The next morning, Max woke up at eleven a.m. Cassie was busy packing for the night's rescue; packing clean blankets, towels, flashlights, rope and a first- aid kit.
"Where's Gray?"
"Oh, she's out bringing a skiff to Katie Maxwell's house on Millionaire's Row. We don't want to use a motorboat, 'cause it'll let them know we're there."
"When are we leaving?" Max asked.
"In roughly twelve hours. You should go and check out of that hotel."
Max nodded in agreement. He shaved and changed into clean clothes, then walked out the door and into town. He checked out of the hotel, then instead of heading back to the marina, he walked to the town docks past the hardware store. He stopped and sat at a park bench, staring out at the river. The Calumet water tower was just across the shipping channel, the only remnants of the castle that burned in 1957. As Max stared at the blackened tower, a black ship trudged into view, heading east to Montreal. Squinting, Max could just make out the white lettering on the side of her bow: Seaway Queen. Max continued to stare, and the Seaway Queen exchanged horn blasts with another ship heading west. As the black Seaway Queen pulled out of view, a maroon ship sailed into view, Edmund Fitzgerald painted on her bow.
"ARF! ARF!" the call of a 210- pound Newf scared Max out of his wits. He turned to see Wolfe's chest in his face. He was knocked off the bench and pinned onto the grass, smothered with doggie kisses.
"Wolfe! (Ack!) Get- get off!"
"Wolfe- offa him!" Gray yelled out. Wolfe whined and stepped off of Max. Gray helped him up. He turned to look out at the channel just as the Edmund Fitzgerald sailed out of view.
"Nice ship, ain' she?" Gray asked. Max nodded.
"That's the second biggest ship I've ever seen. What're you doing here?" he asked her.
"Rope, fer t'ni'." Gray said, motioning to her bag. Max smiled. "C'mon." she said and led him onto the dock and into the Seaway Osprey. They flew to Devil's Island, Gray pointing out the entrance to the cave. Several men were fishing on a boat anchored nearby. Gray circled the island, then sped back to the marina, passing the Seaway Queen twice.
"Gray," Max began, "I recognized one of the fishermen on that boat by the island," he said, his pulse quickening, "from KAOS. They're definitely there." Gray started humming Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire".
That night, Max was both nervous and anxious. Since Cassie and Gray didn't have oxygen tanks, they were going to have to hold their breath in the yard-long passage through the cave, which opened to a five-foot deep pool. The bottom of the cave sloped out of the water, and there were many juts in the rocks that created platforms. Gray was busy packing the Seaway Osprey so it would be easy to unpack- she would be rowing the skiff to Devil's Island. At eleven o'clock exactly, Max got into the Osprey. He wore a pair of swim bottoms and a fleece sweatshirt. Cassie wore her usual periwinkle swimsuit and a matching periwinkle sweatshirt. Gray wore her "MONTREAL CANADIENS: 1966 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS" shirt and a pair of black swim bottoms. Wolfe was coming too- he was to guard the boat. They pulled out of the marina, and flew to the bridge, then stopped at a house thirty yards away from Devil's Island. A canoe with rowboat oars was tied to the end of the dock. Gray docked the Osprey. They quickly transferred the equipment into the skiff while Katie Maxwell looked on, holding a kerosene lantern for them.
"G' luck." she said as Gray rowed them off into the night. Several minutes later, Gray stopped the skiff as Wolfe jumped onto Devil's Island. Cassie followed, tying the stern of the boat in a quick-release knot to a tree that didn't have enough sense to grow on level ground. Gray gave her the bowline, and got out of the boat. Max followed, scrambling onto the rock. Cassie pulled the bowline extra tight, and tied another quick-release knot. Max looked downward into the water. Gray pointed. The faint glow of light shone from inside the rock. Max pulled off the sweatshirt, goose bumps instantly running down his body. Cassie did the same. Gray nodded to them, and lowered herself into the water. Max followed, the water pleasantly warm. Cassie slid in last. Gray showed Max the entrance to the cave, ropes wrapped over her shoulder, a twelve-inch knife in her teeth. She dove down and disappeared. Max took a deep breath and followed, keeping his eyes open to see the light. The cave entrance was just below the surface of the water, and just wide enough for him to paddle with his arms. He pushed himself in, stalking the bottoms of Gray's feet. Suddenly, light flooded his view and the passage widened out. Max swam up to thelight, taking a quiet gulp of air. There were at least a dozen big burly KAOS agents in the cave, all sound asleep. Two kerosene lamps stood on juts in the rock. Cassie pulled up by Max's arm.
"Are they dead?" she whispered.
"Drunk." replied Gray, motioning to the stack of Coors cans with the knife in her hand. Discarded guns lay by them Cassie waded over and snatched them up, and tossed them into the water.
"Nice." Max whispered, scanning the cage for his wife. Gray elbowed him. He looked over and saw her pointing to a body laying on one of the ledges. She was thin and covered in dried blood.
"99." Max whispered, and quickly and quietly waded out of the rock and over to 99.
"Max!" Cassie hissed, just as Max stepped on a KAOS agent's hand. Max rolled his eyes. Gray rushed over to him just as the KAOS agent sat up and grabbed Max's leg.
"Vell, now, vat do ve have 'ere?" He asked
"Would you believe I'm a very lost tourist?" Gray slapped herself in the face, then walked up the KAOS agent.
"Two CONTROL agents, I vas only expecting Schmart!" Gray nailed the man square in the face, knocking him out as well as breaking his nose.
"Nice." Max said, and continued carefully over to 99. He was relieved to see her breathing, but her pulse was slow and slurred, and her pale skin cool to the touch. She was covered in cuts and gashes, most of which had scabbed over, however some of them were still dripping blood. Her face was sheet- white, and Max's hand trembled as he turned her head to face him. The monster stirred.
"99?" he asked. Her blue eyes fluttered open.
"Max…" she muttered faintly, and gave him a small smile.
"MAX!" Gray yelled, just as Max felt the hand grab him from behind. He flew backwards into another KAOS agent, knocking the wind out of himself. The KAOS agent who had thrown him aside pulled 99 off of the ledge by her hair. She fell onto the rock, skinning her palms and gasping for air. KAOS yanked her to her feet and put a knife to her throat..
"Make one move Smart, and your beloved 99's gone." 99 gave Max a look of fear and panic. Max glanced over at Gray, trying to fend off three KAOS agents while blood dribbled down her chest. Cassie was behind him, holding off the rest. Gray dove for the gap in between one of the KAOS agents' legs, swinging her knife upwards. The howl of pain distracted all the other KAOS agents; the one that held 99 let go, and she rushed towards Max. The agent then tripped her, and she fell onto the rock once more. The agent swung his knife upwards. 99 rolled over and was able to hold off the knife with her hands. A war of the wills ensued as 99 pushed up against the KAOS agent's shoulders as he reached down with the knife, trying to slit her throat. Max whirled around to fight the KAOS agent that held him. He ducked a shot to the head and the monster threw in a punch to the stomach. The agent keeled over, and Max gave him a ferocious karate chop that caught the back of his neck and pushed him into the rock. He turned back to see 99's arms shaking horribly as she held off the KOAS agent. Max punched the agent in the head just as 99 let go. They both laid limp at Max's feet. Max pulled off the unconscious agent to see the knife handle poking out from just above 99's collarbone.
"NO!" Max cried and knelt down beside her. Her chest was rising and falling, her breathing staggered. Max pulled out the knife and blood poured out.
"She alright, Max?" Cassie asked.
"Dunno." He said. He heard another KAOS agent yell, and turned to see a blood- slicked Gray nail the last KAOS agent in the side of the head, and he fell, out for the count. All the others were knocked out or dead. Gray snatched up her rope and handed it to Max She then plunged into the pool.
"99?" Max asked. "99!"
No reply. He kissed her forehead.
Gray emerged from the pool, blood dribbling from one gash on her chest and two gashes on her left arm.
"We gotta git outta 'ere, now." She said. Cassie nodded.
"Tie 99 to me, I'll take her out of the cave." Gray nodded, and Cassie lay on the rock while gray bound 99 to Cassie, back-to-back.
"Done." Gray said, and Cassie quickly shot herself through the tunnel.
"You comin'?" Gray asked Max, her own knife in her teeth. She disappeared into the water. Max followed. Taking a deep breath of air, he emerged from the cavern. In the dim light of Cassie's flashlight, he could see her wrapping 99 up in towels and blankets up on the island, and Gray was clearing out a spot in the boat. Max climbed up onto the island, the cold air causing him to shiver. Gray handed him a towel, then wrapped another around Cassie's shoulders.
"Thanks, Gray." Gray nodded, then took the last towel, rubbing her shoulders, then taking of her shirt, and wrapping it underneath her arms. She then grabbed her windbreaker and threw it on, while Max applied pressure to 99's bleeding shoulder.
"Les' git outta 'ere." Gray said, and loaded up the skiff. They set off towards Katie Maxwell's house, Gray rowing strong, even while her blood stained her windbreaker. Max lay curled with 99, trying to keep her warm and her neck from bleeding. Katie saw them coming and called the police, then Max called CONTOL.
"Chief? It's 86."
"Max? What's the matter? Do you have 99?"
"Yeah."