Paul POV
Paul looked at his phone, it said 10:30pm.
He sighed. "Another unfruitful day of searching for the impossible" he thought to himself, while taking his coat from his chair. He looked around while walking through the office, most of his team members already left. His eyes wandered to the desks filled with old maps and documents, the screens still flickering with coordinates and sonar scans. None of them leading to the lost U-530, a German U-boat that reportedly transported many secrets of the Nazi Regime, right before its fall.
His eyes wandered further over one of the desks and amid the scattered documents, a yellowed picture caught his attention. A warm, almost nostalgic smile flickered across Paul's face. "Cairo" he muttered. His team, although a smaller and younger version of it, sand covering half their bodies. A coffin like box, covered in shiny gems, lay before them.
He thought back to the endless adventures, the excitement and the renown that trip brought him. It was his first major finding, the one that made him famous. It was also the first time he met his American rival James. At least that's what the press began calling them over the years.
He knew James was in the same boat, hunting the Ghost called U-530, but Paul knew this hunt was harder and even more impossible than any other before.
Paul pondered for a long time, his forehead covered with wrinkles.
He hesitated for a moment, fingers hovering over James number, before finally pressing down.
The phone rang once...twice...
"Paul?" James' voice came through, calm but carrying the slightest edge of exhaustion.
"James" , Paul said with a slightly sarcastic tone. "Sounds like you've made about as much progress as I have these past few weeks".
"Very funny" James said.
"Look, I'm calling because I have a suggestion. Why don't we combine the data we've collected over time and look for cross references. I am sure with double the amount of data we can find her. What do you think?" Paul asked.
There was a long pause until James finally spoke: "Fine, but this doesn't mean that I will share whatever we find in that goddamn Nazi U-boat. Let's exchange data and nothing else".
"I agree", Paul said before hanging up.
******************
Paul adjusted his diving mask, his eyes scanning the horizon, not for the beautiful sunset but for James. Paul thought back to their phone call two weeks earlier and the tentative cooperation that had followed. By combining their data and days of relentless work, Paul managed to pinpoint what he believed was the location of the U-530.
"It still seems like I we were a step ahead", Paul said to his colleague Werner who was also adjusting his diving suit.
Werner nodded.
Paul glanced down at the small picture he always carried with him. It was his family, smiling and carefree, unaware of the countless dangers he faced in the name of discovery. He gave it a quiet nod, a silent promise to them: "This will be the last time".
With that Paul and Werner slipped over the edge of their research vessel, the cold Atlantic water swallowing them instantly. The light from above became smaller and smaller, the bottom darker and darker.
Paul's eyes scanned the murky seabed until they suddenly lit up. He gestured to Werner, who followed his gaze. There it was, the unmistakable silhouette of an U-boat.
Paul and Werner swam slowly towards the half open hatch. Their hearts racing as they slipped inside.
Their flashlights cut through the thick gloom, illuminating rusted control panels, scattered documents and crates stacked against the walls. A withered but still recognisable Nazi flag hung on one wall, a reminder of the vessels past.
Paul and Werner paused in a narrow corridor, their flashlights cutting through the darkness.
Paul made a quick hand signal, two fingers pointed in opposite directions and one tap on his helmet. Werner understood immediately: they would split up to cover more ground.
James POV
Meanwhile, above the water, a ripple signaled James' arrival. The American diver cut through the Atlantic depths quickly, eyes locked on the same prize. Eager to beat his German rival.
James entered the submarine through another hatch, approaching from the opposite side of the vessel from where Paul and Werner had arrived.
James swam cautiously down the narrow corridor, flashlight cutting through the murky water. Then, around a corner, he froze. Paul was there, just a few meters away, his flashlight illuminating a golden gleam that caught both their eyes.
Pauls eyes widened as he looked from treasure to James.
James, too, focused on the gleam. It was a statue of an eagle, directly within the hands of a skeleton still clad in its uniform.
James saw Paul reaching out for the majestic looking statue, so he did too, ready to fight Paul for it.
Both of their fingertips touched the statue simultaneously, their hands nearly touching as they grasped the eagle.
A sudden pulse of blinding white light erupted from the eagle, flooding through the narrow compartment, engulfing both divers entirely. The water around them shimmered and twisted, as if reality itself was falling apart.
And then, just as suddenly, the light vanished. It was as if nothing had happened, except the eagle, Paul and James: all of them were gone.