Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 27

The grated door swept open, gliding across the floor track and ramming against its stop, the collision reverberating throughout the hydro lab. Sarah stepped in first, and Jake followed. Then Tony, Kevin and Rachel squeezed inside. Sarah slammed the door shut, pressed a button inside the steel box and the elevator began its descent to the lowest level of the ship.

Upon purchase, the Atlantis lacked a moon pool. So at the discretion of Director Hardy, Sea Lab dry docked the ship and inserted the upgrade near the stern, between the A-frame crane and the hanger that housed the mini-sub, Alvin. The moon pool made it simple for divers to access the water. The square opening was big enough for diver propulsion vehicles, or DPVs, the smaller remote operated vehicles, ROVs, and even the Alvin itself. Techs could lower dive equipment into the room by using the elevator in the hydro lab. Jake learned all of this by studying a PDF on his iPad during the flight to Brisbane.

Or they could use the platform lift as a service elevator if they didn't feel like taking the stairs.

With all five of the team together, Jake eyed his dive watch as the lift leveled with the floor of the moon pool room. "We're behind schedule. It's one minute after nine." He slipped from using military time. After all, he wasn't in the Navy anymore.

"We'll be in the water in minutes," Sarah replied, attaching a waterproof bag to her belt in case they came across anything interesting. Jake did the same as they stepped from the lift.

Everyone had already changed into wet suits and fins. All that remained was to don air tanks and hit the water. Jake padded over to an interior wall and pressed a round button on a control panel. He watched as a giant section of the floor slid back, leaving a hole in the ship's bottom. When the hydraulics shut down, he flipped a switch on the same power box and a bright swath of floodlights illuminated the recess like it was an indoor pool at the Holiday Inn. More than ready to sink into the azure blue depths, he strapped on his air tank and neared the water.

Sarah, now ready to go, sat with her legs over the edge.

"I'm feeling like a few laps." Tony cracked his neck.

"Make sure you mix in a little work with your fun," Kevin said. "We are being paid, you know."

"Work is my middle name. W-O-R-K," he spelled out the letters, "sounds like a radio station." He tapped the point of a spear-gun on the floor. It was almost as tall as he was. The Magnum 450 XHD harpoon had a black finish with yellow stretch bands on the firing end, which operated like an underwater crossbow. All five of them had identical weapons as their defense in case they came across another monster fish. "But as much as I'm dedicated to work," Tony's mouth formed a wicked grin, "I still like to play." He aimed the spear-gun at the wall and made a sound like a harpoon swooshing through water.

"Just make sure you get within range before you pull the trigger," Jake said. "And watch where you aim that thing."

Rachel's eyes danced while Kevin held a stoic expression.

Sarah cleared her throat and gestured toward the water. "Enough with the adolescent humor."

Tony offered a solemn face and saluted, and then dropped through the opening feet first, followed by Kevin, Rachel, and Jake.

Ten feet down, Jake looked back and saw Sarah leave the ledge and sink below the surface.

Each member of the team wore a Neptune Space Predator full-face dive mask equipped with the communication headset built in. Jake always got a false sense of security whenever a voice crackled over the airwaves. It made him feel like his dive partners were right behind him, when in reality they could have drifted farther apart. In the past, he'd lost sight of his partner and had to find them using common underwater landmarks.