The shark on the other side of the door had vanished without a trace, leaving the two people inside still shaken to the core. Both Owen and Dr. Susie were drenched from head to toe, and her figure, now clinging wet to her clothes, was fully revealed—but Owen had no mind for appreciation at the moment.
"Th-thank you for saving me… but… who are you?" Dr. Susie stammered, still glancing nervously at the gun in Owen's hand.
Owen stood with hands on his hips, panting hard. He had done nearly ninety-five percent of the work in sealing the bulkhead and spinning the valve, and it had taken everything out of him.
After catching his breath, he finally pulled out his credentials and said, "CTU…" Then, guessing she might not be the type who keeps up with current affairs, he added, "Counter Terrorism Unit, United States."
"Oh…" Dr. Susie nodded, staring at Owen, though he couldn't tell if she truly understood what CTU meant. He followed up immediately, "Where does this passage lead?"
"The activity room."
They walked forward as they talked. Fortunately, they had sealed the previous door in time. Only part of the corridor had been flooded, with seawater covering just the initial stretch up to their ankles. After that, the path was dry.
"What the hell just happened back there? I want the full story, no omissions. That woman earlier—her name isn't Vivienne. She's Avril Berman, an internationally wanted terrorist. The incident at the White House not long ago was connected to her. I won't get into details, but you should understand the gravity of the situation."
Dr. Susie looked visibly shaken by Owen's words. It took her a moment to fully process them before she stammered, "I… I didn't know who she was. She told us she was a deep-sea biology enthusiast, just renting a few rooms to store her equipment. I didn't know she was…"
Owen interrupted her explanation. "Enough about that. Tell me what just happened. What exactly is Blue No. 1?"
Dr. Susie took a deep breath. She decided to come clean. After organizing her thoughts, she began, "Our ocean base is a research project funded by Ace Biomedical. We're focused on developing a treatment for Alzheimer's using shark brain proteins.
"Blue No. 1 was merely a byproduct of our research—an accidental result from a failed experiment.
"Later, we discovered that this compound, when ingested, could temporarily boost human reflexes, learning capacity, and strength. But the side effects were significant. It has an addictive nature similar to narcotics—not as intense as drugs, but withdrawal could lead to memory loss, hallucinations, visual and auditory delusions, and severe mood swings…"
Dr. Susie spoke steadily while Owen listened in silence. She continued, "About a year and a half ago, the CIA approached us. We don't know how they learned about Blue No. 1, but they were developing a classified project and needed a compound with similar effects.
"Ace Biomedical had always underfunded our work, and research had been progressing slowly. When the CIA reached out, we agreed to cooperate.
"They called it the 'Blue Pill.' Since the formula overlapped with our anti-Alzheimer's patent, we couldn't transfer the technology, so we simply provided them with regular shipments of the final product. They accepted this arrangement."
"That USB around your neck—those are the files? Hand it over," Owen said abruptly, stepping forward. "If Avril wants this, then we can't let her get it. And you… you clearly can't keep it safe."
Owen made sense. After a brief hesitation, Susie removed the necklace and handed it over. Owen put the USB around his own neck.
"Now let's talk about the sharks," he continued. "Why are they attacking us? And why is that great white so huge? That's not normal—and it seems to hold a grudge."
Dr. Susie visibly flinched. The question clearly struck a nerve. Though reluctant, she finally said, "Because we genetically modified them. Whether it was for Blue No. 1 or the Alzheimer's treatment, we needed large quantities of shark brain protein. Our research showed that only great white sharks had the right kind of protein—other sharks were useless.
"But great whites are rare. Our funding was limited. So, to increase protein yield, we genetically altered the sharks to expand their brain capacity…"
"You're telling me… you made the sharks smarter?"
"Yes," she nodded. "It wasn't our intention at first, but… yes, that's what happened."
She looked like she wanted to elaborate but stopped herself in the end.
Owen didn't know what to say. Mad scientist? Lunatic? These people had taken the apex predator of the ocean and given it intelligence. He could already imagine the future—humans banned from the sea, all because of one unnecessary experimental drug.
He didn't want to hear another word. He regretted saving her. Someone like her—maybe getting eaten by the monster she created would have been a more fitting end.
Owen couldn't say if all scientists were like this, but the woman standing before him? Her methods were downright insane.
The two walked quietly toward the end of the corridor. Susie could feel Owen's growing resentment toward her. She understood why—but she didn't regret anything. Scientific progress always required risks.
Suddenly, a dull "thump-thump-thump" echoed from up ahead—something was pounding against a door.
Both of them froze. That sound… it was disturbingly familiar.
The banging came from further down. They crept forward and saw a sealed bulkhead at the far end. The metal shook violently with each impact—clearly, something massive was trying to break through from the other side.
"Shit…"
Owen and Susie exchanged a horrified glance. Just as they hesitated, a sharp metallic clink rang out—a piece of metal fell to the floor.
One of the door's rivets had popped out. A high-pressure stream of water jetted through the hole.
Susie screamed. Owen's heart seized.
Before they could react, a second rivet shot loose. Another water jet. Then a third…
The banging intensified.
"RUN!"
Owen shouted, ignoring the stinging pain as the jets of water lashed against them. He grabbed Susie and sprinted through the oncoming spray. If the door gave way, they'd be dead.
There was another sealed door at the far end of the corridor.
They had just reached it when—BOOM!
The bulkhead behind them exploded open. The metal door tore free as seawater surged through like a tidal wave, racing down both sides of the corridor. The two of them scrambled through the final bulkhead and slammed it shut just in time, sealing the water and the shark on the other side.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.