S.W. Tanpepper's GAMELAND, Season One Omnibus (13 page)

“
I'm three,” I say, reaching over for it.

After our practice dive yesterday, Micah put numbered tags on the masks and goggles so we won't have to readjust them. They're in order by our first names.

Jake stares at me for a second before slowly handing me the mask.

“
Everything okay?”

“
S-sure”

He drops Micah's and Reggie's equipment in their laps. They're busy discussing last minute details. They mumble thanks before resuming.

“
No prob.”

I glance over at Ashley, remembering how much of a fright she gave us toward the end of our dive. But she looks as cocky as usual, as confident and assured of herself as ever. Maybe it's the way the suit clings to her body and her awareness of the boys' hypersensitivity to it. I don't know, but if she has any of the self-doubt left over from yesterday, she's definitely not showing it now.

Micah packs the last few things in his sack. I notice the old tablet computer and a few other electrical gadgets. I don't bother to ask what he plans on doing with them as it seems pretty obvious. He wants to find an old terminal and see if he can hack directly into the iVZ infrastructure using one of the old nodes.

Whatever. I doubt we'll have enough time to find a working node, much less figure out a way turn it on, if it isn't already,
plus
physically splice into it.

He checks his Link and announces that we've got nine minutes at the most before the next patrol. It'll take us three of them to get down to the walkway, leaving us only six minutes of leeway.

“
Ready?” he asks. “Last checks. Let's make sure everyone's good to go.”

We buddy-check to make sure there aren't any loose belts or straps and that everything that needs to be sealed is sealed.

“
Everyone got their Links?”

We all dutifully hold them up. They're strapped to our wrists so we won't accidentally drop them.

Micah holds his up and says, “Smile.” Then we're all snapping photos of each other and laughing. Already I'm dripping with sweat and thirsty from the dry heat of the approaching day.

“
Okay, enough of that. Let's go.”

We shuffle off after Reggie, looking like a pack of upright seals that happened to get tangled up in a bunch of equipment. Kelly and I trail along in back. I look over and give him a smile. He smiles back, then turns his determined gaze forward again.

Then, before we know it, we're standing at the railing pulling on our flippers.

Nobody hesitates. We're all climbing over and are perched on the other side looking down into the water. None of us wants to think about what we're doing for even a second longer than we already have, because to do so would be to realize the insanity of our plan.

Micah takes a quick look around, then slides into the water, doing a perfect scissors kick that barely makes any noise or splash. We all follow, trying to imitate him.

A moment later, we pop back to the surface: six black lycrene-covered balls bobbing in the water. The coolness of it feels so good on my exposed skin. I was seriously starting to float inside my suit, standing out there in the heat. Everyone else looks just as relieved.

As one, we spit into our goggles, polish and rinse them, then slide them over our faces.

Micah signals to Jake, who slips his mask into his mouth, then his head sinks into the water.

Within seconds, the rest of us join him. The world and the hot sun and the noises of the dry August wind all disappear.

Visibility is about thirty feet. Light sticks begin to glow. A beam of light stabs the murkiness. Then, one by one, five more join it.

At nine thirteen a.m., we slide into the gaping mouth of the Queens Midtown Tunnel.

‡

We didn't so much break into Gameland as sneak in, although putting it that way might suggest it was a piece of cake. While it was easier than it should have been, there were more than a few problems, beginning almost as soon as we set off for LI. But each time trouble arose, we pushed even more doggedly on. I've lost count of how many times we should've turned around. At least a dozen. We should've cut our losses, but we didn't. Not once did any one of us even try to force the issue. We just kept right on going.

Stupid.

Of course, it wouldn't have mattered. Even before we slipped into that water, it was already too late to turn back.

‡

Chapter 13

Everything grows eerily quiet
as the tunnel envelops us in inky blackness. The canned sounds of my own breathing and the ghostly inhales and exhales of my friends around me seem loud. Every once in a while, there's a
click
or a
tap
or some strange rattling noise. The sounds echo all around us, coming from everywhere and nowhere, telling us nothing about what might be making them.

My eyes quickly adjust to the gloom. Five other glow sticks bob about me, looking like pastel St. Elmo's fires: yellow for Micah and Jake, green for Ash and Reg, and red for me and Kel. Six flashlight beams pierce the underwater twilight and illuminate a surprisingly open passageway.

Several of the flashlight beams converge on a vertical divider, separating what was once the southbound and northbound tubes. Micah had mentioned this earlier, and by prior consensus we all kick to the right.

We've gone maybe a hundred yards in—it's hard to tell exactly how far since there's a definite push provided by the current—when my Link pings. I look down at the glowing screen and see it's Ash:

<>

I quickly type back while keeping an eye out for Kel's light next to me:

<>

<<:o}>>

I type:

<>

There's a pause and I glance up and try to identify which spot of green light up ahead is hers. Then, I get another ping.

<<:o)>>

I smile to myself and show the messages to Kelly. He nods and gives me a thumbs up, then urges me to catch up with the others.

We encounter our first obstacle about ten minutes later. It's actually not an obstacle, but it does make us stop. I don't see it at first. Kelly puts his hand on my arm and gestures ahead, shining his light.

It's a school of fish, small ones, thousands. Maybe millions. They move like a silver fog, and the water is so thick with them that it seems as if they're a single organism. We float there, entranced, until Micah waves at us and points to his Link, reminding us that we're running out of time.

The next obstacle, about twenty minutes later, nearly forces us to turn back.

It's a huge pile of garbage—boards, pipes, furniture, tree trunks, tires—all dammed up against the hulking carcass of an old bus. Everything's bleached to a universal gray-brown by layers of silt and mud and slime. The windows of the bus are opaque, hiding whatever might be inside. Seeing it, I wonder why there aren't more vehicles down here. I've seen all kinds of objects on the floor of the tunnel, but very few automobiles.

I get an urge to go down and inspect the bus—a sense of adventure, or maybe nervousness at not knowing what's inside—but once more Micah shakes his head. He points forward and I know he's right. We're not here to explore. Maybe if there's time on the way back we can. Of course, by then it won't matter so much. After LI, an old empty bus won't seem so new and exciting, even underwater.

Jake finds an opening against one wall, about half way up. It's roughly six feet wide and just as tall. The current is strong here, so we're careful as we wend our way through it, cautious of any sharp edges and loose objects that might cut us or fall on us.

The path through seems simple enough at first. Some sort of large metal frame appears to be both holding everything in place and preventing it from filling the opening. We grab it for handholds and actually have to “walk” our way through, since the current is quite strong.

Near the other end, we reach a mass of twisted wire and chain link fencing.

I look up just in time to see Reggie's hand slip. He crashes into Ash and together they slam into what looks at first glance like a solid wall. But their impact causes something to shift and pieces of garbage begin to rain downward. Something hits the cage above us, producing a loud
thong!

We stop.

A large wooden dresser appears out of the darkness above. It tumbles down, heading straight for Ash. Reggie pulls her out of the way at the last second, and the dresser goes rolling lazily into the darkness below, where it lands with a muffled crash.

When the current washes away the mud and silt we've disturbed, I can see two yellow glows hanging in the darkness ahead. My Link pings. It's Ashley telling us she's okay.

Kel and I let go of our perch and slide through the end of the opening and out past the garbage dam. We time our kicks to avoid hitting anything else, twisting and turning past the unstable rubble. Micah and Jake are already ahead of us and closing in on the others.

Once the way ahead is clear, I send her a message back:

<>

I'd worried about her losing her air, but it seems that she's handling everything just fine.

She immediately pings back:

<>

I almost laugh.

The screen suddenly blurs. I blink, but when that doesn't help, I try wiping my goggles, thinking they've fogged up. The blurriness remains.
The fog is on the inside of the lenses, stupid!
My head pounds. I'm starting to feel lightheaded.

I'm dimly aware of Kelly grabbing my elbow, but I can't move. He turns and gestures before coming back to me.

He holds up his Link for me to see:

<>

I don't answer.

He shakes me.

Then Jake's there. I feel him yank on my belt. My throat hurts and my eyes are burning. Everything seems too bright.

A moment later, everything clears. The ache in my head is still there, but it's fading. My vision is clearing.

He shows me the used cartridge, then his Link:

<>

Kelly shakes his head and glares as best as he can through his goggles and mask.

As we leave the pile behind, I wonder about that cartridge. Was it just an accident? Could it really be defective? How many of the others' are as well?

The garbage dam disappears into the darkness behind us. The tunnel ahead is wide and tall and, other than the occasional drifts of garbage along the floor and that one huge pile, it's remarkably uncluttered.

Micah—or maybe Jake, I can't tell which, just that it's someone with a yellow glow stick—shines their light on the sides of the tunnel. We drift pass old traffic signs and ancient graffiti, past the tendril remains of old wiring and pipes. Light fixtures dangle from the ceilings and walls, looking a little like the tropical moss that hangs from the trees along the south Connecticut coast.

A sudden burst of bubbles draws my attention to my right. We all hear it, stop and turn to look. It's Kelly and he appears to be struggling with his mask. In a panic, I swim over to him. His hands drop just as I reach his side. He frowns, waving me away. Then he points to his goggles. Relief washes over me as I realize he's just clearing them of water.

Our Links all ping at once:

<>

It's Jake. We all give him a thumbs up. I can't really tell with the masks over our faces, but the look Jake shoots Kelly doesn't seem like concern as much as hostility. It's like there's this electric current running between them. But I still can't understand why Jake would harbor such feelings toward Kelly. Or is it just that he's sensing Kelly's jealousy? I don't know.

The look between them lingers a moment longer, then we're off again. I give a kick of my flippers and propel myself through the group. I want Kelly to catch up with me. I want to be in front for a while, instead of always in back and following.

Also, as long as I'm in front, I won't feel like I have to keep turning around and shining my light into the darkness, fearing that something is going to come out after us, a large fish or an alligator. Or shark. It's silly, I know, but I can't help it.

Even though there's this fear, it's not that bad. More like a shadow of fear, or a memory of it. There's obviously a sense of wariness and caution, just not the alarm I'd expect considering the risks we're taking. Maybe our excitement is neutralizing it. Or maybe it's the lack of sleep. I don't really care.

I keep kicking, feeling the strength in my legs. I know it'll be an effort for Kel to keep up, but I don't slow down. My Link pings. I ignore it.

I can feel my pulse beginning to pound inside my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a beam of light closing in, then the red glow of Kelly's chemical stick. He reaches out. His hand brushes mine, but I keep moving. That's when I sense the change in the water.

I slow. Then stop. Kelly slides up next to me. He holds his hands up, giving a wondering gesture. I look behind us and see that the group has spread out: two blue glow sticks between us and the two yellow ones further back.

I realize I'm drifting toward them. That's what Kelly's trying to tell me.

I raise my Link and quickly type:

<>

I send it to everyone.

I can see the glow of five more Link screens, twinkling as they close the distance. A flurry of messages scroll across my screen, coming from Ash and Jake and Micah:

<>

<>

<>

The others reach us, motion for us to stop for a moment. Micah types into his Link and sends it out to the group: