Twenty-Four

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Jack had been brought to the prison chamber, as he thought of it, against his will. It was bad enough that he'd betrayed a friend (or was it that he'd become friends with the person he'd been sent to betray?) without being forced to witness the fruits of his treachery.

He made sure that at no point did he meet Marine Boy's eyes and, to start with at least, he tried to stand behind someone else so that Marine Boy couldn't see him. Nevertheless, he knew that his presence had been noticed. He tried not to think of how he stood in Marine Boy's estimation.

He stood as silent and as inconspicuous as possible as Marine Boy was led out of the cage and strapped down on the mobile platform, but he found that he was unable to resist craning his neck for a better view of what was going on. Though he hated himself for thinking such thoughts at such a time, he found the younger boy irresistibly attractive. Tanned and sculpted – and reduced to a tiny pair of trunks – Marine Boy's body was, for Jack, the epitome of beauty. At the sight of Marine Boy strapped down and struggling helplessly, Jack's heart melted.

His heart melted, and also ached with bitterness. He watched warily as his employer – the man who'd sent him to ensnare Marine Boy, and the man he hated above anyone else on the planet – did his piece to camera. He watched as Marine Boy was lifted into the air and lowered into the water. He tried to see whether Marine Boy – Johnny – was afraid or not. He decided that he probably was, but was doing his utmost to conceal the fact. Good for you, Johnny.

As Marine Boy took his last breath, Jack found himself doing the same. Why it made him feel better (or, at least, marginally less despicable) to attempt to suffer alongside Johnny, he didn't know. He began to fantasise about leaping into the pool to rescue Johnny, and the two of them emerging from the pool to do battle with the villains in the prison chamber, and winning a great victory, before Johnny forgave him, and melted into his arms.

Some fantasy. Jack knew – or was fairly certain that he knew – that the scene being played out before him was just a demonstration, and that Johnny would be raised out of the pool before his lungs gave out. Nevertheless, it seemed to be taking a terribly long time. He tried to count the seconds, but lost track as his own lungs started to protest.

At last he saw the platform start to rise. Spots were forming before his eyes, as he willed himself to endure until Johnny was lifted clear, and when he finally emerged, Jack's desperate gasp for air was as pronounced as Marine Boy's, though everyone else was too preoccupied to notice.

Due to the heaving of his chest, Jack missed a lot of what happened next. He assumed that the demonstration was over, and that Marine Boy would be returned to the cage. When he realised that this had not happened, Jack was puzzled, and it was only when the platform began to descend into the water the second time that the reality of the situation hit him.

For a long moment, he was frozen in disbelief. Then he shouted, "Wait!"

All eyes turned to him. Jack was surprised as anyone at the sound of his own voice, but he realised that he needed to make some sort of effort at least. "Wait," he repeated. "I mean, just wait."

"When I want your advice, I'll ask for it," the bearded man said, slowly, but with a sense of menace.

"But –"Jack fumbled for the words he needed, "but he's your bargaining chip. Your best hold over the people at Ocean Base. If you kill him now, you throw away your leverage..." His voice tailed off. He knew enough about his employer to know that the man would not have failed to think matters through, and that the chances of him being persuaded to change his mind by an impassioned outburst were minimal. Nevertheless, he stared at the man, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Thank-you for having my interests so close to your heart," the man told Jack. His tone was calm, but icy. "Having considered the matter, however, I find that I am not in need of your advice. Now remove yourself, unless you want to share Marine Boy's fate."

One of the goons made a grab for Jack, but he dodged by some sort of instinct. The other goon made as if to block his path to the door, but Jack had no intention of trying to run that way. Instead, he dashed towards the pool, fumbling at his weight-belt in as he did so.

His dive would not have earned high marks in any sporting context, but it eluded the grasping hands of those that pursued him, and he plunged into the water. It took him a moment to orient himself – he was not used to diving without a mask – but the weights were drawing him in the direction he needed to go. He kick to go faster, wondering how deep the pool was, and praying that he would not be too late.

Still struggling to see properly underwater, he almost sank past the platform, but managed to grab hold of it with one hand. With the other, he finally managed to open the hollow weight in his belt, and brought out two cubes of oxy-gum – the ones he'd taken from Marine Boy's belt earlier. He hesitated for half a second, then popped one in his mouth and bit down.

The result was the strangest sensation he'd ever felt. He could breathe under water. The gum seemed to produce bubbles in his mouth that drove away the water, and enabled him to suck life-giving air into his lungs. There was no time to ponder the technological marvels produced by Professor Fumble, however. There was a life to save.

Still struggling against the pull of the weights, Jack fought to climb up onto the platform. His eyes were slowly getting used to seeing under water, and he could see Marine Boy above him. Everything was still blurred, but Marine Boy still seemed to be struggling, which meant that he was still alive – for now. One more effort.

Jack got one knee onto the platform, and hauled himself up, so that he was laying on his former friend's chest. Marine Boy's eyes were staring wildly, and Jack couldn't tell if he could work out what was happening. Possibly he could, as Marine Boy's mouth suddenly opened wide. Jack thrust the second cube of oxy-gum between Marine Boy's teeth, and forced his jaws together so that they closed on the miraculous invention.



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