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The only hopeful sign came from their external pressure reading. It had been steadily dropping. Bryan had to keep blowing ballast to adjust their buoyancy. It indicated that they must be edging upward. The external pressure was currently at 15,000 psi, which would place them at a depth of around ten thousand meters.
“We have to be close,” Phoebe said. “The island was only eight miles from theTitan X’s position. And by the time we exited the first huge cavern, we had already crossed two miles off that distance. We must be nearing the island’s waters by now.”
“Even if that was true,” Adam said, “how do we get up there? The sonar’s not picked up a single gap, crack, or seam in the roof over our heads. Just endless rock.”
Phoebe sighed and pointed. “Then we keep going. We have no choice.”
Bryan engaged the thrusters and set them gliding forward. Their motion drew the attention of a few passing polyps. They spun closer, casting an inquiring eye inside at the sphere, then sped off with a whip of their bodies.
More followed and cascaded around them, flashing and streaming with lights. She read some urgency in their pattern, but it was likely only a reflection of her own tension.
“Must be rush hour,” Bryan mumbled.
Phoebe grinned—then noted that he was right. She ignored the sonar and studied the growing river running alongside them. She might have dismissed it, except the polyps were all blinking the same urgent pattern as the first couple.
Bryan started to drift theCormorantaway, to get out of the traffic flow.
Phoebe reached over and pushed the yoke back. “Follow them!”
Adam leaned forward. “What is it?”
She ignored him and donned the acoustic headphones. The chorusof the coral forest filled her head. She squinted, trying to pick up a deeper tone, but it was too noisy.
Ahead, a branch of nesting polyps shot high and dove into the flow.
Adam touched her shoulder. “Phoebe?”
She pulled off the headphones and turned to him. “The way the polyps are flashing, the army that’s building. It’s like back at the first cavern, when they bunched at the fringe of the irradiated forest.”
Datuk understood. “They’re responding the same way. Likely to the same signal.”
“The roaring that Monk transmitted to us,” Adam said.
“He was planning on broadcasting that same signal over the waters of Raoul Island.” Phoebe searched ahead. “I think the creatures are hearing it now, heeding that siren’s call like before.”
Adam sat straighter. “Then they could lead us out of here.”
“I’m not waiting.” Bryan tilted theCormorantand maxed their thrusters. “Don’t wanna get left behind.”
They followed that shining river, chased by rainbows in their wake. The flock swept into a far tunnel, across a smaller cavern, and up a long spiraling rift.
Bryan blew ballast to keep up.
Phoebe flashed their lights, roughly in synch with the polyps, trying to signal her intention:We’re coming, too.
They reached the end of the spiral and exited into a bowl-shaped cavern. It was full of giant coral, but its nests were mostly empty. Only a few handfuls of polyps spun and drifted through this dark forest.
Adam lunged forward and tapped at the sonar screen. It showed a map of the roof above. “A seam! Right there!”
Bryan eyed the dark shadow and sat straighter. “Emptying all ballast.”
TheCormorantsailed upward. The vehicle spun as it ascended. A luminous tide of polyps rode along with them. They raced together toward that crack in the roof.
Phoebe watched the polyps. She knew these creatures could travel much faster.
“They’re staying with us,” she realized. “They don’t want us to fall behind.”
Adam pointed. “We’re approaching the seam. Looks like it’ll be a snug fit.”
