Juliette's Diving Suit

Story so far

Juliette adapted a complete cleaning suit for underwater work, fitting an air-hose coupler into the helmet collar and sealing it with silicone tape. Believing the airtight suit would also be watertight, she arranged a continuous air supply, a chin-operated radio switch and a collar overflow valve. The helmet’s screen, internal plastic and exterior paint were removed to allow direct sight, and it carried a flashlight. Tethered tools hung from a pocket.

The suit initially kept her warm, but a hose splice leaked and her supply of fresh air stopped. Its stiffness and buoyancy prevented her reaching the weight straps directly. As the remaining air grew stale and its buoyancy diminished, she removed the helmet, letting water flood the suit and drag her down; the tethered tools added to the burden. She ultimately destroyed the flooded suit to escape it. Jimmy has now found the plastic dome of its helmet among debris at the bottom of the stairs.

Appearance

The surviving helmet dome is plastic. Before its loss, the helmet had been stripped of its screen, inner plastic linings and exterior paint; the suit itself was cut apart after flooding.

Role

It was Juliette’s improvised underwater protection and air-supply system; the suit is destroyed, with its helmet dome recovered from the debris.

Relationships

Earlier in this series

Also appears in books you've already read — spoiler-safe to their endings:

• WoolBook 1