10th May, 1965: one knock for yes
The radio won’t work. She’d come down too soon, too fast, flotation devices bursting in the heat and when she’d slammed into the sea-bed, things had snapped and broken. So, it’s little surprise that the radio doesn’t work.
On the other hand, it isn’t as if she has anything else to do.
She fiddles and presses buttons and slides the frequency up and down and never forgets to keep half an eye on the oxygen and carbon dioxide gauges.
~
At one point, she thinks she hears a scream from outside.
But that’s absurd.
~
Outside, the world is a brilliant, blank blue but she really, really couldn’t care less.
Someone rocked the capsule.
It wasn’t the current, it was too sharp for that and anyway she felt everything rock back into place. A couple moments later, and something (someone) knocks from outside. Then again, and again.
By the third rap, she’s on that side of her cabin and banging back, sharp and desperate and I’m here I’m alive don’t leave me.
~
He speaks English, which doesn’t surprise her, but so does she and she can hear him through the hull. They establish a code, one knock for yes and two for no.
“Do you have air?”
Tap.
“Over an hour? ”
Tap.
“How many? ”
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
“Are you injured? ”
Tap, tap.
“Do the Russians know you are here? ”
Tap.
(They know the co-ordinates of her re-entry, anyway. It's close enough)
~
It’s strange, how terrible the silence is now that she’s actually talked to someone.
~
“I’m back! Can you hear me? ”
Tap.
“I’ve got a rope, and I’m going to tie it on to the parachute cables. We’re about three kilometres from an island. As soon as we’ve made you fast we’ll head towards it. We can’t lift you out of the water with the gear on the lugger, so we’ll try to get you up on the beach. You understand? ”
Tap.
The capsule is rocked as he secures the rope and the relief is almost painful. She’s getting out, she’s getting out-
“Hello! I’ve fixed the rope. We’ll lift in a minute. D’you hear me? ”
Tap.
“Then you can hear this too. You’ll never get there alive. I’ve fixed that as well. ”
…what
Tap, tap.
“You’ve got five hours to die. My brother took longer than that, when he ran into the mine field. You understand? I’m from Budapest! I hate you and your country and everything it stands for. You’ve taken my home, my family, made my people slaves. I wish I could see your face now! I wish I could watch you die, as I had to watch Theo. When you’re halfway to the island, this rope is going to break where I cut it. I’ll go down and fix another AND THAT’LL BREAK, TOO. You can sit in there and wait for the bumps. ”
you cowardly bastard
“Did you hear me? Did you hear me? ”
She glares at the side of her cabin and crosses her arms.
“Damn you! I know you’re listening! If you don’t answer, I’ll hole you and let the water in! ”
it’d be faster
She keeps her arms crossed, obscurely satisfied when the nameless man from Budapest thumps the side and silence falls.
~
The mood lasts approximately twenty seconds.
On the other hand, it isn’t as if she has anything else to do.
She fiddles and presses buttons and slides the frequency up and down and never forgets to keep half an eye on the oxygen and carbon dioxide gauges.
~
At one point, she thinks she hears a scream from outside.
But that’s absurd.
~
Outside, the world is a brilliant, blank blue but she really, really couldn’t care less.
Someone rocked the capsule.
It wasn’t the current, it was too sharp for that and anyway she felt everything rock back into place. A couple moments later, and something (someone) knocks from outside. Then again, and again.
By the third rap, she’s on that side of her cabin and banging back, sharp and desperate and I’m here I’m alive don’t leave me.
~
He speaks English, which doesn’t surprise her, but so does she and she can hear him through the hull. They establish a code, one knock for yes and two for no.
“Do you have air?”
Tap.
“Over an hour? ”
Tap.
“How many? ”
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.
“Are you injured? ”
Tap, tap.
“Do the Russians know you are here? ”
Tap.
(They know the co-ordinates of her re-entry, anyway. It's close enough)
~
It’s strange, how terrible the silence is now that she’s actually talked to someone.
~
“I’m back! Can you hear me? ”
Tap.
“I’ve got a rope, and I’m going to tie it on to the parachute cables. We’re about three kilometres from an island. As soon as we’ve made you fast we’ll head towards it. We can’t lift you out of the water with the gear on the lugger, so we’ll try to get you up on the beach. You understand? ”
Tap.
The capsule is rocked as he secures the rope and the relief is almost painful. She’s getting out, she’s getting out-
“Hello! I’ve fixed the rope. We’ll lift in a minute. D’you hear me? ”
Tap.
“Then you can hear this too. You’ll never get there alive. I’ve fixed that as well. ”
…what
Tap, tap.
“You’ve got five hours to die. My brother took longer than that, when he ran into the mine field. You understand? I’m from Budapest! I hate you and your country and everything it stands for. You’ve taken my home, my family, made my people slaves. I wish I could see your face now! I wish I could watch you die, as I had to watch Theo. When you’re halfway to the island, this rope is going to break where I cut it. I’ll go down and fix another AND THAT’LL BREAK, TOO. You can sit in there and wait for the bumps. ”
you cowardly bastard
“Did you hear me? Did you hear me? ”
She glares at the side of her cabin and crosses her arms.
“Damn you! I know you’re listening! If you don’t answer, I’ll hole you and let the water in! ”
it’d be faster
She keeps her arms crossed, obscurely satisfied when the nameless man from Budapest thumps the side and silence falls.
~
The mood lasts approximately twenty seconds.