Chapters (45)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Prologue
- 2046
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- About the Author
Konrad fights to keep the tablet above the water as he slips and flails about. He tries again and again to jab at the screen but each time the waves come and he’s pulled off his feet by the suction of the eddy flowing through the door. As he goes down, Ben snatches the tablet from his hand and grabs his collar to heave him up. Konrad comes up gasping for air and spewing seawater and puke. The next wave comes in. The power of it sweeping them through the open door. Rip tides and counter-swirls. Waves bouncing from the walls. Voices screaming out. The water in the corridor is already at waist height with more coming in faster than it can empty into the other rooms.
They fight together. Ben and Konrad doing everything they can to keep the tablet above the water. Malcolm flows past them. Screaming and flailing to try to stop himself. Roland already lost from view.
‘Hold it up.’ Konrad grunts the words out. He surges up as Ben holds the tablet and swipes at the screen. His fingers frantic and rushed, but the red ‘End’ button shows. He hits it hard, swiping and swiping as Ben screams for him to stop the water coming through.
‘DONE IT,’ Konrad roars in relief. An instant sensation of the power of the water ending. Konrad sinks. Ben retches saltwater from his guts. The water flows out, the level sinking down as the rooms absorb the flow. The end door opens. The water rushes past the doctor.
‘Where are they?’ Doctor Watson yells, which he doesn’t need to do as the noise is all gone now.
‘In there.’ Ben waves an arm behind him towards the door and manages to keep hold of a conscious mind for about another five seconds before he sinks down and finally lets the pain and exhaustion pull him to the wet ground.
Thirty-Eight
Thirty-Eight
‘Just rest for a few minutes,’ Doctor Watson says, standing up.
‘Thanks, doc,’ Harry grunts.
‘You seem fine. Nothing damaged.’
‘What was the thing you called it?’ Harry asks.
‘Acute respiratory distress syndrome. It’s caused when you take water into your lungs but there’s no signs . . . that’s why I kept you under for a couple of days. Safa will be waking up . . . you’ll be okay?’
‘Fine.’ Harry waves a hand.
The miracles of modern science, the wonders of modern medications. Timed to perfection and Safa starts rising from the induced coma state as Doctor Watson stops next to her bed. Her eyes flutter. Motion in her limbs.