The metal railing was cold to the touch, and a chill ran through him as Alex hoisted himself over it and began his descent. His mind drifted back to his youth, when he’d climb under the bleachers during ball games, looking up girls’ dresses and pinching teachers. He went slow, bracing both feet before moving down to the next support beam. Without his flashlight, darkness filled the spaces beneath the walkway, the cotton-like spider webs three feet from his face. His mind conjured an image of his body covered in giant spiders with long fangs dripping with poison, his heart struggling to break free of his chest.

  The thought of poison made him realize he needed to be careful taking the blood sample. The beast’s waste hadn’t burned a hole in him, but who knew what built-in defense mechanisms the creature might have? Certain frogs, and it was surmised some dinosaurs, spat an acid-like substance at their foes, so it wasn’t a stretch to think the beast’s blood could be toxic.

  He reached the point where he could climb no further without entering the stream of water running along the floor of the tunnel. It was only five feet deep, but it was moving at a good pace, slowly eroding the pile of dirt and dead plants littering the area below the cave-in site. He pulled his light and examined the walls up-close. There were scratches in the cement, and that reassured him the hole above was no cave-in.

  The hum of the beast still echoed through the tunnel, but it had lessened. He looked back up at Dirk and Katelyn, but all he saw were two circles of white blurring at the edges.

  Alex shined his light up the tunnel in both directions, his nerves asking what would happen if the flood gates were opened and the tunnel filled with water. He felt the brush of his father’s breath on his neck and understood for the first time what it must have felt like to be standing in the center of a dry riverbed with only dirt and stones holding back one of Mother Nature’s most powerful weapons.

  “Let’s get going,” Dirk yelled. “Take your pictures and let’s get topside. I got a bad feeling.”

  I bet you do. “Give me five minutes.” He trained his light on the debris pile where he’d seen the glimmer. A dark scale-like piece of debris stuck from the pile, tiny teeth-like protrusions running along its outer edge. It looked like a broken flipper from the tail of a giant lobster. It was half-buried, but judging by what he could see the scale was at least ten feet around.

  There was no way he could reach it, so Alex braced himself against one of the steel supports and pulled his camera. He turned on Extreme Flash and took a series of pictures of the hole, the scratches on the walls, the streaks of blue, then a bunch of closeups of the scale. When he was done, he pulled a sample container, and using his utility knife, he scraped some of the viscous blue fluid off the wall into the bottle. Then he packed up and climbed back up to Dirk and Katelyn.

  The buzz stopped, and the sound of gurgling water filled the tunnel.

  “Anything interesting?” Katelyn said.

  “There are scratches on the walls down there, and there’s a fish scale or something in the dirt pile.”

  “I guess now we know how the… animal is getting above the falls,” Katelyn said.

  Alex nodded and asked, “Dirk, why wouldn’t the power plant engineers have known about the damaged section of the tunnel? It’s a large hole. Shouldn’t your monitoring systems have shown something?”

  “The main tunnel is never under pressure, it just moves overflow. Those pipes…” He pointed at a series of metal pipes running along the far wall. “Those pipes are under pressure sometimes, depending on if the water is flowing and why it's flowing.”

  The trio backtracked to the pump shaft, the clanging of their steps rising over the rumble of water.

  “You’re married now, right Alex?” Dirk asked.

  Alex’s stomach burned. He couldn’t stop it. “You know I am. Why do you ask?”

  “No reason.”

  Katelyn sighed.

  The douche was making a point, marking his territory, not that Katelyn even shared a border with his country. Alex said nothing as he stewed, but he didn’t know why. Lilly was awesome, and she was actually more attractive than Katelyn, should an independent poll be taken, yet… Those summer nights all those years ago still burned like a flame that never needed to be fed, a perpetual love and caring that Alex didn’t think would ever go away, even if he didn’t see Katelyn for fifty years.

  A screech reverberated through the tunnel, a primal roar of anger and pain that rose in pitch until it cut off abruptly.

  The shriek sent a tremor of angst through Alex, that primitive feeling that something bigger, stronger, and more intelligent had just noticed you, and didn’t like what it saw.

  “Come on,” Dirk said, and the trio doubled their pace.

  Getting back up the shaft was harder than getting down, gravity and all that, but with Dirk manning the safety line he and Katelyn were able to climb the seventy-two rungs without passing out. Dirk made much quicker work of the ascent, but the fact that he was winded and panting when he climbed from the pit made Alex feel a little better.

  The three companions stood in the control room, the pump buzzing, the rush of water echoing up from the tunnel. Alex said, “I’ll forward you all the pictures. I’m pretty sure there’s a piece of the thing down there, and we need to send pros down, divers… or at least some guys in hip waders, so it can be retrieved.”

  “You’re sure that’s what it is?” Dirk said.

  Alex nodded.

  “What about you, Katelyn?” Dirk asked. “You buying that?”

  Katelyn nodded. “You heard that…scream, didn’t you?”

  “The wind?”

  Alex and Katelyn laughed, but there was no humor in them.

  Dirk killed the lights and locked the pumphouse door as they left, the eye of the security camera peering down at the party.

  It felt good to be above ground, the sounds of birds, the rumble of cars, and the familiar static of the falls easing Alex’s nerves. Sun cut through the tree canopy casting spotlights on the forest floor as they walked, each of them lost in their thoughts.

  Katelyn said, “If this thing decides to roll through town, I don’t think we’ll be prepared.”

  Alex nodded. Though both sides of the river had various law enforcement agencies, he didn’t think any of them had antiterrorism tanks or crowd control weapons. The best Niagara could do in the short term was the U.S. Coast Guard, and all they had were a couple of whirlybirds and a 123-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter, which did have a 25MM chain gun autocannon in the bow and four 50 caliber machine guns, but what use they’d be if the creature rampaged through the city he didn’t know.

  “WTF?” Katelyn said as the threesome broke free of the trees, the road cutting before them, the pavilion building beyond.

  Agents Dixon and Perry stood leaning on the hood of a black van, its shining exterior reflecting the trees and blue sky.

  “How the hell do they do that?” Alex asked.

  Katelyn chuckled. “You’re really asking?”

  “Howdy,” Dixon said as the trio approached. “Out for a hike?”

  Alex said, “It is a beautiful day.”

  “Are you on duty, Officer Mattis?” Agent Dixon asked.

  “I am,” she said.

  “You hike when you’re on duty?” Agent Perry said.

  The agent speaking was such a rare occurrence even Dixon glanced her way.

  “Can we dispose of the bullshit?” Alex said. “You know why we’re here and what we were doing otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Yeah?”

  Dixon and Perry were stone, their eyes hidden behind their standard-issue mirrored shades.

  Alex sighed. He told them what they’d seen in the tunnel and produced the camera and sample of blue blood as evidence.

  Dixon held the sample container up to the light, made a face like he smelled boiled eggs baking in the sun, then handed the sample to Perry.

  “I was going to give that to Dr. Silverfish,” Alex said.

  Dixon said nothing.

  “Fine. Maybe my phone will get damaged when…” Shit! Alex cursed himself for shooting off his mouth. If the agent wanted, he could confiscate his phone, so he backtracked, fast. “I’ll send you copies of everything, ASAP.”

  “And do you think we can get some of that sample to the professor? Just enough to put on a microscope slide?” Katelyn asked.

  “That can be arranged,” Agent Dixon said. “Anything else?”

  “When will the river be open?” Alex asked.

  Dixon said, “The extensive search of the river precipitated by last night’s attack has uncovered nothing, so as of this moment the river will most likely be open tomorrow.”

  “Do you think it’s a good idea to take tours out there? After all this? What we just found?” Alex asked. He wanted to be out on the river searching for the creature, patrolling, but tours meant tourists, which meant money, and he had a mortgage to pay.

  “I’m thinking we take you up on your offer tomorrow. You know, you said stop by for a complimentary tour,” Dixon said.

  That made Alex feel a little better, but not much. “I’m not sure if I’m going out, but if I do, we’ll make sure there are spots for you on the eleven. In the meantime, you need to get people down in the tunnel and retrieve the scale, maybe take blood samples of your own, analyze those scratches. There might be DNA in there. Get better pictures. I could only go partway down, remember. There may be more clues buried in the rubble pile.”

  Dixon nodded and slapped the hood of the van three times with the palm of his hand.

  The rear doors of the van flew open, and eight officers poured from the vehicle like ants hunting for sugar. They wore full body armor, Glocks at the ready, dark shields hiding their faces. The team hurried across the road toward the woods at the command of their leader, and Perry followed.

  Dixon eyed Alex’s phone and rolled his shoulders, his face running through a series of expressions that reminded Alex of an actor doing facial exercises. He put his hands on his hips and said, “You’ll email me those photos?”

  Alex nodded.

  “All of them?”

  “All of them,” he said. “If you want, I’m sure you can make a copy of what’s on my SIM. Transfer the photos to a memory stick or something?”

  Dixon struggled, and his shoulders sagged under the weight of his position. “I trust you.”

  Alex felt Katelyn and Dirk’s eyes boring holes into him.

  Katelyn’s radar was good, and Alex figured she’d sensed Alex wanting to have a word with the agent without Dirk listening in. Anything the muscle-head heard would be all over town by the end of the day. “I’ve got to get back to it,” Katelyn said. “Want a ride back to the plant, Dirk?”

  Dirk didn’t answer as he started for the Blazer, no goodbye, no thanks.

  “Bye-bye,” mocked Alex.

  Dirk waved over his shoulder but didn’t look back.

  When the pair was out of earshot, Alex said, “I have to ask again. Why haven’t you brought in reinforcements? You know as well as I do we’re dealing with something… something that doesn’t belong here. And do you know what wild animals do when they’re cornered?”

  “They attack.”

  Birds chirped, seagulls shrieked, the falls cajoled and mumbled, and the faint sound of traffic on the interstate filled the silence.

  “Let me know if you plan to head out tomorrow. I’ll get everyone’s OT authorized so they can patrol the river,” Dixon said.

  He nodded.

  Dixon turned his back on Alex, walked across the road, and disappeared into the forest.

  Alex watched the face of the woods for several minutes, birds spraying from the tree canopy, his mind picturing the expression on Dixon’s face when he saw the hole in the tunnel.

  He felt good as he drove home, better than he had in weeks. Whatever he decided to do tomorrow the pressure was off him to cry wolf. The wolf had revealed itself to the bigger wolves, and now it was only a matter of time before the alpha predator and the FBI clashed, and he hoped he was far away when it happened.

  Alex’s head rang with his father’s laughter.

  18

  An orange sherbet sky smudged the western horizon, the assuring ever-present rumble of the falls like an imaginary friend, always there to remind Alex tomorrow would be another day. A new chance to change his path.

  His old path led him to The Barrel, where Alex had a couple of beers to settle his nerves so he could think. He’d verify his decision with Celeste and Lilly, but he was shutting down the tour boat for a few days. With the weekend coming it would be a major financial hit, but taking tourists out on the river was risky business on an average day. With the creature lurking in the area the risk was higher, and the tour company was one major insurance claim away from going under.

  Lilly was getting dressed when he got home. She was covering a night shift. After laying things out for her, she said, “It’s not a question, is it? I mean, are the Maid’s boats going out?”

  “Talk at the pub was no, but I’ll call Jessup tomorrow. Like you said, though, I think it’s an easy call. Let’s see what the next few days bring,” he said.

  “I’ll see if I can pick up some extra shifts.”

  “Not necessary.” Alex’s stomach burned. “We’re fine.”

  Lilly nodded. “And I want to keep it that way.” She stood and smoothed her scrubs. “See you tomorrow when I get home.”

  “Maybe. I don’t know where I’ll be.” Lilly having to work so hard made him feel like his job—and by extension, his life—was a joke. The nagging sense that she felt he wasn’t providing, whether that was her intention or not, was always eating at his stomach lining.

  “Where are you going to be? Hunting with Katelyn?”

  “Maybe.”

  Lilly stared at a speck of dust on the carpet, then left the room.

  When Lilly’s headlights had faded from the driveway, he grabbed a beer and his shotgun. The Mossberg had been his father’s, and it was one of three guns he’d fired in his life, the other two being Gabe’s Ruger and Colt revolver.

  Alex eased the twelve-gauge Mossberg 500 from its case and loosened the screw on the end of the magazine tube, which was below the barrel. He slipped off the barrel and began cleaning the weapon the way his old man had taught him. He hadn’t fired the gun in years, and he smiled as he recalled memories of his dad preaching about the weapon like it was Excalibur. How the gun had dual-action bars connecting the fore-end to the bolt. How the extra clearance between the steel action bars and their receiver channels reduced wear on the aluminum receiver so the gun could function packed with dirt or debris.

  When he was done cleaning, the living room stinking of gun oil, he put the weapon back together and pumped the slide. Metal clicked on metal, the smooth interchange of finely milled parts. Alex retrieved the box of shells from the garage and dumped them on the coffee table. The red buckshot was filled with copper, but they were at least a decade old. He examined each shell and they looked fine. He put them back in the box and put the gun and the ammo in the Jeep. He didn’t think that was legal, but he didn’t care.

  Friday dawned gray and misty, and Celeste texted that the Maid of Mist vessels had been shut down until at least Monday, and the Canadians were following their lead. At least he wouldn’t have to see the other companies out on the river making money while his wife worked a double. He broke the news to Celeste, but told her he’d pay her half days if she kept working the reservation system, keeping the tourists up-to-date and trying to rebook them, which would be impossible.

  The day crawled by, and there were no sightings, and the authorities didn’t discover anything new. Agent Dixon held to his word and Dr. Silverfish analyzed the blood sample. The test results showed nothing unusual.

  “The blood sample is very similar to that of a horseshoe crab, as we’ve previously speculated,” Dr. Silverfish said. “The sample contains high amounts of hemocyanin which carries oxygen through the blood. Because of the copper in the hemocyanin, the blood is blue. The sample also contains amebocytes, which play a similar role to the white blood cells of vertebrates in defending the organism against pathogens.”

  “So the sea scorpion theory holds up?” Alex had said.

  “It would appear so,” the professor said.

  Late Friday, Alex called Agent Dixon, and he reported that the odd scale had been retrieved and analyzed, and it had been determined that the flipper had broken off from the beast’s underside. It was speculated that the flipper was dislodged due to the creature’s wounds, which were confirmed by the presence of the blood. Gabe had shot the creature three times, and though the bullets hadn’t stopped the beast, they appeared to have damaged it. The flipper’s composition was also consistent with the carapace of horseshoe crabs, so the FBI’s working theory was that the monster was a mutant sea creature deformed by time and generational progressions and crossbreeding.

  “Our main goal is to exterminate it,” Agent Dixon said.

  Something in the tone of Dixon’s voice made Alex think the agent was lying. Heat blossomed in Alex’s stomach, but he was being crazy. Of course, the creature had to die. What other options were there? It was killing people, plucking tourists off the sides of the river like treats. Yet… he felt like he did when he saw the end of King Kong. Was it the beast’s fault humans had decided to build cities where cities had no business being built? By all accounts, the creature’s forebears were living under the falls long before man came to sully the area.

  Sunday was rainy, and that cheered Alex up. Chances were the tours would’ve been canceled due to weather regardless, and now the tourists could rage against the weather gods, not the falls. The patrols still hadn’t made a sighting, and though it had only been a couple of days, the memory of Thursday night’s events were already fading from the collective consciousness of the city. The residents were doing their best to push on, forget, because that’s what their livelihoods demanded. The new crop of tourists was clueless, because other than the internet, and the new online issue of FATE Magazine, the city of Niagara Falls wasn’t advertising the river was closed, and the rain provided a good cover. Tourists flowed like the Niagara, and there was an entirely new group in the hotels, attractions, and bars. Mid-week in the summer was busy until the kiddies went back to school after Labor Day.