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“Okay,” Reot two air tanks, one two-thirds full, a second coe unknown; my camera’s shot but the binoculars are fine; the revolver is dry, but I can’t vouch for the bullets; two canteens of water and soy beef jerky; a first-aid kit; your Gerber Nautilus ood shape, one that’s Swiss cheese; and, finally, two cell phones that are dry, working, aled, but useless inside here”
“The motor?”
“I dried it out as best I could but on’t know until we try it As for the gas tank, I didn’t find any holes and all the valves are sealed, so I think it’s fine”
Sa at the water
After ten minutes of this, he cleared his throat and said, “Okay, we can do it” He walked over and sat down beside Remi
“Let’s hear it,” she said
He started explaining When he was done, Remi pursed her lips, tilted her head, and then nodded “Where do we start?”
It started with a tense, claustrophobic crawl for Sam He had no trouble with either confined spaces or water, but had no love for the two combined
Wearing only his mask and a dive belt, he first did a series of practice dives to expand his lung capacity, then spent a full enate his blood to its maximum
He took a final breath, then dove to the bottoh the sub’s dome hatch and turned aft He knew frosmarine subs back in the Pocomoke, the nose section of a Marder-class boat held only a seat and so controls What he was looking for—the scuttle valves—would be in the tail section Pulling and pushing hi, he felt the cylindrical walls close around hi him He felt the hot bloom of fear in his chest He quashed it and refocused: Scuttle valve, Sam Scuttle
He shined his flashlight left, right, ahead He was looking for a lever, a raised cylindrical fitting in the hullAnd then, suddenly, there it was, ahead and to the left He reached out, grasped the lever, and heaved Stuck He drew his dive knife, wedged it between the lever and hull, then tried again With a squelch and spurt of rust, the lever gave way Lungs pounding, he turned to the opposite valve, repeated the process, then backed out and finned to the surface
“You okay?” Remi called
“Define okay”
“Not mortally wounded”
“Then, yes, I’m okay”