Still, the fear constantly gave me reasons as to why I was crazy. If the material didn’t hold up to the pressure, I’d be crushed. If the oxygen permeable membrane of the suit failed, I’d suffocate. If the GPS malfunctioned, I’d be lost and probably die of exhaustion or dehydration. If the propulsion device stopped working, I might be too exhausted to make it to the surface. If the color camouflage system failed, I’d be bait for sharks, squid, or any other predators out there. Images of giant angler fish, megalodons, and ancient dinosaurs like liopleurodons flashed through my head. What if any of those creatures still existed in the deep oceans, yet to be rediscovered?
“Allie?” Dr. Wilcox’s voice interrupted my inner turmoil.
“I’m coming out.” Sucking in air through my nostrils and breathing out through my mouth, I nodded once confidently back at the person in the mirror, turned, and opened the door to the bathroom.
“Ah, it looks wonderful on you, Allie. The suit fits nicely. It doesn’t appear to be too snug or too loose. Does it feel fine to you?”
I nodded.
“Excellent. Put your normal clothes over the suit so you won’t stick out so much. I’ll get the propulsion device and diving helmet for you. We best leave as soon as possible.”
“What about my clothes? How will I take them with me?”
“Ah, well, I have also designed a tiny pack that can attach to the suit to carry belongings.” Dr. Wilcox tilted his head to the side and chuckled. “Unlike the suit, it’s already been thoroughly tested. I can put your clothes into a shrink bag and then they’ll easily fit.”
I nodded and went back into the bathroom to retrieve the clothes Dylan had bought me a few weeks ago to blend in with the Oceanians. The cloudy gray shirt and matching pants decorated with laser blue lines covered almost all of the SCUBAPS except for the neckline. Tucking the edges around my neck as far as they would go beneath my top, I informed Dr. Wilcox I was ready to go.
As we exited the apartment building, Dr. Wilcox stuck his head out of the entrance doors and whipped it to the left and right rapidly. “Okay, it looks like the coast is clear.” He began waving his hands quickly for me to follow him. “We need to take the less traveled route to the docking bay. If the Master Coders do know about you, they’ll be searching every major pathway out of the city.”
“How long will the other route take us?”
“Well, fortunately, the trains travel throughout the entire city, not just the most populated areas. Therefore, there will be some trains going around in the deserted areas of the city, although they run a lot less often.” Dr. Wilcox pulled out his c-com and started typing on the projected keyboard. “Ah, so the next train will be passing by in about three minutes.”
“Where do we get on?”
Dr. Wilcox began jogging down the side street nearest to his building. “Well, that particular train is going to appear at a station that is about a ten-minute walk from here. We need to get moving. Are you a good runner, Allie?”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, I am! I was the star of my middle school’s virtual cross country team.”
“That’s great, so I might be lagging behind a bit,” Dr. Wilcox started in perfect form.
“Don’t worry, Dr. Wilcox, we’ll both make it.” I jogged in line with Dr. Wilcox, thankful that the environment in Oceania was always at an equilibrium when it came to temperature. It never seemed to feel too hot or too cold.
For a while, we jogged in silence, my breathing even and well paced. Dr. Wilcox, however, started to breathe slightly labored after a few minutes, but he never lost stride with me.
Dr. Wilcox checked the holographic map projecting from his c-com. “One minute until the train arrives at the station. According to my map here, we’re still about a three-minute walk away. We’re going to have to run the last couple of blocks.”
“Can you make it?” I worriedly glanced over at him.
Huffing and swatting his hand as if he were shooing the thought away like a foul odor, Dr. Wilcox replied, “Most definitely. I can’t let myself be bested by a young person in anything! I’ll have you know that I’ve never lost a challenge.”
“All right, then. Beat you to the train!” I catapulted myself to my full speed, feeling the blood flowing through my veins with exhilaration. It’d been so long since I’d run at full power. I’d forgotten how great it felt.
Dr. Wilcox also pushed himself to go faster, but I easily gained a long distance ahead of him, reaching the empty train station about sixty feet before the train arrived.
“Hurry, Dr. Wilcox, the train is almost here!” I shouted.
Arms moving so fast they blurred into the shape of windmills and legs that appeared nearly robotic in nature, Dr. Wilcox pushed his old body as fast as it could go.
“Allie, get on the train,” he huffed. “Even if I don’t make it on, you have to.”
“You’ll make it, Dr. Wilcox, just keep coming.” I backed into the train as I watched Dr. Wilcox pound the pavement.
A couple yards from the doorway, I gestured for Dr. Wilcox to keep going, shouting encouragements.
“Stand clear of the doorway. The door will be closing in three seconds,” sounded an annoying voice.
I glanced up at the speaker on the ceiling of the train car and then back at Dr. Wilcox. “Come on, Dr. Wilcox, you can do it!”
With one last effort, Dr. Wilcox threw his weight forward and leapt into the train car, bringing his legs up as the door closed an inch from his bent knees.
Smiling, I reached down to help him up. “See, I told
