Chapter 11 - Pressure Valve
Leo didn't hesitate. He swung the iron crowbar into the overhead auxiliary high-pressure steam valve with all his strength. The brass fitting sheared cleanly off. Superheated steam screamed into the narrow corridor at three hundred pounds per square inch, instantly blinding the viewport and blasting open the unlatched watertight door. Drake shrieked as the boiling fog scalded his arms, wildly discharging his weapon into the blinding mist. Leo burst through the steam like a specter, tackling Drake across the steel deck plating. The gun skidded away, dropping through the floor grate into the bilge oil below. Drake threw a savage elbow into Leo's cracked ribs, pinning him against the bulkhead. ""You should have drowned in the river, Vance!"" Drake snarled, drawing a combat knife. Leo twisted, using his weight to drive Drake backward into the exposed steam plume. Drake howled, dropping the knife as the white heat seared his chest, collapsing onto the grating. Leo scooped up Toby, who buried his tear-drenched face instantly into his father’s neck, whispering through terrified sobs: ""Daddy... you came."" But before Leo could cut Clara’s bindings, the compartment door slammed shut from the outside, and the hydraulic locking wheel spun into place.
