Another Excerpt from Insignia
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Almost floating in midair, Sam watched Mara land with a
great splash, displacing a huge amount of water. Droplets shot out in a wide
radius like daggers or homing missiles, with vicious intent. The sheets of
water themselves reached their peak of inertia and curved downward, falling
back into the canal like hundreds of diamonds. Sam inhaled a large breath and
slipped into the water after Mara almost gracefully, the sharp spray stinging
his face before he became submerged. The water was cool, but not nearly as cold
as he expected, and very salty. He remembered reading about that in geography
class.
Suddenly, fire slammed into his senses as the seawater
assaulted his open eyes. He closed them in surprise, fighting his way up to the
surface. The force of the waterfall pushed him downward again as he struggled
through the deluge, finally breaking the surface. He gasped in air, kicking his
legs against the current and scanning the spray for Mara. A commotion of
splashing to the left drew his attention, though amidst it all he saw no sign
of human anatomy.
Taking the clue, he ducked under the water quickly and slid
his way toward it, forcing his eyes open even though they began to burn almost
immediately. A black boot flew only inches in front of his face as he dove
deeper into the canal. It was Mara, scrambling violently toward the surface, a
trail of bubbles dancing up from her partially opened lips. She seemed to be
making negative headway, sinking instead of rising, a look of terror on her
distorted features.
Sam headed toward her, but was unable to get close enough to
her flailing form to be of any assistance. Even using his Foresight, he
couldn’t see a clear opportunity. Wondering if his skill was compromised by
being underwater – Which doesn’t make any
sense, he told himself – he decided to go for Mara anyway. Rushing forward
and pushing the water away with both legs, he attempted to grab the collar of
her jacket. The back of Mara’s flinging hand connected with Sam’s face; pain
exploded stars across his vision as his head snapped to the side. His body went
limp in surprise as he stopped fighting the current, trying to clear the clouds
from mind. The water carried him, a trail of red following as he floated easily
to the surface. More pain startled him from his lethargy as his head smacked
against the concrete lined wall of the canal. Reaching upward, he groped for a
handhold, fingernails scrabbling on the rough surface, and found one: a narrow lip jutting out from the wall. He
yanked himself partially out of the water and was greeted with a throbbing in
his temple. With his other hand, he touched his face.
Yep, he thought as
his hand came away bloody. Broken nose.
Looking around, he tried to orient himself. The sky was
above him and the water below. Good, that’s
all normal. He took a deep breath and noticed that he was about a hundred
yards away from the waterfall. The current was not as strong here as it had
been closer in and he was able to retain his grip on the wall relatively easily.
He looked up. The wall was much higher than Sam would have guessed – maybe ten
to twelve feet high – and smooth above the three-inch ledge onto which he was
holding. This was going to make it near impossible for them to climb out.
(Picture from: http://otakugangsta.com/image/43441031460)
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