Castle 55

Chapter 1: The Expedition

“There it is…” Jennifer whispered as she remotely piloted the submersible. At her side, breathlessly watching the drama play out on the video monitor, were her fellow graduate students from the Department of Anthropology.

The submersible glided stealthily. Its floodlights beamed into the eerie darkness. The light crept over the ancient ship, precariously perched on the edge of a precipice that dropped off into a bottomless chasm.

Jennifer cut the thrust, letting out an audible gasp as the water’s forward momentum disturbed the sunken ship ever so slightly. It tipped precariously – a heartbeat away from going over. Steely nerves masked her panic and dread. As the wreck teetered back and settled in its original position, everyone exhaled in unison.

“Oh my god…” Daniel gasped, “that was fricking close!”

“It’s too risky. A micro-current could send it over. Let’s shut down until the supply ship arrives in the morning with the air bladders,” said Jennifer. She was the expedition lead, having correctly predicted the location of the pirate ship, Dark Times. Moreover, her credentials and leadership ability were well-respected among her peers and faculty at the university.

“What, are we just going to sit around until then?” Daniel challenged.

“You maybe. Me, I’m going to have a look,” Jennifer replied as she headed off to suit up for a night dive. Daniel and Sam were just a half step behind. The excitement was electrically palpable.

As their colleagues watched the live stream from the ship, Jennifer, Daniel, and Sam glided gracefully like specters toward the Dark Times. They had been on many night dives, but this one was like no other. Jennifer felt as if she were watching a movie of herself. It didn’t seem real. She could feel her heartbeat. The familiar sound of the air from the regulator and the exhaled bubbles was surreal.

Gliding ever so gently over the deck through the relatively still water, Jennifer approached a large opening for below-deck access. She slowed almost to a complete stop, her head drifting in for a look below. Sam and Daniel were at the ready with emergency ropes should they need to pull her back quickly. They stayed clear should the wreck unexpectedly shift. Jennifer slowed to a full stop when she was halfway in. She dared not risk going any farther. After a few minutes, what seemed like an eternity to her colleagues, Jennifer eased herself out. The trio headed back to the research vessel, very careful to make the gentlest retreat possible.

Breaking the surface next to the research ship, Jennifer spat out her regulator and almost shouted to her colleagues waiting on deck to assist, “Did you guys see that? I mean, did you SEE that!”

“Yeah, we saw,” came a cheerful reply.

She’d been in bed for a couple of hours, not the least bit sleepy despite the lull of the sea. “No use faking it,” Jennifer said as she got up and decided to stay up until dawn. A fresh cup of coffee sounded good. On her way to the galley, she saw a glow in the normally dark control room. As she peered inside, there was Daniel at the controls.

Alarmed, Jennifer said, “What are you doing?” Startled, Daniel accidentally gunned the submersible, striking the side of the wreck with a thud and pushing at full throttle. The Dark Times groaned and rolled toward the precipice, its delicate balance broken. Jennifer turned white for an instant but regained her composure and grabbed the controls from Daniel. She reversed the submersible and then zoomed forward into the opening in the deck. She rammed the submersible against the inside hull, trying to push the Dark Times back.

“C’mon…” Jennifer coaxed through clenched teeth. It was no use. The balance was irreversibly broken. It was just a matter of time before the whole thing went over the edge. She aborted the effort and sped the submersible toward an object in the hold. The robot arm expertly grabbed the item. The submersible accelerated toward the deck’s opening, exiting just as the edge of the precipice could bear no more and gave way. The Dark Times fell away into the depths, leaving a thin debris trail as the submersible returned to the ship with its prize intact.