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  Iain walked out and went straight to his room. He walked to his desk, opened the first drawer, grabbed a bottle, and took a swig. He'd shown far more confidence in the rec room than he really felt. He had just gotten the information file on their destination a few moments before he addressed the crew.

  He turned the job down immediately, offering to send back the deposit. When they sent back the price of their counteroffer, he had to say yes. He had three kids and wanted to be able to breathe freely for once when it came to finances. He hadn't taken a relaxed breath in so long, he didn't know if he was capable anymore, but he was sure as hell willing to find out. He heard a beep and saw a new message. He took another swig of his drink and opened the message.

  ***

  "Has he lost his mind?" Ally stood up as soon as Iain was out of the room. She turned to look at Dutch.

  "I know you love this sub, Dutch, but she can't go that deep, and you know it." Dutch didn't change his expression.

  "He didn't ask me, so I reckon my opinions don't count for much."

  This time Marcus chimed in. "Dutch, you have to say something."

  Dutch snorted. "Say what? Betty Loo can probably do it. Just trust her."

  "Dutch, he's talking about the Hadal zone. Do you know what the pressure is down there? Sixteen thousand pounds per square inch. Betty Loo can't do it; even the newer subs have problems." Ally was livid. What the hell was Iain thinking agreeing to go all the way down there?

  "She can do it, and it's not like we have a choice, do we?" Dutch turned on them and left.

  Ally and Marcus just stared as Dutch left the room. He didn't seem bothered one bit by the news. Ally had no idea what to do. She knew sometimes Iain didn't think straight when it came to the high-paying jobs, but this bordered on insane.

  "Ally, look at me." Ally turned to look at Marcus.

  "We walk, right now, me and you. We don't have to do this."

  Ally looked up at him. She knew he needed the money as much as she did. The tingling on the back of her neck felt like thousands of spiders all over her body now, but she couldn't run. Iain had saved her, given her a chance at a new life. She couldn't leave him behind no matter how much of an ass he was being.

  "No, I'm not walking, but maybe you can. Go find a place for me to buy with the cash when I get back. Take your time and find something nice and romantic." She hoped to at least get Marcus out of harm's way.

  "No dice. We both stay. I'm going to the engine room. Need to talk to Dutch." Marcus gave Ally a brief kiss on the top of her head and was out of the room in an instant.

  Ally watched the five new members. They seemed to be just as upset about the news as the rest of the crew, except the woman. Maxine Williams, the brightly dressed doctor with a smile plastered on her face. Perhaps another trip into the data files was necessary.

  ***

  Kramer sized up the other four members assigned to this job. The one who didn't make sense was Maxine. Why was there a need for a doctor with her credentials? The others around him seemed a bit unnerved by the news about the depth to which they were going, but to their credit, none left.

  He hoped at least one would chicken out to increase his cut a bit, but whatever. He wasn't worried about anything happening. He knew the submersible on board was newer, and if things got dire, all he had to do was get on it and leave. The hell with the rest of them.

  ***

  Maxine watched Kramer as his wheels turned. She knew he hoped some of the crew would walk, and she also knew he planned on using the submersible as an escape route should things go wrong. She would have to do something about it, though at the moment, there were more pressing things she needed to attend to.

  "Since none of us seem to be leaving, I'm going to my quarters to get some rest before we leave."

  No one acknowledged her comment. It didn't matter. She had lots of time to win them over. She walked casually out of the room and headed straight for the med lab.

  ***

  Nina sat on the couch with her leg draped over the side. She eyed the Johnny fellow. It was obvious he used squish; most divers did. She never touched the stuff, since those who did didn't live much past thirty. She chose a steady diet of alcohol and cigarettes as her replacement.

  There was something else off about him; she just couldn't put her finger on it. The way he kept sneaking glances at Kramer, either Johnny knew something about the guy, or those two had a past of some kind.

  "Hey. Johnny, right? Why don't you come over here?"

  Johnny stared at her with wide eyes and an expression like he had just stepped in something unpleasant.

  "Hey, you should know I'm seeing someone." Johnny glanced around the room nervously.

  "Uh huh." Nina held in the chuckle.

  "It's serious." He was a pathetic liar.

  "Relax, Johnny boy. I just want to talk to you, diver to diver. Trust me, you ain't my type."

  "Right... ugh."

  "Christ. Come with me. I can get you all fixed up so you can form a thought."

  Nina stood up from the couch and made a squishing motion with her forefinger and thumb.

  The light bulb was practically visible above his head when he finally got her meaning. He kicked over his chair in his haste to stand. Nina sighed and shook her head as she led him out of the room.

  ***

  Tom Simon had no idea what to think. A friend had asked him to do this job as a favour. It was way below his capabilities, but he needed the money. He and his wife had two kids and had just saved up enough money to get one into school. Just a few weeks, and he would be able to spend time with his family.

  He pulled a worn picture out of his pocket. A brunette in her thirties smiled back at him. On each side of her was a little girl. The one on the right was a little taller, but they were both the spitting image of their mom.

  "Family?" Startled, Tom looked up.

  "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, I'm Philip Kramer. Call me Kramer, though. Thought I'd introduce myself, since we're going to be sharing this tub for the next few weeks."

  "Oh, Tom. Tom Simon." The men shook hands, and Kramer nodded towards the photo in Tom's hand.

  "Yeah, my wife and two girls." Tom stared down at the photo.

  "Must be hard being away from them."

  "It is, but it's not like I have much of a choice. You got any family?"

  "Nope, none at all. Can pick up and go at a moment's notice and not have to worry about a needy kid or sad girlfriend. Plus, I can pretty much sleep with whoever I want." Philip laughed. Tom didn't.

  "As long as you're happy, I guess." Tom regarded the photo sadly.

  Kramer had no idea what it was like to love someone or have someone love you back, and he didn't care to. Love was a liability.

  "Yep, couldn't be happier. So what is it you do?"

  "I'm a sub pilot, and I can operate some submersibles."

  "You had to be picked for this job for a reason. Nothing seems too outstanding there. No offense."

  "My specialty is the deeper areas. I'm one of the few who have been past twenty thousand feet in a submarine."

  "Ah, you mean to say, you're one hell of a pilot."

  Tom smiled at him. "And you, what exactly do you do?"

  "I'm a specialist in various oceanic phenomena. Basically, when they find something weird or new, they call me in to take a look at it and determine if it's good or bad."

  "Then we must be going to get something mighty interesting to have you on this job, considering practically nothing exists where we're going."

  "Yeah, I guess so. I'm going to get something to drink." He stood up and walked over to the fridge.

  Kramer opened the door with a pensive expression on his face. He knew he was good at what he did, but not the best by any means. All of a sudden, fears arose as to why he had been chosen for this job, especially since the last one. He grabbed a small bottle of slightly discoloured water and closed the door.

  Philip glanced back over to Tom, who
still stared at the photo. He decided to let him be, and left the rec room. He headed towards the research lab. He wanted to be as prepared as possible, which meant knowing exactly what tools he had to work with.

  Chapter Six

  "Just shut up and sit down for a minute. I'll get you what you need." Nina was annoyed beyond belief with Johnny.

  He talked incessantly about the most inane things. His diving record, all the girls he knew, how he could tan so well even with polluted skies, blah blah blah. She wanted to smack him, but knew of a better way to get him to mellow out.

  She went to her closet and pulled open the door, then kneeled and pulled out a small section at the bottom.

  Johnny stopped talking. Finally, she had his attention. She reached inside and pulled out a small vial.

  The clear tube held a bright green mould-like substance. She stood up and held it between her thumb and forefinger for Johnny to see.

  "This what you want, lover boy?"

  ***

  Johnny shut up and stared, fresh from the color, and all he could think about was how good he was going to feel. Thank God he didn't have to wait until they arrived at the sample-taking areas. He smiled at Nina and nodded his head.

  Nina opened the vial and held it towards Johnny. He quickly raised his arm and stuck a finger inside. Just as fast, he took out his finger and began to rub the algae on the back of his neck. The area was red and scaly. Sign of a long-time user, Nina thought darkly.

  A few moments later, the squish was absorbed through the skin and started flowing in Johnny's bloodstream. Nina capped the vial and put it back in the hidey-hole.

  "Now, Johnny, I need to know this crap you do isn't going to get you killed, and more importantly isn't going to get me killed."

  "Nah, I'm a great diver. One of the best. It's why they chose me."

  "I don't give a rat's ass how good you are. How deep have you gone? How long have you been doing this stuff? And are you going to be able to keep it together?"

  "Look, lady, I'll be fine. I've gone on important jobs before, and they always worked out. You want to worry about someone, worry about Kramer." Johnny stood up and stormed out of the room.

  He was in deep shit now. He wasn't supposed to let anyone know he knew Kramer. More importantly, he wasn't supposed to talk about what happened. Hopefully, the chick was too stupid to say anything. Somehow he doubted it, with the kind of luck he had been having lately.

  "Don't call me a lady, you prick," Nina yelled after a second, knowing he most likely wouldn't hear her, but still feeling the need to say it.

  She didn't think Johnny could be relied on, and she would have to talk to the captain about it. No way would she risk dying because of a junkie, and what did he say about Kramer, the research guy? She should mention they knew each other. Great, they hadn't even left dry dock and things were falling apart.

  Nina went over to her bunk and lifted the corner of the mattress. She picked up a small flask. Liquid sloshed around as she unscrewed the cap, upended it, and let the contents pour into her mouth. She tossed the empty flask on the bed and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her jeans pocket. She turned on the air purifier and lit one. She inhaled and lay on her bunk, thinking.

  ***

  Tom finally put the photo back in his pocket. He knew this was a dangerous job; he just hadn't realized how dangerous until now. He only hoped that if he didn't make it, they would honour his contract and give the money to his family. He looked around the room, realizing he was alone.

  Well, I might as well get to know this tub, he thought.

  Tom stood up and headed for the control room.

  ***

  Ally sat in her chair, looking through some of the job files. The encryption on them was significantly harder than necessary for a search and rescue, usually a sign that more than one company had vested interests, which was never good. No way to know who hired whom, or whose agenda would be enforced more effectively.

  Ally heard a noise in the entrance and closed the files. She turned around to see her co-pilot, Tom. She knew what would happen next: the whole getting-to-know-you speech. Let's trust each other and not be competitors. This never worked for two reasons.

  First, since she was a female, they automatically thought she was inferior in skill to them. Second, she didn't trust easily, especially new crew.

  "Hey, Tom, let me guess. You want to get acquainted with Betty Loo?" Tom entered the control room and let his eyes roam around.

  "Yep, thought it would be a good idea. That way, no one feels like they're having their toes stepped on. Get rid of the whole competition thing."

  Ally hid the smile from her face and managed to give a convincing nod of agreement.

  "Well then, you do what you have to. I'm going to go and get something to eat. I won't be far, so just holler if you need anything. I'll be back for dry dock disembarkment."

  "Take your time; I got a lot to go over."

  Ally thought he seemed sincere enough. In fact, Tom was the only one of the new crew she thought might be a remotely decent person. She exited the control room, feeling adequately secure he would not sink or blow them up while she was gone.

  As soon as Ally left, Tom went to run a systems check. He noticed one had already been done. He then went to map out the coordinates of where they were going and get weather reports and any news of tidal anomalies. This had also already been done.

  He then decided to see if he could find a quicker way to get to their destination. Again, the quickest route had been mapped out. It was apparent to him that Ally knew what she was doing, that he was here to help, not lead. He was fine with that, as long as she didn't lead him to his death.

  ***

  Ally headed down the aisle and saw Johnny ahead of her. He shook his head as if he were angry with himself. When he noticed her, he flashed a smile.

  "Hey, beautiful, can I buy you a drink?"

  "No."

  Johnny was not dissuaded by her refusal. "Come on, give a guy a chance."

  "I did once. Now I call him my boyfriend."

  "All right, I get it. We can sit together at least, right? I'm trying to avoid Nina. I think she likes me."

  Ally raised an eyebrow. "I find that highly unlikely. You're not her type."

  "Lady, down there, I'm everybody's type."

  "Whatever." Ally went into the rec room and poured herself two cups of coffee.

  She placed them on the counter and opened the cupboard. She grabbed two energy bars and shut the door. She gave a second's attention to Johnny, looked down at her dinner and left the room.

  "This might be a longer few weeks than I thought." Johnny contented himself with lying on the couch and enjoying the relaxed feeling coursing through him.

  As soon as he knew Nina was going to be out of her room, he would take her stash. It wasn't like she was using it.

  ***

  Ally climbed down the narrow steps to the engine room. She could see Marcus and Dutch in the distance. It looked as if they were arguing. She made her entry louder than usual so as to not to walk into an awkward situation.

  "Dutch, look, I know you love this sub, but let's be real here. You know as well as I do that she can't take that kind of pressure."

  "Son, you don't know her like I do. I'm telling you, she can do it."

  "And what happens when we're thirty thousand feet down and she starts taking on water and the bolts start popping and, oh yeah, we sink?" Ally had never heard Marcus use that tone before. He was obviously angry.

  "Ain't gonna happen. Now get outta my face." Dutch stormed off, and Marcus threw his tool belt.

  "Goddamn it!"

  "Tough day?" Marcus, startled by the voice, turned so quickly that he almost fell.

  "Yeah, you could say that. I know Betty Loo, and going so deep is a bad idea. No one will listen, though."

  "Maybe she can do it? We've done some pretty crazy stuff with her we didn't think possible."

  "A few fancy manoeuvres is one
thing, but we're talking pure logic here. This sub is fifty years old, hasn't been fully updated in all areas to allow for extreme deep-sea rescue, and ..."

  "Hey, you need to relax. Obviously, people think it can be done, and we're stuck with it. So we make it work, and at the first sign it isn't going to happen, you let me know and I steer our asses back up to the surface, to hell with the job. Deal?"

  Marcus nodded and wrapped his arms around Ally. He held her for a moment before pulling back. He had an energy bar in his hand and a smile on his face.

  "Hey, you're going to make me spill perfectly bad-tasting coffee." Marcus grabbed one of the cups of coffee and the other energy bar.

  "Hey, that's my dinner. Go raid your own cupboard." Ally jumped and made a halfhearted attempt to reach for the bar.

  She really didn't care; she knew Marcus usually skipped most of his meals. She could always grab one on her way back to the control room.

  "What's that? You won't even make dinner for your man? That's harsh." Ally slapped his arm away.

  "The other things I do for my man make up for my cooking skills." Marcus immediately dropped the energy bar, which Ally deftly caught.

  Marcus plastered an innocent look on his face. Ally took pity on him, put the energy bar in his pants pocket and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  "Don't say I never cooked for you. I have to go and get us out of dry dock." Ally left with a smile on her face.

  Marcus once again grew frustrated about the job. The whole situation was bad, not a single good thing about it. How would he protect Ally?

  Marcus went over to his discarded tool belt. The least he could do was check every nut, bolt, and rivet for any signs of wear, tear, or leakage, though it really wouldn't do much other than make him feel better and keep him occupied.

  He wanted to talk to Ally about the bad feeling he had earlier and the fact that he felt like his head might explode from all the mental warning bells going off. No time for that now, though. Maybe later.