Wet and Welder (Good With His Hands: Season 2)
Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
MALLORY
“ M ove it over to the left again for me, Gene,” I ask my new crew member as he obeys by
moving the sub-sea camera across the vast ocean floor ahead.
“Nothing, as I said,” he replies as the monitor on the rover camera only displays clouds of
sand.
“Let’s call it a day, Mallory. Everyone’s tired. We’ve been at it for twelve hours
straight,” Duncan, my right hand on this mission, chimes in.
“Which only means we’re that much closer,” I reply, not looking away from the monitor.
“Keep going.”
Gene follows my command as Duncan sighs in exhaustion. I know the crew is tired, but
history wasn’t made by the weak. Only the strongest and most determined leaders succeed, and
I’m my parent’s daughter after all. Still, after another hour, I’m rethinking my position while
falling asleep standing.
“Let’s call it a day, guys. We made progress, so I’m not apologizing. Go get some sleep.”
“We’re close to land, boss. Any chance we can stop for a much needed break?” Duncan
asks bravely.
“No.” Is my response as I leave the control room and head out onto the deck for fresh air,
ignoring his crestfallen expression.
The crisp morning air is icy against my sweltering skin, and I watch the fog dance onto
the boat. The deck lights are still on as the sun continues to rise. Giving us the light of a new day
with all the possibilities of treasure. The deckhands bring the million-dollar sub-camera out of the ocean. Steel rattles with the wind, and the boat rocks with the ocean waves. I remember
getting seasick as a kid, tagging along on another one of my parent’s adventures, and I smile,
knowing they would be proud of me.
A heavy sigh escapes my lips as I lean against the ship’s railing. The gray clouds above
part revealing beams of golden sunlight that paint the sea in shimmering hues. Gasps erupt from
my crewmates as they spot something emerging from the fog bank. Squinting, I just make out the
silhouette of another ship, its steel reflecting against the shining sun.
Is this real or a hallucination from lack of sleep?
After six long months at sea searching for the Ocean Stallion, with her billion dollars’
worth of artifacts, she’s currently on course to hit my scavenger boat. In a matter of minutes, the
captain steps outside, yelling orders to brace ourselves for a sharp turn, and the men around me
rush into a frenzy. Some curse, some swear witchcraft, as the ghost ship seemed to appear out of
thin air. I simply smile at my good fortune and wrap my arms around the nearest pole. Unable to
stop staring at the wonder in front of me, even if I wanted to. It’s been lost to the sea for five
years. Crews with far more experience have come before me and failed, yet here it is. I know in
my bones that the spirits of my mother and father sent it straight to me from another moment in
time.
“Mallory!” Duncan yells from somewhere behind me.
“It’s her! It’s really her!” I reply.
Our much smaller boat makes a hasty turn, and water sprays as the deck dumps
equipment off the other side. Chaos erupts, and I continue to cling to the pole, where my feet are
swept behind me. The boat leans so hard that I worry about everyone’s safety. The iron siding of the ghost ship comes so close I can almost reach out and touch the paint that spells out Ocean
Stallion.
Seconds later, our boat levels out, and the captain rushes on deck, calling out each man’s
name to confirm a headcount and orders that force them into action. I’m already running to the
back not willing to let my ship out of sight.
Duncan, Gene, and Savannah all come running out, whooping and hollering as cheers
ring out among the deck crew.
Just as the celebration begins, I watch in horror as the back of the ship comes into view,
and my heart drops at the sight of the exposed hole currently taking in water. Soon, the ship
slows, along with the cheers from the crew.
I swing around to face the crew. “Everyone, back to your stations! We need to get that
camera back in the water!”
“We don’t know what damage it just took from that hit, Ms Montgomery. There is a
protocol to be upheld here,” Nelson replies. As the designated sub-camera expert, he has
legitimate concerns, but I’m here for only one reason…and it’s currently sinking.
“I’m sorry. Did you not just see what I did? Have you not been looking for the same ship
that is now right within reach? This needs to be documented, and the investors won’t want to
hear about your protocol.”
Whether he likes it or not, I’m leading this expedition. I may have had to sell my soul to
get the investors, but I did it myself, and at the end of the day, every man on this boat is under
my command.
Reluctantly, he nods his chin to his men, who have readied the sub to go back in, then
turns, pulling out his phone. I have no doubt the snot is tattling on me, but that’s something I’ll
have to deal with later.
Every person involved with this mission bursts into motion, rejuvenated by the discovery.
They have no idea the hardest part of this mission is still to come, and with the Ocean Stallion
currently taking in water, it just added weeks, if not months, onto this trip.
Running up to the captain’s quarters, I check in with a much kinder, Donald Hook.
Captain Hook, as we like to call him, is more relaxed than I expected as he listens to the change
of plans.
“I’ll make sure that everything is pulled back up for you within the hour. How are the
men?” I assure him.
He nods, showing me more respect and faith in my abilities than anyone else here.
“I have no doubt, Montgomery. Everyone’s accounted for, so get off this boat already.”
I smile, the excitement breaking through the anxiety, and he gives me a knowing nod.
Excitement fills me instantly at his assurance, and I nod in agreement.
“Okay, sir, if that’s all, I will take a small dive team in within the hour.”
“Good luck out there, Montgomery,” he says, scratching his white scruffy beard. “And
congratulations.”
Laughter bursts through my lips, and I turn and hurry through the corridors of the boat
like a kid on Christmas morning, excited to finally explore the ghost ship I’ve dedicated so much
of my life to finding.
Forty-five minutes later, I am in my wetsuit and finishing my stale coffee when the call
comes in. I groan at the name on the screen.
“Ms. Montgomery, I don’t have to tell you how important it is to save every artifact in
the Ocean Stallion. The board and I have invested an unbelievable amount of trust and money in
your cause, but we want that ship intact.” Arnold’s voice hisses through the phone.
“The plan has always been to retrieve the valuables, sir. I don’t know why the ship itself
is important. We’ve been looking for it at the bottom of the ocean for the past six months. Why
does it matter now?” I plead, knowing this will take more men, work, and time now.
“Circumstances have changed, and the mystery behind the ship will make for great
publicity for the museum, not to mention if we can save the ship itself.”
“You mean it’ll make you all more money,” I state matter-of-factly.
“This has always been about the money, Mallory. Let us not pretend otherwise. Now get
the right crew, fix the ship, make port, and salvage absolutely everything. Am I making myself
and the board, who is writing the checks, perfectly clear?”
“Perfectly,” I say through gritted teeth. The investor’s lawyer hangs up, leaving me
fuming in my wetsuit.
As if on cue, Nelson walks into the control room with a cocky smirk.
“The ship is taking on an extraordinary amount of water. I predict it’ll be fully submerged
within minutes, but it won’t be safe to explore until it hits the ocean floor.
“That’s too deep,” I reply, pushing past him and hurrying back to Captain Hook, whose
ironic last name favors the Disney character. Luckily, his personality doesn’t. If anyone can pull
off something as crazy as I’m about to suggest, it’s him.