Jacky shrugged. “I never found out. The doctor told me the swelling around his spinal cord and neck could take months to go down before they could determine the severity of the injury. I visited him every couple of weeks to check on his progress. Somehow he kept his humor, but I think he was just putting on a brave face for me. The last time I went to the hospital he wasn’t there. His family had checked him out, and nobody seemed to know where he lived.” She appeared introspective. “I hope he recovered. He was a really nice kid.”

They fell silent for a bit, and Rad’s queasiness refused to subside, as the tale had hit a little too close to home for her liking. She knew the risks involved in extreme sports, of course; they were what attracted her to them in the first place. However, she was under the mindset that the horrible accidents you heard about only ever happened to other people. They wouldn’t happen to her. They couldn’t. She was always well prepared, properly trained, and surrounded by experts.

It was naïve, she knew, because nothing in life was ever certain, nothing was ever guaranteed.

She glanced at her wristwatch again and said, “They’re fifteen minutes late now.”

Jacky said, “Which means they still have forty-five minutes of safety air. Let’s not get too worried yet.”

Rad nodded reluctantly. “How’s your story coming along?” she asked to change the topic.

“It’s coming. I’m going to have to sit down with Marty at some point to pick his brain about all the scientific mumbo jumbo he’s been spewing these last couple of days.”

“Will your editor publish it without video evidence of merfolk?”

“I can’t see why not. There’s the skull and the DNA results, the spear tips, and now all these cave paintings. I think that’s plenty of evidence for a compelling story. I guess the big question is whether Marty will let me reference him by name if he doesn’t find his irrefutable proof that merfolk exist. He’s so damn paranoid about negative media attention, isn’t he?”

“He thinks everyone is casting aspersions on him. And when I say everyone, I mean the world. What he wants more than anything is to prove all the doubters wrong. At the same time what he fears more than anything is being mocked in the media again. It’s a tough spot to be in.”

“So you’re saying you don’t think he’s going to let me use his name?”

“If he doesn’t return with video footage of a merfolk on his GoPro, no, I don’t think there’s a chance in hell.”

Jacky sighed. “Still, even without—” She stopped mid-sentence, a puzzled expression on her face.

Rad turned…and saw what appeared to be a glowing blue head poking out of the still pool.