cc.floodtide-第89章
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Pitt slipped a dive mask over his head and picked up an air tank。 〃I've got to get across the canal before they cast off。 You take the skiff and wait for me a hundred yards beyond the plantation。〃
〃Let me guess。 You're going to take your little dive knife and slash the hell out of the hovercraft's inflatable skirt。〃 Pitt grinned。 〃If it leaks； it won't lift。〃 〃What about the AUV？〃
〃Keep it submerged。 It might be worth seeing what kind of trash they throw in the canal in front of their quarters。〃
In ten seconds Pitt was gone。 He eased into the water without making a sound or a splash； while at the same time strapping on the air tank and its backpack。 He had already kicked twenty feet from the boat before he inserted the regulator in his mouth and began breathing underwater。 After leveling out； he quickly got his bearings and swam across the canal toward the lights flickering on the water in front of the plantation。 The mud on the bottom below looked dark and forbidding； and the water itself was tepid as a bathtub's。 Pitt swam aggressively； his arms out in front forming a V to reduce water resistance； kicking his feet and fins as hard and fast as his leg muscles would allow。
A good diver can sense the water as an animal senses a change in weather or the presence of a predator。 The brackish water of the canal had a warm and friendly feel to it； nothing like the sinister and malignant force he experienced in the deep cold of Orion Lake。 His only fear now was that one of the security guards might glance out into the canal and see his air bubbles； a possibility he didn't think likely because they were wrapped up in preparing to attack the shantyboat and had no time to stare at the water surface above Pitt for even half a second。
The light became brighter underwater as he neared the source。 Soon the shadow of the hovercraft loomed ahead。 He was certain it was loaded and the crew was aboard to launch the search and attack。 Only the lack of sound told him the engines had yet to start。 He swam harder； determined to stop the hovercraft before it hurtled from the dock。
From his vantage point across the canal； Giordino began to have grave doubts that Pitt would reach the hovercraft in time。 He cursed himself for not working harder on the return trip so they might have arrived earlier。 But then； how could he have known the guards were preparing to assault the shantyboat before daylight？ He kept in the shadows and paddled the skiff slowly； so no sudden movement would be caught by the men on the other side of the canal。 〃Do it！〃 he muttered under his breath as if Pitt was in earshot。 〃Do it！〃
Pitt felt a growing numbness from overexertion in his arms and legs； his lungs gasping from fatigue。 He gathered his waning strength for a final surge； a last effort before his exhausted body refused his demands。 He couldn't believe he was killing himself to save a dog that he swore was bitten by a tsetse fly when a pup and suffered from chronic sleeping sickness。
Abruptly； the light from above faded and he swam into a dark hole。 His head broke the surface just inside the flexible sleeve； called a skirt； that contains the cushion of air and suspends the hovercraft。 He floated for several moments； his chest heaving； his arms too numb to move； while he regained his strength and studied the interior of the skirt。 Of the three types fitted to hovercraft； this one was called a bag skirt； consisting of a rubber tube that encircled the hull and when inflated served to contain the air cushion while providing lift。 He also recognized that this hovercraft used an aluminum propeller as a lift fan to inflate the bag tube and feed air into the cushion。
As Pitt reached down to pull his dive knife out of its sheath strapped to his leg to begin slicing holes in the rubberized fabric； his moment of victory was snatched away by the sound of the starter motors as they began to turn over the engines。 Then the propeller's blades started to spin； their speed increasing with every revolution。 The skirt began to flare； and the water inside was whipped into a maelstrom。 Too late to slash the rubber cushion and prevent the craft from moving。
Out of irreversible despair； he unsnapped the buckle to his air tank's backpack； spit out the breathing regulator and pulled the tank up and over his head。 Then； in one movement； he thrust it upward into the spinning lift propeller and ducked under the skirt as it was starting to inflate。 The propeller blades struck the tank and shattered。 It was an act born of desperation。 Pitt knew he had gambled recklessly and pushed his luck too far。
The disintegration of the propeller as its blades struck a solid； ungiving object was followed by a hurricane of metal shards that ripped through the walls of the rubber skirt like shrapnel from a bomb。 Then came a second； more massive explosion as the tank's walls were penetrated and it burst from the sudden release of eighty cubic feet of air pressurized at three thousand pounds。 Not content to be left out； the fuel tanks added to the cataclysm by erupting in a blazing conflagration that sent a firestorm into the air and fiery particles of the hovercraft flying onto the roof of the plantation house and quickly setting the wooden structure ablaze。
Giordino was stunned in horror as he watched the hovercraft lift out of the water and then violently shred itself into a thousand flaming fragments。 Bodies spun through the air like drunken circus acrobats and splashed into the water with the inert stiffness of mannequins dropped from a helicopter。 The windows of the plantation house were blown into jagged shards。 The explosion rumbled over the surface of the canal and struck Giordino's exposed face like a punch thrown by the gloved fist of a boxer。 A waterspout of fiery fuel enveloped the hovercraft； and when it fell away and the spray had scattered into the night； the burning remains of the craft were sinking into the waters of the canal amid a great hiss of steam and dark smoke that swirled and quickly became lost in the black sky。
In growing fear； Giordino frantically paddled the skiff toward the shattered wreckage。 Reaching the outer perimeter of the burning debris； he strapped on his air tank and rolled into the canal。 Lit by a field of flames on the surface； the water beneath took on a look of eerie candescence； ghostly and threatening。 In a strange kind of restrained frenzy； he searched through the mangled remains of the hovercraft； tearing aside the shreds of the skirt and probing underneath。 He was still dazed with shock as he desperately tried to find the body of his friend。 He groped about the shambles created by Pitt； and his hands touched what remained of a man； stripped of his clothing； a sliced and gutted thing with no legs。 One black eye； wide open and unseeing； was all he required to know it wasn't Pitt。
He fought off a sickening fear that it seemed impossible anyone could have survived that holocaust。 He searched un…availingly； hopelessly； for some sight of a living body。 God； where is he？ Giordino cried in his mind。 He began to feel beyond weary in his bones and was almost ready to give up in despair when something reached out of the darkness of the muck below him and grabbed his ankle。 Giordino experienced an icy chill of panic that gave way to disbelief when he felt the hard grip of a living human。 He spun around and saw a face leering at him； green eyes squinting to see through the liquid gloom； blood flowing from the nose and dissolving in the water。
As if risen from the dead； Pitt's lips tightened in a crooked little grin。 His wet suit was in tatters and the dive mask had been torn from his head； but he was alive。 He pointed up； released his hold on Giordino's ankle and kicked toward the surface a short five feet away。 They broke the surface at the same time； Giordino grasping Pitt around the shoulders in a great bear hug。
〃Damn you！〃 Giordino shouted。 〃You're alive。〃
〃Damn me if I'm not；〃 Pitt came back； laughing。
〃How in God's name did you do it？〃
〃Dumb luck。 After I heaved my air tank into the hovercraft's lift propeller and dove under the skirt； a stupid move by the way； I got no f
