“Did you see him?” cried one crew member, pointing frantically. Others shook their heads, doubting their eyes. The image could have been imagination, sunlight through spray. But hope once sparked refused to fade. The chase redoubled, hearts pounding, voices crackling across radios: He’s alive. He has to be.
Inside, Nathaniel pressed his palm against slick flesh, whispering into his regulator though no one could hear. “You’re protecting me, aren’t you?” The notion felt absurd, yet undeniable. The whale shifted again, and once more he glimpsed the circling shark. The giant body curved between him and danger with precision.