We Promised

Chapter 9

The black camera struggles to latch onto the nylon chest piece. I adjust the body cam in annoyance, slamming the earpiece into my ear. "Blayne, is this necessary? I've been on missions like this before." His muffled voice becomes clear and he speaks angrily. "Ilvera, I will not hear anymore. Fix the bodycam." I curl my lip in anger but I know he won't budge. I press the power button on the bodycam. "I'm attached to the hook." There's only a wire keeping me and Jax from being by ourselves in the ocean once we jump. The entrance to the control center is underwater. Once we get in, we will stop for a breath. Afterward, we'll head to where the pipeline broke and seal the hole. Piece of cake. "Be careful, Ilvera. You've got this," Blayne says. I take a big, trembling breath, making sure Jax's string is attached to the grappling dispenser and we take our place on the open ramp of the Bird.

The wind whistles by our ears, teasing us, and I tighten my grip on the chord holding me from a plummet so many feet down. It's attached, everything is fine. The captain gives the thumbs up and Jaxon jumps without hesitation, pulling me with him. "JAXON!" I shout. He screams with excitement, folding his arms over his chest to fall faster. "Open your eyes," he says in my ear with a chuckle. The water hits me like a big block of cement and I gasp. Miles and miles of ocean send cold fingers down my spine. If we drop here, we will float to the bottom of the sea like nothing. Or worse, something could kill us before we drown.

The pilot doesn't bother to ease the drop, and I gather my thoughts together once the disorientation wears off. I swim as fast as I can to the underwater structure, searching for lights that shine like a beacon in the dark stillness of the waters. The arms of the building stretch out like a cross, and the body continues downward, into depths I can't see. The lack of air burns at my lungs as I go deeper, and I grab onto the metal bars of the building, letting it guide me under a wall block. My ears pop under the pressure and I grasp at the latch, hauling myself out of the moonpool. I tumble onto the grated flooring, coughing the sea out of my lungs. Blayne assaults my ears, his voice filled with concern. "Are you okay? Do I need to send someone down there?" I glance into the depths, waiting for his black hair to bob up to the surface. "Jax?" I ask nervously. What if he drowned? "I'm fine," he says, leaning against one of the walls and I let out a sigh of relief. Amusement emanates from his features and I frown. "I was about to go back down there and get you." I brush back his hair, the locks casting scary shadows across his face. I turn away, focusing on the task at hand. "Blayne, lead us to the pipe."

"Take some scuba gear you're going to need some. It's in the far corner of the room you're in." The gear catches my attention, oxygen tanks and wires hanging out of the pressurized container. Jaxon seems to be doing well despite his lack of training but I'm worried for myself. This should be an easy, quick task but I'm struggling. It's been a while since I've trained with Blayne so I'm having a hard time getting in and out without a problem. If I had been learning with my other siblings during the month I was gone, this would have been easier for me.

My legs hang over the ledge as I prepare for another dive, grabbing Jax's hand. He nods, telling me he's ready, and we ease beneath the surface, letting our weight carry us down. My head whips back and forth in frenetic motion, searching for creatures that might make us their next meal. "You left the paste in the bird, Ilvera." I hear his irritation through the comms. Jax's eyes search for mine, questioning why we've stopped. "Ilvera, your going to have to use your abilities. Turn your bodycam off." I do as Blayne says, feeling the button click. Jax pulls me with him, his muscles and strength able to smoothly glide us through the water. He stops at the pipe gushing soot, oil, and murky water all at once. The pressure is so strong I can feel it repelling me as if I was unwelcome. I feel the atoms in the steel, broken apart from unknown causes. I pull at the two bent flaps, connecting the metal like connecting dots with a line. Green cuts through the darkness, welding the pieces together like a puzzle with its heat. I watch it melt together, and I run my hands over the rusting steel.