As he watched, a monstrous shape loomed out of the darkness, the silver moon just lighting its grey-blue upper hide and the deathly white underneath. Its muscular barrel shape was easily twenty feet long. Matt marveled at the way the great white could sail through the water with only the smallest of flicks of its huge tail. Its mouth hung open, a dark pitiless cave made more horrifying by the row after row of finger-length teeth. Triangle daggers, designed for ripping, shredding and sawing through meat and bone.

It circled once more, and Hartogg and Adira got back-to-back. A small knot of human flesh with just two blades, silver teeth, for defense. The shark turned and came at them, accelerating with a single flick of its six-foot scythe-like tail.

Hartogg slowly lifted his arms out and leaned toward the huge creature. The diving knife seemed a futile weapon against the approaching monster.

Matt felt a tingle run up his spine as animal-fear made every inch of his body seem like it had electricity running through it. He could feel his heart beating in his throat, and he wondered whether Hartogg felt the same, or if instead, there was nothing but ice in his veins as he faced the giant man-eater.

The massive creature barreled in, and at just at a few feet from them, turned a degree and rolled, to look at the pair with one black, soulless eye. Hartogg struck out with his knife, using all his great strength to bury the blade into the hide.

The shark veered away, wrenching the SEAL’s arm, and pulling the knife from his hand. There was no blood from the great beast, and Matt knew that even though the tough hide was breached, the skin and muscles on its back were inches-thick leathery armor.

Hartogg hung there, fists balled, but now without a weapon.

The shark turned, and both the Special Forces agents swiveled in the water, Adira nudging the SEAL around behind her – it was her turn.

Adira never twitched, but simply floated, arms extended, silver blade clamped in one hand. The other sharks stayed back, seeming to give this ruler of the deep its killing space. Hartogg, Adira and the giant shark were in the center of a twirling tornado of grey hide, black soulless eyes and serrated teeth.

The team had ascended to the boat, and Matt could hear above him the sound of bodies, tanks and belts being pulled over the gunwale, as he hung mid-water to watch. He wanted to do something, anything, to help. He knew there was nothing he could offer, but was condemned to at least watch the pair’s stupidity or bravery. Whichever it was, they knew they had done their job – distracted the sharks to give the team time to escape.

The great white flicked its tail once more, turning and accelerating. It came at her like a miniature submarine, and when it was within a dozen feet, she pushed away from Hartogg and pulled herself into a ball. The giant mouth opened, easily wide enough to consume her entire frame, but suddenly, she unfurled and pivoted, and then one hand shot out, and caught the top of the snout, and she pushed down so it changed course and started to pass her. Her other arm flashed around and the thin blade dug into its softer belly; she held onto the knife handle with both hands, as the forward momentum of the beast allowed the eight inches of toughened steel to traverse the belly, unzipping the softer part of its hide, and spilling guts and blood into the water.