"Sorry. I tend to say whatever comes to mind. When you work in a male-dominated field, you can’t be passive."
"No problem. Bones is the same way and he and I are like brothers." Sofia smiled and the warmth in her eyes made him uncomfortable. "In fact, I'm dating his sister." He took out his phone and showed her a photo of himself and Angel.
"She's beautiful.” Sofia laughed. “When you mentioned his sister, I imagined Bones in a dress."
Tam's vice rang out above the hum of the engine and rush of the sea breeze. "Bones in a dress? I'd pay to see that."
“You and no one else.” Dane returned his attention to Sofia. "So, what makes you think this place is worth our time?"
"I’ve had my eye on it since its discovery. A passage in the codex describes a sister city “across the waves to the west,” with details that match photos of the sunken city. It was supposedly ruled by Azaes, a king of Atlantis who is associated with this part of the world."
“I don’t know that name.” Dane had done his share of reading about the legendary lost city, but Sofia was miles ahead of him in that department.
“He’s better known in this part of the world as Itzamna.”
“Ah! The man who brought the arts and sciences of a destroyed civilization to the people of the Yucatan.” Dane had heard this story before.
“The old, bearded, white man who escaped a flood that destroyed his civilization,” Sofia added. “Sound familiar?”
“Yeah, sounds like Noah.”
“You’re funny. Seriously, though, the Gulf of Mexico used to be much smaller and shallower. In fact, Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula were once connected by a land bridge which included this area. A few years ago, archaeologists found three well-preserved skeletons in deep, underwater caves off the coast of the Yucatan. The remains dated back 11,000 years. It fits.” Sofia sounded like an attorney making her closing argument.
“You think this was Azeas’ home and, when it flooded, he fled to the Yucatan and started over?” Dane couldn’t deny the potential connection.
“I think it’s a strong possibility.”
"Corey says we're almost there," Tam called from the doorway leading into the cabin of Danes boat, Sea Foam. She wore shorts, a tight-fitting tank top, and an eager smile. "I've got to tell you, Maddock, this discovery stuff is fun. I spend too much time these days sitting at a computer going through files."
"You’re sure you and Corey can handle things up here?"
A roll of her eyes was Tam’s only reply.
"Corey says we’re right over the spot.” Willis appeared on deck. “I finally get to try out the sub. Let’s do this!”
Dane, Willis, and Sofia took their places inside Remora. They didn’t bother with wetsuits, as they’d not be exiting the sub. When everyone was secure and Willis reported all systems were go, Dane took Remora into a steep dive.
The waters turned from a bright aquamarine to a deep sapphire as they descended below the sunlight zone and into darkness where the sun’s rays seldom penetrated. Dane switched on the front lights and let the nav computer guide them to their destination.
“It’s so dark down here.” Sofia spoke in a reverent whisper. “It’s creepy.”
“This ain’t nothing,” Willis said. “Get down below 3,000 feet, that’s the midnight zone. It’s like diving in ink. You don’t know which way is up.”
“I’ve done some diving, but I’ve never been so far down.”
“You won’t dive this deep, girl. You’ve got to be in a sub if you don’t want to get squished.”
“Approaching one thousand feet.” Dane kept his voice level in spite of his excitement. The images Sofia had shown him of this city were remarkable, and he couldn’t wait to see them for himself.
“Will the sub be all right this far down?” Sofia’s casual tone didn’t quite mask the concern in her voice. “Isn’t the water pressure substantial at this depth?”
“It’s rated for two thousand feet, so we’ll be fine.” Dane hoped the rating was accurate.
Just then, a shape appeared in the distance. He slowed Remora and approached with caution. In a matter of seconds, they found themselves gazing at a massive structure of stacked, square blocks.
“It’s a pyramid. Looks kind of like the ones the Mayans built,” Willis said. “Except for the top. It looks more Egyptian. See how it’s pointed?”
“Maya, not Mayan,” Sofia corrected.
“Whatever. Hey Maddock, let’s circle this bad boy and let me take sonar readings.”
“Roger that. Corey, are you picking up on our feed?”
“Loud and clear. Audio and video. Tam says she wants you to scout the city before you zero in on any single structure.”
“Sorry, you dropped out. I’ll ping you again after we scout the pyramid.” Dane smiled when he heard Tam curse in the background.
“That girl is going to have serious cash in her cussing jar if she keeps working with us.”
“You have got to stop calling her ‘girl.’ It’s a dangerous habit.” Dane piloted the sub around the pyramid’s base. Thousands of years of undersea currents had worn the sharp corners smooth, but it was still a remarkable structure, with well-proportioned levels and the remnants of steps still visible on the lower half of one side. As Willis noted, it looked like an amalgam of Maya and Egyptian architecture, with the stepped lower portions giving way to a classic pyramid structure at the top.
“This is amazing! Seeing this firsthand, I can totally believe the stories of an outside influence on Yucatan culture. I wish I could touch it, walk on it.” Sofia sounded as if she were ready to climb out of the sub for a closer look.
“Scan’s complete,” Willis said. “Let’s move along.”
Not wanting to try Tam’s patience, Dane followed the route he and Sofia had plotted out earlier. They passed the remains of buildings, some largely intact, and three more pyramids. Streets paved with flat, square stones ran throughout the city. No vegetation grew here, so far from the sun, and strong currents kept the streets clear of silt. It felt like a sunken ghost town which, Dane supposed, it was, after a fashion. By the time they completed their circuit and found themselves once again in front of the first pyramid they’d discovered, Dane had no doubt that these structures were wrought by human hands.
“What now? Want to run a grid over the whole area?” Willis asked.
“We need to go to the center of the city. There’s something we need to find.” Sofia’s excited voice rose as she spoke.
“Works for me. Time permitting, we can scout the rest of the complex afterward.” Dane redirected the sub, ignoring the navigation program and instead following the street that ran ramrod-straight through the city. Minutes later, a high hill, ringed by several canals, appeared up ahead.
“Rings of canals,” Sofia said. “You can’t deny the connection to Atlantis.”
“It’s impressive.” Dane was forced to admit he was captivated by this lost city that, all these years, had lain so close to his home.
“Looks like we’re coming up on the target area,” Willis said. “What’s that dark shape up there?”
“We’ll check it out.” Dane accelerated and they swept over the canals like a bird in flight. As they drew closer, the shadowy figure swam into focus. It looked like some sort of monster out of legend.
“What is that?” Willis whispered.
“Corey, are you guys getting this?” Dane’s heart pounded.
“We’ve got it.” Dane was surprised when Tam’s voice sounded in his ear. “I got tired of using nerd boy as a go-between. Approach with caution.”