Shadow Zone by Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen

beautiful.”
    “Yes, it is.”
    Melis glanced at her. “You’re not impressed?”
    “I guess I’m more excited about how things work than the actual physical beauty of an object. Conner used to shake his head and tell me I had no soul.”
    “You have a soul. Your focus is just different.” She looked back at the trellis. “When I first started exploring Marinth, I couldn’t understand why my husband, Jed, could be so excited about the artifacts that the crew brought up from the depths. I was only interested in the huge dolphin population that lived down there in the ruins.”
    “You were a marine biologist.”
    She nodded. “But that changed one day. I reached out and touched one of the goblets they had brought up on deck. It might have been warmed by the sun, but it felt oddly . . . alive. As if it had just been set down by some young Marinthian before he strolled away. I began to think of those men, women, and children who had lived and studied and loved all those thousands of years ago. I felt a connection and then I felt . . .” She reached out and touched the panes of glass with gossamer gentleness. “Wonder.”
    Hannah’s throat tightened. She knew about wonder. Wonder was when she had stood with Conner by the bedside of his sleeping children. Children were wonder. Connecting with someone you loved was wonder. As she had told Melis, her life had been more involved with machines than human interaction but she knew that truth. “I guess I don’t have your sensitivity.”
    Melis laughed. “Heaven save me from the gentle souls who tell you how sensitive they are. We’re all different. We all have our own priorities. I’ll take you anytime over them. Particularly when you risked your pod to keep from hurting my dolphins.”
    “It came close,” Hannah said ruefully. “It was pretty scary down there. Dolphins can be intimidating, and there were so many. I can handle Pete and Susie, but those dolphins reminded me of those Foo dogs that guard Chinese temples. Very fierce.” She looked down at the trellis. “Were they protecting this artifact, Melis?”
    “I don’t know. You can’t make the mistake of thinking all dolphins are like Pete and Susie. They’re not; they can be as lethal as sharks in some situations. Something triggered that ferocity. We’ll have to think about it.” Melis began to set up her camera. “But right now I want to study and photograph and not worry about the dolphins.”
    “Can I help?”
    She shook her head. “Just keep Ebersole out of my hair until I finish.” She nodded at the AquaCorp executive on the bridge. “He’s been salivating to examine the trellis, and I’ve told the crew they’re not to let him near it.”
    Hannah could see that he’d pose a problem. He was frowning, and he looked as if he were pulling at an invisible leash. “No problem.” Hannah made a face. “Well, actually I’d rather take arsenic than have him cross-examine me about the retrieval. How long?”
    “Three hours. Then I’ll have the crew stand guard while I arrange transport for it. I need to ship it to the museum. My lab isn’t equipped for this kind of restoration. You can bring him to view it then . . . at a distance.”
    Hannah nodded and turned away. “I’ll go do my duty right after I change.”
    “Hannah.”
    She looked over her shoulder.
    Melis smiled. “Thank you.”
    “I just did my job.”
    She shook her head. “You took that extra step. You retrieved my trellis, and you protected my dolphins. That qualifies as damn terrific.”
    Hannah grinned. “I guess it does. But the hardest task is yet to come. Just get that trellis off the ship and out of Ebersole’s view.” She strolled down the deck toward the steps that led to her quarters.
    “Hannah,” Ebersole roared. “I need to talk to you.”
    She sighed, then forced a smile. “Right away. Just let me change first.” She started down the steps, then heard the familiar chirping off starboard. She