2042: The Great Cataclysm Read Online Free PDF Page B

blunted the men’s sharpness, so they were caught off guard when the Bunyip suddenly shuddered and nose-dived to the sea bed, tumbling over several times as she dropped. Wolf fell and hit the other side of his head and Jeremy crashed against the side of the bulkhead smashing his left arm. The Bunyip’s engine died, and with it the seven powerful search lights around her hull. The men lay dazed in the darkness where they had fallen for several seconds, until the emergency lights in the sphere flickered into action.
    Instantly a barrage of loud bangs on the titanium hull echoed through Nick’s brain and instinctively he covered his ears for a moment. The crashing only lasted briefly, then there was silence. He wiped his eyes and another large gash oozed blood from his hand and ran down his face.
    Beau’s inert body lay slumped against the wheel. Nick struggled up from the floor where he had fallen and grabbed Beau’s head as he regained consciousness. ‘Beau! Bloody hell Beau. Are you all right?’
    ‘Yeah...... I think so.Wh....at happened?’
    ‘We’re on the bottom. Motor’s stopped.’
    Behind him Jeremy moaned. ‘Oooohhhh. Shi..t.. I think my arm’s broken .’
    Wolf stumbled to his feet to peer through one of the fisheyes, rubbing the side of his head. ‘I can’t see a thing, it’s a black hole!’
    Nick began checking the countless number of dials on the console, paying particular attention to the life support system, while Beau struggled to his feet and regained his senses.
    Blood flowed profusely from Nick’s hand, dripping over his clothes, the floor and the console.  Concerned at the mess he was making he pulled out the first aid kit and grabbed a bandage, wrapping it carelessly around his hand. He glanced over to Jeremy and rummaged through the kit for a sling to immobilise his broken arm.  ‘Anybody else hurt?’
    Beau shook his head and jabbed at the starter button. ‘No. Just the sub. She won’t start.’
    Nick reached for the radio. ‘Come in Sam. We’ve got a problem. Over.’
    ‘Sam! Are you there? Over.’
    The warm tones of Sam’s voice echoed back, distant but clear. ‘Yes, boss. What’s wrong? Over.’
    ‘We ran into some trouble, we’re on the bottom. Can’t get the engine started. Stand by. Over.’
    ‘Je..sus. Standing by. Out.’
    Beau thumped the dashboard. ‘Dammit, it won’t turn. I think something’s jammed the prop. We’ll have to get a diver down.’
    Wolf lay beside a porthole but could see only blackness. A sudden cacophony of deafening crashes bombarded the Bunyip. ‘Rocks!’ He cried. ‘They’re falling on us!’  The Bunyip shuddered in response to the violent action.
    ‘Shit! We’ll all be killed!’ Jeremy yelled above the noise.
    Nick picked himself up yet again. ‘Nobody panic!  We’re tough. Take more than a few rocks to do us in.  Beside we’re only at sixty metres. At this depth the ADS divers can get us out of anything.’
    ‘What are ADS divers?’ Wolf asked.
    ‘We’ve got three atmospheric diving suits on board. They’re like suits of armour the divers wear. They can go down to six hundred and fifty metres and stay down for hours. Kinda like a mini sub.’
    Jeremy pushed back his glasses. ‘I wish you’d talk in feet Nick. What if the rocks bury us too deep?’
    Nick ignored his comment and smiled, trying to make light of the situation. ‘We’ll just have to get them to dig us out. We’ve got plenty of air and emergency rations. Er, just need a pack of cards to pass the time.’
    Wolf pulled at his jaw. ‘How much air?’
    Nick remained calm. ‘Oh, about five, six days. You might get sick of the food though.’
    Nick’s relaxed attitude did the trick and the men began going about their business, checking the instruments and looking for damage. He was confident the self-contained hard suits would enable the divers to move the smaller rocks, and manoeuvre the ship’s cables over the larger ones with their articulated