Stratton and Christine floated in the water, watching as the pod filled and sank beneath the surface. In a final act of fury Mandrick wildly aimed the Very pistol at Stratton and fired. The flare shot across the water in a bright red light in the direction of the rescue craft and Mandrick disappeared below the surface.
At the same time, to Stratton’s horror, Christine shot below the surface. He immediately thought that she had somehow become entwined with the pod, took a deep breath and was about to follow her when she surfaced, spluttering for air, beside him.
When she regained her composure she looked at him with a pleased expression on her face. ‘Sometimes, when you want something bad enough the risks don’t matter.’
Stratton was unsure what she meant.
She held up Mandrick’s waterproof bag.
Stratton grinned. ‘That’s my girl.’
A boat powered towards them, silhouetted in the lights of the emergency crews behind it. It was a semirigid inflatable and a figure in the bows was shining a searchlight on the pair in the water.The engines clunked into neutral as the craft came alongside.
‘I don’t believe it. It’s Stratton,’ an Englishman called out.
Stratton recognised Todd’s voice seconds before he saw his beaming face.
Paul came to stand beside his colleague.‘Christ! How the bloody hell . . . ?’ he exclaimed. Then he hurried to help the pair into the boat.
They wrapped them in blankets and stood back looking at them in wonder.
‘Before you do anything else,’ Stratton said to Paul, ‘our chip is inside that bag. The rest belongs to her.’
Paul took the waterproof bag while Stratton opened his blanket for Christine. She slid beside him and he wrapped them both up.‘Oh, and Paul? I think we might need a recompression chamber, and soon.’
Paul nodded to the coxswain who slipped the engines into gear and powered the inflatable towards the main rescue party.
‘Do you think they have one we can use together?’ Christine asked. ‘I’ve gotten to like sharing confined spaces with you.’
‘That’s what I call risky,’ said Stratton.
‘It’s my new middle name,’ she said.