—
Eddie
and Linc hovered below the diving bell’s hatch as they pressed a ropy length of plastic explosives against the weld. They’d been anticipating the hatch to be locked, jammed, or welded and had different equipment to deal with each scenario.
While Linc finished applying the plastique, Eddie went back to the capsule’s window and held up a different sign.
Sit far back from the hatch and cover your eyes.
Overholt nodded and put his hands up to shield his face.
Linc met him at the side of the diving bell holding the detonator, its leads twisting back to the shaped charge.
“Ready?” Eddie asked.
Linc nodded.
“Do it.”
Linc pressed the button, and a loud thump rippled through the water, shaking the bell. Eddie looked through the window and saw a small puff of smoke curl up from the blown hatch, but water didn’t flood in because the air pressure inside was equalized with the water pressure outside.
When they swam to the bottom of the capsule, they saw the hatch resting on the seabed. A jagged hole in the floor of the diving bell had taken its place.
Eddie took the snorkel mask from Linc and swam up through the opening. When he surfaced inside, he took his regulator out.
“Mr. Overholt, we don’t have much time. As soon as Tate figures out that the Chairman is holding a dummy, he’ll blow this thing.”
“Just tell me what to do,” Overholt replied, taking the mask and putting it on.
“I know you’ve dove before, so this should be easy for you. You’ll use my spare regulator, and Linc and I will each hold an arm as we swim. We won’t bother trying to enter the Nomad. We’ll grab its hatch handle, and Eric will get us away from here as fast as possible.”
“Understood.” Overholt calmly removed his jacket and tie. Although he looked tired, he didn’t seemed fazed by the sudden rescue.
The hatch opening was only large enough for one person, so as soon as Overholt had the regulator in his mouth, Eddie descended as far as the hose connected to his tank allowed. Overholt put his feet in the water and dropped in. His pants and shirt billowed around him.
When he was free of the diving bell, Eddie asked, “Are you okay?”
Since Overholt didn’t have a full-face mask like Eddie, he could only nod and sign OK with his hand.
Eddie took his left arm, Linc took his right, and they furiously kicked toward the waiting the Nomad.
“Eric, we’re on our way,” Eddie said through his comm system.
“I’ll crank it up to max speed the moment you’re secured,” Eric responded.
Eddie knew that this was the risky part of the mission. The Nomad wasn’t a speed demon. They just had to hope the Chairman could delay Tate long enough for them to put some distance between them and the diving bell before it exploded.
* * *
—
The RHIB weaved back and forth as it tried to evade assault rifle shots from the men on the deck of the Deceiver.
“Don’t shoot Cabrillo or Overholt!” Tate shouted at them.
Their bullets were missing the fast boat as it was approaching the floatplane that was coming in for a landing.
Tate had had enough. He didn’t care that it was broad daylight in one of the busiest harbors in South America. He took an RPG from the weapons rack and climbed out onto the Deceiver’s deck.