Well this chapter got away from me. It's not very long because I didn't have a clear vision going in and then it all swam away. Although I did give a hint as to what an upcoming chapter is going to be about, so look forward to that.

Chapter Nine – Deep Blue Sea

They were in the water, bobbing gently, when the camera came on. Gordon was dressed in a dark blue wetsuit, not in IR uniform, but something that was rather similar. "Hello world," he grinned. "We're gonna show you something that many of you aren't ever going to be able to see in person," he said, waving a hand around. The camera panned a bit and showed that they were literally in the middle of the ocean, a boat floating nearby and a small island could hardly be seen in the distance. "Alan's on the camera."

The camera turned, and Alan's face filled the screen, his eyes scrunched up as he gave the biggest grin he possibly could. Gordon was laughing in the background, unable to be seen over Alan's face. Alan gave a chuckled and he turned the camera back to Gordon. "Come on," Gordon said with a wave, pulling his mask back over his face. "Let's go."

There was a bit of a fumble as Alan assumedly pulled on his mask, and then they were sinking. Bubbles rose and the light became fuzzy and wavy. The sound was distorted and filled with bubbly sounds before it was turned down a little.

Despite having the technology, it was clear that this video wasn't going to have much speaking in it as Gordon tugged Alan forward, through the bubbles that were obscuring everything from sight for a moment. When the bubbles cleared, a whole new world was revealed.

They were suspended in the water, a few meters above an old shipwreck, stranded on a coral shelf. The ship had been there for some time, probably late twentieth century or early twenty-first. It was a large vessel, probably had been a personal yacht or entertainment ship of some kind. And the ocean had claimed it as its own.

It lay on its side, it's boards of wood, metal and fiberglass buckling under the water and time. There was a faint paint scheme scene through the layers of coral and sea debris. A name, possibly Lady De-something. The rudder was disconnected from the rest of the machine, lying half buried in the sand behind the boat. Some shrimp had made it their home.

Coral was growing around the wreck, colorful tropical fish darting in and out of the new growth and the old metal and wood structure. Gordon swam a bit closer, pointing out a particular fish that was a stunning blue and yellow. It gazed at him before swimming hurriedly away.

A small school of black and white fish circled around their feet, travelling to some unknown location. Gordon pointed to a crevice in a rock, giving a motion that indicated that Alan needed to be careful. A closer look revealed a large eel with jagged teeth. Gordon waggled his eyebrows behind his mask and Alan turned the camera to be able to show himself rolling his eyes. There was clearly and inside joke there, but it was clear that the audience was never going to figure out what it was.

The two brothers swam to the wreak and Gordon dived a bit, waving Alan in through an opening in the side of the ship.

Inside was dark, and both Alan and Gordon switched on their lights, illuminating the space. Old furniture was scattered about the wreak, toppled over and succumbing to both time and water. The space had been elegant and opulent at one point, but now it looked eerie and distorted. The sunlight cutting through the water was only able to penetrate the inside from a few points, casting wavery light in odd places.

Gordon continued onward, and Alan followed. They clearly knew where they were going, had been here and explored before. Most wrecks were off limit these days, after all, due to ocean restrictions and protections, as well as wrecks being known for being dangerous places. But this wreck was probably in waters near Tracy Island or somewhere they frequently visited.

A school of fish exploded out from behind a counter, filling the sea in front of them with a flurry of color and bubbles. They quickly swam through one of the broken windows, disappearing into the reef beyond. Gordon shrugged slightly at whatever motion Alan had made, and then pointed.

There was a large five-point starfish, a startling display of white and red. It was somewhat spiky and looked fascinating to those that had only ever seen the traditional starfish sold in tourist spots. Near the starfish was a brain coral, growing out of what looked to have been a sink at one time.

They studied the wildlife for a moment longer and then slowly moved to the other side of the wreck, near where the fish had escaped through the window. Gordon held a single finger to his mask, a motion for silence, and then pointed out the window. Alan trained the camera that way and zoomed in.

Three large sharks circled the water. It was difficult to see what kind of shark they were, although they were clearly not Great Whites. They swam gracefully, surrounded by other fish amongst the colorful coral. It was a peaceful scene, and the camera stayed trained on them for a long while, the two boys watching the sharks circle.

And then Gordon moved again, heading back out of the wreck and back towards the boat. Alan followed, and they took their time, letting the camera focus on different kinds of fish, shrimp, coral and even a funky looking crab before they both slowly ascended to the surface.

Gordon hauled himself onto the boat then reached out and took the camera—still filming—from Alan so he could do the same. He handed the camera back, removed his mask and grinned. "Thought you guys would like to see some wildlife in its natural habitat," he said, stretching a little. "Sharks are always so much cooler in the ocean than in aquariums."

"Be careful Gords," Alan teased. "You'll make it sound as if you don't approve of aquariums."

Gordon shook his head, heading for the side of the boat and peering down into the water. "Oh no, I think they're great. It's an awesome way for people to be able to learn about the ocean if they're not able to see it themselves," he said. "And the amount of conservation that aquariums and zoos and stuff do is amazing." He pointed out to the approximate area that they had seen the sharks swimming. "In fact, those Blue Tips we saw would probably be extinct by now if not for the work of the aquariums."

"That's true," Alan said, the camera shaking as the younger presumably shrugged. "Actually, it was aquariums around the world that pushed for the cleaning of the oceans and the laws regarding fishing to be changed," he expounded. "Apparently now, in 2065, we're a lot better off than they were in the early 2000's and so. The world was heading towards a mass extinction before we humans got our act together."

Gordon laughed, leaning back against the side of the boat. "Look at us lecturing when we were just meaning to show you some pretty fish," he said. "The ship we showed you was the wreck of the Lady Doranne. It sunk back in 1992 after hitting a coral shelf. It was a luxury yacht owned by some millionaire or the other. No one was hurt in the wreck but they just left it, so the ocean took it over."

"It's pretty cool," Alan commented around what sounded like a yawn. "Gordon's got some great film of some other wrecks from around the world that he might be able to show you. He's seen some old stuff, like 1600's old, as well as ships like the Titanic and the Koravi. All kinds of things."

Gordon nodded, running a hand through his wet hair. "Yeah. If you're interested I can put up some of that footage. Stuff like that is fascinating to me. Alan's got some pretty cool footage of space too."

"Yeah, but we're talking about water right now, Fish Feet," Alan laughed. "Oh hey, I had another idea for a video," he said, and you could just hear the amusement in his voice.

Gordon gave him a curious look, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, Sprout? What's that?"

"Do you remember that game we used to play back at the ranch? The Floor Is Lava?"

And the screen went black

David Golman 10 hours ago
I live in a landlocked country, and seeing the ocean like that was really cool. Thanks guys. Don't get eaten by sharks.
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HillaryUtopian 9 hours ago
Pretty pretty fish. What kind of starfish was that anyway? I've never seen one like that.
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UptownFunkyGirl 8 hours ago
Floor is lava? Great, now I'm going to be highly anticipating that video. I can't wait
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SimonSays328 7 hours ago
Sharks are so cool. I'm glad that its illegal to hunt them now. I mean, it was before, but now its actually enforced, you know?
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MickeyManic99 6 hours ago
The fact that there is no consistency in these video subjects is like really really refreshing. You never know what you're going to get from the Tracy family, but you're never disappointed.
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SarahScreamsLove9 5 hours ago
I wouldn't mind seeing some more shipwrecks, personally. That's really cool.
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IDareYouToTry88 4 hours ago
That was a really peaceful video. Thanks guys.
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