𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐄 || 𝐉𝐉 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊

𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍

THE HMS POGUE swayed gently on the marsh waters, the faint sound of cicadas filling the humid air. Below them, the murky outline of the Grady-White wreck loomed like a ghost. The Pogues huddled on the deck, the mismatched scuba gear sprawled out in front of them. John B had swiped the tanks from the Camerons' boat the night before, a victory he had proudly announced, but now, the mood was less triumphant.

Pope crouched by the tanks, inspecting them one by one. He picked one up and shook his head in frustration. "This is empty," he muttered, tossing it aside with a hollow clink. Holding up another, he groaned. "You took empty tanks? I... Okay, this one's a quarter full."

Kie leaned against the side of the boat, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "It's enough for one of us."

Avery, perched cross-legged near the bow, raised her beer can in mock celebration. "Love it when a plan comes together," she quipped, smirking at John B, who gave her an exasperated look.

"Does anybody know how to dive?" John B asked, looking around the group. He threw up his hands as he repeated, "Uh... anybody?"

JJ snatched a mask off the deck and inspected it with exaggerated care. "It's kind of a Kook sport," he muttered, shrugging casually.

Pope sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... read about it," he admitted reluctantly.

Kie rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air. "Great, Pope read about it, so someone's gonna die."

JJ chuckled, holding up a regulator as if it were a prize. "Look, y-you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard could it be?"

Pope shot him a sharp look, his tone growing serious. "If you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood, and you get the bends."

JJ grinned mischievously. "Bends like, bend over and..."

Pope cut him off, his voice stern. "The bends kill you."

JJ faltered for a moment, then quickly recovered. "Right." He puffed out his chest and held up a hand like he was volunteering for a mission. "I can... I can dive."

"You can dive," Pope repeated flatly, unimpressed.

JJ turned to the group, his grin widening as he spread his arms. "I'm cool with that."

Avery raised an eyebrow, her skeptical tone cutting through the air. "Since when can you dive, JJ?"

JJ glanced at her, caught off guard by her pointed question. He opened his mouth to reply but seemed to think better of it, choosing instead to grin.

John B stepped forward, his voice firm. "I'll do it. It's fine."

"Let me do some calculations real quick," Pope interjected, kneeling by the gear and pulling out a notepad from his backpack.

John B frowned, crossing his arms. "You serious?"

"That boat's about 30 feet down," Pope said, not looking up as he scribbled numbers. "Okay, so it'll take 25 minutes at that depth."

"Twenty-five," John B repeated, nodding.

"Which means you need to make your safety stop at about... ten feet. All right? For two minutes," Pope explained, tapping the paper.

"Yeah, yeah. Ten feet, two minutes. Got it," John B said, his tone steady but laced with tension.

Without warning, Avery stood up and pulled off her shirt, revealing her bikini top beneath. Her smooth, confident movements caught everyone's attention as she strode to the edge of the boat.

"Wait, what-" John B began, but Avery didn't hesitate. She dove cleanly into the water, her splash breaking the silence.

"Uh..." Kie said, blinking.