“I agree; we keep going down.”

“Jack, switch all external lighting off. Our glow could be attracting it.” Cate gripped her console top even harder, but felt her fingers slipping due to the perspiration on her hands.

“Good idea; we run dark.” Jack and Yegor flicked switches, and the external lights blinked out. “Ladies and gentlemen, rig for silent running. No one even breathes until I say.”

“No, no, no.” Dmitry went to get to his feet, but Cate turned and used two hands to shove him back into his seat.

“Stay still and stay silent.” She held a finger to her lips.

Jack turned slowly, only the dim red glow of the Prusalka’s interior on his face as he whispered. “Just read the sonar, Dmitry. Don’t want to run into anything, now do we?”

Dmitry nodded and turned back to his control panel. His own face was green-lit, making him seem goblin-like. “Okay, okay… our friend is dropping in and out of the scope – still out there, looking for us, maybe.”

“Four hundred and fifty feet,” Yegor intoned softly.

Jack nodded and gestured with a flat hand – keep going down.

“Svoloch!” Dmitry hissed the Russian curse and gripped his console. “Something else now, big, very big – coming up from deeper water.”

“What is it?” Abby whispered. “Is it something… worse?”

Dmitry’s eyes bulged, but then he forcefully blew air from his lips. “Going past us… heading for hard-head fish.”

“This is it,” Cate said. “I know it.” She turned to Mironov who smiled briefly, and then turned back to his monitors

The small Russian stared hard at the screen, and he held a hand to the cup over his ear. “Is strange, the signatures came together – then merged as one.” He frowned listening, looking like he was trying to tease more meaning from the sonar pulses. He finally sat back. “Nothing – gone – both gone.”

“Five hundred feet,” Yegor said.

“Leveling off at five hundred,” Jack said. “Everyone remain in their seat and stay quiet until we’ve put another mile on the dial.”

“Still clear,” Dmitry whispered.

“What the hell just happened?” Greg’s forehead was creased with anger.

“Big fish get eaten by even bigger fish, I’d say.” Mironov’s brows were raised.

“Very big fish, I think,” Dmitry said, nodding. “Maybe something big down here after all, yes?”

“Lights back on?” Yegor asked.

Cate nodded. “I think we can—”

“No, not yet,” Mironov said quietly. “Let’s just wait a while, and see what happens.”

Cate’s lips compressed, but Mironov simply nodded towards the front.

A luminous ribbon snaked out of the darkness and passed by the curved window. It was dotted with green and blue lights, and two antenna hung over disc-like eyes that each held a glowing bulb of yellow. The thing looked to be about twenty feet long, and only an inch wide. Further out, other creatures pulsed and blazed.

“More bioluminescence – not unexpected down here,” Cate breathed, rising from her chair, Mironov’s rudeness already forgotten.