A flash of lightning illuminated the glassed-in building of Aqualand Sea Park in San Francisco. Inside Aqualand, Maura Diaz, a statuesque woman with flowing ebony hair, sighed deeply at the sheets of rain hammering on her office window. The Golden Gate Bridge, usually visible, was obscured by dark storm clouds. Pursing her lips at the grey day, Maura crossed her mocha arms over her chest, rumpling her beige blouse. A tan skirt cascaded down her long lean legs as she crossed the room to shut out the depressing scene. As she twirled the blinds shut, a sudden rap sounded on the door.
"Come in," called Maura distractedly. The solid oak door creaked open to reveal an elderly man in a sterile white lab coat. A pair of spectacles perched on the bridge of his nose and his greying hair was stealthily styled to cover his balding head. "Good afternoon, Dr. Bellamy," Maura said. "How may I help you?"
Dr. Bellamy grinned happily. "They've found it, Maura! Those dolphins have found it!"
Maura gasped in shock and started towards the door. "I never thought I'd see the day. Can we see it?"
The elderly doctor snickered. "Why do you think I'm here? Let's go!" The pair raced excitedly through the halls of the aquarium and stopped at a door marked, 'Storage Area: Authorized Personnel Only.' Dr. Bellamy slid a card through the magnetic reader and the door sprang open.
Maura gasped in shock as she and the doctor entered the storage room. "Incredible!" she breathed. Priceless statues stood amid heaps of golden coins and wooden crates. "The treasure of the Resurrecćion…it's real!"
While Maura breathlessly examined the ancient treasure, Dr. Bellamy polished his glasses on his lab coat. "And really valuable," he replied. "This treasure could sell for millions!"
Maura, fire blazing in her eyes, turned to the doctor. "We're NOT selling this," she admonished furiously. "Think of the tourists that would flock to see this!"
"If we sold this, we wouldn't need tourists to come," the doctor retorted. "Think about that. Anyway, I need to go finish up some paperwork in my office. Can you lock up when you pry your jaw from the floor?" Snickering at his lame joke, Dr. Bellamy exited the room.
"Oh, ha ha," Maura murmured. She turned to a solid-gold statue of three dolphins swimming around a clump of diamond-encrusted seaweed. "Oh my! This statue…it's exquisite!" Maura strolled around the statue, admiring every hand-carved detail with mounting excitement.
A loud boom echoed throughout the storage room as a clap of thunder rocked the aquarium. Maura gasped involuntarily as she was suddenly plunged into darkness. In a moment that felt like an eternity, the emergency lights finally flickered on, bathing the room in an eerie red glow.
A low growl echoed from the treasure heap. Maura looked wildly around the red-tinged room and saw a hideous creature emerge from a pile of gold coins! Its acid-green scaly skin shimmered under the emergency lights. With another growl, it raised razor-sharp claws and took a threatening step towards the marine biologist. A scream died in Maura's throat as the beast drew closer…and closer…
