The Hangar is teaming with activity. Crewmembers weave in and around the submersibles.

“Wow, this is as busy as I’ve ever seen this place,” Sophie comments. She sidesteps two crewmen carrying an underwater drone.

Nathan nods, watching groups of three stock each sub with torpedoes of every size.

“We started when Xander messaged me what you found out.” Max hands Xander a set of keys. “Lock up when you’re done? My crew and I are about to go to dinner.”

Xander inclines his head. “You got it.”

“Excuse me. What are they doing?” Sophie points to the Red Reaper dropping out of the hangar doors.

Max glances behind her. “We’re sending out search teams to find that creature.”

“Oh, smart.” Sophie bites her lip.

“Yeah, better than waiting for it to come to us.” Max backs away. “If you need anything else, shoot me a text.”

Xander waves. “Alright. Thanks, Max.”

We walk to a door on the far right of the immense space. The space is unassuming, adorned with scuba gear and other diving equipment, making it easy to miss. The small room feels less like a cramped cubicle and more like an empty cage, sparsely decorated with harpoon guns and torpedoes.

“Not a whole armory, my ass,” Nathan grumbles, staring around.

I giggle, picking up a cylindrical object from one of the few tables lining the back wall.

“Careful with that, Emily.” Xander gently takes it from my hands and returns it to its box. “It’s a type of explosive.”

“You mean this is a grenade?” My eyes widen.

“Yeah, most of these emit a series of electrical pulses. They’re used to deter sharks.” Xander scrunches his face. “I wasn’t sure what we would be up against on this mission. Thought it was better to be prepared for anything.”

“Including a prehistoric monster in sixteenth-century waters?” Sophie quirks a brow.

“Unfortunately, that didn’t occur to me,” Xander smirks. “But maybe we have something that will be useful in here.”

Sophie frowns. Her gaze traveling over the boxes of ESD. “Maybe. Not much is known about the Livyatan. If it uses echolocation, your shark deterrents will not do us any good.”

“You’re right, but this might.” Xander moves closer to the wall, pulling down one of the harpoon guns. “It explodes on impact.”

Nathan inspects the weapon, eyebrows in his hairline. “Impressive.”

“Thanks.” Xander grins.

“So, are these attached to all underwater vehicles?” I run my hand across the barrel of the gun, its smooth surface cold to the touch.

“Yes, they were added after the giant squid attack and the torpedoes.” Xander scratches his chin.

Nathan whistles. “You got a lot of firepower here, Xander.”

“Let’s hope that’s enough.” Xander sighs.

Sophie purses her lips. “If only we knew more about the Livyatan, but you can only learn so much from fossils.”

I bump her shoulder into mine. “It’s okay, Soph. You’ve given us plenty of information to go on.”

Sophie takes several deep breaths and stares at the ceiling. “Not much is known about them. They’re similar in size to the sperm whale but more than likely fed on other whales and maybe even the megalodon. They could have been solitary animals or hunted in groups like the orca. It’s hard to tell how they hunted.”

Xander places the gun back on the wall and pats her arm. “Try not to worry so much. We’ll figure it all out.”

She swallows hard, but nods.

Nathan releases a breath. “How about we all grab dinner? It’s getting late, and I skipped lunch.”

We all voice our assent and move towards the door.

***

“No, I used to.” I peer around at my friends. Warmth swells in my chest as I think of how close we’ve become since the start of this mission. We sit in our usual spot in the Caferia, our trays piled with food. “That’s the difference.”

“Bullshit.” Sophie shakes her salad with such force that the entire table vibrates. “Who asks for no cheese on their cheeseburgers?”

“I do.” It’s not that I don’t like cheese; I just have my preferences, waving my mound of spaghetti dusted heavily with grated parmesan. “See?”

“That doesn’t count.” Sophie takes a sip of her sweet tea.

Nathan swallows a bite of his pizza. “I agree with Sophie on this one.”

“I also eat queso with my tacos, mozzarella on my pizza, and macaroni.” Stealing a French fry off Xander’s plate, I huff. “The list goes on.”

Xander winks. “I believe you.”

“Thank you.” Heat creeps into my cheeks.

“Okay, you’re picky.” Sophie rolls her eyes.

I mumble around a bite of my noodles.

Sophie snorts, stabbing a piece of her salad and popping it into her mouth. “Sometimes, I can’t with you.”

“But you still love me,” I tease.

She laughs. “Always.”

“Anyway, will we be joining the search, Xander?” My gaze darts to his.

Xander swallows a mouthful of his burger. “Do you want to?”

I blink at him. While the Hydra is a little too small for my liking, letting everyone else risk their life to find this creature doesn’t seem right. “The cramped space isn’t ideal, but I’d love to help however possible.”

“Same here.” Sophie fidgets with her napkin. “After what happened with the squid, I want to assist.”

Xander nods and looks at Nathan. “And you?”

Nathan shrugs. “It’s risky, that’s for sure, but count me in.”

Xander purses his lips. “Alright, we’ll go out first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Why not tonight?” Sophie cocks her head to the side.

Xander grabs his half-eaten burger. “Scout teams will call it a night once the sun fades. We can’t chance going out in the dark.”

“Good call.” Nathan dips his crust into some garlic sauce. “We can get some much-needed rest.”

“Honestly,” Sophie yawns. “It’s been a day.”

I yawn, too. “It sure has.”

I can still feel the ship rocking after being hit by that beast and the unease in my gut at the sight of its teeth as it grew nearer to the Griffin on those cameras. The image flashes me back to the day we saw that tooth embedded in the Griffin’s hull. Suddenly, I’ve lost my appetite.

Editor: Lucy Cafiero