THE TITAN EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER 18 - The Dive (Phoenix Drake)

The catamaran speedboat hugged the cobalt waves, thundering atop the water like a streamlined rocket on its way to the moon. A pair of hydro engines powered the twin hulls, churning a frothy wake and propelling the vessel toward the destination of today's dive, an old shipwreck off the coast of Baja California, Mexico in the Sea of Cortez. Phoenix Drake leaned into the invigorating headwind, hunching his shoulders over the steering wheel while holding the throttle lever to the max. A devilish grin stretched across his brown cheeks, eyes squinting against the wind. He lived for the adrenaline rush of speed and always wanted to go faster. It was in his blood, his life.

The vivid sky raced across the horizon ahead of the sleek craft, meeting the water in the distance—the curvature of the Earth visible—even with the jagged edges of the coastline rising from the desert terrain off the starboard bow. Overhead, the sun shined in the high noon sky, heating the seascape and the surrounding mountains.

The smell of salt water permeated the atmosphere, relaxing and energizing him.

Phoenix craned his neck back to glimpse the turquoise eyes of Nova Kailani. Normally, her irises appeared a darker shade of green with a splash of brown. Today, she wore contacts for a striking greenish-blue effect. A smile brightened her face as her hands clutched the safety bar in front of her. She had an inviting look about her; she was from Hawaii, her dark hair wind-blown, flowing behind her, revealing her smooth bronze neckline. He couldn't stare at her enough. Every glance stole his breath and made his heartbeat faster.

She gave him a different adrenaline rush.

Phoenix swallowed the lump in his throat. Felt heat flush his body that didn't come from the sun and tropical climate. For a moment, he felt like they were the only two in the boat, but Callisto Tenzing was behind him, his complexion as white as the catamaran's double hull. Evidently, his stomach was rolling like the milky wake behind the boat... Phoenix knew his friend all too well.

To the left of the steering wheel, a red dot pulsated on the view-finding screen, revealing their dive site, half a klick away, one hundred yards from the barren coast—the length of a football field. The comparison was easy since he had played quarterback for the Naval Academy. An All-American, he had come up half a yard short of a national championship in overtime against Notre Dame. The memory stung, but failure drove him to push harder and to go faster.

Phoenix nudged the wheel a quarter turn to the right, angling the vessel into a slight starboard wind. As they drew near to the wreck site, he eased off the speed and coasted, until the catamaran drifted, water slapping the sides with mild splashes.

Coming to a gradual stop, he touched a button on the view-finder screen and activated the anchor. In front of the bow, the hefty triangular chunk of metal plunked into the sea and descended to the sandy bottom. It had been months since their last vacation leave from the military, and it was what Phoenix needed to recharge his body and mind. They had done enough hiking the past two days in the arid wilderness, and he had enjoyed it, but he needed something more. It was Sunday, the last day of their adventure weekend, and the thought of a dive primed him for action.

Phoenix rose from the captain's chair and twisted sideways, passing between Nova and Callisto. "Let's do this." His voice boomed over the whipping breeze and the waves licking the hull.

"I'm all in." Nova fell in line behind him.

Phoenix slapped Callisto's shoulder. "Come on, you'll be okay. Your stomach should mellow out once you hit the water."

His friend squinted at him. "You didn't have to race out here like a bat out of Hades."

"You mean, hell," Phoenix said with a wide grin, and then nodded toward the storage compartment in the stern. When Callisto didn't move, Phoenix left him sitting in the chair. "Get your similes straight."