Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler Page B

detected the sound of the approaching helicopter. The Kamov was barely a hundred yards off the port flank when Wofford looked up and blurted, “What the heck?”
    All eyes darted from the approaching wave to the helicopter and back and then did a double take. Dangling beneath the chopper on a twenty-foot cable was a white cylindrical object that swayed just a few feet above the waves. The object was clearly taxing the lifting ability of the helicopter, and everyone but Pitt figured that the helicopter pilot had lost his mind. At this dire point in time, why would he be trying to transport some machinery to the fishing boat?
    A broad grin spread over Pitt’s face as he recognized the bulky object twisting beneath the helicopter. He had nearly tripped over it while leaving the Vereshchagin just a short time ago. It was the research ship’s decompression chamber, on board as a security measure in case of a diving accident. Giordino had hastily realized it could act as a submersible for the fishing boat’s crew to take haven in. Jumping to his feet, Pitt waved at Giordino to lower the chamber to the boat’s stern deck.
    With the seiche wave bearing down on the boat, Giordino moved in rapidly, hovering high over the stern until the swaying chamber stabilized. With a sudden dip and a crunch, the one-ton chamber descended from the sky and collided with the deck. The four-person hyperbaric chamber took up the entire rear deck space and pushed the boat’s stern down several inches deeper into the water.
    Pitt quickly unhooked the attached cable then jumped to the side rail and waved a thumbs-up gesture toward the helicopter. Giordino immediately swung the helicopter up and away from the boat, settling in a hover a short distance away to observe the impact.
    â€œWhy did he dump that here?” Tatiana asked.
    â€œThat big ugly bobber is your ticket to safety,” Pitt replied. “Everybody in, there’s no time to lose.”
    Glancing forward, Pitt could see that the fast-moving wave was just a mile away. He quickly unhinged the sealed lock and swung open the heavy circular door to the chamber. Theresa was the first to climb in, followed by Wofford and Roy. Tatiana hesitated, grabbing a leather satchel before stepping in behind Roy.
    â€œHurry up,” Pitt prompted. “There’s no time to check luggage.”
    Even the brash captain, staring awestruck at the looming wall of water, abandoned the wheel and scrambled into the chamber after the others.
    â€œAren’t you joining us?” Tatiana asked as Pitt began to close the door.
    â€œIt will be tight enough with five people in there. Besides, someone’s got to seal the chamber,” he replied with a wink. “There’s blankets and padding in the rear. Use them to protect your heads and bodies. Brace yourselves, it will be here quick.”
    With a metallic clang, the door clapped shut and Pitt twisted the locking mechanism closed. A strange silence suddenly enveloped the occupants, but it lasted for less than a minute. Then the wave was upon them.
    Theresa sat opposite a thick porthole window and looked out at the mysterious man who had arrived from nowhere to save them. She saw Pitt reach into his duffel bag and remove a dive faceplate and backpack with a small tank attached. Quickly strapping the equipment on, he stepped up onto the side gunwale before a deluge of water obscured the viewport.
    The chartered fishing boat was still fifteen miles from Listvyanka and the western shoreline when the seiche wave hit. Those aboard had no way of knowing that they were struck by the leading force of the rolling wave, its peak cresting as high as a three-story building at impact.
    From his perch two hundred feet in the air, Giordino looked on with a sickening helplessness as the wave piled into the black fishing boat. Its throttle was still set at full, and Giordino watched as the aged boat tried valiantly to climb up the