Depths Of Paradise Preview Chapters 1 to 4

Chapter 4

                                                                                                                                                 6:22 PM 4/8/2021 HST

At the south end of Niihau near Kawaihoa Point, Liz Tayler laid prone on the ocean floor. The ocean depth in the area was seventeen meters. Both her hands grasped a spear gun. She tensely examined the area as she waited for her prey. She glanced above her. It was late evening, and the surface light was fading fast. The water visibility was not perfect, but good enough. To her left she saw a shadow moving at the edge of her vision.

"There you are," she said as her target swam circles around her. Each time, the circling creature got a little closer. "Not this time!" she said. Liz got on one knee and aimed her spear gun. Her mind started focusing on the speed of the current and how fast her target was moving. Her intense focus was broken when she was struck hard from behind. The force of the strike sent her face first into the ground.

"Darn it!" she screamed in annoyance. She kicked her feet, righting herself. She glared at the two bottlenose dolphins swimming around her. They were making playful clicking noises. Most likely, they were pleased with the win.

"That's another kill for the dolphins. That makes five kills for them and one for you," Max Varian said, amused.

"Shut up. They just got lucky," Liz replied, not wanting to admit defeat. She hated losing but she loved working with the dolphins and deep down even had respect for them. She was about to demand a rematch when her oxygen gauge started beeping. "Nearly out of air; coming up," she said.

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"We're nearly out of daylight anyway. Let's call it quits for the day," Max said, getting up from the table sitting on the dock. Max Varian was a biologist and animal trainer who had great success training attack and bomb dogs while contracted with the American military. His success was noticed by the Japanese government who hired him to work on the attack dolphin project. In appearance, Max was 6'1'' with a muscular build. He had light skin and short light black hair. Max blew two short bursts from his whistle, which was the signal for the dolphins to return to him. Moments later, both dolphins broke the surface of the water in front of him. Their front flippers rested on the dock, as they clicked loudly, pleased with their work.

"Great work, Seafin, Aquatail," he complimented. He tossed both dolphins a small squid as a reward for a successful training day. Seafin was the largest of the seven military dolphins Max was training. Seafin, Aquatail, Atragon, Harpoon, Tsunami, Torpedo, Atlantis, and Depth Charge made up the pod. All seven of the dolphins were male. The decision to use only male dolphins was due to the male dolphin's larger size and weight.

Liz emerged from the water. She climbed onto the dock and ripped off the diving mask.

"Okay, I admit it. Max Varian and the seven dolphins beat me," she complimented.

"That's the idea," he replied as both dolphins disappeared beneath the waves. "These last tests showed they're learning to work as a team and can coordinate attacks."

"I feel sorry for any diver or sub that comes across these fish once they're ready for military usage," Liz said, impressed by what had occurred.

"They're mammals," Max pointed out.

"Forgive me," Liz replied sarcastically, not really caring about her error. The far-off sound of a helicopter engine caught their ears. Max typed a command in his data-collecting laptop. The sound of a long whistle blow started playing over the underwater microphones; this told the dolphins that the patrol training was over and they could return to doing whatever they wanted. One by one, dolphins broke the water's surface near the dock. They wanted a reward for their efforts. Max handed out treats as the Japanese rising sun on the bottom of the helicopter became clear. It was Okada Takahashi's personal helicopter.