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.Flying into the storm at night was mentally, as well as physically demanding and they used conversation to help soothe their anxiety and apprehension.After several minutes of silence, Lt.Davidson’s voice roared over the intercom.“I’ve got a signal.Fly a heading of one zero zero degrees,” Lt Davidson announced.“Got it.One zero zero degrees,” Lt.Cmdr.Briggs confirmed.Moments later, Lt.Davidson announced, “Signal strength growing in intensity.Turn to heading one zero five.”“Roger that.One zero five degrees,” Lt.Cmdr.Briggs responded.Looking down into the blackness, Lt.Cmdr.Briggs watched grimly as the helicopter’s searchlight picked up the enormous swells.Fighting the controls, he struggled to keep on course as turbulence and gusts blasted the aircraft from all sides.“Damn, what a storm.No autopilot tonight,” Lt.Cmdr.Briggs joked as he muscled the controls.“That’s why we get paid the big dinero, my friend,” Lt.Davidson responded.“I have a sick feeling we’re going to earn every dime of them tonight,” Lt.Cmdr.Briggs replied ominously.Atlantis - Chapter 22DAY 19, continuedThe large violent storm generated high winds that ravaged the once calm seas.Blowing hard and gusting even harder, the effects were devastating.The wave heights now reached an impressive ten feet from trough to crest, and were growing in size and frequency.Within minutes of waking from his sleep, Jack was hit with a tremendous wall of waves.They slammed into the float, crushing him with its weight and thrust him into the water.Without the aid from ballast, the tiny raft relied solely on the water rudder for stability.The resultant change was disastrous.With each wave that rolled in, without the support of weight suspended from below, the heavy water easily pushed and rocked the light unbalanced structure.The unrelenting routine of violent waves and wind shook the tiny raft, causing it to flip the outrigger over the float, capsizing it upside down with one wave, then flipping it right side up the with the next.Like a rag doll, Jack was tossed into the raging seas and clung to the netting for safety as the float flipped over and over.Battered and confused, he relied solely on raw instinct for his survival.It was all he had left.He kicked his feet in the water as he gripped the netting, desperate to keep afloat.As the blackness cloaked the behemoths that rolled in, he could only react to them as the change in water level signaled the next wall of waves that threatened his life.Jack felt terror.Even in his deteriorated state, the helplessness and desperation of his crisis overwhelmed him, and he knew the end was near.As he fought to stay alive, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and showed the frightening scene around him.Hopelessly, he watched and waited for the next wall of water to crash over him.Taking another voluminous breath of air, he waited.Like a supernatural entity with immeasurable strength, the mountain of water broke over the top of him as the tiny raft tried to negotiate the trough.Crushing him at the surface and below, the sheer weight and force of the wave drove him deep into the water, wrenching his grip from the netting and knocking his single breath of air from his lungs.Badly battered, Jack needed air.Ignoring his pain, he kicked his feet and drove his hands through the water, thrashing wildly to make the surface ten feet above him.His lungs were burning and he could feel his desperation mounting as his nostrils flared in willingness to breathe in the deadly water.What felt like an eternity was merely seconds as he continued his swim for the top.Even in the blackness, Jack could sense the fringes of a faint clawing its way over him.Unsure of how far from the surface his was, he began to give into feelings of resignation.The overpowering need to breathe was taking over his instinct to survive.He tightened his muscles and prepared to suck in the water.Suddenly, at the moment of inhalation, Jack burst through the surface, driving in an immense volume of air deep into his lungs.Seconds later, he felt the surge of foam and spray overtake him, thrusting him below the surface once more.Thrashing wildly again, his hand touched something solid.In reflex, he clenched, wrapping his fingers around the pipe of the outrigger.Matching hands, he pulled himself up through the water, breaking the surface and gasped for air.Jack felt his body rising in elevation.The climb to the crest of the massive wave gave him time to grab the netting in front of him.With his adrenaline pumping, he mustered the strength to pull himself onto the semi-submerged hammock.The tiny raft topped the crest and flung itself down the windward side of the wave, crashing into the trough and flinging him over the top as it capsized from the force of deceleration.As he drifted away from the float, he felt the crushing force of the next wave fall on top of him, driving him below the surface once again.Swimming for his life, he felt a tremendous surge lift him through the surface and propel him backward, slamming into the float and tumbling over the opposite side.He barely was able to take a breath, when the float was flung over the top of him by the next wall of water.As it slammed against his head, it knocked the breath from his lungs.Just then, light illuminated the sky
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