Mayday: A Kaiju Thriller

Chapter Four

“You’re the one who’s going to ruin this company. You have no expertise in a matter like this. I don’t know how you convinced Volkov to put you in charge of the investigation, but I’m not going to stand idly by and let you send your people to interfere with a scientific investigation.”

“Catherine—”

“Do you understand the implications of what has happened here? Since this Mayday has died, her tissue has become vulnerable to our instruments. For the first time in the history of megabiology, we are able to obtain tissue samples from a Mayday. Our first chance to truly understand them. And every second I waste arguing with you or one of your people is a second more of degradation that the remains are subjected to. This chance may never come again. We will find out what killed this Mayday, Escobar. And we will do it without your interference.”

She sure was precious. “Aw, hell, Doc, I didn’t realise this investigation meant so much to you. I never meant to freeze you out. I just wanted to offer Volkov my help in the matter. I guess it just panned out that I got the chance to talk to him first. But I have no doubt that if he’d heard the passion in your voice like I did just now, he wouldn’t have hesitated to let you take control of the investigation.” I spread my hands. “Oh, well. Que sera, sera.”

Her eyes looked like they were about to burst out of her skull. I was enjoying this much more than I should have been.

“Listen to me, you smarmy son of a bitch,” she said, her voice dropping so low that only I could hear it over the pounding of the rain overhead. “I’m not an idiot. I know you had your dog over there crash into my car to delay me.”

“Your car? I always thought you drove a company car.”

“I could have been killed.”

I raised an eyebrow. “From a fender bender?”

“Volkov is a smart man. He’ll soon realise he made a mistake putting you in charge. Until then, I will not abide the presence of a gorilla like you. Leave.”

I shook my head. I’d let her blow off a little steam, but now she was pushing the bounds of good taste. I was getting sick of everyone on this damn island thinking they knew better than me. I stretched up to my full height and loomed. She’d put herself only inches away from me, so now her options were to look up at me or take a step back. She went for the former, but she didn’t look happy about it.

“Catherine, this isn’t optional. This isn’t your specimen. This is my crime scene. You are here at my liberty. If you get in my way—and I’m starting to feel like you are—I will get some big heavy guys from Security down here to haul your arse all the way back to your apartment where I will hold you until this case is finished or I feel like you’re no longer a danger to it. You and Volkov may be old buddies, but I’ve got his ear on this. I am his best chance to save this company. He knows that. And if I say you need to go, you’re gone. Now, are we going to have a problem?”

We had gathered a small audience of scientists who were pointedly not looking at us. They had all decided—apparently in unison—that they needed to edge slowly towards us to better analyse their samples. So none of them noticed when Priya Dasari slipped behind them and sneaked towards Yllia’s monstrous head.

Clever girl. I met Lindsey’s eye and saw that she’d noticed the handler’s sneaking as well. She raised her eyebrows a fraction of a centimetre at me. I gave her a wink and a shake of my head. I didn’t know what Priya was up to, but I wanted to find out.

Dr Russell had gone quiet, like the part of her brain that controlled speech had melted. If I squinted, I thought I could spot a little bit of it leaking out her ears. I decided to press my advantage and keep her distracted at the same time.