His nostrils flared, stung by the cold salty air. Without looking down he grasped the rope and leaned out. Slowly he began walking down the wall, inching carefully as he moved one hand over the other. He felt a slight jerk as the rope began to give way. Hold on! He prayed. The wind whistled in his ears, challenging his concentration.
Graham saw the rope begin to swing indicating Nick was coming down, and prepared himself at the windows edge ready to grab hold and pull him in. The sling whipped crazily in circles below Nicks’ feet and Graham grabbed it. Moments later relief flooded through his veins as his hands clutched at Nick’s feet and guided him safely inside. They hugged each other emotionally. ‘Is everyone okay?’ Nick asked, releasing the rope from his waist.
‘We’re all good.’ Karen said.’ What do we do now?’
‘Lead the way to the stairs?’
They made their way from the laundry along a hallway to the foyer of this floor, stopping to peer into the units where doors had been left open as people fled. They were a mess! Glass lay strewn everywhere and the Navilon windows in the eastern walls facing the ocean had shattered, opening the entire walls to the elements. Some furniture had been shattered and tossed around in the rooms and lay in heaps.
They stumbled in the dark and found their way to the emergency stairs.
‘Thank Christ. They left the keys on the floor!’ Nick exclaimed. He hated to think what would have happened if the key had not been there.
Now that their attention was diverted from their struggle, they paused to look east out to sea where a strange and frightening sight leered at them.
‘God, what’s that weird light out there?’ Karen exclaimed.
In the dark distance a thin phosphorescent line glittering like a mirage, danced above a dark forbidding mass of water. Vivid flashes of light dipped and dived like the lights on the train of a roller coaster ride, breaking up in places, and in others twinkling like stars fallen from heaven.
‘I know about this phenomenon.’ Nick whispered. It’s the next wave! There’s millions of tiny luminescent organic creatures swarming on top of it. The sea’s full of them in some places. The quakes must’ve have stirred them all into a frenzy of activity. They’ve been picked up by the wave, probably travelled with it all the way from the source.’
‘It’s scary.’ Veronica whispered. ‘Like something out of a dream.’
‘It’s no dream. That’s real!’ Graham added. ‘Time to go. Let’s not push our luck. It looks awfully close.’
The low, deep, and now familiar rumble was rising rapidly to a crescendo as they ran up the stairs. Another shock confronted them when they saw the extent of the blast the looters had engineered to gain entry to Bills’ apartment. A large hole with jagged edges resembling a shark’s mouth ready to attack, gaped at them. Rubble and debris spread over the stairs.
Bill glanced around in dismay as he picked his way past the hole. ‘Unappreciative ingrates. No respect.’ He muttered.
Graham sprinted up the stairs two-at-a-time, eager to get to the Liberty. Exhaustion had given way to excitement as the adrenalin raced through his veins. His hands shook as he pushed the key into the lock, praying it would turn the lock.‘I’ll get her ready!’ He called back over his shoulder. ‘Don’t stop for anything!’ With his heart in his mouth he hoped Liberty was okay.
Within minutes Nick followed him through the open rooftop door. The cold night air clutched at his dry throat chilling him instantly. His eyes flashed immediately to the dark shadow crouched within ten metres, her black hulk taking up a large part of the roof space.
‘You beauty.’ Graham yelled, scurrying over to the Veto. He patted the side of the cabin lovingly. ‘I’ve never been so glad to see you baby. Let’s get you loose.’
He stooped under the big jet thrusters and instructed Nick how to remove the steel anchor cables on the Veto pad as the others arrived. ‘Thank God I took the time to tie her down thoroughly.’ He yelled to Nick over the wind. ‘All that shaking would’ve surely moved her, maybe even over the edge. She seems to be unharmed.’
Nick looked back to see Veronica struggling with the locker door. ‘We haven’t got time for that.’ He shouted above the wind. ‘We’ll have to leave it. We can always come back later.’
Disregarding Nick, she wrenched open the door and moments later emerged with a small case. ‘I had to get this.’ She shouted, as she rushed back and climbed on board Liberty. ‘Our medicines and all my jewellery and some old money. We’re going to need it to buy food later.’
‘Good thinking.’ Karen said, buckling up her seatbelt. ‘That’s if there’s any food to buy.’
Graham pressed the starter button and the Allison jets spat into life. Liberty rocked as the jets built up speed waiting for Graham to release her from her perch.
‘Let’s go take a closer look at this mongrel.’ Graham growled, confident now that they were out of danger. He pushed the guidance lever forward and slowly lifted Liberty into the turbulent air. She shuddered against the wind threatening to throw her off the roof, but it was no match for the powerful jets and she zoomed to port as she lifted gracefully into the night sky.
The thing that took their attention the most was the utter pervading darkness all around them. The feeling of loss returned to Nick, and an emptiness he couldn’t explain. Brian? It had to be Brian.
Graham banked carefully over the roof, and switched on the Liberty’s Night scanner searchlight mounted on the belly of the Veto, and the Spectrolab night sunlight on the nose. The two lights blazed in big arcs, yellow ribbons thrusting ninety metres out into the night sky as he turned westward. Graham played the spotlights over the scene below, searching eagerly for positive signs. They all stared, shocked into silence by the devastation revealed by the golden beams of light, and a cold shiver crawled down Nick’s back. Entire skyscrapers had simply disappeared! There was nothing but foaming, frothing water, they could see no other man-made structure other than the Phoenix complex throwing deeper shadows over the blackness. As they turned the lights picked up another building looming eerily no more than thirty metres away. ‘Look! What building is that?’ Veronica cried.
‘I think it’s the Marriott Hotel, but I can’t be sure.’ Bill yelled. The lack of other structures and lights made it difficult to find their bearings. The spotlights hopped around in a frantic search for a target to land on, finding only water as the sea thrashed below.
They were heading out to sea now, the phosphorescent chain of lights beckoning them like an impish child, tantalising, mesmerising. They came upon the wave within minutes, as it rushed headlong toward the land. The fairy lights bobbed directly beneath them and like those adorning a Christmas tree, they twinkled merrily, colours dancing. Communication was difficult as the noise from the jet thrusters combined with the deafening roar of the wave below rendered the earphones ineffective, so they watched silently, spent of all conversation.
Nick shifted uncomfortably in the front passenger seat. He had never ridden so close to death before and the feeling of dread was overwhelming. Graham held the Veto level with the crest of the wave and the sensation of ‘riding’ it was almost euphoric. Liberty was being buffeted by the gale force winds, and she plunged and rose, churning their stomachs as Graham expertly guided her safely above the downwash.