“Yes, female, do not,” Giram said. “Return to shore. You’ve been successful in your search. The scanners can collect data now.”
“Do you guys have technology to make something invisible?” I asked.
“Shit. Get out now, Mikki!” Rachel yelled and my heart leaped at the panic in her voice.
“Mate, evacuate the water,” Surnen repeated. His voice was calm, but even at this great distance I felt his…terror through the collars.
Shit. What the hell had I found? Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to get any closer. I wasn’t an idiot. “Okay, I’m not lingering. I’m out of here.”
“Hurry, Mikki. I don’t like this.” Rachel’s concern goaded me to push through the burning in my lungs, but as hard as I tried to move, I wasn’t gaining any ground.
“Something’s wrong.”
At that moment the humming noise grew in volume to a loud grind. Shit. The pull of the current became stronger and I kicked toward shore with every ounce of energy, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. In fact, I was being pulled backward toward the sand.
I didn’t panic underwater. Panic killed. But I was not happy about this. The invisible metal was creating suction behind me.
“Um, guys. It’s pulling me down.”
“What?” Rachel asked. “Kick. Swim. Do something!”
“Rachel, I’m fine. But I’m kicking as hard as I can, and I can’t get away from it. It’s pulling me to the bottom.” I tried to keep my voice calm, but it was tough to do between panting for air and fighting off Surnen’s panic. “Once I reach the bottom, I should be able to walk out of the current. I just have to ride it out.”
“Fuck. Gods be damned. Get me the governor, now! We need transport!”
“Can you see anything?” Rachel asked.
One of the Prillon warriors was still yelling, but Rachel’s voice was the only reasonable sound I could hear, so I focused on her.
“I can’t do anything, Rachel. I’m letting it take me. It’s strong. Like a rip. I have air. I’m fine.” For now.
“A rip?”
“A rip current? Riptide?” Was she such a city slicker that she’d never heard of a rip current? Actually I had no idea where she was from. When I met her, just knowing she was from Earth had been more than enough.
“Oh God. You have to get out of there.” She was losing her calm, but I couldn’t afford to lose mine.
The odd current pulled me down fast, and my feet hit something hard several feet above the sandy bottom. It was like I was standing on solid water. I could feel the object, but I still couldn’t see it. I lifted my foot, stomped down as best I could underwater. I knew the helmets had video recording of some kind, just like they had audio. “Can you see this? My foot? It looks like it’s in the middle of open water, but I’m pushing against something solid. It feels like metal.” I worked myself down to my hands and knees and knocked on it, rapping it with the knuckles of my space suit. The knocking sound pinging through something hollow was unmistakable. “See?”
“What’s that swirling in the sand around the edges?” Rachel asked.
I glanced over the edge to the sandy ocean floor about a body length below me. “Some kind of whirlpool effect, I think. It’s what’s holding me down.”
“Governor, she needs to get the fuck out of there now,” Surnen snapped.
“This is Hive tech, my lady.” Giram’s voice was grim. “The energy signatures are newly registered, but it’s Hive.”
“Hive?” I repeated.
“Hive?” Surnen snarled.
“I have confirmed this is not the only unit of this kind in the water,” Giram added. “You’ve only happened upon one of… ninety-four energy signatures in this cove alone.”
“Ninety-four?” I repeated. Holy shit. Why here? Why on an uninhabited planet?
“There could be a transport mechanism on the inside.” Rachel’s voice was muffled for a moment; then I heard, “Captain, run a scan on water displacement under the surface. See if they are sucking up water.”
“Why are you doing that?” Surnen asked Rachel. “Mikki, get to shore!”