Cousins of the Water Chapter20

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“Good to see you big boy,” Aiysha remarked as the video feed came up on the screen. “Hadn’t heard from you so I figured you met some cute native girls and ran off to a coconut plantation.”2

“I know! I couldn’t transmit from the plane, some security issue I guess. Once I got on the ground, I realized that it was night there. So, how is the place handling a woman boss?”3

“Running smoother of course. How is the Pacific Command doing?” Aiysha questioned.4

“Things are pretty good now after the unit commander and I had a blow up. Both of us were a little on edge and I guess it was inevitable. I do think some of our research will dovetail into their activities so I guess it makes sense that I‘m here. However, That’s not why I called.”5

“Better say it’s for me, fella and not the Center,” She replied.6

“Of course it’s you. Oh, I just had an afterthought. How is the research progressing, especially the issue with the gene that Simpson thought might relate to the oxygen consumption?”7

“What a jerk, and what a segue from romance to research. Okay…here goes. We took the Hippo and dolphin samples and ran comparative analysis. You obviously knew that the dolphin’s closest land relatives are bovines so I guess it comes as no surprise that there are similarities in DNA markers. I took a little diversion and had some Black Bear DNA drawn as well; given their hibernation cycle, it seemed wise to look there as well. However, we have nothing definitive, as yet.8

“Great idea. I see I left the proper person in charge! Has Kallie been able to accurately synchronize the audio feed with the video?”9

“That we have! I have been working with her to identify specific waves to different stimuli and we have had some success for isolating trauma related activity. We are still looking at the male responses to me and whether it is social or some DAT activity.”10

“Nice work my dear! Once you have any thing conclusive, post it into a folder and reference it for me. I’ll review it on my lap top this evening. Also, once you have the Hippo, bear and dolphin comparisons completed, isolate the markers in the human helix for our respiratory traits. I want to know how similar the genetic components are to one another and what the potential is for manipulation. Gotta go. Miss ya!11

“Yeah, miss you too. Oh by the way…Baker has been raising a fuss about you booting her out of here and is asking for board review. Doubt if it will get anywhere but thought you needed to know.”12

“Okay, thanks. Keep me posted on that as well and let me know if any news services start nosing around. She would be the only lead they have to our activity.”13

“Gotcha boss. Have fun”14

Edgar closed his laptop and sat, mulling over the last part of the conversation. Was Dr. Baker to be a renewed problem? She certainly had broad connections in the scientific community and, even though she had not been allowed to remove data from the lab, many things could be replicated elsewhere. The research was now short two members and one might be a stick poking the hornets’ nest. He hoped that Aiysha would not be the one to get stung.15

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Lieutenant Pruitt waved from the water as Edgar approached the edge of the holding tank. He watched as her lithe body moved effortlessly through the water, as if she was as much a part of the realm as the dolphins themselves. At times she and Alpha moved almost as one; rolling and diving in unison. It was the length of her dives that surprised him however. It seemed that she remained submerged far longer than in a normal free dive and wondered if she was wearing a sophisticated diving apparatus that allowed re-breathing of her stored air. He vowed to have a stopwatch for the next days session. 17

Edgar’s primary concern for the day was to watch for the physical interactions between the team and the dolphins. It was the one thing that seemed to separate their layers of success. As she had said, Dianne exhibited a high level of physical contact and routinely stroked the side of Alpha’s head whenever they surfaced. It reminded him of the aquarium shows and how the trainers rubbed their animals whenever they surfaced for a fish or to conduct a trick. The trick here would be to maintain the unison once the dolphins confined area was eliminated.18

“Well Doc, what do you think of the team?” Colonel Bonner asked, as he joined Dr. Boylan at tank’s edge, “Seem like I have eight dolphins out there or four with some people splashing in the water beside them.?”19

“Little of both I guess. Certainly Pruitt and her partner move as a team. The others work together but it seems that their dolphins are more detached and only obey commands.”20

“That about sums it up Doc. I just haven’t been able to get past that point. Although it gives the appearance of success, I know it’s only tank success. This experiment is over as soon as the gates are open on this dry dock.”21

“Has Captain Baker secured any of the equipment that I requested? I think we can start turning this up a notch once we can record their sounds and create some of our own. We will need to hurry though since isolating their signature sound, from the rest of their clicks and whistles, won’t be easy.22

“Okay now doc; exactly what are we accomplishing with these signature sounds of yours?”23

“Each dolphin has a unique sound that it uses to identify itself. It is then used to identify its location within a pod or territory, plus; it is also used for calling it to a location. Take you for instance. Your title is Colonel Bonner. It identifies you to others and is unique to only you. If someone wants you they call you as Colonel Bonner, and you come.”24

“So the team can call individual dolphins to them once we have their ID?” the Colonel inquired.25

Precisely but, the truly great thing is that we can give your team members an ID and the dolphins can call them. Dolphins not only establish their unique sound but learn to imitate others’. Let’s say Pruitt’s dolphin finds an explosive device; It can sound the signature for your bomb guy…Alvarez I think…isn’t it? Anyway, Once Alvarez hears his sound, or the computer interprets his sound for him, he’ll know that a bomb has been found and needs disarmed. Any dolphin can be trained to work individually with the appropriate specialist, by simply learning the team member‘s signature sound. That part is easy, since I have several signatures on file and we can simply use them here.”26

“Well I’ll be go to hell! Maybe Washington isn’t so crazy after all. Let me check on Graham and I’ll be back as soon as I can. Make yourself at home Doc.”27

Edgar watched Carter ease himself from the water, then turn to toss a fish to his waiting dolphin. The animal snatched the fish from mid-air and eased under the surface as Carter walked to the refreshment area and grabbed a bottle of water. As Carter tossed his head back and took a large swallow from the bottle, Edgar was momentarily amused by the similarity of each animal getting its reward for performing. As Boylan reflected on the Chief’s exit from the water however, he realized that the man/dolphin relationship was just that. Nothing more than a reward system to instill a specific response, without establishing a positive relationship, between dolphin and trainer. It was far different than what he had originally observed between the Lieutenant and her dolphin. He turned his attention to Davis and Alvarez and to the quality of their interactions. As with Carter, he observed little meaningful physical contact although Davis did exhibit more physical rewards than food rewards and Edgar observed that Davis’ dolphin remained surfaced longer after an exercise was completed.28

“Kind of frozen in time there…uhm…Edgar,” a voice said beside him.29

“Oh. Sorry Dianne. I was trying to catch up on the team interactions and was watching for the subtleties in the ways you all handle your subjects.”30

“I guess I’m not so subtle,” she laughed. “Alvarez, for all his teasing, is kinda right. I am in love with Alpha. He is much more than a subject to me; more of a partner that has a lot of patience with a rookie like me.”31

“Well, it shows. You two are truly one. Listen…question for you. You seem to maintain pretty long dives. That should be difficult with all the activity you are doing, within your routines. I was wondering if you were using a re-breather?”32

“No, just training on when to replace air and when to conserve it. We all use scuba gear when we are working on a sustained, underwater exercise but for today it is one of the periodic bonding routines that the Colonel requires once a week.”33

“So today was, ‘get to know your dolphin day,’ and not any specific training?”34

“Exactly,” she replied. “We all know how important that is in maintaining a cohesive unit once the gates are pulled back.”35

“I notice Davis is second in physical contact, next to what you do with Alpha. How is that working out?”36

“Better. He asked for tips and I suggested more physical contact so he is doing more. Hey…speaking of! You had asked me about contact while we were swimming. Where were you going with that?”37

“Well Dianne, dolphins are very sociable and affectionate. They even have sexual relationships whenever the mood strikes them and not in certain cycles as with most animals. They’re kind of like a couple walking through the park who suddenly feel emotional and start to hold hands as they walk.”38

“So I should hold his hand as we swim through the park,” she teased.39

“Actually, yes! Dolphins will hold their flippers together as they swim, making a social bond. It is one of the things that enhances their connection with each other.”40

“Worth a shot. What else?” she asked.41

“Well, we’ll be outfitting the team members with underwater mikes and with a transmitting device to both send and receive dolphin sounds. These will be connected to a computer on the surface, that interprets the appropriate sound and, in that way you will have limited communication with your subjects.”42

“How limited,” 43

“Basically one of identifying separate dolphins and calling one specific dolphin or human, without disturbing the others. There are also distress sounds that can call the entire pod to one specific location. We’ll get into it more once my equipment arrives.” 44

“Okay! Well I guess I should go hold hands with my boyfriend for awhile. Any plans for dinner?” she asked.45

“I don’t know…do I?” Edgar responded, the dimples deepening in his cheeks.46

“You do now,” she responded with a smile, then dove into the water.47