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traveling. Which only left the question of direction.
    Opal tried to work things out logically. Although confused and disoriented, she had not turned around since she found herself in the darkness. Or at least she didn’t think she’d turned around. Which meant that any shortfall would still have left her facing the target chamber. So if she swam in that direction, she should emerge from the encasing concrete quite quickly. And even if she had turned without noticing it, there was a two-to-one chance that swimming would still bring her into the light. If she’d turned around, she would swim back toward Michael and the others. If she’d turned upward, she would emerge on the surface. Only if she found herself swimming downward would she be in really serious trouble.
    Opal launched herself forward and swam. But as the seconds stretched to minutes, velvet darkness still embraced her.

Chapter 7
Danny, Underground at Montauk
    C arradine’s head jerked round. “What’s the matter?”
    Danny started forward. Fuchsia was in trouble. Her pale face had taken on a bluish tinge so that it was positively corpselike. Her hands were clenched tightly, and she seemed to be having problems breathing. He took her arm. “Are you all right?”
    Fuchsia’s eyes rolled back and upward, so she looked like something in a horror movie. There was a catch in her throat as she rasped, “It’s bad. Very bad.”
    â€œWhat’s bad?” Danny asked, frightened. Was she choking? Her knees buckled suddenly, and he threw his arms around her to stop her from falling. She was deadweight, surprisingly heavy for such a slight, slim girl. Then Carradine was beside them.
    â€œLet her down on the floor,” Carradine said. “It’s all right.”
    â€œIt’s not all right,” Danny said. “She’s fainted or something.”
    â€œIt’s what she does,” Carradine said, bewilderingly. “Just let her down to the floor. Gently.”
    Danny glanced at Carradine, then did as he was told. Fuchsia’s head rolled to one side as he laid her down. Her eyes were closed now and she was no longer choking, although she was taking long, slow, rattling breaths. Carradine knelt beside her. “Blackness,” she murmured. “Blackness and death.”
    â€œDid she say ‘death’?” Danny asked. What the hell was going on here?
    â€œThe kid’s sick?” asked Colonel Saltzman. “You want me to send for a medic?”
    â€œShe’s fine,” Carradine insisted. “It’s what she does,” he said again.
    â€œShe’s not fine!” Danny snapped. Any fool could see she wasn’t fine. Maybe she was having a seizure or something. Except she wasn’t twitching: just lying there and breathing like a rusty engine. He knelt beside Carradine. “Let the colonel get a doctor.”
    â€œTrust me,” Carradine hissed. To Fuchsia he said quietly, “Is Opal all right?”
    â€œHow would she know?” Danny asked belligerently. “Can’t you see she’s not well?”
    â€œDarkness.” Fuchsia moaned as if she were in pain.
    â€œOpal’s in the dark?” Carradine asked. “Will she tell you this?”
    â€œShe said ‘death’ a minute ago,” Danny muttered. Carradine was all right, at least not the worst of them, but Danny didn’t like what he was doing now. He didn’t seem to care if Fuchsia was sick. And what did he mean, Will Opal tell you this?
    â€œYes,” Fuchsia said. It came out on a long, shuddering breath.
    From the chair behind them, Opal stirred. Danny glanced around quickly. Her eyes were open, but blank and staring. Seated beside her, their helmets linked by a single cable, Michael looked asleep, but his face was tranquil.
    Carradine said, “Can you tell me anything else, Fuchsia?”
    â€œWhat’s going on here, Mr. Carradine?” Danny