Press "Enter" to skip to content

Therapy part VII – May 9th Part 2: Plans to Kill the Eel

The crew was gathered, including Mulberry but excluding Reggie, and they examined the aquarium that took up over half of Sam’s laboratory.  There were a set of steps that led to a large doorway which was open and was meant to feed and eventually retrieve the specimen.  It was too small for the eel now apparently and it was crashing against the sides of it’s prison frantically, and from the force now being sent against it no one thought it would hold forever.  There was also one other tiny issue that only Arnold seemed to notice.

“How did you ever plan to get that thing out the sub?!”

“I would have tackled that issue when it came to it I’m sure!”  Sam assured him.  “The problem is that if it breaks out of there then there is a chance the water or eel will hit the sides of the ship and that may conduct the electricity through this entire submarine.  Even assuming we were safe on the wooden floorboards we’re still looking at the possibility that the boiler may explode at the least.”

“So we have to kill it, before it kills us,” Lenny muttered with his arms crossed.  “But how?  A guns too dangerous.”

“Bullets don’t break water evenly anyways,” Richard said dismissively. “The path changes the moment it hits the water.”  He turned to Lenny and said wryly.  “I have an idea, why don’t you go kill it with a sword?”  Lenny crossed his arms, obviously aware that a metal sword and electrified water would not be a good combination.  

Mulberry was the only one growing more excited, “By George, I have an idea!” Because the submarine amplified the noise everyone turned to him scowling.  “Let us fight fire with fire!”  Lowering his voice and looking around licking his lips, he leaned forward to Sam, “This does not leave the room…but I have been inventing a device, a battery of sorts, which when dropped into the water will delay for a few moments and then release a massive electric charge!” Mulberry clapped his hands together excitedly. “The thing will be fried and I’ll have had the perfect test!”

“That won’t work I’m afraid…” Sam said appologetically, before Mulberry could argue he added, “Besides it would be unwise to approach it at the moment.  I was told that these eels can direct the flow of their electricity directly at an intended victim.  They use it to paralyse or kill their prey, and I’ve tested this myself.  Normally they only produce enough electricity to stop a man’s heart for a moment unless there’s other complications…yesterday my tests said that this eel is now capable of producing over 1.21 gigawats per burst!” He finished triumphantly.  

“Over 1.21 gigawats?!” Mulberry shouted.  

“Much more by now possibly!” Richard proclaimed happily. “In fact I believe this eel could power an entire city alone and in the right conditions!”

“My word…that is far more than my charge is capable of producing I’m afraid!  And it survives it’s own force…that is extradinary!”

“What does all of this mean?”  Roy asked, confused.

“Simply that the electricity it can direct into a victim can at this very moment rivals a lightning bolt,” Sam grinned. “But it would have to ‘recharge’ after that, so to speak.  It would only have so much stored electricity at a time, so it would be helpless for a few moments if we could force it to do that!”

“I say we use Marcus as bait,” Roy said.  Lenny disagreed, “I think it should be Richard.”  Richard pointed at Arnold, and the cat pointed at Penelli who only smiled innocently and told them that she hoped the eel would kill them all.  

They all changed their votes to Penelli.  

The Captain had been silent until then, but he drew his sword and the bickering ceased.  He then pointed the blade at Nivram and indicated for it to go forward.  The clockwork hung its head and shuffled forward creaking as it’s half repaired joints struggled to work, the crew watching on silently.

It climbed the wooden steps aside the eels aquarium, that it continued to thrash against, until the clockwork reached the feeding hole.  Nivram reached down and then there was a flash of light.  Arnold shielded his face and ears as the clockwork exploded.  

The crew covered themselves as debries fell, but it’s creator was laughing at the destruction of his toy.  He didn’t stop until Baha pointed his sword at the amused scientist and held up a single finger to his own mouth.  

The captain strode forward and went up the steps to confront the eel and knelt beside the feeding area.  He stuck his sword down quickly and pulling it out several times, probably testing the current in the pool to make sure it was gone.  Before he did that three times a giant head popped out of the water and Arnold watched the captain jump back screaming as blood flew from where his arm halfway down the elbow should have been.  He fell down the stairs, cursing and in pain, clutching his bleeding appendage.

Arnold rushed forward and cut off the blood flow with his paw, as he did he overheard Sam say, “Oh right…eels have teeth don’t they?”

“No they don’t!” Arnold shouted as he had help to drag the Captain towards the infirmary while he kept the blood flow to the arm closed.  Everyone else on the crew looked at him as if he was the one who didn’t know what he was talking about, but he was positive eels didn’t have teeth.  As he rushed to save the captain’s life, despite his protests that they let him at the monster, the first real doubts that he was in his world began to creep into his thoughts.

Spread the love

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply