The vehicle was small, just consisting of the bridge and a compartment with seating and tables. De Souza had sat down but the Bates were all too fascinated to stay back in what seemed a recreation area. There were eight oceanic soldiers on board and with the exception of two who stayed back and watched De Souza's bodyguards, they each seemed to have a task to fulfil on the bride. Four of them sat in chairs, their hands flying over the blinking panels in front of them. The captain who had introduced himself as Tabarik and his second in command, a female called Elera, watched a big monitor in the middle of the dark room, sometimes giving oceanic orders. A window went all around the crescent-shaped area of the bridge, showing nothing but darkness beyond the submarine's light cone.
"This is a research vessel, isn't it?" Diane asked. "To collect data from areas so deep your orbital ships couldn't reach?"
"Yes," Tabarik replied. "That was its purpose."
"It must be weird for you, being in here?" Brett said. "Instead of swimming?"
Tabarik hesitated briefly. "The Ancient Ones must have wished for us to find this vessel in the depth of the Pyramid," he responded then. "So, it must also be their wish that we use it."
"Maybe," Jason remarked quietly, "but still, it must feel like a prison to you. And escorting human dignities to one of your most sacred places on Earth – that can't be easy."
Tabarik paled. "It is an honorable task, An`Goleda" he quickly assured. He was young, maybe a few years older than Jason.
An'Goleda. There it was again.
The rest of the ride was quiet except for Diane's occasional sighs in wonder when the light cone met some graceful jellyfish and deep-sea creature. The garage was bigger than the pool they normally used with the Minifin. De Souza left first and very quickly. When Jason followed, he noted her relieved expression.
"Not comfortable with confined spaces?" he asked her quietly, waiting for the others to climb the duct.
She grimaced. "It's more the being-trapped-with-unfriendly-soldiers-in-a-submarine part, than just the limited space. At least in here in the Pyramid, I don't have to fear about unstable walls caving in and instantly being killed by the pressure."
"I didn't know you were afraid of anything."
De Souza smiled but shook her head. "I'm not stupid, Jason. Fearless cops usually get themselves killed in their first few years. Fear made me cautious. This is why, I'm still alive. But looking around me – maybe a bit more recklessness would have saved me from this situation."
Jason grinned. "Would you really wish for someone else to be in your position?"
"Would you?"
"No," he replied instantly. "As much as I wish for an easier life for Neri and me, I prefer being in the middle of the action instead of watching from the sidelines."
"Same here. Besides, I wouldn't trust anyone else to do my job."
Jason smiled. "I wouldn't either."