A Drift in the Deep
Disclaimer: In previous chapters.
A/N: This chapter was not planned but it happened this way. Thanks as always to Kasman for putting in the time to beta the stuff I tap out. As always, reviews have made writing this story a pleasure. Thanks.
Let each Day be Your Adventure
Quote written by Bill High Aquanaut in his book 'Beneath the Sea'
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Chapter 11 Diver
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The Rocky Beach
Logan sat in his chair at the edge of the ramp that had been laid several years before over the 'baby-head' sized round stones, dry suit already on, just waiting to have his zip closed. He watched the ripples as the water flowed and ebbed. Bling had helped him don the suit. Max had studiously ignored the process while she assembled the three sets of scuba gear. The physical therapist had been extra attentive that no grit or any other debris had been picked up in the suit so he had no fear of anything causing any unfelt damage to his lower extremities. The two co-conspirators stood over to one side as they closed each other's suits. Both were at ease. Logan looked over the water towards the Seattle skyline.
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Flashback: Cale estate swimming pool:
Logan stood on the side of the pool in his new diving gear. He glanced at his mother, sitting under the shade of the lawn umbrella, a glass of iced tea beside her. His mother gave him an okay signal accompanied by a wide grin. He returned it with a grin of his own. She looks better today, he thought As Logan turned back to face the waiting instructor in the pool, he caught a glimpse of Uncle Jonas striding across the lawn and a frown of distaste crossed his features.
"When you're ready, Logan," the instructor called.
He took a breath and entered the water with a giant stride.
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"I'll just zip you up and we're good to go a-drifting," Max said, a teasing note in her voice as she strode up. She couldn't see the sadness in Logan's eyes. Uncle Jonas brought the news, not quite accusing mother outright that it was her fault that dad had been where he was when the accident happened - it was obvious where he thought the blame lay.
Logan continued to stare out at the bay towards the city. I'm gonna lose you, too - you… you'll have to leave now with Lydecker and the Reds looking for you. "Sure, what better way to spend a few days than adrift in the deep," he responded, his tone rueful with a touch of sarcasm. Damn, I didn't mean it to come out that way.
Max paused as she reached for the zipper. "Logan…" a look of sadness flickered across her face and then vanished as he turned to regard her levelly.
"It's okay, Max. I agreed to this." A long time ago, he interrupted.
"You sure?" Max asked, dropping her hand. "We can always go to the aquarium instead."
"Sure? Would I be sitting here with my suit open letting the cold air in if I wasn't sure?" he asked wryly. "Besides, the Seattle Aquarium's last octopus died a month ago."
Max's expression didn't change as she reached up and began to close up the suit, double checking that none of the under suit material was being caught in the zipper. "I guess that's what I like about this whole diving thing…it's your choice, no pressure," she said with a quick smile at her unintentional pun.
Logan laughed, his mood lightening.
"If you two are finished, I'll get you in the water and geared up, Logan, while Max stores the chair in the van," Bling said, walking up with a smile.
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The water, Cove 2
Logan transferred to a rubber pad that Bling had brought to prevent any damage to his suit from the pitted concrete of the ramp and eased himself along and into the water. Bling followed carefully with the diving gear as Logan sat in the shallow water.
Bling lifted the buoyancy compensator and tank as Logan extended his arms back one at a time, helping his friend ease the assembly over his shoulders. "This is a good thing you're doing, Logan." For the both of you.
"Yeah, well, Max needed to hide out for a few days," Logan said dryly. And I nearly lost her for good this time…I still might…love is not an option…
"Right, and Eyes Only has caught up on the war," Bling said neutrally. He nearly lost her…is he going to try to get her to run and leave him?
Logan turned his head and looked past Bling towards the approaching figure. "For once," he said dryly even as an ironic smile flicked across his lips. The germs are crawling under their rocks 'til a new disease comes along.
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The parking lot, Cove 2
Max broke down the wheelchair quickly, stowed it in Bling's van and secured the key in the small waterproof box he had given her. She slipped the box into the zippered pocket on her dry suit leg. As she made her way down towards the beach, she watched the physical therapist helping Logan kit up. New enemies, new complications…more running, more hiding. "Is there anywhere left to run to?" Max muttered with a pout, then smiled. With a bit of luck, the Colonel and anybody else looking for me will think I'm long gone.
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Flashback: Hannah's House, Sedro Island:
Max sat looking at Hanna intently. "We were trained to keep moving in enemy territory." It was so…so different; fear drove me then.
"I wish I could have done more," Hanna said with a catch to her voice.
Max shrugged. "You've done enough," she replied with a smile.
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I can take care of myself, she smiled faintly as she walked towards the end of the ramp, with a little help from a friend. "A friend," Max murmured. Around this whack city, he needs as much help as he can get. "I won't let…I won't be driven away again," she said lengthening her stride.
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Surface
The three divers swam towards a small white buoy. Max and Bling swam on their backs as Logan swam face down using his arms. Each seemed to be adrift in their own thoughts. Logan tried to see through the dark water. So mysterious and compelling, drawing me in, ready to swallow and consume my very being. The image of Max's face appeared in his mind and stayed there, seeming to float just beyond his reach in the dark depths. Half-way out, Bling called for a pause. Logan seemed to wake from a dream and with a sweep of his arms turned over onto his back, his breathing slightly labored.
Max glanced at Bling who wore a slight frown. "The new fins not working out?" Max asked nodding towards the plastic and glass fiber reinforced fins strapped to Logan's forearms and hands.
He seemed to gather himself, smiled and moved one of the fins, which caused him to start turning. Bling reached out and stopped him. "Thanks…actually, they do take a bit getting used to," he replied.
"They are the best…" Max began to say and then stopped.
Logan looked sharply at her, "You sto…" he began to say angrily.
"Whatever," Max interrupted irritably and turned over. She put her face in the water and slowly began to fin in a slow circle around the two men.
Logan turned his attention to Bling, who glared back.
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Flashback: Behind a clothing stall, South Market:
"This is some high quality stuff," Max said, holding out the small package.
"Yeah, I can see that," the small man with darting eyes commented reaching forward.
Max snatched back the package, "So, I'll take two hundred,"
The man shifted his stance and snorted a laugh. "More like fifty."
Max shook her head, "Maybe Clarise will offer more; she has better stuff on offer anyway," she said, starting to push the package into her pocket.
"Okay. Okay. I still get a few people who would appreciate something like this…one twenty-five," he offered, signaling to Max that was his final offer.
Max cocked her head to one side as if in thought, "Deal…cash now."
"Sure," he replied taking a wad of cash from his pocket. He counted out the amount in small bills before handing them over to her.
Max took the money, handed the package over and turned on her heel. As she exited from behind the booth, she glanced back and heard the fence mutter sarcastically, "Guess she ain't going on summer vacation," as he held up a bikini with tribal patterns, admiring the cut.
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"What? She paid for these?" he asked incredulously, looking at the specialized fins Bling had unveiled back in the parking lot.
"Logan…let's get to the buoy and begin," Bling said, his tone resigned. With a sweep of his hand, he indicated that his boss should start swimming.
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The Descent
After a buoyancy check at the buoy and an exchange of signals in silence, Bling began to descend followed by Logan and Max together. The descent went well with Logan managing without much assistance from his instructor or buddy. Max had no problems with the sensation of weightlessness. She looked up towards the surface marveling at the changing color of the water which had surrounded them in a green hue. Looking over at Logan, she saw his intense green eyes of his focused on her and she shuddered. Not the same green…but ever changing. The image of Logan lying on a bed in a hotel room, drawing her down and staring up at her, the emotions that flared in them, compelling and frightening in their intensity, stayed with her as they neared the bottom.
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The Bottom
They settled onto an old, slime-covered wall at twenty-five feet. Bling gave an 'okay' signal which Max returned. Logan started to straddle the wall but slid off and began to drift. Max made a quick grab for him. Once he was settled again, he gave the okay. They quickly checked their air, then Bling signaled for the first exercise. Both of them went through the regulator clearing, recovery and mask clearing exercises quickly, then he signaled that they perform alternative air sharing, pointing to Max that she was to be the receiver.
As if I couldn't make it to the surface, Max secretly chuckled to herself. With a cutting gesture across her throat, she signaled to Logan that she was out of air and moved closer to him as he detached his spare second stage and offered it to her. They had practiced this in the pool where they'd determined it was easier for Max to approach Logan than having him swim towards her.
Max cleared the water from the mouthpiece with a blast of air using the purge button and took three deep but slow breaths as she looked through her mask at the face so close to hers, the face she tried to constantly not think of during her every waking moment. For a person who doesn't sleep much, that's a lot of thinking…better than the nightmares I do get. She glanced down to where she and Logan clasped arms tightly, not letting go, each dependent on the other for survival if this was a real situation. She smiled slightly around her mouthpiece which brought a questioning look to Logan's eyes. At that moment, Bling signaled the end of the exercise. Max reluctantly released her buddy's forearm, recovered her regulator and switched over.
Bling watched the two, his own spare second stage ready, not that he expected to use it with these two. 'Mr. Ice-in-his-veins-in-an-emergency' and, as for Max…well, she had her inbred abilities. 'You have to be ready for anything, even the calmest and bravest can get spooked under water.' Bling nodded slightly as he remembered Fe's comment just before entering the water where he proceeded to panic, testing his student instructor's reactions. He signaled to Logan that now he was to be the recipient.
Logan looked through the green-hued water at the woman in the blue dry suit with purple and green colors on the upper and lower arms. Even in something that bulky, she is amazing. Unbidden, came the image of Max standing in front of his open fridge in a dark kitchen, her only covering a t-shirt, the light shining through the thin material.As he hesitated, Max shot him a questioning look. Behind his mask, his cheeks flamed. He quickly gave the slashing motion across his throat and reached for the second stage mouthpiece Max held out. Logan took thee rapid, deep breaths trying to calm his thoughts as his buddy peered at him, a worried look in her deep brown eyes. As Max grabbed his forearm, Logan signaled to her that he was okay. Sitting there, staring into those brown eyes as she watched him, her gaze was intent. My life-line…what were you smiling about earlier…did the same thought cross your mind? Have we become dependent on each other? Bling, using two of his fingers in a scissors cutting motion, indicated that they were done. As Logan let go of Max's forearm and re-fitted his new high-tech fins, he sighed into his recovered mouthpiece. I'll have to pay you for these, Max.
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Tour One – The OctopusBling had his two students indicate how much air they had left. As expected, Max had more than the two men, partially due to her training and enhanced genetics, but also due to her physiology. Being smaller than the two of us, that's not surprising, he thought as he signaled that they would go for a swim.
As they eased off the wall, Logan pressed the inflator button on the front of his suit to regain his neutral buoyancy. He held it a fraction too long, his legs began to rise and he began to invert rapidly as the air in his suit migrated. Both Max and Bling reacted nearly simultaneously, with the trainer being just a fraction quicker, grabbing Logan's forearm before he could begin to rise towards the surface.
Surprise flashed in Max's eyes at Bling's quicker reactions, then with a rueful smile on her full lips around her mouthpiece, she shifted her grip to Logan's legs, bending his knees into a tuck. Guess he expected something like this to happen…glad we practiced this in the pool. Logan won't be happy at messing up. Logan sculled and Bling turned him in a circle to help shift the air. As Logan came round, Max straightened his legs and he extended his left arm up so that the excess air could escape from the dump valve located there.
Bling ignored Logan's embarrassed expression as, with a quick exchange of signals, he led off again, following the frayed line just visible on the bottom.
Logan stole a quick glance at Max who was looking at some anemones on the sandy bottom. With a shake of his head and a quick check of his air and depth, Logan began to fin. What chance have I got with any woman…how could someone like you care about me…constantly needing help…leg work, ha ha.
Visibility had increased to about thirty feet as they left the wall and Bling pointed out several rockfish. As they reached three semi-intact plastic boxes at forty feet, they turned onto the next heading, towards the wreck that Bling had briefed them about. As they approached some elevated pilings, he pointed out the Plumose Anemones that covered them in profusion. Another quick check of air and that both were still comfortable, with a searching look at Logan to insure that he was not exhausting himself, he checked his compass and signaled to Max and Logan that they should follow him.
Max looked over at her buddy and gave him a jaunty okay which he returned as nonchalantly as he could. What would be our life without Eyes Only intruding and Manticore breathing down my neck…Sure, Max, as if he would have any interest in a made up girl…a chance at a normal life…as if going under water is normal, Max chuckled softly to herself as she positioned herself once again at arm's length from Logan's side so they could play follow-the-leader with Bling.
Logan paused his stroke and then stopped as an odd shape just under the discarded suitcase on the sandy bottom a few feet away to the left caught his eye. With languid but deliberate movements, it emerged. He slowly released his breath. Mustn't hold my breath, and reached for Max, who should have been within arm's reach.
Max swam, using her superior eyesight to penetrate the gloom of the green-tinged water. A slight smile creased her face and caused a trickle of water to enter her mask. It didn't really bother her, but she decided to clear it anyway.
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Flashback Manticore pool:
Max and Jondy had been at the underwater demolition exercise for two minutes now, they were well ahead of any of the other teams that had gone before. Working underwater seemed no different from the exercises on land except they were wet and she hated being wet…
Max looked towards the surface, her face impassive as she watched the Colonel pace the poolside, a scowl on his face. She turned her concentration back to the job in hand, sharpening her focus on setting the code on the touch-pad in the dimly lit water.
It's like water has no effect on my vision…maybe that old joke about me and Jondy having some shark DNA maybe true after all.
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The smile disappeared as she expelled the water and turned her attention to a pair of sea stars that were just below her. One had obviously grown from an arm that had been torn off of a larger sea star at sometime, as one arm was almost twice the size of its body.
That's something Manticore sure woulda liked to put in us…lose an arm grow a new one. Max jerked as her hand was pulled hard. She stared at her gloved hand with an irrational fear and the other hand clamped tightly around it. Max shuddered and stared hard at Logan for a second and then followed the pointing finger of his other hand.
Crossing the bottom was a Giant Pacific Octopus. Max slowed her racing heart as she watched this villain of so many bad horror movies move fluidly on two or sometimes all it's arms. That's some giant, Max thought, as she watched this impressive specimen of the family. For a moment, she had to clamp down on her mouthpiece to keep her regulator in place as the octopus turned an eye towards her.
For several minutes, they drifted along, their breathing deep and even after the original excited breaths, clasped hands forgotten as they watched the cephalopod creating a strangely beautiful show, with changes in color and skin texture as it passed in its search for something edible. Suddenly, it launched itself off the bottom and, with a squirt of water from its siphon, swam out of sight.
Bling, with a glance behind him, had stopped and watched this magical moment and grinned to himself as he took in the clasped gloved hands. As if sensing their friend watching them, they released their mutual grasp and signaled 'okay'. Bling returned it then ordered a quick check of air. Max quickly signed that she was still above reserve while Logan was down to just below. With a nod, he ordered the other two to follow him as they made their way back towards shore. Well, their "wow" moment sure caused air consumption to shoot up.
Bling and Max moved closer to Logan. Just as they passed the small wall, Bling signaled them to surface where they swam the remaining few feet to shore.
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TBC?
