Free Unbroken Connection by Angela Morrison Page A

rest.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Hah! Dream on…the guy is what he is… people can’t up and change just to fit some fantasy you had in high school.
Leesie327 says:
   
We’ll see.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Are you taking bets?
Leesie327 says:
   
I would never bet on something so important.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Nope…you would never bet on something so shaky.
Leesie327 says:
   
Your opinion.
Kimbo69 says:
   
You asked for it.
Leesie327 says:
   
No. I don’t think I did.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Reality sucks but you need to face it.
Leesie327 says:
   
Life doesn’t have to be like that.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Talk to me again when you’re ready to join MY club…down here on earth… where we know what’s important and get it.
Leesie327 says:
   
I could never live like you do.
Kimbo69 says:
   
Are you calling me a slut? A whore?
Leesie327 says:
   
No. You called yourself that.
Kimbo69 says:
   
But that’s what you think…that’s what you’ve always thought.
Leesie327 says:
   
Well, that’s how you act.
Kimbo69 says:
   
And you are a frigid prude…I’d rather be a whore. Don’t call me anymore…you wouldn’t want to sully those icy white fingers.
Leesie327 says:
   
Kim sign back on. Did you block me? I’m sorry. I think of you first as a friend. Kim?

Chapter 13
     
    OFF TRACK
     
    MICHAEL’S DIVE LOG—VOLUME #10
     
    D IVE B UDDY : Karen
    D ATE : 10/30
    D IVE #: 1,257
    L OCATION : Burma Banks
    D IVE S ITE : Silvertip Bank
    W EATHER C ONDITION : overcast
    W ATER C ONDITION : 4’ swells, current
    D EPTH : 152’
    V ISIBILITY : 60’
    W ATER T EMP .: 74 F
    B OTTOM T IME : 32 min.
    C OMMENTS :
    Freak. Burma banks today. Long ways out from the other islands. These mountains don’t quite break the surface. Wild, open water diving conditions. Strongest current yet. This place is legendary.
    We make a quick descent in a tight pack. The Zodiac follows us close. I issued emergency whistles and bright orange safety sausages to everyone. The first dive goes off okay. Kind of barren. Not teeming like the other sites. This used to be the place for close shark encounters. We see one lonely nurse shark. And lots of white blasting scars on the reef. Dynamite fishing. Way to go, Myanmar. No freaking protection here.
    We’re all subdued on the surface. Shocked. The second dive is a bit better. Nice wall. The sea floor is a thousand feet down. Not the viz you get in Cayman, but the coral here is better—at least where it’s not blown up.
    Karen has her camera along, gets behind taking a photo of a blasted spot. Evidence. Good for her. She’d be a good crusader.
    I notice she sank a bit deep while taking the photo. Easy to do. I’m at 95 feet. She must be around 110. I clank a metal clip on my tank to get her attention, move my hand in an upward motion to signal her to watch her depth. It’s time we all coast up to around 70 feet anyway.
    Karen pumps the button on the hose hanging from her B.C. to fill it with more air and give her more buoyancy—kicks to swim up to my level. A rapid stream of bubbles comes out of her scuba vest. Freak. The bladder inside must have burst. She starts sinking.
    I’m down to her in a shot, but we’re already at 130.
    She freezes, clings to me. I pump up my vest to max its lift and kick hard while I pull the weights out of one of her B.C. pockets and dump them. Karen snaps out of it and starts kicking, too. She’s on the verge of panic—breathing heavy—sucking through way too much air. At this depth, she’ll be sharing my tank soon. I’ve got plenty, but we’ll need to do extra deco time to make up for going this deep. I think we can make it to the emergency air dangling at the end of a hose off the back of the Zodiac.
    We stop sinking at 150 feet. Start back up. She wants to rush. Dangerous. I keep it slow. I motion with my hands to calm her down. Check her eyes. Kind of wild. I tap her facemask and then mine. She shoves her computer in my face