24. Chapter 24
A hand on her shoulder roused Kate to consciousness hours later. Raz sat beside her in a booth on the tugboat’s mess deck. She lifted her head from her backpack on the table, swaying slightly from the rocking vessel.
“Boat coffee isn’t the best”—he slid a white mug across the counter—“but it’s something.”
The roast wafted to her nose, drowning out the boat’s fresh paint smell and igniting her awareness. “You’re a sweetheart.”
He dug in his pockets and pulled out a handful of sugar packets.
Needing the calories, she tore them all open at once and dumped them into the steaming darkness.
She eyed Caige, who sat at another booth with blue leather seats, a pile of cards sitting before him as if he were playing solitaire. She took a drink of the syrupy brew.
“You all right?” he asked, concern thrumming the link.
She didn’t blame him for asking. The power drain from using her Influence to alter memories had wiped her out, and she’d fallen asleep in the middle of a dangerous mission. Energy was still being sapped from her as she continued to cast Sajani’s image over herself.
“I’m good.” Except for the nerves that shook her confidence. “How close are we?”
“We stopped a while ago,” he said. “They warned us it’d be fifteen minutes before they were ready. They brought coveralls.” He nudged his chin toward the blue clothing at the table closest to the door.
“I guess we suit up.” She chugged the coffee, the heat pooling in her empty stomach. Soon they’d travel down to the submarine in the rescue sub, where the mission would continue. Kate swallowed.
As Raz and Kate slipped the outfit over their clothes, Caige joined them. She tapped her finger over her tragus to unmute the Mircron Ear.
“Everything set?” she asked.
Caige and Raz nodded.
She zipped up the coveralls that swamped her.
The door clanged open behind them. “We’re ready,” Larry said. “Equipment’s all loaded.”
“All good here,” she said, grabbing the backpack.
They followed Larry through the small halls, out into the briny sea air.
On the starboard side, the setting sun shone from the middle of the horizon, warming Kate’s skin.
The waves chopped at the boat, rocking it beneath her.
The non-skid grated against her shoes as they traveled to the aft of the ship.
Metal brackets caged a yellow submarine—their next mode of transportation.
Two men stood beside it, wearing similar coveralls.
“This is Cory and Steve,” Larry said. “They will be the ones assisting with this exercise.”
Right. The deep-sea rescue exercise helped train new personnel each time.
Kate held out her hand, shaking each of theirs. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sajani. Let’s go save some”—she air-quoted—“stranded sailors.”
Larry laughed. “Remember, we have the controls here. Just enjoy the ride.”
Cory and Steve headed for the submarine.
Kate followed. From a raised platform, they had to dive horizontally into the vessel.
The interior was tight and short, making her kneel as she moved forward to let the others in.
Two long benches sat along both sides, with straps overlapping each other.
Metal pipes and tubes painted the walls.
The strapped-in, coffin-like container dominated nearly one bench.
Her heart throbbed steadily, threatening to hurtle into a race.
She took deep breaths to settle herself to not upset her Influence powers.
Steve and Cory headed up front. They put on their headsets while Kate took a seat on the hard metal, holding the straps of her backpack tight.
Caige sat four seats from her, an acceptable social distance as Raz rested back, sitting across from her next to the coffin.
She strapped in. Mimi, I’m almost there…
“Everyone ready?” Steve called, glancing back at them.
Kate gave him a thumbs up.
The exercise was a go.
The crane outside the vessel moved with a whine, lifting them into the air.
Weightlessness took over, and she grabbed onto the seat.
Raz met her gaze and grinned reassuringly.
Regret stilled the smile from rising to her lips.
Even if he had rejected me, I should have told him what I’m really going after.
But she reminded herself, he might not have helped her if she had.
He tilted his head in question as if he had read her thoughts through their link.
He couldn’t access the truth along the link, only her emotions, but her stomach rolled with unease.
Kate jolted as the crane stopped and lowered the mini sub.
She stared straight ahead, unwilling to look at him.
Soon enough, her dirt would be exposed. Nothing she’d say now would matter.
Steve and Cory worked with the boat crew to lower them, and they plopped into the water.
After a few checks, the submarine dove. With no windows, Kate could only imagine the murky depths swallowing them.
She tried to keep her mind distracted, picturing Naomi and imagining saving her from Matsuda’s clutches.
Time ticked by until they jerked around a bit and the words ‘mated and pressurizing’ floated to her from Steve and Cory. She opened her eyes and met Raz’s stare.
“You boys ready?” Sajani’s voice echoed in her ear—jarring, but needed to tell if the Micron Ears between them were working within the sub.
Caige offered a grunt.
“You have no idea,” Raz whispered.
She chuckled.
“Mrs. Reedy, we need your ID card,” Cory called.
Steve stood above the hatch near the front, lifting it open.
He climbed down the ladder as Cory came over to help.
Kate unbuckled herself and clambered to her feet unsteadily.
She walked over to inspect the hole. The clinking of metal echoed behind her as she assumed Caige and Raz worked on retrieving the coffin.
“Here.” She squatted to hand her card shakily to Steve, who stood over the wet submarine hatch, legs spread. The textured gray beneath him almost appeared rusty and warped. This was the doorway to the I-402.
“Thank you.” He took the card and held it against a scanning strip on top of the hatch.
The strip flashed red.
He tried again but had the same result.
Shit…It was the right card, so it had to work. Did she mess up somehow? Maybe the guards woke up, and there was a flaw in the planted memories, so they warned Matsuda.
After rubbing his arm against the scanning strip to dry it further, he tried again. Nothing flashed, but a clunk sounded below. It was unlocked.
Kate released a shaking breath.
After he twisted the handle, the suction popped free with a soft hiss. A bright light illuminated the area below.
They made it.
“Hello there, rescuers,” a woman’s voice called from below as she stepped into view. Her brown hair lay in a perfect knot on top of her head. Her haggard face beamed with excitement. “I’m ready to end this rotation.”
“Hey Danielle,” Kate called down with a wave. The nurse Sajani told her about was one of the few who stayed on the sub to monitor the cargo. Caige and Raz would think of her as a scientist working on Matsuda’s project to make the LRAD replica of Lucifer’s Bell.
“Dr. Reedy,” Danielle said, pulling a cardigan tightly around herself. “Nice to see you again. Sorry you have the next long haul.”
Kate shrugged. “Gives me time to set up the new equipment.”
She chuckled. “You guys good to unload while I grab my things?”
Steve shook his head. “I forgot we were actually picking up people.”
“You did great,” Kate said, knowing it was his first trip.
“Watch yourself.” Caige’s deep voice came from behind her. She moved around the hatch as they brought up the coffin.
“We’ll get some straps and hoist it down,” Steve said. “Can one of you go down and help from below?” He grabbed some yellow, flat rope from the wall.
“I got it,” Caige said.
Kate met his gaze. It was important that he entered first, but he couldn’t do the next step until they were ready. He nodded, as if reassuring her, and then climbed down the ladder.
Raz and Steve hung the winch from a ceiling hook to lower the coffin. After some careful delegation, they dropped it to the sub, where Caige unhooked it and placed it on the ground.
All the while, Kate’s fingers shook. She climbed down into Matsuda’s submarine, feeling like she was climbing down a mountain with loose snow about to stumble into an avalanche.
Her boots thudded onto the bottom, landing her in a tight space with two branching hallways.
Stale air tickled her nose with a strong chemical odor she couldn’t place.
The air was chilly, explaining why Danielle wore a cardigan.
Each side had large pipes rising from the floor with valves spread out.
From her memorized map, they were within the main machinery room.
Raz stood behind her with the container between them. Caige was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s the other guard?” Danielle asked, coming down the hallway.
“I think he said something about updating the security feed,” Kate said. It wasn’t entirely a lie.
According to their plan, Caige was on his way to the security room, in the opposite direction of Danielle.
He needed to insert the drive so Sid and Clyde could hack the camera feeds from within.
Already she had spotted the black orb of a camera on the ceiling.
That was why she needed Caige and his ability to use his Illusion to make himself invisible.
“Sounds about right. Those guards do whatever they want,” Danielle said, stepping around Kate to the ladder. Danielle’s duffel brushed Kate’s arm as she passed.
“Did you lose weight?” Danielle asked, stopping before Raz and leaning forward. “You look awfully—”
“Can you hurry?” Kate swallowed to clear the croak of fear in her voice. “I need to set up this equipment.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Danielle handed her bag to Raz.
“Hey Steve, we got a bag.” Raz climbed up a few rungs. As the luggage disappeared into the rescue sub, Raz jumped down and rushed around Danielle to stand by Kate.