ocean he is in hadalpelagic zone. The deepest part of the ocean and man’s worst nightmare.

With frantic fingers he clicks on random buttons he can’t even recall the proper uses of in hopes of bringing him to the surface. It’s all too quiet in the submersible and his thoughts are getting louder with every passing second,

The monitor shows a red icon moving close to his so-called haven.

Sweat beads off his forehead onto the monitor and he pushes more buttons. They aren’t working! They are jammed!

The alarm system goes off and flashes of red circle all areas of the place.

Jonas yells in frustration. “NO! Come on, Goddamnit!” He pounds his fist against the screen. The red icon is getting closer ….

He looks up and sees the jaws of the mighty megalodon extend, just a few feet in front of the main viewing window of the submersible, and Jonas takes a quick second to pray to God before he meets his unfortunate end..

Jonas woke up with his body too hot to be comfortable with and his face full of streams of sweat. He didn’t mean to sleep over at the institute on the first day.

What he actually planned was to fly back to the mainland and sleep there with Meiying, but she convinced him sleeping in his newly assigned quarters with a perfectly adorned inside viewing of the surrounding lagoon would help him with getting over his diagnosed post traumatic stress.

He looked into the blue water. His bed directly faced the damn glass.

He felt that maybe he wasn’t ready to face his fear to that magnitude just yet.

It was always that same nightmare he loathed when the moon met the sky each night since the initial incident. No matter what, it always ended in him meeting his demise via the megalodon coming to him, and it was always in the mariana trench.

He lifted himself up and swatted some sweat off of himself with his hand, then reached over to the bedside table for his anxiety pills, taking them dry with no hesitance.

Just a few centimeters away from the pill bottle, his iPhone rang. Before he even looked at the caller ID he knew who it was.

One swipe on the screen and he brought it to his ear. “What is it, Mac?” He was surprised by how raspy his voice sounded.

“Good Morning to you, too,” Mac mumbled through the phone. “It’s 9 a.m. You’re supposed to meet that new marine biologist in an hour, remember?”

“I don’t need you to do my own job for me, but thanks for the heads up, buddy.”

“Yeah, I’m aware of that. But you’ve been grumpy ever since you came to this place. Yesterday was a pass. But now you have to straighten yourself up and be the professional that you are. Everyone and their mother knows your fear of megalodons, but it’s either this or earning 30K a year and eating $1 chicken sandwiches for dinner every night.”

Jonas coughed into his free palm. “Yeah, I got that. Trust me.”

“Now, are you able to handle yourself from here on out?”

Jonas eyed the pill bottle. “Yes, I have it under control.”

“Good, now come meet us for breakfast.”

The dining room assigned to high-level employees was quite impressive. Jonas put down his cup of coffee while serving Meiying her plate of mini-pancakes and eggs.

“How’d you sleep, Pumpkin?” Jonas asked before planting a kiss on her forehead.

“It was excellent,” Meiying smiled.

“And you, Jaxx?” Jonas looked up to see her sit down and pour herself a glass of orange juice.

“Oh, I slept lovely. I had a great conversation on the technological advancements Jiuming is achieving with his work. I’m telling you if I wasn’t so traumatized from 2018 I would probably beg him for a job,” Jaxx lets out a small chuckle.

“I say you should take the opportunity,” Mac sat down across from her with a toast in his hand. “Employee benefits are amazing, 401K included, paid time off of up to 60 days a year, a higher salary than what other companies would offer for your level of expertise..I mean what more can you ask for?”

“Yeah, sounds so great if you take the prehistoric shark out of the equation,” Jonas said, quite stoic and drowsy.

“Jonas is right. It sounds tempting. I mean Jiuming is a complete trailblazer in the engineering industry and I would love to work under him and even here with you guys, but it’s a risky thing I can’t afford.” Jaxx shrugged.

Jonas raised his left eyebrow towards Mac, “see, now she’s always been the smart one.”

Meiying piped. “I’ll be sad to see you go.”

Jaxx gave a warm smile only one of true love for a child could give. “I’ll miss you too, May. I have to get going, now.” Jaxx got up and straightened her black jacket.

“Thank you for coming with her, I appreciate it,” Jonas nodded and tipped his cup of coffee to her.

“Anytime. Just call me if something comes up,” Jaxx smiled.

“I’m sure he will,” Mac bit his toast.

Jonas knew what he implied and he hoped no one else in the room got the same feeling. He wanted to facepalm himself. And call Mac an idiot.

Jaxx exchanged hugs with everyone, and then finally with Jonas.

“Take care of yourself, man,” she said, pulling away from the hug.

“You too,” he gave her a playful bump on the shoulder.

And off she went.

He looked at Mac, who had his hands crossed and Meiying who was still eating her breakfast.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Jonas said before taking a deep breath.

Jonas scanned the lab for any inconsistency in design and for any flaw. So far he had seen none, but that didn’t mean he had complete confidence in the freshly-constructed institute just yet.

The infrastructure was a sleek gray just like the rest of the institute, and the tables were for the most part white. Endless lab equipment like beakers and microscopes decorated the tables. It seemed the place was ready for some science, which Jiuming made quite clear to Jonas the more they toured the place.

“Ah, they just put up posters detailing proper research procedures this morning,” Jiuming pointed to a 18x24 poster on the wall by the coat racks, then turned to some cabinet. “And here we have walkie-talkies, just in case. They’re connected to the upwards deck, which is where you’ll be doing your line of work with Haiqi. You’ll have direct contact with the team down here whenever you see fit.”

Jonas was about to ask riveting questions when a ding came to Jiuming’s Apple Watch. His iPhone rang loudly with that obnoxious ringtone no one would mistake for anything other than an Apple sound.

It hadn’t registered until then that Jonas would be working face to face with the albino-like beast Jiuming gave a name to.

Damn, what did he get himself into…

He looked towards the glass of the tank which overtook the scenery of the lab, and wondered...

Jiuming brought the iPhone to his ear. A scratchy signal and a hard to hear voice came from the other side. Jonas couldn’t make it out.

“Right, I’ll be right there,” Jiuming said. He cheesed more wide than Jonas thought was possible. “Ms. Chavez is here.”

Chapter Text

Eiza Chavez stood at five foot eight inches tall, but the black stilettos she comforted her feet with gave one the impression she was nearing exactly six feet. Black dress pants fit her well and a day wouldn’t go by where a black turtleneck wouldn’t wrap itself around her slender and lustrous neck. Through her shades, her brown eyes praised the state of the new oceanic institute built by Jiuming Zhang.

Escorted out of the helicopter by one of Jiuming’s men, she came out as elegant as she looked, her heels clacking against the concrete pavement, not that anyone could hear with the wind being chopped by the helicopter’s rudders. She tucked her straightened brown hair in the back of her ear as Jiuming and a bald man who looked as if he crawled out of bed with deeper eyebags than before appeared.

“Eiza! Delighted to see you’ve arrived!” Mr. Zhang saw fit to head towards Eiza with welcoming arms. Whatever. She figured she could be charming and passive as a well-trained lapdog just for a day. Whatever needed to be done to be in the good graces of the billionaire with a few short stacks of green to spare.

The helicopter’s choppers dwindled in sound.

Eiza could practically taste the alcohol-induced cologne from the man. She swayed off her sunglasses. “Thank you for the amazing opportunity, Zhang!”

“Zhang? Nonsense! I am Jiuming to you, my friend. You’re part of the Zhang Institute family now.”

Jiuming pulled away and pointed his hand towards the bald man, who only looked Eiza’s way as if she were an uncanny porcelain doll following him with her eyes.

She decided then and there that the man wasn’t very pleasant.

“Ms. Chavez, this is Jonas Taylor, the man who single-handedly killed a megalodon by stabbing it in the eye with a harpoon. He is now our head Handler of Haiqi.”

Eiza scanned the stature of Jonas. Pretty tall. Very bald, obviously. Conventionally attractive. Lips thin and tight in an ever-lasting pout. Quite fit. Yep. He’d definitely killed a megalodon. Perhaps she’d seen his face before, on the news.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, monotone and all, extending his hands towards hers.

She gave a warm smile as their hands met. “Nice to meet you. I find it intriguing that you are basically the first person to ever come face to face with the Megalodon. The scientific community has been in turbulence since the discovery that it resides under the thermocline, and many ichthyologists with decade-long careers left the field out of pure ego.” Eiza looked over at Jiuming for a quick second before returning her gaze at Jonas. “Not me, though. This turn of events has only reignited my passion for the ocean. I have to ask, did you ever notice any intriguing behaviors from the Megalodon that might point towards a separation of speciation from their once-thought cousins, the great whites?”

First a look of perplexion came to Jonas, then a thin line of his lips. His scale of facial expressions seemed incredibly too small for Eliza’s liking. “Well, when that thing was chasing us across the coast of China, the differences between the two species were the least of my concerns.”

Eiza lifted her eyebrow, taken-aback.

A nervous laugh came out of Jiuming. “Don’t mind him, Ms. Chavez. He’s brooding after a very traumatic event.” He pat Jonas on the back, who didn’t look very amused.

Eiza couldn’t pinpoint if Jonas’ weird response was a passive aggressive assertion towards no talk of the event, or if the man was only being honest and neutral. Either way, she decided to let it go. For just that day. She pursed her lips and pushed the other strand of hair behind her decorated ear. “I understand that. Forgive me if I am being insensitive. It’s just that, with this new discovery I am aching to learn more of these sharks. I’ve loved sharks since the day I was born.”

Jonas said nothing, and only looked down with cowardly eyes.

Jiuming put his hand in his dress pockets. “Ah, well then I see no point in procrastinating, then. How about I show you our research lab? Eiza, your things will be taken to your headquarters.”

Eiza anticipated Jiuming to outdo himself with his ambitions and new plans. She knew he was a man of fully practiced potential when he gave a last minute, fifty minute speech at the 2019 Pittcon Conference and Expo in Philadelphia. She heard from several professionals that the man had spent too much time socially drinking with his own colleagues the night before, and therefore never formed his speech to its best until ten minutes before he had to go on stage. She listened with his speech as he spoke with confidence and assurance plucked from the air. From then she knew he was her kin; he took himself seriously, and knew how to stay on top of his game regardless of slip-ups. As a struggling completer of a PhD in marine science, she had the bright idea of striking up a conversation with him after his time of speaking, and before she could even gush to her girlfriends about mingling with a respectable engineer, she was on his list of trusted sources and advisors on all things marine science and oceanography.

She thought of it all as she walked the elusive hallways of the institute. It was a proper place, screaming of organized study and modern design from its rooftops. She relished in the sound of her heels hitting the hard glossy floor; it reminded her of her newfound stage in life. Never would she have imagined she’d be studying an extinct species of shark, but there she was, ready to meet her fate under the eyes of the clear sky. And she would be the very first marine biologist to ever study Otodus Megalodon successfully. What an honor!

With Jonas at her side, who was doing anything but appearing as excited and passionate about the new project as she was, Eiza stopped at the sight of a door with big yellow lettering LAB EMPLOYEES ONLY.

Jiuming gave her a grin as he scanned his fingerprint onto the scanner and opened the door.

Eiza walked in, with Jonas right behind her. Over the lab tables was basically a front row view of the ever expansive lagoon of the new specimen. The twenty foot tall glass and blue hue took her breath away.

“Now this, this is our research lab,” Jiuming said. But Eiza paid attention to anything but that.

Instead, she brought her feet to the edge of the glass before she could even comprehend it, her coffee brown eyes scanning through the water — millions of gallons held back by only a few inches of unbreakable but breakable barrier; if a sudden pin was to magically make it disappear, her only saving grace… there would be none.

Eiza felt the faint scent of Jiuming’s cologne next to her. “She is quite tiny. Only six feet long,” he said.

Eiza turned to him, the highlight of the blue water caressing her cheek. “She?”

“She. Haiqi is her name.”

“Where is she?”

Jiuming nodded towards the enclosure. “In there.”

“When was she penned?”

“Yesterday.”

“Any notable behaviors?”

“We installed an underwater camera yesterday. So far she seems to be level-headed. No sign of malignancy. Want to see?” Jiuming guided Eiza to a nearby iPad Pro attached to monitors on a desk. He tapped on it, revealing several angles of footage of his new specimen. Jonas lingered right behind them, making his distance seem like a loud proclamation.

Jiuming scrolled through the time stamps and stopped at 4:55 a.m.

Eiza gaped a bit at the sight of the creature. It was practically a baby, but there was no way it could ever be mistaken as a great white pup. The body seemed more robust and the fins’ points were noticeably less prominent than any other shark species. And the color of the animal — only a bit muddled through the camera footage and the water — was as white as snow. Haiqi swam a few meters from the camera, and yet Eiza could pinpoint its icy blue eyes, which would be mistaken as murky marbles in the deep blue sea.

“Amazing,” she whispered. “Science will never be the same.”

“She’s been moving as smoothly as a current,” Jiuming commented, scrolling through a few more time stamps.

Jonas made his presence known. “For now.”

His presence was seemingly made nonexistent again as Jiuming continued. “Of course, we must take measures to ensure Haiqi won’t try to fight back against her housing. She won’t stay this adorable forever. We just finished installing 20,000 volt electric barriers in the tank, however they’re practically invisible, and so if she were to start attacking the glass, 100,000 volts of electricity would immediately activate.”

“And what if that were to provoke her further? We have a pretty good idea of these animals’ temper.” Jonas said.

Eiza looked back to see Jonas with his arms crossed. She founded him to be a bit of a contrarian in a sea of believers, and felt as if some force had forced him to be there, perhaps some form of shame and martyr-based guilt which could only be his own projection of a self-proposed role he commenced within himself due to the burden of being the first man to be under the Megolodon’s mercy.

She budded in. “Sharks are able to sense even one percent of a volt of electricity. The barrier would be enough to keep your shark in place. Especially since they’re sensitive creatures due to their Ampullae of Lorenzini. There was plenty of research done on this kind of topic back in the 1960s. A great white could be deterred with only 5,000 volts. 100,000 could potentially harm your meg. We have to remember that sharks are incredibly sensitive to any electrical currents.”

Jonas squinted his eyes. “Wouldn’t having a barrier on 24/7 eventually annoy the meg if it can sense it, then?”

“As long as those electrical currents aren’t traveling through the water, which they are not when the barrier isn’t activated, then no. She will just make sure to stay away as much as possible.” Eiza looked over at Jonas, them both in a glaring contest, and swore that instead of determined debate, she saw resignation and respect in his eyes. She then turned to face Jiuming, who looked as proud of himself as he could be. “Great job on that barrier.”

“Why thank you. We have everything in place now. The walkie-talkies are ready to use. Our system is updated. Everything is ready to function.”

“Has she been fed?” Jonas asked.

“No, not yet. That is actually your first task as head handler.” Jiuming smiled. “Or rather, our first task. To feed Haiqi we designed a crane to hold her meals. We have several seals in the upper deck, there’s a designated space for them.”

Eiza’s eyebrows knitted in questioning. “Seals? Live ones?”

“Yes. Transported from the Gulf of Mexico.”

“And you intend to feed them live to Haiqi? That’s a bit cruel.”

Jiuming shrugged. “Well as a predator, Haiqi might have a need to actually work for her meals, to stimulate her of course. I have a theory that she might get bored if we were to feed her stuff on a silver plate.”

Jonas spoke up before Eiza could get a word in. “We are feeding her on a silver plate.”

“Not necessarily. A predator of her caliber might need some extra stimulation. Eiza, wouldn’t you agree?”

Eiza chewed on her lip for a moment. Feeding sharks live meals was never a moral strategy for her, but she couldn’t deny that Jiuming’s hypothesis definitely made sense. They knew nothing of the megalodon, after all, and if it were to start acting squirmish due to not having its evolutionary needs met, it would just be an inconvenience to them. She licked her lips. “Certainly. Although modern sharks don’t really seem to have a problem with being fed already dead animals, we don’t know what the megalodon is like.”

“She certainly did seem to love the chase of preying on screaming humans,” Jonas added, who finally seemed to be getting on board with at least one conversation of theirs. He looked over at Jiuming. “I looked over your list of rules and regulations, and I’m inclined to agree with them. But everytime we feed her, we must find it imperative to just throw in the seal with the crane at a distance. Absolutely no one is to be within even 10 feet of that enclosure. I also want there to be a strip of paint painted around it to make an official benchmark of where to stand and not to stand.”

“Done,” Jiuming said, pulling out his iPhone. “I’ll tell Michael about it right now, before we go up there he’ll have it done.”

Eiza stepped back and forth, looking at the lagoon through the glass. “I want to discuss our first steps. After we feed her, we’ll make note of how she preys on and kills her meals. Uh, when did you say that the rest of the team will be here?”

Jiuming put his iPhone back into his pocket. “Within the next two hours, they shall arrive.”

Eiza put her index finger on her chin. “Right. We’ll make note of Haiqi’s hunting techniques. The lab assistants will start a daily log. After that, we need to get a blood sample of her so that Henry can start the process of unveiling her genetic code and ancestry.”

“Wait, how exactly are we going to get a blood sample from her?” Jonas added, his voice a bit interrogative. “And who’s Henry?”

“We will sedate her and bring her up on the crane, in a box of water, of course. And Henry is our lead geneticist,” Jiuming said rather coolly, as if he was telling Jonas obvious information.

Eiza could tell Jonas grew tense. The vein in his head was bulging out of his skin.

Jonas took a breath. “Are you sure you have the measures in place so that that happens smoothly?”

Jiuming stood unoffended. “Of course.”

“How many more people will be in our team?” Jonas sounded a bit too annoyed. “I’m not fond of a growing roster of Haiqi’s possible victims.”

“Well, there will be two lab assistants, Marcus Mayer and Elizabeth Anne Marie Taylor. The lead geneticist, Henry. The lead structural engineer specifically working for this project is Michael Swift. Then there is you, lead handler and senior diver. Then Eiza here, lead marine biologist. Rather a small team, but as much talent as any other.”

Jonas appeared to be prespirating. Eiza wondered if the man was right for the job. What exactly was he doing there?

“Would’ve been nice if you would’ve told me.” Jonas pouted. “A team no matter how small or big is a team, meaning meat. Meaning something Haiqi can eat if even the slightest hair is out of place.”

Eiza wanted to roll her eyes. The man clearly knew nothing. She was told he had credentials in marine science, but where was the science in that man’s head? She made her voice clear. “A predator isn’t going to attack unless provoked or hungry, Mr. Jonas. We will feed Haiqi consistently and constantly, so that she wouldn’t have to eat any human bodies that could splash into her territory, God forbid. Our skeletal to meat ratio makes the worth of attacking or preying on us practically nonexistent.”

“Really?” So then why did the other meg who went after my friends and I go after us anytime it could? In a sea full of hundred ton whales? Eh?” Jonas tilted his head to emphasize his point.

Eiza didn’t back down in the face of the anti-intellectual. “My theory? She was most likely pregnant. Probably agitated and felt disturbed with constant electrical impulses bombarding her Ampullae of Lorenzini from dozens of boats or ships. She entered a completely unknown territory she was not familiar with when she left that thermocline.”

Jonas said nothing. Defeated, he shook his head and looked away from Eiza’s brown and triumphed eyes. He gazed at the water. “Well, then, I don’t see how it could turn out any different this time around. This shark in our new tank isn’t evolutionarily accustomed to being on the surface either.”

“Maybe so, but it doesn’t mean we can’t take measures to ensure it lives comfortably. That’s the good thing about it being housed. We have a level of control.” Eiza said.

Jonas parted his thin lips, but he quickly zipped them back together again. Eiza surmised that there would be no pleasing Haiqi’s handler.

Two hours and thirty minutes later, the Haiqi Research Team — as Jiuming called them — was fully assembled on the upper deck. Jiuming had given an entire speech on how they’re all a part of something new right then and there, and that history would be made, and other charlatan drivel he probably repeated to himself in front of the mirror. He also announced that everyone would be greeted with complimentary welcome baskets in their quarters, as if to manipulate them into believing they were already a part of a big family.

Jonas mulled it over as each member greeted him one by one. Michael Swift was a tall lanky man with glasses, which was stereotypical as could be. Marcus was a black man who looked neutral in the face at his new job. Elizabeth was a scottish looking short woman with orange hair and an introverted look to her. Then Henry shook his hand, who was a Chinese American — judging by the native English accent — who couldn’t have been more than 5’5” and who showed a bit too much chirpiness for Jonas’ taste.

Or maybe he was just too old and bitter and everything was too glittery in comparison.

Eiza, well, was Eiza. A tall woman, who nonetheless despite her stature still couldn’t revel over Jonas, and someone who he knew to respect already. Attractive. Professional. Dressed for the job. Not a single wedge of mascara incorrectly applied or a single look that could indicate uncertainty or insecurity. She seemed knowledgeable enough, and maybe she would make a great addition to their team. For every doubt within the project it was obvious she could counteract it rather gracefully.

Truth was, as much as Jonas hated to admit due to the fact that he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else dying between a meg’s teeth, he needed help. He couldn’t research and handle Haiqi all by himself. He looked over the body of excited scientists and gave in to the rhythm.

As much as he hated to. There was no choice. Jiuming had already cooped them all up into a delicious five-course meal for the meg.

Jiuming escorted them all to the seal territory, like bait leading a school to fish to their deaths, a couple hundred feet from the meg’s lagoon.

Michael gave a formal introduction to the crane, which could extend up to fifty feet in the air. It had a metal hook hanging from its mouth, which Michael said could either hold a metal box or a tarp with an unknowing seal or small animal in it.

He brought out the tarp and said that it’s best to lure a seal by using its favorite treat, a small squid. Jonas cringed as he saw the man stick his hand into a smelly bucket to grab a squid and twirl it before an unsuspecting pinniped to get it to move above the tarp. Marcus and Elizabeth helped with positioning the seal on the tarp, and then Michael pushed a few buttons. The ending result was a poor dumb seal held in a tarp by the crane. Jonas noticed the bright yellow still drying paint on the concrete, telling any visitor in big bold letters to keep their distance. At least he was being listened to.

As Michael moved the crane above the lagoon Jonas could see Eiza move her hand to her mouth, as if to show empathy for the poor thing.

He was about to ask her if she’d ever seen a shark eat a live meal when a humming of Doin’ Time by Sublime hit him. He looked back to see Mac strolling towards them, singing “Bradley’s on the microphone with Ras M.G…”

“Came for the show?” Jonas squinted at Mac, who was beginning to produce small beads of sweat on his forehead.

“Just curious,” Mac said, standing next to him. He saw Eiza give his friend a look, most likely trying to guess Mac’s relevance within the institute. Mac tilted his head towards the people in front them. “This is our new crew?”

“Yep,” Jonas emphasized the P. “More possible casualties.”

Mac scoffed and shook his head, patting Jonas on the shoulder. “You need to lighten up, man.”

The crane was directly above Haiqi’s humble abode, the seal trying to wiggle itself out of its grasp.

Jonas saw Jiuming pull out his iPad Pro.

“So what do we expect to happen?” Henry piped up.

“Well, we’ll lower the seal into the enclosure, then Mr. Zha-”

A white torpedo shot out of the blue salty water 10 feet into the air, extending jaws clasping onto the brown fur of the whelping seal, ripping off some part of the tarp which was the pinniped’s only friend moments before. The crane squeezed as Haiqi hung on to the seal, trying to get it out of its grasp.

Jonas stared vigilantly and in awe at the pup thrashing its jaws, seemingly pulling the seal out of its haven and into its territory in a loud splash. Streams of sea fell onto the deck, but not enough to meet anyone’s attire.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Michael said, scratching his head.

“What a marvelous creature!” Jiuming beamed. “Did you all see that? Haha! I’m definitely saving this timestamp.”

“Amazing,” Eiza murmured.

“Damn,” was all Mac could say.

Everyone else seemed impressed with Haiqi’s little brag of her position as predator of the sea, however Jonas was anything but elated.

More chatter arose from everyone. Jiuming showed the iPad screen to Eiza. “Look! Look how she’s feasting.”

Jonas could see Eiza was cringing, but she was anything but not intrigued by the live footage. Scientific curiosity overtook her empathic nature, he guessed. She held the iPad towards her direction. “Just like her modern counterparts, she’s letting it bleed to death before continuing to eat. Fascinating.”

Jonas’ nightmare from earlier that day came back to mind. He, in the Mariana trench, shredded to bits the same way the poor seal was being shredded by Haiqi..could it be? Could Haiqi be his end?

“Jonas?” Mac called to him.

Jonas took a gulp, realizing his throat was dry and his eyes were off to somewhere he didn’t know he was even looking at. He turned to Mac. “Yeah?”

“You alright, man?”

Jonas looked at the crowd of scientists and the foolish CEO who waved around the footage of Haiqi like free candy, showing off his prized possession to anyone stupid enough to take the bait. Then he looked at Eiza, who most likely didn’t have even the faintest idea of what atomic, acidic bomb she had stepped on by getting out of that helicopter. He could’ve left, right then and there. He could walk further away from the tank of that damned fish and that probably dry yellow paint — his would be brother in law were it not for the cancer that spread along Suyin’s tissues, the proper marine biologist in the black turtleneck who rivaled him intellectually when it came to the science of sharks — but could she rescue herself if, by the universe’s desire to lead her down an unfortunate path, she were to trip on one of her stilettos and fall into Haiqi’s enclosure. What then, could Jonas provide for her? What could Jonas provide for any of those employees whose health insurance was provided by a megalodon-housing institute and whose contracts most likely demanded complete silence in an event of a catastrophic happenstance? The employees who were right then and there, laughing and engaging in an attempt at creating workplace bonds, who were only seeking to find meaning in their lives, and found themselves in a selfish and capitalistic driven scheme parading itself as righteous ‘exploration’ and ‘discovery.’ Could a sane mind take a paycheck from a madman who waved away nature’s warnings that came in the form of a 60 foot long prehistoric shark?

Jonas decided right then and there that the answer was no.

He could walk away from it all.

He could, were it not for the fact that he told himself that it was his duty to stay. He told himself he needed to pay his debts. Because of him the meg was in the modern world and it was the modern world he would owe savorism to.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Jonas told Mac.

The day was a long stream of scientific conversations and laborious repeatings of procedures and safety measure, not that he didn’t spend every minute hyper-focused, however he would’ve preferred to instead be in his new foam mattress, thinking about Suyin and dwelling on the fact that he still didn’t know how to be Meiying’s father. Jiuming tried to coerce him into sedating Haiqi right after the ‘show,’ however Jonas argued that’d be best to sedate her the next day as to procrastinate on becoming more and more acquainted with the beast.

It was 9 p.m. He sat on the bed, knees bent up and a journal in his lap. The journal was a gift from Mac. He remembered when he told Mac he thought of going to therapy to deal with Suyin’s death. A week later a journal ordered from Mac’s Amazon Prime showed up at his doorstep.

He turned onto the holy page. The one holding a photo of Suyin, Meiying, and Jonas. They were..on a beach, with blue waves behind them, and a sand bucket in Meiying’s hand. They were a family.

And he looked at Suyin. Her button nose. The smile that could bring him to her shores. The eyes that could heal with just a soft look. The blush on her olive skin and cheeks.

Oh..where had time gone…

A knock came to the door.

“Daddy?”

“Come in, Pumpkin.”

Meiying stood in his doorway wearing dolphin pajamas, a plush dolphin in her hand. She shuffled over to him, her narwhal slippers making small squeaky noises. “How was work today? Did you see Haiqi?”

“Yes, I did. Come here,” Jonas motioned her to come onto the bed, shuffling himself to the side.

“Is she dangerous and scary?”

Jonas breathed out and closed the journal. “Very.”

“What were you looking at?”

“You already know.”

Meiying reached for the journal, and Jonas didn’t hesitate on letting her do so. She opened it to reveal the family photo.

Jonas looked to the side.

“Do you think Haiqi misses her mama?”

A weak curve came to Jonas’ lips. “She probably does.”

“They’re just like us. The sharks.”

Jonas didn’t argue. He just roped his strong arm around Meiying, bringing her close to him.

Sometime, along the linear reality of his existence, Jonas had to move on from Suyin’s death.

And megalodons. And the fear that came from them.

But he started to wonder if maybe his fate would never allow him to rip himself from the grips of them…

Chapter Text

Among the black bristles that waved from her hair and the pink tint of her face, Jonas sees a beautiful woman full of light.

“Look at her,” Suyin says. “Such a beauty. We need to protect her.”

Jonas grimaces. “Protect her? If anything, we need protection from her.”

Suyin gives him droopy eyes, the kind he knew he could never detest. “She is an animal, honey. She does not know better.”

Jonas says nothing.

A familiar shape flies through the water in front of them. Instinct Jonas steps in front of Suyin as if he is God enough to keep millions of gallons of water at bay.

“Jonas,’ Suyin says annoyingly, “I can’t see.”

The shape draws closer. It’s Haiqi.

Except she is heading straight for the glass!

A thud comes from the hit. Jonas flinches back. “She’s trying to escape!”

Another thud. Haiqi shakes her head. She hits the pane again.

“Jonas!” Suyin cries.

A crack grows upon the glass like a lightning strike.

“Jonas!” Suyin cries again..

Jonas has no words, they’re kept stuck in his throat.

He sees the crack growing upon the great wall that separates himself from the demon on the other side.

Another crack and they’re all swept away within the blue.

Jonas sat up from his bed, his heart accelerating and sweat covering his every inch of skin. He took a breath and adjusted himself, reminding his own mind that it was just a dream.

Just a dream.

Suyin had begun to creep into his dreams. She was in his dreams, and among those dreams she would either be in a vulnerable position, or worse, she’d be dying. Even in slumber he would be living among nightmares. He started to ponder if maybe sleep was no longer a necessity, and if by some extreme measure he could eliminate the need altogether.

He looked over at his phone, which was tucked under his blanket. One missed call from Mac.

Mac sighed as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. He knew well-enough what Jonas was going through, and surely he didn’t mean to come off as pushy to his friend. Jonas was, after all, a grown man, and he knew enough on how to operate and go about his responsibilities. What Mac was intending to do was only give him that little push he would need to hopefully start living again.

He knew Jonas being there was good for him. It would help him move on from the torment from the past few years and to reclaim his sense of agency; ever since 2018, his friend moved through the world with a clenched fist and eyes that scanned even the slightest movement of a leaf. It was a miserable existence to the outsider, and Mac imagined it was even worse to the person who lived said existence. Though Jonas was always one to play around with alcohol, there was a period of time, after Suyin’s death, in which he would sometimes reach 20 beers a day. He ended up gaining weight, and so Mac took it upon himself to start calling him “tubby” in an effort to get him to the gym. Within a few months, Jonas was back to his athletic body — Mac himself earned some definition on his biceps.

Once again, it was up to Mac to get Jonas back on his feet again. He knew Jonas’s true passion, and that was deep-sea diving. And so he would make him fall in love with it all over again — he did help Mac many years ago after all, and so Mac knew to repay his debts.

He stood before a giant painting of Chinese letters, wondering about their meaning.

“Good morning James,” Jiuming said, walking into view.

“Uh, it’s just Mac, thank you.”

“Looks like your friend isn’t here.”

Mac shrugged. “He’ll come around. It’s not easy, being him. You have the trauma and the grief, plus the overwhelming urge to self-isolate and obsess over his own shortcomings and regrets. Bad mixture.”

Jiuming straightened his back. “So I take it it’s a bad time to bring up the idea of training Haiqi?”

“What?”

Jiuming walked over to his desk. “Lately I have been interested in studying sharks more. They are fascinating creatures. I intend on following my father and sister’s research, as I’ve said in our meeting. Engineering has always been my main career, but ever since I inherited the Zhang institute, I’ve decided to learn of,” he paused, looking up for a second, “a new curve, I guess.”

“What?”

A crinkled smile came to Jiuming’s lips as he sat before his desk. “I have a plan. I brought this idea up to Ms. Chavez. She seems to be on board. But she wants to squeeze as much knowledge as she can of this creature. She advised me that it is a fool’s errand to attempt to tame such a fierce and previously undiscovered predator so hastily. As much as it pains my explorer heart, she’s right. So we both agreed to wait a couple of months, maybe up to a year before we can even think about training her.” Jiuming shrugged.

Mac could feel Jonas’s panic already rip through his ears. A faint laugh of disbelief left his lips. “I’m sorry, you’re saying you want to train Haiqi?”

“Correct. And I don’t mean the novice stuff they do in aquariums. I want to train Haiqi to respond to sounds, to respond to proper commands. I want to test out my technology. And for that, I need all of you.”

“To respond to commands? Last time I checked, you don’t need a marine biology degree to see how absolutely insane that is.” Before the man before him could react, Mac shook his head. “No way Jonas will agree to this.” He slid his hand down his mouth, sighing in frustration. “I’ve been onboard with about anything you’ve planned so far, but this, this is where my support ends.”

Jiuming remained his usual neurotic self. “Once we see our results from housing and studying Haiqi, then we can make proper judgment on whether or not we should move forward with step B.”

“Step B?”

Jiuming held up his fingers one by one. “Step A, house Haiqi and study her. Step B, attempt to train her.”

“And why doesn’t Jonas already know of this? Why do I know of this before him? He is the director and lead researcher, is he not? Hiding things from him will only encourage that paranoia he’s got going on.”

Jiuming waved such a confrontation off. “He was supposed to meet with Eiza and I this morning, but he did not show up.”

Mac said nothing.

“But no worries. I’ll let him know later today about our plans. Probably before we sedate Haiqi and draw a blood sample from her.”

Jiuming was a man of many talents and a brain that thought many eons past what was necessary. As Eiza entered her quarters — a luxurious suite with a wonderful view of the outer ocean — she pondered the conversation she had with Jiuming only moments before. She met his ideas of training the pup with hesitation, however the man didn’t need to use his charms to convince her of the possibility either. After about an hour of discussion, she and the rest of the research team were on board.

Eiza prided herself in being an open-minded scientist. The best minds who pushed boundaries of science led to her standing right then and there, after all.

Taking a deep breath, Eiza looked over her already-cumbered desk. She showed no humility in packing, judging by the two stacks of research papers and the like which were basically fighting for space on the desk. She couldn’t help but grin. The years of struggling, financially and personally, the poor treatment directed her way from pompous lab leads, the crying spells and late night ramblings in her personal diary, it all lead to her being the first and only ichthyologist to oversee a megalodon in captivity.

The Macbook on the left side of the desk made a bing sound, encouraging her to log in.

Messages from her parents, many congratulations from extended family on Facebook, and seemingly more emails than the night before.

Even before opening the mail app, she already knew of the contents of her inbox. Word of her new endeavor spread through the field overnight (not that she wasn’t responsible for that, a bragging right just too good to pass up on even at her ripe age of 32) and so all the emails thrown her way were either paragraphs of congratulations from old colleagues or condescendingly righteous tirades from other scientists questioning the ethics of studying a captive megalodon. A professor once told her, to brush off those who only seek to put down one’s ambitions, as often they are drowning in envy. Ever since Eiza had carried that inkling of wisdom with her, and it was right there, as she deleted said emails of torment, in which she recalled it. She had secured a once in a lifetime of opportunity, and intended on seizing it for all its worth.

Another ping, except that time it came from her phone. She dug into her pocket to find that an unknown number had sent her a message. Upon opening it, she knew to roll her eyes at the long paragraph, especially at the last sentences.

I’ve gotten a new opportunity and I’m doing well for myself. I want you to know that you will always be the one that got away to me. I just want to know that you’re okay?

Such audacity men had. A flinch in her heart told Eiza to block the number and throw the damn phone on to the memory foam bed.

She hadn’t seen him in years.

Before the tears and a dig into the rabbit hole of a past no more desired ensued, Eiza went into the bathroom. Water. She needed a breath of fresh water. In her mind, clearing her face with water also cleared her mind. Much to her dismay the effort rendered useless, because the man in her dreams and the man in her past still haunted her on the daily. The relationship was all she knew for the past seven years, and the fallout was still fresh on her mind. No one would ever hear her admit that sometimes she missed the warmth of a man, and it was a personal embarrassment she kept to herself. No one wanted to hear a career woman yearn for a man’s touch, it was a taint upon her identity, and so in dinners with peers and hometown friends she would only mutter words detailing recent appraisals from supervisors or research.

She looked at her wet drooping makeup and smudged eyeshadow, and wondered if perhaps it was time to socialize outside of academia and lab coats. If maybe, just maybe, another man could make her forget about him. Maybe she needed some companionship other than her own hands. She retraced her steps. Jiuming was an attractive man, but only a fool would purposely hook up with a supervisor. Plus, she was sure he was a man of his own passions, too busy to notice a woman’s shiny hair and a flirtatious smirk. Then there was Jonas Taylor – he looked untameable and moody in an intriguing way.

Eiza pushed the thought away and went ahead and wiped her face clean of the powder and reached for a beige-centered palette on the vanity next to the sink. She had to hurry, and as she picked up the makeup brushes she pictured her outfit in her mind: black skinny jeans, workout shoes and a black sleeveless shirt.

It was to be the first day of studying Haiqi.

The analog clock hit 3 p.m. above the door of the research lab.

“Alright, so how does this work?” Eiza asked Michael Swift as he connected a monitor and a vitals machine to the extension cord. Michael and Jiuming looked at the screen with such intensity Eiza swore their livelihoods depended on it.

“This is what we’re gonna use to keep track of Haiqi’s vitals after we sedate her and inject the accelerometer and tracker. We’ll be able to track her heart rate daily without having to worry about using a stethoscope and making snacks out of ourselves.” Michael chuckled at his own joke. Eiza held back the urge to correct him that human flesh would never even be considered a “snack” to a shark. Not even a sample.

With his hands on his hips Jiuming turned to Eiza. “I know you’re familiar with tracking sharks with accelerometers, but this is more than just a vitals machine. The accelerometers my team and I designed are even more advanced than your typical tracker any university or lab hands out like candy. This accelerometer also measures the neurological pulses in a shark’s brain. I tested it on a great white juvenile and an adult. The results were able to give us a glimpse at how areas in their brains were utilized while doing different tasks.”

Eiza, astonished, asked, “you found a way to measure their brain activity in real time?”

“Absolutely. Michael, where are the results I was showing you this morning?”

Michael handed Jiuming a stack of papers from the cabinet of the desk.

“Can I read through it?” Eiza asked, already knowing the answer. Jiuming handed over the papers. She took a look at the title of the first page. Neurological activity in the brain of the great white shark.

“Have you seen Jonas?” Jiuming asked.

Eiza didn’t take her eyes off of the pages. “I have no idea, I didn’t see him in the cafeteria this morning.” She flopped her arms down to her sides, along with the papers. “Wait, he is not here. He is not going to slack off on this project, is he?” she asked, giving Jiuming a slight squint in her eyes.

Jiuming cleared his throat. “Jonas is a smart man. Very brave, and very much capable of excelling here. He is just – he lost someone very important to him.”

Suddenly empathetic, Eiza was about to respond when a creak of metal emitted from the entrance.

Jonas walked in, not bothering to properly close the door, with eye creases and shoulders hanging low. “Alright, let’s get this done.”

He couldn’t have said it with any less enthusiasm. He rubbed his eyes as he set down his file folder bag, and just looked over the room, as if he was waiting for everyone to greet him or even bend their legs to his will.

Eiza crossed her arms, and was about to reprimand him for his inappropriate entrance, but before she got a word out Jiuming spoke up.

“Good morning! We were just getting everything ready. I was telling Eiza about my news breakthrough in engineering. I was able to create an accelerometer that tracks a shark’s brain activity. Not even something the most prestigious institute has its hands on. We’ll be able to see what areas of Haiqi’s brain are most active when she’s doing various tasks and so forth.”

“Did you already implant it in her?” Jonas pursed his lips in suspicion.

“No, we were waiting for you,” Eiza said.

“You’re going to be the one implanting it in her,” Jiuming said, smiling.

Chapter Text

“Henry! Get the sedative,” Jiuming called out to the geneticist, who was actually right behind him.

Jonas couldn’t help but notice that oxygen was running out in the lab, and that his eyesight was blurrier than moments before. A pumping in his chest came about and without permission his fingers jittered.

“Acepromazine. 200MG,” Henry said, inspecting the needle. Jonas could hear the clicks of the locks of the case Henry was juggling the sedative and probable reverse agents (if the worst were to occur) into and it unsettled him further.

“Jonas?” Eiza said to him.

“Jiuming,” Jonas managed to breathe out, “I need to talk to ya.” He motioned over his worst enemy, who was both unfazed but also worried in the face.

Turning away from Eiza and Henry, Jonas felt the air constraint him and he couldn’t help but protrude his fingers into Jiuming’s shoulder.

Jiuming faced him after looking back at Eiza with unreadable eyes. In a low voice, he said, “You seem tense.”

Jonas could feel the blood in his veins run rampant. “You can’t be serious. You can’t actually be shitting me right now.”

“What is the problem?”

If only the heat in Jonas’s fists could meet the smug face of Jiuming. He licked his lips before glaring into his soul. “What makes you think I am getting in the water with a megalodon pup? I can’t believe you’d ask me to do this.”

“You’re her handler, it is your job to do so when the need arises. Did you not read the contract you signed?”

Jonas hadn’t, and the realization hit in with a pang to his head. He rubbed his eyes. The room was blurrier by the second. Could he still even breathe?

“I think this could be good for you.” Jiuming’s eyebrows did that thing where they slanted downwards to project an aura of innocence and humility. Jonas hated when he did that. “The best way to rid yourself of the illness of fear from a past event is to confront that fear itself.”

“What are you, my therapist?”

“I know a thing or two about PTSD.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Jonas never felt comfort in knowing strangers could know him. “You’re not fit to diagnose me.”

“I have your medical records.”

Jonas said nothing. The drum beats in his ears grew louder. He needed to lie down desperately. Had he taken his medication that morning? He couldn’t remember.

Jiuming fluttered his falsely charismatic eyelashes as he looked down and threw Jonas a look of pity. “This is a controlled environment. She’s only six feet long right now. She’s going to be in a stretcher – the box we originally designed is too ill-fitted, Michael and Eiza agreed it could stress out Haiqi heavily as she’s possibly an obligate ram ventilation shark. You know that stretchers prevent a shark from harming anyone. I’m sure you’ve had a few experiences with them.”

“Uh, if I may,” Eiza budded in, easing into Jonas’s vision. “It’s important to inject the sedative in a very specific part of her dorsal fin. It needs to be on the edge on the right side. After she calms down then you will take her heart rate. Then the blood sample should be taken. Don’t forget to also put in the tag and accelerometer.”

The lady was already lecturing Jonas on how to do his tasks he already had tucked in his mind, but it was beginning to fade in importance at that moment. The breathing was becoming a husky pant. It was too much. The devices, the sedatives, the stretcher! They were all coming together to bring him to worst fate. The fate of becoming face to face with the megalodon once again and the all impending doom he was about to meet. The knives as teeth and the rancid breath, he could all begin to feel it brush against his cheeks.

“Jonas? Are you okay?” Jiuming asked, slightly holding out his arm to him, but Jonas was already back in the deep blue sea, being chased by the beast the biblical leviathan wouldn’t dream of facing.

“He seems to be having a panic attack,” Eiza muttered.

Henry stared in awe. “Damn.”

Then Jonas saw black.

Jonas shot up.

His head turned to the clock on the nightstand. 3:40 p.m. What had happened? He fainted, yes. But exactly what happened during the time he was knocked out!? Haiqi! The water! The sedative! The tags! He was supposed to be the one who did all of that! Who then, took his place to be damned by that beast?!

He had to put a stop to it before the news could gain a wave of attention the next day. The bed sheets couldn’t have been thrown out of his way faster. He grabbed his phone in case of an emergency, jumped off the bed, and headed for the doorway.

He swung the door and ran through the halls, the board meeting rooms, and confused janitors in a shaken state. His legs had the urge to melt into the floor at any moment, but his heart boomed in his mind, and he could not be bothered to stop and panic once again. Finally reaching the research area and flights of steps, he made his way to the upper deck. He passed the behemoth glass of Haiqi’s enclosure, too afraid to even side-eye it.

Finally he reached the outside stairs, which spiraled directly to said deck, and he began to make out the many voices surrounding Hell’s seventh circle in which Satan with fins resided.

“No!” He shouted, coming into view of everyone in the research team, and Mac, who was operating a crane connected to the stretcher. “Get away from there you dumbass! You’re too close!”

Mac looked up, squinting his eyes.

Then Jonas noticed who was near the stretcher, in the water, and who was in said stretcher! A glimpse of grayish skin was enough to make Jonas rush towards Eiza. Yes, she was in the water with her future killer! Of course she would be!”

“Get out of the water!” he yelled. “What the hell ya doing!” He looked Jiuming’s way, who stood in between him and the water.

“Woah, calm down,” Jiuming said coolly.

“She’s not able to harm me,” Eiza called out.

The water reached her waist, and in her scuba suit she did not look phased in any form to be near the 6 feet long beast, which Jonas expected from a professional, but still.

“Listen! She needs more men in the water in case of an emergency.” Jonas breathed out. Haiqi was splashing more and more, the sounds of the mini waves she was creating was enough to make Jonas flinch. “You should be having a guy with a machine gun nearby just in case!”

Jiuming laughed.

That bastard. He laughed.

It was enough for Jonas to meet him eye to eye, exactly 20 inches apart. “What’s so funny? She’s in danger, you tool!”

“Jonas,” Mac called out. “She will be fine. Look, the shark is calming down.”

Eiza glared at Jonas, even while keeping Haiqi down, with her hand on the head of the pup. “I am not in danger! I’m rubbing her snout, it should trigger some tonic immobility.”

“You need to go back to your quarters and practice on managing your anxiety. Everything is fine. We have it under control.” Jiuming said, holding his hands up.

Jonas took a step back and tightened his expression, letting Jiuming know in guy-code that they were not, in fact, buddies, and that he had no business giving Jonas advice. That was Mac’s job.

Haiqi splashed a bit more in the water, not as crazy as before but definitely still in a heightened state. Jonas looked over at her. Those gray eyes..he was uneasy.

“Marcus, Elizabeth. Take some pictures of her. We need some visual records of her for research purposes.” Eiza said, still rubbing the deadly pup’s head.

The scientists were scrambling to get iPads, but then Haiqi made more noise, as she started frantically splashing again as to attempt an escape from its PVC material prison. The noise, oh the noise! Jonas's blood pressure was rising. Something bad was about to happen. Even Eiza was getting startled by the movements from the animal.

He pushed Jiuming aside and ran for the water.

“Jonas!” He heard one to two voices say to him, but he didn’t register who they were.

“Get out of the water!” Jonas soaked his legs into the water, grabbing Haiqi down.

Eiza moved not a single muscle, she was still grimacing as water splashed into her eyes and face. She pushed down harder on the body of Haiqi. “Rub her snout!” She yelled to Jonas.

And so he listened. The Ampullae of Lorenzini was perhaps the most sensitive part of a shark’s body, and so when in contact with human hands, said shark would feel their ‘senses’ get confused. Jonas had remembered.

“Use both hands! Marcus, hand me the gauge!” Eiza yelled. He handed her the injector and she ripped her hands from the shark. “Jonas, keep both hands on her snout. We need her to calm down!”

Jonas rubbed all over the damn snout, as if to angrily scrub a dirty dish.

Eiza grabbed Haiqi’s fin, and managed to stab the sedative into her.

Another ecstatic movement came from Haiqi, so much so that Jonas was afraid she was about to slip out of the water somehow and take them both to the depths.

“A few more minutes and she’ll be out. Just keep her down,” Eiza breathed, looking into Jonas’s eyes in victory. “Thank you.” She smiled.

Jonas couldn’t help but smile back. “You’re welcome,” he huffed.

Cheering ensued from everyone else. Even Mac was cheesing. ‘See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Shut up,” was all Jonas could reply with before chuckling.

Haiqi was moving less and less, and he couldn’t have been happier that the damn sedative even worked.

As she settled in, Eiza wasted no time in asking Marcus for the tags and then inserting them in the same place of the fin.

Jiuming and Elizabeth went back to the lab to check if a signal from the tags was picked up. A few minutes later, through the walkie talkie Marcus held, Michael confirmed that the signal was picked up and that the trackers were a success. “We can see her thoughts!” Jiuming squealed through the device. “Well, not thoughts. But you know what I mean!”

Michael’s scientific excitement practically bursted through the walkie talkie. “Her heart rate is perfect. Everything is fine. She is taking the sedative very well for a prehistoric shark we just discovered.”

“Really?” Eiza sighed in relief. “Our girl is going to be okay. Can you hand me the phlebotomy kit?” She directed at Marcus.

Jonas couldn’t help but cringe at Eiza referring to Haiqi as “our girl.” She wasn’t a housepet!

He was still cringing as he watched Eiza prepare the needle. She could’ve been mistaken for a child in a candy store with the way she was setting everything up to take blood from a shark, which only moments before could have snatched the hair off her head. He couldn’t help but open his mouth. “You don’t seem scared of Haiqi.”

Eiza looked up at him for a second, giving him a look of disbelief. “I’ve never been afraid of anything that has had no genuine interest in harming me.”

Haiqi’s body became as stiff as a pole.

“But she – er, any shark, could hurt you though. They’re still dangerous.”

Eiza licked her lips and her eyebrows slanted downwards as if to join together to create a stream of hate. “I’ve dived with tiger sharks and the biggest great whites possibly recorded, with no cage in my way, and there’s one thing about sharks. Just don’t piss them off. It becomes easier with experience.”

Jonas decided to ignore the hint to back off. “But have you ever swam with a 60 feet shark?”

“No, but it is still a shark. And a shark’s behavior can be predicted, with experience, of course. My theory of the megalodon you crossed paths with in 2018 remains. I do not think she was interested in binging on human flesh.”

“But I saw it eat people.” Jonas noticed Eiza was in a hurry in preparing the syringe. It was more aggressive than before.

After moving over to where Haiqi’s caudal fin was, testing for a vein, and plunging the needle into the shark, Eiza looked up Jonas with a look of defiance. “After her first time, did she continue? If not, then she was testing, or rather, just sampling human flesh, to see if it was good enough as prey.”

Jonas thought it over. The only time he saw a megalodon grab a human being was when that white blond guy whose name he forgot was messing around with a dead meg his team had previously caught.

Eiza was staring at him while casually slipping out the needle and transferring the blood from the synge into a test tube. Blood in, blood out, and she did it as effortlessly as a tsunami took over a town.

He cleared his throat. “I hope you’re right.”

“You seem afraid of them.”

“That obvious, eh?” Jonas chuckled, showing a bit of his teeth in the process.

Eiza returned a smile, as well, and he noticed she had a pretty one. Her eyes then softened like clouds. “I guess so. I am sorry. I did not know. All I knew of you when I arrived was that you are known as a hero.”

“People see the heroes but they don’t see the scars we got by being heroes. It’s not something I advertise up front. I didn’t know I was about to fall on my ass in that lab.”

“Are you currently seeing a therapist to manage that?” Eiza asked as she prepared a new test tube and took a new sample.

“Sure, back home. Until Mac called me in a panic about a megalodon being found and Jiuming coerced me into joining this episode of ‘fucking with nature once again.’ Now I just have pills.”

Eiza grinned, and nodded. “Sorry about that.”

“Say, who even brought me to my bed after I knocked out?”

“That would be me!” Mac shouted out to him from the view of the crane.

Eiza closed the second tube of red liquid from Haiqi’s veins, “we’re done. Now to follow the post-sedation protocol.” She pulled herself out of the water using the curved edge of the enclosure and handed the samples to Marcus, telling him to accompany her to the lab. She then told Mac, “lower the stretcher into the water so Haiqi can begin to slowly swim again. She needs more oxygen flowing through her.”

Jonas couldn’t help but glance at the way her back arched as she got out of the pool. His attention diverted the moment he realized he was looking, and he made eye contact with Haiqi, who seemed dazed and in the clouds. Her glossy gray eyes and the way they appeared as windows to her soul sent a slight shiver through Jonas’s body. “You think she’s blind?” he asked Eiza, who was drying her untied hair with a towel plastered with chibi-sharks.

“Partially blind, maybe. Greenland sharks have similar eyes to her, and they have very poor eyesight.” Eiza threw the towel to the bin near it. “Thank you guys for helping me.”

“No problem,” Mac tipped his pompous-looking hat.

Eiza turned to Jonas. “I need you to stay up here for a bit until she goes back to normal. She’s recovering, and sharks need time to recover from sedation.”

“I know,” Jonas said, quite annoyed that she continued to explain protocols to him as if he was an intern fresh out of an undergraduate program.

Eiza didn’t react, but she did throw him a slight smile and a girly spin as she left.

It didn’t take twenty seconds for Mac to whistle and give Jonas the look.

Jonas rolled his eyes. “Don’t start.”

“I already have.”

“What ya thinking?”

“I’m thinking you’re having some flirting going on here.”

“Do you think I want to fuck every woman I come in contact with?”

“I know sexual tension when I see it.”

“You're ridiculous.” Jonas jumped out of the enclosure, peaking over his shoulder in case Haiqi suddenly decided to take a bite out of his ass.

A laugh escaped Mac and he pat Jonas on the back. “I’m just fucking with you. But she is a looker.”

Jonas swiped his friend’s arm away, unpleased. “Then go for it.”

“I don’t make moves on my friends’ women.”

A couple of years ago, when a psych ward was the place Jonas called home after the initial incident with the first megalodon to ever come in contact with him ever, he recalled Mac being his roomie and making several moves on the front desk receptionist who was married to Dr. Heller despite gleams of diamonds coming from her finger. He chuckled. “Yeah, right.”

“She got you into the water. That’s a good sign.”

“I panicked. That stretcher held her in place but there’s no telling how much more powerful she would be compared to her modern day cousins. I just don’t want anyone to get harmed.”

“Still, you went in. You haven’t been in water with a shark since 2018.”

Jonas cringed at the mention of that year. “Argh, Don’t mention it. I’ll oversee this beastie’s growth and then I’m out of here. I’m too anxious here.”

“Well that’s a yikes, because Jiuming has bigger plans than just studying Haiqi through a glass.”

“What?” Jonas swore his ears were deceiving him.

“This morning, that meeting you were supposed to be at, I told you you shouldn’t miss your meetings by the way, Jiuming told me he wants to train Haiqi. I guess he wants to test out his new inventions or whatever. He didn’t specify how exactly he wanted to train her.”

A stream of blood probably froze everywhere in Jonas’s body. He grabbed Mac by the shoulders, eyes meeting his friend’s. “Tell me you’re bullshitting.”

Mac shrugged. “I told him you wouldn’t agree. He didn’t care. He and Eiza have discussed future plans. Apparently they don’t even begin training until after a year of having Haiqi here. He told me he’d let you know about this, but I’m starting to feel like he’s a bit sha-”

Jonas didn’t care what else Mac had to say. He’d heard enough.

Down stairs, more stairs, several doorways, and he was in front of Jiuming’s office. Jonas barged into his office, manners out the door.

Jiuming, stunned and kind of startled, was mumbling something to the phone against his ear.

“You want to train Haiqi? Are you crazy?!”

Jiuming kept his cool, and said goodbye to whoever he was on the phone with.

“I take it James told you.”

“Yes, and I’m right here to tell you that you’re nuts and need to put a stop to this damn project.”

Jiuming licked his lips, clearly not willing to back down from his conviction. “Sorry, but I trust Eiza’s opinion more than yours. She is on board.”

Before he himself knew it, Jonas was directly across Jiuming, with only a desk being in his way. He put one finger up.

“Let me tell you something, that woman has never been in the water with a 60 feet long shark, so her opinion on this means zilch.”

Jiuming’s lips got in a straight line and he clenched his jaw. “I suggest you back up, Mr. Taylor. You are not in control here.”

Jonas had never seen such an expression among that man’s face. It was enough to make him almost feel threatened by him.

Not ready to escalate further, he spun around in defeat, rubbing his head.

A voice boomed into the room. “Jonas! Don’t do anything stupid man.” It was Mac, who was huffing in the doorway.

“I’m not!” Jonas snapped, pointing to the man responsible for his predicament. “But I am not going to stand here and let you put more people in danger because of your capitalistic jerk-off. These are real people we’re talking about! A damn sharks is more important to you asshol-”

“Dad?”

Jonas turned to the familiar voice.

Meiying stood in the doorway, right under Mac, a schoolbag in her small hand. What’s going on? Stop fighting! Mom wouldn’t have wanted this!”

Jonas dropped everything and ran her way. “Oh no, Pumpkin. There’s no fighting. Everything is fine.” He bent down and wrapped his arms around May, who appeared almost to tears.

Mac scoffed. “Way to lie.”

Jonas looked up and shot daggers at the moron he called a buddy.

“Well,” Jiuming said in a loud tone, obviously wanting the attention on him. His coarse hands buttoned up his fancy jacket. “Before I was rudely interrupted, I was on the phone with Benedict Singer and his associates. They’re on their way.”

Mac crossed his arms across his chest, saying, “I thought he was coming in next week or something.”

A smile spread on Jiuming’s face. “He is rather excited to see Haiqi.” he looked down at his Apple Watch, which pinged. “They made it.”

Chapter Text

“Celeste, my darling, don’t be too upfront. We’re guests,” Benedict Singer, with a hand stroking through his silky white hair and a glass of champagne in his other hand, told his protégée.

She was just putting the final touches on her striking face as he said it, and she felt he was already ruining her mood. She swept the red lipstick across her thin lips, and fired back with vanilla taste in her words. “You have reminded me over and over. I get it. Can’t help that I’m friendly.”

In the corner of her eye she saw Hillary Discroli, professional pain in the ass and her technically step-father’s business partner, take off her huge Gucci sunglasses in a swift motion and sigh, saying “I'm sick of this damn plane already.”

“Devager se vai ao longe,” Benedict said quite swiftly, lost in his voice.

Celeste Singer rolled her eyes. She was fond of her technically step-father, but he was always saying pretentious quotes in foreign languages, and she was at her wits end. Being in a jet stuck with the same desirous bodyguards and the same familiar faces was beginning to get to her. She shut the compact mirror with her power, her long painted nails shining in contrast to the gold plating of said compact. Celeste threw it in the pocket of her orange and white striped jumpsuit, then took a sip of her water. Her emerald eyes looked out the window. Their journey must have been coming to an end, judging by nearby isles sweeping into her vision, and she was aching to not only see her future acquaintances but to also meet the famous Jonas Taylor. She lamented on the name for weeks on end, and when Benedict told her he was planning on doing business with Jiuming, it took many sessions of convincing him to let her in on it. Benedict even started teasing her about her crush on Mr. Taylor, commenting that instead she should set out for Jiuming’s hand in marriage so she could become a greater success than he.

The pilot announced they were about to land.

She felt her heart jump. “Do you think the shark is dangerous?”

Benedict grabbed a cherry off a bowl, looking at her. “Sir Jiuming says she is only 6 feet long. We need not worry.” He bit the cherry, his old-people teeth crushing the red vibrant skin. “He is the most competent man to ever exist in the technological industry. Whatever creature he has, he can handle it.”

“By the way, Montes let me know earlier that they found no remains of human bodies in the site,” Hillary made her voice known, looking down at her iPhone.

Celeste cringed, crossing her skinny arms across her petite chest. “Don’t mention that fool.”

Benedict shook his head and grinned. “The ocean is much more unpredictable than we thought.”

Celeste pulled up the picture of the shark Jiuming had sent to Benedict under an email titled confidential. There was a light-skinned woman holding it down in a stretcher, and she looked to be uncomfortable. The little shark was a grayish white color, unlike any other species she’d seen. It was barely similar to the great white. Benedict told her it was an evolutionary breakthrough. Could said evolutionary breakthrough bring her fortune?

“Do you think sharks can be trained?” Celeste turned to Benedict, ignoring the way his eyes crinkled and mouth became agape at her question.

He scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, dear. Sharks can’t be trained.”

“Prepare yourselves for landing!” The pilot shouted. “The Celeste has officially arrived at the Zhang Institute.”

The private jet made some shuttering sounds before finally setting down on the cold concrete. Celeste stared out in awe at the place, but then she remembered, she let a touch up of her eyeliner slip her mind!

The two bodyguards accompanying them, Benedict, and Hillary got out as soon as the door opened. She was in no sort of hurry.

She had done her research on the institute. It was owned by the current CEO’s father, who died by injury during the infamous 2018 incident. Apparently, Jonas was once in a relationship with his sister, until she also fell ill.

That’s definitely a convenience for me, she thought as she took out the eyeliner from her mini bag hand-sculpted by the best high-end designer in America. She could hear mens’ voices greeting each other from afar. And a woman as well?

“Celeste! Enough primping! Come join us!” She heard Benedict's crackling voice. It was faint, but it was there, even if stairs several feet high stood between him and her.

Swerving her blonde waves behind her ears, she put the cosmetics away and hurried down the steps, a bodyguard waiting at her altar at the bottom with his hand stretched out. She saw eyes bestow upon her athletic and tall figure in stupefaction, and she reaped the benefits of her years of modeling. An ache for attention was a normal habit.

Reaching the group, she saw Benedict smile like a proud father, saying, “gentleman and lady, my protégée, Celeste Singer.”

“Hello,” she beamed at everyone as they returned hellos to her. Her eyes met Jonas. He was better-looking than the camera gave access to. She held up a pointed finger and smiled from ear to ear. “You’re Jonas Taylor, right?”

The man nodded, smiling, pretty uncomfortable with the heroic title he held, but still accepting it. “That I am.”

Celeste noticed a woman one or two inches shorter than her, behind him, giving her a look of repellence, her eyes almost squinting. Oh, she was the lady from the picture she’d seen earlier.

“And this is James, our pilot and director of Mana One, and Eiza, our chief marine biologist. Jonas is the handler of Haiqi. Nice to know you could all make it,” the uppity man Celeste surmised as Jiuming said, clapping his hands excitedly. “The attorneys are waiting in my conference room. But first, how about I give you all a tour of this place and Haiqi’s enclosure? Then we’ll sign the papers. By the time we finish, it will be time for Haiqi’s next meal.”

“That sounds splendid,” Benedict said.

“That would be wonderful,” Hillary added.

“Ah, is that her enclosure? And her meals?” Benedict turned around and pointed at a colossal body of water about 50 feet away. Within range there were endless fatty brown bodies flopping about. No wonder it reeked of fish.

“Yes sir!” Jiuming started directing them all towards the water. “Eiza, why don’t you tell them about how we are housing Haiqi?”

Eiza, who Celeste already decided she wasn’t much fond of, began strutting her wide hips. Everyone followed. “Haiqi’s tank consists of 6.3 million gallons of water. We keep it at 30 to 39 degrees daily, to match the temperature of the Mariana Trench. We’re unsure as to how she’s able to survive just fine in relatively shallow water – in theory, she should be a blob. We’ve only had her here for two days, but we’ve already learned so much. She displays behavior similar to her modern counterparts, however she’s her own animal in a way. Our geneticist is working hard on already deciphering her DNA. We managed to successfully sedate her and draw blood samples.”

“And these seals?” Hillary pointed, the ruffles of her white sundress dancing in the light wind.

Eiza continued. “Jiuming theorized that giving Haiqi an opportunity to practice her predator habits would help her get more accustomed to being here. The seals have their own little pool over there where they get to play and whatnot. We feed them small squid and fish. Haiqi hangs around this area of the tank more than everywhere else. We have been feeding her with a crane. However, electrical barriers surround the tank, so that Haiqi is not so inclined to breach over.”

Several honks came from the floppy animals. Celeste stopped for a brief second to study a very chubby one with eyes as black as tar, looking up at her as if to beg for a treat. She couldn’t help but feel her heart melt, as she loved dogs as a kid, which the seals resembled.

The group moved closer to Haiqi’s water home. Bright dried paint came into view, warning one not to cross it.

Benedict straightened his back to eye the glistening water of the tank. “Jiuming. Those pictures you sent me. The shark appears gray in some shots but in others she looks very white. Very peculiar shading for a shark. Why is that?”

“The team believes that in the abyss, megalodons could be multiple shades of gray, depending on every specimen. Eiza believes that Haiqi is an albino one. We don’t know for sure that albinism is common among megalodons or if it’s as rare as it is to us and most animal species.”

Benedict rubbed his white short beard. “I see. Die Katze im Sack kaufen. Let’s go ahead and proceed with the meeting, I'm aching to see this shark catch its prey.”

“Oh, of course, we actually have an amazing view of the tank in the conference room. It’s simply fascinating to see her roam about.” Jiuming said as he and Benedict turned around, with everyone else following their movements.

Going towards the entrance door to the institute, Celeste slowed her steps. Eventually she was right next to Jonas and his curly-haired friend. She felt their eyes inspecting, whether lustful or curious in nature, she wasn’t sure. Nor did she really care, however a primal instinct made her turn her head to glance at Jonas, who seemed more intimidated by her by the minute. It made a grin grow upon her cheekbones.

She remembered when Eiza mentioned that the shark hung close to the side where the seals happened to be at, and how they had been using a crane to feed her.

She looked over at the group as her steps dissipated. The entrance was only a foot before them.

The shoal of goldfish was moving. Celeste stiffened in place. She had forgotten. “Oh shit, I’ve left my purse with my medication on the plane. Go right ahead,” she directed at Benedict, “I will catch up to you.”

“Uh, of course. The conference room is on the left, room 3B.” Jiuming said.

A bodyguard was ready to accompany Celeste, but she waved him off. “I’m a big girl.”

The group entered the building, and for a slight second Jonas’s eyes matched Celeste’s.

She walked back near the pinnipeds, inspecting their pool. They were dumb and unknowing of their circumstances. Her heart could almost palpitate for them.

A gray fin arose from the water, making Celeste gasp in awe.

A small black seal jumped out of the pool, its puppy eyes meeting Celeste’s. If only she could save the poor thing. She looked over at the fin again, which was pretty close to the edge of the body of water. “So, these are your treats. Haiqi, is it?” She asked before bending down and pulling a switchblade from her jumpsuit’s pocket. In swift and merciless action she grabbed the seal pup’s neck and slashed the blade across it.

As the seal drowned in its own blood and as its own vocal cords ripped like plastic, Celeste grabbed it by the tail – it couldn’t have been more than a couple pounds – and took off her left high-heel. She crossed the yellow paint, and in franticness she pushed the seal into the water then backed up as quickly as possible.

The albino killer grabbed the corpse of its meal and dragged it down to the depths, a stream of blood flowing through its surroundings.

“You owe me, Haiqi,” Celeste said, heartbeat at maximum speed, before rushing into the Zhang Institute.

Jonas didn’t know what to make of his new acquaintances. There was something about them. Benedict, he felt, was already full of himself, despite nearing his 70’s at most and sporting hair as white as snow, wearing a velvet red suit as if he was a bachelor. But maybe Jonas was projecting his disappointment with growing older onto the man. Hillary seemed like a nice lady upfront, but being an investor, she must’ve been a cut throat industry shark. And Celeste..the tall blonde woman in the jumpsuit. She was an attractive woman, but she had those cat eyes that could vex a man for all eternity.

With his Eiza to his right, Jiuming to his left, Mac to Jiuming’s left, the attorneys to his left as well, and those from Geo-Tech across from them, Jonas felt some anxiety piling on. Claustrophobia, was it? It had been a long time since he crossed paths with it.

Benedict was scrolling through the court papers with his eyes, wearing reading glasses. He cleared his throat. “Well, Mr. Zhang, you sure have found yourself in trouble.”

Apparently, the lawsuits from two years ago and the millions of dollars worth of damage and losses were quickly catching up to the Zhang Institute.

The two attorneys nodded, as to give Jiuming some kind of signal.

A look of frustration swept up his face. “Yes, yes. It is rough. Even after merging my company and my father’s, the lawsuits kept piling on. We have enough money to run this place, but barely.”

Jonas wanted to scoff. Billionaires. Typical. Looked like Jiuming’s desire to collaborate with Geo-Tech Industries was more than just a nerd’s passion project come to life.

Jiuming continued. “It’s imperative that we collaborate, Singer. You’ve seen my cutting-edge technology. I have seen yours. I know that you have several research hubs built near the trench. That kind of research is right up my alley.”

Benedict folded his glasses and stuffed them back into his breast pocket.

Celeste walked in, purse in the clutch of her hand, making her entrance as quietly as possible, and sat down right next to Jiuming. 

“That is so. Very well,” Benedict leaned on his chair, glancing at Celeste and the deep blue water of Haiqi’s enclosure. “I will help you on this project, because you are after all doing some amazing work. Geo-Tech is currently working on creating our very own UNIS robots, as we call them. We are studying seismic activity on the seafloor.”

“Oh, that’s just great. I am also developing something of my own.” Jiuming got up with the excitement of recruitor in STEM, pulling up a picture of some prototype on a projector. “I am in the middle of designing underwater suits that not only withstand the pressure of the hadalpelagic zone, but also allow its wearer to breathe effectively for hours on end. It’s been a developing idea for the past five years.”

“Fascinating,” Hillary breathed out.

Benedict hummed, in deep thought and inspecting the image Jiuming had pulled up. “You never cease to amaze me.”

Jiuming’s cheeks bobbed up as he smiled.

“Hillary here is more than happy to provide some donations, right?” Benedict turned to the woman with short-curled hair.

Hillary grinned, showing off the straight teeth she had. “Oh yes. I fund several marine conservation groups. I’m all for oceanic exploration. This is another amazing opportunity.” 

Benedict’s lips curved into a smirk. “Celeste here will one day inherit my spot as CEO of Geo-Tech, so it is necessary for her to shadow me. My time is clicking, sadly.”

Jonas wanted to roll his eyes. He could smell weaponized incompetence radiating from Benedict Singer even if he were standing on Mount. Everest. 

He looked over at Eiza, who appeared bored. He was guessing the only fun she had was when she was in the water. Her face expression was frozen and emotionless, and her dark lipstick smudged a bit, which she noticed and rubbed away with her index finger.

She noticed Jonas eyeing her and she looked away. He looked away too.

Jiuming’s attorneys went over some important notes regarding a merger between Geo-Tech and the Zhang Institute to create the Zhang Geo-Tech Industries, as well as compensation and splitting of profits. Hillary budded in with estimates on her starting funding numbers, commenting that once she sees more success from Jiuming’s technologies, she’ll increase it day by day.

“Sign here,” the male lawyer handed Benedict a piece of paper.

Jonas noticed in the corner of his eye Mac cheesing, and Eiza sighing in relief.

Celeste Singer was glaring at him with intrigue dancing in those green eyes of hers.

He felt nothing as Jiuming scribbled his signature.

Mac began operating the crane, remarking that Michael couldn’t do what he was doing with it. Elizabeth, the lab assistant, was watching him in an effort to learn how to do it herself.

“You’re working with a crane, not lassoing a meg,” Jonas teased.

Everyone was standing 15 feet away from Haiqi’s enclosure, as Jonas made sure of. No pair of feet was going to cross that paint under his supervision.

Jiuming pulled out the iPad Pro, looking worried. “Eiza.”

Eiza swayed her body to face him. “Yes?”

“Haiqi is acting strange.”

Jonas’s ear perked up higher than a lemur’s.

Benedict, Hillary, and Celeste were in a conversation with Mac.

“What do you mean?” Eiza asked, facing the iPad.

“Look, she is doing those eight figure movements, but faster.”

Eiza’s eyes widened. “Her fins are facing downwards. She’s irritated.”

“What’s going on?” Jonas approached them. “You think the sedative could’ve messed her up?”

Eiza shook her head, lips open in shock. “Sedation doesn’t usually cause nasty behavioral changes in sharks.”

“This isn’t just any shark,” Jiuming said under his breath as he clicked several different angles of the cameras in the tank.

Something was in the air, and it wasn’t just the fishy smell. It was an all-knowing feeling of worry and fear. Jonas felt it again.

Mac settled down the crane and told Elizabeth to begin attaching a tarp to it so that they could lead an unsuspecting seal to it.

Jonas couldn’t help but notice that her feet were crossing the warning yellow line as she moved to the other side of the tarp-

“Get away from there!” The words escaped Jonas’s lips.

The pup jumped out of its home, her jaws clutching the feet of Elizabeth Anne Marie Taylor, screams escaping from the woman doing nothing to deter her from taking its new target into the salty lagoon.

Chapter Text

Eiza could barely believe what happened.

Preparation on getting Elizabeth Anne Marie Taylor’s body out of the tank started immediately. Several phone calls were to be made to her family and fiancé, which ripped out the heart of Jiuming, judging by how he covered his sniffing in every way he turned.

No one in the conference room dared to even look into the tank – curtains were installed.

“Haiqi didn’t eat her, but she bled out and drowned, unfortunately,” Eiza told him from across the room with a croaked throat. Her hair was down and her eyeliner was beginning to smudge against her olive skin – she knew because she could feel stinging in her eyes. She looked down at the iPad footage, almost slapping the device on to the table before turning around and shielding herself from everyone else’s glances.

“Such an unfortunate accident,” Benedict cooed with his chin resting on his hand.

Eiza felt she wasn’t the only one who could sense his performative sympathy.

Mac walked in, eyes low and heavy. “Jonas isn’t doing so well.”

The chaos that ensued after Haiqi took Elizabeth shook Eiza up. The episode looped in her head once and then it started from the beginning all over again up until everyone arrived back into the conference room. Jonas had run for the water, but Mac immediately stopped him, yelling at him that there would be another dead person if he were to jump. Jonas absolutely lost his mind, yelling at Jiuming and almost using physical violence towards him, before he stormed off. Eiza couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen a man act out in such a fashion like that.

She sighed and licked her lips. “He is not in a very good place, is he?”

Mac shook his head. “After what he just saw, no. His PTSD has been triggered. He won’t be leaving his headquarters for the next 10 years. The first time an accident like this happened he moved to Thailand and became a bum.”

“He has PTSD, but was hired anyway?” Celeste inquired, arms crossed and in the corner of the room. She could almost camouflage herself in the dark.

Benedict threw her a look. She turned her head, “sorry, I was just wondering.”

“He was hired because he knows how to handle the megalodons.” Jiuming stated, his jaw clenched.

“Yes, but he is causing scenes. Several of them,” Eiza licking her lips again.

“Woah,” Mac put a hand up, voice hardened, “did you not see what happened? You can at least cut him some slack, right? I mean did we all not just see a woman be killed by a prehistoric shark?”

Jiuming shuffled his collar. “Yes yes, of course, James. I have no intention of releasing Jonas from this project. All we can do is approach this situation with professionalism and as sensitively as possible. I will be paying for Elizabeth’s funeral. Nothing escapes this room. If I see a press release tomorrow I will be pressing charges as that would be breaking one’s NDA.”

“They will press charges,” Benedict didn’t hold back, seemingly exposing the elephant in the room. “Her family.”

Jiuming rubbed his eyes.

Benedict continued, standing up and fixing his cuff links. “But not to worry, I still have your back. We will go through this difficult time as a team.”

“May I suggest that we build a wall-like structure around Haiqi’s tank so that she won’t be able to get anywhere near another human being?” Eiza sniffed. “Those invisible fences underwater, they didn’t work. She’s stronger than your average shark. it seems.”

Jiuming pulled out his phone. “You are correct. I will be sending a message to my structural engineers right at this moment.”

“What are we going to do?” Mac huffed, making his voice known. “Our handler is pissed, and rightfully so. And he’s lost his mind, not that it’s not unwarranted either. We have a dead lab assistant. And there’s another lawsuit on the way.”

Jiuming looked at Mac with confident eyes. “We tackle each problem. One by one. I need to talk to Jonas soon.”

Mac shrugged his shoulders, hands on his hips. “Talk? In case you haven’t noticed, he hates you, man. In his eyes you’re just a capitalist billionaire exploiting that shark and him for profit. No matter the fact that we agreed to keep Haiqi so that she won’t tear half the ocean apart — you’re still guilty to Jonas. Next time you cross paths with him don’t be surprised if you walk away with a bruised eye.”

Benedict budded in before Jiuming could get a word out. “So, an employee is prone to physical violence, and you are passive about it?” He raised a white snowed eyebrow at him.

“He’s going through a difficult time. This does not mean I won’t put him in his place when he crosses a line. I must approach this with dignity, not savagery.” Jiuming said, voice monotone and flat.

A faint snort came from Celeste, so faint that it could’ve been missed by anyone.

It wasn’t missed by Eiza however. She eyed the blonde woman — she towered over the average woman as easily as a skyscraper put New York apartments to shame. Celeste’s thin frame almost didn’t even fill her jumpsuit. Her xylo bones were noticeable under the darkened lighting of the corner of the room where she stood. The way she slanted her eyes when looking at anyone other than Jonas Taylor and her associates gave her the appearance of never satisfied cockiness. She seemed to be a typical white American rich daughter of a white American billionaire who walked around knowing her net worth could buy someone twenty times.

Eiza couldn’t help but judge.

What made her more worthy of walking around as if she should demand respect?

The woman certainly didn’t seem to care that someone had just drowned.

Jiuming took her out of her thoughts. “I know that personal matters shouldn’t get in the way of business, however, Jonas is Meiying’s legal guardian now, and he was my late sister’s fiancé. Even though he’s a man full of anger and trauma, I think it would be good for him to stay in her life. He’s a part of my family now. And so he will stay.”

“I see.” Benedict said.

A huff of air left Eiza’s lips.

Jonas, while respected due to his affiliation with megalodons, was at the end of every hour and every day, a liability. He was prone to fits of rage and thus unprofessional. His triggers were clearly getting in the way of proper training and protocols. Eiza almost considered pulling Jiuming to the side and convincing him to let Jonas work on the sidelines as a consultant, with no hand or foot being allowed anywhere near the lab or Haiqi’s tank. But already she knew that Jiuming had some sort of weak spot for Jonas, almost like he was in total belief in the man. It was almost cruel in nature. Mr. Taylor clearly had trauma weighing him down. Why make him suffer and reel him in with promises of security and luxury and dollars?

Did Jiuming even deserve the respect Eiza had gifted him? She was beginning to wonder. Was he, at the end of the day, just a fool with a billion dollars? It was becoming obvious that being a genius didn’t make one very wise.

But maybe this is my fault as well, she thought.

Jonas had stapled curtains to cover his view of the water. That was, of course, after his tsunami of anger and self-hate in which he managed to break his chair, throw a dresser down to the floor, and threw his clothes into a suitcase in a frenzy before flailing it across the room.

Curled up in a fetus position on his bed, he made sure to hide himself away under the covers. In that moment he had never felt such loneliness, such desperation to turn back time, such need for comfort. A thousand splinters ran through his heart and neck and eyes, and it was hard to even catch his breath to the punches.

Another person went under the jaws of the prehistoric shark. He should’ve known better than to listen to Jiuming’s tirades and orations on how much precaution he took with housing Haiqi and all the other bullshit he’d say with that shit-eating grin. Jonas was sick of that bastard, and he was sick of it all.

Suyin..he missed her so.

He missed her so much that for a second he was ready to give himself away to Haiqi just for the slight chance of meeting her in heaven.

Oh, who was he kidding. He would be in hell.

He would fall straight to hell in its deepest darkest hottest pits, for his sins against the world.

If only he had never encountered that mega-shark back in 2013.

His story was written in the blood of his victims.

If only he could have been washed away by the Atlantic, letting the water flow through his lungs to purge his soul.

He resented everyone at that moment. Jiuming, the corporate bastard putting dozens of lives at risk by not taking enough measures to keep everyone safe. He didn’t understand what the hell was wrong with the man. He was so..different from his sister and father. They at least had their limits. But Jiuming was reckless and too easy a prey to wacky and laughably stupid experiments one comes up with while high on marijuana. Training the shark?

Jonas simply couldn’t comprehend it.

But most of all he was resentful towards Mac, the idiot who somehow talked him into doing something he would come to regret. Again.

Haiqi. For even daring to exist and bring him misery by keeping him chained to his martyr habits. The minute he locked eyes with that damn animal he knew regret

was inevitable.

He heard a knock on the door. It was light and soft, which ruled out Mac as the perpetrator.

“Jonas?”

He threw off the cover and rubbed his eyes to prepare. If anyone had to see the best version of himself, it would be his step-daughter.

“Come in May.” He coughed.

The door opened and Meiying stood there, a perplexed expression and eyes as wide as plates. “What’s going on? I heard yells earlier. You were fighting uncle before that too.”

Kids were not stupid. Jonas knew that for a fact.

He sighed. “Sometimes, sweetie. Adults just don’t see eye to eye.”

Meiying scooted towards the bed, her shark slippers making a shrieking noise the closer she was. Jonas could almost chuckle at the irony.

“Are you guys fighting because Haiqi is dangerous?”

“Something like that,” Jonas felt a flame strike his throat. He could barely even keep it together for even a minute!

“You can be honest with me,” Meiying tilted her head, already raising an eyebrow.

Meiying was too intuitive and observant for Jonas to be treating her like an idiot.

He sighed again, and he dared not look into her eyes. “An accident happened today, Pumpkin. A terrible, terrible accident.” He grabbed Meiying’s hand and managed to look into her big brown eyes. “I am not going to hide things from you. I know you’re smart, and you’re able to figure things out on your own. Someone was harmed, and now we have to take extra measures to make sure no one else is.”

Meiying looked down. “That’s so sad.” She jumped on to the bed. “I’m sad.”

Jonas brought her in for a hug and kissed her coconut-smelling hair. “I love you, Pumpkin. It’s okay to be sad. We just have to rise above this. Together.”

“Mom, would be sad too.”

Jonas felt a tear fall off his cheek on to her brunette hair. “Yes, she would be.” He then pulled away softly, sniffing. “I will be taking the next few weeks off. How about we brush up on your Mandarin, eh? And we can learn together. How does that sound?”

“That sounds perfect!” Meiying gave a crooked smile, showing off her growing teeth.

9 p.m

The meeting was, not surprisingly, cut short. For the upcoming days and weeks Benedict and his associates would view Haiqi through inches-thick glass in the lab, without Jonas Taylor present.

Before they left the conference room, Jiuming made sure to give them words of reassurance that the institute was still high-value, as if he was shuttering at the thought of Benedict rejecting the merger on the basis of what had happened.

From what Celeste saw while they were seated in Elzar’s, the most high-ending restaurant on the land, Benedict didn’t look at all regretful in his original plans. The conversion was very much still intact, if the way his eyes still sparkled the same way they did in the morning was any indication.

They were seated at a round table with a white cloth draped all over, the waiter in a vest filling their glasses with white champagne. As he left, Benedict pulled out his handkerchief and laid it out next to his plate, looking up at Celeste.

“Jiuming showcases a sensationally pathetic amount of ineptitude. And here I thought a man of math and science would be able to apply critical thinking to his social relationships. If my employee were to act out in such a manner I would’ve had him thrown to the shark.” he said, looking in all directions to make sure he spoke his words in an almost whisper.

Hillary set down her mini purse on the table. “But it’s a good thing that Jiuming is a naive little man and keeps Jonas so close. It’ll be easier to take over. He has a weakness, and it’s his family. It’s an Asian thing.” She waved off.

“Russians are big on family, too,” Celeste said, almost defensively. She didn’t say it, in fear that Benedict would shut her down, but deep down she wished she grew up in Russia and experienced her heritage through osmosis, like her parents did.

Benedict ignored her and said to Hillary, “I imagine so. I just hope that Taylor doesn’t start getting in the way of our objectives. We need Haiqi to stay here, properly fed and studied. One day she could be of good use to us. We need him to do his job properly.”

“She’s smarter than she looks,” Celeste brought the glass of alcohol to her red-stained lips.

“She’s a shark,” Benedict said, eyebrows raised. “She might become a financial asset.”

Celeste rolled her eyes. Benedict was doing nothing but irritating her with his crony old-man attitude. There was once a time in which he was open-minded regarding ocean exploration and the intelligence of animals, but he basically formed into a shadow of his former-self, only focused on numbers and profit and if that idiot Montes or Maren did this or that at this or that station.

Benedict truly knew nothing. Not anymore. Haiqi at least was ‘trained’ on a small scale that morning when Celeste had thrown her a treat of a cute dead seal. The shark knew by feeding time where potential prey could linger. Celeste smiled at her own cunning ways. Benedict would never know of her noble cause.

“Celeste,” Benedict snapped her out of her mind, “remember what we discussed.”

“A man’s greatest weakness is me,” she said, eyes rolling, tired of the mantra, “I remember.”

“Good. We’ll be here a long time, so get comfortable, ladies.”

Eiza laid her eyes upon the countless papers she’d already written on Haiqi. Her behavior, her skin, her everything. The results from the DNA extraction were already brewing, Henry constantly texted her with updates; it was just a matter of time.

She needed to consult a paleobiologist for a second opinion. A contact card sat nicely in her drawer – Professor Ross Gellar, PhD in paleontology with an emphasis on marine paleobiology. They’d met at the Philadelphia conference from 2019 as well.

She’d contact him and schedule a skype call. The next day, of course.

The events earlier just struck her too hard. Flopping her body onto the bed and groaning, she decided to admit it to herself: she was partially at fault. Elizabeth’s death was never set in stone. Eiza herself could’ve taken another look at the premises of the institute. She could have discussed better precautions with Jiuming and even Jonas. Instead, she was too excited to dive deep into the Haiqi research project, preoccupied with her own ego to even consider if it was safe to do so. Was the devil dancing with her or was she dancing with the devil?

Maybe she owed Jonas an apology, even if he was emotionally unstable. He had a reason, though. What reason did she have to be so far up her own ass?

She kicked her shoes off of her clamped feet and took out a CBD infused chocolate bar from the nightstand drawer.

Her phone buzzed. Another text message. Hadn’t she blocked him earlier?

I miss you.

She wasn’t going to be sucked into another push-pull two week fling with that man again. Her phone turned off by the power of her fingers pushing on to the button, and then she threw it to the other side of the bed.

Where was that chocolate?

Three knocks on the door.

Eiza wanted to tell whoever it was to leave her alone and sulk, but the person had knocked again.

Knock knock knock.

She groaned, pretty loudly, and ran to the door. When she opened it, she wasn’t expecting James, or ‘Mac’ as Jonas called him, to be standing in her doorway.

“Hello,” he said, quiet and reserved. “I’m not intruding, am I?”

“No, you’re not,” Eiza said softly. “It’s just been a long day.”

“Yes, it has been.”

She didn’t know why, but she just got the urge to ask. “How is Jonas?”

Mac shook his head. “He doesn’t want to see me. He’s mad at me too.” He shrugged. “He’ll come around.”

“I don’t think he’s completely unreasonable on safety measures. It’s just the way he acts out.”

“I get that. Not very appropriate.”

“Can I help you with something?”

“Seeing as you’re the head marine biologist here, I was wondering if you’d like to see our Mana One station and meet our staff tomorrow morning.”

Right. Mana One. Eiza hadn’t really thought about it. Jiuming had told her he wanted her to lead some missions eventually. She licked her lips, deep in thought.

Mac shrugged again. “Jiuming thinks it would take our minds off of things, it’d be an escape from here.”

“I’ll be there.”

Chapter Text

October, 2020.

10 a.m.

Mana One was a separate entity from its counterpart, with its own flair and design spanning several kilometers. With its fate purely of discovering nature, the station was the biggest Eiza had ever seen.

As she got out of the helicopter, the chilling air and the helicopter’s whips of wind blew her black trench coat with its movement. The days were getting a bit chillier, but being in a more tropical climate one wouldn’t be in need of heavy puffy jackets and gloves.

The engine of the helicopter went quiet and Mac got out, his experience in piloting showing by the way he seemed he had just done something as inconsequential as going to the bathroom.

Eiza took off her sunglasses and stuffed them into the pocket of her coat. “This place looks great.”

“My, I’m certainly impressed. This is almost on par to my famously prestigious Geo-Tech marine stations,” Benedict got off his seat, settling his cuff links in place.

Eiza raised an eyebrow.

Celeste was right behind him, wearing a yellow V-cut flowing dress and white high-heels.

“Preparations are almost finished and the submersibles are going through technical testing before divers will start test-trials in the water,” Mac said proudly as he put on his baseball cap and rolled up the sleeves of his blue and black flannel.

Mac opened a metal door, allowing them all down a corridor and into an elevator. Mac pressed the first floor button.

Eiza never felt so awkward in a space as tiny. Benedict was standing right behind her, his gaze basically burning through her skull. That man had something uncanny about him. Maybe it was the green eyes.

The door opened to reveal an array of pure machinery and DSVs, sitting together comfortably under low light.

“The Mantas are the newest version of our submersibles in development. 20,000 pounds per square inch pressure. Amazing, right?” Mac smiled.

“My god. The most I’ve seen one withstand is 10,000.” Eiza said, walking over to a red colored vehicle. It was bulbous and definitely spacious.

Celeste pulled out her phone and started typing, possibly in her notes app. “These look absolutely amazing.”

“Yes. Very similar to Geo-Tech pieces,” Benedict commented with the most unimpressed tone Eiza had ever heard. “And who will be piloting these devices when you venture down there to the depths? I surmise Mr. Taylor, no?”

Mac shook his head. “With what just happened, I don’t think he’s capable of mentally going through with that. No, we have other experienced pilots. In fact, let’s go meet them and the rest of the main center’s team.”

Back to the elevators they went. Once again Eiza had to be subjected to being eyed by both Benedict and Celeste in the low light of the merciless space.

They went down like a sperm whale chasing a squid and the doors opened to a large room with a beautiful hue of blue emitting through the glass view covering it. Dozens of people were speaking and seated in front of computers and screens.

“Ayyy! Mac is in the house!” A man hollered out, giving Mac some sort of bump on the fist and a hug.

Mac returned the display of affection. “How are you doing, man? Everyone, this is our chief software engineer, DJ. DJ, Benedict and Celeste Singer and Eiza Chavez.”

Benedict and Celeste both said, “nice to meet you,” almost in unison and shook DJ’s hand. Eiza followed suit.

“I’m guessing you’re the business partners Jiuming told us about.” DJ said, smiling kindly.

“I’m CEO of Geo-Tech industries. Celeste here is my protégée.” Benedict motioned to her, who shined her white teeth with her bigger than life smile.

“And I’m the chief marine biologist studying Haiqi.” Eiza gave a professional smile, reminding herself to make herself and her role known. A professor once told her that having herself introduced more than once made people remember her better. If she were to be working with the Mana One team face to face, she needed to secure herself as a memorable member.

“Haiqi? The megalodon pup? You weren’t fucking with me? You’re actually taking care of a prehistoric baby shark?” DJ asked Mac as if to mock him.

Mac shook his head. “Oh it’s a megalodon pup alright.”

“Goddamn. Hope I don’t get anywhere near that thing.”

Mac licked his lips, almost looking nervous. “Yeah, uh, where’s Rigas and Sal?”

“Here!” A tan woman with a braid came into view. Seeing the crowd before her, she shook everyone’s hands. “Nice to meet you, I’m Rigas.”

An Indian woman walked right behind her, following suit. “I’m Sal.”

“Rigas and Sal are our head pilots. They’ll be in charge of missions.” Mac told them.

“Respectable. Nice to meet you ladies.” He nodded, lips stretching into a yellow-ing smile. “It’s admirable to see women in such key roles. I’ve been in the marine engineering industry for over twenty years now and I can tell you, in the early days labs reeked of male order, pit stains, and a woman couldn’t even be in a team before a cloud of chauvinism would make her flee the position.”

“We definitely need more women in STEM,” Rigas smiled, appearing proud.

Benedict’s mouth opened, probably to spout more self-masburtaory speeches on how much he respected women, but then a shorter blonde woman wearing glasses walked toward them.

“Jess! How you doing?” Mac said to her, bumping fists. “Everyone, this is Jess. She’s one of the software engineers under DJ’s team.”

Jess shook hands with everyone. “Excited to be in your presence, Mr. Singer. Geo-tech Industries has inspired me so much!”

Benedict’s cheeks crinkled.

When the niceties finished and Rigas and Sal went back to their work stations, Mac began to detail how Mana One was already doing good work in research regarding the pelagic zones, and that eventually their goal would be to begin work in the benthic zones, which included the Mariana Trench.

“Ah, isn’t that what the late Mr. Zhang was doing in 2018?” Benedict put his hand on his chest.

“Well, yes, but you know how that went.”

“De tal padre, tal hijo,” Benedict said.

“Like father, like son,” Eiza said, a bit impressed that Benedict could pronounce in Spanish perfectly fine.

Celeste raised an eyebrow at Eiza. “You understand Spanish?”

“I’m Mexican.”

Mac went on. “Jiuming’s biggest goal with designing the suits is to protect wearers from any aggressive animals down there. Obviously, the megalodons. And any other undiscovered organism we don’t know of.”

“Our subs are also the most durable ones in the market,” Jess added. “Each one will have its own mobility suit attached.”

“Uh, disclaimer, we’re taking extra precautions to make sure a big ass shark won’t be able to break through any of them,” DJ said.

“Right, right,” Mac said, giving him a look. “Exploring the trench is of course, years away. So we have time to perfect the technology.”

“I have full confidence in your team. How are the current measurements of isotopes in the pelagic zones? Pollution is harming our oceans, even down to the smallest atoms. It’s a grand sadness,” Benedict said, fully focused on the subject matter.

“It’s actually concerning. Let me show you the results,” DJ motioned to him, taking the old man away into a scientific conversation. Celeste followed her boss’s lead, her thin blonde eyebrows knitted in interest.

Jess spoke up, almost burning through Eiza’s soul with her eyes, “You’re Eiza Chavez, right?”

“Yes.”

Jess excused herself back to her computer before Eiza could ask her how she knew her name without being introduced to her.

“Weird,” Mac said. “You know her from somewhere?”

“Nope,” Eiza emphasized the P. She shook her head. “Anyway, how is Jonas?”

Mac suddenly grew alert at her question. He then shrugged, his broad shoulder slumping down. “Don’t know. He refuses to answer me. Which means he’s a wreck, and pissed.”

“Do you think he hurt himself?” Eiza should have stopped herself asking such a question.

“Nah. Jonas is the type to drink until he vomits on the floor and chokes on it before passing out.”

“You could say that he is hurting himself, then.”

“To men, drinking until we pass out isn’t self-harm. It’s a coping mechanism, really.”

“Sounds like a self-harming coping mechanism.”

Mac chuckled. “Maybe you’re right. But Jonas is Jonas.”

Eiza stepped closer to him, swaying her brown locks as she looked around to make sure no one was in close proximity. “What made him so self-destructive?”

Mac’s lips made an O shape. “You do not wanna go there. It all started when he was born, really.”

Eiza tilted her head in confusion.

“I’m kidding. But if you really wanna know, he’s just been through alot. In 2013 he was on a rescue dive mission for the Navy, and as he was moving people to the escape chamber he saw a meg and freaked out, abandoning the others in the submarine.”

Eiza’s eyes wandered off, deep in thought. “Yeah, I think I read something about that years ago. Uh, before the 2018 incident. The story was about a rescue diver panicking and his actions leading to the death of multiple people.”

“That’s what the gossip said, but it missed context. Anyway, he was discharged from the Navy dishonorably and then sent to a psych ward for vets. He was diagnosed with PTSD, lost his mind, then moved to Thailand to become a bum. Then Mr. Zhang asked him to rescue some pilots down in the trench, you can guess what he saw since it was world news. That thing wreaked havoc and scarred all of us who were there to witness it, but no one was more scarred than Jonas. Last year his fiance passed away. Mr. Zhang’s daughter. He became the legal guardian of her daughter. Now, he’s scared shitless of his own shadow. Has terrible nightmares. Drinks so that he passes out and doesn’t have to deal with proper REM. It’s no wonder he’s prone to fits of rage even if a hair on Jiuming’s head is out of place.”

Eiza soaked it all up, connecting the web of the past in her mind. “Wow. I had no idea. Man, I guess witnessing the first megalodon ever discovered caused so much damage. Seeing it eye to eye, literally.”

“Yep. Feel sorry for him. But I can’t do much but be a support and a drinking buddy.”

Eiza crossed her arms and flopped her shoulders dramatically. “So then how did you two meet? Were you in the Navy as well?”

She couldn’t understand why Mac had a sudden curvaceous smirk on his face.

He spoke. “In the psych ward. I was in there because they deemed me mentally insane for something I’d rather not get into. I got bored and started dressing like the psychiatrist, wearing his lab coats and such. One time I was bored and decided to start seeing Jonas in sessions. I’d heard the rumors and wanted to know what was with the guy. About 3 sessions in, he figured out I was a fellow inmate. We’ve been best friends since.”

“Wait, what?”

“I was crazy when I was younger. I’m just fat and a drunk now.”

“You were pretending to be a psychiatrist?”

“Harmless fun.”

Eiza covered her mouth, a light laugh escaping from her lips. She couldn’t believe the guy. Either he was a compulsive liar or really was a maniac.

“Yo! Did something happen with the megalodon pup?” DJ said to Mac, walking over, clearly impatient for the news. “Mr. Singer just mentioned–”

Mac excused himself and started speaking with DJ.

Eiza was about to include herself when a rugged man with a head as white as Haiqi’s belly came into view.

“I never formally introduced myself to you, Ms. Chavez.” Benedict held out a hand to Eiza, who shook it quite hesitantly. “I’ve read your papers on the physiology of the Lamniformes. Fascinating work you have done.”

Finally, someone who recognized the fruits of her crammed nights, sleepless days, and studious labor eventually transformed into her published articles with the words Eiza Chavez, PhD printed on the header. She couldn’t even remember the last time someone asked her how the shortfin mako shark’s body plan made it the fastest shark in the world.

She smiled so big she could feel her cheeks bubble up. “Why, thank you. I am honored that you considered my work important enough to read.”

“Very few scientists care for their field, you’d be surprised. But you, I can tell your heart is in it. That’s why you were hired to study Haiqi.”

Eiza looked down shyly. “Yes. Sharks are underdogs in the natural world, and are often demonized. They’re just animals adapted to being territorial to protect themselves.”

Singer raised an eyebrow and a pointed finger, “now that I agree with. What are her daily vitals? Is she healthy?”

“Oh, absolutely. Coming from all the way down there to up here, I’d expect some faulty and stunted physiological processes, but she’s breathing, eating, and just acting like any normal shark. It makes me wonder if her ancestors had the ability to come to more shallow waters as they also adapted to the deep.”

“Our grand creator knows best. But it’s up to us to discover his creations. His wonders. Don’t you agree?”

“Of course. Discovery leads to innovation and more knowledge.”

“Then you’d agree it’s obligatory to explore what Haiqi can do? Her true potential?”

Eiza eyed him. “Well, yes. Jiuming and I have discussed intense studying of her. She’s a megalodon, an unknown species until recently. You don’t see that everyday.”

“I know Jiuming. I’ve known him for over a decade. He’s not one to let up an opportunity, and that’s why he is where he is now. He’s been theorizing on her intelligence, telling me all about it. Says she could be the Shamu of the shark world, except she better treated and more applaud-worthy.”

Eiza crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “Well, we could never sell her out to corporate shills for a quick buck. I told him that anything we take from this venture should purely of scientific value and knowledge. I’ve no interest in treating her like an attraction.”

Benedict Singer let out a chuckle at her proclamation, as if it was of classic anti-capitalism paraded only by lazy and unambitious low-class individuals who were desperate to cover their lack of monetary success with pseudo-virtuous beliefs and his emerald eyes glistened with unnerving machiavellianism; it brought heat to Eliza’s nerves. 

7 p.m.

The ceremonial service for Elizabeth Anne Taylor wasn’t on Jonas’s schedule, nor did he bother himself to prepare for it in the morning.

However, when Mac spammed him with texts while he was studying Mandarin with Meiying, he re-considered it.

It was the least he could do – actually honor a fallen soldier.

He sorted the clip-on bowtie in place as he and Meiying walked closer to the main hall. Ties never were his friends.

The space was covered with employees. He saw Jiuming near the microphone and Elizabeth’s graduation picture held on a stand, her ingenue smile torturing him from across the room.

Then he caught Mac’s eyes.

He was about to leave – he was barely at the entrance of the yellow-lit room and already got cold feet – when Celeste swooped into view. It was an unwelcome blushed blur of a woman, but at least he didn’t have to continue looking at the face of his bastard best friend.

She almost towered over him, with the highheels, red bodycon dress draping over her figure and her blonde hair loose. A scent of vanilla mixed with something sweeter surrounded her.

“Mr. Taylor, we haven’t officially met. Celeste Singer.”

He hesitated in taking her manicured hand.

“Jonas Taylor.” He croaked. “This is Meiying.”

“Hello,” Meiying said, looking quite intrigued at the tall woman.

“Nice to meet you, Meiying,” Celeste gleamed. “She’s your daughter? Cute dress. Love the green.”

Jonas gave a weak smile. “Yes.”

“Benedict and I are glad you could make it. He has been incredibly worried about you.”

“About me?”

“Yes. Jiuming told him you have been going through alot.”

Jonas felt his core get hot. “There are lots of things Jiuming says. Now if you excuse me –”

“I just want you to know I know what you’re going through. I’ve lost my mother, and I know we’re strangers, but trust me, you’re not alone.”

“I’m sorry about your mother,” he said. “I am used to loss. So that’s why I acted the way I did towards Jiuming.”

“We just want you to know that we hold no ill towards you, and respect you as being a part of our team.”

“Celeste,” Benedict called out behind her. “Let’s get to our seats.”

Jonas knew what passing glances from Jiuming, Benedict, Celeste, Eiza, Mac, and the rest of the lab technicians meant. Despite Celeste’s reassurance, he could tell they all seemed almost wary of him.

It was ridiculous. Jiuming deserved to get yelled at.

And while he gave an entire tedious speech on how amazing Elizabeth was despite barely knowing her, Jonas kept looking over at May, wondering if she would ever be okay even with death around every corner.

By the end he immediately took her over to the dessert table. It was surely fitting, to commemorate someone’s life by stuffing one’s mouth with macaroons.

In his peripheral vision, he saw a black fabric covered womanly figure with brown hair come near him.

“Jonas.” Eiza said.

Her eyes were low and heavy, and the dark modest dress fit her mood. Jonas couldn’t help but notice how dark-red her lipstick was.

“Yes?” He said, almost annoyed.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“For what?”

“For being pretty condescending and dismissive of your concerns.”

“It’s fine,” Jonas said, quite flatly.

She kept going. It was pretty clear she wanted to rid herself of some guilt, Jonas thought.

“I just want to do good.”

“Any scientist does. I wanted to too. But this world only makes us suffer.”

“But it’s important to go on.”

“At least without men with Jiuming. He’s not a scientist. Just a guy with a billion dollars. Being here, under his rule, seeing the company he keeps,” Jonas shook his head, “equals more mistakes and more death.”

Eiza pursed her lips. “I understand what you mean, but I’m here with purpose and only with good intentions.”

Jonas looked into her eyes – those brown eyes full of life and passion. “Look, I can tell that you’re one of the many people here who actually have sense and care for the oceans outside of personal gain, but the truth is that men like Singer and Jiuming are tunnel visioned.”

Eiza shrugged. “I’ve known Jiuming for years. He’s excited about what he does and he sees technology as something necessary for the human species. It’s not so black and white.”

“Maybe, but that man is reckless. He doesn’t know real fear, only rushes of adrenaline. You shouldn’t have accepted the job. Working with Jiuming is a death wish.”

He could tell he was getting under Eiza’s skin.

Her jaw seemed to tighten. “It was either this or scrubbing tanks at a barely-funded city aquarium for 40K a year. Besides, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I can safely say that I don’t have experience with trauma or anxiety, so I don’t feel the paranoia that you do with this place. But I think that we need to work together, the least we can do is respect each other. So I guess we can just agree to disagree.”

She walked off.

“You made her mad,” Meiying said, biting down on a chocolate macaroon.

“Yep,” Jonas said, careless. However his eyes still stuck on Eiza's figure. She looked elegant, maybe a bit too much.

She was across the room, approaching his bastard best friend. With their body language on full display, Jonas could tell they were well-acquainted. Mac handed her a small place of macaroons, and she smiled that smile that gave away her dimples.

Jonas felt weird, seeing them talk. Seeing them being together.

He noticed Jiuming walking towards him, filled Meiying’s plate with more pastries, then walked away.

Chapter Text

The funeral service had just ended, and Michael Swift was desperate for some alcohol, or some weed, or anything to take the edge off.

However, his Apple Watch pinged with a message.

Looking behind him, seeing the blurring images of his colleagues and coworkers in the main hall still socializing and stuffing their faces with bright-colored macaroons, he made it down the left hall into the luxurious suites he’d have to penny-pinch to even get one day in. As the voices disappeared from the air he swallowed and swallowed as if it would do away with his nerves.

The elevator to the top level took forever, and he was hoping he wouldn’t have to see any of the cleaning ladies pass by.

Finally, he’d reached the hall. The carpet was soft and 70’s themed, which was the complete opposite of the main facility’s hard floor, and it made it easier for him to walk while staying incognito.

Another ping from his wrist.

He stopped in front of the door.

Before he could knock it opened, and Celeste Singer stood in the doorway, a bowl of cherries in her hand.

Her eyes burned through him. “You’re late.”

“I – I came as fast as I could without rising su–”

Before he knew it Celeste threw the door backward and grabbed his tie to bring him in the room. He felt like a blackhole had grappled him. Celeste Singer was surprisingly strong for such a thin woman. Muscles were definitely packed in those toned arms of hers.

“Just come here and don’t speak out in the hall where the maintenance people can here,” she hissed and closed the door.

Swift composed himself and cleared his throat. He couldn’t help but notice the way her bodice was highlighted due to her neckline pushing it up.

“Well!?” Celeste said, her eyebrow raised.

“The security systems have been deactivated. Jess let me know.”

Celeste’s shoulder slumped. “Oh, thank God. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t get it done.”

“It’s not like I have a choice.”

Celeste grabbed a cherry from the bowl in her hand.

The pupils in the eyes which Swift was victim to were riveting. They were almost seducing. Akin to a siren.

“You don’t.” The cherry met Celeste’s teeth and she chewed menacingly and slowly. “But because I’m nice, I told Benedict to offer you something to make this worth it.”

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t like casualties. Sometimes an unknown soldier is better left unscathed. So we’re offering you five million dollars if you admit to being responsible for the faulty doors.”

“What?”

“Take it or leave it.”

“B – but I love my job. I’ll keep quiet, I swear!”

Celeste rolled her eyes. “It’s not the only one in the world. Aren’t you a respected engineer in your field?”

“Being fired under failure of following proper protocol, which is something I spent ten years in university for – I don’t think I’ll have offers banging at my door.”

“Figure it out.”

“B–”

“Last chance. Five million dollars and you leave this island with honor and wealth, or you’re shark bait. Great whites actually migrate here this time of year, I hear.”

Swift could feel tears forming. Ten years he sacrificed for his position; engineering was his life. He was about to be a wealthy man, but a wealthy man without honor or purpose.

“Alright,” he smacked his lips. “I’ll take it.”

The Next Day

9 a.m.

“Ross, what do you think?” Eiza asked her Macbook’s screen as she looked up at the huge blue behind the glass before her.

A deep voice boomed through the speakers, although the less than stellar reception made it almost impossible to decipher Ross’s words. “Like Henry said, it’s a perfect match. Otodus Megalodon is definitely a mackerel shark, alright. I’m looking at his official report, and if I’m not mistaken, this suggests that this subspecies of megalodon is basically a cousin to the modern day mako. Other than the fact that these new ones inhabit the hadal zones, what other differences separate them from the megalodons from 20 million years ago?”

Eiza held up her hand to her chin. “Impossible to know, of course.”

Ross coughed. “Of course. DNA perishes after a certain time, and we don’t have the DNA necessary to perform actual comparisons. However, I’d like to see if there are any differences between the teeth. Any chance you can get me a tooth of this, Haiqi? Is it?”

“Ooooo,” Henry dragged out, “that’s going to be hard.”

Eiza stared into the blue abyss. Haiqi swam into view like a white torpedo then shot out of it as quickly as she came.

She bent down to face the Macbook’s camera. “We’ll try. She’s been here for about three weeks now, we should be seeing some teeth falling out.”

“Uh, good. Keep in touch. I’ll send details on my PO box in my follow-up email. Any tooth will do, I just need one to compare it to my fossilized collection.”

Eiza smiled. “Sounds great!”

The call ended and she closed the Macbook.

Henry took off his gloves, the latex sound filling the room. “You think we’ll be able to get one? She’s aggressive and getting her down is a risk.”

“We could probably use a crane to search for a fallen one at the bottom of the tank. There’s no doubt she’s had some fall out by now.”

“Maybe, we should just use caution.”

Henry cleared his throat and excused himself to the bathroom, leaving the ancient shark and Eiza alone.

A faint glow brightened the blue water. It was Haiqi again. Maybe Eiza’s eyes were deceiving her, but the shark appeared more robust than the week before. She looked bigger and maybe even longer. As she approached the unbreakable glass, her being more threatening by the second, Eiza could finally get a proper look at her.

Her eyes, fog-colored and beady. Her mouth, close to an agape, making her appear to be almost smiling in an everlasting grin. The skin, whiter than before and the gray almost dissipating.

It was like seeing an actual God for the first time, like being at mercy to a being higher and outside the preconceived realms of possibility. When Otodus Megalodon came into the modern world religion was re-conceptualized and rules were rewritten. Careers broke as quickly as they rose, and doctrines shattered with their pieces piercing the hearts of devoted believers and creationists.

Eiza wasn’t religious, but at that moment she could see a grand idol.

Oh Haiqi, the prime animal that brought her comfort, hope, and a goal. Completing her PhD was an achievement, but the U.S government didn’t care to properly fund oceanic research, and so jobs were stagnant and difficult to find. Jiuming had given Eiza a grand new life, an opportunity. What the water gave her was pure bliss. What sharks provided her, was understanding. Being there, in front of Haiqi, she finally had an escape from her old life, an escape from…

No matter what Jonas Taylor or anyone said, nothing would deter her from her goal. Her goal to explore as a scientist does. To learn. To show the world how amazing a shark could be.

Jonas Taylor. What was his deal? She knew why he was the way he was, yet he was still such a mystery. It would be difficult to be cordial with him when it felt like he was desperate to always let everyone know how much of a mistake it was to be there, as if they didn’t have minds of their own. Yet, she couldn’t help but want to debate further with him, to poke further into his mind, as if it was a challenge.

Haiqi began to do sloppy eight-figure movements right in front of Eiza. Sometimes it would be hard to see Haiqi since the tank was so spacious and the lab only had a glimpse of one angle, so her staying in one place for several minutes was basically a luxury in the eyes of the scientists.

Eiza breathed out, her hands on her hips. Maybe installing a feeder that would eject live seals into the tank would entice Haiqi to be near their view more often.

She took out her phone to text Jiuming of her idea, but when she looked up for a second, she saw Haiqi beating her head against the wall where she used to be able to sense the seals. Those invisible barriers were no good after all.

Even in isolation, Jonas didn’t feel tranquility. In fact, he felt worse. The dozens of texts he received daily from Jiuming and Mac were tempting to humor — he did miss Mac — however he felt it imperative to stay alone and quiet for a while. He was feeling a glimpse of peace spending more time with May. Being a parent was the most difficult job in the world, but it was the most rewarding. More rewarding than rescue diving and putting oneself in danger just to feel excitement for a couple of hours.

Being a dad to May, he found, was more fulfilling than anything he’d ever done in his life.

He sat there, on the dive bar counter with a cold fresh Modelo in his hand, contemplating his next steps. I Want To Hold Your Hand by The Beatles blasted from a low quality boombox.

The view and scenery was nice, but he desired to free himself of it all. If it were up to him there would be 3,000 miles between him and Haiqi. But his martyrdom, forever emaciated and aching to abide those in trouble, wouldn’t let him move a muscle. He couldn’t leave. He was chained with chains of steel and gold and it was all Jiuming’s fault. Once he got that text from his bastard best friend there was no turning back.

He tapped his finger on the bottle. The nightmares had increased and his body barely passed seven hours of sleep at night. He didn’t want to go back to work, not yet. Or maybe never, and he could just stay in the island and be in the background for whenever another fuck up arises.

“Well, looks like Tubby is back.”

Jonas turned around and sure enough there was Mac taking a seat next to him as if it was just another Saturday night. He was wearing a red flannel, a baseball cap, blue jeans, and looked like he’d just left the front cover of Astor Family magazine.

“I take it you still hate me.”

The bartender’s wonky straw hat was more interesting than anything Mac had to say. Jonas didn’t even bother to turn his head.

“Look man, sooner or later you’re going to stop with those negative thoughts convincing you you’re a terrible person for randomly stumbling upon a megalodon seven years ago. If it wasn’t you it would’ve been someone else. Someone would’ve eventually discovered that thing. You didn’t open Pandora’s box. It was an accident. And what happened a day and a half ago was an accident.”

Jonas threw him an unapproving glance. He took a swig from the yellow-tinted bottle. “I’m still responsible for not paying enough attention to everything. I let that one goddamn detail slip because Jiuming kept telling me I was being a tiny bit too dramatic and Eiza swore those invisible barriers in the tank were fool-proof. Thinking about it, there should've never been a wall-less enclosure in the first place. One slip on a banana peel and someone would’ve been bye bye. Do you not get that?”

“Eiza and Jiuming, the lead scientists, were convinced those barriers were enough to deter her. That’s on them. Stop beating yourself up for everything. Jesus.”

A female bartender with ginger hair wearing a sundress approached. “What can I get you?”

“Modelo. Same as him,” Mac said then tipped his hat, smiling at her. Jonas could see in the corner of his eye that his bastard friend was checking her out.

“You two look like friends,” Jonas said.

“What?”

“You and Ms.Chavez.”

Mac scoffed. “I said all that and that’s your response? What, you’re jealous or something?”

“Doesn’t matter to me. I’m busy grieving my dead fiancé.”

“Yeah. Whatever. You’re obviously attracted to her.”

The bartender came with the bottle of beer, to which Mac thanked her for it with a flirty smirk.

Jonas rolled his eyes. “Go for it,” he said. “She seems acquainted with you.”

Mac was beginning to chuckle. “Sounds like you’re not denying you’re attracted to her.”

Jonas took one last sip of Modelo before slamming it down on the wood-carved counter. “Even if I was, I wouldn’t do anything about it. Nobody will ever replace Suyin. And unlike you, some of us have parental responsibilities, and don’t have time to think with our dicks and swim around with sharks. Meiying is more important than anything right now. I should be focusing on making sure she’s growing up as not fucked-up as a kid who just lost their parent to cancer can, not bending the knee to her psychotic uncle.”

“You know what? At this point it’s not about even being here for virtuous reasons like making sure it’s contained instead of being free in the five oceans or scientific discovery, it’s about you finally dealing with that damn fear and trauma. It’s time to rise above it. You’re acting out. And look at what you have in your hand. You want to go back to being Tubby?”

“I saw someone get fucking snatched by a shark in front of our very eyes and you people act like I’m overreacting? Really?”

Mac pointed a finger at Jonas. “The point is that you were close to knocking Jiuming’s teeth out. Your boss. The CEO. Can you understand that? There’s a time and place. We had guests! You’re thinking with your fists, not your brain. Your nervous system is overstimulated by the constant anxiety 25/7 and you are prone to aggressiveness when triggered. If you act like this at work, how can you be a proper father to May? People are gonna start asking questions. Next thing you know you’re in court being deemed mentally unfit to be her guardian. Boom. There goes your custody. Is that what you want?”

Jonas squinted his eyes at Mac and spat, “you don’t understand. Stick to piloting. Your shrink shtick is old now.”

“Hey, I was there too, you know. I witnessed the same shit you did two years ago!” Mac’s forehead veins were popping. He could see the red-headed bartender eye them, but he didn’t care.

“You weren’t there in 2013, in that deep sea scared shitless and fidgeting on three hours of sleep scrambling to find a way to save all those people. You don’t know what that’s fucking like. You were hanging around playing poker with escorts you’d pimp out to married military men and faking being a psychiatrist and trying to bang Dr. Heller’s wife.”

Mac huffed, seemingly getting control of himself. “I consider myself more of a life coach.”

Jonas rolled his eyes. “Fuck off. I’m busy sulking.”

“Busy sulking or busy letting the past write your fate? At least I know to let go of what I can’t control. You should do the same. And go back to therapy, Tubby.” Mac got up, almost stumbling over the chair and glaring at Jonas before shaking his head and taking off.

That’s when Jonas noticed that he never even opened his beer.

The bartender came over, smiling to herself, “are you ready to close the tab?”

Chapter Text

Project X was the pseudonym given to the atmospheric diving suits Jiuming had been developing for years on. He looked down at the notes typed by him truly as the rays of sunshine highlighted the black letters of the white paper. Progress was slow but satisfying. If things went smoothly enough he’d have a functioning suit in under a year.

And after that, he’d get to work on seeing what Haiqi could be capable of. To prepare he binged on endless shark documentaries, all recommended by Eiza.

With his hand on his chin, he looked at the frame on his desk. It was a picture of him, Suyin and Meiying at an amusement park years ago. Meiying was just a baby, her chubby cheeks complimenting an adorable smile. The memory was meant to bring out fondness, but instead Jiuming could only feel blue. Her sister was gone, and it was a reality he still had trouble accepting. All the money he had, and nothing helped it go away. Instead, it fostered and took her life.

When they were little, she would sleep with her every night to keep her safe from the horrors of school. She was always scared of going to school, because it meant that she could earn low scores and their father would be disappointed in her.

Ah, fear. Funny little thing.

He barely felt it, but he did right there, looking at the picture. A rush of worry that he wasn’t keeping up with his father’s legacy overcame him. Even in death, his father’s approval loomed over him. Nothing could change his upbringing, and he wondered if maybe he should have been more sensitive towards Jonas than he already was. Trauma wasn’t a word ever spoken in the home, and usually Jiuming’s constant stress was disregarded as a weakness. Growing up and leaving the comfort of China made him see the human mind for what it really was: different from person to person, and can only take so much.

Jonas was, at the end of the day, a traumatized man. And as CEO, Jiuming owed it to him to be a well-meaning boss.

Someone knocked on the door, and he shook his head and said, “come in!”

It was Mac, freshly groomed and holding a cup of coffee. “They’re installing the final rims for the wall over Haiqi’s enclosure. Seems to be doing good. I sent pictures to Jonas for his feedback. He hasn’t responded.”

Jiuming sighed. “Good, good. Speaking of Jonas, I am wondering if I should just grant him psychiatric leave, fully paid. Until he’s made significant progress in managing his PTSD, I don’t feel comfortable forcing any handler duties on him.”

Mac shrugged in approval, puckering his lips. “That’s fair. Sounds like a good thing for him. I saw him earlier. He’s still pissed and back to drinking. That drunk.”

“Do you think I should worry about my niece?”

Mac licked his lips. “He would never hurt her, but I do worry how his alcoholism could affect her development. Imagine your father coming home slurring words and appearing out of it while reading you a bedtime story.”

Jiuming shook his head. “Exactly. I intend on sending him an email later today. Hopefully therapy will get him out of the alcohol binge.”

A hard knock came to the door.

Jiuming and Mac gave each other confused glances. Before he could say anything, Eiza basically barged into the office.

“Why hasn’t the installation of the feeder started yet? I texted you a few hours ago.”

Jiuming held up a palm. “Woah, the engineers and construction team are busy finishing the wall, and also, that feeder will take days to install. Things were pushed back especially since yesterday some power systems were reset. What’s the rush?”

“I’m worried. Haiqi is losing her mind. She’s clearly looking for food and she hasn’t eaten since,” she hesitated, “since she took Elizabeth. But she didn’t even eat her. Anyway, I want to feed her with the crane if the feeder can’t be done today.”

“Well it can’t,” Mac said. “I’ll help you.”

Jiuming’s phone started buzzing with texts. “I’d accompany you, however, I have a meeting with Benedict and the editors of Forbes. They’re interested in an exclusive spread on the institute and Haiqi for their November issue.”

12 p.m.

He had an adopted daughter. Her mother died of cancer a year prior, so he became her sole guardian. She attended sessions alongside peers with an educator eight hours a day. Usually, Jonas had lunch with her.

He was also a very handsome man.

Celeste repeated everything she knew about him in her mind as she watched the cafeteria of the recreational center. The air was getting cooler, but it didn’t stop her from wearing her usual tennis outfit: a bright yellow sports bra and shorts combo with a matching visor and Nike shoes. Just for protection a windbreaker wrapped her body. Her ponytail was high as could be. Fixing her tennis bag on the shoulder, she kept an eye on the inside. And as expected, there was Jonas and the girl entering in through the other entrance, smiling cheesily and bonding.

That was her cue. It was past twelve, and she had a Skype meeting with Anna Wintour in an hour, so she would have to be quick in sweetening up Jonas. Walking through the doors her brown eyes fixated themselves on the girl and Jonas. From the small inklings of interaction with him, she could infer his entire past, present and future. He carried a throbbing temper even in his eyes and any stranger who addressed him would be subjected to immediate suspicion. Celeste had plenty of experience with men the likes of him. Regrets followed their steps and days, they were usually tortured fools with childhoods consisting of drunken fits from their father or a neglectful mother who cared more about her diets than talking to them. Men like those were always the easiest to fatten up with compliments and therapeutic platitudes and speeches galore. It was truly humorous, how if a woman allowed herself some sexual pleasure with broken men, she was considered easy, when in reality it was the contrary!

And men with children, well, those were the perfect prey. The easiest of them all.

She strutted as slowly as she could through the many people, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Jonas and the girl had sat down, and he was opening her blue lunch bag with 3D sharks plastered on it. How adorable.

He took out his phone and that’s when she knew.

“Jonas!” Celeste called out, enough for bystanders to hear. She clapped her hands together and grinned. “How are you?”

She certainly caught him by surprise. His lips parted, he looked her up and down and straightened himself out. “Good afternoon, Ms. Singer.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.”

Celeste slid into the metal chair and placed the bag on the table. “I was on my way to play tennis.”

He gave a weak smile. “You seem to be in a good mood.”

“Yep. Benedict and I are ecstatic to be working alongside Jiuming. Our future looks bright.”

Jonas looked down and licked his lips.

“So, how are you doing?”

“Surviving.” He looked over at the girl, who appeared indifferent to the conversation and was opening a sandwich bag.

Celeste’s beaming face softened. Best not to appear too carefree, she told herself. “My apologies. I don’t mean to be tone deaf. I am so stupid.”

“No, no. No harm done. Life goes on.”

“That it does. Say, I hope you took into consideration what I told you the other day, about Benedict and I not holding any ill towards you. We completely understand your side of things. You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah, I have,” he said as if he’d said it a million times before.

“I imagine you’re taking a break from the project.”

“I am.” He shook his head. “Not in the right headspace to be frolicking with the sharks.”

“Are you quitting?”

“Still thinking about it. Jiuming offered me psychiatric leave, but if you ask me, I want to tell him to suck it.”

Ah, there it was.

Celeste’s eyes widened. “Really? Why is that?”

Suddenly Jonas’s body language suggested four walls had just gone up. “Oh I'm just tired of people telling me what I can or can’t feel.”

“Oh, well I think you’re allowed to feel whatever. Carrying your past, being lectured and dismissed, I mean it can make anyone feel lonely.”

“Right. It’s why I want to leave. So I can live my life.”

“And give your daughter the best life.”

A twinkle the shape of a star in the night sky lit up in Jonas’s eyes. “Exactly.”

“But I like being here,” the girl said.

Jonas patted her in the head. “I know Pumpkin, I know.” He turned to Celeste. “Her uncle, her family, is also here, and well, I sort of don’t have a choice. He wants to be close to her as well.”

Celeste crossed her arms against her chest on the table, making her breasts more highlighted in the spandex sports bra. “Now this is just my opinion, but I believe that this is fate, and that maybe you’re meant to be here.”

Jonas threw his head back. “Ah, fate, an annoying little thing.”

“I’d say take psychiatric leave. You never know, you might end up liking this place.”

“Yeah, dad, you might like this place,” the girl said through a mouthful of bread.

He smiled. “Maybe.” He turned to Celeste, “I just don’t trust the security here. I made a terrible mistake by not staying adamant in my initial concerns. And that scientist Eiza seems set in her ways.”

Just hearing him speak her name made Celeste’s lips go thin and straight. “Oh, you know how scientists are. Some never leave that gifted mentality reinforced by schools and teachers telling them they’re perfect people with perfect mindsets. They usually end up with sticks in their asses.”

Jonas chuckled. “That’s true.”

Celeste leaned forward. Jonas’s Adam’s apple bobbed. She realized that she could smell a hint of alcohol.

“I think you should take psychiatric leave. Have a conversation with Jiuming on security measures and protocols. Don’t give up now. You’re a strong and passionate man, and we need that here. Jiuming is,” she bit her lip, “he’s an eccentric man. And very eager to get started on all his plans, which is why he needs you by his side. You balance him out.”

“Maybe so.”

Celeste realized that whatever Jonas didn’t say he would convey with his eyes, mouth and lips. He’d clearly heard from her something he never heard before, and it was enough for her to feel satisfied with her work. The seeds were planted.

“Dad, you forgot to pack my fruit.” The girl said, sounding quite whiny.

“I’m sorry about that Pumpkin, we can buy some fruit from over there,” Jonas looked back, pointing at the vending machine with packaged salads and fruits.

Celeste lit up radiantly. She dug through the tennis bag. “Oh, don’t worry. I have a bag of cherries right here.”

“Oh, you don’t have t –”

“I insist.” She stretched out the goods in front of the girl.

“Thank you!” The girl cheesed, showing her growing teeth, and took the bag.

Defeated, Jonas nodded at Celeste. “Thank you, we appreciate it.”

She got up from the table and swooped the bag over her shoulder, and in a sunshine grin that showed off her pearly whites, said “no problem.”

Chapter Text

Mac hadn't used the crane since Elizabeth’s departure from the world, and so when he used the controls to move the struggling seal stuck in the blue tarp above Haiqi’s enclosure, he did it with sweaty as hell hands.

“Alright, here’s your meal you fat beast,” he said, as if the shark could hear him.

He looked at the smooth ripples of water and how the sun’s rays glistened upon them. No intrusion through it yet by Haiqi.

Weird.

“Maybe she’s too deep down there. Drop it instead!” Eiza yelled, shielding her face from the sun with her hand.

With a click of a button the left clip holding the tarp came loose. They stood in silence as the poor seal cried, flailed its flippers amidst the air, and flopped into the water.

A few moments of waiting followed. The tropical birds several feet away were chirping, the would-be dinner seals were honking and making cute noises while splashing into their pool, and the faraway construction of a power generator filled the air. However, nothing made more noise than the silence of Haiqi.

Mac got down from his post. “Looks like she ain’t hungry today.”

“Ugh.” Eiza grabbed a nearby iPad and stared at the screen with an exaggerated shocked face, “the seal is frantically swimming away from her but she isn’t even chasing it. She doesn’t care. What the hell?”

“Lemme see. Woah. What’s up with her? That seal is practically on her plate.”

“Look! She’s going erratic again.”

Through the cameras, Haiqi was once again banging her snout against several walls and going ballistic in her swimming.

“This is fucking weird.” Eiza said before grabbing her walkie talkie from a table and handing off the iPad to Mac. She turned on the device and in breathy hurriness said, “Michael? How Haiqi’s brain activity? I need you to check.”

Several weird static noises later, Michael finally spoke, his voice cackling. “It’s showing abnormal activity, yes. Why? What’s going on with her?”

“How are the ammonia, nitrate and PH levels?”

“The last log was from Elizabeth.” A pause ensued. “Three days ago. I suggest you bring me a sample of water. And what’s wrong with Haiqi?”

“She’s going crazy. She’s hitting the wall with her head. How the hell are we supposed to get a sample of water?”

Mac rubbed his forehead. “A bucket.”

In the lab, Eiza walked back and forth, nails in her mouth, with her boots clicking against the hard silver floor. She made sure to avoid looking upon the pup who was still continuing her audacious tantrum.

Mac stood right behind Michael’s shoulder, watching how he mixed every single solution with every test tube.

Michael put down his lab glasses. “The water is polluted.”

“What?” Eiza’s eyes widened.

“The levels are astronomical. It’s like breathing nothing but cigarette smoke mixed with carbon monoxide in your house everyday, except worse. I’m guessing all the nasty pollution in the ocean is going into her tank and that’s why she’s acting like that.”

Eiza’s voice became peevish. “Do we not have filters in place to clean out the ocean water before it reaches her tank?”

“That we do. I’d have to go check on it, however that responsibility was handed off to someone else on Jiuming’s structural team.” Michael said.

Mac rubbed his eyes. “Meaning?”

“Meaning I do not have the keys to access its generator or settings.”

Eiza groaned and shook her head, saying “Jiuming, Jiuming, Jiuming.”

She looked over at Mac who appeared to be smirking.

“First time, huh?” He asked, though it wasn’t a question.

She tilted her head, seemingly confused and a little bit annoyed.

“Dude talks a big game and is a genius, but he’s just as clumsy as a kid on a schoolyard.”

And he was right, after all. If only Eiza had known where she’d find herself a few months ago..

She took a deep breath. “What’s done is done. We need to call him.”

Mac dug through his pockets for his phone and tapped several times before bringing it to his ear, looking straight ahead. “He’s not answering.”

Eiza gasped. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Both Mac and Michael said in unison.

Eiza looked at them with lips parted and pupils wide as could be. “Haiqi is pounding on the canal doors.”

“I don’t know why I keep having nightmares,” Jonas muffled through his palms which he put against his face in embarrassment. He always made sure to not show his face completely when on Zoom calls with his therapist, 55 year old Dr. Turtle. She was a sweet old lady, and he’d built a relationship with her over the years.

“Well, what goes on in those dreams?” She asked, pushing up the bridge of her glasses.

“Usually I’m with Suyin, in a sub. Then, then the glass explodes and on the other side,” he stopped due to the shivers in his veins.

“Well, sounds like you’re blaming yourself for Suyin dying. But Jonas, cancer doesn’t discriminate, nor is it based on fate from meeting someone.”

“I know, but, I can’t help but think she would’ve been better off. What about stress? Stress makes cancer more likely. All the stress she was dealing with was because of me, because I came into her life.”

“She was already down there, in the deepest part of the ocean, with or without you. I am inclined to interpret your recurring dream as you subconsciously hoping that her death, instead of coming from natural circumstances and health, being in the hands of a megalodon so that you wouldn’t have to deal with the despair of losing her to something you couldn’t control. Am I correct?”

Yep. That was it. A rush of anguish, mixed with the realization of being read so diligently and accurately, came over his soul. He felt it fester in his chest before finally hitting his eyes. In blurry vision, he threw his head down and tried to force the water back down.

No, don’t break down, he told himself.

Don’t break down.

But the nature of suppressing his melancholy had failed. Tears had escaped, and he couldn’t believe he was being so weak, so utterly exposed in that moment. His eyes clenched shut and he moved out of the camera’s way.

“I’m sorry, give me a minute,” he croaked, sniffing.

“It’s okay. Let yourself feel, Jonas.”

Her caramel words which were like warm cookies on a cold night in Grandma’s house soothed him.

He breathed in and rubbed his eyelids. “Why did God choose her to die? After what we had just gone through together, after we decided to become a family and move on? Now I’m here, terrified of the shark killing everyone and my daughter. Someone was taken in front of my eyes a few days ago. Another human being! I can’t do this.”

“I am very sorry, Jonas. You don’t deserve to feel this way, know that. You did nothing wrong, and you’re trying the best you can. I am not going to tell you whether you should or should not stay there. But I will say this. You can get to a point where being there doesn’t have to be so distressing. Letting go of what you can’t control is a big step to relieving anxiety. Understanding that people’s actions, or inactions, cannot be avoided, would also be a step.”

“Ha,” Jonas laughed through water eyes. “Mac told me something like that.”

“He seems to be very wise.”

“Sometimes, but I don’t know how to let go of this need for control. Jiuming..he is reckless. I inspected this place the best I could but some things clearly slipped my mind, for example the fact that her enclosure was freely open at the top. I suggested a bright yellow warning to deter people from getting too close. Yet she still was able to breach over to grab a woman. Just plain incompetent. How can I go on knowing there could be one slip-up every step of the way? It’s like Chaos theory, you know from Jurassic Park.”

“First, you did put something into action to prevent an accident. Second, you say that the woman named Elizabeth had stepped across that line, correct? That’s what Jiuming told you?”

“Yes.”

“It was an accident. You took preventive measures. This means that it was not your fault. You did what you could. And you are just one man. There’s an entire team on this project. It sounds like maybe Mr. Jiuming needs to start encouraging teamwork.”

“Exactly.”

“You say that there’s this marine biologist. Eiza Chavez.”

Jonas’s tears had dried. He straightened his back, facing the camera. “Right. She’s like Jiuming. Didn’t seem to be taking my concerns seriously. Although after the accident she came up to me and apologized for being pretentious. But it felt like she was just saying it to rid herself of some of the blame.”

“Well, that’s a pretty cynical way to look at it. Maybe she was being genuine.”

Jonas said nothing.

“Have you been doing meditation?”

Jonas shook his head. “No.”

“I suggest you begin again. In Los Angeles you were making good progress managing the anxiety. Start with five minutes, then slowly make your way to 30 minutes of meditation and breathing exercises. Repeat to yourself that you don’t have to save everyone all the time, and to let go of what you can’t control. Can we do that? Now, Jonas, if you decide to stay here and oversee the growth of this shark, I want to challenge you to be more open to being near her. The more she’s in a controlled environment, the safer you’ll feel. I promise you. Also, please continue to take your meds. They’re not some cure, but their role is to help your brain be more stable so that some management in anxiety can occur.”

In the lab, all the technicians argued amongst themselves as Eiza’s heart pounded in unison with every single hit Haiqi imposed on the doors. She looked in horror at the iPad knowing she was powerless. If the shark would get out..

She must be starting to feel at least dizzy! She’s messing up her own sensory abilities by hitting her snout against the metal doors, Eiza thought.

Behind her, she could hear Mac getting on to Mr. Swift.

“Look man, why don’t you just increase the strength of the electrical barriers?”

“I – we can’t. It could overwhelm and harm her if we go too far.” Michael’s hands jittered as he explained. “You have to remember that no one’s ever held a megalodon in captivity before. We don’t know the extent of what she can handle! She’s a completely different species than the great white which we know more of.”

“Isn’t there a way to increase it slowly so that you know exactly where you go wrong?”

“That’s not how it works!”

“What do you mean that’s not how it works?”

The increasing decibels of everyone’s voices overwhelmed Eiza. She needed to get out of there to think clearly. Setting down the iPad, she glazed her gaze among all the lab equipment, body stiff. Next to the Macbook was the phlebotomy kit and an empty syringe –

“Put me in the shark cage,” she said out loud, awaiting everyone’s attention, “I’ll tranquilize her. She’ll come and inspect me.”

The room went silent.

“Are you nuts?” asked Mac. “She’ll rip you to shreds.”

Eiza closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her voice assertive. “It’s the only way to get her to stop moving.” Her eyes met Michael’s and by the look on his face, she knew that he knew before she could even say it. “Get the shark cage ready.”

Meiying was out with some friends she made at school, and Jonas was on his way back from dropping her off. Walking through the corridors of the institute, he made sure not to dare lay eyes on the tank that took over the place.

He’d passed the door marked LAB EMPLOYEES ONLY when near the bathrooms, he heard faint conversations from the janitorial ladies. Usually he didn’t care about people’s gossip, but they spoke in a conspiratorial tone that could only pique his interest. They were speaking Spanish, and he was ready to just go on with his day, however in the corner of his eye he saw one of them point at the lab and say one word he did understand: tiburón.

Shark.

On the upper deck, Michael was fixing the shark cage ahead of Eiza’s entering. It consisted of the most powerful steel in the market, and stood at ten feet tall which made it the most prestigious contender. Floating above the water, stuck in place by the gigantic cranes holserting it, the behemoth was an enthusiast’s dream.

Eiza had just put on her black and white diving suit and clicked the emergency cable in place when Mac came towards her, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

He spoke. “Listen, I’m not the best swimmer but I’ll go in your place if you’re not sure about it.”

Eiza’s fingers stopped fidgeting with the chain and she looked at him, a smirk on her face. “15 years of diving experience. I’m 100% sure.”

Mac chuckled. “I’m not doubting your expertise.”

“Then you’re able to not doubt that I can get this done.”

“Good, I was hoping for that. Cuz I ain’t a good swimmer.”

A genuine smile suddenly grew on Eiza’s lips – her defense diluted.

They did a fist bump. She tightened her ponytail. “Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.”

“Just doing what I can.”

Eiza turned to Michael. “Is the sedative ready?”

“What’s going on?!” yelled Jonas Taylor as he ascended from the stairs and practically ran up to the party.

Mac groaned, “here we go.”

Nothing could deter Eiza from doing what needed to be done, not even the scandal that arised. She grabbed the syringe containing the sedative from Michael’s shaking pale hands, and looked Jonas in the eyes. “Haiqi is losing her mind because her tank water is getting polluted.”

“What?”

She snatched the iPad from the table and pushed into his chest. “She’s banging her head against the canal doors. So you can guess what her plan is.”

A sense of fear painted his face like a thunderstorm over a bright town as he held the device in his palms. It was as if he was attempting to catch a breath of air that wouldn’t come. Hyperventilating, he said, “we need to do something.”

Mac appeared behind Eiza. “We are numbskull. Don’t you see the shark cage and the oxygen tank on her back?”

She nodded. “I’m gonna tranquilize her. It will give us time –”

“Absolutely not.”

“It will give us time to call Jiuming and order a filter to be installed to clean out her tank water. We don’t have a choice.”

“Then let me go.”

Eiza rolled her eyes and ignored him. “Michael, did you turn off the invisible barriers?”

He nodded nervously.

Her dive boots slid across the concrete as smoothly as could be. Before she could get into the cage however, Jonas’s arm had trapped her into place. In the moment of shock Eiza couldn’t rip her gaze from his claw.

“You can’t.” He said, practically towering over her, his gray eyes darting through her. “It’s too dangerous!”

She finally looked up and ripped her arm away. “There’s a shark cage for a reason!”

“You don’t know what might happen! It is unpredictable!”

“It’s a she. And she’s a shark. Just an animal. Not a monster. Aren’t you supposed to be a professional?”

Jonas pressed his lips together. “I am a professional, but not a fool. At least let me go with you.”

“The man who got in the water with a full grown meg once? Who somersaulted with it in the open ocean? Oh, give me a break!”

“You can’t do this alone!”

“I can and I will. This is my choice.”

“What if something happens?”

“That’s the price I’ll pay. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Let me go with you.”

“No,” she said sternly. Looking up at him, his deep eyes, she could sense a mind that was in conflict with itself.

Something within herself focused on his stern look. His eyes. How tall he was compared to her.

“You don’t always have to be the hero, you know!” Mac called out.

Silence followed, then Jonas licked his lips. “Alright. But I’ll be watching.”

“Good,” Eiza said.

“But if anything happens –”

“Yeah, I get it.” She hopped into the wobbly cage. Looking down, the blue water intimidated her. Her heart started beating, and she found herself breathing heavier.

You can do this, she told herself.

Michael came over to shut the cage door. “G – good luck,” he stuttered, anxiously clicking the lock in place.

“Thank you.”

She secured the diving mask over her eyes, and through the glass, she saw Mac and Jonas standing with their arms crossed and their faces full of worry.

She gave them both a thumbs up.

After a few more moments, the cage started to descend.

The second the water hit her ankles she was transported back into her first dive with a great white. The age of 23 was the age of innocence and curiosity, and she remembered feeling the most fearless. It was in Isla Guadalupe in which she saw herself amidst the deep blue with a twenty foot great white. The pictures acquired from the adventure were plastered across her instagram account in a deep sepia filter, and she made it a priority to tell everyone how much of an adrenaline rush she felt seeing her favorite animals in their natural habitat.

She remembered it all as her body was fully submerged, and she was officially in Haiqi’s habitat. The place of no rules or civilized manners, but rather where only force and teeth reigned supreme.

She turned, her eyes searching for the ghostly figure.

Don’t panic, she told herself.

The syringe wasn’t going anywhere; it was safely within the security of her tightened palm.

The water was freezing. Specialized heated diving suits were Eizas preferred wardrobe when it came to diving in general, however the one that clung to her body at that moment was proving itself not all that competent against Haiqi’s lagoon.

Just stay focused, she told herself.

She whipped her head in all directions — surely Haiqi must be at least interested in the new object that just entered her territory right?

Then she appeared. The almost-glowing white biologic came into view. Eiza’s heart and soul stopped. She was even more beautiful and magnificent up close! Her fins slanted down, meaning she was irritated and probably ready to strike at the object in an attempt to get to the moving creature inside the cage. Eiza braced herself.

It wasn’t a complete blow, but Haiqi opened her mouth of terror to bite down on the left corner, curious and determined. Eiza moved over to her side. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears as she focused her senses on Haiqi's hide.

Just do it. Just do it. Just do it. She repeated to herself.

Haiqi’s dorsal fin was way out of reach — the head would have to do. The scientist was positive it wouldn’t make a difference.

Haiqi was still trying to get a hold of the corner. Eiza raised her arm, ready to strike, and with adrenaline pumping through her she stared right into the blackness and unknown which was Haiqi’s eyes.

She was about to plunge the syringe into Haiqi when the shark flinched out of focus.

Out of sight out of mind.

God damn it!

Eiza would have to wait until the shark came back.

A few more seconds and nothing.

Desperate and panicked, Eiza did something her diver instructor 15 years ago advised against: she started flailing like a struggling prey. Haiqi would surely pick up the electrical pulses coming from her senses that told her would be a terrified creature.

Nothing happened.

Then out of nowhere a strong force threw Eiza across the cage.

What the hell?

She shook her head, trying to get a hold of herself. Then she looked behind her.

Haiqi was pushing the cage.

She looked up and saw through the ripples of the water that the cranes were moving.

She was moving.

Such force and such brutality Haiqi was demonstrating! Eiza wished she could have been taking notes instead of being the subject of the experiment.

That’s when she saw the doors separating her from the ocean coming into view. Another push, and Eiza again stumbled as the cage hit the doors in a loud crash.

Haiqi.. was using the cage as a tool. A tool to break free from her prison.

Holy shit! Eiza told herself. Sharks have never been observed using any sort of tool for anything. It was a scientific breakthrough!

She was so stunned that for a moment she didn’t even care that Haiqi was trying to escape.

Jonas stared in horror as the cranes shook, as if at any moment their hinges could break free. “God damn it! Mac, where’s your gun at?” He grabbed his friend, digging his fingers through his shoulders.

Mac pushed him away. “Due calm down! I’m not gonna let you turn this into some kind of bloodbath.”

“She’s trying to break out!”

Mac pulled out the iPad. “Eiza seems fine, but fuck, the doors are moving. The hinges look loose.”

Jonas didn’t hear him say another word. He immediately left the scene and scrambled down the stairs into the institute.

“Jonas! Where ya going!?”

Nothing could have taken his mind off of anything else but getting Eiza out of there and preventing the beast from unleashing itself into the world.

He rushed into the lab and opened the doors to a storage box marked EMERGENCIES ONLY. Digging through the several match kits, first aids, and backup communication devices, he finally found what he was looking for.

A harpoon with a sharp spear. Next to where the weapon was a dusty scuba mask, which Jonas took.

Running through the halls he passed the scandalized maintenance ladies.

Up the spiral of stairs, then into the cool air of the upper deck. He saw Mac and Michael trying to stabilize the cranes as they shook and wobbled.

Jonas looked down at the live footage feed on the tablet: Eiza was still seemingly calm but clearly acting in a way in which he could tell she was trying to figure out a way out.

“Jonas! What the hell are you doing!?” Mac left his position and ran up to him.

“Doing what I should’ve done weeks ago.” Jonas was putting on the scuba mask in a hurried fashion.

“You’re fucking crazy!”

“I know.”

Jonas’s feet were about to leave the ground when Mac pulled him away from the water.

“This isn’t the way, she’ll kill you!”

“There is no other way!”

“Jonas! Listen to me! You can’t do this!”

“I can and I will. This has to end now. Remember, you wanted me here,” Jonas pointed a finger right at Mac’s nose, whose tight expression loosened upon the exposing of the previously unspoken truth.

Seeing the changed look on his friend’s face, Jonas took a breath. “I’m sorry. But I have to do this.”

He dove into the water the way a seabird dove. The moment he felt the water his body turned frozen, but he didn’t care. Shaking his head and swimming towards the cage, he repeated his goal in his mind.

It was time to kill Haiqi.

He was prepared. It wasn’t the first time he would look into a meg’s eyes and bring its demise. He knew where to hit and when. It was just a matter of time…

The cage appeared in his vision. That was the moment..a blob of brown swam right past him, and he almost threw the harpoon at it, except he realized it was the damn seal Haiqi wouldn’t eat…

…but Jonas could have passed out right then and there, because the cage was floating to the right, with Eiza in a petrified position, and the doors were open like the gates of hell.

Chapter Text

“Those flimsy doors are criminal!” Jonas yelled at Mac and Eiza. They were on a boat tracking Haiqi, the beast who’d escaped from the Zhang Institute. “We’re still at least a thousand miles from the mainland. We need to hurry and grab that stupid shark. How hard was it to build doors that could withstand a 6 feet long pup banging its body against it!”

“She used the cage to bang on the doors,” Eiza lamented, in deep thought. “No shark in marine research has ever been observed to use an external, non-living object to manipulate its way into furthering a goal. This is huge.”

Splashes of water accompanied the movement of the motorboat. Jonas shouted to her from across the other side, “fascinating, but we have a problem on our hands.”

She threw him a look, her ponytail swaying against the wind. “This matters, you know. It shows that she’s more capable than we initially thought. She may be capable of cognitive complexity. Don’t you understand the ramifications of that?”

“I do, but now’s not the time to think. It’s the time to do,” he said, coming up to her and grabbing the iPad from a blue plastic cooler. “We’re catching up to it. By how sporadic its’ trail is it seems it’s just exploring.”

Mac shouted. “Look up ahead!” He began to slow down the boat.

It was, to Jonas’s dismay, a small fishing trawler just a few hundred feet away. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m definitely going to harpoon it now.”

He’d held the harpoon for three seconds before Eiza placed her hand on his arm.

“You mean her? It’s a she. She doesn’t deserve to die. She’s just a curious animal.”

Her touch was a warm feeling, however Jonas ignored it, diverting his eyes from her delicate hand and into her eyes. “Alright, I’ll put her in a pink dress with a unicorn headband for a minute. She’s already killed one person. I refuse to let her kill another. Say we fail to even tranquilize her now and then she goes further into her little adventure. Then what? There will be ten more people that follow. What if she builds a taste for humans? Enough is enough.”

“Taste for humans? Don’t be ridiculous! Stop treating her like some sort of monster!”

“Maybe you should stop treating her like a human being.”

Mac interrupted their dispute. “I’m in agreement with her, man. Let’s just tranquilize Haiqi and bring her back. She’s already worth millions of dollars. We could get sued for letting her die. Then your ass will be even more broke.”

“Thank you,” Eiza smiled at him then giving Jonas an infuriating snarky look. “We'll keep her in the net until we can contact Jiuming to start getting proper infrastructure in her tank. And filters.”

Jonas rolled his eyes. “That man is incompetent. When will anyone listen to me?!”

“Like it or not, he has the resources to do better. That’s why we needed you in the first place. Numbskull. Look! There’s Haiqi trying to yank through the net of fish.”

Both Jonas and Eiza turned as Mac slowed down the boat. Sure enough, there was the white glow of a shark thrashing in place seemingly trying to rip the net of the fishing trawler.

She let go of Jonas’s arm and took out the syringe from a Ziploc bag. Without her having time to process it however Jonas basically ripped it from her hand.

“I’ll do it. You’ll die.”

Her mouth opened in shock, clearly offended. “What is it with you having to be a martyr all the time? Do I not have freedom of will?

Jonas was unfazed. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt. As we get closer hopefully she doesn’t care to “inspect” our boat as you’d say. Looks like she’s getting caught in that damn net.”

Eiza crossed her arms across her black V-line shirt. “So then what’s your plan, Superman?”

“I’ll jump on to her big fat white body and stab her with that sedative.”

Mac laughed, almost wheezing. “This dude’s fucking crazy.”

Jonas eyed him momentarily. “Learned from the best, now get closer.”

As they boat approached the trawler they could see that Haiqi was actually caught within the net, with hundreds of fish splashing around her in urgent need to get away from their natural predator.

A terrified and agitated man came out of his headquarters, yelling at the group in Mandarin and pointing at the shark.

“We’ll get it out!” Jonas yelled, in what he hoped was grammatically correct Chinese.

“Since when can you speak Mandarin? Mac asked.

Jonas ignored him. His piercing gray eyes were more focused on the endless fish flopping and jumping through the net which spanned about 20 feet, with Haiqi in the middle of it. His heart was practically bursting through his chest.

“You don’t have to do it,” Eiza looked up at him, her eyes anxious.

“No, I do. I can’t control everything. But I can control what I do right now.”

“You really don’t have to do it man,” Mac walked up to him. “Surely there must be an easier way to do this.”

“You got any ideas?” Jonas motioned his arms to exaggerate his point.

When the silence came, he nodded. “Alright then.”

Mac sighed and went back to his position to park the boat two or one foot away from the chaotic net. The water from the splashes were hitting everyone in the face.

Jonas took a look at his best friend and Eiza, whose chests were as puffed up in anxiety as his. His hesitating foot met the top of the gunwale, and in tunnel visioned ecstasy he prepared himself. Haiqi was only about a few feet away and was still struggling – if he timed it right. She was directly in front of them like a roasted tuna on a dinner plate. He felt the syringe in his hand, making sure it hadn’t magically disappeared, and told himself that he could control what he did at that moment.

One. Two. Three.

GO!

He capitulated from the boat, aiming directly for Haiqi but missing. The weight of his body pushed down on the net and the poor fish subject to apocalypse brought on them by Jonas. Haiqi was going ballistic in place, however her snout was still facing the trawler, which gave Jonas an advantage.

Ignoring self-preservation, he grabbed onto her caudal fin, which was bigger than his head, and stuck the needle right under it. As he pushed down to secure the sedative into her body he brought up his legs and imitated a jet propulsion movement done by any squid. However, he failed as his swimmers got caught up in the brown itchy net.

Haiqi lost it and attempted to snap at Jonas, the many fish stalling her from fully doing so.

Her body was even more stretchy than before, and she did multiple movements, each time her body turning towards Jonas fully.

He threw his body back and freed his legs from the net, and he turned away from the beast, he could see the way her gray eyes stared right into the soul. Determined to end her attacker, the shark began using her serrated blades to chomp through the net.

She managed to slice through a small piece of rope.

Fuck fuck fuck.

With adrenaline pumping through him Jonas swam even harder and faster than before – his mind was torturing him with several flashes of Haiqi possibly getting him for real.

“Jonas! Come on!” Mac and Eiza were yelling as he reached them.

Mac lowered his hand and Jonas frantically grabbed on to it, his palm almost slipping out of grip due to how wet it was.

Just gotta get up, just gotta get up! Jonas told himself as he pushed himself upwards and managed to slip into the boat using his strength.

His eyes didn’t see, but his ears caught the splash of water Haiqi caused as she lunged at him, barely missing his foot.

The sound of the plastic motorboat ricocheted as she bumped into it, and then she began to go even crazier, trying to free the rest of her body from the entanglement. Several fish met their ends in between her teeth as she sliced between them in a frenzy.

The man from the trawler was screaming at that point, almost as if he was about to jump into the water and kill the shark himself. Haiqi turned her entire body towards the trawler, slamming her head against the hull.

Once, the trawler moved only slightly. Twice, it had rocked from side to side.

Thrice, Haiqi managed to finally free herself from the net and used the strength of her entire body to attack the boat, her fat slimy body aiming for the fisherman but ultimately sliding across the gunwale and back into the ocean.

For her final performance, Jonas could see that she’d hiit the hull from underneath judging by the boat rocking once more, except that time more dangerously. The moment Haiqi caused the boat to sway from side to side once more, the fisherman had fallen over and landed into the salty blue.

That was when Mac, Jonas, and Eiza started screaming and telling the man to come towards them. Jonas yelled in Mandarin, hoping to get his message across.

The fisherman swam frantically away from the tricky net and dozens of fish, his face full of distress and fear

Haiqi hit the boat again, but then she stopped, and Jonas knew why.

“Come on! Come on!” he yelled at the man, who was within reach. In the background he could hear Mac turning on the boat’s motor.

As Jonas grabbed the man’s hand the white glow shone through the waves and in the swift motion of a dozen teeth chomping flesh the blood-squirting foot of the fisherman had disappeared into the mouth of terror.

It was then that the sedative coursing through Haiqi finally went into effect.

Chapter Text

They’d barely reached the institute.

Jonas kicked the sand of the beach. “Fuck fuck fuck!” He yelled.

The medical team arrived with an ambulance, and Mac helped the groaning fisherman out the boat, the poor man hopping painfully on foot while a trail of bright red liquid continued to stain the grainy sand.

The EMT yelled out to his colleagues as the backdoors of the vehicle opened. Mac handed a paramedic the crying victim of Haiqi, who was helped onto a stretcher.

“At least we have a clinic here,” mumbled Mac as he sighed.

Jonas was still standing in his own bubble of anger.

Eiza gulped as she recalled the way the man’s limb had been bitten off. She felt the disgust grow in her stomach, swim right up in her throat, and –

Her head bent downwards as vomit exited her mouth and into the sand.

She looked up, groaning with her hands on her knees. Jiuming in his usual fancy suit and Michael Swift came into view, their eyes connecting things as they saw the vehicle drive away in a hurry.

Jiuming yelled out, “James! I got your message, a chopper is on its way to collect Haiqi, what happened?”

Mac couldn’t get a word in as Jonas pushed right past him and into Jiuming’s personal space, all social etiquette regarding boundaries thrown out the window. “Your goddamn canal doors were useless! That’s what happened! Best structural engineers in the world my ass!”

“I, I don’t understand. Those doors were secure –”

“To hell they were,” Jonas said, his tone flat yet malicious. His hands were balling into fists.

“Jonas!” Mac scolded, his voice full of warning. “Control yourself.”

“It – she, or whatever the hell that monster is, got out because the doors were weak. You can guess what happened!” Jonas yelled, his lips tight.

Jiuming’s eyebrows furrowed downwards. “I, I don’t quite understand how that happened –”

“I’ll tell you what happened. Your engineers either are shit or just graduated from the University of Morons. Or the blame is purely on you.”

The sound of a transport chopper cut through the air above them.

Everyone looked up for a moment before focusing back on the confrontation.

Jiuming stared at the sand with his mouth agape, clearly shocked. “Something clearly went wrong in installing those doors. The infrastructure wasn’t the problem.”

“Maybe one of your engineers was tired and having a bad day. Maybe just a tiny moment of laziness and frustration made them not realize a screw was correctly in place. Either way, this is just proof that you people can’t be trusted.”

“And I suppose you can?”

“I brought that lump of prehistoric fish back here, didn’t I? What do you think?”

With a fidgeting voice, Michael stepped in. “Jonas. It isn’t Jiuming’s fault.”

The two men turned their heads.

“It was mine,” Michael licked his lips.

“What?” Jiuming and Jonas said in unison.

“I was in charge of performing a final installation check before Haiqi was brought in. I didn’t check hard enough. I noticed the hinges weren’t secure enough, but I dismissed it.”

-

As Michael Swift, dismissed from his position of lead Marine Structural Engineer at the Zhang Institute, left by helicopter, Jonas and Mac ordered two beers at the outside dive bar.

Mac slapped Jonas in the back. “I’m proud of you, Tubby. You were even underwater with the engineers when they were securing the new doors, while Haiqi was sedated nearby in her tarp. That’s something old Jonas would never do.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Jonas said, hunchbacked. “I can’t spend the rest of my life scared as shit at these animals, this is my fate now. Gotta accept it. I can’t ever leave, and I hate Jiuming for that. It’s up to me to make sure Haiqi’s safely contained.”

“Hey,” Mac opened his beer, “at least that fisherman guy is still alive.”

“Yeah, with one leg missing.”

“Tomato tomato. He’s still breathing.”

A deep breath left Jonas’s lips as he cracked open the door with a bottle opener and swallowed the bitter taste of liquid.

Mac spoke. “Maybe this is what we were put on this earth for. Making sure prehistoric sharks don’t kill people.”

A silence arose; unspoken words festered.

Jonas finally gave him a weak smile. He was rude to Mac on the upper deck, and felt obliged to cut through the days-worth of tension between them. “I’m sorry for being a douche.”

“Yeah, was waiting for you to say it.”

“Hey.”

The men turned to see Eiza in jeans, her V-line shirt and a black bomber jacket.

“Mind if I join?” She said, a bit hesitant.

Mac shook his head. “Not at all.”

She sat down right next to Jonas and asked the red-headed bartender for a glass of water before turning back to him. “Thank you, for today. It was a brave thing to do and it was awesome. You’re a fearless man.”

Jonas shrugged, not making eye contact. “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Mac peaked his head into her view, “don’t worry about him, he’s brooding right now.”

“I’m always brooding But I guess that has to stop now. Deciding to control what I can and let go of what I can’t. I can’t control other people’s mistakes and Jiuming’s weird nature, but I can challenge myself to take preemptive measures to ensure that the shark, er, she doesn’t escape again.”

Mac smiled and slapped Jonas’s neck, kind of startling him. “Attaboy. So am I a good life coach or what?”

Eiza smiled, and so did Jonas.

“Still calling yourself that?” he snarked.

Eiza grew confused. Tilting her head, she asked, “lifecoach?”

“When Mac and I first met he went around calling himself a life coach.”

Mac shook his head. “That was because you were a broke, discharged pilot desperate for some companionship and direction.” He was about to go on when the red-head bartender came up to him, asking him if he’d like another beer. He nodded, asking her for her name.

“Patricia Pedrazzoli,” she said, smiling and landing her hands on the counter, “but you can call me Trish.”

“How old are you?”

The woman was amused. “Do I look that old? I’m 35…”

Jonas rolled his eyes and drank more of his beer.

“I’m sorry that happened,” Eiza told him.

“Guessing he told you. He loves telling the story of why and when met at that looney bin.”

Eiza cracked a smile, looking down shyly. “Yeah, he did.”

Jonas sat up straight, turning his upper torso towards her. “So what’s your story? How did you end up in this place?”

A bartender brought her a glass of water and she took a sip. “My parents and I had just moved from Mexico into the U.S. They pushed me to complete schooling. And so I did. I completed my PhD and needed work. Jiuming was a key speaker at a conference in 2019. We stayed in contact and then he called me a few months ago, telling me he had an exciting opportunity.”

“Judging by how passionate you are over Haiqi, I bet you were over the moon.”

“I still am. I was going through something — I still am. The news he gave me of a megalodon pup being in captivity gave me a new purpose.”

“I’m guessing heartbreak led you here then.”

Eiza’s eyebrows tilted up. “How’d you know?”

Jonas shrugged. “It’s just that when someone says they’re going through something and a job opportunity is what gave them purpose again, typically it’s because of heartbreak.”

She looked down, licking her lips. “Yeah. Seven years. Down the drain.”

“My condolences.”

“Thanks,” Eiza said, licking her lips and hesitantly continuing, “I’m sorry about your fiancé. It must be hard.”

Jonas took a sip of the beer. “It is. But at least I have my daughter. I can be grateful for that.”

-

Five days later

The installation of the feeder was successful, and the filters to clean out the incoming ocean water into the tank successfully functioned.

A seal was thrown into the tank via the feeder, shaking its head and fleeing for its life as Haiqi chased it.

“Poor thing,” Eiza cooed, her arms crossed.

“She appears to be about seven feet now,” Jonas said right behind her, clicking the pen and putting down the clipboard onto the desk.

“She’s getting big.” Eiza said with proclamation and weirdly, pride.

Jonas grunted.

The man was still in his brooding mode, but he would lighten up. After the fisherman accident, Taylor seemed to have gotten a new outlook on everything. It was almost as if the anger he carried around like a tattoo swept away, and replacing it was a cool and collected man, and not because of Jiuming’s countless apologies on how everything happened and reassurances that from there on it would be different.

As Haiqi chomped on her meal, Eiza wondered where things would go from there. The pup was completely fine and her vitals were stable; no evidence of damage from constantly smashing her head against metal doors and a boat and a cage appeared, or at least physically. Jiuming was mystified by the way she told the tale of Haiqi using the cage to try and open the doors, and he went on a gigantic speech on how it was imperative to mark Haiqi as the world’s most important experiment. Benedict Singer himself was impressed by Eiza’s presentation on scientific analysis on the entire event.

However, the word “experiment” rubbed her the wrong way.

The animal before her was anything but an experiment. It was a living and breathing proof that life outside of their own self-centered universes existed, and it was just as complex as them. Throughout history, billions of organisms had lived and died and lived again, and all the world’s scientists would never know all of their names or appearances or physiological or ecological niches.

What else don’t we know? Eiza pondered.

She couldn’t fathom beyond her imagination would else could be down in the deepest parts of the ocean…

“Meiying is here,” Jonas said, putting down his phone and walking over to the lab door and opening it to see his daughter.

Eiza turned around to see the pre-teen smiling and hugging her adopted father.

“I can’t believe you finally let me come in here!” she ran past him and pressed her tiny hands against the glass. “She’s beautiful!”

Jonas ran up to her as if she was about to magically transport into the water. “Now, you have to stay at a distance from the glass. Remember what we agreed on?”

“Right,” Meiying said, letting her father’s hands take hers off the tank.

Eiza’s red lips stretched into a smile. What an adorable girl.

“I never properly introduced you two,” Jonas said, “May, this is Eiza. Our head Marine Biologist. Eiza. Meiying.”

Meiying grew shy. “Hi! I wanna be a marine biologist too!”

Eiza looked down, put on the spot. She smiled even more. “Aw, that’s so cool. You should.”

Haiqi seemingly finished her meal. She swam up close to the glass separating her from the humans.

Jonas backed up with Mey, telling her to be careful.

“She’s white,” Meiying said.

“We believe that her white skin is due to her subspecies being adapted to live in the trenches,” Eiza put her hands behind her back.

Haiqi appeared to be staring at them, her body almost perpendicular to the partition between the world of air and the world of blue. After a few seconds, she swam out of view.

“She’s my best friend,” Meiying said, smirking. “When can I swim with her?”

Jonas became dumbfounded. “Alright, my little marine biologist, it’s time to get to school.”

Eiza chuckled. Jonas Taylor was a good father and she could see just from a few minutes of interaction between him and his daughter. As he brought up a hand to give a silent goodbye to Eiza, she noticed the way his arm muscles were highlighted by his thin sweatshirt.

Chapter Text

“Jonas, good afternoon,” Jiuming greeted him in his office. Meiying was on his desk enjoying some lunch.

“What’s this about?” Jonas stepped forward.

“Just wanted to see how you were.”

“Still traumatized. Still loathe this place.”

Jiuming straightened his jacket. “You’re not wrong for your caution towards the institute. I just want you to know that. But that’s why I need you. You’re headstrong. You take this seriously. I know people here will be safe because of your management.”

“Just give me what we discussed, and I’ll be fine. I want more duties and responsibilities. I want to be there every time even a new PH water test gets done. Every installation of a filter. I don’t want a single shark cage released into the tank without me knowing about it.”

“You got it,” Jiuming grinned, the wrinkles around his eyes showing themselves.

For some odd, inconvincible reason beyond Jonas’s recognition, Jiuming patted his shoulder.

Jonas raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get any ideas. We’re still not friends. But if having a respectable relationship with you is what will keep this family together and this project running, then so be it.”

Jiuming shrugged. “Good enough for me. You need to lighten up a bit, you know that?”

“And you need to calm down, stop that mania ya got going on all the time.”

“Life should be full of risks, full of fun.”

“Right.”

“When’s the last time you did something invigorating and exciting?”

Jonas tilted his head, subtly mocking the man before him. “Yesterday I jumped on a megalodon pup to sedate it.”

“But that was based on a moment of fear. How about something a little bit more,” Jiuming stopped, looking to the side for a second, before smirking and saying, “calm?”

-

The sun’s rays made the room shine, especially with the white furniture being at every corner.

Celeste Singer pressed play on her iPhone then hummed to Toxic by Britney Spears with her hairbrush in one hand and an envelope in the other.

A nice bath and her soft white robe soothed her for the day. Sitting on her vanity, she held up the iPhone against a jewelry box, eyeing the picture of Jonas Taylor plastered at the beginning of his Wikipedia article. She spent the morning reading and re-reading every paragraph, remembering how alluring and drop dead gorgeous he was. As she brushed her wet hair, she thought of him looking at her with those deep eyes.

Surely, sooner or later he would begin to see her as a confidant. Then a friend. Then a –

Someone knocked on her door, taking her out of her fantasies.

“Ugh! Who is it?!” she said as she opened it.

Hillary was in the doorway and whooshed in without even asking to. “One of my financial advisors just told me that I have over 20 million dollars to spend freely this month, but the final touches to my house in Los Angeles will cost around 10 million, what do you think? Put the 20 million aside or just use the 10 million?”

Celeste rolled her eyes. “That’s what you came here for? Asking me how I think you should spend your money?”

“Well, no. I’m about to call Montes, Benedict isn’t answering his phone, and you're his second in command.”

Celeste sat back down on a velvet stool. “He doesn’t tell me everything. He still won’t tell me why he needs those coordinates from Jonas. Just that I need to bat my eyelashes at him to give them up,” she crossed one leg over the other.

Hillary’s phone vibrated, her fixing her red hair out the way. “Montes is calling.”

Celeste made an ick face. “Just ignore him.”

Hillary chuckled, “too bad your fling didn’t last. Deal with it.”

She swiped across her phone and put it on speaker. “Montes, how are you?”

“I’m good, how are you?”

“I’m with Celeste here,” Hillary said.

Celeste leaned forward. “Hey asshole.”

A laugh croaked through the speaker. Celeste putted further and stomped to the other side of her own room.

Hillary mocked again. “Ignore her, she’s still in highschool.”

“Noted,” Montes said.

Celeste wanted to throw Hillary out the window. How dare she make fun of her in her own room!

Hillary changed the subject. “So, you say that you found some stuff out while your team went down to the site for the second time.”

“You mean the dive in which we risked our very lives? Yeah, there was nothing there. First time we found the damaged sub, but this time we didn’t find anything of interest. No human bones or remains. Our sensors detected a group of huge animals going our way. We got the fuck outta there.”

“So you didn’t manage to at least get pictures?”

Montes scoffed. “Be down there scared shitless and I bet you won’t think of grabbing the nearest camera to take a picture of several big ass animals.”

“Just send the pictures of the damaged sub. To Celeste. She’ll show Benedict.”

“Got it. He’s been telling me he wants to make more dives down there in the next few years. I keep telling him that whatever is down there will get our asses.”

Hillary almost cut him off. “You signed up for this. 400K a year. We didn’t even have to beg you.”

“Yeah whatever. I have stuff to do. I’ll send Celeste the pictures.”

Celeste raised her voice. “Send me your suicide note instead.”

The call ended and the two women looked at each other in silence.

Benedict walked in, not bothering with propriety and manners. “You called me Hillary?”

“Yes – oh, I just got an email from my project manager. Gotta go and settle that, Celeste will tell you the details.” Hillary said before rushing out the door.

Celeste ran a hair through her wet dripping hair. “Michael called me. He landed back home in whatsit called. He was successfully fired for taking the blame.”

Benedict hummed, his chapped lips curling upwards. “Well done, Celeste. Now, how are things with you and Jonas?”

“I talked to him the other day. Haven’t really seen him since.” She had to hide her covert excitement towards the subject of Taylor.

Out of nowhere, Benedict brought his cold rough hands to Celeste’s cheeks. “I believe in you, my darling. Heir to my throne. My successor.”

Celeste grinned. “Thanks. Do you think my mother would be proud of me?”

“My dear, the proudest mother in the world.”

A tear squeezed itself out of her right eye. “Thanks,” she said, almost losing control of her own sentimentality.

Benedict gave her a warm smile before dropping his hands from her face and changing the subject. ”A new lawsuit might hit Jiuming pretty soon. A fisherman had his foot bitten off after the shark escaped.”

Celeste grinned. “Giving him more reason to lean on us for financial assistance.”

“Exactly. Chi dorme non piglia pesci. The people around him, they may disagree with him sometimes, but at the end of the day they have each other's backs. That Eiza Chavez.. one conversation from her and I can tell she’s nothing but a drone slave to her own code.”

“Do you think she could be an obstacle?”

“Possibly. But Jonas Taylor, he is the biggest of them all.”

-

He’d seen them in textbooks and in pictures, but never in person. Never in real life. The fear within himself overtook his muscles the minute he hit the water, but everyone around him reassured him he was only being irrational.

The whale shark pup approached him, and in its tiny eyes he could sense curiosity.

“Aw, she likes you!” Jiuming said after coming up to the surface and taking a breath.

“Actually, it’s a he,” Eiza adjusted her snorkeling mask. “If you pay attention underwater he has a pair of claspers.”

“He is adorable,” Jonas breathed out as the flat face of the pup looked up at him from beneath the surface. He brought his hand to its head, in awe at the white spotted pattern the shark adorned. “Hey, you little cutie.”

Jiuming focused back onto the mother who he was previously frolicking with. “Magnificent creatures they are!”

“Damn right,” Jonas muttered under his breath, smiling at the youngling still ogling at him. In another life, megalodons were more passive and as a result Jonas was more calm.

But that was only in another life.

He huffed out air to calm himself. He was alright. He was okay.

The mother swam away from Jiuming, coming close to her baby, and in response said baby followed her path.

“Aw, I wanted them to stick around more,” Eiza pouted.

As the sharks left the area, Jonas looked up to the orange sky and smiled.

Everything was going to be okay.

“Hey numbskulls, it’s getting dark!” Mac shouted from the boat.

They all swam back, one by one, saying goodbye to their whale shark buddies.

After stepping off the stairs Jonas and Mac shared a look of achievement before embracing in a hug. Jonas fist bumped him then turned to Eiza, who was shaking her ponytail and drying her face with a mini towel. “You’re right, this was fun. Maybe sharks aren’t so bad after all.”

Eiza put down the towel and freed her brown hair from the hair tie, smiling at him with perky eyes. “Yeah they aren’t. Told you, it’s a wonderful life, just have to keep your head up.”

She pulled out a lipstick tube and painted her lips.

“Yeah.” Jonas could do nothing but stare at her, almost entranced, as he thought about how her newly-colored lips were the exact same shade Suyin’s used to be.

Chapter Text

November, 2020

Eiza made sure to cut her fingernails before massaging her vulva with her freshly-washed fingers. In the dark at 9 p.m. at night, she lay there, stripped of clothes and her breasts hard due to the AC.

She swayed the covers off her body and spread her legs. Grazing her left hand on her C cup breasts and teasing her own nipple, she bit her lip. Then she rubbed her clit in circular rotations. Her arms squeezed closer together and pushed up her breasts, which aroused her further.

She saw him writing his own name on her lips. Grabbing all curves available on her body and pushing into her. She even imagined his own hard cock in her mouth. Everything under and over the sun, she imagined of him.

“Jonas,” she breathed out, rubbing further before inserting her right fingers and penetrating in and out.

She desired so crucially for him to be her false god sent from below to free her of all the sins she’d once committed, and he’d do so with the flick of his tongue. Or his cock. Or his fingers. Every part could be utilized to bring her to heaven.

“Jonas!” she breathed harsher, a heat coursing through her veins.

On her stomach, on her back – no, on the couch. He was fucking her in every way imaginable and on anything. She wanted it all.

“Jonas!” she moaned as her legs shuddered with all her might. She’d been transported to a higher place while in ecstasy, and she could only pant and groan more.

The orgasm dissipated, but yet she still saw his writing in between her legs.

It was official. She was guilty. Guilty as a midwife and a mistress and a whore.

And it was such a grand pleasure.

Her breathing lowered and she couldn’t help but giggle in the dark. Digging around the covers she picked up her phone. It pinged – a new message. That time from another phone number.

At least talk to me.

Her fingers tapped quickly on to the keyboard. I’ve moved on, you should too.

With that, the phone was thrown across the bed. Eiza yawned and thought about how much she loved the new stage in her life. The start of an age. She smiled to herself and said, “I love my job,” before falling soundly asleep.

-

The Next Day

It was colder than the month before, but that deterred no one from dining outside.

Jonas, Jiuming, Mac, Patricia, DJ, Meiying and dinner sat right outside the dive bar at a party table. Later, the bars would close, but they’d stay dancing under the stars until they fell to the ground.

It was a celebration dinner to celebrate managing to stay Haiqi incident-free for over a month. Thanksgiving would be the upcoming week, and Jiuming had announced bonuses.

And Jonas – we was officially a few weeks clean of alcohol. However, he was allowed one beer for that special day. One.

Mac stood up, tilting his paperboy hat, and showing off the Modelo beer bottle. “To Jonas, for making the necessary steps to get out of bumhood and getting over himself.”

Laughs filled the air.

Jonas, who was sitting next to Mac, smirked. “I’m back to meditation. Now’s here’s to Mac, for finally finding a girlfriend, Trish,” he extended his hand to the red-headed woman. He spoke to her, “lemme tell you, this guy used to be afraid of commitment.”

Trish’s face got red with the spotlight and covered her mouth in playfulness.

Mac interrupted before his friend could go further. “Alright alright you’re tipsy, man. That’s your fourth. And the question is, when are you going to get a girlfriend?” He sat back down, proud of his comeback.

Many oohs and ahhs came from the various spectators.

Jonas rolled his eyes. “Don’t start with that.”

Eiza brought the glass of water to her lips while she fidgeted with the edible inside her black trench coat. Sitting across from Mac and Jonas, she noticed Mac glance her way for a split second as he and his friend argued on the topic of girlfriends. He then turned his attention to his girlfriend and put an arm over her shoulder.

“The real question here is, when is Jiuming going to get a girlfriend?” Jonas pointed at the CEO.

Jiuming shrugged. “My job is my lover.”

“Nigga thinks he can make love to his underwater robots,” DJ teased, which earned several chuckles from around the table.

Jiuming didn’t take it to heart. “And what are you making love to?” He joked.

“Anyways,” Mac says, picking up a magazine with Jiuming and Benedict on the cover; Benedict sitting on a chair with his leg crossed over the other while Jiuming is standing and holding a neutral smile on his face. “Well well well, look what we have here. Jiuming and Santa Claus on the cover of Forbes!”

Jiuming smiled cheekily. “It’s a new dynasty.” He picked up his beer. “To Haiqi, family, friendship, business, science, and good times.”

Everyone grabbed their own drinks and clinked with each other, commemorating the moment.

Meiying clinked her can of soda with Eiza, who was sitting next to her.

Eiza took a look at the scene; laughter and connection identified the aura. There were fools and smartasses and engineers and scientists alike just enjoying themselves without a need to worry about broken doors or an escaped prehistoric shark. She held up her head to the sky, thinking of the endless drones passing by the island in an effort to get a peak at the ancient inhabitant. But that was a worry for another day. With no fears in the air, and no suspicions in the waters, the group laughed unconditionally, and Eiza felt nothing but fulfillment at the sound of it.

Meiying tapped her on the shoulder which took her out of her thoughts. She leaned into her Eiza’s ear. “Are you single?”

It was an unwelcome question, but a harmless one. Eiza chuckled nervously and whispered into the girl's ear, “yes.”

Everyone was busy in loud conversation. “My dad is too,” Meiying said, smiling.

Heat filled Eiza’s cheeks. Looking down and chuckling, Eiza looked right into Jonas’s eyes – he reciprocated the sudden eye contact – before noticing Celeste Singer several feet away, looking over them with her hands on her hips.

-

11 p.m.

“Goodnight Pumpkin.” Jonas cooed as he placed a gentle kiss on Meiying’s forehead, the girl yawning and stretching her hands.

“Goodnight Dad,” she murmured as her eyes closed and she went into endless slumber.

Jonas turned off the light in her room, nodding to Mac as he closed her door quietly.

“Surprising she passed out before your drunk ass,” Mac said, beer in the clutches of his hand.

“Aren’t ya supposed to be with your girlfriend?”

“She has to wake up early tomorrow for work.”

“Yeah, so do we,” Jonas said as he plopped himself down on the couch, rubbing his forehead with his coarse hands. His quarters were dim lit, and he made it a major point when he moved in to place the TV, table, and couch away from the windows to the blue hell. He turned around for a split second before reminding himself to calm down and focus on the journals on the glass table.

Mac’s voice took him out of his thoughts. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“What now?”

“What do you mean now what?”

Mac’s shoulder slumped. “So you’re just completely normal now?”

“Like I said, can’t control everything. Or rather, that’s what you said.”

Jonas looked before him; his personal journal teased him with recollections of past thoughts and revelations and grievances. Without thinking he stretched out his hand to grab it and flipped to the page holding the picture of his once complete family.

“You’re going to have to move on sooner or later.” Mac said, all walls down and no filter in place. “She’s gone, man.”

Jonas had never heard someone actually speak the truth. The destroying truth of Suyin actually being gone. Usually, everyone would accommodate his grief and low eyes with empathetic platitudes and droopy looks on their faces telling him how sorry they were that his fiancé with whom he survived a 60 feet long megalodon died of cancer.

But Mac. He finally said it. Finally someone said it. Suyin was absolutely gone for good, and he would never visit her grave at the age of 80 after having a full life together. Instead, he would be visiting her, starting at the age of 47, for the rest of his days.

“You’re right,” he said, forcing the growing grief in his eyes away.

He looked at the picture one last time. Suyin’s smile was irreplaceable. She was irreplaceable. Those lips he used to call his – he was enamored. A memory flashed into his mind – after swimming with the whale sharks a few weeks before, Eiza put the exact same shade color of maroon upon her full lips.

-

The moon was watching over the city of Palm Beach.

Alejandro Montes was pulling another all-nighter, trying to figure out the puzzle that was the mission. He’d have to fly out soon to meet with Benedict again to discuss future missions.

In his study, with the lights dim and the TV in the living room showcasing the news, he read the message on his phone.

I’ve moved on, you should too.

It was certainly true. She absolutely moved on at that point, and he was just a fool trying to catch a fish with a ripped net. It was unfortunate. He loved her with his entire heart.

“Seven years down the drain. But at least I have Jess to lean on,” he muttered to himself, then slipped the phone back into the pocket of his cargo pants and hunched forward to get a better look at his laptop screen.

The images of the destroyed sub from Geo-Tech Industries were catastrophic; there were collisions everywhere on the underwater vehicle. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what creature could’ve caused much damage, and he knew by the sonar records that day they weren’t caused by megalodons.

What animal could it have been?

His pocket started to vibrate. He stuck his hand and looked at the screen to see that a man named Michael Maren was calling him.