“Oscar!” Ari shouts. “Blast them out of our way!”
“I have activated the shield, sir. The bots are seeking to impinge on our systems, and they’re also rather tenacious trackers. The shield ought to suffice in preventing this.”
The water ripples as the Kabul’s digital defense shield goes up. The jellyfish swim around the vessel, desperately trying to find a way through the blocking waves. The whale-like subs draw closer. And closer. The Kabul battles away, countering the firepower. All around the viewport the water lights up as our arsenal shoots through the current and explosives collide.
Thank goodness Theo had upgraded the vessel’s defense systems!
I gasp as further movement catches my eye. “There are more of them.” A wave of ammunition surges at the submarine from both directions. The vessel lurches. Alarms blare on the sub. I cry out as I stumble back.
All I can think of is us falling into an infinite abyss below, and every accursed creature we’ve ever been warned about, ready to emerge from the darkest depths to feast on us.
Oscar flickers. “I bring bleak tidings, my lady. We are outnumbered. The Kabul will not survive this attack.”
No. Papa. I pull myself together. “Get a bloody grip, Oscar!” I shout. “Fight for your vessel, dammit!”
Another alarm. The craft abruptly tips forward. Ari’s thrown against the windows. I scream. Jojo’s Bliss-Pod slides across the floor.
Ari clutches his head and tries to catch his breath. The sub shudders again.
“Go!” he yells at me. “Grab Jojo and leave. They’re distracted. You might survive if you take the submersible. Get out of here!”
Every part of my body quivers. I sway as I stagger to the main control panel. “Let’s try rising and—” Something catches my eye, and I turn around.
Small circular crafts emerge from the depths and into the chaos. I squint; they seem familiar.
“Ari!” I shout, just as the sub rocks again. I grab hold of a locker handle to steady myself. “Look!”
The compact subs open fire on the large whale-like vessels. They lock into battle with one another.
“Oh my God. It’s the people from Cambridge! It’s Bia’s lot!”
Ari runs to the main control panel. We both work away on the planes and propeller, stabilizing the Kabul as the new arrivals distract the prison vessels. At last, the submarine is steady again and the ominous swaying and alarms cease.
“Oscar!” Ari beckons.
The Navigator appears. “Please accept my most sincere and humble apolo—”
“Reverse a little,” Ari shouts at him. “We’re too visible! All defenses up, and attack with everything we have!”
The sub reverses. All at once, there’s chaos. The current grows turbulent and visibility is challenging. I stare at the sight before us. Further crafts and weaponry have now joined the battle. And it’s hell.
The water fills with drones, submersibles, and robots of all kinds—many of which are disguised as sea creatures. The “whales” fire missiles in every direction, and the “jellyfish” latch on to vessels. Lasers bounce everywhere I look. The manned prison’s crafts are all a uniform rocket-like shape. Bia’s people are in the compact circular subs I saw in Cambridge.
I can’t take my eyes off the scene. It seems unreal. Like those ancient computer games Old Worlders loved so much. Will we survive it? We have to.
There’s a communication request. Ari and Oscar pick off targets as I take the call. It’s Charlie. I turn the volume up, listening to him as I run a 360-degree scan of our surroundings.
“Bia’s gonna kill you!” he shouts from his sub. “You put her in a very difficult position. This is the farthest we’ve ever made it—thanks to yer sub taking hostiles out—but it’s still an impossible task. You’ll never get out alive!”
“I’m not leaving without Papa! Do you know if the door’s open?”
“It’s not gonna happen, Leyla, not today! Nobody can make it through that. Don’t let yer friend do it. It’s a death trap! They’re tracking everything, locking on to anything they find and blasting it to smithereens. We’ll try again another day, promise. For Neptune’s sake, get the hell out of here!” He cuts off.
What? No, no, no. Papa’s right there. Today. Now. Just below us. He might never make it to “another day”! And next time the prison will be even more prepared. I didn’t come all this way to just leave without him! After all that, it can’t end like this. It just can’t. My heart is trapped in my throat, rigid and restricting. I gulp for air.
I glance at Ari; he’s busy overseeing both attack and defense. Charlie’s words ring in my head. Don’t let your friend do it. It’s a death trap!
There must be another way . . . There must be!
Think, dammit. I look out. Death and destruction everywhere.
My racing heart misses a beat when I see it: a terrifying and reckless idea. An unchartered, ferocious wave that carries a little hope deep within its fold. I’ll never get another opportunity like this. I know that. I take deep breaths, cursing the sudden trembling in my legs.
It’s the unknown. . . . It’s everything wrong and horrifying. My throat hurts, my chest aches now. I can’t do it. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.
But I’m finally this close. Am I really going to give in to the fear now? My hands shake and I clasp them. Time’s running out.
I clear my throat and force the words out. “Just—just checking something in the engine room,” I call out.
Ari barely acknowledges, busy conferring with Oscar on the best response to a group of fishlike bots surrounding the vessel’s bow.
I hurry out, looking over my shoulder and grabbing a small bag as I leave. My heart pounds away and an icy chill sweeps over me as I head for the moon pool room.
I climb into the submersible, my movements clumsy and weighted.
“Lock the door behind me, Oscar. Don’t forget. You mustn’t leave it open a second longer once I’m away.”
I rummage through the compact bag I helped Ari pack, ensuring everything I might need is still here.
“I assure you, my dear lady, the Kabul will be secured the moment the craft is clear of the moon pool.”
I open and close my hands. I shift in the seat. Everything trembles: my arms, legs, hands—whole body. I wipe my palms on my legs again and look up. Ari’s standing beside the vessel, his eyes narrowed. Frustration flames their depths.
“What are you doing?”
“He’s my papa. It’s my responsibility. I haven’t come this far to leave without him. Charlie said they’re locking on to anything they find. You can’t go out into that; you’ll never make it down, never mind back. And I can’t compete with the sheer number of vessels, or their firepower. But I can try and do the one thing they won’t be expecting.” I clear my throat. “I will—” I swallow my doubt and lift my chin. “I will fall through it all.”
His jaw slackens and his eyes widen. “Leyla—”
“Think about it. With my power off, they can’t lock on to the submersible. And if they spot me, they’ll just assume I’ve been hit and won’t see me as a threat. And I really need to go now or I’ll be locked in there once the moon pool door closes again.”