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.He had located the hanging air tanks.He took an enormous breath, then exhaled.Quickly, he unsnapped his diver’s knife and cut the line to the tank.As it fell, he hung onto it and followed it lower.----- ----- ----- -----Even as the rough seas rocked the boat, the trained men held their weapons steady, ready to shoot anything that moved.“Something’s wrong.He should be up by now,” Frank said aloud.“Maybe you hit him,” one man shot back.“No, I don’t think so.He was gone in a flash.I barely saw his feet as he went under the boat,” Frank responded.With the twelve men spaced out evenly around the vessel, they all waited for any sign that would give away Jacks position.Suddenly, Frank’s face lost all expression.“The hanging tanks.All weapons concentrate on that position!” he shouted.In seconds, twelve men darted to the front of the boat.Staring down at the water, they saw air bubbles pop on the ocean’s waves.“Sir, I think I see bubbles,” one man shouted.“Impossible! How could he have gotten there that fast?” Frank shouted in anger.Staring down at the rolling seas, small bubbles appeared, then were covered over by the white water from the breaking waves.“Sir, should be go after him?” a man shouted.Frank looked out at the sea and sky.Bad weather was approaching.“How much air is in those tanks?” he shouted.“Two hours, Sir.Maybe less,” another man shouted back.He stared into the water and smiled once more.“The hell with him.Sooner or later, he’s going to run out of air and then the storm will kill ‘im,” he speculated.“Pull the remaining tanks.Let’s get out of here.”----- ----- ----- -----With one hand clutching the air tank and another on the anchor-line, Jack continued to descend.As he touched the ocean floor, he felt the anchor-line shift, then tighten.He leaped back as the anchor broke free of its grasp and ascended higher, barely missing him in the process.Relief swept over him at the reality that he wasn’t being pursued.Seconds later, his relief was replaced by fear.He was now alone in the middle of the ocean, with a storm on the way.He waited at the bottom for another ten minutes, then slowly began to ascend.Taking his time, he angled his ascent so that he would surface far away if they decided to linger.Fifteen minutes later, he resurfaced.Instantly, a large wave crashed over him.He looked up at the skies and felt enormous dread.A savage storm was on the way.Clutching the tank with one hand, he donned his face mask, then drained it of all water.He then lay on his back and kicked his fins.He slowed his mind down and tried to think through the problem.In seconds, he made his decision.He pulled the regulator from his mouth and let the tank drop to the ocean floor.With both hands free, he could now swim unencumbered.Laying out flat on his back and rolling with the waves, he watched the clouds intently.A minute later, he could tell the direction the current was flowing.He spun around and angled his body to swim with the current.With his wetsuit to keep him afloat and his fins to propel him efficiently, he worked to conserve his strength.In his mind, he made some rough calculations: ‘Fifty miles to Caicos and the ocean current is two miles an hour.If I do nothing but float, I could pass by Caicos this time tomorrow.If I swim, I can cut that time in half.’A moment later, a large bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.He stared at the roiling clouds and uttered one-word sarcasm: “Perfect.”Chapter: 6Javi and Helena sat on an old weather-beaten bench and stared out on the horizon watching for the fifty-foot dive boat they hoped would return with a crystal globe.Almost imperceptible, a white craft appeared as a faint dot, nearly hidden from view in the endless stretch of waves and white caps.As it neared, its distinct shape left little doubt to the boat’s identity.Javi looked down at his watch.His face held a puzzled expression, then quickly changed to excited.“They’re early… as in almost three hours early,” he said, with guarded enthusiasm.“I don’t want to jinx my words with too much optimism, but I think they might have found the crystal.”Both leaped to their feet in anticipation.“You know, it could just be mechanical trouble too,” Helena said, trying not to raise their hopes too high.“The seas are pretty rough.Could be something broke loose and they needed to come back for repairs.”“Could be,” Javi replied simply.As the boat rolled into the harbor, they watched several men moving around the deck, preparing for tie down.Javi’s scan grew more intense.“Where the heck is Jack?” he said in disappointed tone.“Dammit, if they had found the crystal, he’d be standing at the front of the ship, cheering at the top of his lungs.” Turning to Helena, he continued, “I’m betting you’re right.Probably a mechanical failure.Jack being the consummate engineer, he’s probably below deck trying to fix it as we speak.”The boat slowly drifted dockside and the men leaped from it with ropes, securing it to the pylons.As Frank stepped from the wheelhouse, he looked to Helena and nodded cryptically.Instantly, her heart beat faster.Her mind raced with excitement.But something about Frank’s gesture nagged at her logic.As she thought about the clues before her, her face lost all expression.“Oh no,” she muttered to herself.“What’s that?” Javi asked, unsure what he heard.“Nothing,” Helena shot back quickly.“I was just clearing my throat.”Although the day was dark and overcast, foretelling of a storm that was on its way, the temperatures were balmy: seventy-five to eighty degrees.As Frank and several of his men stepped off the boat, all were wearing windbreaker jackets.Javi noticed the strange sight.“Is it just me or is it really that cold out,” he commented.Helena ignored the statement.She already knew the answer.Walking purposefully toward Javi and Helena, Frank’s face was cold and callous.He stared at Javi menacingly as he approached.Mere feet from the two, he stopped.Six men surrounded them.“Mr.Arista, I trust you’re a reasonable man,” Frank started, his voice low and controlled.“These men are all armed.I want to be perfectly clear with my next statement: any sudden moves, any shouts, any signals to passerby’s and you’ll suffer grave consequences.Do you understand my words?”Javi stared back in confusion.Frank opened his jacket and flashed a quick view of his handgun strapped to his shoulder.“Mr.Arista, do you understand my words?” he repeated.Reality quickly set in.He glanced around, surveying the icy stares that focused on him.Slowly, he nodded.“Where’s Jack?” he asked apprehensively [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]