around and pointed his flashlight at the interior wall. A glimmer bounced back – a brilliant sparkle unlike anything he'd ever witnessed.
Yes! His heart leaped inside his wetsuit. He slowed his ragged breathing and stole a few valuable minutes, extracting the weighty object. After one last look around, he exited the cave.
In the distance, sunlight filtered through the strong current – a beacon lighting his way home. He headed topside, allowing the necessary time for his stops. He broke through the surface with his fist raised high over his head and spat out his regulator.
"Gold!" he screamed.
Ian moved to the stern and reached out a hand to snatch Chase's shimmering discovery. "Yeeeoooo!" he hollered. He pranced about on one foot then the other in an outlandish jig.
"Ian! Give me a hand!”
Chase’s yell brought Ian back to the ladder. After passing off the metal detector, Chase hoisted himself onto the boarding platform and dropped his load. Still reeling with excitement, he untied his goody bag and followed Ian into Alegria’s galley.
"Whatcha think?” Ian dangled the long chain in front of A.J. Hobbs, their newly acquired technician. A.J. looked up from his notes. He slapped his archeological book shut and cleared a space on the table before accepting Ian's offering. Then he began slowly unraveling it.
"Got to be near ten feet long. Definitely Spanish. Probably had a medallion of some sort attached.” The technician’s square spectacles rested near the end of his thin nose. He used a jeweler’s pick to meticulously scrape away grains of sand and carefully examined each link. "Quite a find you’ve got here,” he said.
"Ya done good this time,” Ian assured Chase. “Tis a bit of a spoiler, me saying this and all, but we got us a fuckin’ yeahootie on board. Ya know that kid’s been in me wheelhouse all afternoon takin’ readings with me sextant. Thinks he’s Cap'n O’Neill or somethin’." Ian stared at the ceiling. “I tell ya it’d be a sight more peaceful if we jest fed ‘im to the sharks. Save ourselves a whole lot of grief, it would."
Chase slipped his arms out of his wetsuit. "We're a man short as it is and from what I've seen, Blaine’s been doing us a real service with that computer of his." He gestured toward the stack of papers on the sideboard. "Research, grid calculations, log postings…you name it. He's taken a load off of my mind." He noted Ian’s furrowed brow and added, "Just find a way to mentally drown him, okay?"
Ian ambled away, leaving Chase with more pressing matters to address. "I don't want to get everyone's hopes up until I know for sure what we’re dealing with,” he told A.J. “I discovered a virgin cave at the end of an anchor. That's where the gold chain turned up."
Interest sparked in A.J.’s eyes. "You want me to go with you? I can be suited up in nothing flat."
"Not yet. Gonna grab some field lights and head down. But don't worry. I won't be long. While I’m gone, I want you to check on this too."
The porcelain jar was in remarkably good condition. The faint bird design and embedded stamp on its base hinted at Chinese origins, adding excitement to Chase’s discovery. "Only got two hours before we head in," he said. "I still need to verify the ship’s name. If we’re lucky, all the proof we need is in your hands." He smiled, exuding confidence. If everything panned out as he anticipated, come morning, he’d pick up his official papers and be back in the water claiming the ship and the treasure they’d been enlisted to find. He glimpsed A.J., flipping through one Asian antique book after another – sheer determination pleating his brows.
You’re not getting away this time. Chase pulled the arms of his wetsuit back on. He zipped up just as Ian returned, looking strangely perplexed.
"Was checkin' the blower and line anchors. There’s somethin' ya need to see."
“ Don’t tell me the seagulls have been heckling you again.” Chase chuckled and
Yes! His heart leaped inside his wetsuit. He slowed his ragged breathing and stole a few valuable minutes, extracting the weighty object. After one last look around, he exited the cave.
In the distance, sunlight filtered through the strong current – a beacon lighting his way home. He headed topside, allowing the necessary time for his stops. He broke through the surface with his fist raised high over his head and spat out his regulator.
"Gold!" he screamed.
Ian moved to the stern and reached out a hand to snatch Chase's shimmering discovery. "Yeeeoooo!" he hollered. He pranced about on one foot then the other in an outlandish jig.
"Ian! Give me a hand!”
Chase’s yell brought Ian back to the ladder. After passing off the metal detector, Chase hoisted himself onto the boarding platform and dropped his load. Still reeling with excitement, he untied his goody bag and followed Ian into Alegria’s galley.
"Whatcha think?” Ian dangled the long chain in front of A.J. Hobbs, their newly acquired technician. A.J. looked up from his notes. He slapped his archeological book shut and cleared a space on the table before accepting Ian's offering. Then he began slowly unraveling it.
"Got to be near ten feet long. Definitely Spanish. Probably had a medallion of some sort attached.” The technician’s square spectacles rested near the end of his thin nose. He used a jeweler’s pick to meticulously scrape away grains of sand and carefully examined each link. "Quite a find you’ve got here,” he said.
"Ya done good this time,” Ian assured Chase. “Tis a bit of a spoiler, me saying this and all, but we got us a fuckin’ yeahootie on board. Ya know that kid’s been in me wheelhouse all afternoon takin’ readings with me sextant. Thinks he’s Cap'n O’Neill or somethin’." Ian stared at the ceiling. “I tell ya it’d be a sight more peaceful if we jest fed ‘im to the sharks. Save ourselves a whole lot of grief, it would."
Chase slipped his arms out of his wetsuit. "We're a man short as it is and from what I've seen, Blaine’s been doing us a real service with that computer of his." He gestured toward the stack of papers on the sideboard. "Research, grid calculations, log postings…you name it. He's taken a load off of my mind." He noted Ian’s furrowed brow and added, "Just find a way to mentally drown him, okay?"
Ian ambled away, leaving Chase with more pressing matters to address. "I don't want to get everyone's hopes up until I know for sure what we’re dealing with,” he told A.J. “I discovered a virgin cave at the end of an anchor. That's where the gold chain turned up."
Interest sparked in A.J.’s eyes. "You want me to go with you? I can be suited up in nothing flat."
"Not yet. Gonna grab some field lights and head down. But don't worry. I won't be long. While I’m gone, I want you to check on this too."
The porcelain jar was in remarkably good condition. The faint bird design and embedded stamp on its base hinted at Chinese origins, adding excitement to Chase’s discovery. "Only got two hours before we head in," he said. "I still need to verify the ship’s name. If we’re lucky, all the proof we need is in your hands." He smiled, exuding confidence. If everything panned out as he anticipated, come morning, he’d pick up his official papers and be back in the water claiming the ship and the treasure they’d been enlisted to find. He glimpsed A.J., flipping through one Asian antique book after another – sheer determination pleating his brows.
You’re not getting away this time. Chase pulled the arms of his wetsuit back on. He zipped up just as Ian returned, looking strangely perplexed.
"Was checkin' the blower and line anchors. There’s somethin' ya need to see."
“ Don’t tell me the seagulls have been heckling you again.” Chase chuckled and
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