Meg Quotes

“Good God, man! That’s more than half the length of the Challenger. A creature that size… we’d need a bigger boat.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. But if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Do you understand?” “I don’t”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“A decimated population doesn’t necessarily equate to extinction.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“the most desolate location on the planet, nature had found a way to allow life to not only exist, but to thrive.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Life. The amount and variety within the trenches had shocked scientists, who had incorrectly theorized that no life form could exist on the planet without sunlight.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“The female heard every sound, registered every movement, tasted every trail, and saw every sight, for Carcharodon megalodon does not just move through the sea, the sea moves through the Megalodon.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“This is an upper tooth. As you can see, the tooth has a chevron, or scar, above the root, identifying it as a Megalodon.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“She nodded. “We live and die with each new news cycle.” “I meant our marriage.” “I already filed for divorce; Bud’s attorneys are handling it. You can have the house, we’re upside-down on the mortgage. Bud already moved my stuff out.” “He’s an efficient guy.” “Don’t be bitter, Jonas. We had a nice run. Thankfully, there are no rug-rats to complicate our lives.” “That’s because you never wanted any.” He looked to the east as the chopper approached. “What about Bud? Does he want kids?” “Bud wants me.” She noticed Terry watching from the bridge. “She likes you.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“THE MEG DISAPPEARED. No telltale whale carcasses, no sightings by chopper... nothing. Many speculated the creature had gone deep... never to return. Nine members of the Nautilus’s crew were missing, along with fourteen sailors from the Japanese whaler. A ceremony honoring the dead had taken place at Pearl Harbor. Two days later, Captain Richard Danielson re-retired from the navy.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Mac looked at Jonas. “How the hell do you know she’s pregnant? Did you perform a gynecological exam while you were down there?”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“The male’s body spasmed as it rose through the hydrothermal plume. The female escorted it up, the hot blood of her mate bathing her in a soothing thick river of warmth as she rose out of the depths. Free of the plume, she continued to feed, her murderous jaws entrenched deep within the wound, her teeth shredding the spleen and duodenum as hundreds of gallons of warm blood rushed into her open mouth and over her torso, insulating her from the cold.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Mac stood by Jonas. “You do have a way with the women. Speaking of which, how are things going with that wife of yours… you know, the one who refused to visit you in the mental ward?” “She’s screwing my old college roommate.” “Ouch.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Terry nodded. “My father’s dream. He designed it to be a living laboratory, a natural yet protective environment for its future inhabitants. Each winter tens of thousands of whales migrate along California’s coastal waters to Baja. Masao is convinced we can coax a few pregnant females inside to give birth.” Jonas nodded. “Marine science meets family entertainment.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“She smirked. “Let me tell you something–the data we collected during those first weeks the UNIS array was functioning was invaluable. If the earthquake detection system works, it’ll save thousands of lives. No one’s asking you to dive the Challenger Deep, we simply want your opinion on why the UNIS was damaged. Is your schedule so damn busy that you can’t take a day to fly up to the Institute? My father’s asking for your help. Examine the sonar plate and review the video that my brother took and you’ll be home to your darling wife by tomorrow night. We’ll pay you for your time, and I’m sure Dad will even arrange a personal tour of our new whale lagoon.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Unmanned Nautical Informational Submersible. UNIS. Our institute holds the patents. They’re made for deep-water assignments, their hulls able to withstand 19,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Gustave Maren waited for his crew to leave before turning his attention to the catch basket. The lid was sealed, the rocks having been collected and stored inside the porous steel bin by way of the interior vacuum assembly.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Petty Officer Second Class Gustave Maren hooked his harness to the aft rail and held on as the twenty foot swells tossed the Maxine D like an amusement park ride. It had been six weeks since Maren’s secret rendezvous with Benedict Singer, five weeks since the billionaire’s money arrived by wire into his Swiss bank account. The ten thousand was only an advance of course, the real money would come when he delivered the rock. Not rock, asshole. Manganese nodule. Gustave Maren had little interest in rocks or manganese or anything to do with the ocean, but he took great pride in the fact that his fourteen-year-old son was an expert on all these things. First in his class and an I.Q. that could not be traced to any genetic branch on the Maren family tree. Gus was doing this for Michael.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Doubled over in pain, Jonas focused on what appeared to be a juvenile Great White being towed in a trawl net along the port side of the stern. The shark was small, seven feet long, weighing between three and four hundred pounds. It was struggling fiercely, twisting within the confines of the fishing net, the action serving to wash the dead Meg’s blood from the female pup’s hide. Jesus… it’s an albino. For a brief moment, man and beast regarded one another, the creature staring at Jonas with its soulless gray-blue eyes, Jonas marveling at the presence of the Megalodon offspring. He closed his eyes at the irony and smiled. And then the pain became overwhelming and the submersible pilot lost consciousness as two paramedics loaded him onto a gurney.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Believing the monster was preparing to ram his yacht, Bud Harris panicked. Drunk, depressed, and suddenly quite terrified of meeting the same horrible fate as his lover, the millionaire shoved the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger, blasting the back of his head open like a ripe watermelon.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Jonas had ended things with Terry Tanaka, not because he didn’t care about her, but because he knew he was falling in love. Hers were the ties that kept him bound to the mission; their blossoming relationship would be his death knell.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Had this been an isolated experience, he would have chalked it up to the nature of their mission and the monster they were chasing. Only it wasn’t isolated. Seven years earlier, Jonas had experienced a similar series of dreams while on-board the navy transport, the Maxine D. It had been these night terrors that he secretly credited for saving his life on his last dive into the Mariana Trench. Despite Frank Heller’s accusations, Jonas knew now that he hadn’t panicked when the Meg had attacked the Sea Cliff. In fact, he had reacted with lightning-quick reflexes from hours of mentally rehearsing what he would do if the submersible had been threatened by the biologic they had first detected on sonar hours earlier… a state of paranoia implanted by the dreams.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Maggie had been right; Jonas found himself thinking about Terry all the time. Surrendering to their mutual lust, they had been together in his stateroom the night Masao had gone ashore. She had snuck out of his room just before dawn, winking to Mac who had seen her exiting his friend’s cabin. And then Jonas had pulled back, afraid things had gone too far. Terry had misinterpreted his sudden coolness, believing Jonas still had feelings for his wife—either that or he felt like his actions had been disrespectful to her father. A woman scorned, she had treated him coldly after that—and deservedly so.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Terry Tanaka wrapped a blanket around him as he entered the command center. “Diving in the sea like that—are you insane?” “Technically, Mac and I did spend three months together in a mental ward.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Shit happens, Maggie. People change.” She touched his cheek, her eyes all business. “I don’t. But listen, life goes on, right? I put up with a lot over these last seven years. You’re in a position now to either help my career or destroy it, that’s up to you. You want to hold onto your anger, then do it, but you’re only hurting yourself. Me? I’m a survivor. Bitterness doesn’t put food on the table or Emmys on my bookshelf, only hard work can do that.” Jonas nodded. “You’re right. I have been angry... it was me who pushed you away. At the same time you haven’t exactly been the supportive wife.” “Agreed. We’re both at fault and this marriage is over. So, do you want to finish the interview? Or would you rather burn our relationship to the ground?”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Maybe you don’t have to kill her. Masao, how close to completion is the Tanaka Lagoon?” “Two weeks, but JAMSTEC cut off our funding. Jonas, you’re not thinking of capturing this creature?” “Why not? The lagoon’s certainly big enough to hold one Megalodon. You could study the creature while drawing huge crowds. Within a few months you’d be debt-free.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“You killed two of our team. Mike Shaffer was my friend; I’m godfather to his kid. Shaffer’s family lives with your mistake every day.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Mac’s navy-regulation crew-cut had grown out into a mop of dirty-blonde hair, his hawkish hazel eyes sporting a few more stress lines since their shared three month stay together in the mental ward where they had met seven years ago. The boyish twinkle was still present.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Jonas knew Masao was right; he had to face his fears and return to the trench. If a white Megalodon tooth could be found, it would justify seven years of research. If not, so be it. One way or the other, it was time to get on with his life.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“Jonas rubbed his eyes. “Okay, Masao, for some reason it seems the story’s being leaked anyway. First off, Danielson wasn’t my C.O., he was assigned to Guam when our mission began, then ended up overseeing the dives as they were in his waters. I had trained for the mission for several years along with three other pilots, two of which eventually dropped out. “The sub was called the Sea Cliff; the navy having refitted her to handle the Challenger Deep. Three teams of scientists were flown out to supervise the mission. I was briefed with some bullshit story about measuring deep-sea currents in the trench in order to determine if plutonium rods from nuclear power plants could be safely buried within the subduction zone. Funny thing—when we descended on that first dive the eggheads were suddenly no longer interested in currents, what they came for were rocks.” “Rocks?” “Manganese nodules. Don’t ask me why they wanted them, I haven’t a clue. My orders were to pilot the sub down to the hydrothermal plume and remain there while the geologists operated a remotely-controlled drone designed with a vacuum.” Jonas closed his eyes. “The first dive went okay; the second was three days later and by the time I had surfaced again I was seeing double.”
― Steve Alten, Meg

“That, and one last detail. Recommend Taylor undergo a three month psychiatric evaluation following his discharge.” “What for?” “Credibility. Years from now, when he decides to write a book slamming the Navy, I want to make sure the world knows that Jonas Taylor was deemed a nutcase by the medical establishment.”
― Steve Alten, Meg