Cross was also a good diver, but his head was still not on the mission. Instead, Bodie chose Cassidy to accompany him because he trusted her absolutely, along with Jemma because she was highly competent and clearly wanted to get into the field more. Suited up, they presented an unlikely trio.
Cross approached Heidi as they waited. “Any news on the Bratva yet? I mean, we’re just a couple of hours flying time from their coast.”
“And that’s one of the reasons I’m guessing they’re interested in the compass,” Heidi said. “But no. Nothing yet.”
Bodie studied the map they had made together. It broke the lake into zones, five in all, which they hoped to scour as quickly as possible. To do it right they would have to do it painstakingly slow, which increased risk, but that was why the SEALs were there.
From their hidey-hole ten meters from shore, Bodie, Cassidy, and Jemma crept toward the water. They carried their own gear, already secured. Bodie eased in first, adjusted his face mask, and slipped below the surface. They each carried industrial-strength through-water ultrasonic transceivers in their masks, enabling communication.
Of course, they could prepare all they wanted. The real test was finding clues in the deep waters of the lake.
Bodie felt frustration as they started their first meticulous sweep under the water. It took some time to systematically map out the zones they’d recorded. A live feed sent everything back to base, where Heidi, Gunn, and Cross watched for anything the divers might miss. Bodie sank through the murk, not especially claustrophobic but definitely feeling the black nothingness press all around. Everything was different underwater, and some of his muscles started to ache again, compressed by the increasing density underwater. They kept to the sloping shores at first, ranging left and then right and then moving farther down, but it was hard work, taxing work, and unfamiliar. Nobody expected to find a temple on the slopes of the lake, but they couldn’t risk missing a clue either. Bodie stopped often and made the others pause too. He knew that unrelenting focus could make a mind turn to autopilot, so he relaxed them by chatting through the comms system. Underwater life came over to investigate, but the shadows were small and soon darted away. Other than that, their new world was darkly oppressive.
Hours passed. The divers found nothing. They emerged carefully, still under the cover of night, made their way up the bank and into a comparatively safe area. Cassidy immediately stripped off her suit, showing not an ounce of embarrassment in her tight-fitting underwear before slipping on loose canvas pants and a jacket. Bodie was slower and Jemma slower still, the pair stopping to rest even before they escaped their suits.
“No luck,” Bodie said, disconsolate.
“Don’t worry. We came up with a plan,” Heidi told him, trying to avert her eyes from his broad chest. “The SEALs reported that the Chinese are out diving too. All of them. On the far side of the lake.”
“Good thing we didn’t bump into them down there,” Jemma said, laughing.
“Hold on, Frizzbomb.” Cassidy was watching the CIA agent closely. “You do realize the more you stare at his chest, the tighter those curls get?”
Bodie blinked and looked surprised. Heidi turned quickly to the stars, finding a particularly bright celestial body to study. Cassidy laughed.
Bodie changed the subject to save Heidi further embarrassment. “This chase to Atlantis is really coming down to the wire.”
Heidi looked momentarily grateful for the intervention, but then her face clouded over. “Yeah, and that really worries me. If what we hear about Atlantis is true — that it was a highly developed, almost futuristic civilization — then those who find it could take a giant leap right through today’s technological advances.”
“You’re saying they could rule the world,” Bodie said.
“It’s not as radical as it sounds, believe me.”
Lucie took over. “The SEALs will lead you to the empty Chinese camp. Maybe you can find something useful.”
“We can do that but I also have another idea. Where exactly is that waypoint? I know it’s under the lake, but where? Can you find that?”
Lucie nodded. “Of course I can.”
“Please have it ready for tomorrow night.”
Bodie stood up and threw some clothes on. Within minutes they were following the SEALs to the deserted camp.
By the time they returned, the Bratva had arrived at the lake, slipping noisily down to a far shore. It would remain to be seen how they fared. Bodie imagined the Chinese would leave them alone in order to maintain their own secrecy and spirit any findings away undetected.
The next day passed uneventfully, leaving Bodie to relate what they had found in the Chinese camp and stay well fed and hydrated.
“Nothing telling,” he said. “But they do have very high-tech gear. Whoever they are, they’re well funded and well connected. I’ve never seen anything like it, and even one of the SEALs said the same. We took photos of what notes we could find, but obviously couldn’t read them. Also, we couldn’t move anything or go where we may leave footprints. They’re too good not to notice.”
“So you’d rather have been sleeping?” Gunn asked.
“Yeah. How’s Eli?”
Heidi nodded at Cross, who was sitting with his back to a tree. “About the same.”
Bodie slipped over and took a seat on the hard ground. “Hey, how are you?”
“What she said.” Cross nodded at the CIA agent.
Bodie lowered his voice. “We’ve come a long way together, mate. I trust you more than anyone. Accept your judgment without question. Don’t disappear on me now.”
“I’m still here. I’m with you, Bodie. Trust that I will do the right thing.”
Bodie did trust Cross, but it was becoming harder to do without question. He wanted to ask about Yasmine, but didn’t want to delve into the complexities around why she worked with the Bratva. And why she’d threatened him. All that mattered was that they make it through this job and get the chance to break with Heidi Moneymaker and the CIA once and for all.
Night returned and the underwater search continued. The best tracker they had, a SEAL expert, departed to keep a closer watch on the Chinese. They didn’t expect to hear from him, save checking in, unless something major occurred. The Moroccans were watched intermittently, seen as amateur but dangerous.
Bodie felt like they were floundering through the mire. It helped seeing the grid being checked off properly, but still one could only stare at, feel, and reposition a rock so many different ways. The darkness sometimes made it hard to know if they were going over a previously checked area. Lucie’s isolating of the coordinates put the temple seventy meters down and ten meters out from the position they were at now, so the team had decided to continue where they left off. They should reach it tonight.
Time passed. The Chinese progressed on the other side. A SEAL crept over near the Bratva camp and reported seeing them wading into the water with their own diving gear. He didn’t expect they’d make much progress. He also mentioned they’d completed a recon of their own, coming dangerously close to Heidi’s well-camouflaged hideout but passing right on by.
By the time exhaustion set in, Bodie and the others were far from their goal.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Bodie was far too wired to sleep that night, brimming with disappointment and tiredness, nerves stretched taut at the chance of discovery. He sat back against a tree and stretched his legs out, inviting the others to sit and talk under the black canopy of sky. Heidi brought a liter bottle of bourbon, and if it wasn’t for her odd reaction earlier, he’d have pretended to kiss her.