"Oh, well, I'm sorry I missed it.Sounds hilarious," Shelley replied, her tone sharp.She forced a tight smile, but the words lacked any sincerity.The laughter faded, replaced by an awkward silence.
Cam cleared his throat, bringing the focus back.He pointed to the screen as the player whirred to life.
But there was nothing.
A black screen stared back at them.
"That's weird," Gray muttered, leaning forward to check the time counter."It's playing, but...huh."He scratched his head and looked over at Cam.
"Maybe we started recording later on the tape?Try fast-forwarding a bit," Cam suggested.
Gray nodded and fiddled with the controls, but as the seconds ticked by, the screen remained dark.
"Maybe I mislabeled the tape?"Gray said, his voice tight."Get the tape from Friday.That was our best session.You'll see, Shelley.Shiloh was incredible at 45 feet underwater.You'll be impressed with our superstar."
Cam handed over another tape, but when Gray hit play, the result was the same: a black void.
Gray's movements grew more frantic as he ejected one tape after another, each one a devastating repeat of the last.No data.No footage.Just static.
Shelley struggled to contain the grin threatening to spread across her face.She bit her cheek and folded her arms, doing her best to look concerned.Inside, she was brimming with satisfaction.Her plan was flawless.Gray would spiral, and she'd be right there to pick up the pieces.
Except Gray didn't spiral the way she expected.
By the fifth tape, his hands were shaking as he slid the cassette into the machine.The screen flickered, and then there was nothing.Gray exhaled sharply, his breath hitching.Then, to Shelley's shock, his shoulders trembled.
He was crying.
"Gray," Marta's voice cut through the tense silence.She had slipped into the lab unnoticed, but now she was at his side, wrapping him in a comforting hug."Oh, Gray, what's happened?We reviewed the tapes last week.Where's the recording?"Her voice cracked, tears brimming in her eyes.
Around them, the team stood frozen, their gazes bouncing from the empty screen to the scattered tapes.Cam broke the silence first.
"How did this happen?We spent an entire month gathering the data.How can it be gone?"His voice was rough, disbelief clear in every word.
Shelley's confidence wavered.She had expected frustration, maybe even anger.But this?The way they all seemed connected, mourning the loss together, unsettled her.She needed to regain control fast.
"Hey, hey now," she said, her voice a deliberate mix of sympathy and encouragement."I don't know what happened, but this is awful.I don't think we need to start over, but I'm here to help.We'll gather the data again, plus we have all the other data from your project back at the lab.I saw the breathing rate sheets, and the TDRs should have saved data on them.We'll record the underwater portion again, and it'll be even better this time.You're the best at this, Gray.It'll all be okay."
Her attempt at reassurance fell flat.
Gray's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto hers with a fierceness she hadn't seen before.
"You," he said, his voice low and dangerous.He stood, pointing an accusatory finger."You did something.I don't know how, but you did."Gray waved his hands around the room, motioning to the trainers, his friends, who had been helping him go above and beyond his research goals.
"Gray, that's enough," Cam interjected, his tone firm but strained."She just got here yesterday.Let's not jump to conclusions."
"No, Cam!"Gray shouted, shrugging off Marta's hand as she tried to calm him."We all know these tapes were fine.We watched them last week, and now they're gone.This isn't a coincidence."He felt sick and now he regretted that they'd never booked a time with the dive team to make copies of the tapes.
"You're being ridiculous!"Shelley snapped, her carefully constructed facade slipping."So what if the video's gone?We'll record it again.This isn't the end of the world."
"It might as well be!"Gray shot back, his voice cracking."You don't understand what we've lost.It wasn't just data; it was progress and something no other researcher had added to their project.That was why the committee gave me another 2 months.They wanted more data points, sessions, and dolphins included in the project.Now we don't even have the first videotapes to show them.They wanted to standardize the method and then try it with the dolphins in Roatan."
Without another word, he stormed out of the lab.
"I'll go check on him," Marta said quietly, following him out.
Declan muttered something unintelligible and left.Daniel didn't even offer an excuse as he walked out.
That left Cam and Shelley standing in the suffocating silence.
