Free Dive
Page 21
When he had caught his breath, he treaded water and thought. What had happened? Treading water had never been easier, and his speed in the water was insane. He’d been working out lately, but this was ridiculous.
The only thing different was his ingestion of Sea Salt. Had it caused the increased power in his muscles? He swam around to the engine and hauled himself on board. Immediately, his muscles weakened to normal strength.
Matt frowned and dipped a leg back in the ocean. When he kicked, his leg sliced through the water with ease.
Matt’s mind sobered and churned with possibilities. Sea Salt caused hallucinations above water and increased strength below.
What would people pay for that?
JONATHAN
Jonathan Chang’s phone beeped with a notification. He leaned over the side table to put on his reading glasses. His wife nudged him with her foot from her position on the couch.
“Are you watching our show or working?”
“I’ll only be a minute,” he said absently with his cell phone in hand. His wife shook her head and turned to the television. Jonathan opened his mail app and saw the offending email. Ah, from his student Corrie on the ship. It was about time. She was a terrible correspondent out there. Ships were always busy, he knew, but she could carve out time for important things like keeping her supervisor updated, surely.
He glanced over her message, which contained nothing of substance, then looked at the first file. It was a bar chart of salinities and temperatures from all of Corrie’s stations. Jonathan sighed. There was nothing of interest here—it was simply supporting numbers for her relevant data, whenever she analyzed it. Typical students. They needed so much hand-holding. He was certain he had been far more driven and had showed more initiative during his graduate days.
There was one other file. Jonathan opened it, expecting another scintillating figure showcasing temperatures. Instead, it was a readout from sequencing analysis. Had Corrie sequenced some of her bacteria, sent her samples back to the university already? Jonathan felt an unexpected wave of admiration for his newest student, and his regard for her increased considerably. That was initiative.
But what was he looking at? These scientific names were not of bacteria. That was the family Salmonidae, containing Pacific salmon and trout. Why was Corrie analyzing fish genomes? Jonathan looked closer at the sample. It fit cleanly in the tree, nestled in the Salmo genus, but was different enough from the other species to warrant its own branch.
What had she found? An inkling of the importance of this figure dawned in Jonathan’s mind. He thought for a moment.
“Are you done?” his wife said.
“Almost,” he replied. He started a new email to a colleague.
What’s the protocol for identifying a new species? What evidence is needed? Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Continue the adventure in Caught, book two of the Nautilus Legends…
When Zeb is targeted by a ruthless entrepreneur for his secrets, how will Corrie keep him—and the world of the unicorn fish—safe?
Read Caught today from your favorite retailer.
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Emma Shelford
ALSO BY EMMA SHELFORD
Nautilus Legends
Free Dive
Caught
*More to come*
Musings of Merlin Series
Ignition
Winded
Floodgates
Buried
*More to come*
Breenan Series
Mark of the Breenan
Garden of Last Hope
Realm of the Forgotten
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Much thanks, as always, to Gillian Brownlee and Wendy Callendar for improving my books through their editing. Christien Gilston pulled off another fabulous cover. Thanks to Amanda Wells, Craig Richcreek, and Brandon Devnich for help with names. Captain Tim Bowles kindly contributed with nautical knowledge. Dr. Danielle Winget helpfully checked over the science for accuracy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma Shelford is an author with an oceanography doctorate and the sea in her blood, which made writing the Nautilus legends such a delight. She is also the author of the Musings of Merlin series and the Breenan series.