No, she pictured one of the leviathans, blue-grey with razor-sharp teeth. She couldn't stop the thought, nor the shiver that coursed through her body and gave her gooseflesh.
“You know,” Janet spoke up again, “I think the shark wants you. I think the reason my charms don't work on him is because he's obsessed with you. If I know anything, I know how to read a man. And that one,” she smiled, “wants you more than his next breath.”
Rylie stiffened as her breath caught in her throat and her goosebumps faded into her skin. Suddenly all she could smell was Netto and the ocean, and the feel of his hands on her skin, cupping her waist, his fingers in her hair. The heat of his body penetrating her flesh and taking over her senses making her want him. Making her crazy.
“Too bad I think he’s a virgin,” Janet continued as she threw nugget shells overboard.
A virgin?The thought thrilled her even though she didn’t believe it.
“Girls! We’re passing the farthest threshold of our agri-lots,” Da yelled from the other side of the ship, at the helm of the boat. “There ain't anything on my radar but one of you should go tell the Cyborgs below.”
Rylie looked out over the ocean in the cloud-filled sky. It made the water black, stygian, a deep dull blue that screamed of deepwater, that conjured images of the menacing things that could be within: right below, out of sight, and as hungry as she imagined them.
What was bigger than leviathans? What could evenbebigger than leviathans? She peeked up at the sky where the Kepler sun hid behind the clouds, casting her world in grey.
Nighttime would fall in a few short hours. She had never been this far out past dark and thought she never would be. Now here she was, and her fear gave way to exhilaration. She could taste the adrenaline; she could feel her misgivings in the pit of her stomach, cramping up her last nerve.
“Will do!” Janet yelled back, startling her She stood and wiped her hands. “Time to face our fears.”
Rylie nodded.
“Let’s hope we don't see anything.”
“I don't know, I am a little curious. I've never had any of the experiences that you or the others have, but then again I tend to stay near the homestead.” Her sister walked past her toward the interior but turned back before she entered. “I suggest you take advantage of your Cyborg, Rylie. Curl up with him tonight.” She giggled. “He'll make your fears go away.” And then she was gone with a flick of her hair over her shoulder.
Rylie took a deep breath and joined her da at the helm, relieving him of the console as captain. Her eyes stayed on the pewter-hued water as she sailed beyond the point of no return.
***
NETTO AND ZEPH PREPPEDthe gear, although there wasn't much on hand that could help them with their potential problem. Netto donned his bio-suit while Zeph checked their weapons. Netto would be rechecking his own as soon as Zeph turned his back.
He ran his hands over the tools on his belt, hoping he wouldn't have to use them.
“This may have nothing to do with the crops,” Zeph growled, examining the bullets in one of the guns.
“No.”
“This could be a waste of time.”
“Yes.”
Zeph jammed the clips back into the weapon with more force than needed. It wasn't lost on him that his partner was tense and had been so for some time now.
Zeph cracked his knuckles. “I'll stay up top while you go overboard.” They had gone over the plan once already and a second time would only be a waste, but apparently, his partner wasn't happy with what they had agreed upon. Netto lifted his hands away from his tools and clasped them in his lap. He sat rigidly, his head bowed in the confines of the interior lounge. He was far too big for the space.
“Yes.”
“I'll be nothing but a glorified babysitter.” Zeph picked up the next gun.
Netto couldn’t care less about their positions. If it were up to him, he would've traded places with Zeph to stay near Rylie, but one of them needed to be below and to track the sensory modules. Although Netto wasn't built for the abyss of the ocean, he could go a lot further down than his partner. He could withstand the pressure.
The Croc had an advantage where the water met land; his speed was incomparable within the deltas, swamps, and rivers that veined out from the ocean. Zeph was king there, but when it came to the open water, Netto was unmatched.
They stopped what they were doing when footsteps sounded on the stairs. He knew it wasn't Rylie but he looked up all the same. Janet appeared a moment later.
She stopped and eyed them, scrutinizing out the various mechanical constructs and tools scattered around the space. Her blue eyes didn't meet his but went directly to Zeph.
“We’re past the agri-lots now. Da wanted to make sure you knew.” She pointed her finger at the equipment. “What’s all that for?” Her lips twisted in concentration as she stepped from foot to foot, unable to keep still. Netto let Zeph answer, knowing that his partner had grown tense under the girl’s perusal.
