Black Gold Part 1

Black Gold.

by Chris Ryan.

Prologue.

COLLISION COURSEThe oil tanker ploughed a furrow through the Caribbean Sea. Its deck was the length of three football pitches, the living quarters rising out of the stern like a four-storey building, topped by a cl.u.s.ter of radio transmitters, whirling radar masts and a flag bearing the red insignia of ArBonCo Oil.Inside, at the very top of the tower, Tomas Amurao pushed open the door to the bridge and manoeuvred his mop and bucket inside. As he did so, he heard shouting. Two men the captain and the second-in-command were standing at the control station. The second-in-command was pointing to the radar screen, which showed a glowing dot touching the crosshairs of the screen. There was something out there, right in their path.Out of the window Amurao could see the sea, a long way down, and a gleaming white pa.s.senger cruiser gliding past. It was a big s.h.i.+p with four decks, one with a glittering turquoise square of swimming pool, but the tanker towered over it like a skysc.r.a.per.Amurao was Filipino and didn't understand the language the Dutch crewmen were speaking but he couldn't mistake the meaning. They'd nearly hit the cruiser. How? He knew that there were numerous automatic systems to stop them colliding with other objects in the water.He began to mop the floor by the door. The shouting stopped, and it was then that he realized what was so odd.It was far too quiet.Usually the bridge was noisy, the s.h.i.+p's control systems constantly bleeping and beeping, like birdsong in a jungle. But today they were silent. The only sound was the faint throb of the ma.s.sive engines, deep below the water line.What was going on? Amurao had spent two years as a deckhand on oil tankers and he'd never known one travel with the automatics off. Perhaps there had been a malfunction?He took his bucket to the control area and mopped around the big metal lever that rose from the floor like a giant gears.h.i.+ft; the two men moved their feet out of his way. They paid him no attention but talked to each other in low, urgent voices.Out of the window on his left Amurao could see the white coral beaches of an island. Green hills were studded with pink stuccoed houses and he recognized where they were Curacao, the largest of the ABC Islands or Netherlands Antilles, forty-four miles off the coast of South America. On their way to the offsh.o.r.e oil refinery at the other end of the island.Working his way around the room, he felt a change in the throbbing of the s.h.i.+p's engines. They were turning. He looked up. The captain was gripping the semicircular metal steering column that rose from the centre of the control panel, turning it hard left.Out of the window the view had changed. They had come a lot closer to the island.Amurao stopped mopping.The captain nodded at his colleague. His second-in-command grasped the big lever in the floor and pushed it forwards all the way. A buzzer sounded and the eight-cylinder engines far below responded like a huge jet. The propeller bit into the dark sea, driving the great s.h.i.+p on.On the radar screen, an amber bar swept around like a second hand, picking out the glowing outline of the coast. With each revolution the coastline was moving closer. A stopwatch counting down to disaster . . .

1.

MAGIC WORLDThe eel's jaws were big enough to encircle Li's entire body. As the creature yawned towards her in the water she glimpsed three vicious sets of teeth and two round eyes, orange and yellow psychedelic discs with inky black pupils. She could hear nothing but the rasp of her own breath in her aqualung and the steady rumble of bubbles as she exhaled through her regulator. The hideous prehistoric face lunged towards her in eerie silence, its jaws snapping open and shut like an alligator.Li tumbled out of the way and the eel slid harmlessly past, still snapping its jaws. It wasn't trying to attack her; this was how it breathed. She curled around in the water, lifted her video camera to her masked face and filmed it the pointed, primitive face like a sea-going snake, bubbles escaping through small holes in its head. The body was nearly three metres long from pointed snout to arrow-like tail and as thick as a telegraph pole.Up above her on the surface was the Fathom Sprite, Fathom Sprite, the eight-metre motorboat they had hired, tethered and flying a blue-and-white flag to show there were divers in the area. She and the four other members of Alpha Force had come to the Fathoms Dive Centre in Curacao to train in advanced diving techniques. For now, their first afternoon, they were enjoying the island's coral reef and reminding themselves of the basic rules of diving. the eight-metre motorboat they had hired, tethered and flying a blue-and-white flag to show there were divers in the area. She and the four other members of Alpha Force had come to the Fathoms Dive Centre in Curacao to train in advanced diving techniques. For now, their first afternoon, they were enjoying the island's coral reef and reminding themselves of the basic rules of diving.The coral reef was vast, an underwater cliff that stretched down for ever. It was far too deep to explore with basic scuba equipment, so rule number one was to make sure you knew how far down you'd gone. As Li swam around she kept a close eye on the dive computer on her wrist to check that she never went deeper than thirty metres. Later in the week, with different equipment and more training, she hoped they'd be able to go deeper.So far, though, there was so much to see that Li didn't feel shortchanged. Her Anglo-Chinese parents were naturalists and she had inherited their love of the natural world. She hung in front of the wall, the gentle current fanning her black hair out in a rippling flame behind her. 'Wall' somehow seemed the wrong word. It looked like a bluish, brownish rockery full of plants and weeds, but the coral was actually all made of living animals. She swept her torch over it and the muted colours became bushes of bright red, yellow and jewel-like purples. There were delicate white structures that looked like the vein structures of giant leaves. In between them all were pale ripples of hard corals like human brains. The textures looked so alien and beautiful she wanted to touch them, but some of them were poisonous. In any case, the whole reef was a conservation area and divers were forbidden to touch anything in case they upset the ecosystem.Diving this reef was like being a bird. She could hover, or move up and down effortlessly with a flick of her fins. With the endless deep blue below her, it was like dreams she'd had of being able to fly. A talented gymnast, martial artist and climber, Li adored anything that felt like defying gravity.Strange, though. It was no longer as quiet as it had been. As well as the gentle sound of her own breathing she could now hear a deep sort of rumbling sound, like very m.u.f.fled thunder. She couldn't say when it had started, but she was sure it hadn't always been that loud.Li checked her luminous watch. They had been underwater for about ten minutes. Diving rule number two was to keep an eye on how long you'd been down because you didn't want to run out of air. But Li felt like she could spend for ever down there.All the time she had been keeping track of the others. They all carried torches so it was easy to see where they were. That was diving rule number three don't go off on your own. You always had a dive-buddy to look out for you. Today, she had two Paulo and Alex. Time to film them for a while, she thought.She picked Paulo out easily by his powerful build and dark wavy hair billowing up in a soft halo. He was above her, suspended in a ring of silvery fish, as though he had charmed them out of the reefs. He saw Li pointing the camera up at him and gave a big, theatrical flourish with his hand. The fish parted in a tunnel. He withdrew it again and they closed around him like a giant rotating lampshade.Typical Paulo, thought Li. He had grown up on a ranch in Argentina and was supremely confident with animals. Here he was, orchestrating the movements of at least two hundred fish. Any minute now he's going to give a big show-off grin and then his regulator will fall out of his mouth. Or he'll breathe through his nose. She made sure she got a close-up of his bouffant hair; that would make amusing viewing later.Alex had been watching. He swam past Li, his blond hair rippling around his face, and copied Paulo's flamboyant gesture. Li filmed him, knowing what no-nonsense Northumbrian Alex would be saying about Paulo if his dive equipment allowed him to speak: 'posing as usual'. As he swam off Li took a few quick frames of Alex's billowy hair too.Amber and Hex were easy to spot. Hex's fins were pale in the blue light, edged with black like a dangerous fish; Amber's were as black as her skin, making her already long legs impossibly sleek. They were swimming as a pair at ninety degrees to the coral wall, as though they had forgotten which way was up. Several fish seemed to have been fooled too and were swimming along beside them. To anyone who knew them they would seem unlikely dive-buddies Amber, a privileged rich girl from America, and Hex, a computer hacker from a rough part of London but the two had clicked. Now they swam closer to the coral wall, changing direction in sync like a pair of seahorses, bubbles rising from their masked faces like thought clouds. Both had close-cropped short hair no potential there, Li thought, for embarra.s.sing underwater hairstyle videos.Amber poked Hex in the back as they swam along. He whirled in the water looking for his attacker, obviously imagining sharks. Amber hovered beside him, the tubes on her air tank quivering and bubbles shooting fast out of her regulator. So that was what someone looked like when they laughed in scuba gear, Li thought. Hex reached across to poke Amber in return and she scooted gracefully away. He gave chase. And still they swam as though the world had been turned on its side.That was another of the rules of diving; always know which direction you're going in. It was easy to become disorientated in the water. On night dives particularly, you might think you were surfacing but in fact be swimming endlessly down. All five members of Alpha Force were well trained in navigation techniques. Sometimes their lives had depended on it.Alex came into Li's viewfinder again, now swimming alongside a gigantic grouper fish. It was the size of a small car and made him look as though he had swallowed a shrinking potion. In the light from her torch she could see that the fish was orangey red with mottled pale lines. The perfect portrait of Alex. His father was in the SAS and Alex seemed to have found the one sea creature that wore desert-issue camouflage.The big fish fluttered its tail and darted away. Alex stopped and looked around, puzzled.Li realized the booming sound was much louder. Paulo's cloak of silver fish suddenly deserted him and Hex and Amber stopped too. For a moment the five friends looked around at each other questioningly, treading water. The sound had been growing and growing but was now so loud that they could no longer hear their own breathing.Where was it coming from? When they looked around, all they could see was wide blue sea and the flowing vertical garden.Then a huge shape loomed over them in the water like a thundercloud. An enormous s.h.i.+p. It rumbled over them, the throbbing of its engines resounding on every metal item in their kit. Paulo, Alex and Hex were pointing up at it, frantically miming a movie camera to Li. They wanted her to video it. What was it with boys and machines? she thought but to humour them she lifted the camera. A red light flashed. Out of batteries.The rear of the boat finally came into view, its mighty propeller spinning in a round opening as tall as a man. The sea behind it boiled into tiny white bubbles. Then the sunlight poured back into the sea again.They looked at the retreating shadow, then Alex tapped his watch. Time to go. They turned and swam upwards. At the top of the wall was a sandy shelf, the start of the shallow waters near the island. The noise was receding but it was still loud, the boom of the s.h.i.+p's engines like the throbbing of a great heart.They began to swim back to their boat, the current from the s.h.i.+p's wake pulling them along. Then, like a shoal of fish, they all stopped suddenly. Twenty metres away in the water they should have seen a black diagonal thread the anchor line. Instead the thread was waving loose in the water.They swam over to it. The anchor line had snapped and was curling in the current like a slender eel.Alex swam upwards. As he surfaced he found himself bobbing around like a cork. The sea was still choppy from the pa.s.sing s.h.i.+p. But he wasn't the only thing being tossed around. Where the boat should have been the water was scattered with debris. The Fathom Sprite Fathom Sprite had been hit and shattered like a toy. had been hit and shattered like a toy.The tanker was already a good distance away, heading for the white coral cliffs of the island.Li and the others came up in a rumble of bubbles, exploding onto the surface as though they were coming to the boil. They looked around at the bobbing white pieces of their boat, too stunned even to take their masks off. Paulo felt something knock into him the boat's engine, nudging at his back like a questing fish.'Mind out!' Amber's shrill voice pulled them back to practicalities. Her regulator was dangling over one shoulder and she was holding onto a yellow object like a folded canvas pillow. She found the ripcord and pulled. There was a hiss of compressed air and it inflated, unfolding to three times its size.Li saw the life raft about to engulf her and dived out of the way. When she broke the surface again the first thing she saw was the tanker. It was running, at full speed, into the white cliffs.The noise was terrible a dull metallic boom, then the sound of grinding metal, on and on like it was in slow motion. Everyone froze: Amber, holding onto the ropes on the raft, pulling Hex in; Alex, also in the raft, turning to help Paulo up; Li, only her head out of the water. In that moment, her vision became a split screen, her mask half submerged, half out in the air. Below was the tranquil world of rippling blue with black stingrays banking and turning like cloaks. Above were the clouds, the tropical island and a huge, rust-spattered tanker full of thick black oil subsiding into the sea . . .

2.

SHOCKAlex flopped back in the raft, dropped his regulator out of his mouth and took his mask off. He left them where they fell dangling around his neck. 'I'm not going to take this lot off, guys. In case we all end up in the water again.''We shouldn't,' said Amber, 'unless someone does something silly.' Nevertheless, she and the others kept their kit on too. The raft didn't feel nearly as solid as a boat.Paulo was looking around the raft. It looked like a large children's paddling pool. 'Does this thing have a radio?'Amber shook her head. 'No. That went down with the boat.' She unzipped a compartment in the side of the raft and took out two short paddles. 'This is how we're going to get home.' She handed one to Hex, took the other and they began to paddle towards the sh.o.r.e, digging into the water like kayakers.'Should we see if anyone on the tanker needs help?' said Alex, watching the stricken vessel.'They've got lifeboats,' said Hex. 'See, they're coming out now'As he spoke, a crane swung out from the tanker deck to lower a white boat. They could see small figures peering over the edge as the lifeboat was lowered. No sooner had it hit the water than the s.h.i.+p gave another lurch and the entire stern with its living quarters disappeared beneath the surface, leaving only the communication masts visible. The whirling radar antennae sparked and became still.Now all they could hear was the gentle splash of oars as Hex and Amber paddled in a slow, steady rhythm. Red pressure marks from the masks framed their eyes, making them look tired. Puddles of water collected on the yellow canvas floor.'I'll take next turn at paddling,' said Paulo.'Me too,' said Li. Her voice was subdued.Alex looked towards the small white-painted jetty in the distance, and the long wooden building behind it that was the dive school. 'What on earth are we going to tell Danny about his boat?'n.o.body answered.They paddled, steadily but surely. It was barely five minutes since they had surfaced and found their boat gone, but they had taken disaster in their stride.Alpha Force had learned about survival the hard way when they had been five strangers marooned together on a desert island. By the time rescue arrived they had pulled together into a tight-knit team. The experience had been a turning point in their lives especially for Amber. She had been getting over the deaths of her parents and had discovered that they had been living secret lives fighting human rights abuses. What the five friends went through on that island had shown them that they also could make a difference to those in trouble. Now, they had dual lives. During term time they were in far-flung corners of the globe, at school or college, keeping fit in their spare time and improving their individual skills. In the holidays they came together to put it all into practice with some extreme sports and training. Quite often these training sessions had a habit of leading them into more serious challenges.They heard the dinghy before they saw it, the sound of its engine carrying over the water like the drone of a bee. A small blob was racing out from the sh.o.r.e, a silver dinghy carrying two figures in orange lifejackets.Alex squinted into the distance, his hands s.h.i.+elding his eyes from the bright sun. 'Hey, the coastguard's out and about.''They're coming for us,' said Li.The dinghy drew up close, its engine cut to idle and a man leaned over to talk to them. He had thinning blond hair and a deep tan from a lifetime spent on boats. His lifejacket was printed with the Word COASTGUARD. COASTGUARD.'Anyone hurt?''No, we're fine,' Alex confirmed.As he spoke, Paulo greeted the athletic, ebony-skinned figure with the coastguard. 'Hi, Danny,' he said with his warmest smile. Danny was the owner of the dive school, a younger man than the coastguard. 'I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid something's happened to the Fathom Sprite.' Fathom Sprite.'The others waited in tense silence. The accident had hardly been their fault but they hadn't worked out yet how they would break the news. Paulo, with his usual easy charm, had come straight out with it.'I guessed,' said Danny. 'When we saw you in this.' His face, normally creased with permanent laugh lines, was grave.There was a moment of silence as both boats bobbed up and down together on the waves, like horses on a fairground carousel. In the distance, the white lifeboat from the tanker had reached the sh.o.r.e.The coastguard put his hand on Danny's shoulder. 'You can sue the oil company, Danny,' he said. 'That tanker was going too fast on an unauthorized course. I've got evidence.''Evidence?' said Alex.The coastguard nodded. 'I had a call from a pa.s.senger cruiser which was nearly hit by an out-of-control tanker that tanker. You're lucky you weren't in the boat at the time.' He looked at the raft. 'Do you guys need a ride? We can give you a tow.'Paulo picked up a paddle. 'Actually,' he said, 'I was quite enjoying this.'Amber smiled up at the two men. 'I think we're just fine.'The coastguard gave them a small salute and nodded to Danny. He opened the throttle and they sped away.Amber tiptoed into the lounge bar and perched on the arm of the sofa next to Hex. She was late because she had had to inject her insulin. As a diabetic, she had to be careful about eating regularly and never forgetting her medication, but she didn't let it cramp her style and was a full and active member of Alpha Force.The cosy, wood-panelled room was packed. The twenty guests who were staying at the dive centre were there, plus various members of staff. All eyes were on the TV up in the corner. Normally it was only on when there were sporting events and concerts; but today the local news was covering the story of the stricken tanker. On the screen was an aerial picture of the vessel, taken from a helicopter. Badged in one corner with the channel logo, the image changed as the camera circled from the rust-red prow poking out of the water to the tips of the communication masts all that remained of the stern. Around it, like an ominous shadow, the clear blue water was turning black. Amber swallowed. The oil was already leaking from the s.h.i.+p.The programme cut back to the studio, where an anchorwoman looked at the camera with a steely eye. 'Those were pictures today of the ArBonCo tanker disaster. I have here in the studio Dr Mara Thomas, Curacao representative of the environmental group ABC Guardians and a GP at the local medical centre. Mara, how bad is this?' 'Those were pictures today of the ArBonCo tanker disaster. I have here in the studio Dr Mara Thomas, Curacao representative of the environmental group ABC Guardians and a GP at the local medical centre. Mara, how bad is this?'The camera panned back to show a strong-jawed Caribbean woman in her forties. 'It's a catastrophe,' 'It's a catastrophe,' the doctor said. the doctor said. 'It's a very delicate ecosystem out there. The whole community has worked for years to keep the area clean. The reef provides a livelihood for us all 'It's a very delicate ecosystem out there. The whole community has worked for years to keep the area clean. The reef provides a livelihood for us all food, tourism, it all depends on it. This oil will kill so much marine and bird life. Imagine what a nuclear war would do to the city food, tourism, it all depends on it. This oil will kill so much marine and bird life. Imagine what a nuclear war would do to the city it's like that.' it's like that.' As she spoke her dark curly hair quivered like wire; although it was held in an antique clip it threatened to escape at any moment. As she spoke her dark curly hair quivered like wire; although it was held in an antique clip it threatened to escape at any moment.'Yo, Mara,' called a voice Danny, his elbows resting on the rough wooden bar top that looked as though it had come from an old galleon. Behind him, gathering dust with the bottles of local rum on the top shelf, were several trophies. 'You tell them what it's doing to us,' he continued.On the television, a new image had appeared. A man in a grey suit was waiting patiently and the anchorwoman introduced him: 'I have here Piers Hijkoop, legal representative of ArBonCo Oil. Piers, these are strong words. How do you respond to these concerns?' have here Piers Hijkoop, legal representative of ArBonCo Oil. Piers, these are strong words. How do you respond to these concerns?'The man replied calmly. 'We understand the concerns of the locals and very much regret what has happened. Our experts are already at the scene of the accident. They should be able to contain the spill so that the threat to marine life is minimized.'' 'We understand the concerns of the locals and very much regret what has happened. Our experts are already at the scene of the accident. They should be able to contain the spill so that the threat to marine life is minimized.''Danny spoke again. 'Looks like it's too late for that.' There was a murmur of agreement from everyone in the room. Alpha Force recognized the man sitting near him: it was the coastguard they had met earlier.On the screen the anchorwoman asked Piers Hijkoop: 'Any clues as to what caused the crash?' 'Any clues as to what caused the crash?''It's too early to say. We will be examining the black box. As I said, it's a regrettable incident and we're doing all we can.''Piers Hijkoop, Dr Mara Thomas, thank you very much.' The anchorwoman turned away from her guests and addressed the camera. The anchorwoman turned away from her guests and addressed the camera. 'We'll be bringing you more on the story as and when we get updates. And now on to other news-' 'We'll be bringing you more on the story as and when we get updates. And now on to other news-'Danny fired the remote at the screen. It blinked off. For a moment the only noise in the room was the soft lilt of reggae music on the radio.A woman joined Danny behind the bar and helped herself to some juice from the fridge. Alpha Force recognized her too - Danny's American partner, Lynn, who had been a photographer before they decided to set up Fathoms Dive Centre together. She had helped them settle in when they first arrived.Amber heard her grumble to Danny: 'Well, Mara didn't get much of a say.'The coastguard was leaning over the bar now as well, joining in the conversation. 'They won't keep Mara quiet for long.'Amber was struck by how they spoke as though they knew Mara personally. Everyone in this community seemed to know each other; they were like one big family. A family on the brink of potential tragedy.People were heading for the bar and looking for drinks, so Danny and Lynn had to put on their professional faces. Slowly the room was filled with the murmur of conversations.Alex stood up to give the people at the bar more room. 'Guys, I think we're in the way here. Anyone fancy a breath of fresh air?'The others nodded. They got up and headed for the row of double doors that led out onto the veranda.Below was the dive school's private bay, jetty and beach. The sun was setting, like a bonfire behind the mountains on the west side of the island. Most of the white beach was already in darkness and red-orange light glinted off the waves as they surged and ebbed up and down the beach.Something caught Li's eye and she went down the wooden steps to the beach. Noticing her body language, the others followed silently and saw what she had seen. Close to, the surface of the water had an iridescent petrol sheen, like oil on the surface of a puddle in a car park. It swirled purple and blue in the light from the setting sun.Li kneeled down. The sea came all the way up to her feet, then began its retreat, water sinking down between the shards of coral on the beach as it left, winking into bubbles and then into nothing but not quite nothing. There was now a dark film over the white coral. And a smell.Hex sniffed. 'Rotten eggs.'Li stood up. Another wave came and went, leaving another layer of oil.Paulo caught the expression on her face. 'It's started,' he said.

3.

BLACK DEATHThe next morning the white beach was black and slimy. Small white mounds of sand appeared like starbursts in a night sky as tiny crabs dug their way out, pus.h.i.+ng clean sand to the surface. Dead crabs and molluscs lay strewn around, all coated with glistening black, while others struggled in the slime. It reeked of sulphur.The five members of Alpha Force stood on the veranda and looked out at the mess. It was even worse than they'd expected.'What a difference,' said Hex. 'It's obscene.''It spreads so fast,' said Paulo.And still the sea brought more. The clear blue sparkling water was tainted with a rainbow sheen, the white sandpiles from escaping creatures darkening with every wave.'We had an oil spill once on the beach in Northumberland,' said Alex. 'A tanker ran aground in a storm. There were dead birds everywhere. I thought we'd see dead birds here.'Li answered his question in a low voice. 'We'll see the birds soon. Give it time. At the moment they'll be trying to clean oil off their feathers, s.h.i.+vering like fury. But the oil will destroy the waterproofing in their feathers so they'll get colder and colder. Then they'll try to eat more but their digestive systems will be irritated by the oil. They'll start burning up their own body tissues to keep warm. And they'll keep trying to clean themselves, and all that oil they're swallowing will poison them. By the time we see them they'll be desperate.'Amber's eyes were starting to water from the fumes. She rubbed them. 'This stuff is vicious.'Even the sounds of the landscape were different. There was the usual steady drone of boats, but also the beat of a helicopter. One came close enough for them to see its tail with the red insignia of ArBonCo Oil. Then it disappeared around the headland towards the tanker.'I wonder if they really can do anything?' said Alex.'Why haven't they called us yet?' said Amber. 'Hex, you definitely got through and put us on the list of volunteers?''I spoke to them last night,' said Hex. 'In person, not a machine.' He patted his mobile phone on his belt. 'As soon as the call comes, we'll know. They said they were waiting for supplies.'Li let out a long sigh. 'Surely there must be something something we can do now.' we can do now.'Hex shook his head. 'They said no one's to enter the water until the equipment's here. Otherwise we run the risk of spreading the oil further. Plus the tanker's unstable and might explode if any air has got in with the oil.'Paulo winced. 'Nasty.'Amber frowned. 'Surely it's seawater in there, if anything?''No,' said Hex. 'Not all the tanker's underwater. The containers that aren't might have been holed. It's probably just a precaution.''So we just wait?' said Amber.'Yeah,' said Hex. 'We just wait.'Alex moved towards the veranda doors. 'I've done enough waiting. Does anyone feel up to some studying? There's lots of diving stuff we could revise.'Amber thought that whoever had tried to make the dive centre library look like part of an old s.h.i.+p had not realized that most of the walls would be covered in books. Not old leather-bound gold-lettered books either; the diving textbooks were full of modern typefaces and clas.h.i.+ng colours. Danny kept the place well stocked with the latest publications.As the five teenagers sat at the big table, surrounded by books, their sense of time dragging disappeared. Training always put them in a positive frame of mind. It was storing up tools that could be useful for some mission in the future, something that would let them do their job better or even save their lives or the lives of others. They took training very seriously. For a while they almost forgot about the ruined landscape outside.Hex kept consulting his palmtop, a state-of-the-art computer that was his pride and joy. He carried it everywhere with him in a belt-mounted pouch. His one complaint about doing so much diving was that he had to leave it behind. But he had managed to put it to good use the previous day, taking notes from an in-depth lecture that Danny had given them on 'the bends', or decompression sickness. If they dived deeper than thirty metres, the weight of the water forced nitrogen from the air they were breathing to dissolve in their blood and joints. They had to be very careful how long they stayed down and how fast they surfaced or the dissolved nitrogen would fizz up in their bloodstreams like the gases in a can of drink. The bubbles might burst blood vessels, rupture lungs or even damage nerves. The deeper they dived, the higher the risk. There was a lot of theory to learn before they could dive safely at these depths, and a lot of maths to practise.Paulo had found a stack of videotapes. 'We ought to look at one of these.' He read off the t.i.tles. 'Nitrogen Narcosis: The Facts; Diving Physiology-' 'Nitrogen Narcosis: The Facts; Diving Physiology-''We've done those,' chorused Amber and Li.'How about Psychological Preparation for Diving?' Psychological Preparation for Diving?''Done that too,' said Alex.Hex interrupted as something caught his eye in the book he had in front of him. 'Did you know,' he said, 'that decompression sickness was first observed by Robert Boyle in the seventeenth century? He put a viper in a vessel and increased the pressure-' He put his hand up like a policeman stopping traffic. 'Don't ask me how because it doesn't say. After decreasing the pressure he noticed that a bubble formed in the eye of the snake, and it was writhing in pain.'Li thought that Hex had a certain air of satisfaction when he closed the book. 'That's disgusting,' she said. 'I hope the viper bit him.'Alex blew his cheeks out. 'I thought all Boyle ever did was write boring old Boyle's Law.''Hey, guys,' said Amber. 'This is so weird. We could all be at my school in study period.' She glanced at Hex. 'Except for you. They wouldn't let you in my school.''I wouldn't want to come to your school,' rejoined Hex. 'It's just for rich American girls.''I think I'd I'd like it there,' said Paulo. like it there,' said Paulo.'Oh, listen to him,' said Li. 'Mister heartbreaker. If you set foot in a girls' school they'd have you for breakfast.'Paulo gave her a smouldering look. 'They can have me anytime.' Li picked up her notes and rapped them down on his tanned hand.'What's your place like, Alex?' Amber asked.'Oh so-so,' said Alex. 'Just your usual kind of college. Near the moors. That's what I like about it.'Paulo read out another t.i.tle. 'Gas Mixes. 'Gas Mixes. No, we've done that too. No, we've done that too. Cliff Diving Champions.h.i.+ps 2004.' Cliff Diving Champions.h.i.+ps 2004.' That one took the wind out of his sails. That one took the wind out of his sails.'Cliff Diving Champions.h.i.+ps 2004?' Alex repeated. Alex repeated.Paulo looked at the video. It wasn't commercially produced; the label was handwritten in biro. He handed it over to Alex, who was next to the combined TV/video unit, and Alex slotted it into the machine and switched it on. They leaned forward to watch.The tape started abruptly, panning around a crowd, showing mostly the backs of their heads. The colours were harsh and bright and the sound was hissy but there was the unmistakable air of antic.i.p.ation, like an audience waiting for a concert. Only they weren't looking at a stage. They were looking at a jagged outline of cliff, about thirty metres up. The camera panned around and showed a rocky headland surrounded by dark blue water. Perched on a lower rock, about halfway up the main cliff, were three figures with score cards. The judges.A figure appeared on the summit of the cliff, his dark limbs rippling with muscle, looking all the more striking in red trunks. A rustle of expectation went around the crowd and the video zoomed in.'It's Danny,' said Alex.Danny's face was lost in concentration, hardly registering the spectators below. Not a muscle in his body moved and gradually his stillness hushed the crowd. He took a step forwards and sprang into the air, twisting like a cat, then tumbling into one back somersault, then another. The camera followed him down, the cliff behind him a blur. Even after doing all that he still had time to straighten up and hit the water feet first.The camera focused on the water where he had gone in, the crowd now utterly silent. Then Danny burst to the surface, arms held high in triumph and the audience went wild.Amber was the first to find her voice. 'Wow,' was all she could manage.Paulo said, 'He must have hit that water at about a hundred k per hour. How could anyone do that and survive?'The judges on their rock held up a row of numbers. Danny had scored three perfect tens.'Well, that explains what all the trophies in the bar are,' said Alex.On the screen, Danny had disappeared behind a group of fans, who were all trying to hug him as he got out of the pool.'And this guy's our technical diving teacher?' said Amber. 'We are not worthy.'On the screen, the fans' adulation of Danny continued. 'I feel like hugging him too,' said Li.Paulo gave her a sidelong glance. 'I wonder how I can learn to dive like that.''I don't think I'd fancy the little trunks,' said Alex.Another contestant was ready on the cliff top. Again the crowd whistled and cheered a greeting, then fell silent. The diver leaped into the air, his arms stretched out wide, then he tucked all his limbs in and performed a double somersault.They could see what was going to happen. He hadn't timed it right. The five friends gasped as he hit the water at an angle. The dark pool swallowed him and bounced him up; they caught a glimpse of a limp figure sprawling on the surface and heard a shriek from the crowd, then Danny's face was close to the camera, pulling his finger across his throat. Cut, Cut, he mouthed. The picture went to snowy silence. he mouthed. The picture went to snowy silence.Alex clicked the video off and ejected the tape.'Ouch,' said Hex.'That would be like hitting concrete,' said Paulo.Hex's phone suddenly vibrated on his waistband. He whipped it out. 'Hi, Danny.' He listened and nodded, then said, 'OK,' and cut the connection.'Are we off?' said Alex.Hex stood up and started to tidy the books. 'We need to get full-length wetsuits and dive boots,' he said. 'Danny's teaching at Stormy Point and wants us to meet him there.'Stormy Point was a collection of jagged rocks at the corner of the bay. Now the five friends saw it in a new light, as a series of natural diving platforms. Danny, in cut-off shorts and Nike T-s.h.i.+rt, was sitting at the bottom on a plateau overlooking a pool of deep water, his long, lean frame folded up in a cross-legged position. A small, muscular guy was climbing up to one of the outcrops. The pool was purpose-built, cemented off from the sea, its water pale blue like a swimming pool. It was clean and clear, as the sea had been before the oil put sinister rainbows on its surface.Danny waved to the five friends as they approached across the veranda. They were wearing their wetsuits, unzipped to the waist because of the heat.'The clean-up guys are on their way by helicopter,' said Danny. 'Of course, they would have to be late. We didn't start the lesson because we thought they were going to show up earlier. This is Carl, by the way.'The figure climbing up to one of the outcrops turned and waved, then resumed his climb. He was blond and tanned; Alpha Force recognized him as one of the guests in the bar the previous night.Danny called up to him. 'No, not off that one. The same one as before.'Carl called back. 'But I've done that one.''Do it again,' called Danny. 'It's six metres, plenty high enough.''But I can do twenty metres.''Get six metres right before you go any higher,' Danny replied.Carl came down to the six-metre platform. Having seen the master at work, Alpha Force watched with keen interest. In the distance, the familiar beat of a helicopter sounded. They all looked up and saw the red shape and its steady flas.h.i.+ng lights, one at the front and one on the tail. But it was still a long way away.Carl went to the edge, looked down, took a deep breath, leaped out and made his body stiff and straight like a soldier standing to attention. Moments later he splashed into the pool feet first, then surfaced, spitting out water.'Rubbish,' said Danny. 'You did it again. Keep your legs together.'Carl heaved himself out and stomped back up.Paulo was looking towards the helicopter. It bore a red insignia. 'That's ArBonCo,' he said. 'Should only be a couple of minutes.'Carl whizzed down into the water again.'Awful,' called Danny as he came up. Carl glared at him.Li felt for Carl. 'Sometimes it's hard to master a new move,' she said. She had to raise her voice a little; the helicopter was definitely drawing closer.Danny nodded. 'This is much harder than it looks. Carl's actually quite good. He's been taking lessons for a while. But he lets the wave pull his legs apart. If he did that at twenty metres he'd be torn in half.''We saw your video,' shouted Amber. 'Very impressive.'Danny leaned over and shouted his reply over the noise of the helicopter. 'Then you saw what happened after my dive. That guy didn't walk for five months.'Carl dived again. This time Danny gave him a thumbs-up as he surfaced. 'Nearly.' As the helicopter descended down onto the road behind the dive centre, he pointed up to the six-metre platform again.Danny could see that the five members of Alpha Force were fascinated by the cliff diving. He beckoned to them. They put their heads close to him so they could hear what he had to say over the noise. 'Don't you try this,' he shouted slowly and emphatically. 'Here' he pointed to the pool 'it's easy. I built it. If you jump into a rock pool out in the bay it might not be deep enough or there could be rocks you can't see.' He gestured at the sea with its s.h.i.+mmering oily surface. 'Especially now.' They all nodded but Danny continued to look at them earnestly. 'I've seen divers killed,' killed,' he emphasized. The helicopter lifted off again and headed for the hills. he emphasized. The helicopter lifted off again and headed for the hills.Carl dived again and surfaced. This time Danny was clearly pleased. Two thumbs-ups.A man in red ArBonCo Oil overalls was walking briskly down the beach towards them. By the time he reached them the heli had gone far enough away so they could talk in normal voices again. He went up to Danny. 'Sorry I'm late. Mr Martino?'Danny nodded.'You've got the jet skis?'Danny gestured towards the jetty. 'They're ready and waiting in the boat.'The man looked at Alpha Force. 'And you're the volunteers? Let me explain what you need to do.'

4.

DAMAGE CONTROLDanny steered the Fathom Sprinter Fathom Sprinter out of the bay. She was white like her sister out of the bay. She was white like her sister Fathom Sprite, Fathom Sprite, but bigger and more powerful, with enough room for a dozen divers in full kit. On the back was a winch and in place of the central bench stood three jet skis like a row of sea-going motorbikes. Carl had come along too, orange shorts over his black swimming trunks and flip-flops on his feet. but bigger and more powerful, with enough room for a dozen divers in full kit. On the back was a winch and in place of the central bench stood three jet skis like a row of sea-going motorbikes. Carl had come along too, orange shorts over his black swimming trunks and flip-flops on his feet.They were heading for two tugboats bearing the red and white ArBonCo logo, anch.o.r.ed about 500 metres away from the sh.o.r.e. Two more boats bearing the logos of other dive centres were also heading that way, also with jet skis on the back.Li touched Paulo's arm. She was looking back at the headland where the tanker lay. Its deck rose like a gentle ramp out of the water, red with anti-rust paint. She shook her head slowly. 'What's that done to the coral reef?'Paulo had a question of his own. 'I wonder why it went down at the stern?' he asked. 'I would have expected it to go down at the bow, where it crashed.'Danny was holding a pair of binoculars in one hand, looking through them at the tanker. 'It's deep there but there are rocks near the surface. Easy to get holed. I checked it out as a dive site because that headland's about twenty-five metres high.''Anything to see?' said Alex.Danny lowered the binoculars. His brown eyes squinted into the sun. 'I'm looking for white streaks where that thing wrecked my boat.' He saw several faces look at him with acute embarra.s.sment and clapped Alex on the back. 'I'm not going to let you forget that in a hurry,' he grinned. He handed Alex the tiller. 'Here, look after this while I put my gear on.'Alex gulped. 'Are you sure?' But Danny hadn't heard. The others relaxed. Alex decided they must be forgiven. Still, he made sure to be very, very careful.Paulo's jet ski was first off the Fathom Sprinter Fathom Sprinter and the moment the hull touched the water, he gunned the throttle. On the back, Li gasped and grabbed his waist as they streaked away at its top speed of 60 kph. She wasn't completely taken by surprise because she knew he'd do that. Paulo loved any machine, particularly ones you could sit on or in. and the moment the hull touched the water, he gunned the throttle. On the back, Li gasped and grabbed his waist as they streaked away at its top speed of 60 kph. She wasn't completely taken by surprise because she knew he'd do that. Paulo loved any machine, particularly ones you could sit on or in.Back by the ArBonCo tugs, the other boats were unloading the rest of the jet skis two more from the Sprinter Sprinter and two groups from the other dive schools. All the riders were dressed from head to toe in neoprene dive gear: hoods, full-length suits, gloves and boots, to protect their skin from oil splashes. In the and two groups from the other dive schools. All the riders were dressed from head to toe in neoprene dive gear: hoods, full-length suits, gloves and boots, to protect their skin from oil splashes. In the Fathom Sprinter, Fathom Sprinter, Carl, still in his shorts and flip-flops, winched the crane back in. Carl, still in his shorts and flip-flops, winched the crane back in.Paulo steered back towards the group and cut the engine so it idled. Amber and Hex were on another jet ski, with Alex and Danny on the third. In the tugs were enormous coils of pink and yellow foam, like swiss rolls. The tugs manoeuvred so that they were facing in opposite sections, like two people about to fight a duel, then started to move apart. As they did so, a figure in the back of each tug started to unroll the lengths of foam and feed them into the water. These would form long absorbent barriers sorbent booms to stop the oil spreading.Soon, two long lengths of absorbent foam were drifting in the water, attached to the boats like long tails, one pink, one yellow.Now for the tricky bit. The teams on the jet skis had to position the barriers. The booms were 100 metres long and if they didn't guide them, they would drift, either to where the water was rougher or inwards towards the oily mess. Either way, instead of containing the oil they would spread it out even further.The Fathoms Dive Centre jet skis took the pink half of the boom. The other two dive schools went for the yellow one.Paulo led the way. He took the jet ski two thirds of the way along the boom, then stopped. Behind him, Li leaned over, picked it up out of the water, hoisted it over Paulo's shoulder and grasped it firmly under her arm. Acting smoothly as a team, Hex and Amber, Alex and Danny also moved into position and did the same until they were all carrying the boom behind the moving tug like a giant worm.It was harder than it looked, thought Alex, at the back. The boom was slippery because of the oil and awkward to hold. His arm could barely reach around it. He could see why you needed a pa.s.senger on the back whose sole job was to hold it. They were like ants trying to pick up a huge stick of candy candy that smelled of sulphur and fumes. Then he glanced across at the other tug and realized they weren't doing too badly at all.The other team of jet skis was in chaos. Instead of spreading out they were all trying to pick up the boom at the same point. Alex couldn't believe how disorganized they were. As he watched, one of them tried to copy what Alpha Force were doing and put the boom over the shoulder of the driver in front. But he didn't warn him and the next minute the jet ski toppled them both into the water. For a moment Alex wondered how they could create such a shambles. Then he caught himself. Not everyone knew how to pull together as a team. Alpha Force had been together for so long now that they took their teamwork for granted.Paulo and Hex kept their eyes on the tug, matching its speed. It slowed and stopped and so did they. Danny did too, Alex noted gratefully.The figure in the back of the tug turned to Paulo and put a hand up. Stay there. Stay there. Smoothly as a shoal of fish, the three jet skis stopped and idled, rising and falling in rhythm with the waves. The man on the boat took a green fluorescent buoy like a beach ball out of the boat, fixed a weighted anchor to it and attached his end of the boom to the buoy. He looked up at his row of helpers and indicated to them to lower the boom. Smoothly as a shoal of fish, the three jet skis stopped and idled, rising and falling in rhythm with the waves. The man on the boat took a green fluorescent buoy like a beach ball out of the boat, fixed a weighted anchor to it and attached his end of the boom to the buoy. He looked up at his row of helpers and indicated to them to lower the boom.Li turned and looked behind her, checking Amber had seen. Amber turned and checked for Alex. Together they lowered the foam boom into the water. That was it job done.Now all they had to do was wait until the other half of the boom was positioned, join the two together, and the barrier was up.But the other half didn't seem to be doing so well.The team with the other boat had managed to pick up the boom but the jet skis moved off at different times and the boom knocked half of them into the water. As they struggled to get back on, the boom snaked out and away into the open sea.Paulo and Li pulled up next to Hex and Amber. The two machines bobbed up and down in tandem.'The yellow team need help,' said Paulo. 'If that boom comes over this way they'll do more harm than good.'Amber nodded. 'Lead on, cowboy.'Paulo revved the engine and his jet ski shot away, with Li's hair flowing out behind. Hex opened the throttle and shot after him; Amber let out a whoop of joy. The four of them disappeared in a triumphant wash of spray, the engines letting out a satisfying, deep-throated roar.Danny and Alex, still holding the end of the pink boom, watched them. 'Any excuse,' said Danny.A jet ski from the other team was heading out after the errant boom, but soon gave up as Paulo and Hex overtook them, Paulo going for the end and Hex for the middle.As they reached the boom and cut the engines to idle, the girls on the back leaned over and reached out.And missed. The sea was much choppier out here. The jet skis were rising and falling like surfboards.Li leaned close to Paulo's ear. 'I can't reach it. Go closer.'Paulo opened the throttle a little way. He found himself going backwards.'Other way, idiot,' cried Li.Paulo thought he had been going the other way, but the current threw him towards Hex and Amber instead. He caught a s.n.a.t.c.h of them arguing.'Amber, just grab the big yellow thing.''You do it if it's so easy.'Alex and Danny, still holding onto the end of the boom, could only watch. 'Do they normally use volunteers for this sort of thing?' said Alex.'When they phoned me they said anyone could do it,' replied Danny. 'But it looks quite rough out there today.''Why don't they use boats?' said Alex.'They said boats weren't manoeuvrable enough so it had to be jet skis,' said Danny.The other jet ski riders just sat watching, bobbing up and down like ducks on a choppy lake.Amber suddenly got it. Years of sailing had given her a feel for waves and currents and she suddenly understood what they needed to do. She yelled in Hex's ear, 'Let me drive.''Don't be daft,' said Hex. 'Just tell me what to do.'But it was a question of feel; not something Amber could explain. She reached around Hex, grasped the handlebars and twisted. 'Full speed ahead,' she yelled.Hex had to trust her. He opened the throttle as far as it would go. Amber took the jet ski hard sideways, almost in a skid, then leaned down like a jousting knight, scooped up the boom and sat up, triumphant at last.Paulo and Li had been watching. 'Hey,' said Li. 'They've got some good moves.'Paulo realized where he had been going wrong. He needed to come in fast and at an angle. Amber had studied the current and worked with it. Paulo gunned the engine. Li was ready. She grabbed the boom, flipped it up and moments later it was resting over their shoulders, tamed.Together the four riders brought the end of the other boom back to Alex and Danny. From the watchers on the other skis came a polite round of applause. While one tugboat anch.o.r.ed the boom with a buoy, the second chugged into the middle, where Amber and Li held up the other two ends. Two more weighted buoys joined them together and secured them and that was it. The bay and the leaking tanker were now surrounded by 200 metres of sorbent boom.The Fathom Sprinter Fathom Sprinter rode the waves, heading back towards the sh.o.r.e. Oily water collected in puddles on the white floor as the six jet skiers peeled off their dive clothing. rode the waves, heading back towards the sh.o.r.e. Oily water collected in puddles on the white floor as the six jet skiers peeled off their dive clothing.The beach ahead was edged with black instead of white. A pair of figures in red ArBonCo overalls and full-face masks were walking down the cliff, carrying backpacks and hoses. They looked like they were clearing up a radioactive spill.'What on earth are they doing?' said Amber.'The next stage,' said Carl. 'They're either going to squirt the oil back into the sea or coat the beach with detergent so the oil starts to break up.''You sound as if you know about this sort of thing, Carl,' said Amber.'I'm doing a master's degree in marine biology in Canada,' replied Carl. 'I've seen all this before.'Li was looking at the small red figures with their hoses. 'Detergent,' she repeated. 'That's just more pollution. Do these guys have a clue what they're doing?' She gestured back at the sherbet-coloured boom behind them. 'That was a fiasco. And it's just floating there with two buoys in the middle of the sea it's not attached to anything.''They calculate the position according to the currents and winds,' said Carl. 'That's the furthest the oil will go. Not much will get around the sides and if it does it's not enough to do any harm.'Danny, at the tiller, had been quiet. Now he spoke. 'I'm going to send you guys home.'As one, Alpha Force said, 'We're staying.''Me too,' added Carl.'But you came for a holiday,' said Danny. 'We can't give you a holiday.''We came to learn technical diving,' insisted Alex. 'We can still do that.''And,' said Amber, 'we want to help.'The mobile on the car dashboard began playing Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells. Tubular Bells. The driver hit The driver hit ANSWER ANSWER before it had got through the first bar and rested his hand back on the leather gear lever, waiting for the traffic lights to change. It was a top-of-the-range BMW, the interior a luxurious oasis of tan-coloured leather. before it had got through the first bar and rested his hand back on the leather gear lever, waiting for the traffic lights to change. It was a top-of-the-range BMW, the interior a luxurious oasis of tan-coloured leather.He snapped a greeting. 'Yes?'The caller was equally abrupt. Either he didn't like to mess about with pleasantries or he was short of time. 'I thought you said the s.h.i.+p would blow up. It hasn't. It's just sitting there. I keep seeing it on every news programme.' The phone made the voice sound tinny and petulant.The lights changed and the driver accelerated, swinging past an elderly brown Vauxhall. 'I thought it would blow up too. They said these things are unpredictable. It's highly unstable. It could go at any minute.''Unstable or not, people might go in there and snoop around.'The driver blistered through the gears up to fourth. The engine calmed and settled to cruise. 'It will be all right. n.o.body's going to snoop around.''You'd better do something to make sure they don't,' squawked the voice. There was a click.The driver stabbed at the b.u.t.ton to cut the connection and glared at the phone for a moment.On his right was the TV company. He swung the car in through the gates.

5.

BIRDS'May 1 just say first of all how much we regret the incident,' said the figure on TV. He looked like a standard executive suit, tie, clean-shaven and neatly groomed. A caption on the screen said his name was Neil Hearst, CEO of ArBonCo Oil. said the figure on TV. He looked like a standard executive suit, tie, clean-shaven and neatly groomed. A caption on the screen said his name was Neil Hearst, CEO of ArBonCo Oil.Watching the news in the bar was becoming a new ritual. But tonight the audience was smaller just Carl, Alpha Force, Danny and Lynn.Lynn gave a derisive splutter. 'And you'll regret the bill you're going to get for all the guests I've had to refund. Plus the cost of our boat.'On the screen Neil Hearst said, 'We have now surrounded the site. There shouldn't be any further damage.' 'We have now surrounded the site. There shouldn't be any further damage.'Danny snorted. 'Look at that fat twit in his striped s.h.i.+rt. He couldn't care less.'Amber wouldn't have put it quite that way, but she had to agree there was a certain insincerity about the man. She glanced at the others. They clearly felt the same.The phone rang. Danny answered, one eye still on the screen. 'Yes? Oh hi. Greg. Yeah, we're watching it too.''Hi, Greg,' Lynn called across. 'I thought he was on duty tonight,' she added. She leaned across to Li. 'Greg's the coastguard,' she explained.On the TV, Neil Hearst was looking earnest. 'I'm a sailing man myself, so I'm counting the cost personally as well.'' a sailing man myself, so I'm counting the cost personally as well.''Danny snorted into the phone. 'Greg, did you hear that? He's saying he can't go out and play in his posh yacht so that means he understands.' Then Greg must have said something important because Danny took his eyes off the screen and concentrated on the call.The interviewer was saying, 'I understand the captain of the tanker is receiving medical care, is that right?' understand the captain of the tanker is receiving medical care, is that right?''Yes,' said Neil Hearst. said Neil Hearst. 'He is suffering from stress and is taking sick leave.' 'He is suffering from stress and is taking sick leave.'Danny put the receiver down. The interviewer wrapped up and moved on to another story.Lynn hit the OFF OFF b.u.t.ton and turned to look at Danny. 'What did Greg say?' b.u.t.ton and turned to look at Danny. 'What did Greg say?'Danny looked tired. 'They've cordoned off the cliff: we can't go near it because the impact might have made it unstable. Plus the tanker might explode because of air mixing with gases from the oil. His daughter's asthma has flared up because of all these fumes and he had to rush her to the medical centre. And the Fisheries Authority has introduced a fis.h.i.+ng ban.'Carl's expression was pained. 'Oh and I was looking forward to some more of your delicious flying fish, Lynn.''Why don't they ban breathing while they're at it,' said Lynn, 'since that's now bad for us.' She looked at the six remaining guests. 'Honestly, guys, I don't know how you can still stand it here.'The five friends kept thinking about Lynn's words. When they woke up the next morning the air still smelled of the rotten sulphur of the oil, but it had a new, astringent note. They could smell it all the time they were in the library, quizzing Danny about gas mixtures for different levels of diving while they waited to hear how they could help. Everywhere was quiet; instead of the constant cries of seabirds, there was just silence. When volunteers were once again summoned to help with the clean-up, they put on wetsuits and went back out to the beach. That was when they got their biggest shock.The beach looked like industrial waste ground. Men in red overalls, gloves, masks and rubber boots were walking up and down, spraying it with chemicals from tanks on their backs. It no longer looked like sand; it looked like glossy tar. Between their footprints, the blackened corpses of birds struggled and twitched, or had given up the fight and were lying still.An oil-covered bird staggered onto the beach and toppled over, its proud plumage sticking out in oily spikes and only its eyes looking normal. Paulo kneeled to look at it. A black pattern of sc.u.m swirled around the small depression its body had made, the liquid trickling down the sh.o.r.e and into the sea like tears. The bird blinked as the chemicals touched its eyes.A busy-looking man in red overalls beckoned them over to a crate and gave them rubber gloves and face masks. Then it was time to start digging the birds out of the slimy sand.Some locals were already at work, carefully picking up bird after bird. Hex never forgot the moment he touched his first one. Although he wore gloves he could feel the oiled texture of its feathers and the sharp lines of its bones through its skin. He cupped his hands and picked it up and it twitched. Hex stopped and stared at it, stunned. He had never held a live bird in his hands before. And if this one hadn't been in such a desperate state he wouldn't have been able to hold it.On the veranda was a trestle table, where a vet stood writing on a clipboard. Hex hurried up there, his feet slipping in the wet, slimy sand. The bird's heart beat like a frantic pump beneath his fingers. By the trestle table was a large basket full of blackened dead birds. It looked like a sick joke. The vet stood over them, her expression weary.Hex held out the creature cradled in his hands. 'This one's alive.'The vet carefully took the bird from him. Just touching the emaciated body told her enough. 'I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. She's poisoned. I'll put her to sleep.' She didn't even look at Hex as she spoke; she had obviously done this numerous times already.Hex watched the vet take the bird to the end of the table. There was a small folding screen arranged on it, like curtained screens in a hospital. He couldn't see what the vet did next and he didn't want to, but he was struck by how carefully and tenderly she treated the bird. He looked at the other locals, working slowly and silently, then at Amber, kneeling down, excavating a bird with the utmost care. Paulo's expressive face showed all the horror he was feeling. Alex's and Li's faces were blank; they were locked in their own private worlds. Lynn, Danny and Carl were there too, digging in a silent line. Many of the other volunteers he didn't know, but one he recognized very well. He couldn't mistake the wild hair Mara Thomas, the doctor they had seen on TV the other night.Every hour they needed a break. Despite their masks the fumes made them nauseous and the full-length wetsuits were hot in the bright suns.h.i.+ne. The workers sat on the veranda, gloves off, masks down, wetsuits unzipped, gulping down water.Mara pulled bottles of Evian out of an ice bucket and handed them around. 'I saw the Rastafarians come down this morning to fish. The Ministry of Fisheries has taped off their spot near the clinic.' She sighed, then leaned across to Li and touched her on the arm. 'Excuse me, dear, I'd wash that off quickly if I were you. I've got patients in my clinic with nasty rashes.' She pointed to the back of Li's neck.Paulo, next to her, saw a streak of oil like black paint on Li's golden skin. 'You've got a smear of oil. Hold still.' There was a tray of wet wipes on the veranda. He tore one out of its wrapper.'Mara's our local doctor,' said Lynn as Paulo moved Li's plait aside and dabbed at her neck. 'Have you met her?'Li nodded a greeting at Mara, then turned to glare at Paulo. 'Don't scrub, you'll drive it into my skin.'Paulo paused. 'It's not coming off.'Mara put down her water and moved over to Li. 'Yes it will. Give that here.' She put out her hand and Paulo handed her the wet wipe. She began to stroke the area of oil. Then she looked at it, puzzled. The dark oil smudge hadn't moved. 'Funny,' she said. She held up Li's plait to Paulo. 'Here, can you hold this out of the way?'Li swayed as Mara scrubbed hard. 'Stop looking like you've been proved right,' she said crossly to Paulo.'It's not usually as sticky as this,' said Mara.Carl came and sat down, pulling the top off a bottle of water and holding it up as if to toast the others. He took a long drink then looked at the bottle thoughtfully. 'Isn't there anything stronger?' He looked around for Danny. 'Where's our barman when we need him?'Hex sat down next to Carl. 'Have you noticed,' he said, 'that some of the oil is thin but some is like treacle and sticks to your gloves?'Alex was listening to them. He peeled off his gloves with a snap. 'Yeah, Hex, I've seen that. Weird, isn't it?'Carl shook his head. 'It's impossible. The tanker was only carrying one type of oil. Heavy heating oils, they said.'Alex shook out his gloves to turn them the right way out. He showed the streaks to Carl. 'No, look. Here I've got a greasy and pale bit, and here there's a sticky, treacle-like bit.'Carl frowned. 'May I?' He took the glove and looked at it thoughtfully.Amber rolled her eyes. 'You boys. You'll be comparing boogers next.''Mara,' called Carl, holding out the glove, 'what do you make of this?'Mara put down the wipe she had been using on Li, took the glove and considered the dirty marks on it.'That's two types of oil, isn't it?' said Carl.'It shouldn't be,' said Mara. 'They normally only carry one type.' She held up the glove so that the sunlight glinted off it. The lighter streaks had a pearly sheen, but the dark ones remained dull. 'But some of this looks a lot more refined than the other.'Amber couldn't see what all the fuss was about. 'So this tanker carried two types of oil. What's the big deal?''They don't do that,' said Mara. Her springy curls waved as she shook her head. 'It's not economical.''You sound as if you have insider knowledge,' said Alex.'I worked in petrochemicals a long time ago,' said Mara. 'Before I decided I wanted to be a bit more help to mankind and retrained in medicine.''The other oil could be the s.h.i.+p's operating fuel,' said Hex. 'Maybe its tank was ruptured.''But then they'd sa