“All right. Rotate the joystick until you’re happy, then nudge it forward. Slow movements, remember.”
She did as he said, and immediately the reassuring figure of his suit slid from before her visor to one side. He was her only point of reference, and she had to fight down her panic as he disappeared.
It was irrational, and she knew it was.You’re stronger than this, Cally. Get a grip.
Brent drifted back before her in moments, their orientation reestablished. “Good. On track now?”
“Yes.”
“Great. So, just to make you aware, I do have a bit of a problem.”
Cally clenched her jaw. “Define ‘bit’.”
“My HUD is flickering. I don’t know how old these suits are, or how well they’ve been maintained.”
“That’s not a comfort.”
“Well, no. But it’s also not a major issue. I may just need you to check my attitude from time to time.”
“Your attitude leans negative, though occasionally you can be nice. I haven’t forgotten the ‘little rabbit’ comment.”
There was a pause before Brent spoke again. “I meant my orientation in 3-D space.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Another pause. “You’re still taking it seriously, right?”
“Trust me, I’ve never taken anything more seriously in my life. But humor is a defense mechanism.”
“Only if it’s funny.”
Cally ignored that one, choosing to focus on the bond as the depth gauge passed 900 feet. “These things are rated to a thousand, right?”
“Yes, in theory.”
“What do you mean, ‘in theory’?”
“Well, they probably won’t implode as soon as you hit 1,001, but the deeper we go the more we might get problems. One of my thrusters is sticky.”
“Jesus, Brent. What the hell does that mean? Are you all right?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s just down a bit on power, sluggish to respond. Probably worn propellers or motor bearings. It’s not life threatening.”
“We can’t have much farther to go.” The bond still pulled from directly beneath.
“Let me check.” He tilted forward, his lights pointing down. Cally paused her descent, keeping herself level with him. “Nothing yet. There’s still open water beneath us.”
“We’re already at 950 feet.”
“Some places are deeper than others.”
That wasn’t comforting.Come on, Antoine. Where are you?“My bond says we’re right above him.”
“You can’t sense distance, right?”
“No, I—” Cally broke off. Shecouldsense something different: an impression of Antoine’s proximity. Hadn’t Gabe said she’d be able to tell when she got close enough? “Maybe. We must be really close.”
“Then let’s slow it down. We don’t want to risk hitting rocks beneath us. Twenty-five feet increments, checking again.”
