A slight creak resonated in the deck above.
He increased his pace despite the burning sensation in his muscles. On the third level he stood atop the grate and examined the twin leavers. One was red with blue rings and the other was black with yellow rings. He pulled the blue one first — hopefully activating the fixed deck foam system, followed by the black one — activating the oil solidifier.
He waited for a sound. Anything to reassure him that it had worked.
There were crackles of flame above.
Followed by silence.
Tom poked his head above the surface of the water. “I’m in Sam.”
“Great. I’ve already pulled the manual releases for the safety systems. But I have no idea if they’ve activated yet.”
“We won’t know a thing until we get out.”
Sam moved to the edge of the platform he was on. “I wonder if we can get to the next section from here. I’d feel better if I knew for certain we had successfully triggered the safety systems.”
Tom started to surface swim towards the steel grate. “Okay, give me a second to get out of here, and join you.”
Sam tried to reply, but his words never reached Tom.
A large explosion above choked his voice. The entire ship shuddered in turmoil. Sam moved to the side to brace himself.
And then the deck above collapsed.
Sam looked on in horror, as part of the deck — a still burning section of steel nearly fifteen feet in length by another eight in width, detached. The steel fell to the water below, where Tom was completely vulnerable.
It made another violent crash as it struck the water, sending steam high into the air. Sam looked above him again. Foam was pouring into the opening. It had worked — the fixed foam safety system had been activated. Below, the smoldering wreckage and burning steam replaced the spot where Tom had been surface swimming.
Chapter Sixty Three
Sam clambered down the ladders. Half sliding, half falling. He reached the first rung of the third ladder and stopped. The water had risen so that it now almost covered the entire third ladder. Sam dipped his head into the water trying to see any sign of Tom. There were bubbles gurgling everywhere and steam shooting off the red hot steel. The previously cold seawater now felt warm to touch.
“Tom, tell me you’re alive!”
Silence.
Sam didn’t wait for a response. He jumped into the water, released air from his BCD and sunk to the bottom of the hull. The remains of the steel framed deck rested up at a slight angle, maybe twenty degrees to his left. Something had blocked it from sitting flat when it reached the rounded bottom of the hull. Air bubbles formed by the edge of the steel as it turned the water beneath to steam, which now flowed like the turbid froth found in white water rapids across the edge and up to the surface.
He made a little over half a circuit of the damaged deck before he saw it under the sharp edge of the broken deck. Difficult to make out from any distance because of the bubbles, Sam had only noticed it because it changed the natural contour of the flow of bubbles. Close up, he was able to confirm exactly what it was — Tom’s Sea Scooter, crushed to about five inches thick.
“Tom, can you hear me?” he said.
More silence.
Sam shined his flashlight underneath the deck. There was nothing there. Certainly no signs of Tom’s body. That has to count for something. Sam returned to the surface. He scanned the area from top to bottom. Still no signs of Tom.
About to dive again he felt a hand on his right shoulder and turned.
Tom grinned back.
“You’re alive!” Sam said, gripping his shoulder.
Tom made no response. Sam frowned. A few moments later Tom handed him a dive slate. On it were the words “My radio’s been damaged.”
Sam nodded his head and replied. “I see. Let’s get out of here.”
Tom shook his head. Scribbled on the dive slate. “Can’t leave. Sea Scooter dead. Can’t swim against current.”
Sam understood immediately. “What if I tow you?”
“Are you kidding me? I’d be hanging out the back like a trailer. With your driving skills, I’d rather take my chances swimming on my own.”
“You want to wait until the fire stops, or the ship sinks completely?”
Tom began writing a new message. He was interrupted by a second loud explosion. This time, burning oil began spilling into their compartment. Tom scratched the message and then simply wrote. “Let’s try your way.”
Chapter Sixty Four
Sam gripped the left and right throttles of the Sea Scooter and Tom locked his big hands to his ankles. He made it cumbersome as hell, but Sam hoped the overall power of the Sea Scooter’s bi-jet propulsion would overcome it. Sam slowly maneuvered the craft through the multitude of fallen bits of wreckage now inside the hull.
He was cautious at first, and then he heard the violent shock of another explosion. Instinctively he picked up the pace. Swerving to the left to miss two large hanging sets of steel chains he wanted to set himself up for the straightest advance towards the opening in the hull.
A fourth explosion resonated through the hull!
That was followed by the sound of metal tearing and then falling. Oh shit! Sam gave up on his original plan to aim for a longer, but straighter approach to the savage opening in the ship. He saw it now directly below and to his left. The tumultuous and chaotic water still flowed through the relatively tiny opening at a devilish pace.
Sam heard the splash as the steel above him struck the water. He then felt a crushing sensation as Tom squeezed both his ankles. Time had just run out. He pointing the Sea Scooter straight down, and opened both throttles to full.
He felt the onslaught of rushing seawater strike him like the collision of a small truck. They were jolted to the right. Sam corrected his steering to the left. And then they reached the opening — a four foot by three-foot gash in the side of the steel hull.
The Sea Scooter was forced to a crawl. The pressure increased and Sam wasn’t certain they were going to make it through or be shot back towards the falling metal. Locked into a powerful battle between the outside pressure and the powerful bi-jet propulsion system, Sam crawled through the opening.
The pressure then changed.
Behind him, the large steel wreckage caused a shockwave directly behind him. It was just enough to change the battle for power, and suddenly the Sea Scooter had the upper hand.
They shot through the opening.
A moment later they were out of the strong pull towards the hole. Now released, the Sea Scooter charged like a bull let out of a gate.
Sam sighed a breath of relief. They had half a mile to travel to clear the oil streaked-surface, and they would be safe. Back onto the Maria Helena as heroes. They had pulled it off. The impossible had once more been achieved.
He grinned. This one’s going to go down in the record books for good luck.
And then his luck ran out.
Chapter Sixty Five
Sam took another breath. It was hard. The air was somehow thicker and more resistant. He forced himself to breathe slowly and fill his lungs.
He looked behind his right shoulder. The edge of the exoskeleton dive tank was missing. He must have clipped it on the razor sharp edge of the Mississippi’s broken hull. Above him, the oil-slicked surface ran longer than his vision could see.
By the third breath, he was out completely. He couldn’t even share with Tom because his entire system had been damaged, and there was no longer any place for him to connect Tom’s secondary regulator.