Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 7

Sarah Lawson finned through the water, her body gliding over the coral reef, the underwater camera pointed down at the passing scenery. Fitted with a multitude of sensors, the dual-handled device sampled the surrounding water and revealed its findings on a bright display. But even with the specially designed apparatus, she couldn't pinpoint the problem.

Healthy coral was the only sign of marine life to be found along the southeastern shores of Nassau and the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort. On the northern tip of the island, there was a wide variety of life, but not here. Seemingly, an invisible force had snatched up the fish one by one until at last none remained.

Prior to Sarah's arrival, the director informed her of the people who went missing in the water. Several predators could have been responsible for the disappearances, but not for the lack of fish.

She raised a leg and swished a fin down to gain momentum.

Sarah spent the better part of three days combing the offshore region, recording every dive and reporting back daily to her special operations director with the same dismal news of an underwater environment with an abundance of healthy, thriving coral, but no fish.

The reports of the depleted populations originated from the area's wealthy vacationers—turned part-time fishermen—who roamed the turquoise waters of the Western Atlantic when not state side. The tourists had a lot of money. When something affected their way of life; they spoke out and often got results. Anywhere else she could have taken her time and performed a thorough investigation, lasting weeks, not days. But here, the pressure mounted, and she had no choice. She had to please these spoiled people, or Sea Lab International's image risked being tarnished.

Sarah reminded herself, across the bay bridge from Nassau, a vacationer experienced a fantastic world comprising pools, water parks, beaches, five-star restaurants, a golf course, and one of the world's largest saltwater aquariums. A large marina contained an influx of million dollar yachts and a wide assortment of fishing boats available for charter. To top it off, a luxurious bridge suite connected the two main towers of the resort, reserved years in advance by those with six figures to blow. It was the place of Hollywood films and best-selling novels. It was paradise. But not today, not underwater at least.

Sarah veered out to sea, made a u-turn and swam north toward her boat. She had been under for over forty minutes, draining most of her air. Late in the day now, she figured her field assistant wanted to pack it in too. She pressed the talk button on the side of her communication headset.

"Ben, you there?" Sarah released the yellow button to allow him to speak from the surface. When he didn't answer, she tried again, drawing out the word 'Hello' in a more comical tone. "Hell-low, Ben, come in."

Still no reply.

"Are you staring at bikinis again?"

"Sorry," Ben Porter said. "I've been watching two divers on a boat north of us."

"In bikinis?"

"No, they're in dive suits. Listen, it was strange. I caught one of them looking at me with binoculars. He knew I was onto him too because he tried to act all nonchalant about it. Anyway, the first diver must have run into a problem because his friend hit the water in a hurry. I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they're fine. Are you monitoring the data I'm sending you?"

"On it," Ben said. "But there's nothing to report. The pH is normal. Water temperature is too. Pollution levels are less than one part per billion. The conditions are pristine."