In Deep Water: Chapter 10
In Deep Water
“I don’t think I’ll ever get that image out of my head.” I sit in the Hangar control room with a blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders. The only warmth I feel comes from a steaming cup of tea cradled between my palms on the desk in front of me.
Sophie cries softly beside me. “Th- Their screams. I keep hearing their screams.”
My vision blurs, and I bury my head in my hands.
“Damn it!” Xander slams his phone on the table. “I can’t reach anyone on shore.”
“Could the storm have knocked communications out?” Nathan asks.
“Or the power outage damaged something.” Xander makes a sound in the back of his throat. “Emily?”
I wipe my face and look up. “Yeah?”
Xander crouches down beside me, his red-rimmed eyes searching mine. “Why don’t you and Sophie go to your cabin and get some rest?”
I glance at Sophie, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. “Alright. Call us if anything comes up?”
Xander nods, taking my hand in his and pressing a light kiss to my knuckles. “Text me if I can help in any way.”
I grab Sophie’s arm, and we wander aimlessly to the elevators. The Hangar stands silent and cold as if it too feels the loss of its crewmembers.
It’s quiet on the ride up to Deck Five, save for the soft music playing on the overhead speaker. The walls pulse inward with every beat of my heart, and I take deep breaths to hold the panic at bay.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” Sophie attempts to distract. “Want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with me?”
Exhaling, I nod. “Yeah, what movie?”
“Despicable Me?” Sophie chews on her bottom lip as she exits the elevator. “I miss those little minions.”
Chuckling, I feel the tension leave my chest. “I’m down for that. A cartoon is just what we need.”
“I agree with you there.” Sophie gives a soft smile.
The corridor to our room is empty, and it’s not long before we are scanning our keycard at our door.
Inside, I grab a water and take a seat. Sophie pops the DVD into the player and joins me.
“Do you think they felt it?” Sophie turns to me, her brown eyes filling with tears.
I hug her. “No, it happened too fast.” I can still see the moment the Blue Banshee imploded. The squid’s tentacles squeezed so tight, the sound of the hull cracking, the thunderous boom as debris cartwheeled in every direction.
“I thought we were next,” she sniffles.
Grabbing a tissue off the end table, I hand it to her. “Me too. It’s good we got out of there when we did.”
“And the squid didn’t chase after us,” Sophie adds.
“That too,” I agree.
The ascent from the depths felt like a lifetime as we watched the sonar, waiting for the dreaded beeps to return.
Sophie yawns and slips further into the cushions of the sofa.
I sigh. I can’t fall asleep on this couch again. “Soph? Why don’t we go lay down?”
She grumbles, getting up and stumbling to her bed.
I turn the TV off and climb into my bed, pulling my comforter up to my nose. “Goodnight, Soph.”
“Night.”
***
“Don’t you find it odd? It’s been two full days.” Nathan glances at Xander over his computer screen. “All coms off the ship are down. GPS still doesn’t work.”
“And there is no internet connection.” Sophie stirs creamer into her mug of steaming coffee.
Xander rubs his temples. “Yeah, I’ve been getting complaints all over the Griffin.”
“Something’s amiss. I know it.” Nathan taps his pen on his leg. “I mean, we can’t even scout the ocean floor without a squid taking out our ROVs.”
“It is unusual.” Sophie takes a tentative sip, wincing when the burning liquid hits her tongue. “Giant squid are rare. But we’ve encountered at least one of them on every dive.”
I take a sip of my tea, savoring the hint of mint as it hits my tastebuds. “You hear from command on the matter?”
Xander shakes his head. “Not since last night. We started troubleshooting, only to find out that there’s nothing wrong with the equipment. It’s just not working.”
“Well, only to the outside world.” Nathan grabs a can of soda and pops it open. “Coms among the crew work fine.”
“Hey, boss.” A crewmember greets Xander as he enters the room, a laptop bag hanging from one shoulder. “I’ve been looking over our CELNAV information, and this is where it gets strange.”
Xander wanders over to the guy as he sets up his computer. “What is it?”
“So, this is based on our position right now.” He offers Xander a view of the screen. A chart of constellations dots a digital map, coordinates on display for each star. He clicks another tab, and a similar map pulls up. “This is based on our position three days ago.”
Xander frowns at the screen. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s where it gets weird.” The crewmember shifts from one foot to the other. “According to these readings, we’re about five hundred years in the past.”
Editor: Shannon Hensley
