Phantom Prospect

“He’ll be killed!” Annja shrieked.

But Tom held up his hand and shook his head. “I know it certainly looks like that, but wait and see.”

Annja could hardly breathe. She watched as Cole, who must have left his oxygen tank in the cage, swam with just a mask and snorkel within feet of the cruising predators. And while the ocean still held streaks of red and bits of tuna, curiously the great whites seemed to be almost nonchalant about Cole’s presence.

After ten minutes of free swimming, Cole climbed over the side of the boat, his flippers touching the deck while a huge smile blossomed across his face. “That was an adrenaline rush.”

Annja watched him lean back, the smile growing wider by the second. “You really didn’t have to do that,” she said.

He shrugged. “Free diving with them is an important part of the research for me. Along with their hierarchy, I also need to know how they behave when there’s a human in the water with more than one of them.”

“Yes, but you had no speargun, no backup. If they had turned on you at any moment—”

As if underscoring that fact, one of the big fish suddenly slammed into the side of the boat, splashing the water with its tail. Cole caught a shower of spray and wiped his face. “I think that was Martha,” he said.

“You named them?”

“You get to know the distinctive shapes of their dorsal fins,” Cole said. “And for me, it helps to establish that bond so I don’t view them as mindless killing machines. Surely you noticed that, too?”

Annja grinned. “It was exhilarating, but I wouldn’t ever recommend doing what you just did to anyone.”

“Neither would I. But I have to control my own life. My destiny is always in my hands, not in the hands of someone else. That’s what I love about my life so much. I make my own decisions. I know you understand that.”

I used to, Annja thought. She watched one of the sharks break away from the boat suddenly and disappear into the depths.

Cole noticed, too. “They’re bored now that there’s nothing in the water.”

“No more food?”

Cole sighed. “Sometimes I think it’s not just about the food with them. I think they realize that we’re curious and want to know more about them. They’re active in the research as much as I am.”

“I don’t know,” Annja said. “I think that sounds sort of insane, but then again, I didn’t just swim naked with them like you did.”

Cole laughed. “Annja, if you swim naked with anything, you’ll get eaten right away.”

“Flattery will get you killed, Cole.”

He winked at her. “Well, maybe.”

They set about winching the cage back on board the boat and secured it to the deck. Cole patted it. “I told you that nothing would happen while you were inside. Didn’t you have a blast?”

“I hate to admit it, but I did. They were fascinating to watch. I could see how they tried to mouth the tuna first before chomping into it.”

Cole nodded. “Exactly—they’re smart. Not a lot of people give them credit for that. Oh, sure, scientists and researchers do, but the general public is still a long way from realizing how intelligent these fish are.”

“Can you blame them?”

“No, not when they’ve been exposed to so much fallacy. But if people knew how close they swim in proximity to these fish without ever being attacked, I think that would go far toward raising people’s consciousness.”

“You won’t change opinions overnight.”

“No, I suppose not. But we can expose people through research. Look at what we accomplished today, for instance. I got you to change your mind about them, didn’t I?”

“Somewhat. I’m still terrified,” Annja said.

Cole patted her arm. “No worries. We’ll have you free swimming with them soon enough.”

Annja shook her head. “There is no way in hell I will ever do that, pal. Put that one out of your mind right now.”

Cole laughed. “Okay, okay. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

“Absolutely. But this is the fourth time I’ve done it. The first was really terrifying. But when you get out there and touch them—”

“Touch them!”

“I give them a pat every now and again. I can grab their dorsal fins for a ride once in a while, as well.”

“Good God.”

“Once you do that,” Cole said, “it just becomes this marvelous experience. I can’t explain it without you doing it.”

Annja nodded. “Yeah, well, that will have to be one experience I don’t go through.”

Tom called down from the wheelhouse. “We set to go?”

Cole nodded. “Fire ’er up.”

The engines on the boat kicked into gear and the water behind churned into a frothy white of sea and spray. Wind blew through Annja’s hair, drying it as she held on while the research vessel skipped over the waves back toward shore.

Cole busied himself jotting down notes on his observations. Annja went inside the cabin and changed back into her clothes. When she reemerged, Cole was still making notes. He glanced up at her.

“How about dinner tonight? I know a little Italian place with a fantastic wine selection and a veal cutlet to die for.”

Annja nodded. “I’m starving, actually.”

Cole finished his notes. “Great, I’ll go make the call.”

Annja followed him into the wheelhouse. Tom stood behind the wheel. He looked a lot younger than his twenty-four years. Fresh out of college with a degree in marine biology, Cole had scooped him up as his assistant and they’d been fast friends ever since. He smiled at Annja as she came in. “Feeling a bit more human again?”

“I need a shower to do that,” Annja said. “This salt water is probably not doing wonders for my hair.”

“Looks fine to me.”

Cole elbowed him. “Mind your manners, boy.”

Tom chuckled. “Why would I let the old guy have all the fun?”