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

Greenwood practically leapt to put a respectable distance between herself and the detective. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate,” she sputtered.

“Forgiven,” the general said.

“I’m sure there are plenty of rooms in this base for you two to find,” Skylar quipped.

Raymond’s face was completely placid, but Greenwood turned a brilliant shade of red.

“Anyway,” Raymond said, “we should figure out how to contact our informant.”

Skylar pulled out her phone. “I have a feeling…” she thumbed through her contacts and saw one she didn’t recognize labelled “KW”. “I think I have his number.” She looked at the people in the room. “So should I call him?”

Chapter 17

Devonte ran his hand down the slime coated surface of the kaiju egg. As moist as it felt, his hand came away dry, but tingly, as though electricity was dancing across the skin of his palm. He replaced his hand and held it there. Inside the leathery shell he could feel the movement of the unborn creature, slithering in some viscous fluid.

He’d set up all of the necessary machinery for their research with the help of Gunner and his men, and now he just had to wait for Skylar. A chittering cry from inside the egg drew his focus. The egg distended in a shape that vaguely resembled a clawed hand. Once. Then again. The cry grew louder.

“Oh no,” Devonte said. “You’re way too early.” He looked around the makeshift lab in the hangar. The cage he’d commissioned was still incomplete. Gunner estimated a few hours, and that was just thirty minutes ago. Sweat accumulated on Devonte’s brow and around the nape of his neck.

An iron black talon tore through the leathery egg sac, spilling blood and amniotic fluid onto the floor at its base. Devonte stepped back to avoid getting any on his shoes. The creature’s serpent-like head, no bigger than a football, snaked its way out of the shell. Gooey clumps of afterbirth plopped to the floor as it shook itself free. It was everything Devonte could do not to vomit when bits of it splattered over his body and face.

The first thing Devonte noticed was the creature’s color, red, like Vornax. It heaved more of its body out and into the open air, hissing and screaming. The creature favored its father in color. Long fore limbs clicked along the ground as it sniffed the air walking on four powerful legs like a wolf. It had its mother’s head, but a shorter neck, complete with vestigial gills, and neck frills that flared with each sucking breath.

No wings, Devonte realized.

The creature pawed at the ground and let out a dark, guttural sound.

Devonte let a small noise escape his throat.

The creature’s head swiveled around in his direction, and that’s when he realized that an opaque film still covered its eyes. It warbled as it stepped towards him again.

Devonte wanted to run. He wanted to call for help. His body was frozen to the spot, rigid with fear and awe. The creature leaned towards him and sniffed. Another soft warble, and then it licked him, wriggling its tongue around his face, slurping up the egg fluid and soaking him in briny saliva. When he opened his eyes again, the creature had sunk into a stretched position, with both fore and hind legs tucked up beneath its body. It cocked its head to the side, its eyes still covered.

Oh, this is going to be stupid, Devonte thought as he reached out his hand. He touched the side of the creature’s head and received a gentle hiss in response. His hand stopped, but he didn’t jerk it back. The creature chirped at him, which he took as permission to continue. He stroked his way up the side of its head until he got to the clump of tissue over its eye. Gingerly, he ran a finger over it. The sound of his heartbeat was louder than anything else in the room. He took ahold of the film and pulled, revealing a yellow eye with a red, slit-like iris. It stared at him for a second, taking him in, before angling its head to the other side. Devonte pulled the other film away as well, leaving him eye-to-eye with the young creature.

“Hello,” he said.

The creature flicked its long tail, wrapping it around itself.

“I know you can’t understand me,” Devonte continued, reaching out slowly, “but my name is Devonte.” He placed a hand on the cold, scaly neck of the newborn. Its eyes flickered over him, watching and wondering.

The fact that he hadn’t lost his hand, or his life, filled Devonte with a greater sense of bravery. He began circling the creature, taking in all the similarities and difference between it and its parents. Whereas Inkanyamba looked like an eel crossed with a turtle and a dragon, and Vornax favored a fictionalized demon, the offspring favored a drake, a strange hybridization of the two.

Devonte circled back around to the front of the creature and took several steps back, taking in the sight. The creature rose with a noise, and for the first time Devonte noticed its size. At its shoulders, it stood around two meters. Raised up, its head stood another half meter. As it moved, cat-like, towards Devonte, it looked down at him the entire time. It made the distance between them the same as before, before settling down and watching him once more.

Devonte backed away. It followed. They did this dance around the inside of the room for a few minutes, before Devonte sat down to think.

“Holy fuck,” Skylar said from behind him.

The creature let out a furious screech and rose on its haunches, hissing and spitting, frills all a tingle. Devonte leapt to his feet and held his arms out between Skylar and the creature. “Easy, easy,” he said. “Skylar, back up. Slowly.”

Skylar did as he said, and Devonte turned to face the creature.

“Hey, boy…girl? Hey…you.” He reached out a calming hand. “It’s okay. She’s a friend.” The creature’s eyes narrowed suspiciously but he was able to place