“It’s just not aligning properly.”

  Maura found Phil in the ROV bay. He bent himself under the winch trying to determine why the ultra-thin cable Maura had spent the previous afternoon swabbing now refused to wind up correctly.

  The cable tethered their sleek new ROV to the control room. Unlike the Scylla, it had smoother edges and was a bright shade of red. Almost the color of Lindsey’s lipstick. Of course, they wouldn’t get to test their brand-spanking new equipment if they couldn’t launch.

  Feet echoed back and forth off the metal walkway as the crew made their preparations. There were two sloops housed in the Tender, forty feet long and more than capable of harboring the team and all their gear. The tender bay was on the lowest level of the ship. The bay door functioned much like a retractable garage door. It could be opened and closed to partially flood the bay and allow the two sloops to float. They could then be taken out and returned, with the excess water pumped out once the bay door was shut. Both sloops now sat above the water, poised for their first foray away from the Overture.

  “Can we just make do as is?” Maura asked.

  “Not if you want a consistent feed.”

  Phil inspected a sensor above the storage drum. It resembled the kind of camera you might install over your front door in the hopes of deterring would-be package thieves. A tangled umbilical was just as bad for the ROV as it was for a gestating child. It could result in a bad signal, poor video, even a loss of control. Maura glanced out through the open hatch at the hazy skies. It was humid and gray, but the weather was holding and according to the control booth, everything was a go.

  “Looks like we might have a bad sensor,” Phil concluded.

  “Is there something we can do about it?”

  “We can replace it. If we can find a spare…”

  “Check the equipment facility. There should be an extra in there.”

  “You requisitioned an extra?”

  “Would you leave home without a spare tire, Phil?”

  “I usually bike.”

  “Equipment facility.”

  “On it.”

  He unfolded his lanky frame and rushed off. Maura glanced across the tender at their sister ship The Artemis, its crew loading the last of their supplies. Liam, shirt open nearly to his navel, stood on deck directing his team, preening like some high seas admiral. A crane began to maneuver his AUVs aboard the ship. They’d soon be stored in hatches on the main deck, where they would stay until they could be released into the water. He glanced over at Maura, her ship a jumble of confusion compared to the more orderly procession taking place next door. He grinned and his fingers rippled over the railing in a subtle wave. Maura ignored him and went below deck in the hopes things were coming along better.

  They had spent the past two weeks laying the groundwork for their initial expedition. Amy had put her in charge of making sure their sloop, The Argent, was fully prepared. The first few days had been spent getting acquainted with the craft, but every second after was a major push to get things up and running as fast as possible.

  As she entered the wet lab Minato was carefully applying a plastic sleeve to his computer keyboard. The lab was comprised of a sink and tubes for collecting specimens on one side, along with a computer to log each organism. On the opposite wall hung a long fiberglass tray, much like the one in the worm shop, where jellyfish would float in on a steady stream of water. Minato hummed to himself as he arranged his station, fastidiously checking every surface.

  “How’s everything looking?”

  He smirked as he gave the top of the stainless steel table a wipe down.

  “We are looking A-ok. But I wanted to ask you, are you sure that the trawl will be gentle enough with my babies?”

  Maura suppressed a smile. He was always carrying on about his “offspring.” He was worse than a mother preparing for her first child.

  “It’s a trawl. There’s nothing sexy about it, but it should do the trick.”

  The word sexy elicited a high-pitched giggle.

  “It’s not the trawl I’m worried about so much as the suction device.”

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  It was Lindsay’s idea to replace the standard trawling method by augmenting it with a pump. The suction would pull water into a tube, carrying it all the way to the wet lab. According to her, she found inspiration from the hydraulic system employed on the Overture.

  “Well, it’s better than you leaning over the side of the boat with a fishing net.”

  “That depends. I come from a long line of fisherman.”

  “Then I take it you won’t get queasy on the open ocean?”

  Minato took a moment to think on it.

  “I typically stick to the harbor.”

  “There’s Dramamine in the first aid kit on the bridge.”

  He caught her meaning and immediately hurried topside. Maura’s next stop was the control room. She found it already packed. The plan was to do an overnight, working around the clock with enough time for a deep dive in the waters north of the Overture. They hoped to observe the creature in its natural habitat, a first step to eventually collecting a specimen.

  Maura found Amy and Lindsey bent over a sonar map, in the midst of debate.

  “All I’m saying is, there’s a really steep drop-off right near this island that’s the perfect hiding spot for what we’re looking for,” Lindsay played with a little jade pendant dangling from her neck. Amy sat hunched in front of the screen, reminding Maura of a cat that was doing all it could to suppress a swipe. They took note of Maura’s presence.

  “Topher, what depth will we be at when we approach the island?” Amy inquired.

  Topher, a recent grad, with a patch of reddish curls on top of his head, flipped through a binder of previously completed maps.

  “Should be… Four thousand feet?”

  “And what is the depth of the trench near the island?”

  He flipped some more, shaking his head.

  “Um, it hasn’t been mapped. But judging from the surrounding topography, it’s probably somewhere in the midnight zone.”

  Lindsey jumped in.

  “And that’s exactly where researchers have been finding all kinds of rare species.”

  “But we don’t actually know the depth, correct?”

  Topher flipped a few more pages, more for show than anything.

  “We do not.”

  “Veera, your drones can handle the midnight zone, correct?” Amy pivoted over to the petite Swede who would be operating their autonomous vehicles. Maura was still getting used to Nordic woman’s deadpan responses and seeming lack of concern. She sat at her console, tucked inside of a bulky winter jacket. Despite the extra down, Maura had never seen her crack a sweat.

  “Of course. It can handle up to six thousand meters. Why?”

  Amy turned back to Lindsey.

  “We only have one ROV. We have four autonomous vehicles.”

  “Skitsnack…” Muttered Veera at the idea of enlisting one of her drones. Maura couldn’t help but smile at what she assumed was cursing in Swedish.

  “But the ROV is far more maneuverable.” Lindsay pleaded, “Doctor Kates, you have to agree that the trench is why we’re here.”

  Maura was barely back in Amy’s good graces. She knew better than to contest her.

  “I think that we have a solid plan for our first expedition and we shouldn’t make any last minute changes.”

  Disappointment washed over Lindsay’s face.

  “We start with the mineral fields north of the Overture, then we check on the downed harvester.” Amy clicked her pen a few times as if to punctuate her orders.

  The harvester had been a late addition to their itinerary. It had become unresponsive and Chan had asked them to take a look before he sent any divers down to repair it. The Overture had been extremely cautious with its diving team since their deadly encounter with the creature.

  Amy caught Maura before she could leave.

  “How are we looking?”

  “Looking good. All systems go.”

  “Good.”

  Maura left before she could trip herself up with more lies. The air was less heavy topside and she could now see the haze was burning off. It might be a nice day for an expedition after all. Despite the fair weather, Maura couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy. She chalked it up to being out of practice, or perhaps just first-time out jitters. But she also knew deep-down she was worried they might actually find what they were looking for. She pushed the thought away.

  Phil knelt beside the winch, putting the final touches on the new sensor.

  “How’s it coming?”

  “We’re about to find out.”

  He turned on the winch and it spun, drawing up the umbilical, wrapping it around the giant spool. Maura held her breath. Everything appeared to be going well, but with each turn the line got progressively more off-kilter. The cable continued to diverge until it was crisscrossing the entire spool. Phil shut it down.

  “So, that’s two bum sensors. Figure the odds. Don’t suppose there’s a third?”

  Maura pushed out some air.

  “Didn’t think so.”

  No winch, no ROV. No ROV and the mission was basically a wash. Phil began manipulating the remaining sensors while Maura took a glance at the Artemis. The crew were taking their positions. Liam nodded to the Tender operator and the hatch door opened. The last streaks of morning had faded in favor of a washed-out blue. In the distance she could see the only island out this far. Locals called it Ki’ik Abu. Between its shores and the Overture were unexplored fathoms.

  Liam whistled to his crew. The Artemis let out a blast from its horn and began to taxi out of the Tender. As they passed, he looked over at Maura.

  “Nice day for a boat ride, Dr. Kates, don’t you think?”

  He winked and faced forward. Maura watched them hit the open water and pick up speed, heading due east. They’d be testing the mineral deposits there in hopes of striking gold, or cobalt or manganese... At least they shouldn’t be crossing paths over the next day or so. Or so she hoped.

  “Maura? Are we ready to launch?”

  It was Amy, standing behind her. Maura bit her lip. So much for good graces. As she started to speak the winch started up again with a sharp clang. The umbilical spun around the spool with precision, each layer tucking in beside the other in perfect rows.

  “Good to go,” Phil announced, squinting into the sun.

  “Yep. What he said,” Maura stuttered.

  “All right, everybody to your stations, we’re out of here,” Amy nodded to the captain up on the bridge of the ship. Maura turned back to Phil. She arched her eyebrows.

  He shrugged, “Repurposed the other sensors. Should buy us some time.”

  Maura nodded. She hoped “some time,” meant the next twenty-four hours. Or until they finally got a look at the thing that had brought them all across the world and into uncharted waters.