This was not the kind of place where flashing a badge would be advantageous. JD and I paid the cover and handed over a bottle of Wild Fury whiskey. The bouncer gave us our drink chips, and we stepped into the dim club and surveyed the area for Paris and herfriend.
I spotted her in the far corner, in a secluded booth. A man and woman sat across from her. They were both in their mid-20s. The guy had long, light brown hair that dangled around his shoulders. His square jaw was lined with a few days’ worth of stubble. His narrow blue eyes surveyed the area with caution. The petite brunette next to him with tawny eyes must have been his girlfriend. She sat a little too close to be just a friend.
We arrived at the table and joined the party. Paris slid down the bench seat that circled all the way around, and I took a seat next to her.
Paris made introductions. "Tyson, this is?—“
"No names," the man said.
"Right," Paris replied. "This is Mr. X, and Mrs. Y.”
"It's nice to meet you both," I said. “Thank you for speaking with us.”
"Just so we’re clear, I'm speaking to you because I want you to stop them from continuing to destroy the environment. I'm also speaking to you under the condition that we’re not going to get in trouble for anything discussed here at this table."
"If you tell me you killed somebody, I'm going to investigate."
"I didn't kill anybody.”
“Short of that, I’m just looking for answers.”
Mr. X gave a nervous glance around. He took another look at me, then exchanged a glance with his girlfriend. Both looked uneasy. Mr. X’s eyes found mine, then he said, "Nah, fuck this. We’re out."
They both started to slide out of the booth.
"Sit your ass back down!” I commanded. “If you want to stop whatever is going on, you'll talk to me.”
They both froze. After exchanging a glance, they sat back down.
"What do you know about Aqus?”
Mr. X hesitated, then said, "Andrew reached out to me. He expressed concerns about the direction things had taken.”
"Why you?”
Mr. X shrugged. "I've been pretty vocal about several other environmental issues. He thought I could help get the word out. We happened to meet in a bar maybe six months ago. We got totalking about the environment and the work he was doing. I told him about our organization. He seemed intrigued. I think he was a guy who really cared about the ocean and the marine life.”
"Obviously, something's going on over there that they don't want people knowing about," I said.
Mr. X nodded and shared another glance with his girlfriend before continuing. "The Marine Science Center is a front for covert operations.”
I shared a look with JD. I knew what Mr. X was going to say next.
"They're part of a defense research project modifying shark DNA.”
"Why?”
"To improve the physical attributes of the sharks. They want something that can swim farther, go deeper, and thrive in diverse environments.”
"What for?"
"Just bear with me. I know this is going to sound a little out there.”
"I'm listening.”
"Sharks are highly electrosensitive. They can detect minute changes in electrical activity via the Ampullae of Lorenzini—canals in the snout filled with conductive jelly. They can detect electric fields as small as 5 nanovolts per centimeter. It's their superpower. It gives them an uncanny ability to detect prey and geo-locate in relation to the Earth's gravitational field.”
"I think I know where you're going with this, but continue."
