But she had to.
Alison could barely focus. And attempting to don their gear under the rocking of the ship left both her and Neely struggling to keep their balance, even with the help of Tay and his men surrounding them. The light-colored steel deck was covered with a slick sheen of water, making it nearly impossible to stand up for more than a few seconds. After they were geared up, Lightfoot sat down and began putting his own equipment on. Getting into the water was one thing, but getting back out was quite another. It would be Lightfoot’s job to help them back up.
Tay slid a thick headband over Alison’s forehead and turned on the strip of bright LED lights. “These should last a few hours. The battery on your head is going to feel a little heavy, but once you’re in the water, you won’t even notice it anymore.”
Alison nodded and tested the airflow from her rebreather, ensuring the oxygen mixture was sufficient. She then adjusted the rubber seal of her mask around her eyes into a more comfortable position. Finally, she checked the IMIS unit on her chest to make sure it was powered on. She took a few deep breaths before looking back up at Tay.
He took her hands and helped her to her feet. Together, they waited for the next roll before he quickly passed her to Smitty, who stood along the steel railing. Smitty grabbed her and pulled her across. Beyond the railing, with the help of her headlamp, dozens of dolphins could be seen converging around the stern.
“Are you good?”
Alison nodded.
“Okay. Hold on,” he said, before turning to receive Neely.
She stumbled into him with a soft bounce, but managed to latch onto the rail next to Alison. Her fins went on just as quickly and Smitty moved back to Alison.
“Okay!” he yelled. “Let’s go to the end.” He wrapped his arms around her and they shuffled to the end of the railing together. “We have to wait and go with the roll! When we’re as close to the water as possible, you take a step to your right and jump! Don’t be afraid if you feel me give you a little push! We have to do it fast!”
When Alison felt the starboard side begin its dip, she stepped nervously to the side while Smitty maintained an iron grip from the back. She was surprised when Smitty launched her forward, sending her head first into the dark ocean with a giant splash.
From between the swells, she watched as Neely stepped to the end of the rail. She wished she could warn her about Smitty and that first step, but only moments later, Neely hit the water next to her. Lastly came Lightfoot, splashing on the opposite side of Alison with a natural grace that reminded her he’d been a semi-professional swimmer before joining the Navy. Even in those conditions, he surfaced as relaxed as anyone she’d ever seen.
“Can you both hear me?”
“Yes,” answered the women in unison.
“Good. Any problems?”
“Nope. I’m fine.”
“Me too.”
“All right,” he said. He motioned to Smitty and turned back to both women. His full face mask reflected brightly from their LED strips. “Ms. Shaw, we’re all yours.”
Alison nodded. “Lee, can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, Ali.”
“Are we ready?”
“Ready as we’ll ever be. I’ve paused the translating on your vest. When I turn it back on, it will only be filtering for Dirk and Sally to begin with.”
“Okay.” Alison looked to Neely and Lightfoot. “Here we go.”
Alison used the button on her scuba BCD to release some of its air and reduce her buoyancy. She began slowly sinking and watched the waterline pass over her mask and head. Together the three continued down, eventually adding enough air to end their descent.
Neely and Lightfoot became silent, marveling at the hundreds of dolphins swirling around them.
“Still there, Lee?”
“Like a bad penny.”
She smiled inside her mask. “Let’s turn it on.”
“Okay. Here goes.” Far above them on the ship’s bridge, Lee typed a command on his keyboard and hit the enter key. Almost instantly, the lines on his screen began dancing as the microphone was reactivated on Alison’s vest and began transmitting wirelessly to the server at Lee’s feet.
However, below the surface Alison heard nothing through her earbuds. She waited patiently for almost a minute before finally responding. “Lee?”
“Yes, Ali.”
“I’m not hearing anything. Is it working?”
“It’s because of the filter. I’m getting an audio feed from your mike, but the server isn’t translating any of it. Try calling Dirk or Sally.”
“Sally? Dirk? Are you there?”
After a moment, the reassuring mechanical voice of IMIS sounded in Alison’s ears.