Hell's Teeth: A Deep Sea Thriller

by Paul Mannering

  Aroha pulled a blanket off the top bunk and wrapped it around her shoulders. She sat in the cold chamber that was silent except for the occasional creak of the steel frame.

  Without power coming down from the surface, the batteries would die in a few more hours and they would get unbearably cold. Without the regular infusion of fresh air from a surface supply, the filters would struggle to keep the oxygen content at a safe level. Without electricity, they would have no way to distill fresh water from salt. With limited food, they would die of hunger even if they managed to stay hydrated.

  So far, the entire crew of the Waitangirua, the research team’s engineer and most experienced divers, and now Tyler had died. Billy remained unconscious, which left three people with a vote. Casey was the only one with the skills and experience to pilot the tiny submersible safely. Which meant that either Nari or Aroha wouldn’t be making the trip home.

  Aroha turned her head; Nari had curled up into her blanket nest, but her eyes were open and watching Aroha. The other woman’s stare made her uncomfortable. How much of what Casey said about the sub had Nari heard?

  The sound of water dripping punctuated the stillness. Aroha stood up, shedding her blanket and went to check on the leaks. Water still trickled down the curving walls of the habitat’s central chamber. She cautiously tapped on the exposed beams and heard a dull vibration. The ruptured spheres around them were nearly full of water. If the seals between them and the life support systems were damaged, then the lights would go out sooner than expected.

  Claustrophobia whispered at the edges of Aroha’s mind. She tried not to think about how trapped she felt. An entire ocean pressing down on them and sharks that displayed skilled pack-hunting skills actively trying to kill them. Conserve energy, Aroha told herself. She retreated to a vacant bunk and wrapped herself in the cold blankets. The rising moisture in the atmosphere hadn’t soaked into the blankets yet, but when it did, the damp would suck the heat right out of her body and hypothermia would follow.

  Shivering with more than the incessant cold, Aroha closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

  Sometime later, a deep metallic groaning snapped her awake. Aroha strained to hear the source of the sound. She heard the dull punk of rivets popping and the soft wail of aluminum folding in on itself echo through the structure. Ruptured by debris and cracking under the pressure of the ocean, one of the support spheres had collapsed.

  The trickling sound of water flowing into the habitat sounded louder, too. Aroha rolled off the bunk and gasped when her feet plunged into icy seawater. The water level washed over her toes and seemed to be rising steadily. The crack in the habitat sphere had lengthened, allowing more water to pour into their cramped living space.

  “Casey, Nari!” Aroha splashed through the room, light items floating past her shoes.

  Nari sat up on her bunk. “What’s wrong?” she called.

  “We’re taking on water.” Aroha headed towards the hairline crack in the foam insulation. Water was pouring down the curved wall now in a steady flow.

  “It’s okay,” Casey said. “We can seal the crack and increase the air pressure. Force the water out again.”

  “Which is fine,” Aroha countered. “Unless in doing that we put too much pressure on the compromised hull and it completely fails.”

  “You got a better idea?” Casey asked.

  Aroha couldn’t think of any right now. As long as the life support systems stayed online, they could effect a repair.

  “Which sphere collapsed?” Casey asked, probing the sodden foam on the wall with his fingertips.

  “I… don’t know. The noise of it woke me up,” Aroha said.

  “Nari!” Casey yelled over his shoulder. “Check on the air filters and electronics. Don’t touch anything; we can’t risk you being electrocuted.”

  Nari crawled off the bunk and splashed through the ankle deep water. Back on shore, she had studied the plans and systems of the habitat with her usual attention to detail and twisted the plastic locking handles into the open position.

  Behind the metal cover, digital read-outs and analog meters reported on gas levels, battery reserves remaining, and the status of the electrical systems.

  Nari’s gaze flicked over the systems and she took a deep breath. “Ahh… air filters have twenty-percent remaining. They will need changing out in a couple of hours. Electrics are still online. Emergency battery reserves are in the green. Everything else is—” Nari stopped midsentence as the electric system shorted out and the room went dark.

  “I guess the power is out,” she said.

  “Back-up batteries, they were good right?” Casey called out in the dark.

  “Yes, eight hours of minimal light and air scrubbing.”

  Aroha breathed slowly, given the rate the water was flooding into the sphere, they would drown in less than eight hours.

  “Why won’t the emergency lights come on?” Nari’s voice cracked in the darkness.

  “Nari,” Aroha tried to keep her voice calm. “Give it a moment. Remember, the system has to switch over. If there is too much damage, the lights will never come on.”

  “We need to get out of here!” Nari cried out as she stumbled in the dark.

  A weak glow filled the chamber as the emergency lighting system came on; it was barely enough to see by, but enough to banish the terrifying darkness.

  “We have to get the sub running,” Casey said.

  “You said there is only room for two,” Aroha whispered.

  “I know. I can’t make that decision. Maybe you and Nari can get to the surface, take it slow, and let the depressurization happen at a safe rate.”

  “No, we all have to get out,” Aroha pleaded.

  “It will not happen,” Casey said, his eyes locked on hers.

  “Fuck,” Aroha said, clenching her fists and fighting back a scream of frustration.

  “Yeah.” Casey nodded. “Come on, I need you and Nari to help me with the sub. We need to salvage some stuff from the hab and use it to get the sub running.”

  “Nari?” Aroha shouted. “Suit up; we are going to the wreck.”

  “What? Why?” Nari had retreated to the top bunk.

  “We need to get the submersible running, Casey needs our help.”

  Nari hesitated for a moment then nodded and slid down to the floor. “What about him?” She waved at Billy, who still lay unconscious on a narrow bunk.

  “We do what we can to save those of us who are still walking,” Casey said. Freezing saltwater showered down as the outer shell of the habitat cracked under the pressure.

  Aroha and Nari went to the dive chamber, the changing air pressure making their ears pop.

  No one wanted to sit on the edge of the open portal with their feet hanging in the dark water while they put on the BCD’s, tanks, and weightbelts. It made the final dive preparations challenging in the cramped space.

  The women went through the dive-buddy safety checks for the gear. Aroha stared into her friend’s face and hoped the terror she saw in her eyes wasn’t a reflection of her own fear.

  “All okay?” Casey ducked through the low doorway and scrambled into his own drysuit.

  “Checked and ready to go,” Aroha replied.

  “Nari?” Casey asked.

  “I’m ready.”

  Casey geared up in a smooth process of actions. Every step was essential and part of the routine. He could do this with his eyes closed. Giving the girls an OK hand signal, he nodded when they returned it.

  Stepping to the edge, Casey switched on the halogen flashlight he carried and tried not to think about Tyler. The kid’s final moments would haunt him always. Right now though, they needed to get out of here and stay alive.

  With a final exhale into the air, Casey stepped out into the portal and plunged downwards.

  CHAPTER 13

  Chatham Rise South Pacific Ocean, Longitude 44° S, Latitude 176° W. 400 meters below the surface.

  Casey landed a few seconds l
ater on the silt under the habitat. Turning quickly, he scanned the dark water for sharks. Nothing moved. He kept turning, his skin crawling in near panic at how exposed he suddenly felt.

  Nari dropped behind him, and he gave her an OK signal. She returned it and then Aroha sank into view. Casey checked she was OK before indicating they should follow him out into the abyssal darkness.

  Casey wondered if the storm he had seen coming up from the south now raged on the surface, sucking the energy out of the ocean and dropping the temperature by a noticeable degree even at this depth. Casey told himself that was why he shivered and not the lurking terror of the sharks.

  Reaching the broken hull of the Waitangirua, Casey motioned the two scientists forward.

  “Can you hear me?” he asked.

  “Loud and clear,” Aroha replied.

  “Nari?” Casey stepped forward and adjusted a waterproof knob on the side of her helmet. “Can you hear me now?”

  “Yes.” Nari’s voice sounded flat and distant. Casey stared into the clear Perspex of her helmet. He couldn’t see her expression, but the whites of her eyes almost glowed against her dark complexion.

  “We need to go up.” Casey indicated the rising bulk of twisted steel behind them. “The sub is on the deck.”

  He let Nari go first, helping her to fill her BCD with some of her air-supply until the positive buoyancy helped lift her off her feet.

  “Don’t go up too far or too fast. Control your ascent,” Casey said to Aroha. She nodded and her inflatable vest filled with air. Casey inflated his own BCD and swam up the face of the stricken ship.

  They reached the rail, Aroha swimming hard and grabbing hold before remembering to let the air out of her BCD to equalize her buoyancy. Nari floated on upwards, her body still as she rose.

  Casey kicked hard with his fins. Catching up with Nari, he grabbed her around the ankles and she screamed loud enough to make him wince.

  “Nari! It’s okay! You can’t surface! You will die!”

  “I’m going to die anyway!” she started sobbing. “Let me go!”

  “I will do everything I can to get you to safety. I promise.”

  Casey climbed up the woman’s body as they continued to ascend. He fumbled with numb fingers to release air from her BCD. A stream of bubbles erupted from the vest and they began to sink again. With one arm around Nari, Casey managed his own vest, controlling their descent.

  Aroha’s helmet lights pierced the gloom, scanning the dark water like spotlights during an air raid. The two divers sank into view, the hi-vis colors of their BCD’s catching the light.

  “Nari, are you okay?” Aroha reached out a hand to steady her friend on the sloping deck.

  “We need to keep moving.” Casey’s dive computer said that the internal heating system in his suit was malfunctioning. It might be a loose wire, or a dead battery. Either way, he was feeling the encroaching effect of the chill on his skin.

  He led them down the face of the deck towards the starboard rail and the mini-sub that had survived the murderous sabotage of Vlok and his mercenaries.

  The sub hadn’t moved in the hours since Casey and Tyler had first discovered it. Now, Casey took time to examine the small vessel more carefully. There were no signs of damage beyond a few scrapes on the paintwork. The sub’s design meant it could survive all manner of violent impacts and encounters at great depths. Getting inside without destroying it would be their greatest challenge.

  The cockpit looked even smaller now; it would be physically impossible for three people to fit inside. Even if they did, the life-support systems that filtered air and kept the temperature bearable would not hold up to the extra body.

  “Okay, this is what we are—” Casey started talking as he turned to address the two women. They had vanished.

  “Aroha? Nari?” Casey turned slowly, staring into the murk, looking for any sign of the divers’ lights. “Can you hear me?” The comms remained dead.

  Something heavy clanked against the rising wall of the ship’s deck. Casey pushed himself forward, crossing the space between the sub and the deck in long strides. A swirl of silt echoed around a diver’s weight belt. The heavy lead bricks on a belt of thick webbing helped counteract the natural buoyancy of the diver and their suit. Without it, either Nari or Aroha were on their way to the surface and a painful death as the sudden change in pressure expanded the gases dissolved in their blood.

  Casey sent a burst of air into his BCD and swam upwards. He used handholds on the deck to push himself up faster. Then, through the gloom, he saw a wavering helmet light. Surging forward, Casey swam up, releasing the air in his BCD at the last moment to bring him to a stationary position, level with Aroha.

  She was hanging upside down, her feet waving towards the distant surface as she held on for dear life to the railing on the ship’s upper-most side.

  “Aroha, hang on!” Casey grabbed her vest and released the last of the air out of it. It wouldn’t stop her floating away, but it might tip the balance in his favor to let him bring her down to her lost belt.

  “You need to help me, swim hard. Straight down.”

  “I can’t.” Aroha’s breath came in ragged gasps, close to complete panic.

  “Look at me.” Casey pushed his face close to her mask. “Breathe… in… hold it… and out… breathe in… hold it… out… slowly. That’s it.”

  Casey reached up and pulled Aroha’s legs down until she lay parallel to the rail.

  “Grip with your legs and your arms. Wrap yourself around the railing.” He pushed her stiff limbs into position. Soon, Aroha clung to the rail like a giant starfish.

  “I’m going to retrieve your weight belt. I will be back in one minute.”

  “Nari, she attacked me. Be careful,” Aroha spoke in an adrenalized whisper.

  Casey flipped over and swam down to the bottom, exhaustion burning his lungs as he sank into the cold silt.

  The lead ingots of the weight-belt dragged on his arms. Casey’s BCD inflated and he started up the cliff-face of the stricken ship’s deck. If Nari had flipped out, completely lost her fucking mind, then she might be already dead.

  The blade of a knife glinted in the edge of Casey’s helmet lights. He twisted towards the incoming blow. Nari slashed at his air-hose, the stainless steel blade in her hand cutting through the water with ease.

  Casey grabbed Nari’s wrist. Twisting her arm back, he avoided the knife. Her other hand grabbed at Casey’s mask. He felt the soft rubber of his respirator hose squeeze shut in her grip. He tried to inhale and it felt like inhaling mud.

  Nari and Casey grappled in the freezing dark. Everything twisted around as they tumbled over each other. Casey swung the weight-belt over his head and felt it impact hard on Nari’s helmet. She let go of his air hose and the lights of her helmet washed over him as Nari vanished upwards into the darkness, leaving Casey struggling to catch his breath.

  “Wait…” Casey mumbled. He floated up, swimming hard, desperate to reach Aroha.

  Nari reached Aroha first and she slashed with the knife. Nari’s knife skills were amateur, which meant she could kill Aroha in seconds.

  The two women danced around each other, Nari stabbing and slicing through the water while Aroha clung to the rail and tried to avoid her by scuttling crab-like along the metal frame.

  Casey rocketed into the midst of the fight. When he came close enough to be in comms range, he started yelling. “Nari! Wait! I can get you out of here! I can save you!”

  Nari screamed a savage and maddened shriek. Aroha was sobbing, making wordless and desperate noises. Casey ignored the sudden beep of his dive computer, warning him that he was down to the reserve of his air-supply.

  The Indian woman twisted past Casey. She grabbed Aroha’s air hose and cut through it with a sharp slicing motion. Casey’s vision clouded in a surge of uncontrolled bubbles. Aroha threw herself aside and slammed into the rail.

  Nari backed off, abandoning them to their fate as Casey reached for Ar
oha. He pulled her against his chest and started swimming. The respirators were built into the hard shell of their helmets. He had no way to share his air with Aroha. Even the emergency respirator hose wouldn’t work if he couldn’t get air inside her helmet.

  The habitat now remained as their only hope for another chance at survival. Aroha thrashed against Casey when he hit the silt of the ocean floor.

  Running hard across the hard, grey surface, he pulled Aroha with him. Panicked convulsions wracked her as she fought against the inevitable.

  “Hold on,” Casey hissed. The chances of resuscitating her depended on too many factors for him to fathom. An entire emergency room of trained doctors and nurses might be able to bring her back.

  The lights of the habitat flickered in the gloom. The sharks swimming through the shafts of light created random strobe patterns that just added to Casey’s overwhelming despair.

  Aroha shuddered and went still. “Hang on…” Casey whispered. His gaze swept around as they reached the crushed spheres of the dying hab. Dozens of sharks were now snatching morsels from the drifting scraps of torn bodies drifting on the dark currents.

  With Aroha in his arms, Casey walked the remaining hundred yards. Quicksilver shapes flitted in the darkness a circling storm of cold savagery that Casey had no defense against.

  “Just fucking try it, you bastards.”

  Passing under the habitat exposed him to the worst moments of pure terror. With no way of seeing if the predators were closing in on him or not, he pushed Aroha’s body up into the dive chamber. With a final look around, Casey leapt up and dragged himself into the steel sphere.

  Chapter 14

  Chatham Rise South Pacific Ocean, Longitude 44° S, Latitude 176° W. 400 meters below the surface.

  Ripping his helmet off, Casey sucked a lungful of salt-tainted air. Rolling over, he unclipped Aroha’s helmet and pulled her mask away. Sealing her mouth with his, he pushed a deep breath into her lungs.

  Moving to his knees, Casey pressed hard on Aroha’s chest. A regular pumping rhythm would hopefully push the blood cooling in her veins through her heart and lungs. “Come on, live!” He huffed air into Aroha again then resumed the chest compressions. This shouldn’t work. A voice in the back of his mind reminded him of the grim statistics a paramedic once told him. Less than twenty percent of people survived a resuscitation attempt like this. Most of them never fully recovered.