Its brightness was intensified a hundredfold by the outside camera.
“My god,” said Tsu. “It looks like we’re flying over a city.”
Johnny laughed. “I told you, Tsu,” he said. “The recordings just can’t do the reef justice.”
Below them, perhaps a quarter kilometer away, was a shadowy cloud-like mass laced with creatures or colonies of creatures flickering with biochemical light. There was a sudden blinding flash of lightning, and the reef went dark as far as the eye could see.
“Ah,” sighed Johnny. “The cycle of the reef. I’m switching on the outside microphones. It’s time we introduced Connie to the music of the reef.”
“The hummers.” Mary tapped the back of Tsu’s seat. “They’ll be the first ones you’ll hear.”
Everyone listened for a moment. The only audible sound outside was the soft whine of Diver’s engines and the wind moving past the ship. “What?” said Tsu. “What am I supposed to be hearing?”
“Just listen,” whispered Alex.
As if on cue a humming sound, like a note from a musical instrument, could be heard in the darkness. Almost immediately another voice like it, but with a different musical tone, joined the first as if the two were singing together.
“Watch the reef, Tsu,” Johnny said.
“I see them,” said Tsu, excitedly. “Tiny pools of light! Those are the hummers.”
“Yup. Hummers scaring up their dinner,” offered Alex. “The lightning seems to make the reef critters turn off their lights for some reason. The hummers light it up with sound.”
“We don’t know why the luminescing stops,” added the Professor. “I think it has to do with the sudden electrical charge … or the noise … of the lightning. Hummers produce sound to find food. We think it activates bioluminescence in the tiny critters they feed on. When we first observed them we thought the hummer’s sound frightened them, making them glow. But after study we believe the sound actually soothes them, making them feel it’s safe to light up again, I suppose.”
“Interesting,” said Tsu, trying to watch the screen and the ship’s instruments at the same time. “I remember them from your recordings.”
“We’re getting close, Connie,” advised Johnny. “Time to level her off.”
Tsu nodded. “Leveling to zero degrees.”
“Cruise until we find a target,” added the Professor.
Alex noticed Tsu was having difficulty watching the reef and Diver’s instruments at the same time. “Why not let me take the stick for a while, Connie,” he suggested cheerfully. “This is your first visit and you might not get another chance to see it. Relax and enjoy the view.”
“Okay,” said Tsu, relaxing her grip on the drive stick. “Thanks.” Her eyes widened as she gazed at the screen. She smiled. “Watching from the Cornwall … your recordings … they didn’t really do this place justice.” She looked at Alex. “How did you know life was here, in the middle of a giant storm?”
He smiled. “I had a hunch. Whirlpools collect things.”
“Oh, admit it, Alex,” Mary said.
“Admit what?”
“It called to you,” said Mary Seventeen.
2 It felt good to be flying Diver again, but now it was Alex who had to keep an eye on the instruments and on the reef, not Connie Tsu. She had taken them as far as the reef. Now it was Alex’s turn.
He had two views of the reef to choose from: the cockpit windows or the viewscreen above them. The view through the windows was too dim to be seen reliably, so Alex kept his eye on the screen. On it he could see in detail the great reef’s dark rolling mass stretching off into the distance. He could see the clouds of glowing biota living in it and surrounding it. Everywhere one looked, flocks of flying or swimming creatures could be seen diving in and out of the darkened landscape. Here and there, strange movements betrayed the location of creatures living in it.
As Alex watched the reef move beneath them on the large
“My god,” said Tsu. “It looks like we’re flying over a city.”
Johnny laughed. “I told you, Tsu,” he said. “The recordings just can’t do the reef justice.”
Below them, perhaps a quarter kilometer away, was a shadowy cloud-like mass laced with creatures or colonies of creatures flickering with biochemical light. There was a sudden blinding flash of lightning, and the reef went dark as far as the eye could see.
“Ah,” sighed Johnny. “The cycle of the reef. I’m switching on the outside microphones. It’s time we introduced Connie to the music of the reef.”
“The hummers.” Mary tapped the back of Tsu’s seat. “They’ll be the first ones you’ll hear.”
Everyone listened for a moment. The only audible sound outside was the soft whine of Diver’s engines and the wind moving past the ship. “What?” said Tsu. “What am I supposed to be hearing?”
“Just listen,” whispered Alex.
As if on cue a humming sound, like a note from a musical instrument, could be heard in the darkness. Almost immediately another voice like it, but with a different musical tone, joined the first as if the two were singing together.
“Watch the reef, Tsu,” Johnny said.
“I see them,” said Tsu, excitedly. “Tiny pools of light! Those are the hummers.”
“Yup. Hummers scaring up their dinner,” offered Alex. “The lightning seems to make the reef critters turn off their lights for some reason. The hummers light it up with sound.”
“We don’t know why the luminescing stops,” added the Professor. “I think it has to do with the sudden electrical charge … or the noise … of the lightning. Hummers produce sound to find food. We think it activates bioluminescence in the tiny critters they feed on. When we first observed them we thought the hummer’s sound frightened them, making them glow. But after study we believe the sound actually soothes them, making them feel it’s safe to light up again, I suppose.”
“Interesting,” said Tsu, trying to watch the screen and the ship’s instruments at the same time. “I remember them from your recordings.”
“We’re getting close, Connie,” advised Johnny. “Time to level her off.”
Tsu nodded. “Leveling to zero degrees.”
“Cruise until we find a target,” added the Professor.
Alex noticed Tsu was having difficulty watching the reef and Diver’s instruments at the same time. “Why not let me take the stick for a while, Connie,” he suggested cheerfully. “This is your first visit and you might not get another chance to see it. Relax and enjoy the view.”
“Okay,” said Tsu, relaxing her grip on the drive stick. “Thanks.” Her eyes widened as she gazed at the screen. She smiled. “Watching from the Cornwall … your recordings … they didn’t really do this place justice.” She looked at Alex. “How did you know life was here, in the middle of a giant storm?”
He smiled. “I had a hunch. Whirlpools collect things.”
“Oh, admit it, Alex,” Mary said.
“Admit what?”
“It called to you,” said Mary Seventeen.
2 It felt good to be flying Diver again, but now it was Alex who had to keep an eye on the instruments and on the reef, not Connie Tsu. She had taken them as far as the reef. Now it was Alex’s turn.
He had two views of the reef to choose from: the cockpit windows or the viewscreen above them. The view through the windows was too dim to be seen reliably, so Alex kept his eye on the screen. On it he could see in detail the great reef’s dark rolling mass stretching off into the distance. He could see the clouds of glowing biota living in it and surrounding it. Everywhere one looked, flocks of flying or swimming creatures could be seen diving in and out of the darkened landscape. Here and there, strange movements betrayed the location of creatures living in it.
As Alex watched the reef move beneath them on the large
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