Dance Moms - Claudia (2) Sand and Wave

Chapter 32 : Search

JoJo traded the rented yacht for a smaller fishing boat, along with some diving equipments. The crew was paid handsomely to report their yacht taken by pirates, a lie they were happy to compile, consider the yacht belongs to the company and not them.

Diego and Isabella gave detail information of the location, but would not join their quest.

When you made a commitment to someone, you carry a certain responsibility, that you won't go risk your life for other things... Brooke's words ringing in her head.

Chloe admired Brooke and Isabella, leaving behind a life of violence and settled with their love ones, seeing their families was enough to melt her heart.

She wished to walk their paths too. She has lost her family, and there's nothing more she wanted than rebuilding one, to make everything right again, then Sam's word hit her like a punch to the guts.

You're a natural born warrior, Chloe, thirsting for violence and blood. It is your destiny to become who you are!

Looking back everything she lived through, they were nothing but trouble. "Trouble Magnet" was what her mother used to call her, that she always walked into unwanted situations, almost like a curse, and she didn't want to bring that curse to her love ones.

"Claudia, are you ready?" asked JoJo putting on her wetsuit.

Tilly and Camryn helped checking the diving gear, when JoJo, Chloe and Masha made ready for the night dive. Knowing nothing about diving, Emira was given the duty of helmsman.

"Why aren't you two going?" Emira sat at the helm eating her snacks.

"My arms are water-resistant, not waterproof."

"I'm claustrophobic."

"Claustrophobic?" Emira arched her brows. "And fear of height? How's that you're in the team and I'm not?"

"Do you have medical training?" JoJo asked.

"I'm good with people."

"We need combat skills, not a salesman."

"And definitely not a thief." Masha added.

"Hey, I was only showing you should place your things more carefully!"

"Please quiet down." Chloe grew annoying. "We don't want to draw attention."

After final check, the three divers sat on the stern of the fishing boat, secured a line to the cleat, kicked off their fins and fell back in the water.

In pitch black, they navigated by the display on their arms, a pre-programmed device that directs them through the submerged darkness.

They began heading south, traveling until the line attached to JoJo's hip began to tug, signaling they have reached the distance. They made a right turn, using the line as an anchor point, reversing their path in a curve.

Masha took out her scanner, squeeze the trigger to send out an ultra low frequency, like sonar it collects sounds bouncing off the surface and send back the data. Onboard the fishing boat, Tilly used its software to generate a three-dimensional map of the seafloor.

They continued travelling north until the line tighten again, JoJo tugged the line twice. From the boat Camryn let out more rope, freeing the divers for a wider sweep.

JoJo, Chloe and Masha continued scanning in a pendulum patterns, mapping further and further into the unknown. Through night vision in her diving helmet, Chloe saw JoJo pointing at something to the left, the black and white image showed a sunken boat, on the starboard side hull was a big hole.

Traveling further they discovered more shipwrecks, all carrying similar damages. Onboard their boat, the images gave Tilly a chilling sense.

"My God... there are hundreds." she gasped. "It's like a grave yard!"

"What's that?" Emira tapped a yellow patch on the generating map.

"Steel." Tilly answered. "And wood is red. When sound bounces off different textures, the system tries to interpret it to the closest elements."

By time they mapped out a fifty meter radius, from darkness came a metallic shriek, so sharp it hurts the eardrums. They all panicked and turned to JoJo, she was shaking her head.

"Problem." she balanced an open palm from side to side, and gave a thumb up. "End of dive now"

JoJo tugged hard on the line three times, on the boat Camryn, Tilly and Emira began pulling hard, trying to retrieve their friends as quick as possible.

On the other end, Chloe and Masha climbing the line after JoJo, they didn't know what was going on, but they trust each other without doubt. Suddenly they heard motor running, in water sound travels loud and far, they looked up and saw a shadow rode pass their heads and towards the fishing boat.

"Stop!" Emira yelled to her team as she saw two speedboats coming from either side, each shining a blinding spotlight at them.

Behind the spotlights she could make out men with assault rifles, pointing at them and shouting in some native language. She quickly untied the line and threw it overboard.

"But JoJo and..."

"Be quite!" Emira told Camryn. "Better us than all of us!"

The three raised their hands as armed men boarded the fishing boat. From a distance, JoJo, Chloe and Masha watched helplessly as their friends captured, and their boat towed into the night.