Jason's arms trembled as he hauled himself onto the raft, gulping in deep breaths of salty air. The shark's massive form still bobbed in the water beside him.
"Come on, you stupid fish," he groaned, reaching for the creature. "Time to join me up here."
His fingers slipped on the shark's slick skin as he attempted to drag it aboard. An hour passed in a blur of grunting exertion and muttered curses. Just as Jason finally managed to heave the shark onto the raft, his vision swam.
"I did it," he mumbled, a weak smile crossing his face before everything went black.
The gentle lapping of waves against the raft slowly roused Jason from his unconscious state. He blinked groggily, squinting against the golden rays of the rising sun. As his eyes adjusted, they fell upon the shark's motionless form beside him.
"Well, good morning to you too, buddy," Jason said with a wry chuckle.
He sat up, wincing at his sore muscles, and took his first proper look at his catch. The shark was unlike any he'd seen before. Its skin had an iridescent sheen, almost pearlescent in the early morning light. Peculiar ridges ran along its flanks, and its tail fin seemed unusually elongated.
Jason ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "What kind of shark are you anyway?" he mused aloud. "Then again, it's not like I paid much attention in marine biology class, or had any to begin with."
Anyway, he was very proud of himself for his catch, even if he hadn't done it in the most prestigious way.
"That feels good, but I need to get moving. I don't want this juicy fish to rot before I can eat it." he muttered.
Jason's stomach growled, reminding him of the task at hand. He reached for the small knife, its now dull blade glinting in the morning sun.
"Alright, Sharky," he said, patting the creature's rough hide. "Time to see what you're made of. Literally."
As he positioned the knife against the shark's skin, the pungent smell of fish and brine assaulted his nostrils. Jason's hand trembled slightly, and he took a deep breath to steady himself.
"Come on, Keller," he muttered. "You've dissected frogs in high school. This is just... a really big frog. With teeth and… I guess way fucking harder to slice through."
He made the first cut, wincing at the resistance. The knife slipped, nicking his finger.
"Ow! Damn it!" Jason sucked on the cut, tasting salt and copper. "Okay, take two. You've got this."
He tried again, his movements clumsy and hesitant. The shark's skin was even tougher than he'd expected, and the knife kept catching on the strange ridges.
"You know," Jason grunted, sawing awkwardly at the flesh, "when I said I wanted to broaden my horizons in college, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."
The salty sea air stung his eyes as he worked, the raft rocking gently beneath him. Each cut was a struggle, a reminder of how ill-prepared he was for this situation.
"If my engineering professors could see me now," he chuckled darkly. "Guess those precision soldering skills don't translate to shark butchery."
As he continued to hack away, Jason's mind wandered to the absurdity of his situation. Here he was, a lanky college student with no survival training, trying to butcher a shark on a raft in the middle of the ocean.
"Maybe," he panted, wiping sweat from his brow, "maybe I should've paid more attention in that one elective on 'Extreme Cooking for Alien Survival Scenarios.' Oh wait, that wasn't a real class. My bad."
As Jason persevered for the next few hours, his movements gradually became more controlled. Each cut grew cleaner, more precise. He found himself smiling as he made progress, his confidence building with every successful slice.
"Hey, look at that," he murmured, admiring a particularly neat piece of meat. "Maybe I've got a future in underwater sushi chefs after all."
The sun climbed higher, beating down on Jason's back as he worked. His skin, once pale and prone to burning, had begun to take on a tanned, leathery quality. He barely noticed the heat now, focused entirely on his task.
Hours passed, and finally, Jason sat back, surveying his work. Neat piles of shark meat covered the raft, a far cry from his earlier messy attempts.
"Not bad for a guy whose culinary expertise used to end at microwave ramen," he chuckled, wiping his brow.
Exhausted but satisfied, Jason leaned back, his blue eyes reflecting the endless expanse of ocean around him. He thought back to the frightened engineering student he'd been just weeks ago, overwhelmed by the alien system's challenge.
"You've come a long way, Keller," he mused aloud. "From panicking about exams to surviving the actual jaws of death. Who would've thought?"
As the sun began its descent, painting the sky in brilliant oranges and pinks, Jason carefully stored the shark meat. His movements were deliberate, each action infused with a newfound sense of purpose.
"Alright, ocean," he said while eating his newfound food, his voice carrying a mix of determination and wry humor. "What's next on the agenda hmmm? Giant squid? Mermaid tea party? I'm ready for anything."
The golden light of sunset danced across the waves, and for the first time since his ordeal began, Jason felt a flicker of hope. He might not have chosen this path, but he was determined to see it through.
"Bring it on, calamity settings," he whispered, a small smile playing on his lips as he faced the darkening horizon. "This average Joe's just getting started."
Just getting started? His mission and troubles definitely had just started.