Head Above Water

Prologue: Marc Lancaster

Large swells rocked the R/V Andromeda, back and forth, like a slow silver pendulum on foaming white waves. Some of the waves spun off the port side sending emerald tinted cats’ paws swirling back out to sea. The little research vessel swayed and staggered like a man right out of a bar, but its two person crew, the captain in his waterproof red coat, and I in my black wetsuit, stood still and steadily. The captain stood in the shelter of the Andromeda, with his hands on the wheel, periodically looking up to the contour map at the top of his window. He glanced from the digital screen to the wide ocean outside of his window and back to the map twice. I focused on adjusting my mask to the right level of tightness. My last name, Lancaster was half worn away on the strap where I had written it months ago with a thick black sharpie. I looked it over and tried not to laugh as I read ‘L…aster’. I would have to rewrite it again at some point but the <em style=