1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:06,480 My name is Kada. I take pride in my work, and I work 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:12,080 on the pipes. My current job revolves around an oil pipeline in the Persian 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:16,839 Gulf, to the very bottom of the sea between Saudi Arabia and Iran. 4 00:00:18,399 --> 00:00:23,839 It's just gone midday, but unfortunately we are too far down for the light 5 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:29,559 of the surface to reach us, so my current surroundings are illuminated by nothing 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:35,039 more than the yellowish beam of my flashlight. A small collection of bubbles escape 7 00:00:35,039 --> 00:00:39,799 from my diving mask. They ripple up and out of sight as I gently 8 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:46,439 kick my flippers, slowly propelling myself through the gloom as a worker down here, 9 00:00:47,079 --> 00:00:51,320 I am one of three, but the others are not currently visible to 10 00:00:51,359 --> 00:00:56,960 me. My beam lands on a great mittle pipe, the one that extends 11 00:00:57,079 --> 00:01:02,200 up into the habitat, a cage like artificial pocket of air, and down 12 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,079 down to the depths below. I look down and cast my beam over the 13 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:14,640 pipe's body. The light catches on nothing but the rusted metal, alone cylindrical 14 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:19,760 obelisk in the watery world around me. I lowered the beam. I cast 15 00:01:19,799 --> 00:01:23,719 it as far down as it will go, but all I see are my 16 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:30,200 flippers beneath me gently kicking, and the great pipe vanishing into the blue black 17 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:38,159 darkness beneath my feet. A chill passes through my body. I hear the 18 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,879 sound of my heartbeat to my ears. Where this vertical pipe connects through its 19 00:01:42,879 --> 00:01:49,000 horizontal brother on the ocean floor, there is an enormous metal structure of sorts, 20 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,400 one with the purpose of keeping a series of temporary installments attached to the 21 00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:59,920 pipe in place. I cannot see this monstrosity at present, but the simple 22 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:07,159 act of knowing, knowing that far below lurks a monstrous metal skeleton waiting patiently 23 00:02:07,239 --> 00:02:13,560 beneath my feet A shiver. They tell tales about this place, you know, 24 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:19,479 about the sea, Tales of malevolent spirits. They play tricks on divers 25 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:25,479 water ginn. They're called these spirits, show divers, illusions and distortions to 26 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:31,400 confuse them. They get them deliberately lost as a form of amusement, the 27 00:02:31,479 --> 00:02:38,199 tales say, and then, depending on the spirit's moods, they either get 28 00:02:38,199 --> 00:02:46,120 bored and let them go, or they devour them. Something glitters in the 29 00:02:46,159 --> 00:02:50,080 gloom in the corner of my eye, and I wheel around in the water, 30 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,840 raising the beam of the flashlight. A gasp escaping into my mask, 31 00:02:54,840 --> 00:03:00,319 but the beam lends on nothing more than a school of tiny silver fish. 32 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:05,840 They flit aby and pay me no mind, and I catch my breath. 33 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,719 Idiot kadah, I muttered to myself, my voice obscured by the mask. 34 00:03:12,479 --> 00:03:15,319 Then I kick my way up through the water, following the pipe towards the 35 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:23,080 habitat's air pocket. I see the waterline rippling above me. It draws closer 36 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:28,800 and closer, and I catch sight of flashes of collar beyond my comrades. 37 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:35,120 Eventually I break through the surface, popping off my mouthpiece and raising my mask, 38 00:03:35,719 --> 00:03:38,879 shaking my hair as I clamber up onto the little platform that surrounds us, 39 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:45,120 a bench like apparatus that goes all the way around the inside rim of 40 00:03:45,199 --> 00:03:51,479 the habitat. As I said before, I am one of three. My 41 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,360 colleagues are called Amir and Ahmad, and they sit waiting for me, their 42 00:03:55,439 --> 00:04:01,240 legs dangling over the side, their flippers dipped in the water beneath. I 43 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,120 let out a grunt and a sigh as I take a seat beside them, 44 00:04:05,439 --> 00:04:12,080 my own flippers half submerged in the water beneath. It seems almost paradoxical, 45 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,480 this little space a marvel of physics. We sit far below the surface of 46 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:24,120 the sea in the small confines that the habitat provides, and yet we have 47 00:04:24,199 --> 00:04:30,160 air. The habitat is a metal box about four meters in width and three 48 00:04:30,199 --> 00:04:33,959 in height. The air in here is dank and stale, but it is 49 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:40,399 at the least quite breathable. From the center of the water between us, 50 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:46,040 the pipe extends up and into the stagnant air. The pipe is currently carked 51 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,240 by an enormous rubber plug, one that we will need to deflate before our 52 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:55,639 shifts is over. Its purpose is to prevent the oil inside the pipe leaking 53 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,839 out into the sea. Thanks to the habitat, we can se safely remove 54 00:05:00,879 --> 00:05:06,079 it now without risk of environmental damage. The pipe in question goes all the 55 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:11,120 way down to the bottom of the sea in a straight line, and there 56 00:05:11,319 --> 00:05:16,800 it's split in two and travels horizontally across the sea floor. One end travels 57 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:21,240 north, a few miles out of the Saudi Arabian coast, and the other 58 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:27,800 travels south. It's just about wide enough for a man to squeeze down should 59 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:32,040 an emergency repair need taking place from the inside, but the diameter is not 60 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:38,120 large. I wipe some of the salt water from my face. As a 61 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:43,360 mere connects a long black cable to the depressurizer. The end of the cable 62 00:05:43,439 --> 00:05:47,759 leads down into the pipe and is connected to the rubber plug. See any 63 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:53,680 spirits down there today, Kadar Emir asks me as he fastens the seal on 64 00:05:53,720 --> 00:06:00,680 the cable. The Genel Baha Akama chuckles, scratching his beard his voice as 65 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:06,759 there's Amir's echoes around the somewhat clostrophobic confines of the habitat. I smiled dryly. 66 00:06:08,959 --> 00:06:15,480 No spirits, Amir, Just I think about the pipe disappearing down into 67 00:06:15,519 --> 00:06:19,879 the darkness far below. I can't quite explain why it gives me the creeps, 68 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:28,839 It just does, just what Emir asks, Nothing I finish. What 69 00:06:28,959 --> 00:06:33,160 about you, guys, any spirits? I turned ark mad? Have you 70 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:39,040 finally caught sight of Gino Baha? I wave my hands and fingers, mysteriously, 71 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:44,879 teasing him. But Ahmed is undaunted. You mark Kadhah. But the 72 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,600 sea, this ancient sea. If we're going to see one, then it'll 73 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:55,480 be here. He claps his hands together and a small shower of water droplets 74 00:06:55,480 --> 00:07:00,959 splashed down onto the water by our feet, the shimmering blue gateway to the 75 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:06,480 sea below, the sea above, and the ocean all around. And I'll 76 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:12,120 tell you what else, He continues, raising a finger. I did see 77 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:17,000 something. Oh here we go, Emir mutters, rolling his eyes. No, 78 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:21,079 no, listen, Akhmed says, hurriedly, just listen to this. 79 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:26,480 So there I was, right about an hour ago, swimming around near the 80 00:07:26,519 --> 00:07:31,800 pipe when it may have gotten a little distracted by a fish. Emir shakes 81 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:36,040 his head and we exchange a glance. You should have seen it, Emir, 82 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:41,480 a great golden thing. I wanted a better look, so I left 83 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,600 the pipe and followed it, just for a short while, and eventually he 84 00:07:45,639 --> 00:07:50,800 got spooked and vanished into the blue. Ahmed falters. He rubs his chin. 85 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:57,040 It was actually quite an alarming experience. I turned back to the pipe, 86 00:07:57,079 --> 00:08:01,240 and of course I saw nothing but the endless void of the ocean. 87 00:08:01,399 --> 00:08:07,519 I try to rejoice my steps, but again there were no steps. I 88 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:16,079 was alone. It was frightening. Amir and myself remain silent. But then 89 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:22,160 that's when I saw it. I saw them. Akman continues, practically jumping 90 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:26,480 on the metal ledge. We're all perched on. Ay, easy, I 91 00:08:26,519 --> 00:08:31,199 say, as I feel myself rattle in time to his jumps. Emir flicks 92 00:08:31,199 --> 00:08:37,879 a switch and a depressurization machine. It starts to rumble. Ahmed leans forward, 93 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:43,120 looking between us. Out there in the far distance, I see a 94 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,559 trio of shapes, three figures, like shadows in the deep, in the 95 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:52,519 gloom. You should take a poetry, Amir mutters as he flicks another switch. 96 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,399 Against my sense of better judgment, I am too engrossed by Ahmed's story 97 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:03,360 to pay it to to exactly what it is he's doing. What kind of 98 00:09:03,399 --> 00:09:09,879 shapes? I ask? What kind of figures? They were? Like smoke, 99 00:09:09,639 --> 00:09:15,759 except no, more like mist, maybe thick, dense mist, with 100 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:20,840 eyes that flickered pale, like refracting sunlight. You had to look a certain 101 00:09:20,879 --> 00:09:28,279 way to see them. Akman's voice drops low, becomes wistful. I saw 102 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:33,240 them for only a second or two, and then they were gone, vanished. 103 00:09:33,759 --> 00:09:37,320 How do you get back to the pipe? I ask? Did the 104 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:43,480 spirits show you the way? Emya chuckles, Well, no, I just 105 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:48,200 used the compass, Akhmed says, But that's beside the point. I saw 106 00:09:48,279 --> 00:09:52,840 something I know I did. I thought the spirits were supposed to be dangerous. 107 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,200 They may says the stories always tell of how cruel they are. They 108 00:09:58,279 --> 00:10:01,279 play pranks on divers like us. You. Oh, they bang on the 109 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:05,279 pipes, they groan and moan from the inside, makes you think that they 110 00:10:05,279 --> 00:10:11,080 are monsters inside waiting to burst right out and get you. Maybe that's why 111 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:16,440 they appeared to me, Acmed says thoughtfully, then gestures to the pipe between 112 00:10:16,519 --> 00:10:20,080 us. Maybe they were trying to warn us. Perhaps there's a monster in 113 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:28,000 the pipe. Emir snorts, don't be ridiculous. Maybe once the plug is 114 00:10:28,039 --> 00:10:33,919 deflated, Achmed says softly, maybe the beast will spring right out. And 115 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:39,080 where would we go? We were effectively trapped down here. When you really 116 00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:45,320 think about it, there is a moment of uncomfortable silence, broken only by 117 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:50,440 a slow hissing produced by the depressorization machine as it begins its work deflating the 118 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:56,480 plug in the pipe. Nonsense, Emir says, after a beat, shaking 119 00:10:56,519 --> 00:11:01,720 his head. Don't say such stupid stuff. All I'm saying, Ahmed finishes, 120 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:07,159 shrugging, is that the spirits aren't necessarily something to be feared. I 121 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:11,879 know you guys don't really believe, but they can be helpful too. They 122 00:11:11,879 --> 00:11:18,519 don't devour people. The genial Bihar mischievous maybe, but not unkind in their 123 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:24,919 own way. The mere grunts and waves his hand dismissively. Akhmed looks at 124 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:31,960 me for support and I just laugh. Come on, I say, enough 125 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,600 is enough. I think we have work to do. I would want to 126 00:11:35,799 --> 00:11:41,080 hear to snitch on us again. The conversation shifts, and a collective grown 127 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:48,879 echoes around the habitat. I can't stand that guy, Amir says traumatically. 128 00:11:48,879 --> 00:11:54,440 We all laugh. Our collective dislike of the man has become a running joke 129 00:11:54,480 --> 00:12:00,480 between us. So Here is technically a colleague of ours, and although we 130 00:12:00,639 --> 00:12:05,000 rarely work in close capacity, his projects always seem to be in tandem to 131 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:09,720 our own, so we're never quite rid of him. He has thick red 132 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:15,000 hair and a ridiculous scraggly beard, and all in all, he makes himself 133 00:12:15,039 --> 00:12:18,480 an easy target, a busy body and a teacher's pet. You see, 134 00:12:20,159 --> 00:12:24,440 he clocks in more hours than he has to unpaid I my ad. Yet 135 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:30,200 despite his enduring and tragic efforts, he always gets passed up for promotion because 136 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:35,080 he has a vacuum for a personality. So Here is entirely devoid of charisma. 137 00:12:37,519 --> 00:12:39,559 Maybe we should play a prank on him before we go up, Emir 138 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:45,559 suggests. As the machine deflating the plug kicks up a gear, the hissing 139 00:12:45,639 --> 00:12:50,279 grows louder. What kind of prank, Ahmed asks, I don't know. 140 00:12:50,639 --> 00:12:54,080 We could head over to his site in Azrakwan. Bang some pipes, make 141 00:12:54,159 --> 00:12:58,519 some noise, give him a little spook of his shift is over. Could 142 00:12:58,519 --> 00:13:03,919 be fun. Wouldn't be worth it? I reply, As much fun as 143 00:13:03,919 --> 00:13:09,480 that sounds, as Rakwan is a kilometer and a half away, do you 144 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:13,960 really want to swim all the waves and childish prank? And besides, we 145 00:13:13,159 --> 00:13:18,360 never falls a here with that spirit nonsense. The man doesn't believe in anything, 146 00:13:18,879 --> 00:13:26,200 He's got no imagination, true, Emir nods regretfully. He fiddles with 147 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:31,759 a machine beside him, then gives it a light slap, and it does 148 00:13:31,799 --> 00:13:35,960 its job. It finishes deflating the plug to a sufficient degree, freeing up 149 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:41,919 a space around it, and opening a way down into the pipe. What 150 00:13:43,039 --> 00:13:46,600 this was supposed to do was allow us to reach in all the deflated plug 151 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,639 out check for leaks, damage, and whether the plug needs a potential replacement. 152 00:13:52,799 --> 00:13:56,360 We should have been able to do this easily and safely, as the 153 00:13:56,440 --> 00:14:01,360 pipe at this time and on this day is supposed to be filled with oil 154 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:09,919 for whatever reason. However, the pipe is not there is, as it 155 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:16,000 turns out, significantly less oil inside than we were told and as was believed, 156 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:22,960 And so what happens instead takes place over the course of a few terrible 157 00:14:22,039 --> 00:14:28,480 seconds, a true nightmare that I will never ever be able to forget. 158 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:35,080 The positive pressure inside the habitat, the little atmosphere keeping us alive, rushes 159 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:41,080 instantaneously into the pipe and forces down the small amount of oil at a monstrous 160 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:48,000 inhuman speed. This motion creates what I can only describe as a blinding vortex. 161 00:14:48,919 --> 00:14:52,840 The air and the ocean are hauled up and around us like a sudden 162 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,639 whirlwind of chaos and terror. In the blink of an eye, my vision 163 00:14:56,679 --> 00:15:01,320 is lost to a brutal and immediate rush of darkness as my body is slammed 164 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:07,879 into the habitat wall. I scream, but all that I could produce is 165 00:15:07,919 --> 00:15:11,960 froth and bubbles. As my shoulder cracks on the edge of something metal, 166 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:18,879 I do not know which way is up or down. The safety and sanctuary 167 00:15:18,919 --> 00:15:22,679 of the habitat is shattered. I can see nothing but shadow, as water 168 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:28,879 blasts into my nose and my mouth and eyes, and I am sucked instantly 169 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:33,559 and brutally down into the pipe. I can feel its walls pressing against me 170 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:39,039 on all sides as I am dragged cataclysmically between them. I am forced through 171 00:15:39,039 --> 00:15:45,720 the water and the oil head first, at near breakneck speed. Blood rushes 172 00:15:45,759 --> 00:15:48,879 to my head as my arms and legs are smashed and battered against the metal. 173 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:56,559 There is only terror, terror, and darkness. My head strikes against 174 00:15:56,559 --> 00:16:00,879 the metal as the pipe levels out, and the world behind my screwed shut 175 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:07,600 eyelids flashes red then white. Are ringing echoes in my ears and competes with 176 00:16:07,679 --> 00:16:12,600 the thunderous rush of the water. As I release an involuntary bellow of pain, 177 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:18,519 oil and sea water pour into my mouth my lungs, and I swallow 178 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:23,240 some and breathe in the rest, choking and drowning as I am dragged to 179 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:30,440 the pipe along the seafloor. I'm going to die. This one singular thought 180 00:16:30,559 --> 00:16:36,759 plays over and over in my head. I'm going to die, and this 181 00:16:37,039 --> 00:16:44,360 is the end. The terror of my situation, for a quick fleeting moment 182 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,519 is replaced by an eerie calm. The sounds of the rushing, hammering water 183 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:55,960 do not lessen, but I find my altitude changed. It soothes me, 184 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,480 and I think about a beach I visited as a young child with my family 185 00:17:00,919 --> 00:17:07,359 as I prepare to exhale my final breath, except instead of producing bubbles as 186 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:12,519 I do so, I instead begin to choke and to splutter. I start 187 00:17:12,519 --> 00:17:19,720 a cough, spluttering, coughing, and I realize at once that this can 188 00:17:19,799 --> 00:17:27,519 only mean one thing. I have found air. I gasp and wretch. 189 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,680 I tried to bring my hands up to my mouth, but they banged painfully 190 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:37,839 against the inner wall of the pipe. My right wrist robs angrily, sending 191 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:41,160 shards of pain shooting up my arm. I think the entire hand may be 192 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:47,559 broken. Air, I think to myself, and the vision of the beaches 193 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:52,240 lost. The terror floods immediately back into my mind in the same manner as 194 00:17:52,279 --> 00:17:57,039 the water was hauled into the pipe. Most of my head is submerged in 195 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:02,799 water, though my eyes, nose, and mouth are free. I can 196 00:18:02,839 --> 00:18:06,880 lift my head. Then my ears are raised above the waterline, and I 197 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:11,839 am able to hear. But the action presses on my forehead against the cold 198 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:18,759 metal above me. I've stopped moving, and the reality of my situation sets 199 00:18:18,759 --> 00:18:26,000 in. I'm in the pipe. Oh no, My murmur aloud, wretching 200 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:30,440 as I cough up water and oil. Oh no, no, no no, 201 00:18:30,039 --> 00:18:34,759 I scream. I slam my good fist against the metal, shouting for 202 00:18:34,839 --> 00:18:41,200 help. Please, I scream into the pitch black darkness, please someone, 203 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:48,119 Amir Ahmed. Panic strikes. There is nowhere to go, nowhere to run, 204 00:18:48,079 --> 00:18:53,680 and no one to hear me. I can barely move. The water 205 00:18:53,839 --> 00:18:59,799 ebbs and sloshes around my face, and I gasp. My breathing becomes shallow 206 00:18:59,799 --> 00:19:03,920 and dangerous. You're not drowning. I have to keep telling myself, You're 207 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,160 not drowning. You have some air, you can breathe, You can breathe. 208 00:19:07,599 --> 00:19:12,480 Calm yourself, Calm yourself. Gaddah. I tried to raise my legs 209 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:17,960 and one of my flippers kicks against the roof of the pipe. I try 210 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,799 to turn a little to my side and realize that to do so requires significant 211 00:19:22,839 --> 00:19:27,359 effort and a reasonable degree of pain. I've done some serious damage to my 212 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:33,960 shoulder and my neck too. Perhaps the simple act of raising my head causes 213 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,200 immense pain to shoot down my spine, but to allow my head to lower 214 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:44,319 completely would mean the majority my face is submerged. I forced myself to slow 215 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:55,160 my breathing. That's the priority. Nice slow breathing in and out, slow 216 00:19:55,359 --> 00:20:03,359 deep breaths, with grunts of pain and a hammering heart. I shuffle and 217 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:08,039 twist as best I can, searching my person for my scuba equipment. I 218 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:12,400 believe that I am wearing only a single flipper. Now I think the other 219 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:17,519 must have been torn off as I was sucked into the pipe. No other 220 00:20:17,559 --> 00:20:22,359 equipment can be found. My breathing mask in the air tank. It's all 221 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:30,839 gone. It's gone. Oh God, I whisper, and despite my sense 222 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:36,079 of logic, I bang on the pipe. Hello, I shout into the 223 00:20:36,079 --> 00:20:41,759 inky darkness. Hello, is anyone there? Kadah? Comes a voice, 224 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:47,599 a little waist back along the pipe. It echoes from the darkness beyond my 225 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:52,720 feet. I try to raise my face a little higher to look down into 226 00:20:52,759 --> 00:20:59,440 the void, but it's futile. I can see nothing. Hello, I 227 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,519 shout back. Who is it? Ahmed? Are you all right? Kad 228 00:21:03,559 --> 00:21:07,880 ah? He shouts, a relief tempered with terror. You're alive. I 229 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:14,640 can breathe. Are you okay? Another voice echoes from beyond even Ahmed. 230 00:21:15,599 --> 00:21:19,960 It is fainter, but I can still hear it. Guys, Guys, 231 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:26,640 comes the voice of Amir. Guys, are you both all right? Thank 232 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,960 the Lord, My mutter, holding back a sob of relief. Amir, 233 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:37,039 Ahmed, it's kadha. Are you hurt? Yes, Amir calls after me. 234 00:21:37,759 --> 00:21:41,759 I believe one of my arms is broken. Likewise, Amir shouts, 235 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:48,759 then a little quieter, Damn, I think my legs are too. Oh 236 00:21:48,799 --> 00:21:53,200 God. He releases what sounds like a cry of pain, then swears, 237 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,519 what do we do? Ahmed calls into the pipe. What do we do? 238 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,359 He kicks against the pipe, and the sound reverberates down and over my 239 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:08,400 head. Okay, hold on, hold on, I shout, clenching my 240 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:15,440 hands into fists, thinking, using my overheating brain as best as I can. 241 00:22:17,319 --> 00:22:21,079 The three of us are alive. We're trapped in the pipe at the 242 00:22:21,079 --> 00:22:25,279 bottom of the sea. No one knows we're down here, and once they 243 00:22:25,279 --> 00:22:30,799 find the wreckage of the habitat, they'll probably assume we were killed instantly cast 244 00:22:30,839 --> 00:22:36,119 out into the sea. Perhaps I feel the panic returning. I try to 245 00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:40,599 stretch my limbs, but I'm unable. I kick the pipe in frustration, 246 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:45,680 and let out a shout of rage. Good ah, calm down, calls 247 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:49,799 Ahmed. It's all right, We'll be all right, Yes, yes, 248 00:22:51,519 --> 00:22:56,880 I need to calm down. First things first, the pipe, when it 249 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:02,160 reaches the sea floor, splits into two. I do not know if we've 250 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:07,519 been pulled north towards the site of Azrakwan or south towards the site of Azraktu. 251 00:23:07,559 --> 00:23:14,680 How far away are they? I tried to think Azarakwan is situated around 252 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:19,440 one point five kilometers north of our former location of the habitat, Asraktu is 253 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:25,599 over twice our distance south. I have no idea how far along we were 254 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:30,039 pulled down the pipe. It all happened so fast, we could be hundreds 255 00:23:30,039 --> 00:23:34,759 of meters in either direction by now. All I know is that the air 256 00:23:34,799 --> 00:23:41,200 we're breathing the pocket created. It's likely due to the undulations of the pipe, 257 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:47,400 small bumps and raises over support beams. It's entirely possible that there are 258 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:52,160 more of these further down the tunnel. But how large is each air pocket? 259 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,720 And at what point do they run out? Okay, I shout down, 260 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,279 friends, I have an idea, and we do not have time to 261 00:24:00,319 --> 00:24:06,680 waste. I'm all ears, brother, Akhma calls up. There is a 262 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:14,039 moment of silence, A mere Akhmed calls down. Yes, he replies weakly, 263 00:24:14,759 --> 00:24:18,480 I'm here, but I'm not in good shape. I'm going to be 264 00:24:18,519 --> 00:24:22,920 honest. It's okay, I shout, forcing my own confidence to grow, 265 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:27,480 believing in hope, for us, for the sake of my friends, if 266 00:24:27,519 --> 00:24:33,920 not for myself, we will be all right. Just listen. I clear 267 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:38,359 my throat and the sound bounces off the pipe above me and back into my 268 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:44,200 face. I raise my head to clear my ears from the water and WinCE 269 00:24:44,279 --> 00:24:49,119 from the pain. We need to move, I shout simply. We cannot 270 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:53,359 stay here or we will die. Any further press changes and the pipe could 271 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:59,000 fill with water to the brim, and regardless, sooner or later, we 272 00:24:59,039 --> 00:25:03,400 will use up all of the oxygen and we will suffocate. So I propose 273 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,160 this. We do our best to move. We shuffle away along the pipe 274 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,119 as far as we can. If we're in luck, we've been pulled north, 275 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:17,160 and I do not know how much distance we've already covered. Azrakwan is 276 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:21,240 only one and a half kilometers away, max. That's a distance we can 277 00:25:21,319 --> 00:25:26,200 make. I'm sure of it. And if we've been pulled south. Emir 278 00:25:26,319 --> 00:25:33,680 calls to this, I remain silent. The sound of something low and deep 279 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:41,359 reverberates along the pipe. Then shake lely. Ahmed replies, all right, 280 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:45,920 Kada, I'm with you. We'll do this. We crawl away along the 281 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:52,359 pipe and we pray. Amir, I call down. What do you think? 282 00:25:55,200 --> 00:26:00,720 He coughs and groans. Kadah, He says, Look, I can 283 00:26:00,759 --> 00:26:06,880 barely move. I can't do this. You can, Ahmed shouts down, 284 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:14,200 you can no, Ahmed. The mere groans again, Ahmed, my injuries 285 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:18,160 are bad. I cannot move an inch. We can't leave you behind, 286 00:26:18,839 --> 00:26:23,319 Ahmed splutters, but Amir interrupts. Go, he says, and once you've 287 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,720 escaped, you'll know where to find me. Just go, all right, 288 00:26:27,279 --> 00:26:33,880 you said yourselves. The clock is ticking, So go. I hesitate, 289 00:26:33,519 --> 00:26:38,440 then release a long, shuddering sigh. God save you, brother. I 290 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:45,160 call down. We'll be back. I promise we won't leave you. I 291 00:26:45,279 --> 00:26:51,480 know, he says, his voice distant and quiet. Damn, I mutter 292 00:26:51,519 --> 00:26:56,920 angrily, slamming my fist against the pipe. Akhmad, are you ready? 293 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:03,960 There's a pause. Yes, he says, I'm right behind you. Goodhah. 294 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:15,559 Let's do this, and so we begin a venture excruciatingly claustrophobic does not 295 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:21,240 even begin to cover it. The knowledge that beyond these narrow confines is nothing 296 00:27:21,279 --> 00:27:25,079 more than the great weight of the ocean does not fill me with bravery. 297 00:27:26,319 --> 00:27:30,759 Every inch that we travel requires an exertion. I find little to no leverage 298 00:27:30,759 --> 00:27:36,319 on the wet, slippery, and oil soaked base of the pipe, so 299 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:41,079 I have to find the slightest, narrowest of grooves, mostly around the upper 300 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:45,440 half, and press my toes or heels into them, using my one good 301 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,759 hand and my one broken hand to help force myself along through the sloshing, 302 00:27:51,039 --> 00:27:56,000 sinister waters. I can see nothing. There is no level of light at 303 00:27:56,039 --> 00:28:03,640 all for my eyes to adjust to, so hitch darkness we remain. As 304 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,279 we move. I try my best to keep track of the distance traveled. 305 00:28:07,599 --> 00:28:14,240 My estimate I think is reasonable after two or three meters. After ten, 306 00:28:14,559 --> 00:28:21,279 my grasp is feeble, and beyond that I simply lose track. It's impossible 307 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:26,759 to tell. We keep shuffling our way down the pipe, listening to the 308 00:28:26,839 --> 00:28:32,119 sounds of our breathing, occasionally calling down to each for reassurance. Act Mada 309 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:41,039 and I slowly and steadily through this underwater pipe inch by agonizing inch. It's 310 00:28:41,079 --> 00:28:45,039 tough to tell how much time passes, but after around twenty minutes, I 311 00:28:45,119 --> 00:28:51,839 make a disturbing discovery. It was gradual at first, so gradual that I 312 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:56,759 did not notice that there is now a significant stress placed on the back of 313 00:28:56,759 --> 00:29:00,480 my neck. I'm having to hold my face as high as I can, 314 00:29:00,039 --> 00:29:04,359 and my forehead has been pressed against the metal for a while now. It 315 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:07,440 is only when I have to ulter the shape of my lips to inhale the 316 00:29:07,519 --> 00:29:15,400 air then I realize we are running out. I suppress a wave of panic 317 00:29:15,599 --> 00:29:21,000 and stop moving at once, shuffling back the way I came to give myself 318 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:26,319 a little more air space to work with. Water sloshes in my ears and 319 00:29:26,359 --> 00:29:32,720 obscures my hearing. But I call down to Ahmad. Ahmad, I call, 320 00:29:33,279 --> 00:29:37,039 can you hear me? Yes? He shouts back, coughing, Everything 321 00:29:37,039 --> 00:29:44,960 all right, Ahmed, I falter, Ahmed, we're about to run out 322 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:51,480 of air. There's a pause. What do you mean, he asks, 323 00:29:51,839 --> 00:29:56,519 his voice higher, more anxious. I mean the air pocket is about to 324 00:29:56,559 --> 00:30:03,039 expire. Another pause. Maybe there's another further down, he says. I've 325 00:30:03,039 --> 00:30:07,480 seen the schematics of the pipe the undulations are not regular, so there could 326 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:12,839 be another pocket. What if there isn't, I shout back, chest now 327 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:19,200 rising and falling desperately. Damn it, damn it, there is no space, 328 00:30:19,519 --> 00:30:25,720 no light. I can't breathe get a hold of yourself, become a 329 00:30:25,839 --> 00:30:30,680 childs Then it cuts through the madness. I seize hold of his words and 330 00:30:30,799 --> 00:30:37,000 allow them to anchor me. We can do this, brother. I take 331 00:30:37,039 --> 00:30:41,720 a deep breath. All right, I say, all right, here's what 332 00:30:41,759 --> 00:30:44,960 I'm gonna do. I'm going to move as fast as I can along the 333 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,480 pipe. I'll hold my breath and I'll search for an air pocket. Regardless 334 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:52,400 of whether I do or don't, I'll be back to let you know. 335 00:30:52,279 --> 00:30:59,119 Okay, you're a brave man, calls the voice of Akhmed. Don't overdo 336 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:04,839 it, good luck, okay, I say, heart pounding, I begin 337 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:11,440 to take a series of slow, deep breaths, gently and gradually expanding my 338 00:31:11,519 --> 00:31:15,519 lungs, preparing them to hold for as long as they are able. The 339 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:22,599 sound is cold and eerie in the darkness. Steady deep breaths, My chest 340 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:29,359 rises and falls. I shuffle back along the pipe, my face pressed against 341 00:31:29,359 --> 00:31:34,200 the pipe. The air metallic and oily and grim. I can't hear anything. 342 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:37,559 Now. The water comes all the way up to the side of my 343 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:42,960 lips, shaking. I press my hand against the side, doing my best 344 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:48,039 to ignore the pain shooting through my right hand wrist. Here we go, 345 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:55,480 kadah. I take my final breath in, my lungs filled to the maximum 346 00:31:55,480 --> 00:32:00,480 capacity, and I brace myself against the pipe, using my hands and feet 347 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:07,240 to push myself further along. The air is lost and I am completely submerged. 348 00:32:07,319 --> 00:32:12,799 Beneath the water. It forms a constant, steady, roaring rumble in 349 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:16,920 my ears. I use anything that I can to increase the distance I'm able 350 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:22,160 to move. My elbows, knees, heels, shoulders, I use all 351 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:28,759 of them to search for leverage, inch by inch, faster than before. 352 00:32:29,279 --> 00:32:35,599 I force myself through the pipe. My heart pounds, the beat is loud, 353 00:32:36,279 --> 00:32:42,000 so so loud. My chest trembles, but I keep moving as far 354 00:32:42,079 --> 00:32:49,880 as I can, inch by inch, inch by inch. Don't panic. 355 00:32:51,599 --> 00:32:55,160 If I don't find air, then there's really nothing for us. We'll suffocate 356 00:32:55,279 --> 00:33:00,359 or drown or worse in the belly of the pipe, and we may be 357 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:07,559 discovered. I have to keep moving inch by inch. My hands reach a 358 00:33:07,599 --> 00:33:13,160 particularly oily section of the pipe. Then instead of pressing against the sides, 359 00:33:13,519 --> 00:33:19,319 they slip right off in a blink. My momentum is lost, and I 360 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:23,640 fumble and splutter in terror as I realize that my means of propulsion has now 361 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:30,640 failed me. No, I think, with flashes of terrible urgency. No, 362 00:33:30,640 --> 00:33:36,759 no bubbles unseen escape from my lips. As I writhe in the darkness, 363 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:43,119 suffocating in the cold embrace of the rusted beast. Please, I beg, 364 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,960 sending up prayers to a god I have neglected, Desperately searching for a 365 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:52,759 workable surface, My foot finds a subtle groove, and I'm able to push 366 00:33:52,799 --> 00:34:00,119 myself another inch, and from there I'm able to move another my chair and 367 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:07,720 he continues. But I'm rewarded with no relief, because soon I will need 368 00:34:07,759 --> 00:34:13,000 to breathe in my lungs have already begun to ache, And if I don't 369 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,440 find another pocket of air, then I'll have to return through the pipe back 370 00:34:16,519 --> 00:34:22,360 the way I came back, past the slippery, oily walls. What if 371 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,400 I get stuck on my way back, What if I don't make it back 372 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:31,639 in time? How the hell was this allowed to happen? I'm overcome with 373 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:37,239 a sudden burst of rage, and bubbles spilled through my clenched teeth. As 374 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:42,719 I forced myself deeper and deeper through the water as hastily as I'm able, 375 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:47,400 my lungs start to burn. I'm going to run out of air. Just 376 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:53,079 a little further, I can search a little further. I'm going to run 377 00:34:53,119 --> 00:34:58,880 out of air. I'm going to die just a little further. I can 378 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:02,440 do it. I can do do it. And with a sudden gasp and 379 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:08,719 a great shuddering breath inwards, I almost laugh in desperate thankfulness as the angle 380 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:14,679 of the pipe is suddenly changed and I feel my face emerge into a fresh, 381 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:20,519 new pocket of air. It's not fresh, of course, but in 382 00:35:20,559 --> 00:35:25,400 that moment, it's the sweetest air I've ever tasted. I come to a 383 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:31,079 stop and allow some great and grasping breaths, filling and replenishing my lungs. 384 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:37,800 Thank God. It is all like a murmur, over and over, thank 385 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:43,760 God, thank God. I can't myself, and once I have my breath, 386 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,480 I try shouting. I don't think you'll be able to hear me, 387 00:35:46,559 --> 00:35:52,760 but I try anyway. I receive no response, so I try knocking a 388 00:35:52,840 --> 00:36:01,360 rhythm on the pipe, there is still no response, so regretfully I prepare 389 00:36:01,519 --> 00:36:08,480 for the return journey. I'm scared, of course, but I now know 390 00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:13,960 it can be done, that there is air waiting safely for me on the 391 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:19,119 other side. So I filled my lungs once again and shuffle back through the 392 00:36:19,159 --> 00:36:24,880 pipe feet first, this time back towards Ahma's location. I use the material 393 00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:30,960 of my diving suit to help me pass by the particularly oily section and emerge 394 00:36:30,039 --> 00:36:36,199 back into the former pocket, spluttering and coughing, Oh, good lord, 395 00:36:36,679 --> 00:36:39,719 Ahmed, shots good, ah you took it. Damn time I thought you 396 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:44,960 might have. It's all right, I replied, we can make it. 397 00:36:45,199 --> 00:36:51,159 There's another pocket ahead. Now listen, and I go on to explain the 398 00:36:51,199 --> 00:36:55,400 distance in what he'll need to do. Then, finally, with a third 399 00:36:55,800 --> 00:37:02,119 and hopefully final time, we force ourselves through the watery darkness back beneath and 400 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:07,239 through the pipe with the promise of the next air pocket, our guiding light, 401 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:15,599 inch by inch as fast as I can, praying that Ahmed is able 402 00:37:15,639 --> 00:37:22,519 to keep up, And then, as before, my face emerges welcomingly into 403 00:37:22,559 --> 00:37:27,599 the new air pocket. But I continue moving the long to a loudspace for 404 00:37:27,639 --> 00:37:34,599 Rakhmad. The seconds pass, and it's just as I'm beginning to fret that 405 00:37:34,679 --> 00:37:38,719 I hear his coughing, the sound of great longfalls of swallowed air as he 406 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:44,559 breathes in. Yes, I shout, banging my good fist and the pipe. 407 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,960 We did it. We did it, brother, Yes, he splutters, 408 00:37:49,559 --> 00:37:53,199 Yes, we did. Then he releases what sounds like a laugh, 409 00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:59,800 and it fills my heart with hope. Come on, I shout to him. 410 00:38:00,199 --> 00:38:05,079 Let's keep going. And so we do, and our journey through the 411 00:38:05,119 --> 00:38:12,119 pipe inch by inch, as the hours pass by, the timeless hours, 412 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:25,360 in the perpetual watery darkness, my joints sake, my muscles tense and throb 413 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:30,880 with exertion. But I have to keep going. There's nothing else for it. 414 00:38:32,679 --> 00:38:37,719 Our air pocket comes to an end, and as with before, I 415 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:43,320 scout ahead, I have to, of course, as there simply no way 416 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:47,880 possible for Ahmed to pass me by. After holding my breath for another painful 417 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:53,079 period of time, I am blessed with the discovery of a new breathable space, 418 00:38:53,920 --> 00:39:00,360 and so we continue in the same manner. These air pockets, however, 419 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:06,880 grow shorter and shorter as we progress, much to my quiet alarm whether 420 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:13,920 they're still just enough? And so our journey continues. Every time I have 421 00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:19,000 to hold my breath and go on ahead. It is a cruel exercising willpower 422 00:39:19,039 --> 00:39:24,199 and mental strength, but I do my duty. I have to. We 423 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:32,079 have to get out, We need to. An exhausting struggle through the pipe 424 00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:37,440 comes to a temporary halt as we reach an air pocket, a mere three 425 00:39:37,519 --> 00:39:43,000 or four meters in length. I start with fright as my bad shoulder knocks 426 00:39:43,039 --> 00:39:46,960 up against something hard and cold. It moves in little response to the pressure 427 00:39:47,039 --> 00:39:53,440 I exert upon it. So it isn't a blockage of any kind? Could 428 00:39:53,480 --> 00:40:00,559 it be? My heart leaps, wriggling squ I'm in the pipe. I 429 00:40:00,679 --> 00:40:05,760 do my best to bring my good hand up towards my head. It is 430 00:40:05,840 --> 00:40:10,840 not a quick process and requires some uncomfortable maneuvers, but eventually my hand can 431 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:19,519 reach my neck and beyond, and my fingers explore the mysterious object. Despite 432 00:40:19,599 --> 00:40:24,000 everything, A grin spreads across my face and I cry out loud with joy. 433 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:30,559 Ahmed, I shout, Ahmed, I found a tank. I think, 434 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:36,519 yes, it's all connected, It's all here a tank. He replies, 435 00:40:37,039 --> 00:40:40,119 what do you mean? I mean an oxygen tank. Ahmad, it's 436 00:40:40,159 --> 00:40:44,760 all in one piece, the breathing troop. Yes, it's all here. 437 00:40:45,679 --> 00:40:51,679 That's fantastic, he exclaims. How many are there? My enthusiasm drops. 438 00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:57,320 I shuffle further down the pipe, searching blindly in the darkness for evidence of 439 00:40:57,360 --> 00:41:01,719 a potential second set of diving gear. Despite my silent please, however, 440 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:07,400 there is only one. I can only find one here, I tell my 441 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:13,159 comrade. But there might be another further down. This is a game changer. 442 00:41:13,559 --> 00:41:16,079 We can do this, We can get out. Whose tank is it? 443 00:41:16,159 --> 00:41:21,960 Kada Ahmed asks me. I think my own was about half full? 444 00:41:22,039 --> 00:41:29,519 Yes, Likewise, I reply, what about e Mears e Mears? Ahmed 445 00:41:29,599 --> 00:41:37,920 begins hesitating. Kada, I think Emirs was almost empty. I take a 446 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:43,440 deep breath, right, I reply, well, still, this will help. 447 00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,119 I'll use it now, and I'll see if I can find another set 448 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:52,320 a little further along. Wish me luck, good luck, man Akm says 449 00:41:52,880 --> 00:42:00,480 god speed. I checked the tank over as best I can, the mouth 450 00:42:00,519 --> 00:42:05,760 beests around my lips, giving it a few test breaths. Then on I 451 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:12,000 go back beneath the water, though this time armed with the tank to help 452 00:42:12,039 --> 00:42:17,079 me along my way. I grunt and shift my body around, shuffling through 453 00:42:17,119 --> 00:42:22,039 the pipe, squirming my way along, and I find what will come to 454 00:42:22,119 --> 00:42:28,960 be the final air pocket of its type, a mere meet along, not 455 00:42:29,079 --> 00:42:32,239 even big enough for Achmed and I to share at the same time, and 456 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:39,000 to my growing frustration, there is no sign of a second tank. So 457 00:42:40,039 --> 00:42:45,719 I push deeper onwards through the pipe, breathing with the tank, pushing it 458 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:52,039 along with me. As I go, I discover, to my bitter amusement, 459 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:57,880 what could well be my second missing flipper. But there is still no 460 00:42:58,079 --> 00:43:05,800 second tank and no further air pockets either. Clenching my fist, I realize 461 00:43:05,800 --> 00:43:08,920 that I need to go back before Akhmed starts worrying. So I make the 462 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:15,599 painstaking return journey in a time that to my friend must have felt like ours. 463 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:21,320 But at last I returned to our shared location and inform him of the 464 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:27,760 disappointing news. He is quiet as I relay my findings, and then he 465 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:34,280 says, in a soft voice, good ah. I think that this is 466 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:37,760 the end of the road for me. There is no use in me going 467 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:43,159 any further. I think that I'll have to wait here. I begin to 468 00:43:43,199 --> 00:43:47,159 protest, but my words dye in my mouth. What is there for me 469 00:43:47,239 --> 00:43:52,519 to say? He's right. Of course, it's a harsh truth, but 470 00:43:52,639 --> 00:44:00,320 he's absolutely right. He'll simply have to stay behind. The next time leg 471 00:44:00,320 --> 00:44:06,039 of the journey I'll have to do alone. A sudden rush of emotion swells 472 00:44:06,119 --> 00:44:09,639 up inside me, and I force it back down. There's a time and 473 00:44:09,679 --> 00:44:15,480 a place. I try not to consider the fact that this may be the 474 00:44:15,559 --> 00:44:21,000 last time I ever hear his voice. Perhaps I've heard both their voices for 475 00:44:21,079 --> 00:44:28,599 the very last time. No time and a place. Keep moving, ah 476 00:44:28,599 --> 00:44:32,679 Mad. I begin fumbling for some words that'll do the moment justice, but 477 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:38,000 he interrupts. See you soon, buddy, he says. In the dark. 478 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:44,800 I'm not able to reply immediately, but when I do, I say 479 00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:51,239 to him, yes, for sure, see you soon, buddy, And 480 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:58,440 with that I'm gone. I force myself further along the tank, crawling and 481 00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:05,280 shuffling. Then I am submerged. My breathing is loud to the tube connected 482 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:08,360 to my mouth, and when I reach the final air pocket, I allow 483 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:15,599 myself a second to pause, to steal my constitution, and then this pocket, 484 00:45:15,639 --> 00:45:23,039 too is left behind. On I go under water. The rest of 485 00:45:23,039 --> 00:45:28,559 my journey will be underwater. And since I cannot see, there is no 486 00:45:28,599 --> 00:45:31,440 way to tell how much air is left in the tank. If it was 487 00:45:31,519 --> 00:45:37,559 mine, Akhmed, then I should have ours to spare. If it was 488 00:45:37,599 --> 00:45:43,800 a Mear's, well, no point in being coy. If it's a Mears, 489 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:49,559 then I'll likely die down here unless I'm blessed with another surprise air pocket. 490 00:45:51,159 --> 00:45:53,920 It's not impossible, I tell myself as I crawled through the pipe, 491 00:45:54,280 --> 00:46:01,960 water all around me. It's not impossible. And yet as the hours go 492 00:46:02,079 --> 00:46:07,199 by, there are no more air pockets to discover, just more pipe, 493 00:46:08,239 --> 00:46:14,719 the endless, claustrophobic dark of the tunnel. How far have I come? 494 00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:21,239 No idea, impossible to tell, really, and I don't even know which 495 00:46:21,280 --> 00:46:25,960 way I'm heading. If it's north, then this hope. If south, 496 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:31,119 then this whole venture was pointless. Anyway, I'll never make it back to 497 00:46:31,199 --> 00:46:38,519 Azrak tow Asraque. On the other hand, for Asrak, one hope remains. 498 00:46:39,079 --> 00:46:45,960 There's still hope onwards through the pipe, through the oily, poison water. 499 00:46:47,039 --> 00:46:52,360 My elbows burned with pain from the friction, my shoulders have been rubbed 500 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:57,039 raw. My feet are developing painful blisters from the places I've been forced to 501 00:46:57,079 --> 00:47:01,480 press them against the pipe for leverage, over and over. My neck is 502 00:47:01,599 --> 00:47:06,639 killing me. It hurts the term I head too far in either direction. 503 00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:12,000 I just grip my teeth and keep on going. Too late to stop now, 504 00:47:13,079 --> 00:47:21,000 must keep going on and on and on. God give me strength, 505 00:47:21,599 --> 00:47:27,039 I muttered to myself, as my muscles contract and sting. Give me strength 506 00:47:27,119 --> 00:47:31,639 to see this through. Thinking about Ahmed, about Amir, all alone, 507 00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:37,079 just like me. It helps propel me forward. I can't give up, 508 00:47:37,599 --> 00:47:42,039 not while they're counting on me. I can never do that to them, 509 00:47:42,719 --> 00:47:51,039 not ever. So on I go endless, ceaseless dark, endless, ceaseless 510 00:47:51,079 --> 00:47:59,280 torture of the pipe. Except it's not endless, not as luck would have 511 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:04,920 it. The good news regarding my oxygen tank is that it definitely was in 512 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:08,880 a meuse. If it was, it would have expired by now. The 513 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:14,719 bad news is that I've been kneading deeper and deeper breaths to fill my lungs, 514 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:20,519 and soon the oxygen that the tank can spare me just won't be enough. 515 00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:25,079 It won't go on forever. I have found no other tanks along my 516 00:48:25,159 --> 00:48:31,800 journey. It's just the one on my person currently, and then that's it. 517 00:48:32,079 --> 00:48:37,199 Game over come on, you pipe, I haste as a mouthpiece. 518 00:48:37,719 --> 00:48:44,639 You can't go on forever. You can't, And of course it doesn't. 519 00:48:45,079 --> 00:48:52,320 My head bashes against hard metal, eh, I murmuring confusion. I try 520 00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:58,800 to continue along my journey, but the way is blocked. I simply cannot 521 00:48:58,840 --> 00:49:04,719 go any further. My first thought is one of panic. I fear that 522 00:49:04,760 --> 00:49:08,360 I've reached some kind of wall in the pipe when that shouldn't exist, and 523 00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:14,199 I've come all this way to find nothing more than a dead end. Upon 524 00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:19,039 little inspection, however, I realize that a space is opened up above my 525 00:49:19,119 --> 00:49:23,679 head. I squirm around, and for the first time in hours and hours, 526 00:49:24,199 --> 00:49:30,480 I'm able to change positions and to sit upright. My back cracks, 527 00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:37,119 and a rush of unbelievable relief in muscle tension flows through me. I bring 528 00:49:37,199 --> 00:49:40,280 up my hands to feel around me in the darkness, and I almost shout 529 00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:46,559 for joy. The pipe has reached this end. It's going up now, 530 00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:53,119 vertically, up through the sea, towards the surface. We came north. 531 00:49:53,559 --> 00:49:59,960 I laugh, the cracks of hope widening flowing into me like rivers of silver. 532 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:05,599 We've been traveling north the whole time. The end of the pipe upwards 533 00:50:05,679 --> 00:50:15,079 to the installation at Azra Kwan and to salvation. Unless I take stock and 534 00:50:15,199 --> 00:50:19,800 consider the choice that now faces me. If I'm going to push onwards, 535 00:50:20,519 --> 00:50:24,199 then this really is it. It's a coin flip for life or death. 536 00:50:25,559 --> 00:50:30,079 There's not much air left in the tank. And if I climb this pipe 537 00:50:30,119 --> 00:50:35,320 to discover the worst, if the pipe has been stoppered or plugged, then 538 00:50:35,519 --> 00:50:40,760 definitively for me there will be no way out. I really will reach a 539 00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:45,960 dead end. All hope will be lost, and I will drown down here 540 00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:53,119 with nowhere to go, no way forwards and no way back. And shake 541 00:50:53,199 --> 00:51:00,559 my head. There's no choice here, not really, it's just power. 542 00:51:00,880 --> 00:51:05,239 I don't have enough air in my tank to get back to Ahmed, even 543 00:51:05,280 --> 00:51:12,639 if I wanted to. It's only forwards, forwards and upwards, all right, 544 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:17,679 I murmur, bobo spilling, Here we go, and I begin my 545 00:51:17,800 --> 00:51:23,599 slow, deliberate ascent. Back pressed against the pipe behind me, knees and 546 00:51:23,679 --> 00:51:30,559 calves against the pipe in front. Up I go, kicking at times, 547 00:51:30,119 --> 00:51:36,199 half swimming, half shimmying up the pipe, up the pipe to the surface, 548 00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:43,719 slowly but surely, grimacing through the strain and the pain, and still 549 00:51:44,519 --> 00:51:50,679 so dark, so unbelievably dark. The lack of light does not fill me 550 00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:54,960 with confidence. If the pipe was not stopped, surely I'll be able to 551 00:51:55,000 --> 00:52:00,079 see some light. Right I open my eyes in the water, The salt 552 00:52:00,119 --> 00:52:05,280 and oil stings like hell. But I need to see, or to try 553 00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:09,719 and see at least. But there's nothing. There's no hint of light at 554 00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:15,360 all. Don't lose faith, I tell myself, screwing my eyes shut again, 555 00:52:16,119 --> 00:52:22,159 Keep going, Keep going. This vertical section of pipe is unlike the 556 00:52:22,199 --> 00:52:27,840 one we were stuck down. This part here goes all the way up to 557 00:52:27,880 --> 00:52:34,159 the surface, up to the bustle and the relative commotion of Azrakwan. Except 558 00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:38,639 it won't be bustling right now, of course, I hesitate, taking a 559 00:52:38,679 --> 00:52:45,280 deep, strained breath through the mouthpiece, grunting with the strain. Thinking about 560 00:52:45,320 --> 00:52:50,239 it, the place could be entirely deserted. I don't even know what time 561 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:54,639 it is. I've been crawling through the pipe for hours upon ours. I'm 562 00:52:54,639 --> 00:53:00,559 not sure of the exact time, but I'm exhausted, I'm starved, and 563 00:53:00,639 --> 00:53:06,280 my oxygen is about to expire if I recall correctly. In fact, the 564 00:53:06,360 --> 00:53:10,840 sight won't even be open tomorrow. I rack my brains and try to remember 565 00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:15,719 when were they all off sight? Was it tomorrow or the day after? 566 00:53:17,199 --> 00:53:22,239 Damn? What if everyone's gone back to shore? What if the sight is 567 00:53:22,280 --> 00:53:25,079 empty? What if there's no one to hear me? What if the pipe 568 00:53:25,159 --> 00:53:31,519 is stoppered? What if? What if? I bellow and frustration and continue 569 00:53:31,519 --> 00:53:37,719 my ascent. Each breath becomes hard work. I'm starting to feel lightheaded, 570 00:53:38,239 --> 00:53:43,760 but there's nowhere to go but up. This section of pipe can't be longer 571 00:53:43,760 --> 00:53:49,440 than eighty meters or so, so surely if it was open, I'd see 572 00:53:49,480 --> 00:53:55,079 the light, right, wouldn't I see the light? Please? I whisper 573 00:53:55,480 --> 00:54:00,519 as I opened my eyes again, squinting through the darkness, terrified that at 574 00:54:00,559 --> 00:54:06,239 any second I will hit a barrier or a stop, and my journey will 575 00:54:06,239 --> 00:54:10,239 come to an abrupt and bitter end. Any second, at any moment, 576 00:54:10,800 --> 00:54:16,960 I could strike the ceiling and I'll be trapped. In the very next second 577 00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:22,840 I emerge from the water, they hear the sounds of splashing as my head 578 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:28,360 breaks free of the surface. I'm still in complete darkness, but I've reached 579 00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:34,559 the top air. I pull off the mouthpiece and suck it all down, 580 00:54:35,079 --> 00:54:39,119 refilling my lungs with far greater ease, rubbing and brushing the oily waters from 581 00:54:39,159 --> 00:54:44,599 my face and eyes. I made it, I say to no one in 582 00:54:44,639 --> 00:54:51,119 particular, my voice echoing around the narrow little space afforded me. Now I 583 00:54:51,159 --> 00:54:54,960 have to come to perhaps the final hurdle. How cruel it would be, 584 00:54:55,159 --> 00:55:00,760 I think, how cruel to make it so far and there to be denied 585 00:55:00,840 --> 00:55:07,000 rescue, so close and yet so far. I squirm and bring up my 586 00:55:07,039 --> 00:55:12,400 good arm. With my good hand, I reach it above me, feeling 587 00:55:12,440 --> 00:55:16,400 through the darkness, as the water spills and drips from my elbow. A 588 00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:22,760 few inches above my head, I feel the lid of the pipe screwed tight 589 00:55:22,920 --> 00:55:29,559 shut. My heart starts pounding again. Come on, please, please, 590 00:55:30,719 --> 00:55:36,119 I search desperately for a release mechanism or a valve that will open the pipe 591 00:55:36,119 --> 00:55:42,239 from the inside, but alas, just as I suspected, there is no 592 00:55:42,360 --> 00:55:46,119 such valve. I bring up my other hand and try to force open the 593 00:55:46,159 --> 00:55:52,079 lid. I try to spin it to shift it, but nothing works, 594 00:55:52,119 --> 00:55:57,199 nothing at all, and there will be no one on the other side. 595 00:55:57,599 --> 00:56:01,559 Why would there be. This shift is over. They'll have left the sight 596 00:56:01,679 --> 00:56:09,400 by now crossed back to the shore, I'm stuck. After everything, I'm 597 00:56:09,599 --> 00:56:15,639 just as trapped as a merr and as Ahmed. I started pounding desperately on 598 00:56:15,679 --> 00:56:20,800 the lid, I banging the pipe as hard as I can. I start 599 00:56:20,800 --> 00:56:25,000 to scream. I start shouting, though the sounds will be muffled from the 600 00:56:25,039 --> 00:56:30,360 outside. My shouts for help will just sound like a load of moaning and 601 00:56:30,400 --> 00:56:37,599 groaning, potentially even mistaken for the general rumble of the pipe itself. Help. 602 00:56:37,039 --> 00:56:42,159 I scream, slamming both fists on the metal with all my remaining force, 603 00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:45,880 not caring for the spikes of pain that shoot through my broken wrist. 604 00:56:46,079 --> 00:56:52,280 Panic threatens, though overtake me now at this final stage of my journey, 605 00:56:52,400 --> 00:56:57,880 Help, I cry, slamming the lid, kicking the pipe, making as 606 00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:04,719 much noise as I'm able before my constitution breaks anyone. I roar into the 607 00:57:04,800 --> 00:57:08,840 darkness, and with the sound of a grate and sudden grinding directly above my 608 00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:15,280 head, the lid shifts and a curved crack of light spills blindingly into the 609 00:57:15,320 --> 00:57:22,199 pipe. I gasped with astonishment, the wind taken from my sails, and 610 00:57:22,239 --> 00:57:27,719 I slumped back down into the water with a splash. My eyes are forced 611 00:57:27,760 --> 00:57:34,400 closed and the world beyond my sealed eelt is a dazzling orange red. I 612 00:57:34,440 --> 00:57:37,480 don't even know what to say. I'm too afraid to believe what is happening. 613 00:57:38,719 --> 00:57:43,679 I sent someone talking to me. The voice is confused and alarmed. 614 00:57:44,360 --> 00:57:47,239 They grabbed me by the diving suit, by the shoulders, and with some 615 00:57:47,280 --> 00:57:52,320 considerable degree of effort, they haul me out and onto the platform that surrounded 616 00:57:52,320 --> 00:57:59,480 the pipe's exit. I'm unable to help myself from weeping. I still cannot 617 00:57:59,480 --> 00:58:02,320 see. With the tears, streak, the salt and the oil from my 618 00:58:02,400 --> 00:58:09,119 face. I've never felt so free. I turn and WinCE and stretch my 619 00:58:09,239 --> 00:58:14,400 arms and legs in ways that they were unable for what felt like ages. 620 00:58:15,199 --> 00:58:21,679 I feel her hands squeezed my shoulder. A bottle of cool, refreshing and 621 00:58:21,760 --> 00:58:28,760 above all, clean water is gently poured over my face. Gadar, comes 622 00:58:28,760 --> 00:58:32,639 a familiar voice. Gadhar, what on earth? He fumbles for words, 623 00:58:34,320 --> 00:58:40,199 cared to explain yourself, Gadar, what the hell is this? I finally 624 00:58:40,239 --> 00:58:46,280 managed to open my eyes, just a sliver, gradually painfully adjusting to the 625 00:58:46,360 --> 00:58:52,039 light from the flood lamps all round, and I am greeted by the sight 626 00:58:52,559 --> 00:58:58,599 of the only employees still at his station, long after his shift has come 627 00:58:58,679 --> 00:59:04,000 to an end. He stares at me, his scruffy red hair and his 628 00:59:04,079 --> 00:59:09,719 beard a mess, his expression almost comical. In confusion, A dry chuckle 629 00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:17,039 escapes my lips. Helloza here, I mutter. You know, I don't 630 00:59:17,039 --> 00:59:22,920 think I've ever been happier to see anyone in my entire life. In this, 631 00:59:23,079 --> 00:59:30,440 my friends, is the truth. The hours that followed passed by in 632 00:59:30,480 --> 00:59:37,480 a whirlwind. The company and the authorities were alerted immediately, and the helicopters 633 00:59:37,519 --> 00:59:40,440 were sent up into the sky and rescue boats were out in the water. 634 00:59:40,599 --> 00:59:47,360 Within the hour. The ruined habitat site was investigated and safely secured. Vast 635 00:59:47,360 --> 00:59:52,280 teams of divers were sent down, and they traversed the entire length of the 636 00:59:52,320 --> 00:59:58,559 pipe way into the night, knocking and tapping in the metal and hunting diligently 637 00:59:58,639 --> 01:00:05,079 for Amer n Ahmad, knocking and tapping on the metal and hunting diligently for 638 01:00:05,199 --> 01:00:13,880 Amir and Ahmad. There was tragically no response. I remember pacing up and 639 01:00:13,920 --> 01:00:17,440 down in one of the control rooms, fielding calls from family in the presence 640 01:00:17,440 --> 01:00:22,239 of several officers and officials, as the pressure in the pipe was carefully leveled 641 01:00:22,760 --> 01:00:29,920 as it was disconnected at the safest point and opened for inspection. I remember 642 01:00:30,039 --> 01:00:35,000 the way I reacted when I was told the news the next morning, after 643 01:00:35,039 --> 01:00:40,880 a long and sleepless night, arm bandaged. I remember the breath escaping me. 644 01:00:42,920 --> 01:00:50,519 I remember collapsing into the nearest chair. That's impossible, I murmured, 645 01:00:51,440 --> 01:00:59,239 there's no way. But the bodies of Amir and Ahmad were discovered together about 646 01:00:59,239 --> 01:01:04,840 ten or so meters north from where we were suckered down. It was ruled 647 01:01:05,480 --> 01:01:12,199 that the two men died on impact with the pipe, almost instantaneously. It's 648 01:01:12,360 --> 01:01:16,960 likely they weren't even aware of what happened. Their last conscious moments, I'm 649 01:01:17,000 --> 01:01:27,599 told most probably took place in the habitat itself before the disaster. To this, 650 01:01:29,280 --> 01:01:34,840 I say nothing. I simply look out of the window as the morning 651 01:01:34,880 --> 01:01:44,039 sun reflects and glimmers sparkling in the gentle waves of the sea far below.