“This is stupid.” Jack’s brows snapped together as his own storm began to brew. “If you just wanted to vent, you could have done that over the phone.”

“Get out before I say something I’ll really regret.” She nodded to his wine. “And take your cheap booze with you.”

“Keep it. You can drown your sorrows, alone.” He spun, and headed for the door, slamming it behind him. She had saluted his departure by launching the bottle from her window, missing him by mere inches. “Don’t come back,” she had screamed.

Cate titled her head back and exhaled long and slow through compressed lips as she returned to the present. In the blink of an eye, it was over. She hated him then. And then later hated herself for losing something she valued so dearly. Both of them had been too stubborn to reach out to the other, and then their roads split. She hadn’t seen Jack in years, but the ghost of their past love still haunted her. Her face went hot all over again, and she was surprised the old anger was still there.

Never, ever again, she thought. That was one bridge she had burned, blown up, and then buried a mile deep. She’d find another shark expert.

Cate saved the image of the tooth to her local drive, and shut her computer down. She stood and stretched, feeling the fatigue settle heavily on her limbs. She needed sleep; she needed to be sharp. Tomorrow there was one more person left to convince if she was going to get funding to enter that body of water before anyone else.

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

Cate ended her presentation, leaving up the image of the tooth on the large screen behind her.

“All indications are it’s a mega predator, we think. In a significant body of water, deep below the surface, and sealed off from environmental interference.” She smiled confidently at her boss, Bill Harris, the only person in the room. “Imagine what this can tell us about climate change, evolution, and ancient species. This is what we’ve been looking for, Bill – proof of life – pristine, ancient life.”

Bill Harris had been the Faculty Head of Biology for twenty years, and been Greg and Cate’s boss for the last three. He sat stone still, his large hands clasped together on the desk before him.

“Certainly interesting.” He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on the image.

She felt a knotting in her stomach. He wouldn’t meet her eyes – a bad sign. “Just interesting? It’s damn astounding is what it is.” She hiked the corners of her mouth up, trying to radiate enthusiasm.

He sucked in a deep breath, and then winced. “Yeeah, I’ll grant you, it’s probably a life form, but what you’ve shown me is indistinct, impossible to verify, and—”