"During the Cold War, the Navy actually ran tests to determine if sharks could be used as magnetic anomaly detectors. But there was one major problem that caused the whole thing to be scrapped. They had an effective range of 10 to 15 meters. That's it. Not useful at all. But the work Andrew and others were doing at Aqus changed all of that."
"Are you saying the Marine Science Center is running a black ops program using sharks to detect submarines?”
"That's exactly what I'm saying. They're using neural implants and extensive tracking data to modify and control behavior. Genetically altering sharks gives them vastly better electrosensitive abilities. The Ampullae of Lorenzini are orders of magnitude bigger in a megalodon than in a great white. That pushes the detection threshold from 5 nanovolts to .05. The pores on their snouts are spaced wider apart, giving them a better ability to resolve direction to an electric source. Think of it like binocular vision but for voltage gradients. These genetically altered sharks can swim deeper and cover more ground. I know it sounds crazy, but we know the military has already developed superconducting quantum interference devices. These SQUID arrays can amplify the signal. With these kinds of enhancements, we’re talking a detection range of 1 to 2 kilometers and the ability to pick up a sub in silent movement. If there's any kind of flaw in the propulsion—pump noise, a shaft leak—detection could expand to 10 to 12 km.”
I’d heard of crazier experiments.
"All the data is sent back to Aqus and tracked in real time. Of course, there's no universal coverage. The sharks have to be near a buoy to upload data, or when the shark surfaces, the satellite tags relay the information. Imagine thousands of thesethings roaming the sea, filling in the gaps of the comprehensive detection network."
The idea of a thousand great whites with the modified genetics of a megalodon swimming around the coast wasn't a pleasant one.
"And Andrew told you all of this?"
Mr. X nodded.
"Do you have any proof to back up these claims?”
Mr. X frowned. "No. Andrew died before he could get it to me. I think somebody found out he was going to blow the whistle and killed him. He never intended for his work to be used like this. I mean, you don't think he was really killed by a shark, do you?”
22
Ishared a glance with Jack.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm a little worried somebody's gonna find out I was talking to Andrew," Mr. X said. "I saw on the news that his assistant was stabbed this evening. You don't think that's a coincidence, do you?"
"No, I don't,” I replied.
"This whole thing is massively illegal. They’ve already released this thing into the wild. There's no turning back now. What if it reproduces? We have no idea what this is going to do to the overall ecosystem. Not to mention, this thing happens to be chewing on tourists at an alarming rate. Andrew told me the neural implants tend to agitate and make the sharks far more aggressive than they would normally be. Impulses can also be transmitted to the implant to enhance aggressive behavior.” He exhaled a frustrated breath. "I know this sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but it's the truth. It's happening, and it needs to be stopped. That shark needs to be destroyed."
That's when his girlfriend piped up. "It's a living thing. You can't just kill it. That would be highly unethical.”
"It's not a natural predator. It shouldn’t be in the ecosystem."
"Oh, so we’re just supposed to exterminate them now?”
He glared at her. "I don't know what the solution is. But we have no idea what the consequences of this are going to be over the long term. We don't know how many people are going to die as a result of this."
She shrugged. "Maybe this is how it's supposed to happen. Maybe this is all part of evolution."
"Genetically engineering super predators is not part of evolution."
"Maybe it is,” she said with a shrug.
I tried to steer the ship back on track. “I need something concrete. Tangible. Something that gives me probable cause.”
The couple shared another glance.
Mr. X said, "I can neither confirm nor deny, but associates of mine may have infiltrated Aqus. They have highly secure areas with impenetrable security. Andrew said they're doing the gene splicing right there on site. They have secret developmental nurseries for the sharks before they release them into the wild.” He paused. "I may or may not know people who are willing to attempt another breach of the facility. Perhaps we could find something more concrete to back up these claims."
"That won't be necessary,” I said. “I can’t use evidence illegally acquired, and you could compromise the investigation. We will pursue this through legitimate means. I appreciate your intel.Do not take matters into your own hands. That's only going to make things worse.”
Mr. X frowned.
I dug into my pocket and slid a card across the table. "Get in touch with me if anything else comes to mind. We’ll talk to employees of Aqus as well as friends of Andrew’s and see if anyone is willing to corroborate your allegations. In the meantime, stay out of trouble.”
After a beat, he gave a reluctant nod. Something told me Mr. X liked to flirt with trouble.
"Why don't you go ahead and tell me your name?" I said. "I'm going to figure it out sooner or later.”
