Chapter Twenty-Eight

 

When the companions arrived, the ocean was less than four feet below the lip of the access tunnel, and rising. Ryan played his lantern over it, the light very weak and orange now that the battery had almost depleted itself. The wind whipped the waves to splash over the lip in a salty spray.

 

"We all know the tunnel bends down a little farther on," J.B. said. "Means the gateway and those rooms are already below the ocean. Going to take on water bastard quick when it starts."

 

"Water level rising," Jak commented. "Went up couple inches while sit here."

 

"The time to go," Ryan stated, "is now or never."

 

"We have the same choices as before, lover," Krysty said. "Except that now we have no clue where Harlan and the Inuit are."

 

"And this little bastard boat is no place to be out on this ocean," Albert said. "Leaves us no choice at all."

 

"Pull us in close, J.B.," Ryan directed.

 

Even as the rubber raft bulled into the ice, everyone saw that there was little more than three feet remaining before the access tunnel started taking on a flood of water.

 

Ryan leaped from the raft onto the lip, followed by Jak. They helped the others to climb onto the slick ice. "Shed any extra gear," he ordered. "Keep your main weapons, some self-heats and ring-pulls. Everything else goes. It'll only slow you when you run." He flicked a glance at Albert. "You've got short legs, and that can't be helped."

 

The dwarf nodded, but Ryan could see the fear in him. "There's no place for me here. Little man like me draws attackers. You know that. At least you people have treated me decent. Reckon if I make it, that'll stay the same."

 

Ryan nodded, then glanced at Doc as Jak led them farther into the tunnel, stepping the pace up to a run. "You can't help him, Doc. Not unless you want to piss your life away."

 

"I know, my dear Ryan. I can only pray that he is there to meet us."

 

"Best thing you can do is be safe yourself. Be able to help him better then, if it's to be done at all."

 

"I know."

 

The lights along the corridor still operated. There was, however, barely enough light to see by, and the ice and water trickling over it made footing treacherous. All of them fell several times.

 

And the distance between the companions and Albert grew greater. The little man tried valiantly, but nature's pranks had also stacked a final joker in the deck for his race against the clock. He couldn't keep up the same pace as the others.

 

Jak reached the mat-trans unit first, followed by Dean. With only a look shared between them at the outset, J.B. had run well ahead of Mildred. He still had to put the repaired circuit boards into place. Doc paced Mildred, his long legs barely managing to keep up with her quicker strides. Krysty sprinted beside Ryan, pacing him easily.

 

They slipped and fell, getting separated at times, but always returning to each other's side.

 

Ryan looked back when he dared at the small figure of the dwarf now nearly a hundred yards back. Behind Albert, he heard the roar of the surf. The trickle of water across the corridor floor grew stronger and faster, a full inch deep now.

 

By the time they reached the mat-trans unit right after Doc and Mildred, J.B. was just battening the cover back into place.

 

"Circuit boards are there," the Armorer said. "Remains to be seen if they work." He joined Jak and Dean inside the gateway.

 

Ryan waited until Mildred, Doc and Krysty entered the mat-trans unit, then stood in the door. His position assured that it would be his decision to wait for Albert or leave the dwarf behind. To set the gateway into motion, all he had to do was close the door.

 

Through the open door, he could look up the corridor leading to the access tunnel. He stared hard, searching for Albert. But he heard the crash of the water first, then the dwarfs screams of fear.

 

Albert was still fifty yards out when the wall of water overtook him from behind. His legs buckled and he went down, sliding across the icy floor. Miraculously he forced himself to his feet, making another attempt to reach his goal.

 

It might have taken him nine or ten seconds to cover the last bit of the distance.

 

Ryan knew that the second wall of water was going to give the dwarf maybe three seconds at the most. The race was over even though it hadn't finished.

 

"Wait," Doc begged.

 

"Can't," Ryan said hoarsely. "If I do, mebbe I'll chill us all. Little man did his best. He's not going to make it." He pulled the door shut, activating the jump sequence. "Mebbe I waited too long now. That water hits the gateway as hard as it's going to, mebbe it'll rip it right out of the floor."

 

But it didn't, withstanding the battering force of the wave. The outside room filled with water immediately.

 

Ryan took his seat on the floor, listening to the roar of the water slam against the mat-trans unit as the metal plates on the ceiling and floor began to glow. The familiar gray mist began to fill the chamber, unknotting the worry in his stomach.

 

He coiled his hand in Krysty's as the jump began, holding on to her.

 

Albert, slammed into the armaglass walls for just an instant. The dwarf had his mouth open, trying to scream in wild-eyed terror, giant bubbles emerging as his lungs emptied, frozen for that brief flicker of time like a nightmare. His legs kicked violently, and he tried to claw his way into the chamber. He hung on for a while, fighting against the surging current rushing by to fill the lower regions of the redoubt.

 

Then he was gone.

 

"Alas, poor Albert," Doc said, his voice strangely calm, indicating that he had slipped back into dementia with the horror of it all. "I fear he is too deep in the brine this time."

 

Ryan let go of his senses as the jump pulled at him, then closed his eye.