Hold Your Breath
Chilled sea water lapped against the ankles of his wetsuit, a never-ending reminder of the present danger he was in.
I'm never taking my gear off... ever The alarm had sounded through the deep sea laboratory while the first shift had been sleeping. He'd been sleeping exceptionally hard after the previous day and was disoriented enough when the clamor had started to leave his gear and helmet in his room.
At least IR had been alerted and his family was in the process of developing a rescue plan. All he had to do was hold tight.
Splashing sounds echoed off the walls as he walked back to the hatch separating him from the still viable part of the lab. Fifteenth times the charm, right? His fingers jabbed at the pad beside the door in vein before he gave up and decided to try forcing the door open, even knowing the seal would hold.
Gordon took a breath, turning to stare at the deluge of mud and rock that had severed and blocked his only way to thunderbird 4 and the life pods. It was the reason he was stuck in a small hallway that was slowly filling with water. It was also the only thing keeping the sea from rushing in and killing him outright. There's always a positive. The trickling sound of water seeping through gaps in the mess reminded him of a fountain, a small one you might have in a garden. It would have been pretty in any other circumstance.
A tap to the com on his wrist that he had grabbed from the communication room, "Hey, John? Is there an eta yet? This place is trying to lull me into a false sense of peace and tranquility."
"They will be en route to you soon. They're departing from Italy, just needed to get the gear." His brother would sound cool and calm even if he was sitting in an inferno. "Once in the air, they should be able to contact you directly."
Another breath and he slid down the hatch to sit in rising water. Italy... It would be an hour flight using a commercial airline. Anything faster, you'd be looking at thirty to forty minutes, tops. "FAB."
There must have been something in his reply as Virgil cut in, "Don't worry, Gordo. Lady Penelope will have Parker pushing Fab1 as fast as she can go."
"I'll make sure to tidy up before she gets here. This place is a mess." He smiled, gazing at the ceiling he knew his brother was hovering four hundred meters above. "Next time I offer to help out a deep sea lab, Virge, you have my permission to lock me in my room."
Virgil chuckled, "I think we can all make that promise."
Five minutes later and the water was now up to his chest as he sat on the floor trying to conserve air and energy. Com use had been limited for just that reason, making his confines seem all the more lonesome.
"Fab1 to thunderbird 4. Gordon, are you there?" Her voice chimed throughout the small space, causing a flutter in his chest, accompanied by a mix of excitement and nausea.
"Lady Penelope!" He forced himself to relax, "uh, still here. How much longer until I can expect company?"
"I have Parker pushing the engines to full." There was a hint of stress in her voice, "Even so, we are almost twenty-five minutes out from your location."
So his guesstimate had been on point. "FAB, we'll be cutting it close. Did you bring the helmet and air tank?" He knew the question didn't need asking, but his nerves were starting to reverse the progress he had already made in reducing his energy expenditure.
"John filled us in on your predicament." Despite the time crunch, Penny found a way to sound reassuring, "Do keep us informed of any changes, would you?"
"Will do." A small chuckle bounced off the walls around him. "At least this place still has power. Wouldn't do much for my calm to be stuck in the dark."
"I would think not." He could hear the soft smile. "Is there any other information you can provide to expedite the process once we arrive?"
Gordon had been going over this in his mind ever since he got the call that she would be the one rescuing him, "You'll need to cut from underneath the section to prevent a pressure distortion. Nothing fancy. It looks like the sediment is already starting to settle, so you shouldn't have too difficult a time with visuals."
"FAB, Gordon."
A slow breath out. A stretch of silence, disturbed only by the constant trickle of water. A breath in.
"Gordon?" Her voice was low with concern.
"Don't worry... just need to regulate a little better."
"Alright, then. I'll be here if you need anything."
Fifteen minutes and he was floating.
His hands gripped the pipes running along the ceiling, pulling his face up into the quickly shrinking air pocket.
Breath in... Breath out... Breath in...
"Penny..." Almost a whisper into the com that had been left on for the past two minutes.
"Gordon, just keep hanging on, we're almost there." Her voice was a blur of authority and fear, willing him to not give up.
But he wasn't planning on giving up. Time just wasn't playing fair today. He had already calculated his chances of this working, giving Fab1 as much time as he could for the most beneficial outcome. He needed to tell her.
Breath in... Breath out...
"Penny... Seven minutes..."
Deep breath in... Push it out... Deep breath in-
He was under.
Relax...
His mind drifted through a series of places he would rather be. A warm beach, laying in the sun. He pictured his family, sitting around the pool deck, himself bobbing on a float with a drink in hand. He imagined Penny, smiling. He could still feel her hand in his from that ridiculous temple. He'd hold her hand in his mind, keep that smile on her face. He had to...
"John, what does he mean?" Penelope relied on her cool demeanor, but that was quickly disintegrating every passing second. There was silence coming through the coms. "Virgil? Is anyone going to answer?"
A connection sounded, followed by a thick silence, and then Virgil answered, "That's how long- He's holding his breath..."
"Lady Penelope," John now, "I'm seeing your eta as nine minutes. Is there any way you can increase speed?"
"Parker?" Her heart was racing, the need for action growing at an explicable rate.
"H'I'm not too sure what it will do to the h'engine, but h'I think h'I can redirect some of the weapon power. That should give her a boost." His fingers were already tapping away to make the adjustments.
Her breath caught as the car flew just a bit faster, "Please, let that be enough."
Eight minutes.
She let a shaky breath out into the confines of Fab1's boot, adjusting her dive helmet and strapping Gordon's to her waist. Too slow...
"Parker, get me as close as you can." She closed the hatch that was the back of her seat at his affirmation. Fab1 slowed and she felt the rear drift before almost coming to a stop. Her fist slammed the switch, allowing salt water to rush into the small space. The lid popped as soon as it was full. Legs that couldn't kick fast enough, propelled her towards the base of the lab section, her laser-cutter out even before she hit the spot she needed.
Hold on, almost there...
Brilliant red mixed with the light from Fab1's headlights as she brought the tool to the metal base.
Faster... cut faster.
She was vaguely aware of her teeth digging into her bottom lip as she cut the hole, now three-fourths complete. A few more seconds and there was a metallic scrape as the chunk of lab fell to the sea floor. She was through, her helmet light glinting off the walls as she scanned, looking for that bright blue.
She found him floating. He looked peaceful, almost asleep, his arms drifting above his head. Three strong kicks and she had him wrapped in one arm, the other grabbing the spare helmet and tank. A simple button press began the flush process, allowing her to place the oxygen-filled helmet over his head.
Time was the second most important thing to her right now, following closely behind the man in her arms. She couldn't think about how blue his lips had started to turn, or the way his limbs moved without resistance.
She had to move without hesitation. They were through the opening and climbing into Fab1's boot, her arm wrenching the door closed behind them and activating the pump to drain the water. Before the draining could be completed, she pushed the back-seat hatch forward, allowing what water was left to soak the interior. She needed space.
Her own helmet clattered to the back of the boot, followed by his, and she was pulling him up onto the seat.
"Surface, Parker, now!"
"Yes, m'lady." The car had already been moving, even before she spoke.
Now, she found her self babbling as she fought to remain in control.
"Gordon? Can you hear me? Open you're eyes for me." She was dragging the first aid kit up beside his head, fishing out the small device that would attach to his left side. Once attached, an array of images materialized over his chest.
[Heart Rate 0] [Pulse 0]
The machine began its precess.
"Begin CPR"
A hologram of a figure appeared next to Penelope, its hands balled over the center of his chest; a guide for her to follow. With fluid movements, she was bending over him, arms locked as she began the first compressions that she prayed would reverse this growing nightmare.
"...26, 27, 28, 29, 30, Breath"
His head tilted back, nose pinched, she placed her mouth over his, once, twice, and back to his chest.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5,..."
Eight times. She'd tried to breath for him eight times in the back of that frustratingly slow car.
"Parker?" A breathless demand for an eta.
"Meeting Thunderbird 2 in fifteen seconds, m'lady. Virgil is h'waiting to transfer."
"...10, 11, 12, 13"
"Gordon- please-" She'd blame it on fatigue later as tears began to blur her sight. He was so still... so not Gordon.
"20, 21, 22..."
And then a protective instinct mixed with training kicked in and she rolled him on his side, water spluttering from still blue lips. She was gasping with him, rubbing a hand over his back as more fluid expelled itself from his lungs and stomach.
Sunlight flooded through the windows as the sea disappeared below them.
"You're okay," she pushed the hair out of his face as she soothed, "I've got you. Just breath."
Just breath...
He was swimming on something solid, eyes trying to register the blues and greens, grays and pinks.
This wasn't right. He'd been talking to mom in his bedroom. He'd had a bad dream and she was singing to him. His song. He loved that song.
Now he was in a world where pain spoke volumes, pressing on his chest and head. Strong hands were pulling him, laying him on a hard surface that made him want to cry out, but only managing another hacking cough that sent tears streaming down his face.
He clenched his eyes shut, just for a moment, to cease the needles that were stabbing his brain. When he opened them, the light had dulled and he was on something softer. There was a hand holding his. He knew this hand. He never wanted to let go of it.
"...P-Pen-..."
"Shhh, hush now." Her voice was like a balm, and he tried to focus on it, tried finding her face.
He couldn't find her, but he had her hand. He pulled, moving it closer to his face.
"... There-.." There she was. Those blue eyes sparkling.
"Stay with us- stay with me, okay?" Her other hand had appeared, running through his hair. She was smiling.
"...a-always..."
The end
OOOOOH my goodness, this almost didn't happen!
First, I hope yall enjoyed that! It's been quite a while since I wrote anything, and I really enjoyed writing this.
Second, to address why this almost didn't happen, I may have inadvertently erased everything up to the point Gordon says 7 minutes x.x That wasn't a good night for me. And then, when I went to start my laptop to proof it one more time, the computer locked up! Blue screen and recovery mode! D:
Glad I could stick it out and try again! Its missing some of the banter I had in the original, but I think it came out ok :)
If you're curious about Gordon's song that Lucy was singing, I was using JJ Heller's – Boat Song from her sound track devoted to her kids.
Thanks so much for reading!