Twelve years.
Twelve years, three girlfriends, three missed weddings, one Christmas his mother still wouldn't let him forget, three diplomas, and more student debt than he could count.
Thirty eight million dollars he'd begged, borrowed, and done everything but steal for. 3 million hours designing an entire class of personal submersible. Six test dives. Two late-stage redesigns. Three grant re-fillings.
One hiatus due to Giant Squid attack.
All for this. Because there was a door at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, and he needed to know what was behind it.
None of it had prepared him for the truth.