Page 155 of Tides of Fire
Three...
A scream of metal on stone ground theQianliyanto a sudden halt.
Daiyu twisted and spun in her seat.
No...
The vehicle was stuck, pinned by an outcropping she had failed to spot. She checked her sonar.
Only another two meters.
The top of the fissure was right there. The shine of the glowing coral forest mocked her. Still, she refused to relent.
She took on more ballast. If she could drop theQianliyana meter or so, she could maneuver around the blockage. She filled all her tanks, weighing down the vehicle. She regretted dumping all her torpedoes.
“Gaisi de!” she screamed, swearing at the world.
She shoved around in her seat as if trying to wiggle herself free.
Something finally did give.
TheQianliyanlurched with another screech of tortured steel. The heavy vehicle broke free with a jarring jolt. It dropped swiftly.
She hollered in great satisfaction and stared up, momentarily mystified by the view.
A huge shadow fell through the glow toward her.
She squinted, trying to understand what it was. It crashed onto the top of the fissure, accompanied by a loud metallic gong. Something poked down at her. It was a muzzle and a long barrel. She recognized what had crashed.
The battle tank from the LCAC.
Full of residual air, it had taken the armored vehicle two hours to plummet the six miles. She frowned at this testament to her failure, as if it were mocking her.
A rock fell from the cliff’s edge, dislodged by the impact. It bounced between the walls and struck the scallop of her window. It was hard enough to break a seam between the glass and the titanium.
A pencil-thin stream of water shot inside. It hit her stomach. Under the extreme pressures of the deep, the force drilled through her belly, severed her spine. Fiery agony nudged her hand and shifted the throttle.
TheQianliyanrolled, throwing her to the side.
The watery laser cut her open, slicing her nearly in half.
Her life spilled into her lap.
She struggled to push it back in.
Not like this.
The sphere imploded, crushing her last thought away.
44
January 24, 5:44P.M.NZDT
Eight miles under the Pacific Ocean
“How much oxygen do we have left?” Adam asked.
Bryan tapped a gauge. “After jettisoning our reserve tanks by the fissure, we have at best four or five hours. Same with the batteries.”