“That could change.” Annie’s voice was soft but full of quiet authority that made everyone look at her as she stood beside Mano and surveyed the area. “We’ve been recording earthquake swarms right here of the frequency and magnitude that preceded the last event at Mauna Loa. I’m going to take samples and check it out. But don’t get your hopes set on excavating this wreck. You need to stay smart about it.”
Silence greeted her words. Something lurked under the choppy seas, but was it fame and fortune or a nightmarish scene out of Dante’s Inferno? They needed to go down, but he knew none of them really wanted to do it.
“Let’s get down there now, then.” Ron began to pull on his wet suit. The rest of the crew hurriedly began to prepare for the dive. They trooped down to the platform near the water. Nani per-formed a leap off the bow of the ship and splashed Shaina as she was preparing to jump into the water. The dolphin rose and chattered in an agitated manner.
“Sounds like she has something she wants to say.” Kaia opened the backpack she’d brought down and grabbed the hydrophone contraption she used to communicate with Nani. “You remember how to use this?”
“Sure.”
She handed it to Bane. “You handle it. I need to leave tomorrow, and you’ll be on your own with her.”
He nodded and dropped the communication device into the water. He typed, “Hello, Nani.” The hydrophone picked up a series of clicks, then the computer display read: DANGER HOT. He looked up at his sister. “This doesn’t sound good. Is she serious?”
“I’m sure she is.” Kaia’s gaze met Annie’s. “Annie, could you call the observatory and see what they’re picking up?”
“I was just about to do that.” Annie went to her satchel and dug out her cell phone.
Leia’s blue eyes were wide as she stepped close to Bane. “Do you think it’s safe to go down?” She tipped a wide smile his way and fingered the tiny scar on her lip.
“I hope so. We haven’t even begun to figure out this thing. It would be a huge disappointment to have come this far only to have it all fall apart just as we’re about to investigate. What do you think? You tend to run tilting at windmills with no help.”
“I don’t like to be a scaredycat,” she admitted.
“It comes from being the oldest. We older siblings grow up believing we have to handle things. You take it to extremes though. It’s okay to lean on someone once in awhile. Like me, for instance.”
She looked away, and he wondered what she was thinking. When he stood outside with her after the luau, the electricity bounding between them had been enough to power the Molokai’i Lighthouse.
Annie interrupted his thoughts by shoving a printout in his face. “There has been a huge swarm of quakes overnight. They tried to call me, but I was out of range. Fawn says to be careful. It might be hot down there.”
Bane winced. “We’d better not all go down. I’ll check it out, and if it’s safe, we’ll take a team down.”
“You can’t go alone.” Leia pulled her face mask down and went to the exit ramp.
“I’m going too.” Annie followed her. “I need samples.”
“You’re not going into danger without me,” Mano objected.
“Well, I’m not going down.” Jermaine folded his arms over his chest.
“Count me out,” Shaina said. “Volcanoes scare me.”
“Ho’olohe. Just let me go take a look by myself. We don’t all need to be in danger.”
“Give it up, Bane,” Leia said. “We’re going.” She went into the water, and her bubbles rose to the surface.
He shook his head and got into his gear. Holding on to his mask, Bane jumped into the water. The warm waves welcomed him in a salty bath. Nani brushed against him, and he grabbed her dorsal fin and dove with her. At least he could get there before the rest and check out the level of danger. He located the mound of lobe coral to orient himself to his location. The water temperature seemed to stay level, and he took encouragement from the fact until he noticed how few fish were here.
He passed the cave but didn’t spare it a glance today with his focus on the state of the developing cracks. He located the one that ran from the cave toward the drop-off, then swam along it. It seemed to have stayed the same width. He noticed a crack that veered off from it and decided to follow it. Nani followed along beside him, but she was showing signs of agitation: rolling over in the water, darting in front of him as though to bar his advance. He knew the danger must be along this crack, so he slowed his speed and peered ahead as far as he could see.
The water began to feel warmer. The clear visibility dropped to less than fifty feet, then to less than thirty. He checked his dive computer. He was at about sixty feet.