CHAPTER TEN
The storm had only gotten worse.
The wind howled, angry and vicious. It whipped at trees, sending branches flying as cars swerved across the road in an effort to keep steady. As the mayhem increased, the sky turned black as night, shrouding the entire island in darkness. Thunder shook from the heavens and the lightning was like fire in the sky. And although the rain hadn't come yet, Clint was sure that that was going to be beyond any downpour he had ever witnessed.
He had been watching the storm come for the last half hour, steadily getting worse and worse. As he watched it, he played over the voice message from Olivia too. Again and again he played it. Each time, despite himself, he felt himself forgiving her. And it wasn't so much her words that brought on his forgiveness, but her current predicament.
She was on a ferry, heading across the ocean in what Clint was sure was the worst storm he had ever seen. Despite himself, he just couldn’t stay mad at her when there was a chance she might be in danger. It was because of this that he knew he would eventually forgive her. It might be a week, it might be a month, but he knew that deep down he would come to forgive what she did. He just hoped that by the time he was ready, she won't have forgotten him.
But as he sat at home, watching the storm, Clint came to realize that maybe he was thinking a little too far forward. If this storm continued to increase at the rate that it had, there might not be a future to look forward too.
His eyes flicked to the machine one more time, before again looking out that window. At that moment a great palm tree across the road literally had itself torn from the roots as a huge gust of wind hit it. The tree then came crashing down, near shaking the floor beneath Clint's feet.
Clint was done sitting around. He was on his feet in a second, and out the door a second after that. He had somewhere he had to be.
--
He was soaking wet by the time he reached the Coast Guard hangar bay. He was right in the fact that the storm was going to get worse. He had run the whole way to the Coast Guard hanger and on more than one occasion had to take cover from a tree branch or piece of debris, flying through the air like a bullet from a gun.
The Coast Guard hangar was pandemonium when he entered it. Dozens of Coast Guards streamed across the open space, yelling orders to one another as the three choppers inside the bay prepared to take off. Clint, spotting Brian by the nearest chopper, ran up to him without hesitation.
"Brain! Brian!" He yelled as he approached him. Brian was halfway in the chopper when Clint grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "Wait. I need to ask you --"
"No go, Clint, sorry." Brian yelled back over the churning noise of the chopper. "We gotta go here!"
"One second! You owe me that!" He held onto Brian, forcing him to look him in the eyes. He didn't blame Brian for what had happened, but Brian didn't need to know that. Not now. And sure enough, Clint saw the guilt in his eyes. He nodded once. "I just need you to check on the ferry that left here at 1500 hours. The one heading for San Diego."
"How did you know that?" Brian yelled back.
"How did I – what do you mean? Know what?" Clint shouted. The other two choppers where just starting to lift in the air. Their noise combined was deafening.
"That's where we're heading right now! The ferry got hit pretty bad by some king waves! Fourteen stranded!"
Clint felt the color drain from his face as the reality of the words hit him. And as they sunk in, he suddenly noticed how empty the chopper was. In fact Brian was the only diver on board.
"Hold up! Where's the rest of you?"
"This is it! Those other choppers have other boats they going for!" He yelled, before turning back to face the pilot. "Come on, we gotta go – hold up! What are you doing!"
Clint had begun to climb inside the chopper, only pulling up when Brian stuck his hand out to stop him. "I'm coming to help!" There was no way he wasn't going. Not while Olivier was in trouble. Not when there was only one diver for fourteen people.
"There's no way --"
"Outta my way Brian. I'm getting on this chopper." He didn't yell this time. He didn't need to. His voice was firm and strong like iron. There was no debate about it, not trepidation. What was said was meant.
Brian hesitated before finally nodding and moving his arm to let Clint onboard. Clint, about to hop up, was again pulled up. This time by a hand grabbing at his shoulder from behind.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" It was Randall. He had come from nowhere, but now had his hand gripped firmly on Clint's shoulder. He looked beyond furious at what he was seeing "I'll have you for this!"
"Then have me. But I'm on this chopper!" Clint yelled, shrugging Randall off his shoulder.
"You definitely are not --"
Clint's fist connected with Randall's jaw, sending the Lieutenant to the ground in a heap. He had never felt such hate towards someone than he did in that moment. He didn't care that he was going to get kicked out of the army for it either. That eventuality didn't even register as a concern. All he cared about was getting on that chopper, no matter what.
Brian stared dumbstruck at his commanding officer, curled up on the ground, out cold. But only for a second. He then shrugged his shoulders and stepped aside to let Clint onboard. Clint nodded his head in confirmation, climbing on.
--
It was as if the ocean had come to life. As if it had turned into some sort of gigantic, sentient creature that was raging within itself. Waves over fifty feet high rose into the air, before crashing down and pummeling the ocean surface. The effect of this crash was another gigantuous wave, slapping against the wind and rain.
As the chopper flew over the storming ocean, lightning shot down around them, like bolts sent from the heavens. They seemed to reach the sea bed itself, lighting up the waves as they peaked and crashed.
"Where is it?" Clint yelled out to Brian. "How far?!" They had been flying for less than five minutes, but to Clint it felt like hours. He knew that every second countered. One lost could mean the difference between life and death.
"Around here somewhere!" He yelled back. "Keep your eyes – there! I see it!" Clint followed his pointed finger, spotting the marooned ferry a second later. "Take it in!" Brian yelled to the pilot.
The chopper dropped its altitude, flying in over the ferry so that it hovered maybe twenty feet above it.
Somehow the ferry had capsized. It’s entire hull stuck out of the water as bodies populated the water around it. Even in the chaotic thrashing of the storm, the bodies had managed to group themselves together for the most part. They all clung together as one, hanging in for dear life.
Clint scanned the bodies, trying to see if he could spot Olivier. It was hard, with the waves continually crashing down on their heads, but even so, he was sure that she wasn't amongst them.
"I'm going down!" Brian yelled. He was already in his suit as he now strapped on his oxygen mask. "There's a spare suit in the corner there. Throw it on!"
But Clint wasn't listening. He wasn't listening because he was pretty sure that he just spotted Olivier. It had to be her. She was, for some reason, on the other side of the hull, away from the group of people. From where Clint was, it looked as if she were with someone else. And more than that, as if she were helping keep them afloat.
As she did her best to drag the person she had with her, back towards the others, the ocean roared around her. Bits of debris hit her from all sides, creating a minefield in her path as water sprayed in her eyes. Clint didn't wait another second. He pushed Brian to the side and dove from the chopper.
His body shot forth like an eagle flying through the sky and for a moment he was suspended in mid air. The lightning struck over his head, the waves crashed below. As he flew forward he tilted his body and speared through the water, head first.
As his body propelled itself into the water, calm of the ocean washed over him. With his entire body submerged beneath the waves, he was isolated from the storm. There were no sounds. There were no tidal waves or screaming people. It was total silence. But then he rose to the surface, his head breaking the water.
It was chaos. Water splashed in his eyes the moment he breached, making it impossible to see. And as he wiped that away, more hit him. From all sides. And as that happened, he found himself being picked up and tossed aside like a rag doll.
The hull of the ship was directly in front of him, barely visible in the storm. To his right was the group of people, all hanging together. He spotted Brian drop from the chopper, directly by them. They would be fine. But it wasn't them he was worried about.
He turned to his left and began to swim. He was an expert swimmer and even still he found it hard to move. The tide seemed to want to take him in any direction bar the one he actually had to go. He pushed himself forward, one foot at a time. The whole time an image of Olivier planted firmly in his mind.
Just as he had thought, Olivia had her arms around an older man and she was doing all she could to keep him afloat. It looked as if he had been struck in the head and was out cold. He was dead weight and Olivier was struggling. By the look of determination on her face too, it was clear she wasn't going to let him go, even if it meant her going down too.
"Here!" Clint yelled over the clap of thunder as he reached Olivier. As he did he wrapped his arm around the older man, pushing Olivier to the side. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. When she did she almost went under from the shock.
"Clint! What are you -"
"Never mind that!" Clint yelled back to her. He had the man now, freeing Olivier entirely. "We have to get around the other side of the hull. The chopper is there!"
"Clint! I'm so sorry! I can't even explain how --"
"Olivier!" Clint yelled back. Although he held the man around the waist, he was still able to look over his shoulder at Olivier. Tears poured down her face. Her lips shook and quivered. He had never seen anyone more beautiful. "I know. Now come on!"
Olivier nodded her head, grabbing onto Clint's shoulder as she attempted to drag him. As she did that, Clint kicked backwards, keeping the man afloat. And together, the two of them, they managed to make their way back to the group.
By the time they got there nearly half the survivors had been lifted up to the chopper. Brian took the old man next. Once he did that, Clint and Olivier turned their attention to the other people in the water. A few were barely holding on, and Clint and Olivier made sure to help them out first. Clint was a Navy SEAL after all and Olivier... well she was just as god.
One by one the people were lifted into the chopper, until finally it was just Clint and Olivier left. As they waited for Brain to come back down, they held each other, saying nothing. And as Brain came up to them, Clint pushed Olivier into his arms. And then, only when she was aboard the chopper, safe, was Clint finally out at ease.
When Clint finally climbed aboard the chopper, he felt a great physical force throw itself at him. So strong was it that it nearly knocked him back out the chopper and into the watrer. It was Olivier. She threw her arms around him, hugging him so tight that she near squeezed the air from him.
They didn't talk. They didn't kiss. They simple held one another. As they did the chopper made its way back to land and as it did that, Clint began to think on that future that had crossed him mind earlier that day. He had forgiven Olivia sooner then he had originally intended. And he was glad that he did. Now at least the two could begin sharing the rest of their lives together. Clint knew without a shadow of a doubt that there was nothing that could get in the way of that.