by A. W. Cross
No. She would be okay. The best way to help her now was to find an escape. But how?
“Tunny, since I can’t get to the schematics, is there anything you can tell us that might help us escape?”
The custodian pursed his lips. “I can’t think of anything. This place was built to keep people in, after all.”
“But there has to be something. An emergency measure, a failsafe in case things went wrong.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know much about that. But—” Tunny became interested in a speck of dust on his coveralls.
“But what?” As much as he respected Tunny, the man was starting to wear on his patience.
“There is one thing. But I don’t think it’ll help us too much. It’s risky.”
“Tell us, please. Maybe we can find some way to use it.” Gently, James.
“If there’s a big fire, an engine fire, say, the ship is supposed to fill the ballasts with compressed air and rise to the surface in an emergency blow.”
“Even though it’s not supposed to exist?”
“It would be better for the government to rationalize the prison’s existence than for even the sunken remains to fall into the wrong hands,” Joseph said.
“Yeah, that’s how the captain explained it to me. It should also send out some kind of warning signal to whoever’s in charge, so they can get us before the enemy does—unless that’s been disabled too.”
“That’s our solution then. We’ll start a fire in the engine room, and boom, up we go.” It sounded almost too easy to James.
“Except for the smoke,” Tunny pointed out. “Like I said, it needs to be a big fire.”
Of course it was too good to be true. “The smoke?”
Tunny pulled a face. “The prison will fill with smoke, toxic smoke. There’s no way to vent it properly once it gets into the ducts. We could suffocate.” He crept his hand up his throat as though he already felt the air thickening. “Plus, what if there’s an explosion? We couldn’t get out, and we might blow a hole in the sub and sink the darn thing. That’s why I’ve never done it, what with the life-pods being jettisoned.”
Defeat knocked the wind out of James, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. “So that’s out.” Damn. He slammed his fist against the wall. Think, James. For Pine. Think.
“How long would it take the prison to rise?” Joseph asked.
Tunny shrugged. “Twenty-ish minutes to half an hour normally. For an emergency blow, it should take less than ten.”
James raised his head. “We could get everyone into the cockpit, the highest point on this ship, block the air from coming in. We would just have to cross our fingers that we rise faster than the toxic air spreads and that the prison won’t explode until after we get out.”
Joseph snapped his fingers. “Exactly. It’s a big risk, but…it might be our only option, if Pine can’t convince the captain otherwise.”
“Convince him of what? He’ll be obsolete now that his job is over. Once he’s found… He’s sentient, Joseph, he knows what his fate will be.” A fate, James now knew, the synadroids understood all too well.
“But couldn’t we do anything? Speak to the authorities on his behalf?”
“We don’t have any power, you know that. Pine was an exception out of respect for you. We can’t risk her by pushing our luck.”
“And yet we’ve left her up there, alone, with a possibly homicidal android?”
“She’s buying us time, so let’s use it.”
Joseph hung his head. “I know you’re right. I just hate—”
“Me too. But we can’t make any of it right unless we do something.” Galvanized, James pulled up the calm his training had beaten into him. “Tunny, where is the engine room?”
“At the back. There’s a door at the end of the cell block.”
“I know where it is.” Joseph’s back was now straight, his eyes determined.
“Okay, Tunny, here’s the plan. Joseph and I are going to go to the engine room and start a fire to trigger the emergency blow. I need you to gather everyone in the cell block together and tell them what we’re doing and take them to the control room. Can you do that?”
“I can. But I’m not sure if I should.” Tunny’s expression was apologetic.
“Why not?”
“It’s about authority, you see. You want me, the caretaker, to tell them we’re going to irreparably sabotage the ship on the chance we’ll make it to the surface before we’re blown to bits or suffocated? They like me well enough, but that’s a big ask. A military man, on the other hand…” He trailed off and looked at James expectantly.
“Okay, I’ll tell them. Just go along with whatever I say, yes?” Inwardly, though, he groaned. People skills were not his strongest suit.
In the cell block, Tunny beat his mallet against the steel bars. The clanging reverberated through the prison, setting James’s teeth on edge. He clenched his jaw and waited impatiently as the few inhabitants of the prison made their way to the center of the room.
There were six of them, two women and four men. Who were the former prisoners and who had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time? He couldn’t tell just by looking at them. They stared at him, curious yet lethargic, the faces of people who didn’t know that hope for an escape was even an option.
James cleared his throat. “Hello, everyone. I know we haven’t yet had a chance to be introduced. My name is Lieutenant James Cruicéad. I am here on a rescue mission. In a few minutes, we will begin evacuation procedures. Please bring only what is absolutely necessary.” Directing them to Tunny, he continued. “Please follow Mr. Tunny here. He will be taking you up to the control room, where we will gather while we ascend.” He sounded like a pompous ass. So it should be convincing enough to work.
The inmates stared at him dumbly, slow to understand.
“You mean, you’re here to rescue us? They’ve found us? We’re getting out?”
“We’ll be making an attempt,” James clarified.
“What do you mean, attempt?” The speaker sported a number of tattoos similar to those James had seen on inmates sent to the Perimeter. A former inmate?
“We can’t guarantee the attempt will be successful.” He couldn’t lie to them. Whatever happened, his conscience needed to be clear.
“So we could die?” The inmate’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes, but if we’re successful, tonight you will be sleeping on land.”
That got a reaction. They all began speaking at once, a mix of panic and hope.
“I don’t want to die—”
“You’d rather die down here? Slowly, painfully? Remember what happed to Sarah—”
“I can’t stand being down here another day.”
“But—”
James paced in front of them, trying not to let his irritation show. After two minutes, he held up his hands. “That’s enough discussion. There isn’t a question of whether or not we’re doing this. We are.” Deep down, though, James wasn’t sure if he would force ascension against their will. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to. See if they call my bluff.
“What if I don’t want to go?” the tattooed man asked. “I won’t exactly have a warm welcome waiting for me.”
“You’d rather spend the rest of your life down here?” When the man didn’t look cowed, James changed tack. “Look, you know as well as I do what this prison is. Believe me, the government and the military are going to bend over backward to make this go away. Do you have any idea what the payout on a lawsuit like this would be? Never mind a full pardon.”
The man hooked his thumbs through his belt loops and chewed his bottom lip, considering. “How exactly do you plan to get us out of here? If it were that easy, someone would’ve done it by now.” He glanced at Tunny.
James told them the plan. “So, with a little luck, you’ll be eating something other than crushed lobster tonight—”
“Wait, you mean this isn’t a sanctioned mission? The military isn’t here to rescue us?
” a scruffy young man interrupted, a note of agitation in his voice. The hair on one side of his head and face was much thinner, and even as James watched, the young man reached up and tugged a few strands free.
“No. But it’s the only option we have. The military won’t find us. This prison was designed to evade detection on all levels. That’s why some of you,” he pointed to the inmate next to her, “have been down here for seven years.”
Everyone in the group stared at James. He stared back, his feet planted, shoulders square. “Well?” he challenged them.
An older woman with sun-starved skin and rheumy blue eyes finally broke the silence. “I’m game. Beats sitting around waiting to die.” She elbowed the tattooed man. “Come on, Caleb, it’ll be an adventure.”
Caleb scowled, but didn’t disagree further. To James’s relief, the others murmured their assent and began returning to their cells to gather their meagre possessions.
“Oh, and bring anything you can find that will burn—clothes, wood, anything—and dump it in a pile by the engine room door,” James called after them. He turned back to Tunny and Joseph. “What do we do about Pine and the captain? We can’t send those people up there and possibly into danger.”
“You won’t have to.” A voice spoke from the control room stairs, where Pine leaned against the railing.
James gave a strangled cry. One of her shoulders had been dislocated, and one cheek bone was vaguely caved in. “Pine.” He rushed to her side. “I’ll kill him.”
“No need,” she said wearily and sat down on the steps. “He’s out of commission.”
“Dead?” Could they be so lucky?
“I don’t know. I hope so. Can a synadroid survive a broken neck?” she asked Joseph.
He smiled tenderly at her. “Survive, yes. But function? Not properly.”
“Does this mean we can abandon this plan? Just use the sub’s controls to raise it?” Hope bubbled up inside James. They wouldn’t have to put those people’s lives at risk.
“No. The captain made quick work of the panel.” Pine touched the depression in her cheek. “I was only able to disable him because he was so focused on destroying it.”
“I can’t believe he attacked you.” Guilt gnawed at James. He never should’ve left her.
“I can. He’s just trying to survive, like we are.” Her look said, You can’t understand. But he did.
“I’m sorry,” James said. “We never wished him any harm.”
“I know,” Pine replied. “I don’t think he did either, not really, but he was the one who jettisoned the life-pods, not the captain. I think he knew more than he let on. Even before we got here, he never had any intention of leaving this ship.”
Joseph ran his hands over her distorted shoulder. “I think I can fix this. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll do until we get home.”
“I love that word.” The weariness in Pine’s voice made James wish he could pause time, just for an hour. He would hold her, savor every minute with her, just in case. But they didn’t have the luxury. They had to do this, now.
“What about the controls? How are we going to get the hatch open if the controls are destroyed?” James hated to pile on the stress, but they had to be prepared, just in case.
“I’ll have a look at them as well,” Joseph said. “If all we need is to lift the hatch, I should be able to jimmy something together.”
It would have to do. “Okay. Take Pine up to the control room with the others and see what you can do. I can start the fire on my own. I’d feel better if the two of you were there to keep an eye on the captain, anyway. Just in case.”
Joseph helped Pine stand, and they disappeared back into the cockpit. James headed back to the engine room, passing Tunny and the inmates on the way. Their faces were strained, their steps uncertain, with none of the excitement of being so close to freedom. James wasn’t surprised. They’d probably resigned themselves to their fate and now, in only a matter of hours, were placing their lives in the hands of a stranger. Life in the prison had been a certain kind of hell, but at least they were alive.
I’m going to get you all out of here. I promise.
Tunny ushered them into the control room. It was time.
The engine room was warm, vibrating gently with the hum of the machines. James found the panels at the back, just where Tunny had said they would be.
He gazed at the blinking lights and shifting dials, marveling at their endurance. It was a testament to Tunny’s skill that the prison itself had managed to survive all this time. Seems almost a shame to destroy it.
Bracing himself, James shoved a screwdriver into the seam of one of the panels, prying it up. When he could get his fingers around it, he tore it off and tossed it to the floor with a crash. Bundles of wires and plates of switches stared back at him.
He went back out to the cell block, retrieved everything the inmates had brought, and piled them in front of the exposed panel. If he could get all of them burning, it should be enough to trigger the system.
Here goes.
He ripped a handful of wires free and carefully selected two of them—one red, one black. Mumbling a quick prayer, he held the exposed ends over the pile of blankets and touched them together. Sparks erupted from the connection, leaping onto the musty fabric.
James held his breath.
A small wisp of smoke rose then thickened as the blankets began to smolder. James showered them with a few more sparks for good measure then stood back. Within seconds, the smoldering fibers ignited, and orange flames stretched toward the ceiling, releasing a thick black smoke that stung his eyes.
Adrenaline shot through James. This was it. Get to the control room.
He shut the engine room door behind him and sprinted for the cockpit stairs. Just as his foot touched the first step, an alarm launched into a high-pitched wail, and emergency lights flashed around the perimeter of the room.
Tunny waited for him at the top of the steps. “Did a good job of that, I see.”
“Yes. Sorry to ruin your years of hard work, Tunny.”
Tunny clapped him on the back. “Never mind about that. You can buy me a beer when we get to the surface. They still have beer, right?”
“Yes, they still have beer. And I’ll buy you a whole keg.”
Tunny nodded, satisfied. “Get in then, and we’ll lock the door. I think your friends have been able to make some progress on the hatch.”
“Really?” James cringed as he stepped into the control room.
Joseph sat in the captain’s chair, working busily among the wreckage of the console. Pine stood next to him. Her shoulder was back in place, though it still didn’t look normal. Considering the damaged room, though, it was surprising her injuries weren’t worse. The other passengers sat in a silent group in the center of the floor, as far away from the bodies of the captain and first mate as they could.
Pine glanced up as he came over. “Joseph thinks he’ll be able to trigger the hatch to open when we get to the surface,” she said brightly, loud enough for everyone to hear.
But he caught the unnatural tone of her voice.
“That’s great,” he said. “That’ll make it so much quicker to get that first breath of fresh air.”
Pine rewarded him with a grateful smile.
“Are the ducts closed? Is the room as airtight as possible?” Joseph asked.
“Everything is as snug as we can make it.” Pine staggered slightly as the room rocked. “Here we go.”
The room grew noticeably cooler as compressed air roared into the ballasts. The sound was deafening.
James’s stomach turned queasy, his legs heavy, like they were whenever he took an elevator. It’s working. We’re rising. One look at the others told James they felt it too.
The older woman gripped Caleb’s hand so tightly that the hard man winced, though he made no attempt to pull his hand away. Someone began praying under their breath, a litany of pleading that James couldn’t make out.
So
far, so good. He went over to Pine and wrapped his arms around her, watching out the window as the water lightened almost imperceptibly.
This might just work.
A blast from the control room rocked the sub, throwing those standing to the floor.
No, no, no. James braced himself, expected the sub to descend, sure they’d blown out the tail.
They kept rising.
The prayer chanted more fervently, and Caleb tucked the old woman’s arm under his.
“Joseph? How fast are we ascending?” James tried to keep his voice from reaching the others.
“Not fast enough.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“No.”
One minute passed then two. James waited for another explosion, but none came.
Three minutes, four.
The water was noticeably lighter now, changing from twilight blue to rich cobalt.
Five minutes.
The tiniest wisp of poisonous black smoke snaked through the crack in the vent.
Six minutes.
The water was now rapidly lightening into a pale sapphire, and James could almost feel the sun. We’re so close. Just a couple of minutes more.
The wisp of smoke thickened and coiled, and James’s eyes began to sting. Around him, the crew pressed whatever they could over their noses and mouths.
Eight minutes.
The prison shot out of the water like a bullet, arcing gently before its belly smacked back down onto the surface with a wave-rolling crash.
Sunlight streamed through the translucent hatch, blinding James. “Joseph, now.”
Joseph fumbled with the hatch controls. The mechanism groaned then stopped. He slammed his fist down on the panel, and the groan turned into a shriek as the top of the shark’s head lifted at last.
Fresh, cool air bathed the dazed faces of everyone on board.
James was stunned. He turned to Pine. “We—”
The air was knocked from his lungs by the force of her hug. Her face was alight as she gazed up at him. “You did it!”