Chapter 12 - The Rising Bilge
""The hatch is dog-latched from the passage!"" Clara cried out, her voice cracked with terror. Through the intercom speaker above the door, Councilman Mercer’s voice crackled, smooth and devoid of remorse. ""Clever, Vance. Truly. But this vessel departs international waters in fifteen minutes. I've opened the sea chest valves in Compartment 4. In twenty minutes, you and your family will be an unrecoverable maritime accident at the bottom of the bay."" Water began bubbling up through the floor grates—black, frigid seawater mixed with heavy bunker fuel. It rose quickly, reaching their ankles in seconds. Leo didn't panic; he knew container hulls inside out. He sliced Clara’s ties with Drake’s dropped knife. ""There’s an emergency escape trunk above the steering gear that leads to the aft winch deck,"" Leo barked, hoisting Toby onto his shoulders. ""We have six minutes before the waterline shorts the emergency generators."" Clara scrambled up the rusted iron rungs, but as Leo reached the maintenance ladder, a wet hand clamped around his boot ankle with vice-like grip.
