The Atlantis Cipher

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The third night of diving took them to the area around Lucie’s waypoint. The entire team was antsy by now. The SEALs were itching for action against the Bratva. Bodie was entirely sure that if the Chinese hadn’t been present, the SEALs would have taken them out that very night.

Still, his focus remained on the underwater quest, and although he wasn’t scared of drowning, with every hour that passed beneath the surface he began to feel as if the black waters were eager to claim him. The grid was barely two-fifths explored. The Chinese were still hard at it, and left Bodie wondering if, sometime soon, they might actually run into each other. He crouched in the black depths and sifted dirt and rocks and sludge and tried to see through clouds of silt. He knelt, he sat down, he walked along rocks. Time passed without meaning down here, eternity lasting a lifetime. He was aware divers had been using the Azores for many years, but knew they were mostly part-time and recreational divers who wouldn’t generally stray beyond thirty meters. The deeper they went, the less traveled the lakebed should be.

The dive’s halfway point passed with no success. Bodie’s air tank signaled that it was below half full. He checked another gauge to verify but dropped it, then reached along the hose to retrieve it and caught his hand inside a fissure.

He pulled gently, but his glove snagged on something. Slowly, he crouched, worked his fingers around, and managed to extricate it. That was close, but I guess I could live without a glove if I had to. He moved on, still searching, but then a thought occurred to him. Quickly, he moved back to the fissure, finding it after more than a minute of searching, and followed it down the sloping bedrock. The depth gauge read eighty meters, and he guessed he was fifteen out into the lake. The next drop-off was sharp and the fissure opened up. Bodie decided to follow it, relaying his movements back to Cassidy and Jemma.

Jemma tutted in his ear. “That’s tomorrow’s grid. Stay put. You’ll hash it all up.”

“Already there,” he responded, still following the fissure, which, to be fair, was the only interesting feature he’d found in three nights.

“I have you on radar,” Cassidy said. “But consider yourself reprimanded. Jemma’s gonna slap you crimson when we get back up top.”

Bodie measured the widening gap. “Promises, promises. You gonna use your hand, Jem, or your flippers?”

“Stop it.”

“I think I’d prefer the flippers.” Cassidy laughed.

Bodie grinned. Levity was one of the things that kept him sane, kept him moving forward with the knowledge that all of this was being done, essentially, against his will. And if that wasn’t enough — he’d actually come to Heidi’s aid earlier, saving her embarrassment. Damn, that’s confusing.

His single light shone dead ahead from the front of his helmet, illuminating particles floating in the water. He unhooked a more powerful flashlight and waved it across the area. The fissure was stark white in the new light, jagged and partly hidden by sediment. It appeared to be narrowing again, and Bodie thought of moving on, but it wasn’t narrowing. It was the deposit buildup. Bodie dug around, still following the tear, and then Cassidy and Jemma materialized out of the gloom, using the comms to let him know they were alongside.

“Thought we’d take a break and join you.”

“Could be nothing.”

Bodie showed them the fissure, then waved his flashlight ahead to see how far the opening extended. The underwater world revealed itself for just a moment, darkness pinpointed by hidden eyes and flitting silhouettes. The fissure ran farther down, out of sight. Bodie checked his depth and air gauges.

“Okay, for now.”

The gap widened enough so that Bodie could put his head inside, then his shoulders. They dug furiously, causing an underwater cyclone that impaired vision. The farther Bodie slipped inside the fissure, the more excited he got, but he remained aware that they were descending meter by meter, farther and farther toward the bottom of the lake.

“Ten more minutes,” Cassidy warned.

Bodie heard her, but he had to keep digging. Like a dog who’d lost his favorite bone, he dug and dug, moving on when his gloved hands came up against solid rock. The strange sensation when his fists punched through didn’t register at first.

But the fissure broadened and Bodie slipped inside, purely by accident. His arms kept going, encountering no resistance. The angle of his body told him he was underneath the solid rock of the lake now, having crossed a thick lip. He forged on, swimming ahead, and heard Cassidy close behind.

“You pinpointed it?” he asked.

“Jemma’s staying behind to make sure.”

“No sign of the Chinese? From what I observed on the visit to their camp they appeared to know what they’re doing, while the Bratva are clawing around in the dark.”

“No, but dude, they could be a meter away and you wouldn’t see them.”

He knew that, just wanted to remind Cassidy of the threat. He was glad she was with him. Nothing like sharing a new experience with a friend. Time flowed by like the passing of water. Bodie swam with a strong breaststroke, pausing occasionally to cast the glow of his flashlight all around.

They touched the far end of the fissure.

“You’re kidding!” Bodie had been sure they’d found something.

“Air low,” Cassidy said, the comms starting to crackle. “We need to leave now.”

Bodie ignored her, aiming downward, kicking his legs and searching for the farthest corner. The space closed again up ahead, narrowing down. Cassidy slapped his shoulder and pointed toward the roof.

“No time!”

He nodded irascibly, more frustrated than ever. With a last scissor thrust of his legs he found the spot where ceiling met floor.

Nothing. Just one more dead end.

He treaded water, still disbelieving. Jemma crackled across the comms, asking where they were. Cassidy swam in front now and pushed him away. Bodie’s head went up and he saw something odd.

Another fissure, but in the wall above, higher than he might have expected. He started swimming up to investigate, but Cassidy got full in his face and manhandled him away. Bodie came to his senses, seeing the air gauge dangerously low. Together they swam strongly, collected Jemma, and made their way toward the surface.

“Something down there,” Bodie panted.

“Yeah, and you’d have joined it forever with your bullishness.”

“No time to waste.” Bodie didn’t acknowledge the reprimand. “We need to get back down there. Fast.” He broke the surface and started swimming determinedly toward the shore, suddenly brimming with excitement and purpose. It was all he could do to keep from cheering.