10-10-2016, 11:21 PM
Zack moved just as quickly as he could. He powered through the decreasingly clear water, looking ahead as far as he could. At their depth, light was on the verge of becoming a precious commodity. He could just barely make out the shape of some serpent like creature ahead of him in the water. That had to be the thing that had taken Caira. If it wasn’t, then whatever it was had picked the wrong spot to be an intimidating son of a bitch, because Zack was just about to reclaim his place at the top of the food chain.
He drove the Buster Sword forward, burying it in the monster’s neck as far as he could. It thrashed and struggled, and Zack quickly ripped the sword back out, spraying thick blood from its hide and into the water, adding a layer of murk to the lack of light. The monster did not turn to attack him, but instead fled into the darkness further below. Terrifying, but Zack had another issue to deal with at the moment.
Caira floated in the water before him, cast aside during the assault on her own attacker. Zack quickly swam to her, and noticed her tank had been thoroughly pierced by its powerful teeth. Air had been replaced by water, only serving to make her sink in the water quickly. Zack grabbed her, but found himself struggling to hold her alongside her equipment that was as heavy as it was useless.
He remembered the advice of an old friend who did a great deal of scuba diving and underwater operations. The man had once told him to always have a second regulator on his tank, in case something went wrong with his own, or his dive buddy’s. Right now, the advice was spot on and flawless. He just wished he had actually followed it.
Still, he thought back and remembered another important phrase his old friend had once said.
“Hey, I hear that redhead in human resources is single.”
No, the other phrase.
“If you ever find yourself deep underwater and lose your regulator, don’t try to hold your breath. Keep the airway open while you search by blowing small bubbles. Remember, always be breathing.”
Zack quickly ripped his regulator from his mouth and shoved it into Caira’s. As soon as he did he began to steadily exhale tiny bubbles. Caira, meanwhile, thirstily inhaled a deep and powerful breath, having held hers far too long. Zack was truly impressed with how long she managed to maintain it, while in a high stress situation, to boot. With her gear now useless, Zack quickly unhooked the tank from her while she consumed the valuable oxygen.
He pushed the the tank from her shoulders and it fell to the floor deep below, while Caira gained the clarity of mind to grab Zack’s waist. They had to stick together, with one tank and a single regulator between the two. Zack pointed to his mouth and the bubbles he was steadily blowing, making sure she understood what he was doing. It didn’t matter if she knew why, it just mattered that she did so. She nodded, and Zack took the regulator so he could have his own turn at the precious oxygen.
They began to steadily swim upwards. Both primes had lost their bearings, but each of them were fairly certain they were close to the base’s entrance at this point. Where they emerged was less of an issue now. They simply needed to get to the surface. It wasn’t the most glamorous or impressive infiltration, having to share a tank and constantly swap the only working regulator between each series of breaths.
Looking up, they could see the underside of several ships, and also underwater walls and structures that were clearly the support for the Imperial base. They swam inwards, Zack tightly gripping his massive sword in one hand while using the other to take his turn at the regulator. With four fins kicking, they moved well, even though Caira felt a splitting pain in one of her legs from the initial attack. They would have to assess that possible injury on dry land, though.
They had just a little bit more swimming to do. Then the real mission would begin.
He drove the Buster Sword forward, burying it in the monster’s neck as far as he could. It thrashed and struggled, and Zack quickly ripped the sword back out, spraying thick blood from its hide and into the water, adding a layer of murk to the lack of light. The monster did not turn to attack him, but instead fled into the darkness further below. Terrifying, but Zack had another issue to deal with at the moment.
Caira floated in the water before him, cast aside during the assault on her own attacker. Zack quickly swam to her, and noticed her tank had been thoroughly pierced by its powerful teeth. Air had been replaced by water, only serving to make her sink in the water quickly. Zack grabbed her, but found himself struggling to hold her alongside her equipment that was as heavy as it was useless.
He remembered the advice of an old friend who did a great deal of scuba diving and underwater operations. The man had once told him to always have a second regulator on his tank, in case something went wrong with his own, or his dive buddy’s. Right now, the advice was spot on and flawless. He just wished he had actually followed it.
Still, he thought back and remembered another important phrase his old friend had once said.
“Hey, I hear that redhead in human resources is single.”
No, the other phrase.
“If you ever find yourself deep underwater and lose your regulator, don’t try to hold your breath. Keep the airway open while you search by blowing small bubbles. Remember, always be breathing.”
Zack quickly ripped his regulator from his mouth and shoved it into Caira’s. As soon as he did he began to steadily exhale tiny bubbles. Caira, meanwhile, thirstily inhaled a deep and powerful breath, having held hers far too long. Zack was truly impressed with how long she managed to maintain it, while in a high stress situation, to boot. With her gear now useless, Zack quickly unhooked the tank from her while she consumed the valuable oxygen.
He pushed the the tank from her shoulders and it fell to the floor deep below, while Caira gained the clarity of mind to grab Zack’s waist. They had to stick together, with one tank and a single regulator between the two. Zack pointed to his mouth and the bubbles he was steadily blowing, making sure she understood what he was doing. It didn’t matter if she knew why, it just mattered that she did so. She nodded, and Zack took the regulator so he could have his own turn at the precious oxygen.
They began to steadily swim upwards. Both primes had lost their bearings, but each of them were fairly certain they were close to the base’s entrance at this point. Where they emerged was less of an issue now. They simply needed to get to the surface. It wasn’t the most glamorous or impressive infiltration, having to share a tank and constantly swap the only working regulator between each series of breaths.
Looking up, they could see the underside of several ships, and also underwater walls and structures that were clearly the support for the Imperial base. They swam inwards, Zack tightly gripping his massive sword in one hand while using the other to take his turn at the regulator. With four fins kicking, they moved well, even though Caira felt a splitting pain in one of her legs from the initial attack. They would have to assess that possible injury on dry land, though.
They had just a little bit more swimming to do. Then the real mission would begin.