Hunt for Jade Dragon (31 page)

“Ian, how do we get out of here?” I asked.

“I still don't see a way out.”

“What about that door those guys ran through?”

“It's just a freezer.”

“No pipes out?”

“No Weekend Express,” he said.

“We should use the pool,” Ostin said. “The tunnel leads out.”

“We can't hold our breath that long,” Taylor said. “And there are fish.”

“Maybe there are scuba tanks in the back room,” Jack said.

“I don't see any,” Ian said. “And there are still bars in the pipe.”

“Michael can cut through them,” Nichelle said.

“We still can't hold our breath that long,” Taylor repeated.

“We can improvise a diving bell,” Ostin said.

“A what?” Taylor said.

“A diving bell. It's how people centuries ago used to explore underwater. If we turn the boat upside down, there's enough air in the boat to get us through the pipe.”

“Yeah, but the pipe is underwater,” Taylor said. “And the air keeps the boat from going underwater.”

“It's a metal boat,” Ostin said. “And a metal pool. If Michael can magnetize enough he could pull the boat to the bottom, then we'll walk along the bottom to the pipe.”

“It could work,” I said.

Something heavy started pounding against the door. “We've got to go,” Ian said. “A bunch of guards are trying to break in.”

“Let's do this,” I said.

We ran over to the far side of the pool. Jack untied the boat, but it took all of us to flip it over.

“Everyone in the water,” I said.

“With the fish?” Taylor said.

“Or stay with the Elgen,” Jack said.

“They both stink,” Nichelle said.

“I'll take the fish,” Taylor said.

We all jumped into the pool, then swam underneath the overturned boat. The inside of the boat was faintly lit by our glows. McKenna lit up her face to brighten it.

“Now what?” Taylor asked.

“I magnetize,” I said. I put one hand on the top of the boat, then reached the other toward the floor and pulsed. It took us a moment to realize that the boat was gradually descending.

“It's working,” Ostin said.

I could see the floor of the pool coming closer. Every now and then Taylor would scream when a fish swam up against her. It took us about a minute to reach the bottom.

“How long will this air last?” Jack asked.

“Long enough,” Ostin said. “My worry is, how long will Michael last?”

Sweat was already pouring down my face. If it wasn't for the extra power the bowl gave me I couldn't have done it. “Which way to the pipe?” I asked.

“We spun a little on our way down,” Ian said. “It's that way. Ten o'clock.”

“Everyone start walking,” Ostin said. “Start to the left.”

Everyone grabbed onto some part of the boat and pushed forward—everyone except for me. Holding the boat down was not only taking all of my strength, but it was also a difficult balancing act keeping the right amount of magnetism. Too much would crush us to the floor; not enough and we floated up and were unable to touch the bottom and push forward.

Ian kept us moving in the right direction, occasionally looking up to the feeding room. We had traveled about twenty feet when Ian said, “The Elgen are in. They're looking for us.”

“They'll never look down here,” Ostin said.

“They just did,” Ian said. “They're pointing at us.” He paused. “Now they're pointing guns at us.”

“Faster!” Ostin shouted. “We just need to make it to the pipe.”

A bullet struck the side of the boat next to me, ricocheting with a loud clang. “That was too close.”

“Thirty-five more feet to the pipe,” Ian said.

Just then a bullet burst through the center of the boat, grazing Nichelle. “Ah!” she cried. She fell down into the water. Water gushed in through the hole. Jack grabbed her and lifted her as the water around us began to darken with her blood. “Where are you hit?”

“Shoulder,” she said, grimacing in pain.

“Don't worry about pushing,” he said. “Just walk.”

The water level in the boat rose as air escaped through the bullet hole.

“Someone plug the hole!” I shouted.

Ian shoved his finger into it, stopping the flow. “Got it.”

“How far to the pipe?” I asked.

“Thirty feet,” Ian said.

Another bullet struck the boat, puncturing another hole through the metal. No one was hit but more water sprayed in. Ian stuck a finger in that hole as well. “They're setting up a machine gun,” he said.

“We're not going to make it,” Jack said. “It's like shooting fish in a barrel.”

“That's it,” Ostin said. “Michael, can you pulse hard?”

“I am pulsing hard!” I said.

“I mean electric, not magnetic.”

“Why?”

Another bullet pierced the bow of the boat and more water sprayed in. McKenna stuck her finger in the hole to stop it.

“They've got the machine gun up!” Ian shouted.

“Just pulse!” Ostin shouted.

“I'll shock everyone.”

“They're aiming,” Ian said.

“Do it!” Ostin shouted. “Everyone prepare to be Tasered. Go!”

I pulsed. Everyone screamed and Ostin, Jack, and Taylor fell into the water, then stood back up.

“Man, that hurt,” Ostin said.

Then Taylor screamed as paralyzed fish floated up all around us. “What did you do?”

“Electric fishing,” Ostin said. “Michael just stunned all the fish and they floated to the top of the pool. The Elgen won't be able to see us or shoot us through them.”

“He's right,” Ian said. “It's like a six-foot barrier of fish.”

We reached the corrugated pipe floor without being hit by any more bullets, but the pipe brought another problem. The farther we got from the bowl, the more difficult it was for me. I felt like I went from carrying a hundred pounds to two hundred. I groaned beneath the strain.

“Are you okay?” Taylor asked.

“How much farther?” I asked.

“We're getting close,” Ian replied.

Suddenly there was a huge surge of water, pushing us forward and up against the first set of bars. My head hit the side of the boat hard
enough that, for a second, I lost magnetism and the boat started to flip over. Jack threw himself against it, holding it for a few seconds before I regained control.

“Michael, are you okay?” Taylor said.

“Yes,” I replied, my head aching. “Sorry.”

“They threw a grenade,” Ian said. “It's like fish stew out there.”

“At least we're at the bars,” I said.

“Can you cut through them?” Ostin asked.

I moved to the front of the boat and grabbed onto a bar. It was thicker than anything I had cut through so far. As I began to heat up, the back of the boat began to rise. I stopped to pull it back down. I looked at Ostin. “I can't magnetize the boat and cut through the bars at the same time.”

“It's okay,” Ostin said. “We're in the pipe. Just let the boat float to the top.”

“Let it up easy,” Jack said. “If it flips, we drown.”

I slowly let the boat rise until it knocked against the top of the pipe. Everyone was now treading water.

I grabbed the bar again and began to cut. It took me nearly five minutes to burn through the first bar, the water boiling next to my hand. I'd have to cut through at least five bars to get the boat through. We were still losing air and the water level was rising in the boat at about an inch a minute. At that rate we would be out of air before I cut through the pipes, and I was already exhausted. I don't think I could have pulled us back down to the bottom if I wanted to.

“Ian, how far is it from these bars to the end of the pipe?” I asked.

“About twenty yards.”

“Are there any more bars before the end of the pipe?”

“No. The next bars are at the first fence, about twenty-five yards past the end of the pipe.”

“So if we make it to the end of the pipe, we can swim up.”

“Yes. We'll still have the fences, but we'll be outside the plant.”

“Are there guards up there?”

“Not yet,” he said. “Why?”

“I don't think I can make the cuts with the air we have left. And even if I did, I can't make it much farther magnetizing the boat. The farther we get from the bowls the harder it gets.”

Taylor put her hand on my arm. “What do we do?”

“If I take out one more bar we can swim for it.”

“I don't think I can swim it,” Nichelle said. “I'm not a good swimmer.”

“Can you hold your breath for thirty seconds?” Jack asked.

She looked at him. “I think so.”

“Then you can do it. If you can't swim, I'll carry you out.”

Nichelle looked at him quizzically. “Why?”

“We don't leave family behind.”

For a moment Nichelle was speechless. “Thank you.”

“Okay,” I said. “Let's do this.” I went back to cutting. By the time I cut through the second bar there was only six inches of air left in the boat. The gap between the bars was at least twenty-four inches wide. “We can fit through that,” Ian said.

“Can we see which way to swim?” McKenna asked.

“It's a little lighter toward the end of the pipe,” Ian said.

“Any guards yet?”

“Not before the first fence. If we stay close to the building they might not see us. There's some kind of concrete retaining wall I think we can hide behind.”

“Maybe I should go first,” Taylor said. “I'm a good swimmer. And that way I can reboot anyone on top.”

Ostin looked at me. “Are you strong enough?”

“I can make it,” I said.

“I'll go after Taylor,” McKenna said. “I can help fight if someone's up there.”

“Who's next?” Ian asked.

“Ostin, Nichelle, and Jack,” I said.

“What about you?” Ian asked.

“I'll go last,” I said. “I need a minute to rest.”

“You know as soon as we unplug these holes you'll only have a minute of air.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I'm okay.”

Taylor swam up to the front next to me. “Are you sure you're strong enough?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Be careful.”

She kissed me. “I'll see you outside.” She grabbed the bars, took a deep breath, then disappeared under the water.

“I'm ready,” McKenna said. “But someone's going to have to plug this hole.”

“I'll get it,” I said.

Water gushed in as McKenna pulled her finger out of the bullet hole. I reached up past her and pushed my finger into the hole. “Got it.”

“Go,” Ian said.

McKenna inhaled, then ducked under, leaving the boat dim with just Ian's and my glow.

Ostin looked at me nervously. He had never been much of a swimmer.

“You can do it,” I said. “Remember summer camp.”

“Right.” He took a deep breath, then went.

Jack helped Nichelle to the front. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“I'll be right behind you.”

To my surprise, Nichelle kissed Jack on the cheek. “Thank you.” She took a deep breath, ducked under the boat, and swam through the bars. Jack swam after her.

“Just us,” I said to Ian.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Let's do it.”

He pulled his fingers out of the holes and water shot in like two high-pressure water hoses. He inhaled once, then dove under.

I tried to take a deep breath, but what was left of the air was pretty thin.

“You can do this,” I said to myself. I grabbed onto the bars and pulled myself underwater, then swam as fast as I could toward the end of the pipe.

I
must have run into a hundred fish on the way up. I broke the pool's surface gasping for air. Someone grabbed me by the back of my shirt and lifted me out of the water. I almost pulsed before I saw it was Jack. Somehow, in spite of his injuries, he had found the strength to lift me to shore.

The shrill, ear-piercing sound of alarms filled the air. Everyone was sitting on the ground in puddles, soaked and out of breath, partially shielded behind a concrete retaining wall about four feet high. When I caught my breath I said, “We made it.”

“Thanks to you,” Taylor said.

“Are you okay?” I asked Nichelle.

“I'll make it. The bleeding's not too bad, it just stings.”

“It's the salt water,” Ostin said.

“Let me see,” Jack said. He rolled her sleeve up over her shoulder to examine the wound, then he ripped a piece of cloth from
his undershirt and wrapped it around Nichelle's shoulder as a bandage.

“Thank you,” she said. “Again.”

I looked at Ian. “Any guards?”

“Just ahead at the fences.”