The rod snapped straight again as the hideous drag was released, and the Devil came up towards the surface as Hank reeled it rapidly in. As it broke the surface, Vic swept his gaff down into the water and snagged what was on the line. As he hauled the shaft towards him, he saw that everything above the eyes was just *gone.* The two men looked at each other as a reel on the starboard bow started screaming, and then another on the port stern.
******
The screws in the cleat were looser now. The tugging back and forth of the motion of the boat and the Linesman’s movement while fishing were working the threads through the wood of the cabin wall. It wouldn’t take much more abuse before it let go.
******
"I have to get to Debbie!" shouted Vic "Teddy, get your *ss up to help Jono!" Michael shouted over the noise of the reels "Everyone else that doesn't have a Devil on the hook, get those lines out of the water, Now!" The 2IC grabbed a gaff and stood ready to assist where he was needed. Gavin, and Daniel were reeling their lures in as fast as they could. "Helen!" shouted Michael, "If Deb or Jono don't have their lines clear in 30 seconds, you cut that tackle off the pole!" Celine watched closely from the Bridge, willing all the lines safely up. She couldn't help right now, and stayed quiet to let the deck crew handle bringing the lines up to clear them. Victor had gotten to Debbie and had helped her bring up what was left of her catch to the deck. Helen had cut Gavin's line and was headed for Jono and Teddy who were still struggling with Teddy's catch.
Just at that moment, Daniel's rod took a hit. The line went taut, and the reel gave it's thin clear tone of rapidly unreeling line. Dan snatched at the rod trying to shake the hook, leaning forward to try and slacken the line. Dan's reel suddenly screamed as the squid on his lure was taken by something below the water. The rod bent at what seemed to be an impossible angle as he leaned towards the rail. "Drop the rod Dan!" shouted Celine. "I've got it Cap....!" shouted Dan. At that moment, the cleat behind Daniel let go.
In the blink of an eye, Daniel went from standing on deck to flying over the rail. Helen leaped at his legs just as he cleared the rail, and ended up with a boot in her hands "Man Overboard!" she shouted. Daniel hit the water with an almighty splash, headfirst under water. Dan was a good swimmer, despite his heavy wet weather gear he righted himself and pulled the toggle on his low profile life vest. It inflated with a "hiss-pop!"
Celine immediately killed the engines and the Money Shot The big boat, already moving slowly slowed further and Cel turned to port to circle him. All the other lines were out of the water. Victor threw a life ring to Daniel and got the port side long-hook off the cabin wall. "Hang in there Dan! Stay calm and don't thrash about! Hold the ring out and I'll drop the hook through it. Just like the drill man!" Celine was dividing her attention between the sonar and Daniel. She saw the school of fish and the shoal of hunting Gigas keep moving off along their previous course.
******
The Eldest watched as the members of her Pack struck at the prey being taken by the New-Meat. The Pack members easily saw which of the prey had been captured by the hard-float and were being drawn upwards. They jetted in and snatched at the captured prey, and then swam down hard back towards her, ripping and biting at the helpless small-ten-arms. Three of the prey were taken back from the New-Meat on the hard-float, when a fourth prey was suddenly drawn upwards. That last one was spotted by two of her Pack at the same time, and they both snatched at it to pull and savage the creature.
The pair of them pulled what was left of the prey downwards. A stick fell in the water, and then there was a huge splash of foaming bubbles as something massive fell off the hard-float! It had to be New-Meat. Her Pack startled downwards as they banked to circle this new thing in their water. It had what looked to be a head and four arms, but no tentacles. It thrashed madly and then went still, floating with it's head above the surface. Another object that looked like a huge empty eye also fell in and the New-Meat grabbed it with two arms. The Eldest signaled to her Pack "Take New-Meat" "Kill It" Her Pack swooped to obey, swimming fast to close the distance and strike.
******
"The Megas are circling Vic! Celine called from the Bridge, “Get him out of there!"
Victor dropped the long hook through the life ring and started to pull Daniel rapidly towards the stern. "Just like drill Dan!" shouted Vic "Keep hold of the ring and we'll drag you over the boarding ramp! Teddy! You have the other long hook? Good! When he's close, drop it between his legs and haul him out, quick as you can!"
"Guys?! Something's got my....!" Daniel shouted. Dan was jerked backwards sharply and lost his grip on the life-ring. Victor fell backwards onto the deck as the life ring came free. Dan stated screaming. He jerked one way, and then another. He was slapping at the water, and pulling at something the people on the boat could not see. Suddenly, a reddish tentacle with a diamond shaped end whipped around his right wrist and pulled his arm under. Victor and Teddy were trying to catch him with the long-hooks, but the rounded wire ends would not grip. Daniel was still screaming, his voice ragged. He wasn’t able to kick anymore, his legs were bound. He was bobbing up and down violently, with his vest the only thing keeping him above the spreading red cloud in the water. Teddy swung his hook and Daniel got his arm over the end of it, just as another pair of tentacles whipped out of the thrashing water from behind him. One lashed around his face drawing blood, covering his mouth and nose and stifling his last scream. The other slashed around his chest over his arm and life vest. Daniel jerked sharply back as a nest of thicker arms slapped into place around his shoulders and neck. The body of the Mega rose out of the water behind Dan. The crew of the Shot got a moment to look as it and Dan floated together. It looked like a Gigas, but twice as long. Brighter red, with shadows and points of light sweeping over its mantle in waves. It's shiny gold eyes with a dead black crescent shaped centre watched them with a cold intelligence. Vic and Teddy slashed at it with their long hooks, but it contracted it's arms and the hooks in the tentacles ripped through Daniel's face and life vest. The vest deflated with a bubbling hiss, and Daniel was gone.
The crew started shouting all at once. Celine cut through it with a "Shut up! Get to the rails! Watch and listen!"
******
The Pack brought the New-Meat to the Eldest. They all ate, reveling in the new flavour. It was warm like the fur-swimmers, and rich. The textures were strange, many items were plainly not part of the creature itself. It didn't fight, and couldn’t swim. Once past the array of soft coverings, it was nearly all sweet and edible. The leavings they left to sink. The hard-float left. They would remember this New-Meat and how easy it was to hunt.
******
The school of fish and the shoal of Devils were gone. The Money Shot and her crew stayed circling the patch of water that Daniel had disappeared in. They all knew that there was nothing coming to the surface, but they were all stunned, unable to process what had just happened. Celine was the one to break the silence. “Those B*stards will pay for this.” The hard, cold tone in her voice startled the crew from their silence.
“Vic, talk with the crew on the way back to port as to how you can kill these Megas. Michael, stow the gear, get the boat ready to sail back to port and collect Daniel’s stuff together. I’m going to log this, and mark the place on the GPS.”
“Everyone, do your best to remember all you can about what you’ve seen, and talk to Hank to get the best description we can sketched out. We’re coming back here, and these Megas are going to Pay!”
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