Seventeen
"W-What's th-that s-sound?"
"W-What s-sound?"
The top of the ventilation shaft had been getting steadily colder as the cold water rose up the shaft and pushed the warm air upwards. Both Scott and Virgil had started to shiver in the cold air.
"W-Water!" Scott shivered out.
"I-It's j-just... Yuck!" Virgil sat up in alarm.
"Wh-What?"
"Th-The w-water's r-r-reached th-the t-t-top of th-the sh-shaft. It r-reached m-my h-head. I-It's f-f-freezing!" Virgil had still been lying with his head to the shaft and his feet propped on the wall.
"M-M-Moving f-fast?"
"Y-Yes."
They scrambled into crouching positions to try to keep dry, huddling next to each other to try to keep warm.
Now Scott could feel the motion of the water as it lapped around his boots. "Wh-Where's Th-Thunderbird T-T-Two? Wh-Where're th-those guys?"
Virgil couldn't be bothered making the effort to answer. Why waste the energy when he knew as much as Scott did?
They had to stand.
"Ug." Scott articulated. The cold water had reached the top of their boots and was trickling over inside. Their feet were starting to go numb.
Scott realised that before long their boots would be a hindrance rather than a help. They would hold in water and drag them down when the time came to tread water. "H-Have y-you g-got an-any d-duct t-t-tape?"
"A l-l-little."
"G-Good. T-Take o-off y-your b-boots."
Virgil complied as Scott did the same. "W-Want t-t-to m-make th-them air-t-tight." Scott said.
"C-Can't one h-handed." Virgil shivered.
"G-Guide m-me."
The tops of the boots were stuck together with duct tape and then each pair of boots joined by a length of tape long enough to go around each mans chest. They were now a pair of adequate, if somewhat smelly, personal floatation devices.
"Wh-Where's y-your s-splint?" Virgil asked.
Scott felt into a pocket. "H-Here. W-Whatcha d-d-doin'?"
Virgil managed to get some duct tape through the splint before he inflated it. He attached it to Scott's boots. "E-Extra fl-flotation."
"Y-You sh-should have it! Y-You c-can't swim w-with th-that arm."
"Already g-g-got one on re-m-member! Y-You u-use it."
The water had reached their hips.
They huddled together in a hug that had less to do with brotherly love and more to do with keeping warm.
"W-what d-d-do you th-think will g-get us first?" Virgil shivered out. "H-Hypoth-thermia or th-the w-water?"
"I h-hope it's th-the hypo-thermia." Scott replied through chattering teeth "D-Don't par-ticular-ly f-fancy d-d-drowning."
The water was up to their chests. They were in serious trouble and they both knew it. Their core body temperatures were dropping.
Virgil was the first to stop shivering. A bad sign. A drop of the core body temperature by 2 degrees was signalled by the cessation of shivering. This was the point where brain function would start to slow down. He knew it and Scott knew it.
"Scott." He said slowly.
"Y-Yeah V-Virg."
"If I don' make it 'n you do. Tell ev'ryone I love 'em."
"Hey don' talk like that." Scott said in alarm. "You said you wouldn' leave me." He'd stopped shivering too. "Bu' jus' in case... you do same fo' me. 'kay?"
"'kay."
"'nd if we ge' ou' alive. We 'ell 'em ourselve. Deal?"
"Deal!"
Virgil thought some more. Just thinking was becoming more and more difficult, but there was something he felt he had to say. "I feel the same about you big brother."
The words had come out so clearly that Scott was stunned. "Huh?" Then realisation dawned. "The feelings mutual Virgil."
Briefly their embrace held an extra element of warmth.
And still the freezing water climbed inexorably.
"W-What's th-that s-sound?"
"W-What s-sound?"
The top of the ventilation shaft had been getting steadily colder as the cold water rose up the shaft and pushed the warm air upwards. Both Scott and Virgil had started to shiver in the cold air.
"W-Water!" Scott shivered out.
"I-It's j-just... Yuck!" Virgil sat up in alarm.
"Wh-What?"
"Th-The w-water's r-r-reached th-the t-t-top of th-the sh-shaft. It r-reached m-my h-head. I-It's f-f-freezing!" Virgil had still been lying with his head to the shaft and his feet propped on the wall.
"M-M-Moving f-fast?"
"Y-Yes."
They scrambled into crouching positions to try to keep dry, huddling next to each other to try to keep warm.
Now Scott could feel the motion of the water as it lapped around his boots. "Wh-Where's Th-Thunderbird T-T-Two? Wh-Where're th-those guys?"
Virgil couldn't be bothered making the effort to answer. Why waste the energy when he knew as much as Scott did?
They had to stand.
"Ug." Scott articulated. The cold water had reached the top of their boots and was trickling over inside. Their feet were starting to go numb.
Scott realised that before long their boots would be a hindrance rather than a help. They would hold in water and drag them down when the time came to tread water. "H-Have y-you g-got an-any d-duct t-t-tape?"
"A l-l-little."
"G-Good. T-Take o-off y-your b-boots."
Virgil complied as Scott did the same. "W-Want t-t-to m-make th-them air-t-tight." Scott said.
"C-Can't one h-handed." Virgil shivered.
"G-Guide m-me."
The tops of the boots were stuck together with duct tape and then each pair of boots joined by a length of tape long enough to go around each mans chest. They were now a pair of adequate, if somewhat smelly, personal floatation devices.
"Wh-Where's y-your s-splint?" Virgil asked.
Scott felt into a pocket. "H-Here. W-Whatcha d-d-doin'?"
Virgil managed to get some duct tape through the splint before he inflated it. He attached it to Scott's boots. "E-Extra fl-flotation."
"Y-You sh-should have it! Y-You c-can't swim w-with th-that arm."
"Already g-g-got one on re-m-member! Y-You u-use it."
The water had reached their hips.
They huddled together in a hug that had less to do with brotherly love and more to do with keeping warm.
"W-what d-d-do you th-think will g-get us first?" Virgil shivered out. "H-Hypoth-thermia or th-the w-water?"
"I h-hope it's th-the hypo-thermia." Scott replied through chattering teeth "D-Don't par-ticular-ly f-fancy d-d-drowning."
The water was up to their chests. They were in serious trouble and they both knew it. Their core body temperatures were dropping.
Virgil was the first to stop shivering. A bad sign. A drop of the core body temperature by 2 degrees was signalled by the cessation of shivering. This was the point where brain function would start to slow down. He knew it and Scott knew it.
"Scott." He said slowly.
"Y-Yeah V-Virg."
"If I don' make it 'n you do. Tell ev'ryone I love 'em."
"Hey don' talk like that." Scott said in alarm. "You said you wouldn' leave me." He'd stopped shivering too. "Bu' jus' in case... you do same fo' me. 'kay?"
"'kay."
"'nd if we ge' ou' alive. We 'ell 'em ourselve. Deal?"
"Deal!"
Virgil thought some more. Just thinking was becoming more and more difficult, but there was something he felt he had to say. "I feel the same about you big brother."
The words had come out so clearly that Scott was stunned. "Huh?" Then realisation dawned. "The feelings mutual Virgil."
Briefly their embrace held an extra element of warmth.
And still the freezing water climbed inexorably.