Watersleep: Book Summary
Ryan dreams that he is drowning. They have just jumped out of the redoubt in Colorado. He comes around and discovers that he is lying face first in about six inches of foul smelling, scummy water. The others keep him from buying a ticket on the last train west.
They discover that they are back in the Florida everglades, the redoubt located near the former empire of Baron Larry Zapp. Something happened in the past few months that caused the redoubt to flood.
Dean is playing with the computer controls when the entire system shuts down, permanently closing down the gateway. Out of the control room they discover the corpses of four sec men, who died fighting each other. The corpses appear to be about a month old.
They take an elevator and are unable to get it to work. So they climb onto the roof and climb up the shaft. At the top they come under fire from a guard using an M-16. Ryan kills him and the others come out.
A few minutes later, they encounter two more sec men. Ryan kills one, but spares the younger one’s life so they can learn just who these people are and what they are doing inside the redoubt. It’s obvious that they are the ones who stripped the redoubt. They learn that they are part of a sec force run by a man named Rollins who operates out of Mobile Alabama. He does something totally out of character and allows the boy to leave.
They leave the gateway and head to Zapp’s former home. On the way there, Doc is attacked by a huge mutant leech. They kill it and continue on the way. At the park, they meet an old man named William B. Chapman who gives them a place to stay and a meal. They learn that after the death of Larry Zapp nearly all the residence left. He was the only one to stay behind. They spend the night with the man.
The next day they part on good terms with William. Ryan offers to take him with them, but he refuses, wishing instead to stay behind with his memories and to tend to his wife’s grave until it’s his time to leave the world.
Later that day they stop at a diner on the side of the road for a meal and a place to dry off from the constant rain. They are about to leave when four traveler’s arrive. It’s a man, his son and two sec guards. The son gets mouthy and starts a fight that Jak promptly ends, killing him. It touches off a fight that wipes out the other three men. Ryan settles up the bill and they leave.
About eight days later they arrive at the coast. They find a marina named Schwartz. They decide to search it for a usable craft as portions of the marina have been rebuilt. They do find a couple of boats, as well as their owners. They are forced to kill one, and pump the second for information. They take the mans ship and his weapons. The rest of the day is peaceful.
Most of their second day out on the ocean is quiet and peaceful, but before nightfall, a powerful storm hits. Without warning, they hit a mine and both Jak and Krysty are sucked out through the hole. The others abandon the boat for a life raft.
The explosion and sinking of the ship is recorded by a watch. The Admiral is notified of the encounter.
The next day they are still adrift. The weather is calm, and sunny. It soon turns into a hellish day for a all. Tempers flare and everyone pretty much keeps to themselves. Ryan is despondent about the loss of Jak and Krysty. He is watching over the edge when he spots a strange aquatic mutant. The mutant is neither hostile or afraid. He asks a single word. Help. Ryan say’s sure and the mutant leaves.
They don’t see the mutant until the next day. He brings a female mutant with him and they haul the raft towards the shore.
Krysty and Jak awaken to find themselves prisoners, but well treated prisoners. They meet the Admiral, a man named Poseidon, who lets them know that they have been kept under sedation for 48 hours. She learns that Jak is alive but is somewhat disappointed that it’s not Ryan. The admiral lets them know that there were no other survivors. He then tells them about the base, and the fact that he has a Los Angeles class nuclear sub as well as a mini sub.
The mutants take them to the shore where they find a commune. They meet the leader, a woman named Shauna. They learn that the mutants are friendly and are valued members of the commune even if they don’t live in it. They also learn that the people are not happy with the Admiral and his people. They also meet the head of the commune’s sec force, a man named Alan Carter.
Shauna also tells them that they are sure that the dwellers, the mutants they are friends with, may have been genetically engineered. They are given food and a place to sleep for the night.
The next day both JB and Ryan head out scouting. Dean and Doc are left behind. Dean ends up getting into a spat with Shauna. Thing could have gotten very unpleasant, but Doc ends the encounter peaceably enough.
Ryan and JB determine that there is only two main ways that Poseidon’s men can come to the commune. Ryan orders that the watch tower be manned at all times so they have a chance to prepare for the sec men.
That evening Shauna comes to Ryan with a tray of food. She offers herself to him, but he refuses, clinging to the hope that Krysty is still alive. She isn’t insulted and leaves the food behind when she walks away.
In the morning they head to where the commune stores their weapons. They get the blasters, as well as a small number of grenades. Just before noon the Admiral’s sec men arrive. They are set up to ambush the men. Ryan blows out one of the tires, making them believe that they blew a tire. When they get out, three of four of the soldiers are killed, and they capture the fourth, named Ray Edgerton.
Ryan tells Dean and Doc to stay behind. Dean argues with him, but says that no matter what happens Dean will follow in two days time. Ryan, JB, Mildred, Shauna and Alan Carter all leave, heading to the Admirals base at King’s Point.
Dean is unable to wait the 48 hours he promised his father he’d wait. He tells Doc that he is leaving whether the old man wants to follow or not. A boy that Dean made friends with lets him borrow a horse and they both leave.
When they arrive at the military base the entire attack goes awry. Both Shauna and Ryan are captured, while the other three are able to escape. They start to plant explosives for the impending attack.
Both Ryan and Shauna are taken to see Poseidon. He gloats about his power, his control over the local region and how he plans to use his sub to help the baron’s unite their empires and his army to destroy the vigilantes and nomads like Ryan and his band.
Shauna provokes the Admiral into killing her with his bare hands. Ryan is unable to do a thing to prevent it, and he tells the Admiral that he now owes him for three deaths. The Admiral then has both Krysty and Jak brought in, showing him his trump cards. Of course both Ryan and Krysty are delighted to see each other. The admiral then tells Ryan his plan to use the nuke on the commune as a test.
Poseidon has the pair taken away and placed under lock and key. He then orders Ryan to tell him the access code to the redoubt located inside the base. Ryan has no choice but to comply and the Admiral takes him to the entrance to the redoubt. Ryan punches in the code then enters the redoubt, immediately closing the entrance to escape from the Admiral. One of the Admirals men, a man named Jonesy, is caught under the door and is cut in half.
At this time Krysty uses her mutant strength to escape, killing her guards. She then meets with Mildred and the others. She is totally drained from her escape and is not much help.
Ryan escapes the redoubt and fights his way to the Admiral’s sub. He enters the ship. The Admiral heads after him and kills one of the sec men guarding the ship for letting Ryan board. Poseidon orders the sub to disembark right then and there.
Ryan is hiding on the ship, and discovers just how rough the ship really is. The nuclear reactors are leaking radiation badly. He encounters a technician monitoring the radiation and they fight. He kills the man. Next thing they know the sub is rocked by a powerful explosion and begins to take on water.
Poseidon confronts Ryan and they fight. Both are battered and beaten, but Ryan is able to get away from the man and closes the water tight hatches behind him. He meets up with Poseidon’s second in command. They use an escape trunk to leave the sinking sub.
On the way out, the second in command is killed by the Dwellers, who also help Ryan return to the surface before he drowns. It turns out that they used one of the Admirals own mines to sink the sub.
As dawn breaks Ryan is found by the others who are using a boat to follow the sub. They are reunited, everyone is fine. They turn away and head to shore, planning to use the gateway inside the redoubt to jump out.
End of Watersleep