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At first； Schofield said nothing； he just looked down at his handcuffed wrists in front of him。
And then he saw it。
Suddenly he looked up。
〃A cigarette；〃 he said quickly； swallowing。 〃Please。〃
〃Mr。 Nero。 A cigarette for the Lieutenant。〃
Nero stepped forward； offered a pack of cigarettes to Schofield。 Schofield took one with his cuffed hands； raised it to his mouth。 Nero lit it。 Schofield took a deep draw and hoped to hell that nobody saw his face turn green。 He had never smoked in his life。
〃All right；〃 Barnaby said。 'That's enough。 Gentlemen； hoist him up。 Scarecrow； it was a pleasure knowing you。〃
Schofield swung； upside…down； out over the pool。 His dog tags hung loosely off his chin； glistening silver in the white artificial light of the station。 The water beneath him was stained an ugly shade of red。
Book's blood。
Schofield looked up at the diving bell in the center of the pool； saw Renshaw's face in one of the portholes…saw a single terrified eye peering out at him。
Schofield just hung there； three feet above the hideous red water。 He calmly held the cigarette to his mouth； took another puff。
The SAS soldiers must have thought it a vain act of bravado…but while the cigarette dangled from Schofield's mouth they never saw what he was doing with his hands。
Barnaby offered Schofield a salute。 〃Rule Britannia； Scarecrow。〃
〃Fuck Britannia；〃 Schofield replied。
〃Mr。 Nero；〃 Barnaby said。 〃Lower away。〃
Over by the rung…ladder； Nero pressed a button on the Maghook's launcher。 The launcher itself was still wedged in between two rungs of the ladder while its rope was stretched taut over the retractable bridge up on C…deck； creating the same pulleylike mechanism that had been used to lower Book into the water。
The Maghook's rope began to play out。
Schofield began to descend toward the water。
His hands were still cuffed in front of him。 He held the cigarette between the fingers of his right hand。
His head entered the murky red water first。 Then his shoulders。 Then his chest； his stomach； his elbows 。。。
But then； just as Schofield's wrists were about to go under； Schofield quickly twisted the cigarette in his fingers and pointed it toward the loop of magnesium detonator cord that he had now looped around the chain link of his handcuffs。
Schofield had seen the detonator cord when he had been standing on the deck only moments before。 He had forgotten that he'd tied a loop of it around his wrist back in Little America IV。 The SAS； when they had frisked him and relieved him of all his weapons earlier； must have missed it； too。
The burning tip of the cigarette touched the detonator cord a split second before Schofield's wrists disappeared below the surface。
The detonator cord ignited instantly； just as Schofield's wrists disappeared into the inky red water。
It burned bright white； even under the water； and cut through the chain link of Schofield's handcuffs like a knife through butter。 Suddenly his hands broke apart； free。
At that moment； a pair of jaws burst through the red haze around his head and Schofield saw the enormous eye of a killer whale looking right at him。 And then suddenly it disappeared back into the haze and was gone。
Schofield's heart was racing。 He couldn't see a thing。 The water around him was impenetrable。 Just a murky cloud of red。
And then suddenly a series of bizarre…sounding clicks began to echo through the water around him。
Click…click。
Click…click。
Schofield frowned。 What was it？ The killers？
And then it hit him。
Sonar。
Shit！
The killer whales were using sonar clicks to find him in the murky water。 Many whales were known to use sonar… sperm whales； blue whales； killers。 The principle was simple： the whale made a loud click with its tongue； the click traveled through the water； bounced off any object in the water； and returned to the whale…revealing to it the object's location。 Sonar units on man…made submarines operated on the same principle。
Schofield was desperately searching the cloudy red haze around him…searching for the whales…when suddenly one of them exploded out of the haze and rushed toward him。
Schofield screamed underwater； but the whale slid past him； brushing roughly against the side of his body。
It was then that Schofield remembered what Renshaw had told him earlier about the killer whales' hunting behavior。
They brush past you to establish ownership。
Then they eat you。
Schofield did a vertical sit…up； broke the surface。 He heard the SAS mandos on E…deck cheer。 He ignored them； gulped in air； went under again。
He didn't have much time。 The killer whale that had just staked its claim on him would be ing back any second now。
Loud clicks echoed through the red water around him。
And then suddenly a thought struck Schofield。
Sonar。。。。
Shit； he thought； patting his pockets。 Do I still have it？
He did。
Schofield pulled Kirsty Hensleigh's plastic asthma puffer from his pocket。 He pressed the releasing button； and a short line of fat bubbles rushed out from the puffer。
OK； need a weight。
Need something to weigh it down。。。。
Schofield saw them instantly。
Quickly he pulled his stainless steel dog tags from around his neck and looped their neck chain around the puffer's releasing button so that it held it down。
A continuous stream of fat bubbles began to rush out from the puffer。
Schofield felt the body of water around him rock and sway。 Somewhere out in the red murk of the pool； that killer whale was ing back for him。
He quickly released the small asthma puffer； now weighed down by his steel dogtags。
The puffer sank instantly； leaving a trail of fat bubbles shooting up through the water behind it。 After a second； the puffer sank into the murky red haze and Schofield lost sight of it。
A moment later； the killer whale roared out of the haze； ing right at Schofield； its jaws bared wide。
Schofield just stared at the massive black…and…white beast and prayed to God that he had remembered it right。
But the killer just kept ing。 It came at him fast…fright…eningly fast…and soon Schofield could see nothing but its teeth and its tongue and the closing yawn of its jaws and then…
Without warning； the killer whale banked sharply in the water and veered downward； chasing the asthma puffer and its trail of bubbles。
Schofield sighed with relief。
In a dark corner of his mind he thought about sonar detection systems。 Although it is widely stated that sonar bounces off an object in water； this is not entirely true。 Rather； sonar reflects off the microscopic layer of air that lies in between an object in water and the water itself。
So when Schofield sank the asthma puffer…spewing out a trail of nice； fat air bubbles behind it…he had； at least insofar as the sonar…using killer was concerned； created a whole new target。 The whale must have detected the stream of bubbles with its clicking and assumed that it was Schofield trying to get away。
And so it had chased it。
Schofield didn't think about it anymore。
He had other things to do now。
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out Jean Petard's stun grenade。 Schofield pulled the pin； counted to three； and then did a quick sit…up in the water and broke the surface。 He then tossed the stun grenade vertically into the air and let himself fall back underwater squeezing his eyes shut。
Five feet above the surface of the pool； the stun grenade reached the zenith of its arc and hung in the air for a fraction of a second。
Then it went off。
Trevor Barnaby saw the grenade pop up out of the water。 It took him an extra second to realize what it was； but by then it was too late。
Along with every one of his men； Barnaby did the most natural thing in the world when he saw a foreign object pop up out of a pool of water。
He looked at it。
The stun grenade exploded like an enormous flashbulb； blinding all of them。 The SAS men on E…deck recoiled as one； as a galaxy of stars and sunspots came to life on the insides of their eyes。
Schofield did another sit…up in the water。 Only this time； when he broke the surface； he had Petard's crossbow gripped in his hands； reloaded and ready to go。
He took his aim quickly and fired。
The crossbow's arrow shot across the expanse of E…deck and found its target。 It slammed into the Maghook's launcher； wedged as it was between the rungs of the rung…ladder。
The launcher jolted out of its position and swung free from the rung…ladder； swung toward the pool。 When it had been wedged in between the rungs of the rung…ladder； the Maghook's rope had been stretched up toward the retractable bridge on C…deck at a forty…five…degree angle。 Now that it was released from the rung…ladder…and since Schofield was floating in the water and； therefore； not putting any weight on it at the other end…the launcher swung back like a pendulum； out over the pool； and smacked into the middle of Schofield's waiting hand。
All right！
He looked up at the bridge on C…deck。 The Maghook's rope was now stretched over the bridge like a block and tackle…with the length of rope g