Up From The Deep by Vaughn Jackson (highly recommended books txt) 📕

you the facts. If you were useless, I’d have told you that and sent you on your way.”

“Oh.”

“The point is, Captain Dehane brought you in because he saw something in you. I’m inclined to trust his judgment. Go prove us right.”

“I did have an idea—”

“Don’t tell me. Work with Skylar.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

#

Randolph Martin read the letter with the same visible apoplectic rage with which he did most everything in his life. Kurtis watched his face redden and noticed the veins sticking out in both his neck and his forehead and wondered whether or not the stress would simply kill him where he stood.

“I don’t understand,” he sputtered.

“I think it’s rather plain to see,” Kurtis said, “in light of your recent failures, the council has decided that your services are no longer worth the risk and you are hereby stripped of your rank as a member of the Hands of Fate.”

“After everything I’ve done for Tempest? I made us billionaires. I’ve served on the council for over fifteen years and—”

“Randolph, you know I’m not one for speeches and diatribes.”

The man slumped into his chair. “You’re here to kill me.”

Kurtis raised an eyebrow.

“I’m a liability. I know this organization inside and out. They aren’t just going to give me a severance package and let me walk.”

“I was told explicitly that I was not allowed to kill you.”

“Don’t lie to me.” Randolph slammed his hands on his desk. “At least show me that respect.”

“I’m not lying. I was told that the decision as to your fate would be up to your replacement.”

“They’ve already found a replacement?” Randolph’s eyes went wide.

Kurtis nodded his head slowly.

“I’m that easily replaceable?”

Kurtis shrugged. He didn’t feel like indulging in the man’s pity parade.

“Who is he?”

Kurtis laughed. “Come on in,” he shouted. For a moment he wished he had a camera just to capture the look that came upon Randolph’s face as his replacement walked in. “Ms. Jia Ming.”

“You can’t be fucking serious,” Randolph shouted, rising to his feet and pointing an accusatory finger. “This bitch is my replacement?”

“This bitch also decides your fate,” Jia Ming said coldly. “Play nice.”

Randolph looked as though someone had walked across his grave. “Y-you?”

She flashed a saccharine smile. “Not that I haven’t already decided.”

Kurtis watched the interaction with interest. “Speaking of which, Ms. Ming, you are to carry out your decision immediately, so…if you will.”

“Of course,” Jia Ming said, her smile turning dark.

Randolph wasted no time. Kurtis wasn’t surprised that he tried to run. He was surprised by how far down the hallway Jia Ming let him get before he heard two cracks from her pistol, then a third, for good measure he supposed.

“Drag this filth to the nearest landfill and dispose of it,” he heard her say. She re-entered the office, sat in Randolph’s chair, and placed her gun on the mahogany desk. “That was cathartic.”

“I can only imagine,” Kurtis said, dragging his hands down his face. “You realize of course that you now assume his responsibilities in regard to both our financial empire, and—”

“The monster, yes, I know,” she said, propping her feet up on the desk. “I’ll handle it.”

“And as for your personal business?”

“I’ll handle that too.”

Kurtis rested his chin on his hand and gave her a cold appraisal. “I’m sure you’ll do a better job than your predecessor.”

Before she could reply, Hugo Fernandez burst into the room. “Mr. Martin, I…” he trailed off “…appear to have missed something.”

“A simple organizational change,” Kurtis said, “please, treat Ms. Ming as you would have treated Mr. Martin.”

“Treat me better,” she said with a wry twist of her lips, “or join Mr. Martin in the trash heap.”

The man’s mousy face twitched, and he wrung his hands nervously. “Of course. I only came in to report that I have successfully recreated the HUD.”

“The what?” Jia Ming asked.

“Oh, the device those two kids built. I call it the Harmonic Upscaling Device, or HUD for short.”

Jia Ming nodded. “Names aside, it works?”

“I haven’t run it yet for…obvious reasons, but all the tests I’ve run on it indicate that it should work as planned. I do suggest we give the new version a proper test run though.”

Jia Ming steepled her fingers and narrowed her eyes at the engineer. “I suggest we test out our creature as well.”

Kurtis cocked an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“The Hands,” she paused, “we Hands of Fate want to control this creature because we feel like it represents our organization’s strength, and divine right to rule. I’m suggesting that we should first ensure that,” she looked at Kurtis, “what did the others call it?”

“Inkanyamba,” he replied.

“We should ensure that Inkanyamba does in fact match our high standards,” Jia Ming concluded, leaning back in her chair.

Hugo looked to Kurtis for any indication of the right course of action.

“Don’t look at me,” Kurtis said. “She’s your boss. Think of me as an advisor for this mission.”

Hugo snapped his attention back to Jia Ming. “How do you propose we test the monster?”

“We did just see it tear its mate apart with little effort,” Kurtis added. “Isn’t that enough of a test?”

“It’s one thing for a creature to perform well according to its own nature. It’s another thing to see it compete against mankind for dominance.” She drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair. “So far it’s only really been in the water. I want to see how it handles the army. Take it to Las Vegas.”

Kurtis’ eyebrows shot up.

“We’ll test the device’s functionality over long distances and also see how our Inkanyamba handles a fully mounted response from this country’s defenders.”

“And if it fails?” Hugo asked.

“I can punish the creator of the device,” Jia Ming said, “and if the creature dies, then it’s dead and Tempest will move on.”

“You’re ruthless,” Kurtis said, hiding his displeasure.

“I’m efficient,” she retorted. “A word my predecessor most likely couldn’t spell.”

Kurtis rose to his feet. “I take my leave then. My stomach won’t sit right watching all of that unnecessary death.”

He heard Ms. Ming scoff and demand that everything be prepped as