Julian Vance slammed the palm of his hand against the red cast-iron housing of the winch console as the cable screamed under fifty-one feet of depth.
“Look at the Moon Pool!” Mac Cole shouted, pointing his flashlight at the churning water. “The surface is boiling into yellow froth!”
“The tension is going to rip the drum off its mounting bed!” Mac added, his boots bracing against the diamond plating.
“Depth counter reads fifty point eight feet!” Lin Mei cried out, her flashlight beam tracking the brass gear teeth on the sheave.
“Fifty point six feet, fifty point five feet!” Lin Mei shouted, her voice echoing off the corrugated bulkheads.
“The cable is vibrating so hard my dental fillings are humming!” Mac bellowed, raising his heavy steel pry-bar.
“I can see their gauntlets through the water grating!” Mac added, shining his lantern into the bubbling froth.
“Look at those brass claws reaching through the wash!” Mac yelled.
