“Can you zoom in right here?” Nathan points to a shadow on the computer screen.

Sophie clicks to make it larger, the image morphing into thick towers of coral reaching towards the sky.

“Damn! Just another coral shelf.” Nathan rubs a palm down his face. He leans back in his chair and rolls his shoulders. Finding a shipwreck, especially unknown, would be the find of the decade. Not just for him, but for all of us.

I chew on the end of my pen, stifling a yawn. “We’ve been at this for days and all we have to show for it is a dozen reefs.”

Sophie sighs, resuming the video. “At least we’re able to take samples with the ROVs.”

Xander drums his thumbs on the desk, focus glued to the monitor. “It’s a waiting game, Em. Seeking a needle.”

I grumble. “In a needle stack, sure.”

Sophie laughs and pokes me in the side. I roll my eyes at her but can’t help my grin. I’ve never been a patient person. That was all Soph.

Xander nudges my thigh with his own, a small smile playing on his lips. “Wanna snack?” He offers me a bag of chips and a soda from the mini fridge on the floor beside him.

“Thanks.” I blush as our fingers brush.

Xander winks.

Sophie snorts and steals the pop from my hands. “Thanks, Xander. My favorite.”

Xander chuckles as he passes me another can. “You’re welcome, Sophie.”

“Got any popcorn over there?” She peers around me, her dark hair sweeping over her cheekbones.

Xander shuffles the snacks and gives her a package. “You’ll have to pop it yourself.”

Sophie huffs as she unwraps the plastic. She walks the few steps to the microwave. “Such a gentleman.”

Xander smirks. “Only for Emily.”

I gasp. “I can’t with you, guys.”

After Xander and I’s breakfast date five days ago, we’ve grown closer. Sophie and Xander bonding over their shared sense of humor.

“How deep is this area we are searching?” Sophie turns to Nathan.

“Twenty thousand feet.” Nathan checks the video details.

Sophie glances at Xander. “Any chance we can test out some of those subs?”

All eyes fall on Xander as he scratches his chin. No one knows the dangers of diving more than Xander and Nathan. Both seeing, first-hand, what extreme pressure does to a ship.

“It would be great field experience,” I try to convince myself more than him. The idea of diving thousands of feet below the surface makes my chest tight.

Nathan grins. “I won’t lie. I kind of miss it, myself.”

Xander purses his lips. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to go out, too. After we finish up here?”

Sophie and I cheer.

Settling into our seats, we return to the screen. Xander twines his fingers with mine, and I beam at him.

The elevator chimes on Deck One. Submersibles and ROVs hang from the ceiling, gleaming with salt water.

“She ready for us, Max?” Xander pats the side of the machine, her nose rounded to meet her sleek hull with black lettering labeled Hydra. Two wings form a broad “V” close to her tail, from which a tall slim woman steps around, a dirty rag hanging from her shoulder.

“All set.” She smiles, dimples forming at the corners of her mouth.

Xander lowers the Hydra to the platform below. “Thanks, Max. Sorry for the short notice.”

“You know I live down here.” She waves a fist as she walks away.

Xander unlatches the hatch and steps to the side. “After you.”

I climb inside, a lump forming in my throat at the thought of another small space. The Hydra’s cockpit encompasses an extensive area. I exhale a breath and look through the bow’s five inches of Plexiglas that make up the front of the vessel. Sophie gives me a thumbs up with a hopeful expression. I sit in one of the six chairs and calm my racing heart as I wait for everyone to board.

Xander takes a seat at the controls, flipping levers and pressing buttons to bring the sub to life. “Everyone buckled in?”

We give a resounding “Yes.”

He presses more switches, causing the doors of the hangar to rise. “We’ll be in the water in no time.”

Sophie giggles beside me. “It’s like we’re taking off into outer space.”

Nathan grins from his perch beside Xander. “It’s not space, but it is out of this world.”

I shake my head at his pun.

“Brace yourselves.” Xander warns as we drop into the water below. The engines purr as we float suspended in translucent blue, tiny white bubbles escaping towards the sunlight.

Xander shoots me a smile over his shoulder. “Now for the fun.”

We descend into nothingness. The color drains from Sophie’s face as the sun disappears from our view. I’m relieved I’m not the only one with knots in their stomach right now. A screen in the upper left-hand corner ticks our depth. One thousand feet, three, five.

“The ROVs have already scouted this area, right?” I ask. The conversation is a welcome distraction from the blood roaring in my ears.

Nathan nods. “Yea, today’s footage came from this region.”

A soft blue flashes in the distance, growing larger as we draw closer. “What’s that?”

“An atolla jelly.” Sophie’s gaze follows the long tentacles floating in every direction as a red, gelatinous body drifts around our submersible.

“It looks like an alien,” I murmur.

Xander snickers. “Most sea creatures look alien, Em.”

I bite my lip and glance at the depth tracker. Thirteen thousand feet. “Ugh! Would it be too cliché of me to ask, are we there yet?”

Everyone laughs. “Yes!”

I grimace, the ache in my chest subsiding with each passing minute as I watch for more lights in the darkness below.

“Earth to Emily. You doing ok?” Sophie’s foot to my calf pulls me from my reverie.

I give her a reassuring smile. “Surprisingly, yeah. She’s rather roomy.”

Sophie hums an agreement as she scans the surrounding hull. “I noticed that when I got on board, too.”

“We’re close to bottom,” Xander informs.

Sophie and I swivel to catch specks of light coming into view. Large coral polyps stretch across the dusty surface, while bioluminescent fish dart between them.

“It’s so beautiful,” Soph and I murmur.

Xander slows, steering parallel with the ground.

I check the depth. Twenty thousand feet. “Is this the same reef from the video?”

“Looks similar,” Nathan chimes in.

I nod, watching an eel slither between the rocky terrain.

Creatures of every size swim over to investigate our ship as we weave through a field of hydrothermal vents.

Xander flips a switch, sending a spotlight cascading across the ocean floor. “We’re about to enter uncharted territory.”

I grab Sophie’s hand as we gaze through the glass in front of us. Translucent blurs dart through a maze of coral, while white specks of sand float twinkling like stars in the deep blue water.

“This is so exciting,” I whisper.

Sophie bobs her head.

Nathan gazes at the ground. I don’t have time to ask, as the light reflects off something shiny.

Xander frowns as he brings the vehicle to a stop above the object.

Sophie points to an area several feet away. “There’s more up there.”

Xander moves the sub closer and Nathan gasps.

“What is it, Nathan?” I squint. Scraps of metal lay scattered in the sand.

“It’s debris.” Nathan whirls to face us. “I think we just found a wreck.”

Editor: Michelle Naragon