“Sam’s in charge of Bruce,” Josie explained.
“And who is Bruce?” Stone said.
“That’s the ROV going down to theAmanda Jae.”
“You know, like the mechanical shark inJaws,” Sam said.
“The shark inJawshad a name?” Dino said.
Sam looked at him like he’d just crawled out from under a rock. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it?”
“Sorry, I’m a little rusty on myJawstrivia.”
She shrugged and turned back to her screen.
“Why don’t we finish the tour?” Josie said.
She led Stone, Dino, and the commander sternward.
“You’ll have to excuse Sam,” Josie said, once they’d left the control center. “She can be a little…blunt. But I promise you, she’s the best ROV pilot on the Atlantic Ocean.”
“I don’t know,” Stone said. “I was enjoying how she pointed out Dino’s lack ofJawstrivia knowledge.”
“Don’t pretend you knew the shark’s name,” Dino said.
“Of course I did. Everyone knows that.” He looked at Choi. “Commander?”
She nodded. “The crew called it Bruce.”
“Why do I feel like I’m being pranked?” Dino asked.
“This way,” Josie said as she opened a door.
They stepped outside onto a wide deck lined with dozens of equipment boxes.
Above the deck was a metal crane used to move items ontoand off the ship. And in the center was a raised platform upon which sat another box, this one withBrucestenciled on the side.
Two men were on the platform, unlatching the top of the box.
When they noticed the new arrivals, one of the men gave them a wave and said, “Good morning, Ms. Hale.”
“Good morning, Jerry,” Josie said. “Do you mind if I bring my friends up for a look?”
“Not at all.”
The group took a short set of steps onto the platform and crowded around one end of the box as Jerry and his partner undid the last latch and lifted off the lid.
Resting inside on foam padding was the ROV. It was shaped like a manta ray and was about the size of a Vespa scooter. Along its rim were several camera lenses and lights, while on top were bumps that Stone guessed served as sensors of some kind.
“So, this is Bruce,” Stone said.
Jerry nodded. “He was named after—”
Dino held up a hand, stopping him. “Trust me. We’re aware.”
“How deep can ROVs go?” Stone asked.
“Depends on the ROV,” Josie said. “Most are in the several hundred to several thousand meters range. But a few can even reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench. That’s just over eleven thousand meters.”
