Whispers of the Deep
Emma Hamm
Copyright © 2023 by Emma Hamm
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For all my nerdy girls out there -
You can’t tell me you weren’t thinking this while you played Bioshock.
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Foreword
Thank you for reading this super exciting book that I am THRILLED to have in your hands!
First and foremost - DISCLAIMER.
DISCLAIMER.
DISCLAIMER.
I am not a scientist. I fully realize a lot of what is said in this book simply could not happen. Human bodies are not meant to be in the water for a long time, and they certainly are not made to withstand pressure changes easily.
I say some things in here about an invention that allows our heroine to breathe underwater for a bit, and avoid the bends.
Do not try this at home. It’s entirely made up, and honestly, probably impossible.
Please suspend your disbelief for this monster fucker book.
It’s a book about fucking mermen. Let’s not get into a scientific conversation about whether the bends would happen or if she could die doing half the stuff she does.
K?
K.
*smooches*
One
Mira
“Get away from that window, woman!” The shout echoed through the glass dome, anger vibrating in every word.
But Mira had grown up in the engineering dorms. She knew every nook, cranny, and obstacle in her way. The glass wasn’t going to break. She’d already tested its capabilities long before she started welding the metal framework. It was fine.
Taking her finger off the welder’s trigger, she yanked her goggles up and glared down at the man ten feet below. “Really, Hermon? You think I didn’t test everything before I started welding?”
“All the sparks sure made me think you didn’t.” He jabbed a finger at the opposite side of the glass. “That looks like a crack to me.”
“That’s because it is.” She released her hold on the suction cup in front of her and dangled in the air above him. Her rigging was attached to the ceiling of the giant room. A currently blocked off room, because of all the leaks. “But that panel of glass isn’t attached to the rest of it. It’s not leaking from a crack, you old dolt! It’s leaking from a rusty rivet that I am currently removing. So unless you want to drown with me, I suggest you go back to your office and let me work.”
He grumbled underneath his breath, but she heard something along the lines of idiotic women who thought they knew how to weld.
Mira knew how to weld. She’d been doing this her entire life. It was her father’s lifelong career before he’d drowned and left all his tools to her. And she’d gotten really good at it over the years.
Sighing, she shook her head, slammed her goggles back into place, and swung over to the suction cup handhold again. But before she let the sparks fly once more, she stared out of the glass dome that was only a few inches away from her face.
The ocean.
It was terrifying and beautiful all at the same time.
Their city was built underneath the sea. Deeper than the other cities, but still connected through tunnels and long rail systems that allowed people to travel back and forth between cities. This was just one of the many domes currently cut off from use because of water leakage. But she was one of the few who got to see inside the sealed rooms. She got to see what it was like to sit at the very edge of a drop off that disappeared into darkness.
About thirty feet beyond the glass was the edge. There were still plants growing out there, long tendrils of kelp that waved in the currents. Tiny schools of fish coasted in large groups, pausing to look at her, and then zooming on by. The water was crystal clear. She felt like she could see for miles, but really, all she could see was the rest of their city. Glowing in the distance, faintly blue with all the lights of tall towers, gleaming with glass and metal.
Her quadrant, owned by the Beta Corporation, was mostly industrial. But there were rooms like this one that were intended to entertain.
Mira would never be able to scrub the beauty of this room out of her mind. Even though it hadn’t been used in her lifetime, it was still beautiful. Gold and white checkered floors, massive sculptures of muscular men holding up the ceiling on all four corners, and all this glass. It was a wonder it hadn’t broken years ago.
That crack, though. She’d have to fix that sooner rather than later.
When her boss had told her to take the lead on this project—apparently some rich person wanted to hold a party in this room and wouldn’t take no for an answer—she’d almost lost her mind. Of course, she’d take a room that had been sealed for years. Of course, she would risk her life and potentially die tragically if she got to see this. This beauty. This magic that no one had seen in years.
Testing the welder in her hand, she let the flame burst white hot before setting back to work replacing the rivet. It was a slow leak, but real frightening if it was in a room not often used. Someone would close the doors and then find ankle deep water in just a week or two. Living underwater like they did that was a real concern. So they’d shut off access entirely, not wanting to risk the rest of the city. Every room had storm doors that were rubberized and water proof for just this reason.