"Yes."
The woman did something on her end that involved typing. "Great," she said again. "We have spaces available at five thirty. How's that?"
Kerry checked her watch. "It's five now," she said. "Sounds perfect."
Dar bounced up and down on the balls of her feet happily. "Do it," she instructed the woman. "What do we need?"
The woman typed for a while, then she looked up. "Okay, you'll need bathing suits, and of course, you do have your certification cards?"
Dar nodded. "Yep, we do."
"Terrific! Go to the customer service center at five-fifteen, and they'll take it from there." The woman smiled broadly. "Excited?"
"Yes." Kerry forestalled Dar's answer. "Thanks!' She watched the woman sign off, and then she turned to Dar. "Oh, this is going to be so cool."
Dar grinned as she requested their dinner reservations. "Yeah," she said. "It's not like we haven't been diving in more exotic places, but this'll be different all right." Finishing, she put her hands on Kerry's shoulders and directed her toward the service center. "Let's go."
THERE WERE SIX others in their group of eight, Dar discovered. They were a diverse bunch ranging from resort certified divers with very limited experience, to two others like Dar herself, experienced dive masters out for some fun.
After a solemn introductory session, and the paying of the fee, they all trooped through an unmarked gate, going from the public part of the theme park, into the work area guests typically never saw. Dar more or less ignored the chattering around her and spent time looking around at the facilities, which were well kept and spotless, though far less ornate than the theme park areas themselves.
They walked past administrative offices, and across a service roadway to the rear part of the Seas exhibit, which featured a huge marine system serviced by entire buildings full of pumps and water treatment equipment.
Inside the exhibit, they moved carefully around huge pipes and up several flights of narrow stairs to a small classroom. Once there, they were given release forms and refreshments while they filled them out. "When was the last time we dove, Dar?" Kerry chewed the end of her pen. "Tuesday or was it last Thursday?"
"Thursday." Dar was busy scribbling. "You were nearly bitten by that cranky parrot fish you kept chasing down."
"Ah. Yeah." Kerry finished writing and signed her name to the bottom of the release, dating it neatly. "I was just trying to take his picture. You'd think he was a TV star in LA or something."
"Maybe that barracuda that kept following me was his agent." Dar slid Kerry's form out from under her hands and gave both to the khaki clad man giving them directions. "Here you go." She sat back and regarded their fellow divers as the guide collected all his paperwork, and checked off sizes for their gear.
"Okay, guys." The man finished and gave them a sunny grin. "Next, we go down to the locker rooms and suit up. Your gear bags are on the benches. When you're done, walk out into the hallway and I'll meet you there to take you up to the dive platform. Okay?"
"Good deal." Kerry stood and followed Dar as they left the room, traveling down a short flight of stairs to another in a seemingly endless series of pale blue corridors. Touching the wall, she could feel a distinct vibration, and the scent of water seemed to penetrate even the thick concrete. The air was also damp, and combined with the chill of the air conditioners, rather refreshing after being outside.
The locker rooms were surprisingly plush. Kerry's eyebrows rose as she noted the well-equipped showers, complete with shampoo and soap. "Hey. Nice." She complimented them, as Dar sorted out their respective wetsuits. "Almost like home."
"Here." Dar tossed Kerry a suit, moving forward as one of the two other women walked past her to the changing booths. The other woman followed, leaving Dar and Kerry in the main room together.
They exchanged looks, and then Kerry pointed to one of the changing booths. "After you, little fishie. Give me a hand getting this thing on?"
Dar grinned knowingly. "Sure," she answered in an offhand tone. They entered the same space and closed the door, as Dar draped the two wetsuits over the partition wall. "We don't use these much."
"Nope." Kerry removed her shorts and T-shirt, leaning forward and giving Dar a kiss on the navel as she did the same. "Too hot most of the time." She removed her still dampish swimsuit and slid it on, grimacing at its clammy touch. "Someone's going to invent instant suit dryers some day. Brr."
Dar adjusted the strap on Kerry's suit, then ducked her head and nibbled her neck, running her hands over the sheer fabric lightly to warm it. "That better?" she inquired, into Kerry's now bright pink ear.
"Much." Kerry rubbed the bridge of her nose, as the surge of heat from her guts felt like it was going to produce steam off the dampness. "Thanks."
"Anytime." Dar put on her own suit and adjusted it, then she picked up Kerry's wetsuit and held it up for her. "Squiggle."
Kerry stepped into the shortie suit and tugged it up over her thighs and past her hips before she stuck her arms into it and straightened. "I always feel like a penguin in one of these." She remarked, as Dar pulled the neoprene into place and zipped the back. The suit was restrictive, and she spent a moment moving her arms and adjusting the half sleeves as Dar got into hers. "I ever tell you that you look really good in a wetsuit?"
Dar paused in the process of pulling on a sleeve and peered at her. "I look good as a penguin? Thanks, Ker. You're a peach." She tugged the neoprene over her muscular shoulders and stretched her arms out; grimacing as the stubborn fabric pulled overly taut before it grudgingly inched into place.
Kerry pulled her zipper up and gave her a pat on the side. The thick rubber outlined Dar's body sleekly, and despite the overwhelming scent of carbon, she did find it kind of sexy looking. "You don't look like a penguin, sweetie. You look like a superhero."
Dar looked down at herself, then up at Kerry. "I think you're the one who needs glasses, Kerry." She laughed. "C'mon. Let's go see some fish." She picked up their clothing and opened the booth door, waiting for Kerry to exit before she moved toward a set of lockers where they'd been assigned a top one for their things.
The two other women had already exited, and when Dar and Kerry opened the door they found most of the rest of the group waiting. They joined their guide, now also suited up, and stood quietly as the last of the group finally ducked out of the men's locker room.
"Okay, let's go up." The guide turned and lead the way, past anonymous blue doors and up another set of stairs before he reached a door marked "Stage Entrance". "Okay, we're going into the Living Seas now, so everyone suck it up and look good."
Before anyone could react, the guide opened the door and they were greeted with a blast of chilly air. Past the entrance they could see the inside of the public pavilion filled with guests, some of whom were now glancing their way curiously. "Oh...hm," Kerry murmured, as they filed out and started across the carpeted floor. "Boy, that could be embarrassing."
Dar merely kept walking wryly hoping she didn't bump into anyone she knew.
They traversed the main floor and got to the central area, where a huge tube with Plexiglas windows showed a diver's lock-in area. For a moment Dar wondered if they were really going to lock through, then the guide took them to a door in the rear and they disappeared into a stairwell leading up.
The scent of water was much stronger here, to the point that Dar could almost feel the salt collecting on the back of her tongue as they walked upwards. At the top of the circular stairs a door opened, and they walked out onto a steel platform.
The aquarium was laid out below them, the entrance to it a huge circular room crisscrossed with steel catwalks to give access to the water's surface. There were huge slings and cranes over the water, and equipment for servicing the giant tank was clamped everywhere. Here, rather than the public viewpoint of an entertaining, safe, cheerful show was instead the rig of a professional marine habitat and an air of scientific matter of factness.