“Kate, I need to speak with you. It’s urgent,” Martin said. He could barely keep his head above water.
The European scientist spoke up. “I will not need to share the oxygen. I can cross alone.”
All heads turned to him.
“I am an extremely strong swimmer,” he said, explaining.
David tossed the other tank to Shaw. “Right, well you all have a committee meeting to sort it out. We’re going.” He took Kate by the arm.
“Wait,” she said. “Martin has been injured. He’s sick. You take him, David.”
“No.” He swam to her. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. Not again.”
She heard Shaw groan in the background, but time seemed to stand still. She felt herself nod.
“For God’s sake,” Shaw said. “I’ll take Martin. You all take the Chinaman; he won’t take much oxygen anyway.” He motioned to the European scientist. “And you… can swim strongly I suppose.”
The European ducked under the water. Martin protested, but Shaw had him and they were under, then David put the face mask on Kate and took her hand and they dove. He put the mouthpiece in her mouth, but she stopped. She fought to get to the surface.
“What?” David asked.
“Chang.”
David looked over.
Dr. Chang was treading water. “I thought you were going to leave me.”
He saved Martin’s life, Kate thought. “We’re not going to leave you.” She motioned to David. “Take his hand.”
“You overestimate my comfort zone.”
“Oh please!” She grabbed Chang’s hand, tightened her grip on David’s, and the three of them dove.
Kate took the first turn with the oxygen, then Chang. David seemed to need less than the two of them.
Kate couldn’t see Shaw and Martin, or the other man. The space below the fire seemed to stretch on forever. Through the mask, she looked up. The fire above the water was beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen. A flower of orange and red, blooming at the top of the water, expanding, receding, like a time-lapse photo.
Chang paddled beside her. His eyes were closed. There must have been gas in the water.
David led them on. He wore fins on his feet and his powerful legs propelled them through the water.
Finally, the field of fire ended, and Kate saw the black night above the water. David guided them upward, and he and Chang gasped for air as they broke the surface.
Kate held an arm up to block the bright lights that blinded her. Another ship floated just past the fire. A white yacht with black windows. It was three stories tall. She knew there was probably some nautical term for “three stories,” but that’s what it looked like to her: a three-story white condo building with telescoping decks at the front and back.
David pulled her and Chang toward it. A towering black man stood at the back of the boat. He reached into the water, grabbed both of Kate’s arms, and pulled her into the boat like she was a toy he was jerking out of a kiddie pool.
Kate peeled the backpack off as the African lifted Chang up by one arm and deposited him beside her.
David began climbing up the ladder. “Are we the first?”
The African nodded.
David stopped, grabbed the face mask from Kate, and was halfway back down the ladder when a head popped out of the water.
The European scientist.
“Did you see the other two?” David called to him.
“No.” He wiped the water from his face. “My eyes were closed. There is gas in the water.”
Kate thought he was barely winded. She desperately wanted to talk to David, but he was gone, back into the black water.
Seconds passed that felt like hours.
“I’m Kamau.”
Kate turned to him. “Kate Warner.”
His eyebrows rose quickly.
“Yeah, I get that a lot.” She turned back to the water.
Another head surfaced. Shaw. Martin wasn’t with him. Kate walked to the rail. “Where’s Martin?”
“He’s not here?” Shaw spun himself in the water. “He freaked out, thought he was drowning. I thought he swam ahead of me. I couldn’t see a bloody thing.” He dove back below the surface.
Kate stared at the wall of flames. If Martin had come up in the middle…
She waited. She felt a blanket being wrapped around her shoulders. She murmured her thanks without turning to see who had placed it.
Two heads broke the water, and one man pulled the other to the boat: David—leading Martin.
Martin’s head was badly burned and he was almost unconscious.
David carried Martin aboard and laid him on a white leather couch in the saloon. Chang raced over to Martin and began assessing his wounds. Kamau set a first-aid kit down, and Kate began rifling through it.
The water parted again. “Do you have him?” Shaw called.
“Yes!” Kate shouted.