Chapter 1 – Fear the Oceans Weight
James R. Knotts AKA "Nautilus" dredged the ocean floor at a depth of 400 feet. Typically a man walking the bottom of the ocean at that depth would be compressed into a corpse, but James could withstand the pressure because of his enormous diving suit. It was made of thick bronze and it was so heavy that if a dive operator fell within the sea they could not get back up. This is why James had a line attached to the suit that was set to a crank high above on the ship. Their team had been commissioned by the Institute of War to investigate a new phenomenon that had seemed to plague the Guardian's Sea. The massive suit was manufactured for war several decades previous.
It's official title was the USS Project-12, the USS being an acronym for Underwater Siege Suit. It was also rumored to be built for land use as well but the weight of the battle cast armor was much too heavy out of the water for a man to maneuver and operate. Although the SS-Blitz and SS-Cho battle cast armors were quite adept in combat they were unmanned and completely self sustaining.
Unfortunately the Cho model it was a little too effective and several people lost their lives in the wake of its beta test. It was immediately shut down and put away for storage.
James continued to dredge the ocean floor looking around not seeing anything out of the ordinary despite their data and continuous substantiated reports of an "ooze like substance" contaminating the ocean. They of course needed samples because they did not know if it was biological or chemical. They didn't know how it got there they basically didn't know anything at all, and today they hoped to find some answers.
Captain Rio Deville was in charge of the exploration. Not much was known about him except that he and his crew were by far the best exploration crew in all of Demacia. James found himself fortunate to be doing something he loved with such an adept Captain who was rumored to be from Bilgewater initially which would explain his prowess at the helm. James himself was born in Bilgewater although he couldn't recall much about his childhood except that everyone was terrified of the pirates.
The only thing he didn't like about Captain Rio was that every exploration they went on, they were always extremely confidential and many times he had little to no idea what was going on.
A crackling voice echoed inside of his giant dome headpiece
"Hey Nautilus it's break time. Your shift is up, prepare for extraction"
"Roger that Control" he responded in a raspy voice.
James braced himself as his feet left the ocean floor and he began his float upward as the crew cranked him back to the surface.
The gauge within his helmet slowly counted down to zero as he rose higher and higher.
Finally he broke the plane of the surface and was slowly hefted by crane to a giant target on a wide open space of the ship. There were two other suits one of them was being loaded up with the next shifts diver. On the outside label of the suit it said USSP12 – Queequeg.
He heard the hiss of air pressure being released as his helmet was slowly removed and he sucked in the saltwater air it was much more dense than the pure air being fed through his air tube that ran down along his tow cable. It took a few moments to completely remove his suit and he watched as Queequeg was released into the ocean with a gigantic splash. He really could use some sleep but before he hit his rack he wanted to stop by the galley and grab something to eat.
He looked at the side of his own suit and saw the identification plate USSP12 – Nautilus. He gave it a sentimental tap with his fist and set out for hopefully some lobster and butter rolls.
He was greatly disappointed to arrive to chicken bites and cheese noodles.
"Well hello there my premiere diver" came a voice from behind him.
He turned to see Captain Rio standing tall as always looking at him. He tried to mask the scowl of disappointment brought about by his lunch prepared for a six year old pup.
"Greetings skipper, nothing to report from bravo shift." he promptly responded.
"Ah I didn't want to talk to you about that, although that is sad news indeed. I wanted to ask you about perhaps taking orders as a dive instructor. Got word from the IW today and they are looking for someone new and your name was at the top of the list." said Captain Rio
"What about ol' salty Glasseye?" asked James
"The old chap finally decided to retire." answered Rio
"Wow I wonder what caused that?"
"I heard it was a stroke." laughed the captain.
They both started laughing.
Glasseye was his dive instructor when he started the intense five week dive training. He got his nickname because he was always drunk even when on duty. His eyes were always glistening and he was always shouting even during a normal conversation. He wasn't the greatest person to hang out with but he was a solid dive instructor and he knew his stuff.
"I'll have to get back to you on that sir, that's quite a bit to process." James finally spoke.
"No problem Knotts, let me know by the time we pull into port next week. Then we can get you a ride back if you decide to go." retorted the Captain.
"Aye aye sir."
"Carry on son"
James took his meager meal and sat down at a table by himself. He wasn't rude or abrasive but he got the feeling the crew didn't care for him that much. He didn't really care though, he wasn't on this mission to make friends. He was here to find answers.
After he trashed most of the chicken bites he was looking forward to hitting the rack for some sleep when the general quarters alarm sounded. It echoed loudly and James immediately reported to his station at the control room. He heard a groaning sound from outside the ships metal hull and the craft began to rock as if in a storm.
A firm voice howled over the ships radio.
"Attention crew this is the captain speaking. We have found it. All stations report we will try to extract a sample and get out of here as soon as possible. That is all. Let's get this done so we can go home."
Instantly morale was boosted for everyone on the ship as they realized their mission was close to completion. James himself seemed relieved that the four month exploration deployment finally had an end in site. A few cheers could be heard down the passageways as sailors and scientists celebrated finally going home to be with their families.
James walked into the control room and instantly his heart sank in terror. He heard panicked yelling. It was Queequeg.
"Sir its everywhere and its pulling me!"
"Shipmate we are trying to pull you back up just keep it together."
"Keep it together? I'm gonna die!"
James looked out the window and saw waves and waves of the ooze. The crane holding Queequeg's suit was bending at the neck and instantly he realized why the captain was taking so long extracting him. If they pulled too hard the crane would snap in two and they would lose Queequeg in the depths of the mysterious ooze.
An operator covered the microphone and looked right into the captain's eyes.
"Sir it's gonna snap. We need to get another crane attached to him or we are gonna lose him. We can lower another cable to him and hopefully he can attach it to the suit."
"Okay Queeg listen up we are lowering another cable." said the captain commandingly to his terrified sailor below.
"I can't see anything!" He screamed into his helmet comlink.
"Sir I can jump in and attach him." James said assuringly stepping forward.
The captain covered the microphone again so the man trapped below couldn't hear.
"I'm not gonna lose two divers today Knotts just stand by!"
That was it he was just gonna let him die? James eyes narrowed.
A white coat scientist came bursting through the hatch door holding a beaker of some sort.
"Connor why aren't you at your station? We are in general quarters!"
Professor Connor wiped his glasses with the back of his hand holding the vial. It had the black oozing liquid from outside.
"It can't be. It's not possible!" Connor kept repeating over and over again.
"Connor I really don't have time for this, what the hell is going on?"
"It's not possible!" the professor was in shock.
The captain grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
"Connor! What is it?!"
"Sir we have extracted a sample and I had seen it before. I did the initial test and it was positive…"
"Connor just tell me I got a man down there!"
He pulled out a small vial of clear liquid from his lab coat and poured a little into the beaker. The liquid instantly turned a dull green.
"By the gods of the sea!" said the captain in disbelief sitting in a chair behind him.
"What is it sir?" asked the control operator
With a look of pure terror that James had never seen on his captain he said but one word.
"Zac…"
Queequeg was was yelling into the comlink for help. He sounded like a child, all reserve of adulthood gone. James had no idea what "Zac" was but the captain had a man dying in the ocean and he was just sitting there staring forward. The crane outside was holding together impossibly.
James decided he had enough of just standing around. He ran out to the deck and prepped his suit for dive.
As he was getting into the suit the other operator came out. He felt relieved maybe they could both help get Queeg out of there.
"Hey Triton thanks for coming out to help."
"I'm not going down there man. Are you crazy? I came out to help you with your helmet."
James' eyes narrowed at the cowardice of his friend. He wasn't a marine but Quee could die.
"If you can attach this cable to him we can use both cranes to pull him up. Then we will attach lights to the end of both of them and run them down the side of the ship so you can see them. Don't forget to turn on your secondary air when you attach the cable or you will lose oxygen."
James nodded.
"Nautilus…you are gonna be all alone down there for a few minutes with no cables. Do you understand? Alone."
James didn't care.
"This is a touching moment, but Queeg is dying."
Triton gave a thumbs up and the crane operator began to lower the Nautilus suit into the water. James looked around Queeg was right you couldn't see anything. He turned on his comlink.
"Queeg can you hear me this is Nautilus, I'm coming down man. I'm already at 100 feet."
" Nautilus! Thank God! I got a wife and two daughters." responded the man as hope began to sink in again.
"Knotts! What are you doing?!" it was Captain Rio over his com speaker.
"You disobeyed a direct order! You can forget that recommendation to dive school you idiot!"
"You ordered him to let me die?" Queequeg said over the com.
"No time for this right now buddy I am at 350 feet turn on your deep sea lights so I can find you."
"Roger that."
Instantly a few feet away he could see the bright lights illuminating in the saltwater ooze. He moved swiftly to where his friend was and disconnected his own cable attaching it to Queeg's.
"Okay pull him up!" James said into his comlink.
Queequeg slowly rose up to the surface. The reinforced cable had worked and James realized he just saved his life. Then he realized he was alone and it was dark. All he could do was wait.
Captain Rio watched as they brought up the battlecast bronze submersible suit. The two cranes held the weight enough to resist against the pull of the ooze. Knotts had saved his life. Then something horrible began to happen. Large strands of the ooze rise up around the vessel. It began to rock it back and forth with kraken-like tentacles of ooze bursting out from the water in all directions around the ship.
They were gonne die if they didn't leave now.
It was somewhat peaceful at the 400 foot depth. Not a lot going on except that the ooze looked alive pulsing green and purple in different areas all around. His comlink crackled. He had kept his comlink attached giving Queequeg just the cable upon his return.
"Knotts this is Rio. The ooze is pulling us under. We are going down if we don't get out of here. I'm sorry son, we are leaving."
James yelled into his comlink. He heard it being shut off. Those bastards were leaving him to die alone in the dark at the bottom of the ocean.
He turned on his lights and saw the ships anchor being reeled in.
He used his jet propulsion to burst forward and grab onto it. The jet propulsion was used to help the suits move faster but it was very limited and it only moved horizontally not vertically.
He saw his propulsion gauges were almost depleted already and with one last fire he surged forward and grabbed tight to the anchor. It slowly pulled him back up to the ship above. He felt a tickling on his neck and it slowly sleeked around to the bottom of his chin. He looked down and saw the black ooze. It was inside his suit.
"Oh god…oh my god" He was powerless and realized he needed to get the suit off immediately. The ooze was slightly burning his skin and he could hear a slight hissing noise.
Captain Rio felt a jerk as they raised anchor and was terrified. He ordered that they sail away from the ooze and they began a speedy departure back to port. He had the samples he needed and his mission was a success; except for Knotts diving in like a fool. He had no other choice but to leave him, besides he ordered him not to go down there in the first place. It was his own fault.
"Captain look!" a sailor shouted pointing to the side of the hull. There he saw James Knotts holding onto the anchor rising up out of the water. That stubborn fool! The ooze was all over his bronzecast suit. They were reeling him right to them!
"Cut the anchor chain!" ordered the captain. The crewman looked at him in wild disbelief.
"You coward! I'll do it myself." He grabbed a cutting torch and lit it up. At this time James was close to the side of the hull and he looked up and saw Captain Rio cutting the chain.
"NO!" he gargled as the ooze began to go in his mouth. He watched his Captain cut the chain clean and he hit the surface of the water with a splash. His entire suit was filled with the ooze now and the burning pain intensified as he sank to the bottom of the ocean.
A great white hate filled his mind as he slowly drifted off allowing his fate to be decided by the one thing he loved the most; the ocean.
He made a living inside the great suit called Nautilus and now he would die in it.
He felt a slight thud as he laid on the ocean floor his lights dimming as he drifted off allowing death to win despite his effort to survive.
It was over. He was done. The ooze and the ocean swallowed him whole the only reassurance he felt as he faded away was grabbing tightly to the anchor chain. He felt like he would never let go of it again.