open mouth with rows of teeth like shards of shattered glass. A pectoral fin.
'It's a shark,' said Li. 'A bit of a shark.'
Alex switched on the torch on the end of his mobile.
It wasn't even half the shark – just a head, a ragged piece of backbone and one pectoral fin. It must have been big; this part alone was nearly a metre long. The sea came up over their ankles and Amber stepped back as the ripped skeins of the shark's entrails floated towards her like tentacles. The sea retreated, taking dark swirls of blood into the oily water. Down the beach was a trail of mangled flesh as each wave washed more of the dead shark away.
Amber voiced what they were all thinking. 'What on earth did that to a shark?'
Alex played his torch over the corpse. 'This is fascinating.'
'You are disgusting,' said Amber.
'No, look. You can see its spine. It's made of cartilage, not bone. It looks like plastic. I'm going to take a picture.' There was a flash. Then he inspected the photo and thumbed away at the buttons.
Li peered over his shoulder. She pulled a face at Amber. 'He's sending it to the others.'
Amber rolled her eyes. 'A nice "get well" card.'
The sea came in and went out again.
Alex was looking at his picture, then at the shark carcass. There was something strange that showed up more clearly on the photo – a big black stain. And something else. He went in closer with the torch. Yes, it was there on the carcass; he just hadn't noticed it in the moonlight.
'Come and look at this.'
The girls looked at Alex. His face was less than twenty centimetres away from the corpse. They stayed firmly where they were.
'Must we?' said Li.
'There's a big black shadow inside its body cavity. It's really weird.'
Li folded her arms, determined not to move. 'It's probably eaten something containing ink. It might even be paint. Some of these sharks are real scavengers.'
Alex looked up. 'This doesn't look like something it's eaten. You've got to actually see it.'
Reluctantly Amber bent over the carcass.
'You have to get really close,' said Alex. He was practically sniffing the flesh.
Amber sighed and crouched down. 'If this is a joke I'm going to rub your nose in it.' Alex moved back to give her room.
She'd expected it to smell bad, but it didn't – it was clean and fresh, like the sea. But she could see why Alex was curious. Embedded into the exposed interior of the skeleton were fragments of metal, twinkling against the glistening flesh. She touched one piece. It was sharp. Definitely metal.
'I know it's weird,' said Alex, 'but that looks like the debris from a bomb blast.'
Li came nearer and Amber moved aside so that she could get a good view. 'There were sharks like this in the tanker,' she said. 'One of them must have found the bomb.'
'That's why it didn't blow up the tanker,' said Amber softly. 'This shark swallowed it and swam away.'
12
E CO-WARRIORS
Paulo and Hex went into the examination room to wait for Mara. It was only seven-thirty in the morning but the clinic was already busy. A figure was waving from the porthole in the decompression chamber, trying to attract their attention.
'Andy's back in the chamber, back to work early,' said Hex. They went over to say hello.
'Did you hear about the drama last night?' asked Paulo.
Close up, Andy looked haggard. 'No, I was asleep.' He yawned, the extravagant, cavernous yawn of someone who would rather still be asleep. 'What happened?'
'The concert was cancelled. Someone tried to shoot the head of ArBonCo.'
Andy yawned again. 'Bill Bowman?'
Paulo nodded. 'Yes, I think that's what his name is.'
Andy looked confused. 'Someone tried to shoot Bill Bowman? Man, it doesn't make sense.'
'Why not?' said Paulo.
Andy yawned again. He shook his head. 'Man, it doesn't make sense,' he repeated. A bleeper went off. He reached for his oxygen mask and gave them a little wave. Time to go.
Mara pushed open the swing doors. They went over to the examination couch.
'Is Andy all right?' said
'It's a shark,' said Li. 'A bit of a shark.'
Alex switched on the torch on the end of his mobile.
It wasn't even half the shark – just a head, a ragged piece of backbone and one pectoral fin. It must have been big; this part alone was nearly a metre long. The sea came up over their ankles and Amber stepped back as the ripped skeins of the shark's entrails floated towards her like tentacles. The sea retreated, taking dark swirls of blood into the oily water. Down the beach was a trail of mangled flesh as each wave washed more of the dead shark away.
Amber voiced what they were all thinking. 'What on earth did that to a shark?'
Alex played his torch over the corpse. 'This is fascinating.'
'You are disgusting,' said Amber.
'No, look. You can see its spine. It's made of cartilage, not bone. It looks like plastic. I'm going to take a picture.' There was a flash. Then he inspected the photo and thumbed away at the buttons.
Li peered over his shoulder. She pulled a face at Amber. 'He's sending it to the others.'
Amber rolled her eyes. 'A nice "get well" card.'
The sea came in and went out again.
Alex was looking at his picture, then at the shark carcass. There was something strange that showed up more clearly on the photo – a big black stain. And something else. He went in closer with the torch. Yes, it was there on the carcass; he just hadn't noticed it in the moonlight.
'Come and look at this.'
The girls looked at Alex. His face was less than twenty centimetres away from the corpse. They stayed firmly where they were.
'Must we?' said Li.
'There's a big black shadow inside its body cavity. It's really weird.'
Li folded her arms, determined not to move. 'It's probably eaten something containing ink. It might even be paint. Some of these sharks are real scavengers.'
Alex looked up. 'This doesn't look like something it's eaten. You've got to actually see it.'
Reluctantly Amber bent over the carcass.
'You have to get really close,' said Alex. He was practically sniffing the flesh.
Amber sighed and crouched down. 'If this is a joke I'm going to rub your nose in it.' Alex moved back to give her room.
She'd expected it to smell bad, but it didn't – it was clean and fresh, like the sea. But she could see why Alex was curious. Embedded into the exposed interior of the skeleton were fragments of metal, twinkling against the glistening flesh. She touched one piece. It was sharp. Definitely metal.
'I know it's weird,' said Alex, 'but that looks like the debris from a bomb blast.'
Li came nearer and Amber moved aside so that she could get a good view. 'There were sharks like this in the tanker,' she said. 'One of them must have found the bomb.'
'That's why it didn't blow up the tanker,' said Amber softly. 'This shark swallowed it and swam away.'
12
E CO-WARRIORS
Paulo and Hex went into the examination room to wait for Mara. It was only seven-thirty in the morning but the clinic was already busy. A figure was waving from the porthole in the decompression chamber, trying to attract their attention.
'Andy's back in the chamber, back to work early,' said Hex. They went over to say hello.
'Did you hear about the drama last night?' asked Paulo.
Close up, Andy looked haggard. 'No, I was asleep.' He yawned, the extravagant, cavernous yawn of someone who would rather still be asleep. 'What happened?'
'The concert was cancelled. Someone tried to shoot the head of ArBonCo.'
Andy yawned again. 'Bill Bowman?'
Paulo nodded. 'Yes, I think that's what his name is.'
Andy looked confused. 'Someone tried to shoot Bill Bowman? Man, it doesn't make sense.'
'Why not?' said Paulo.
Andy yawned again. He shook his head. 'Man, it doesn't make sense,' he repeated. A bleeper went off. He reached for his oxygen mask and gave them a little wave. Time to go.
Mara pushed open the swing doors. They went over to the examination couch.
'Is Andy all right?' said
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