Page 55 of Wild Tempest

Tempest kicked and pulled toward the surface, 20 feet under. She still clutched the gold bar. She had a choice to make, and I hoped she'd make the right one.

I released my vest, plunged below the water, and swam to the depths as she fought to reach the surface.

Tempest finally let go of the bar and used both hands to pull herself up. I grabbed her, and we swam to the surface. She gasped for air when we broke through.

"What the hell were you thinking!" I barked at her.

With a sheepish frown, she said, "Okay. Maybe that wasn’t the smartest idea in the world.”

I swam for my life vest, grabbed it, and put it back on, then we paddled to the life raft. It had drifted a considerable distance.

The sea was relatively calm, for the moment.

I reached the life raft, pulled myself aboard, then helped Tempest.

Soon, the swirl of eddies dissipated, and it was as though the research vessel never existed.

I flipped the switch to activate the EPIRB. It flickered for an instant, then died. No distress signal was sent. It could have been damaged in the crash. A cracked circuit board. Loose wiring.

So much for an imminent rescue.

We could be in this raft for days or weeks. It was not a pleasant thought.

The raft contained water, protein bars, seasickness medication, sunscreen, and a few other goodies that would come in handy. But the supplies wouldn’t last long. And bad news was on the horizon.

Shrouded in a thick fog, it was impossible to get your bearings. Another storm rumbled in the distance with flashes of lightning. We could be in for a rough ride.

JD looked like he was coming back to life.

"How are you feeling?"

He nodded. "Better than I was.”

Paul had settled. I didn't know if the antidote had taken effect, but at least he wasn't cursing at us anymore. I told Dale to hang in there, but without antibiotics, the risk of infection would skyrocket. The medication hadn’t made it off the ship with us.

By that time, I felt feverish.

"I'm sorry," Tempest said to me. "That was stupid. I shouldn't have done that. You risked your life to save me."

"You were just doing what you thought was best for your family," I replied.

She frowned with disappointment. “So close, you know.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Not great,” she said. It was in her eyes.

We drifted on the swells for a while, the angry clouds drawing closer.

34

Through the haze, in the distance, I caught glimpses of the Titan Deep. I blinked twice just to make sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

She was still there after the second blink.

I started paddling in that direction, and Tempest gave me a hand. The life raft was equipped with two short paddles. They weren’t the best in the world, but they were better than nothing.

It took some doing, but we reached the salvage tug. I helped everyone aboard, and we got Dale situated in a stateroom just about the time the storm hit.