Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer [54]
Cole smiled. “What I mean is that I’m not so sure I saw any genitals on the shark.”
“No one did. All we could see was the mouth open and close down on Sheila. There wasn’t much else, honestly,” Annja said. “And it’s probably better that there wasn’t.”
Cole shook his head. “I meant earlier. When the shark attacked my cage. Right before it rammed and I got knocked unconscious, there was a moment—a flash, really—where I could see the entire underside of the fish.”
“And?”
“No genitals.”
Annja chewed a meatball slowly. “I don’t actually know what shark genitals look like, so obviously I’m going to have to take your word for it.”
Cole held up his hand and formed it into a blade. “They’re kind of like these claspers that the sharks use to hold on to each other prior to fertilization. It’s quite fascinating, actually, when you see them in action—”
Annja stopped him. “Shark porn is not going to do a damned thing for me. Like I said, I’ll take your word for it. If you say you didn’t see any genitals, then that’s enough.”
Cole fell silent for a moment and then looked back up at Annja. “Of course, that begs a fresh question.”
“What’s that?”
“If it’s not a shark, then what in God’s name is it?”
“Another species of fish? Some type of underwater mammal?”
Cole shook his head. “Can’t be a mammal. It would need to surface to breathe and we haven’t see any incidents of that. No, can’t be a mammal.”
“How about a reptile? Maybe something like the Loch Ness Monster?”
Cole frowned. “I don’t see it. This thing swims like a fish, and acts like a fish to some extent. I’ve got to assume it is a fish. But the lack of genitals is truly bizarre. How would it procreate?”
“Are you sure it would?”
Cole fixed a stare on Annja. “You’re kidding, right?”
Annja leaned back. “I’m just saying that it’s a big fish. Maybe it’s the last of its kind. Maybe it doesn’t reproduce because there are no others like it.”
Cole shook his head. “I can’t buy into that. It had to come from somewhere, right?”
“I guess.” Annja went back to eating her pasta while Cole chewed on the same section of garlic bread he’d been gnawing on since they sat down. She regarded him for a moment. She could see he was going to stew about this for the rest of the night.
“I already know what you’re thinking,” Annja said.
He looked at her. “And what is that?”
“You want to get back in the water with it.”
Cole smiled. “You’re right. That’s exactly what I want to do. I have to be sure about what I saw. And there’s only one way to do that. I’ve got to get close to the shark.”
“Hunter is going to freak out.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t tell him.”
“Oh, great, you want an accomplice. Hunter will get pissed off at me, as well.” Annja swirled some of the spaghetti strands around her fork. “We’ll both be in the doghouse.”
“At least we won’t be lonely.”
“And when are you thinking about revisiting your friend the shark?”
“How about after dinner?”
Annja looked at Cole. “You’re not serious. Tell me you’re just joking about this.”
“I’m not.”
Annja laid her fork down. “Okay, so allow me to point a few things out here. First, there’s the whole nature of getting back into the water with that thing. And bear in mind that I only recently saw it devour Sheila, so I’m not especially keen on a repeat performance.”
“Granted,” Cole said with a vague smile on his face. “Go on, please.”
“Well, the next thing is kind of obvious. Or at least it seems to me it damn well ought to be.” She eyed Cole. “It’s night. In other words, it’s dark out there. And I’d imagine it’s going to be pretty dark underwater. Just how are you supposed to be able to see anything?”
“I’ve got a flashlight. More of a spotlight, actually. It should do the business well enough for me to see what I need to.”
“The genitals.”
“Or lack thereof, yes.” Cole wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Listen, I know it’s crazy. I’m not trying to convince you otherwise. Odds are I probably need to get my head checked. Any normal person wouldn’t even dream about doing this. I understand that. But I also understand that unless