by Scotty Cade
“Now this next step could be tricky,” Dax said. “When we start to open the next hatch, one of two things could happen. Depending on how the hatch was designed, it will begin to leak water as the airtight seal begins to break, or the pressure will force it open immediately when the lock disengages.”
“Either way,” Mac said. “I can handle it. You guys brace yourself.”
Mac stood as far back from the hatch as he could and still reach the handle before he slowly started to turn the wheel. Enormous pressure from the other side of the hatch made the wheel more difficult to turn, but Mac was able to manage it on his own. As he slowly turned the wheel, water started seeping in around the perimeter of the hatch.
“The best possible scenario,” Dax said.
Mac turned the wheel a little more until water started spraying through the entire perimeter of the hatch.
“Okay, stop,” Dax shouted. “Let’s allow the corridor to fill up, and once the pressure levels out, the hatch should easily open.” It took about ten minutes for the small corridor to fill with water, and as expected, Mac was able to easily open the hatch door and they were able to swim out of the corridor and to the surface without any trouble. They broke the surface of the water, and Brad and Jack were standing on the swim platform waiting for them.
Even through the full-face dive mask, Dax couldn’t hide his smile. One by one, Brad and Jack got everyone on board and their tanks and BC’s off. Dax reached into the pocket on his dive belt and pulled out the epaulets and name tag. “Guys, this hasn’t seen the light of day in over one hundred years.”
Jack took the items from his hands and studied them closely.
“Neither have these,” Dax said, and he pulled two gold bars from inside his BC.
Jack’s smile was as broad as Dax’s. He leaned in and kissed Dax quickly as he took one of the gold bars and kissed it too.
“What’s it like down there?” Brad asked.
“It’s like stepping back into another world,” Dona said. “It felt so strange to be fully suited but be standing in only knee-deep water. We couldn’t have imagined that all this time, the inner compartments weren’t flooded.”
“What about that salted fish?” Jack asked.
“It’s the damnedest thing,” Dax said. “There are about five hundred cases of the stuff. Why would a ship of this size be carrying five hundred cases of salted fish?”
“What else did you find down there?” Brad asked.
“Guess what the purser was sitting on?” Dax asked.
“No!” Dona said. “The purser’s safe?”
“I don’t think it’s the purser’s safe, but it’s a safe just the same.”
“Why do you not think it’s the purser’s safe?” Brad asked.
“For starters, the purser’s safe is typically located in the chief purser’s office and built into the ship’s hull for added security,” Dax said. “But… during that time, it wasn’t uncommon for a wealthy patron to load his or her own personal safe onto a ship if they were making a one-way trip.”
“Makes sense to me,” Brad said.
“In addition,” Dax continued, “it wasn’t uncommon for the chief purser to have a secondary safe to serve as a backup for larger items or additional valuables.”
“That would probably explain why the ship’s purser was guarding the safe,” Dona said.
Dax thought for a second. “I would imagine that when the chief purser realized the ship was in trouble, he sent the ship’s purser down to the cargo hold to guard the safe until help came,” Dax said. “The poor bastard had no idea that he was being sent to his final resting place.”
“He was sitting so calmly at his post,” Dona said.
“He probably suffocated little by little when the oxygen ran out,” Mac added.
“Okay, guys, enough talk about the dead,” Dona said. “We have a hell of a lot work to do before this day is out.”
“What’s the plan?” Jack asked.
“We need to make a list of what we need to take down with us,” Dax said. “For starters, I’d like to wear a regular mask and regulator, which would make it so much easier to maneuver once we’re back in the hull.”
“I agree,” Dona said.
“Wait a minute,” Jack interrupted. “What about communication?”
“Jack, we’ve been inside the hull, and we know it’s safe,” Dax said. “Relax, we’ll be fine.”
“What if you do get into trouble down there,” Jack asked. “What then?”
“I didn’t realize you were such a worrywart, Jack,” Dax said as he lifted his hands to Jack’s face in a comforting gesture.
“I never used to be,” Jack replied. “So I guess you have yourself to blame for that.”
“Okay, how about this?” Dax asked. “We’re each taking two tanks, so if we’re not back exactly ninety minutes after our descent, you come and get us.”
“The problem is that I don’t know how to find you,” Jack snapped. “I wasn’t down there, remember?”
A thought hit Dax immediately. “Problem solved,” he said. “Mac shot the entire thing on video. You and Brad can watch the video while we’re below and you’ll get to see the entire adventure and know exactly where to find us if something goes wrong.”
“I still don’t like it,” Jack said.
“I know, Jack,” Dax said. “But we need flexibility down there, and the smaller masks and regulators will be so much easier to work with.”
Dona started gathering tools. Brad changed out the tanks and set up the new BC’s and regulators. Mac went in search of a new videotape for the camera to replace the one they’d used when they were under the surface, and Jack stormed off to the bridge. Dax gave Dona a few more things to add to the list, then went in search of Jack. When he reached the bridge, Jack was standing at the helm with the binoculars up to his eyes. God, he’s gorgeous, Dax thought as he slipped in behind him and slid his arms around Jack’s waist.
Jack tensed for a second, then relaxed.
“Any movement over there?” Dax asked.
“None that I can tell,” Jack curtly responded. “But the way the wind is blowing, I can’t see the stern or the starboard side.”
“Don’t you think they would have made their move by now if they were monitoring us?” Dax asked.
“I guess so,” Jack conceded. “I can’t put my finger on it, but something just doesn’t feel right about that boat.”
“Maybe we’re just being paranoid,” Dax said as he kissed Jack gently on the neck. “I love you, Jack.”
Jack put the binoculars down and turned to face Dax. “I love you too, Dax, that’s why I’m so pissed off about not being able to communicate with you. I feel so helpless.”
“I know you’re pissed, Jack,” Dax said. “I can feel it, and I can see it. But if this thing between us is going to work, you’re going to have to learn that you can’t get your way all the time.”
“Is that what you think this is all about?” Jack snapped. “Getting my way?”
“Not really. Well, maybe partly,” Dax said shyly. “But listen, Jack, I get it. I know you want to protect me, but I’m not used to being coddled. I’ve been alone for so long, and that’s all I’m used to.”
Jack pulled Dax in and held on to him, squeezing him tightly. “Okay, you win,” he said.
“It’s not about winning or losing,” Dax whispered. “But thanks.”
Dax heard Dona calling his name over and over. She finally stuck her head on the bridge. “Let’s go, Dax!” she yelled.
“I’m on my way, you big dyke,” he said. “Stop the damn yelling.”
Dona, Dax, and Mac suited up, and Mac made sure they synchronized their watches for exactly ninety minutes below the surface.
“And just so you know,” Jack instructed. “If I don’t see your smiling faces on the surface in exactly ninety minutes, I’m coming down there to get you. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they all responded in unison. They pu
t their masks on and started their descent.
“What do you say we go down below and watch that video in case we have to save their sorry asses?” Brad said.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Jack said. “Is our equipment still ready in case we have to get down there in a hurry?”
“We’re good to go,” Brad said.
ONCE below the surface, the divers followed their previous route and entered the hull at the same location. This time feeling much lighter and less encumbered, Dax took the lead and was the first to enter the corridor. As they had on the first dive, they were all in the corridor when Mac closed and secured the hatch behind them. Jack again opened the inside hatch, and the water started to slowly recede. When the water was again at their knees, the three of them stepped into the cargo compartment.
Keeping their regulators in their mouths but removing their swim fins for maneuverability, they all made their way to the opposite side of the compartment. Dax approached the forward hatch and tapped his crowbar against it to see if he could pick up a hollow sound, indicating whether the forward compartment was flooded or not. The sound was hollow, and he thought it sounded like an echo, but he wasn’t sure.
He looked at Dona and Mac and wished he could ask them their opinion. It was more difficult being down here and not able to communicate with each other as well as with the surface using these normal regulators. He gave Jack the credit he was due and made a mental note to tell him that he was right when they surfaced.
He gave Dona and Mac a questioning look, and they nodded in agreement. He took that as a “go for it.” The only good thing was that this hatch opened into the next compartment, so if it was flooded, there was no chance of danger; even if they tried, there would be no opening it against the enormous pressure.
Dax slowly turned the round handle until it stopped.
Here goes nothing! He slowly pushed against the hatch, and much to his surprise, it opened with little resistance. Dry. Thank you, Lord.
He stepped into the untouched compartment, shining his flashlight in every direction before cautiously going in any farther. Dona and Mac were right behind him, throwing caution to the wind, but with the three flashlights now illuminating it, the compartment took on an eerie glow.
The first thing Dax spotted was more stacked, wooden crates. Oh great, more fish. As with the first set of crates, there was no writing on the outside indicating their contents.
He moved toward the crates and again used his crowbar to break the seal on one of the crates. He pried the lid off and peeked inside. Dona and Mac were looking over his shoulder and they all flashed their light into the crate. The top of the crate was lined with some sort of material, and as he touched it, the material disintegrated under his touch. He brushed the remnants of it aside, and he couldn’t believe his eyes.
He let out a yell through his regulator, which probably sounded like a bull in distress, but he didn’t care. They all knew what they’d found, and Dona and Mac were jumping up and down with eyes as big as pancakes. At a closer look, the top of each of the shiny gold bars was embedded with a “1lb” stamp. He counted fifty bars in the crate then stepped back to count the total number of crates. Ten crates in all. That’s five hundred pounds of gold.
He opened a few more of the crates to make sure the contents were the same, and then set out to check out the rest of the compartment. Lying on the floor near the forward hatch was another set of remains. This skeleton appeared to be facedown, but wore the same type of epaulets and nametag as the previous officer. Dax picked up the nametag and read it: “Sergey Popov, Chief Purser.”
He showed the name tag to Dona and Mac, and they nodded. He picked up the epaulets and nametag and again placed both in the pocket of his weight belt. Other than the purser’s remains and the gold, the compartment was empty. Dax picked up one of the crates and carried it into the other compartment. Dona and Mac followed suit, and within minutes all the crates were in the compartment with them. Dax looked at his watch. A little over an hour had passed, which left them under thirty minutes to complete the operation before Jack and Brad would enter the water and come looking for them.
He signaled for everyone to get back into the corridor, and he closed the hatch behind them. When the hatch was securely closed, Mac again started to slowly open the outside hatch. The cabin once more filled up with water, and when they were totally submerged, he opened the hatch completely. They swam into the next corridor, and one by one approached the blown hole in the ship’s hull.
Chapter 13
BRAD and Jack had watched the video of Dax, Dona, and Mac’s journey three times, feeling pretty comfortable that they could find them in an emergency. They were just about to turn off the video when Jack moved to the end of the couch and yelled, “Stop the video.”
Brad hit the “pause” button on the remote control, and the video stopped.
“Oh my God, Brad,” Jack swore. “Do you see what I see?”
As Mac had been filming Dax and Dona leaving the ship, in the background, lurking along the reef line, the camera picked up two divers holding spearguns.
“Holy, Jesus,” Brad said as all the blood drained from his face.
“I knew it,” Jack said. “They’re in danger. I can feel it. We’ve got to help them.”
Jack jumped up from the couch, heading for the companionway door with Brad right behind him, but before they could reach the steps, the door flew open and three armed men entered the salon. “Going somewhere, gentlemen?” the man said in a very strong Russian accent.
Jack’s first thought was to get to his gun, but where was it? He quickly looked around the cabin, but remembered that the last time he’d seen it was when he gave it to Brad. The man must have seen Jack weighing his options.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” he said as one of his companions held up his forty-five. Jack’s heart sank. He gave Brad a “what the fuck?” look, and Brad reached for the waistband of his jeans. Then he remembered. “Fuck fuck fuck,” he whispered. He’d put the gun on the table when he was on deck setting up the emergency dive equipment.
Jack’s expression changed to one of sympathy, and he quickly turned his attention to the intruder. He appeared to be fairly fit, early seventies maybe, salt and pepper short-cropped hair, with a goatee and glasses. He looked almost refined in an odd sort of way.
“Who are you?” Jack asked.
“My name is Vladimir Kozlov,” he said. “I own th—”
Jack stopped him in mid-sentence. “I know what you own.”
“You have been doing a little research of your own, I see?” Vladimir said.
“What do you want with us?” Brad asked.
“Captain Cameron, you disappoint me,” Vladimir said. “Is this how you treat guests aboard your boat?”
Vladimir turned to Brad and said, “And you must be Dr. Mitchell. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Okay,” Jack said. “All the niceties are out of the way—what do you want with us?”
“All in good time,” Vladimir said. “All in good time. Handcuff them.”
Chapter 14
DONA was the first to exit the ship’s hull. She put her hands on the hull as she exited to propel herself up and out. Before she could turn around to check on Mac and Dax, her regulator was suddenly ripped out of her mouth, and a hand quickly replaced it. She bit down on the hand as hard as she could, and the intruder released his grip. She felt for her regulator, floating by her side, and stuck it back into her mouth. She felt hands gripping each arm and two spearguns pointing at her side. She turned from left to right, and then she froze as she saw Mac exiting the hull.
Before he was completely out of the hull, someone grabbed his tanks from behind and dragged him up to the top of the wreck. He struggled to turn around and see what was pulling him, but it was useless. When the upward motion stopped, a hand reached around his neck and held a knife to his throat. Much to her surprise, when Dax exited the hull, no one approached him.
He swam up, turned, and they both saw the panic in his eyes. The divers motioned for him to surface as they followed closely behind.
When Dax surfaced, two very muscular, armed divers were waiting for him on the swim platform. In one quick motion, they pulled him out of the water by his BC and tanks and stood him on the deck. In a split second, one of his hands was pulled behind his back and a handcuff was slapped around his wrist and attached to the guardrail.
“What the fuck,” he said as he spit his regulator out of his mouth and ripped off his mask with the other hand. “Where are Dona and Mac? Where are Jack and Brad?”
“We ask the questions here, strannyi,” one of the divers said with a heavy Russian accent, and they both laughed. The way they were laughing, Dax thought it must have been Russian for queer or faggot.
Dona and Mac surfaced with their captors, and Dona pushed toward the back of the boat. In the same quick motion, she was lifted out of the water, placed on the platform, and handcuffed just as Dax had been, and Mac followed suit. Now the three of them were standing on the deck of the boat, handcuffed to the guardrail, not knowing what had hit them. Jack and Brad appeared on deck, handcuffed and with duct tape across their mouths, with Vladimir and his two thugs.
“Oh my God! Jack…. Brad, are you okay?” Dax asked.
Jack and Brad nodded to Dax.
“Nicely done,” Vladimir said to one of the divers when he saw Dax, Dona, and Mac handcuffed to the guardrail.
Dax looked at Vladimir. “Who the fuck are you?” he demanded.
“Such language, Mr. Powers,” Vladimir said. “Where are your manners?”
“Fuck my manners,” Dax said. “Why in the hell are you holding us against our will?”
“You have something that belongs to me, Mr. Powers, and I expect you to give it to me,” Vladimir said.
Playing dumb, and doing everything to not let on that they had the gold, Dax said, “What in the fuck are you talking about?”
Vladimir laughed. “Don’t play dumb with me, Mr. Powers. I’ve been monitoring your radio contact for quite some time now,” he said. “If you insist on continuing this little charade, I’ll have to take it out on your little sister.”