Meg: Origins Read online

  “Implying? Nothing. In fact, it’s common for spouses of dishonorably discharged officers to distance themselves at first. Same thing happens with drunk drivers who kill innocent bystanders. Forgiveness takes time.”

  “Now that I think about it, Maggie seemed more upset about me losing my commission than killing those two scientists.”

  “Women… Actually though, I was talking about you. I’ve been watching you since you got here. You’re angry. You feel used. Abandoned by the Navy, your brothers-in-arms. You also feel guilty about what happened on the dive. You’re a moral guy. We need to work on that.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “For starters, Bo Peep, if you can’t deal with death then don’t herd sheep and for Jesus freakin’ Christ’s sake don’t join the military. No sane person dives the Mariana Trench; those two eggheads knew the risks just as every soldier knows the risk when he enlists. Two guys died on your watch. Deal with it. I’ve been in combat and I’ve killed other human beings. It’s a sucky, clouds-of-doom feeling, and even though it’s true, the whole ‘doing it for God and country’ business still doesn’t heal the wound.”

  “What does?”

  “Instead of moping around, try doing something nice for a stranger. Help others who are less fortunate than you. You’re staying in a hospital, how about visiting some sick people? There’s an entire ward of kids with cancer here—teach ‘em how to play poker. God will judge you when He’s ready; use the time you have left to give Him as many positives on your resume as you can. At the same time, stop being such an all-American hero patsy. You should have told Danielson and his piss boy, Heller, to take that last dive order and shove it up their asses.”

  “Dude, you don’t sound like any shrink I’ve ever met.”

  James Mackreides grinned. “That’s because I’m more of a life coach.”

  “Hey coach, how come you’re not in any of the family photos on your desk?”

  “We’ll discuss that in the EVAC chopper.”

  “EVAC chopper?”

  “The one on the roof. We’re taking it to tonight’s 49ers-Cowboys game.”

  “You have tickets?”

  “Hell, no. I figured we’d worry about that after we stole the chopper.”

  “Makes sense.”

  For the first time in as long as he could remember, Jonas Taylor smiled. Then he followed his new friend and fellow inmate out the door to steal a helicopter.

  Excerpt

  Now that you've read Origins, you're ready to sink your teeth into the first course:

  Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror

  THE BLEEDING WHALE CARCASS bobbed along the calm surface, its stench overpowering. There were no wounds appearing along its dorsal side, so Jonas grabbed an oar, using it to manipulate the bloated carcass, bobbing it up and down in an attempt to flip it over.

  “Lose that oar, it cost you another twenty dollar!”

  Mac rolled his eyes. “Okay, Jonas, now what?”

  “I need to see the underside of this whale.”

  “Yeah? You planning on getting in?” Mac shined his light on the carcass. “Lots of blood in the water, you’d think there’d be sharks.”

  Jonas stopped to think about that when something illuminated in Mac’s flashlight beam. “Mac, shine your light near that bleeding wound, that’s it, right there.”

  The beacon settled on a triangular white object jammed in between an exposed section of the whale’s ribcage just below the waterline.

  “Christ,” said Jonas, “I think that’s a tooth!”

  “A tooth? How big did you say this megala thingy was?

  “Sixty feet.” Jonas looked around the boat. “Mac, I need something to pry it out with.”

  “What am I? Mr. Goodwrench?” Mac opened a toolbox. Removed a hammer and handed it to Jonas. “And don’t drop it, or Happy Harry here will charge me another twenty dollars.”

  Jonas leaned over the side, attempting to pry the tooth from the whale’s rib using the back end of the hammer.

  Mac grabbed the oar, assisting him.

  The tooth flipped high into the air, Jonas leaning out and catching it—

  —as an ivory-white jaw, as large as a double garage, gracefully broke the surface along either side of the whale’s remains. Massive teeth, the uppers as wide as dinner plates, clamped down upon the dead humpback… and submerged, taking the entire bloated carcass with it! Mac and Jonas stared at the surface, pie-eyed. Felipe crossed himself.

  Seconds later, the whale carcass burst to the surface again, bobbing free.

  “Okey dokey,” Mac said, “That’s all the proof I’ll be needing.”

  Felipe backed toward the motor and gunned the engine. It flooded, coughing blue smoke, then died. Grabbing the hammer from Jonas, the Philippine native tore off the engine’s hood and proceeded to whack the motor with the hammer, the blows reverberating across the deck.

  Jonas yelled, “Felipe… no!”

  “Too late.” Mac pointed to starboard where a stark-white dorsal fin was rising as it surfaced, slowly circling the boat.

  Jonas felt his throat constrict. “Leaving now would be a really good thing.”

  Mac moved toward the engine, pushing Felipe aside as he hurriedly checked the spark plugs. He tried the engine again. It spewed more smoke and died.

  The dorsal fin changed course, moving slowly toward the boat. Underwater, the Meg’s albino snout grazed the boat’s keel, tasting it—

  —jolting it with enough force to knock Jonas and Mac off their feet. Felipe tripped over his crab trap and fell into the water.

  Jonas grabbed the oar. Searched for Felipe—

  —whose scream was suddenly cut off by an enormous splash.

  For a long moment, Mac and Jonas just stared at the surface, waiting. Then Mac hurried back to the engine, grabbed Felipe’s hammer, and started smashing it against the motor as he tried to turn it over—

  Miraculously, it started! Grabbing the wheel, he gunned the engine, veering them away from the carcass, steering them toward land.

  The shoreline beckoned two miles away.

  Mac looked at Jonas, visibly shaken. “Christ, that poor bastard—”

  “Uh, Mac?” Jonas pointed behind them.

  A twenty-foot-high wake was racing after the boat, an unseen luminous mass pushing it.

  · · ·

  Get Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror from your favorite e-bookstore today!

  Attention Teachers!

  Meg is part of the Adopt-an-Author Program, an innovative, nationwide, non-profit program gaining attention among educators for its success in motivating tens of thousands of reluctant secondary school students to read.

  The program combines fast-paced thrillers with an interactive website and direct contact with the author. All teachers receive curriculum materials and posters for their classrooms. The program is FREE to all secondary school teachers and librarians.

  Volume discounts are available.

  Go to www.AdoptAnAuthor.com for more information.

  About the Author

  Steve Alten grew up in Philadelphia and holds several degrees, including a Doctorate of Education from Temple University.

  His first novel—Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror—was written over many late nights and weekends while Steve worked a “real job” to support his family. On Friday the 13th, he lost his “real job,” but four days later landed a two-book publishing deal.

  Meg would eventually be sold in more than twenty countries, hit every major best-seller list (#19 on the New York Times) and even become a popular radio series in Japan.

  Since then, Steve has written several more books in the Meg series, as well as novels and screenplays across a variety of genres and topics.

  Visit www.SteveAlten.com to contact the author or learn more about his novels.

  Also by Steve Alten

  The Meg Series

  Meg: Origins

  Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror

  Meg:
The Trench

  Meg: Primal Waters

  Meg: Hell’s Aquarium

  Meg: Night Stalkers (forthcoming)

  2012 Doomsday Series

  Domain

  Resurrection

  Phobos (Fall 2011)

  Other Novels

  Goliath

  The Loch

  The Shell Game

  Grim Reaper: End of Days

  Copyright

  The digital edition (v1.30) of Meg: Origins was published by Gere Donovan Press in 2011.

  If you downloaded this book from a filesharing network, either individually or as part of a larger torrent, the author has received no compensation. Please consider purchasing a legitimate copy—they are reasonably priced and available from all major outlets. Your author thanks you.

  Copyright © 2011 by Steve Alten.

  Illustrations by Erik Hollander, HollanderDesignLab.com

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Errata

  Gere Donovan Press is committed to delivering e-books of the highest quality. If you encountered any typographical or formatting errors in this text, we would appreciate your bringing them to our attention, so that the next edition may be improved for future readers.

  Please email [email protected], stating the name of the ebook, the type of device you are reading it on, the version (see copyright page) and the details of the error.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Preface

  Acknowledgments

  Reader’s Companion

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  Epilogue

  Excerpt

  Attention Teachers!

  About the Author

  Also by Steve Alten

  Copyright

  Errata