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“You et to tell you how to drive?” Paul asked “This is a first”

“Don’t get used to it,” she replied “Turning now You should see the hull any minute”

Braced against the buffeting force of the water and counting off the seconds, Paul kept his head up and eyes forward While he saw nothing but a gray-green background, there was plenty to hear: the high-pitched electric whine of the Re buzz of Gamay’s boat as it moved farther away and a low hum that came from directly in front of him

“I can hear the ferry’s engines,” he said

“Can you see it?”

“Not yet,” he replied “But it’s suddenly obvious to me why dolphins developed sonar”

“Sound works much better down there,” she replied “Letback your speed”

Paul felt the ROV slow, and though they were doing only a couple of knots to begin with, it significantly reduced the strain on his arms

He caught sight of a shape up ahead “I see it,” he said “Looks like they’re durees to the left, would you? I’d rather not go directly under that”

The shrouded propeller deflected to the side and the tadpole-shaped ROV turned “Perfect,” Paul said “Straight ahead now for twenty seconds Then bring me up to a depth of thirty feet and cut the throttle”

The hull of the ferry came into focus The ship was a twenty-year veteran of channel crossings Itswas painted red beneath the waterline, but the rust and a coating of ave it a mottled color It drew sixteen feet of water and Paul passed beneath the outside edge with plenty of headroom above him

“Cut the throttle,” he said

The ht on cue and Paul and the Remora coasted to a stop, dead center beneath the keel of the ship

Paul switched on a diving light “And now for the manual portion of our endeavor”

With a tether frorip on the ROV and swae ship was an interesting experience, one Paul hadn’t had before Reaching out to the hull felt as if he was touching the bottom of a cloud