Mega #02 Baja Blood by Jake Bible

time?”
    “Dick,” Gunnar said.
    Darren gave him a big grin and turned to leave the briefing room.
     
    ***
     
    As the Zodiac sped across the water with Darren, Gunnar, Max, and Kinsey, with Shane driving, Mike sat on the edge of the old dock and waved to them, glad to know someone was coming to get him out of the shit he’d found himself in. The teens had long since bailed, and although reluctant to give it back, Mike had let them leave with the cell phone so he really had no idea if Gunnar was going to show or not. He was beyond grateful to see the man wave back.
    The Zodiac reached the dock and everyone proceeded to ignore the man missing the bottom half of his legs; they were too busy staring at what floated in the water next to the dock.
    “Hey, Ditcher, there’s your whale,” Max smiled.
    “I’d tell you to fuck off, Max, but I don’t really care enough to do it,” Darren said. “What I care about is finding out what the fuck that thing is.”
    “I thought it was going to be an SDV,” Mike said from above them. “But turned out to be a mule.”
    “That’s a SEAL Delivery Vehicle?” Shane asked. “Uh, kinda dressed up, isn’t it?”
    “To sonar, radar, and pretty much to the eye, it looks like a blue whale,” Mike said. “Which is why the cartels want it.”
    “Cartels?” Kinsey asked. “Which one, exactly?”
    “Don’t know,” Mike said. “There’s some guy named Espanoza running it. He’s the one that sent us out in the subs with his coke.”
    “Coke?” Darren said. “There’s coke in that?”
    “Yeah,” Mike replied, pulling his way over to the side of the dock where the whale was. “I’ll show you.”
    He deftly pushed himself off the dock and onto the back of the sub, grabbing onto the cockpit hatch to keep from sliding off. He was lost from sight for a minute, then the cargo hold doors started to open on the back of the sub. Mike pulled himself back out and rested, pointing to the cargo hold.
    “How much you think that is?” he asked.
    Shane brought the Zodiac about and Darren climbed up onto the sub.
    “Shit, that’s got to be over a hundred kilos, maybe two,” Darren said.
    “Lookout,” Max said as he climbed up also. “Dude, you don’t know shit about eyeballing quantity.  You’re staring at almost a thousand kilos.”
    “Bullshit,” Darren said.
    “No, that’d be about right with how much weight this sub can carry,” Mike said. “And that cargo hold isn’t even full.”
    “Shit,” Darren said.
    “Not to be a dick, Mike, since it is good to see you,” Gunnar said. “But what the fuck did you get yourself mixed up in?”
    “Sorry,” Mike said. “The guy said he wouldn’t hurt our friends or family if we made the run. We agreed and were doing fine. Then it all went to shit fast.”
    “We? Who’s we?” Darren asked.
    “Let me guess,” Max said. “John Sherman was one of the other guys?”
    “Yeah,” Mike nodded. “How’d you know that?”
    “We saved his ex-wife and kids’ lives today,” Shane said. “Ruined some cartel thugs’ plans.”
    “What went to shit?” Gunnar asked. “Where are the other subs?”
    “I don’t know where they are,” Mike said. “I got the fuck out of there too fast to see what happened to them.”
    “Dude, you’re gonna have to just come out with it,” Shane said.
    “You won’t believe me,” Mike said, looking at Gunnar. “I barely believe it.”
    “You called me for a reason, Mike,” Gunnar responded. “Why? Because we were together a while back? Because you thought they’d come after me? Why?”
    “Because I knew you were connected,” Mike said. “And because you’re a doctor of marine biology. If I tell you what I saw you’d know if it actually happened or if I’m crazy.”
    “Tell us,” Gunnar pushed. “Now.”
    “Sharks, man,” Mike said. “Giant fucking sharks. They came out of nowhere and I just kept going. Didn’t look back.”
    Mike laughed and rubbed his face.
    “I