Novo Cetus

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

The pod continued their journey to the Galapagos Islands without their matriarch. Urged by several males ready to leave the clan, the calf joined a bachelor unit. Driven by instinct, this band of youthful males, some sexually mature – most socially immature – charted their own course south.

The calves' developing form, designed by nanos, produced an impressive silhouette. Twenty feet high from blowhole to belly and forty feet long from snout to vent. A magnificent fluke completed his framework. There was no doubt he would be their Leader.

Nanos assessed the situation: Smaller, specialized fleet noted (males between six and sixteen years); migration patterns indicate a higher latitude course, probable cause: increase in species diversity producing ample fuel for the convoy. Biomechanical vessel in command.

The Leader directed his new clan along the East Pacific Rise. This mineral rich water supported a wide collection of life. Peppered within the hydrothermal vents, communities of tubeworms, crabs and shrimp thrived. The dense clusters of tubeworms, resembling a wad of lipsticks wafting in a breeze, fed the swarms of shrimp and crab that thrived within the ecosystem. These bottom-dwellers nourished the deep-water tuna and sluggish Zorarcid fish, which the top predator – the giant squid – preyed upon.

The Leader's reconstructed body needed extra blubber to keep it buoyant. Recognizing the need for regular fueling, the nanos researched effective tracking plans. Clearly articulated, coordinated attacks were successful in keeping the newly formed fleet fueled. This ability to maintain a plentiful food supply benefited all members of his clan. His newly formed bachelor pod continued to grow fat from the bounty.

The Leader had a secret to consider as he swam with his new clan. He knew he'd injured the surface creature that killed his matriarch. He didn't know how he managed it, he had thought of murder and then there was an explosion.

He lead his pod through the ocean's sun-streaked Mesopelagic zone into the total darkness of the Bathypelagic zone. Sonar pinged against towering mountains of boulders and entered the deep chasms of the ridge, providing him with a topographic map. A seventy-five-foot black smoker belched blistering hot water and minerals out its vent. He focused on a growing fissure in the tall thermal chimney.

Probability of collapse: high.

The nanos examined their options. Data showed more than enough giant squid in the area to fuel the fleet. Options for continuation: missile deployment to destroy the pillar or deployment of sonic weapon to achieve the same. Option two was brought on-line: sonic cannon deployment. The nanos calculated timing for detonation, aimed and fired. The result would have pleased any demolition expert; the towering hydrothermal vent collapsed in on itself with minimal damage to the immediate surroundings.

Without a doubt, the Leader knew he'd caused the column to collapse. As clearly as he knew that when he torpedoed up to the surface he breached the top-water, he knew when he saw the crack in the rock formation he would destroy the structure.

Clouds of sediment swirled around the crumbled chimney. Throngs of eyeless thermal-vent shrimp and ghost crabs scuttled away from the wreckage. Panic crept into the whale's consciousness. Quickly, he assessed the effect of the explosion on his clan. Finding no injuries, just confusion, he fled the area.

Nano linemen rerouted energy away from the small almond-shaped region of the medial and temporal lobes that process memory and emotions. Energy persisted in creating a neural shortcut to fear and anxiety. Research and Development nanos rewired neural pathways to direct energy to the frontal cortex, which govern reason and caution.

Surplus emotional energy was converted to movement to transport the vessel away from the fleet. The sonic cannon had worked remarkably well but the organic material in the mainframe was misfiring; energy needed to be dispersed. Movement would release the energy in a productive way.