Chapter 6 - The Lockdown
The heavy metallic thud of the blast doors sealing shut sent a massive shockwave of panic through the trapped refugees.
Children began to cry uncontrollably while the adults desperately rattled the thick steel bars of their overcrowded cages.
"What is a sector purge?" I yelled over the deafening blare of the automated emergency sirens.
The young signalman was pale as a ghost, staring in pure horror at the massive ventilation grates lining the bottom of the walls.
"It's an emergency protocol designed to extinguish massive chemical fires by flooding the entire compartment with ocean water," he shouted back.
Kane hadn't just locked us in here to keep us quiet, he was going to drown all the evidence before the ship ever reached port.
A terrifying mechanical groaning sound echoed from the walls as the heavy exterior intake valves forced themselves open.
Freezing seawater instantly exploded through the lower grates, rushing into the cargo bay with the devastating force of a broken dam.
The water rose to our ankles in mere seconds, icy and violent, sweeping loose tools and debris across the metal floor.
I ran to the electronic keypad next to the sealed blast doors, frantically punching in every default Navy override code I knew.
The screen simply flashed a bright red error message, completely locked out by someone on the main command bridge.
"The electronic controls are dead!" the signalman screamed as the freezing water rapidly climbed past his knees.
The refugees in the lower cages were already struggling to keep their heads above the rising tide, screaming for help.
"There has to be a manual override wheel for the pressure valves, find the main hydraulic line!" I ordered the panicked kid.
We waded through the churning water, desperately feeling along the freezing steel walls for the heavy mechanical release wheel.
The water was now at my waist, pulling violently at my clothes and making every step an exhausting physical battle.
I spotted a rusted red iron wheel hidden behind a stack of loose wooden crates in the far corner of the room.
I fought my way through the freezing current, diving beneath the surface to wrap both hands around the heavy metal spokes.
I planted my boots against the wall and pulled with all my strength, my lungs burning as I fought against the crushing water pressure.
The wheel finally groaned and gave way, turning slowly as the mechanical locks on the main blast doors disengaged with a loud pop.
I burst out of the water gasping for air just as the massive steel doors slid open, releasing the floodwaters into the adjacent corridor.
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We spilled out into the hallway in a violently chaotic rush of water, coughing and fighting to regain our footing.
Before we could even stand up, the blinding beams of five tactical flashlights cut through the darkness and pinned us against the wall.
