Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 3

The cool surf engulfed Jake's body and washed away the sweat clinging to the back of his neck and hairline. Ten feet down, he squeezed some air into his vest, hovered for a few seconds until he had his bearings, and then released it until he sank. He stopped shy of the sandy bottom to check the communication set on his dive mask.

Jake pressed the talk button near his jawline. "You still awake up there?"

"I can sleep with my eyes open," Tony said.

"I'd like to see that. On second thought, scratch that."

For reassurance, Jake touched the distress beacon on his waist. It ran on a separate system, an added safety measure for a solitary dive. Sarah used the same technology, which reminded him. He didn't want to linger long on the reef because that's where she'd spend most of her time. So he pressed on, scissor kicking, on a pre-planned course. Ahead, a coral reef became visible, stretching over twenty yards wide and rising from the sea floor like a miniature mountain range dotted with a variety of textures and hues.

He explored the region thoroughly and then continued further.

The sand spread before him, allowing isolated clumps of coral to flourish. Odd sponge-like shapes were nestled together. Colors of sunset orange, green and brilliant gold made up the reef. He hopped from one island of living organisms to another. As he moved on, his path became more random until he floated through the aquatic paradise with bright eyes and a spring in his kick.

The clear blue sealed out the chaotic world above in a layer of tranquility.

Jake flexed his leg muscles and shot for the bottom. Once he arrived on the ocean floor, he checked his dive watch. It confirmed what his fine-tuned sense of awareness and judgment had already told him. The water measured fifty feet deep, and as expected, sunlight still penetrated to the seabed with little resistance. As long as he kept his bottom time to around thirty-five minutes, he wouldn't have to worry about a decompression stop.

Jake soaked up the environment, admiring the scenery with a sense of wonder. If people could see what he saw, feel what he felt and drink in the intoxicating world beneath the surface like he did regularly, then maybe they wouldn't violate these sanctuaries by dumping trash into the sea and polluting the natural habitat. A dive always gave him a feeling of awe. This dive was no different.

But one thing was wrong with this picture of paradise.

No fish.

That's why Sea Lab assigned Sarah and her field assistant to investigate the region. Something had caused the marine life to vanish in a short timeframe, and Jake knew she was determined to find the culprit. He shared that same passion.

Recently, a string of disappearances plagued the island. A swimmer, a jet skier and a pair of divers came up missing, leaving behind an abandoned jet ski and a scuba fin. Resort owners tried to keep the publicity under wraps. They didn't want people to panic if a tiger shark or a great white was on a feeding rampage. The possibilities abounded, but Jake doubted a shark had caused the lack of marine life. One fish couldn't do this much damage. It didn't seem reasonable.

In addition, Jake considered the possibility of someone wanting to harm Sarah. According to the director, two days ago, a black boat manned by a crew of hard looking men skimmed by within the distance of a rock toss. It spooked Sarah. She reported the incident. Not long after, Jake and Tony boarded the next plane to the Bahamas. While they were here, he might as well investigate himself. Maybe he could determine the root cause of the depleted fish populations.

Jake shrugged off his doubts concerning the potential danger to Sarah and zeroed in on the task at hand. Up ahead, he noticed a much larger outcropping. He approached the lone stand of coral, squinted, and tried to focus on a shape emerging against the reef. As he drew closer, it became clear the object wasn't natural to the environment.

Soon, a crisscross maze of vertical and horizontal lines appeared. The bars of a cage. He moved in for a closer inspection, finning around the strange discovery.

The cage lay on its side with two pontoons fixed to one end, with several gaping holes torn into the metal. The longer he examined the contraption, the more he suspected, when in use, the pontoons would've been on top with the cage section submerged underwater. It appeared designed to catch large fish, dolphins or sharks.

Jake studied the silt covered bars between the floats. In particular, he concentrated on four fist-sized bumps spaced several feet apart on one side of the cage. Hinges. The door would have given access to a marine specimen from an idling boat.

Suspicious.

In reality, that failed to describe the scene before him.

Jake reached to open the trap, but hesitated. Something sticking out from the sand caught his eye. He brushed most of the object clean, wrapped his fingers around it, and pulled it up for a closer look. It was a rod coated with flaky rust. He held the bar up to the sunlight filtering through the water. After a few seconds, he identified it as a lock pin for the trap's door.

He searched the immediate area for any other objects that might relate to the cage trap. After finding nothing of interest, he paused in front of the wreck and observed the fine silt clinging to its rectangular form.

He noticed the daylight dimming.

The sun dropped lower in the sky with each passing second. It wouldn't be long before it became difficult to see.

Jake gazed at the eroded bar in his hand. Tony would need to see it. Maybe tomorrow they could examine the site further. He raised the lock pin up for one last look before heading back.

His peripheral vision picked up a gleaming shape rushing toward him like a torpedo. He spun and shoved the bar out to protect his face.

A mouth full of jagged teeth clamped down on the rod—coming within inches of his dive mask. The force behind the vise-like bite drove him backwards and slammed his back into the cage. Pain knifed through his shoulder blade and radiated down his spine as he held his ground, the jaws of a giant fish biting down over and over.

Its long and shiny torso twisted sideways and pinned him to the cage. He fended off the ferocious creature with every ounce of strength in his body, but it became clear in seconds, he was no match for it underwater.

Jake angled the bar over his head and allowed the creature to rip it from his hands. It swept by and slapped him aside with its tail fin. He bounced off the seabed and rolled in slow motion through the water. When he stopped tumbling, he looked up and saw the creature making an arcing turn. It expelled the lock pin from its mouth and set its eyes on him.

He wrenched his head around, searching for an avenue of escape. Only one came to mind.

Jake burst through the water and darted for the cage. He gripped the trap door with both hands and tried to swing open its heavy frame. But the hinges wouldn't budge.

He yanked harder. This time it gave an inch.

He peered back at the creature. It closed the distance between them at a blazing speed, mouth wide, predator instinct fueling its frenzy. Jake clamped down on the bars—knuckles white, fingertips blood red—and jerked with every fiber of his being.