Tusker nodded and clamped his mouthpiece between his teeth. He swiveled around towards the open sea and held up his wrist compass. Aligning the bezel so that North was on the swinging needle, he took a bearing on the approximate position of the Depth Charge. 50 degrees, give or take. If he could get close, he’d know when the big ship was above him. He caught Sam’s eyes and gave her a wink. Then, a thumbs-down gesture. Time to go under and swim.

Tusker and Sam vented air from their buoyancy wings and their heads disappeared under the inky surface. He felt her hand on his arm. He switched on his torch and quickly held it tight against his compass and then his watch for a few seconds, then turned it off. The compass and watch dials glowed brightly, their luminescent markings excited from the burst of LED light. Then, with his left arm held at a right angle in front of him, he swam on the 50-degree bearing with slow, deliberate kicks. At this shallow depth, it was difficult going, and the swells pushed him and Sam up and down, their backs almost breaking the surface. The heavy mine attached to Tusker’s chest made swimming awkward.

They swam in unison, Sam’s hand held lightly on Tusker’s arm. In the pitch black, Tusker felt an eerie sense of disembodiment. Sam’s light touch through the neoprene provided a small measure of comfort. He remembered her fingers on his skin in that dark room back in Pottuvil and wished they were there now. Tusker only took his eyes off of the compass to check the time on his watch, counting off his swim distance. He could swim about 100 yards in ten minutes. They must be getting close to the ship.

Sure enough, ahead he could sense something big in the water, a change in the sound: A low murmuring and a slapping of water, the hum of the ship’s dynamic positioning system thrusters. At their shallow depth, if they got too close, they would swim right into the ship. A slight glow emanated down into the water column, light leaking through the moon pool, no doubt. It was time for Sam to leave him.