Lost City

"Bobbing Along"

"Sang, be careful with that. It's expensive." Phil calls over his shoulder. How he knew I was lifting the this particular box I'll never know.

"When am I not careful, Phil?" I ask even as I tighten my grip on the small box holding the comms.

"I'm not going to answer that one. I care to much for my life."

We both huff a laugh before continuing our work in silence. With practiced ease we fit the extra masks with new communication devices and place them on the wall next to the others.

I step away and begin double checking the extra gear I'll be taking with me today. The commercial grade water propulsion device takes up a third of the space on the small dining table. We call it a Squid because of its shape before the camera and light are attached. I've been trying to decide if anyone will notice if I etch the deathly hallows or the word giant on it. Then I can say I have the giant squid pulling me around.

I flick the switch and the motor turns over, giving power to the blades. Another switch and the light turns on. "This looks ready," I say as I turn it off, "the camera needs to be checked by you though. Jay and I think it's ready, but it is a new model and we figured you would want to look it over."

Phil grunts and moves to coffee table to check the new camera and mount. "So you'll have the camera on your mask and this one attached to the Squid. That should get you through the cave system faster. You have the dual valve for the two tanks. We're lucky it's the cave closest to the surface otherwise we'd need a bigger boat for the ADS. If there's an open cave check to see if the air is breathable before you take off your mask. I don't want to lose my closest family because she did something stupid."

A small smile lifts my lips and I glance back at his seated figure. "Don't worry Old Man. I know how to dive." I grin at him before my smile softens. "I promise to be safe. Nothing is worth leaving you behind."

"That's my girl." Phil says quietly, his warm eyes meeting mine.

"Why are we so serious?" Karen's loud voice interrupts us. Phil and I grin at each other before we look at the doorway where Karen and Jay are now standing. "We have a city to find!" She bounces into the room as Jay follows silently behind.

Phil jumps up from the couch and we join the two of them at the electronic table. "Okay," He begins, "We're here now and in an hour you'll dive, Sang." He looks up and I nod in agreement. "Take your time adjusting to the pressure. No need to end early because you were rushing. Once you're in the cave use the Squid to move quicker. We don't know if it's going to deepen or stay level. Watch your meter and keep an eye on the time." I nod again and he moves on. "Jay, you'll be watching the meters and the map up here and Karen has the video feed. I'll cover comms. If, no, when you find something you'll come back up and we'll send you back down with Jay tomorrow. This is it folks. This is what we've been waiting for!"

Karen and I whoop in excitement and even Jay is smiling, which is momentous in and of itself. We are this close to discovery!

The next hour passes quickly. I'm geared up and everyone has tested their stations. The three of them are staying inside the cabin while I sit on the edge of the boat, ready to return to the water. As soon as Phil walks out to give the okay I tip backwards and land with a familiar splash. G*ds, this is why I never want to leave. A second whorl of white lands next to me as the Squid drops into the water and I clip it to my new harness.

"Alright mermaid, get to swimming." Phil's voice breaks through the speaker in my mask. "Go find something Rocky can be excited for."

"Aye aye, captain." I grin, humming happily as I quickly drop the first level.

"You should see the booster soon. Make sure you clip your umbilical to it. Don't want to lose you down there."

A large, rounded, waterproof box floats into view and I quickly attach the cord that would act as my lifeline. The booster was made to pick up the break in communication as well as send the video and sonar feeds back to the ship.

Dropping the last few feet, I gaze into the opening of the cave. Blue light fades to black the further I look. Well, I can't find anything just by looking. I grab the Squid and pull it in front of me. A flip of the switches and the blades and light turn on.

"How pleasant, bobbing along..." I begin singing quietly. "Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea.."

"Oh thank the g*ds! She's not singing Little Mermaid!" Phil exclaims in my ear.

The light on the squid shakes as I laugh. "I could sing that one if you want Phil, but I thought you'd appreciate an oldie like you."

"You imp, I'm not that old. Just get back to swimming. It's all you're good for." I can hear the laughter in his voice and it makes me smile.

"Well fine then. I'll just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Phil's sigh echoes in my ear.

We laugh a little more before I go back to humming the old Bedknobs and Broomsticks song. Bubbles escape from my mask, illuminated by my headlamp. My hands vibrate from the Squid and the cave walls pass in a slight blur.

"Okay, I'm just about past the point I found the coin. I'm going to switch to a lower speed so we don't miss anything."

I get the okay from Phil and drop the Squid to the slowest speed. My head sways back and forth to catch as much of the cavern as I can on camera. Karen is watching the feed to catch anything I miss. A small box attached to my chest is transmitting the video and the info from the sonar scanner back to the booster.

"Go back a few feet, Sang. Karen saw something golden." With a quick flick I shut off the Squid and swim back. "Almost... there! Look to your right."

I do as he says and find what he was talking about. Another coin is sitting uncovered by the squids current. After bagging it I pull out a tube. I might as well get a sample for Rocky while I've stopped. Oh, I guess I'll find two more too. That's a nice surprise.

"We must be close to whatever this place is." I say, pushing more sediment around to find even more. "There are several coins here. It might be better to come back with the vacuum. I'm going to put a flag here for when we return."

"That's fine." Phil says, sounding far away as if he's distracted. "Sang, Jay says there's a cave in up ahead, maybe 20 feet. There is a small opening in it, but the sonar can't get through it yet. If you're able, try and open it as much as you can. If not, stick the scanner in there so we can map it. Jay can help you move it tomorrow."

I hum in compliance and start the Squid again. Just as Phil said, a wall of rock blocks my way. The opening isn't as small as I thought it would be, but it's still not large enough for me to swim through with my gear on.

"Give me a few minutes to try and open it some more."

My heart beats heavily as I move the rocks and I know it's not only the physical effort that's causing it. This might be it. The City of the Atlas might be behind theses rocks and I'll be the first to see it since it disappeared.

A few more tugs and a large stone falls, bringing smaller ones with it. Debri floats everywhere, catching on the flashlight and obscuring my view. I barely let it thin before swimming forward. Only feet above the cave in is the edge of the water. Somehow this cavern didn't fill with water. I break the surface the same moment the sonar scanner sends out another image. I gasp the same time Phil does in my ear. Unknown to me, all four of my team says the same thing together.

"Holy sh*t..."

*****

Hey!

So I know you all missed me. ;) J.K., I'm just a terrible author who had some really bad writers block. I've also been sick for way to long so I'm glad to be back!

She made it to the cave! What do you guys think will happen next?

Till next time,
BijinMum.