Page 23 of Call of the Fathoms

She screeched as he yanked again and all the lights on her ship went out. He’d taken the damn batteries off the ship. How he had managed to yank them off, she had no idea. The amount of power it would take to forcefully remove welded metal was a shocking display of strength.

But she didn’t have time to think about that once her ship started a slow decline through the sea.

“Computer!” she shouted, spinning to press the buttons that would display the ship’s life support, power supply, and ability to move. “Why are we sinking?”

“The ship cannot sustain life support and continue idling.”

“Then send the ship home.”

“We are too far with only minimal battery life. Docking ship.”

“Docking ship?” she repeated, screaming now with anger. “Where the fuck are you docking the ship?”

“The sea floor.”

She was sinking to the fucking sea floor. As she watched the undine disappear into the darkness above her, she flipped him off while he gave her a little wave. He’d sent her to a tomb in the darkness.

Bastard.

Ten

Fortis

He followed the ship into the murk of the sea. Fortis had to admit, most of what he’d done had been enraged moments of mistakes. Her memories had given him only the slightest hint at who she was and what information he could use to his advantage. The largest problem arose with the realization that she could kick him out of her mind. No one had ever been able to do that before, certainly not an achromo.

He looked into people’s memories and into their future. Once they locked eyes with him, there was no changing that. He looked as much as he wanted, and even then, he would look more if he so desired. No one could stop him.

Until her.

Until she had realized he was there. Maybe that was his fault, he mused as he trailed the slowly declining ship with lights that blinked on and off. Maybe he shouldn’t have taunted her while he was in her mind.

That must be it. He would test it out with Maketes, who hated for Fortis to be in his mind. Perhaps if he was talking toany other of his kind, then they would be able to tell that Fortis was there. Although, perhaps he should wait and try it with his son at first. The depthstriders didn’t need other People of Water realizing they could kick them out of their heads. Such a risk was unnecessary, and rumors floated every which way when it came to his people.

Fins flaring, he slowed himself as he saw the ledge beneath the ship. It wasn’t as far as he wanted her to sink. The pressure of the depths were more likely to get her to cave to him faster, but if this was what the sea wanted, then he would make do. At least here he could safely get her out of the ship without her exploding into a thousand little dusty pieces of blood.

Not that she was likely to get out of the ship after that entire situation. Maybe he would need to hurry that situation along. At least if he could make her think that she had a chance, he could convince her to come back out.

Because those memories weren’t enough. The Originals were who he was after, and the sea had sent him to the perfect person after all. She not only knew about these abominations, but she worked for one directly. If there was anyone who could give him enough information about their kind to make a direct attack, it was her.

He’d been given a treasure trove of a woman and he needed to start treating her like that. He wasn’t sure he would get another chance to question someone like her.

The ship hit the ledge with an echoing crunch. He could feel it. The plumes of dust surrounded it as the hull gave a massive groan. He flicked his tail, lunging forward in case the entire thing cracked.

He’d seen that happen before. A ship had sunk from Beta and the moment it hit the sea floor, it cracked in half. The achromos had floated out of it for days, their bodies stinking up the seas for weeks afterwards.

But her ship held. Instead, all he heard was more cursing and clanking from within. A secondary voice, one that sounded suspiciously like a droid, was speaking with his warrior woman.

Virago. He floated closer, making sure all of his lights were out so that he was impossible to see unless he was pressed right up against the glass. He was a fool for giving her a name. Someone like her didn’t deserve one.

The lights attached to his fins flickered, as though his own body was calling him out on the lie. She deserved a name. She’d exited her safe ship and faced him with only a small amount of fear that he could taste in the water. Then, when she’d gotten away all on her own, she’d gotten back into her ship and fired at him.

A woman like that deserved a name more than just the one the achromos had given her.

Damn it, he wasn’t supposed to respect the woman. He needed to peel her apart, and that was the only option he had.

He swore the ghost of his dead wife would appear any moment to smack him over the back of the head. He did her a dishonor by even indulging himself with this achromo who should have been thrown back to her world above.

Shaking his head, he distracted himself from the complicated thoughts by looking at what was happening within the ship. She held a wrench in her hand and was fiddling with something. Soon enough, she’d gotten one of the panels open and was ripping something silver out of it.

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