The Storm (with Graham Brown) by Clive Cussler
Author:Clive Cussler [Cussler, Clive]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Thriller
ISBN: 9781101585009
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons; Penguin Group
Published: 2012-05-29T04:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER 30
PAUL SAT BESIDE MARCHETTI, GATHERING HIS STRENGTH for the moment. The mental and physical toll of fighting the fire had drained him. The stinging smoke, the sickly odor of fuel and the broiling heat left over from the blaze assaulted his senses. But even with all that, his only real concern centered on the flashing lights and chirping alarms connected to their breathing gear.
âHow much time do we have?â
âTen minutes,â Marchetti said. âGive or take.â
A sweeter voice came over the speakers in his headgear. âPaul, can you hear me?â
âI hear you Gamay,â he said.
âWhatâs going on?â
âThe fireâs out,â he said. âThe Halon did its job. But weâre low on air. How soon can you open the doors?â
âHold on,â she said.
A few seconds of silence lingered and then she came back. âChief says you guys dumped enough water down there to keep the temps reasonable. Weâll be safely below reignition temp in about seven minutes.â
âThatâs good news,â Paul said. He helped Marchetti up. âLetâs go find your crewman.â
âThis way,â Marchetti said, moving stiffly toward the rear of the huge room.
They began to make their way back through the debris field. The series of explosions had destroyed half the engine room. They picked their way past ruined machinery and across the metal deck. Steam rose from it in ghostly boiling sheets as the water theyâd used to fight the fire evaporated. The smell of fuel was everywhere.
âHere,â Marchetti said, moving to a sealed door.
It wasnât a watertight bulkhead, but the scorched steel door was formidable looking, and the edges appeared to be tight. Hope rose in Paulâs heart.
âItâs designed as a shelter,â Marchetti said, âthough I wasnât sure it would survive something like this.â He grabbed the locking bar and then pulled back.
âA little hot?â Paul asked.
Marchetti nodded, got himself ready and grabbed it again. He grunted, trying to force the bar down. It wouldnât budge and he let go again.
âThe heat might have expanded the door,â Marchetti said.
âLet me help,â Paul said. He moved into position, and together the two of them grabbed the bar and put all their weight on it. It snapped downward. Paul shouldered the door and it swung open. He let go of the bar instantly, though his hands felt as if theyâd been burned through the Nomex gloves.
Air from the compartment streamed out, mixing with the steam and smoke in the engine room. It was pitch-black in the control room. The only illumination came from the lights on their masks and the flashing strobes on their gear.
They split up. Near the back wall, Paul spotted a man in mechanicâs coveralls lying on the ground. âOver here.â
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