Echoes of the Past

Chapter 5: into the Abyss

On board, Edward quickly traded his T-shirt and jeans for a wetsuit while Mary who was already geared up, was busy setting her laptop on one of the plastic crate cluttering the deck.

"Hey Tatcher!" she called. "Do you mind taking the helm for a moment and taking us in circles around the era? "

Edward motioned to the computer, intrigued. "What's that all about?" he asked as Tatcher made his way toward the helm.

"Well, after you hired me yesterday, I figured we had two options for tonight. Either waste some precious time searching the seabed ourselves like two complete morons or, simply, use this..." She pressed a few keys and turned the computer toward him. On the screen, a detailed image ocean floor began to form in bright colours.

"Wait, you have a sonar unit on board?" He shot her an impressed look. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

" Notice that, did yah," she said with a playful wink before returning her attention to the monitor.

Edward sat behind her and began scrutinizing the screen over her shoulder. As the boat circled the perimeter, the picture of the seabed below them grew bigger and more detailed, until it finally revealing a long mass stuck between two parts of the reefs. A mass that looked like large ship.

"Ed, I think we got it," said Edward raising his fist in the air in sign of victory. "You can cut the motor."

Quitting his post at the helm, Tatcher quickly joined them on deck.

"So what do we have here?" he asked.

Mary pointed at the screen. "That's definitely a wreck of some sort. About 80 feet below." She paused and pressed a few keys making a small window pop at the bottom of the screen with more detailed informations. "It's about 60 meters long. How big was the ship you guys are looking for?"

Edward and Tatcher exchanged a sheepish look. "We don't know for sure."

"All right... was it a English ship or a Spanish ship?"

"We don't know that either," admitted Edward.

"It's part of what we are trying to figure out," said Tatcher.

"So, can you guys tell me how you learned the exact location of a ship you know nothing about and how do you know there is something valuable in there?"

Edward and Tatcher kept silent, both searching for a believable story to spin. Mary watched them struggling like two fishes out of the water, rolling her eyes.
"If you don't trust me enough to tell me everything, just say it," she said. "It's fine. Just don't take me for the fool I'm not."

Edward looked down, a strange pang of guilt gnawing at him. Doubting others had always been his default mode, the unavoidable result of a difficult childhood and of his chosen career. It wasn't something he normally questioned or felt guilty about. To the contrary, he viewed it as a necessary precaution. Yet, in this instant, their open distrust of Mary made him feel like the scum of earth. He sighted. Of all the times to grow a conscience.

"We can't tell you everything. Not yet." He took a deep breath, peeling his gaze from his neopren boots. "We know about this ship because it sunk during a confrontation with an other vessel. We're looking for informations on why the other ship was attacked and who lead the attack."

"So, it's the other ship you guys are really interested in? The one that got away?"

Edward nodded, unsure if he could say anymore.