"Look-it, Look-it!" Your bratty intern, Amy, pointed at the laptop screen for the seventh time tonight. "It's a person. Riding. The. Whale! What else would it be?"
You scoffed and went back to work on your own laptop. "CGI fakery. That's what else it would be."
"If it's CGI, then why is the government trying to keep it off YouTube!" Amy insisted.
You ignored her and focused on the work that she was supposed to be focused on too: Actual whale research. More specifically, you were the marine biologist heading this research team with the goal of proving that humpback whales in this area of the Pacific Ocean sang different songs than the humpbacks that migrated to the coasts of Hawaii every year.
To say that you were a long way from land was like saying the moon is only a short trip away. You were in the middle of oceanic nowhere. You and your team had been out in the endless waves for two months now in fact.
You and Amy heard the cabin door open, and a man's voice that you recognized from the team called down. "Oy! Marisol! We got blows up here."
You practically tossed your laptop aside and shot up. "What kind?" You were already rushing to the narrow, metal stairs before he answered.
"It's so dark out there it's hard to tell." Ian said. He took your hand to help you up the last few steps on the swaying boat. "Kendra thinks it might be orcas."
"How many?" You demanded as you and Ian traveled to the stern of the boat where ten other people were looking with binoculars and pointing.
"Think maybe four."
You rudely took another intern's binoculars from her and looked through them. A minute full of tension and cold mist later, you caught sight of an orca's fin and an orca's misty blow.
"Bull orca at eleven o'clock." You announced for the others while you watched. But of course, the orca dove back down below the surface just a split second later.
Then two female orcas surfaced, and you got a slightly better sighting.
Ian announced them this time. You gave the binoculars back to the intern.
"I'm getting the drone." You said and hurried off.
You couldn't help feeling excited. Even though you were here for humpback whales, an orca sighting was always magical. It was a privilege that you were completely willing to use the drone's battery on. And who knew, maybe if orcas were in this area, it was possible that they were hunting humpbacks, which would be extremely relevant information.
Amy joined you and helped you launch the drone while Ian and some other researchers synced their headphones with the underwater microphone attached to the underside of the boat.
You flew the drone in the direction of the last orca sighting. It didn't take you too long to find them.
In the drone's camera. You could see their white markings under the dark water. The three you had sighted were joined by two more, bringing a delighted smile to your face.
"I'm grabbing fin shots!" You announced excitedly. "We'll see if these individuals match any known population."
Ian enthused as he adjusted his headphones, "Oh it's a lively conversation down there Marisol!"
Though you had a doctorate, you never liked being referred to as 'Dr. Huerta' as it felt clinical and sterile.
"I sure hope you're recording!" You teased Ian.
