Kwaide (The Ammonite Galaxy Series, Book 2)

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter 31

UNDER THE COVER of the masses of fighting refugees, they slipped quickly inside the water towers. Shutting and bolting the door behind him, Six signed to Diva and Testan to follow him, and left the others to defend the bolted door. They had long lost sight of the second group, slowly battling its way towards the western tower.

Six climbed into the water tank and Diva and Testan followed him. They all adjusted their mask packs, and then slowly lowered themselves beneath the water level. There was a slight slope down to the fuel station, so there was no need for complicated vents and hatches. By gravity alone the water found its way along the underground tunnel, filling the smaller tank inside the fuel deposit to the brim. Six signed to Testan to breathe slowly and without panic, and then let himself sink under the water.

It was pitch black and very inhospitable. They sank down until their feet touched the bottom of the deep tank, and then moved slowly towards the centre. Panic was taking hold of all of them now, and it was difficult to keep their breathing calm.

At last they managed to locate the hole in the centre of the tank. It was about five hands in diameter, enough for one person. Six forced himself to dive head first into the tube, and began to pull himself steadily along by laying his hands flat on the sides of the tube, which were slightly slippery with the accumulation of algae from the water. He found himself fighting a cloying feeling of claustrophobia. It was one of the worst things he had ever had to do. I can’t give up now, he thought to himself. Diva is just behind me. She will think nothing of something like this. I will not be beaten by that Coriolan aristocrat. No way! He thought of her face if he went back a failure. Not going to happen. He would rather die down here than see a look of disdain on Diva’s face. He fought back the panic, imposing a steely determination on his quivering heart.

Finally he felt an upturn in the tube, and then the circular piping around him opened out. He was through into the smaller tank situated in the fuel depot. He allowed himself to float to the surface, and pulled off the mask pack gratefully. The pent-up stress came out in a long and deep sigh.

He swam to the side of the tank, and clambered out. Then he waited for the next swimmer to come through. There was a very long pause, and he began to think that they hadn’t made it, when Diva appeared, her expression one of infinite distaste.

“If you ever ask me to do something like this again, Kwaidian,” she said as a greeting, pulling off her mask pack, “I swear I shall kill you!”

“Where’s Testan?”

Diva raised her eyebrows. “You mean the bold trainee meant to look after me? He won’t be coming.”

“What have you done to him?”

“I haven’t done anything to him,” said Diva complacently. “He put one toe inside the tube and discovered a sudden illness which impeded his taking part in your little excursion. He sends his apologies.”

Six glowered. “You should have made him come!”

Diva’s eyes flashed. “And how exactly was I supposed to do that, nomus?”

“Well I don’t know do I? You usually manage to terrify everybody!”

“On this occasion the water was the greater of the two evils. I threatened to slice his head off with my dagger, and he looked as if he would prefer that to coming down the tube.”

Six gave a grunt. “It wasn’t much fun.”

“That is the understatement of the year, untouchable! And just think, we still have the happy journey along the fuel pipe to come!” Diva fought to keep her voice calm. There was no way on Lumina she was going to let the Kwaidian see just how frightened she had been when she had forced herself into that black tube. The only thing that had kept her going was the thought of his expression if she had chickened out of it. She couldn’t blame Testan for his fear: she had felt much the same herself.