David Golemon - Legend

"Okay, I suspect you're going to feel a little queasiness when you're lowered. The section is telescopic so you won't actually be out of the boat, just under her some. Ready?"

The six passengers nodded as they turned toward the sides and the glass that for right now showed nothing other than the outer composite hull.

Jenks pressed a button on the intercom. "Toad, you're going to feel some drag as we lower the section into the water, Teacher 's computer should compensate after about thirty seconds, so don't worry about it, got it?"

"You got it, Chief; right now we have about thirty-two feet under the keel. We'll give you plenty of notice if we run shallower than twenty-five," Carl said from the cockpit.

"Okay, boys and girls, hold onto your asses," Jenks said as he raised the switch cover and pressed.

The hum of hydraulics sounded from motors embedded in the sides of Teacher as the section started to telescope. The passengers grabbed the armrests of the seats and looked up as they were lowered. The faces of Jenks and the rest of the sciences team became obscured as the rush of passing water was heard. They turned toward the glass again when the small boat-shaped platform broke into the river. Mendenhall was sitting in the frontmost seat and so was nearest the bow-shaped and aerodynamic front. A mere six inches of acrylic separated him from the rush of greenish water being split by the platform. First they were lowered by five feet into the river; next, another section started sliding from the hull of Teacher and the platform was telescoped another five feet into the river. Then floodlights blazed to life and the underwater world was illuminated around them in stark detail.

"My god, this is great," Sarah said.

Above them, a section of soundproof decking slid over the top of the submerged platform, sealing out light and noise from Teacher and the crew above.

All about them, fish of every freshwater species darted about, some curious as to the strange creatures staring at them, enough so that they returned the favor.

"Damn, look at this — it's got to be the largest damn catfish I have ever seen. Look at its color," Mendenhall said.

Outside the glass of the pointed bow, an albino catfish, with a wide mouth that was at least large enough to take a man whole, swam by curiously but sped away when it came into the center of one of the floodlights.

"We're invading its home," Danielle remarked as she watched the black walls of the cave slide by her.

"Look at that," Ellenshaw said. "Supay, the god of the Inca underworld."

Outside the acrylic windows, they could see a statue, at least forty feet in length. It lay on its back. Teacher easily cleared it and, as she passed over, they could see the slanted, snakelike eyes as it watched the strange craft ease by above it.

"Professor, look!" Danielle said loudly.

"Oh my god! Someone start filming this, please!" Ellenshaw cried as he found himself face to face with a freshwater coelacanth, a fish that was supposed to be extinct more than 60 million years before. More than one saltwater species had been caught off the coast of Africa, but this was the first live specimen Ellenshaw had ever seen, outside of some rare footage of one that was filmed four years before. It was just inches from his face.

"Cameras are running, Professor," Jenks called through the intercom from above.

"This is amazing," he said as he raised his hands to the glass. The huge fish swam easily, its strong finlike appendages able to maneuver it like a swimmer with hands.

"This is not the saltwater species found in the seas, look at her! She must be two hundred pounds, and in freshwater, remarkable!" Ellenshaw exclaimed. "Professor Keating, are you seeing this?" he asked with the aid of the intercom.

"Indeed, I am. This is truly remarkable."

As Sarah joined them at the window, the prehistoric fish suddenly moved with the speed of a snake striking a victim. It smashed itself into the window, making all inside fall back, either into chairs or onto the deck. It swam away and then attacked the glass again. It repeated the aggressive action three more times as it gathered more speed with every turn. Then the five-foot-long fish apparently finally decided enough was enough and swam off into the murky water.

"Well, that was fucking exciting; not exactly something you would put in your tank at home, is it?" Sarah said as she was helped up by Mendenhall.

"Do we have film of this?" Ellenshaw asked.

The speaker came alive and Jenks answered, "Got it all, damn near thought he was going to punch a hole in that acrylic."

"It was indeed splendidly aggressive, wasn't it," the wild-haired Ellenshaw said excitedly.

"Yeah," Mendenhall said, looking at the professor as if he had lost his mind.

"Okay, folks, that's enough for now, too dangerous while we're under way. Bringing her up," Jenks warned.

The ceiling above them slid back as they resumed their seats. The bottom section telescoped into the first, and that into the main hull. All six crewmembers exited with a feeling they had just returned from another world.

"I hope we can get a specimen while we are here; that would be marvelous," Ellenshaw said as he slapped Mendenhall on the shoulder.

The sergeant just gave him an uneasy smile, then turned to Sarah and rolled his eyes.

Later, while Jenks was at the helm in the cockpit, Teacher suddenly broke free of the cave and into the star-filled night sky. It was so sudden he didn't even realize it until the moon lit up the cockpit. He reached out and slapped Lance Corporal Walter Lebowitz, who had been sleeping and was supposed to be assisting him.

"Wake up, jarhead!" Jenks called out loudly and then lit his cigar.

The lance corporal didn't know where he was for a moment, and the brightness of the moon clearly confused him after the hours inside the pitch black of the cave. He looked around at the jungle and forest that crowded the riverbank in every direction.

"Go wake Lieutenant Commander Everett and Major Collins. Tell 'em we're clear of the cave and have to stop to blow out our ballast tanks and check the boat out. We'll get under way again in—" Jenks looked at the digital chronometer on the command console, " — two hours; got it, Corporal?"

"Yes, Chief."

"Then why aren't you moving, boy?" Jenks growled.

The pilot watched him go and then shut down the exterior lights, throwing the outside world back into darkness with the exception of the lowering moon. The cockpit lights were switched off, and only the green-blue glow of the instrument panels illuminated Jenks. He reached out and throttled back on both engines. He shut them down and then put the auto pilot in hover. The electrically operated jets would keep Teacher in the center of the tributary with small adjustments on her thrusters. Only the forward jets would be working full-time to keep the boat from drifting back with the slow current. He then turned the knob that read ballast purge, and throughout the boat a loud hiss of escaping air woke most everyone. Large bubbles of exploding air and water surrounded Teacher as the tanks emptied and the boat's hull rose high into the air after her being half-sunk for the need of having a low profile.

As Jenks relaxed and looked ahead, all he could make out was more darkness as the tributary went under the never-ending canopy of trees once again. He suspected this would be the last location for a while where the major could make contact with anyone back home.

"Hello, may I join you?" a female voice asked.

Jenks turned in his seat to see that scientist-type woman with the great legs, as she moved in and sat down in the copilot's seat.