They caught up to the rest of the group in minutes, which meant that it was moving much too slowly for Yamanu's liking. The women were barely shuffling, even the uninjured ones, probably too physically exhausted and emotionally drained to hurry.
"Get the women on your backs," Yamanu ordered. "We don't have time for this."
There were a few weak murmurs of protest, but soon every woman was riding on an immortal or Kra-ell's back, and the warriors broke into a steady jog down the tunnel.
When the missiles hit their targets, the entire island shook, but the women didn't scream. They only clung tighter to the warriors' backs.
They had been warned ahead of time, so it didn't come as a shock.
They were making good time despite the extra load, with some of the males carrying women on their backs and others carrying boxes in their arms. It took them less than an hour to reach the cove.
The place wasn't meant to hold that many people and equipment, and once the warriors lowered the women and boxes to the broad shelf above the waterline, there was barely any room to move.
Thankfully, the two newly excavated chests had already been taken to the submarine, joining the three they had transported during the night, so the cove held only people and the gear to get them off the island. The Guardians had returned with the casings and all the extra dive gear they could get.
Yamanu turned to Carney, their so-called diving expert, which only meant that he'd had a little more experience than the rest of them. "These women have never been in water deeper than a washbasin, we have three wounded, two children, and eight enhanced who've never even seen diving equipment, let alone used it. How are we going to do this?"
Carney grimaced. "We don't have enough gear or bodies to pair one to one. I brought up every set from the sub, and it isn'tenough. Not with the Eight added to the count. We'll have to share equipment."
Yamanu motioned for Number One to come closer. "Listen to what Carney is saying and translate it into your language so the others understand."
Number One nodded.
"We buddy each civilian to a Guardian," Carney said. "The Guardian wears the gear, and the civilian breathes off his spare regulator, sharing his air, and holding on while he runs the scooter. That halves the gear we need." Carney gestured along the shelf, where the rebreathers and the scooters were lined up. "I'm excluding the Kra-ell because they can barely manage themselves under the water."
"What about the wounded?" Number One asked.
"Same arrangement. Julian will add a dry layer over the dressings."
"The children?" Number One asked.
"They go in the casings." Carney nodded toward two of the waterproof cases, which lay open on the shelf, lined with blankets that had been brought up from the sub. "We rig them with air off a tank, and a Guardian rides with each child, keeping them thralled and asleep so they don't wake up and panic. The other casings will be filled with lab equipment and towed by the Odus."
"That leaves you Eight." Yamanu looked at Number One. "You've never dived, and we have no spare divers to lead you, because every available Guardian and Odu is buddied to a civilian or a child."
"That's the part I can't pretty up." Carney grimaced. "The only thing I can do is give you a crash course in diving. You'll need to stay close to us and follow our lead."
"That's not going to be a problem," Number One said. "Eight merged minds process things much faster than eight individuals."
It was far from perfect, but it was a workable solution, which was all that mattered.
"Let's do it," Yamanu said. "Once everyone is in the water, the EMP goes off."
37
SULLHA
The case lay open on the stone shelf, padded with gray blankets, and Sullha understood what they wanted her to do but couldn't bring herself to do it.
"You want to put him in there." Her arms tightened around Tomek until he made a small sound of protest. "In this box? Underwater?"
"Yes," the Guardian said. He was crouched beside the case, a good-looking, calm man with kind eyes. "I'll be in there with him the whole way. I'll keep him asleep, and I'll manage the air, and I'll have my eyes on him every second. He won't wake, and he won't be afraid, because he'll close his eyes here and open them on the boat."
"Then let me go in with him." The pitch of her voice was climbing, and she couldn't prevent it from doing that. "He'll feel safer with me there. Take us both or put me there instead of you. You can show me what to do."
The Guardian's expression softened. "I'm sorry, but there is only room for one adult and the child, and the adult can't be you.I can thrall him here and remove it on the ship, but I have to manage the air inside, and it's tricky. It's the first time any of us have attempted that. If he wakes in there frightened, he'll thrash around and he'll use up the air much faster than if he were sleeping. We're short on tanks as it is. Every set is spoken for, and we'll barely reach the sub on what we're carrying. There's no margin. If he panics and burns through his air, there's nothing left for him or you. That's why it has to be me, and why it has to be one adult, not two, even if there was room."
The Guardian sure knew how to not reassure her. This was the first time they were trying this method of transportation, and her son was the test subject?
