A Mile Below
Chapter 2: The Spelunkers
The Midnight Sun made port in Anchorage, Alaska, their package had been delivered and now her crew was getting ready to disembark for their two weeks leave.
But first her crew had a few things to take care of.
Murphy dumped over a burlap sack and five bundles of hundreds onto the table in front of them. "Here's to the best damn salvage in Alaska."
"Here, here," Greer and Dodge cheered raising their glasses.
Rae looked at Murphy before snatching up her cut. "So when are we leaving out again?"
He sighed. "Next month Rae. One would think that you'd be tired of being out on the open ocean with a bunch of men." He smiled at her.
"What can I say? I just adore you guys so very much," she replied with a grin.
The entire table erupted in laughter.
Once it died down Murphy gave them a lists of things that needed to be done before they left to boat.
The crew divided the list in half.
Dodge and Bruno, Rae's cousin and Murphy's son, took the storage room to do inventory while Rae and Greer took the diving gear and welding equipment to get it where it belonged after checking for any damages.
Greer and Rae stepped out into the sun shine.
She winced again the glare and shook her head as she started checking the diving and welding equipment for any signs of damage while Greer wrote down what was wrong on his clip board.
"So have you talked to Top or Tyler lately?" he asked after a few minutes.
"No, I haven't why?" she asked as she picked up a rebreather to check it.
The dark skinned man shrugged. "It's nothing. I just remember there was a time when you couldn't go twenty-four hours without talking to them."
"So what are you doing on your vacation Greer?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. She didn't want to explain to her best friend why she was no longer talking to her old teammates and friends.
He shrugged. "I don't know. I figured if you weren't into anything major that maybe you'd like to go treasure diving in the Caribbean? Maybe a little rock climbing in the Yucatan?"
Rae chuckled as she picked up another oxygen scanner. "What the hell, I've got nothing better to do this summer."
She looked down at the underwater sonar scanner in her hand and saw that it was busted. "Oh shit, this one's pretty banged up." She sighed. "It's probably Bruno's. I think we got a spare in the storage room."
Greer nodded and twisted around to look at her as she walked away. "Hey poke your head in and check on Dodge and Bruno to make sure they're not trying to kill each other would ya?"
"You make it sound like it would be a bad thing," she called back with a smirk.
As she was walking away she could hear Greer's baritone laugh as she walked down the gain way.
Greer shook his head and went on checking the other diving equipment and writing his findings down on his clip board. He smirked because he knew that Rae would come back and check his work anyway but still he wanted to look for himself. Rae was very anal about their equipment and rightful so. One out of every fourteen divers die every year because of their faulty equipment or stupid mistakes.
Footsteps on the dock by the Midnight Sun made him tense up. "Excuse me."
Greer looked over and found a small group, consisting of five men and a petite blonde that was about Rae's size, standing there looking at him like he was some kind of side show freak. They were all dressed in a similar fashion cargo pants, thermal shirts and fleece vests. They looked like either fishermen or salvagers.
People only showed up at their boat when it was docked when they were looking a work.
"Sorry fellas, we're not a fishing boat," Greer said, studying them carefully, trying to hide the irritation in his voice at the sudden intrusion. "And we're not hiring either."
"That's good," the man that had spoken initially said, putting his hands on his hips. Greer looked at him again he had short brown hair, saltwater blue eyes and when he spoke he had a slight southern accent. He seemed oddly familiar but Greer couldn't place the face. "We're not looking for work."
Greer folded his arms across his chest and frowned. "Then what can I do for you guys?"
"We're lookin' for Cassandra McRae. Is she around?"
The dark skinned man's eyes narrowed from behind his glasses. "Y'all taking about Cassie McRae?" Then it clicked in his head where he had seen blue eye's face before. It was a photograph that Rae had in hanging on the bulk head in her cabin. The one of her spelunking team.
This was the spelunking team that she was with before she came to work with them. The team that more or less kicked her out in the cold. Oh, man this isn't going to be good. Rae wanted nothing more to do with them.
He wasn't sure if Cass wanted to see them but he couldn't make that decision for her. He knew better than to do that she would skin him alive.
"Yeah, she's below deck," Greer jerked his thumb towards the door in the back.
A tall dark skinned man that was standing behind his boss stepped forward. "Permission to come aboard?"
Greer nodded, this man knew his way around a boat. "Permission granted."
The crack team walked up the cat walk and onto the boat. Once they were on board Greer put his finger to his ear. "Hey Cass, you got a copy?" She didn't answer; as a matter of fact no one answered his radio call. "Cass."
"How long does it take to find a fuckin' spare sonar scanner?" he thought shaking his head.
"I'm Jack McAlister," the man with blue eyes said, holding his hand out and Greer took it. "Bruce Greer. My friends call me Greer."
Jack nodded and introduced him to the rest of his team. Charlie, the only woman on the team that looked to be a few years younger than Cass, and her replacement he was sure. Top, their survivor specialist nothing but good things to say about her long term friend. Tyler, Jack's younger brother and a scientist of some sort. And that left Briggs, Cass had spoke volumes about him and none of it was good.
Greer shook his head and put his fingers back to his wireless head set. "Does anyone have eyes on Cass?"
"I'm coming back up Greer, jeez," Rae said, she sounded slightly agitated. "Keep your fuckin' pants on chief."
What did Dodge and Bruno do now? This may not be the best time for her old team to make an unscheduled visit. But why ruin his own fun? Watching Rae go toe to toe with Jack could be very amusing. As long as she didn't kill him; that could make a huge mess on deck. That he would have to clean without a doubt because Cass would be in jail, again, for assault or assault in battery.
"You wouldn't believe what these two idiots down here are doing," Rae continued on.
"Oh, I can only imagine," Greer said, looking at the group standing around him, watching him intently. "Hey Cass, you got some visitors up here."
"What kind of visitors Greer?" she asked suspiciously.
"The old friend type, Cass," he replied.
"Do not tell me it's Jack McAllister. Please Greer tell me it's not that son of a bitch," Cass begged.
"I'm sorry, Cass."
Cass swore loudly and Greer winced.
"Tell 'em to sit tight. I'll be right up."
"Copy that," Greer said and looked around at them. "She'll be up in a few minutes."
Jack was staring out over the ocean, his dark skinned friend, Top, was watching him carefully before turning to Greer. "I know that she'll be shocked to see us," he said some what awkwardly.
"Shocked is the understatement of the year," Greer muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Rae suddenly appeared from the door behind Greer. Greer turned around to look at her. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey Cassie. You're friends are here."
Jack looked over at her and their eyes locked.
Greer watched them, it was like they were speaking with each other with their eyes. A silent communication the certain people develop after years of knowing and being around each other. He and Cass was just starting to develop that same form of silent communication and the ability to read each other's body language.
"So I see," she said, her eyes not wavering from Jack's. "So Jack, what do I owe this pleasure?" Rae was closing herself off emotionally it was her only line of defense against such an attack.