A/N: Another short one, but since I'm posting 20 and 21 at the same time, things should even out.

Chapter 21

Lucas had no idea how much time had passed, but it must have been a while. The water level was rising faster and faster and he wasn't sure how long he had left before it completely filled the small cavern. Tony had mentioned that the tide was coming in and the water was much higher on the other side of the wall. While it weighed heavily on both of their minds, neither brought up the fact that they were working against time and just might not win.

He and Tony had been working hard to chip away at the highest rocks and had managed to clear a decent sized hole. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite large enough for Lucas to force his body through, but at least now they could see each other. Despite the dire situation, Tony was true to nature, making light of the situation and proving some distraction as they worked clearing a larger opening.

They were moving faster now, making progress, and both hoped it wouldn't be long before the hole was big enough. Lucas knew that even if he was to make it out of that enclosed space before he ran out of oxygen, there was a chance he'd never make it to the COA sub alive. Unlike Tony, he couldn't breath underwater and while a good swimmer, couldn't hold his breathe long enough to maneuver through the long tunnel and into open water.

Lucas gripped the flashlight he'd been using as a tool, and steadied himself against the cavern wall. Even though he'd climbed the stone and was now directly below the low-hanging ceiling of the enclosed space, the water had reached chest level. It was becoming more and more difficult to anchor his body to provide the leverage he needed to coax the stubborn rocks out of place. With a sharp jab to the corner of the stone they were currently working on dislodging, he felt himself slip back into the water with a splash.

"Hey! You okay?" A worried looking Tony peered through the newly enlarged gap.

Lucas scrambled for the rocks, pulling himself back up and shaking the water from his ears. "Yeah. Think I lost my flashlight though."

Tony grinned, and slipped his upper torso through the hole. "Don't think you're gonna need it, Luke."

He returned the grin. They'd managed to create an opening that he'd definitely be able to force his body through. Pulling his body up to the larger opening, Lucas reached out to grab Piccolo's extended hand. This was the first time they'd really been able to see each other properly and it felt good. "Thanks for coming back for me, Tony."

"Only did what you'd do." Tony paused before continuing. "They're going to be surprised though."

"Yeah, I guess they thought you'd be bringing two bodies back with you instead of one." Lucas looked back into the enclosure. While it wasn't something he'd wanted to do, he knew earlier that he'd have to secure Anna's body as the water rose and had tethered her close to the wall with rope. As he watched her lifeless form bob on the surface of the rising water, he could feel the anger burning again. Lucas and Tony had had plenty of time to talk as they pounded away at the rock, and the topic of their abandonment had come up quite early on. Lucas had been enraged to hear that Dom had informed the team that both he and Anna were dead, when in fact he knew them to be alive. Up to that point, Lucas had been livid with Dom's decision to leave them behind, when Anna still had a chance. Instead of letting Sejal make the final decision, Dom had decided to sacrifice them both. Not only was the man a possible traitor, but in Lucas' eyes, he was a murderer too.

Tony had been shocked and equally as angry when Lucas had explained what had happened from their end, and had cursed loudly. Both knew that when they got out of this mess, they'd give the other man a piece of their minds, and quite possibly a taste of their fists.

Lucas willed his anger back under control. There would be plenty of time for retribution if he made it out of this place alive. Right now, he needed to focus on how they were going to make it to the rendezvous point with the rescue vehicle.

"Hey Tony, how much time to we have before the sub comes back for us?" Lucas was attempting to calculate the amount of time they had until the cavern was completely filled with water and therefore the amount of time he had left before running out of oxygen.

"Uh, just under two hours. It'll take us about fifteen minutes to get through the tunnel and depending on who's still out there, maybe another fifteen to thirty to reach the pickup point. We got time."

Lucas chewed his lip. Two hours. There was no way he'd make it. "Actually, we don't. You said the tunnel out was completely filled with water, right? And this small area will probably be filled in the next hour. Even if we waited until I could take one last gasp, I'd still never be able to hold my breath for another hour before rescue arrived."

He was surprised to see Tony disappear from view for a few seconds, before reappearing with a smile on his face.

"Here, I don't need it." Tony passed an object through the gap and Lucas immediately recognized it.

"You brought a rebreather? Why?"

"I guess the COA is pretty good at keeping secrets internally too. They want to keep my gills under wraps and make me take all the gear any other swimmer will need." He nodded towards the valuable piece of equipment. "I think that model has enough oxygen for five hours. Now, let's get you outta there."

Lucas grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

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Sejal watched over Moe's shoulder as the pilot gunned the vehicle's engine. The seemingly innocuous task of delivering President Itou to the U.S.S. Hamilton had taken longer than expected and they now found themselves behind schedule to reconnect with Piccolo. Regardless of how fast they maneuvered through these waters – now filled with allies due to the immediate call for aid made by Itou once he'd reached the American navy aircraft carrier – they were not going to make it back in the six hours they'd promised Tony. They'd be lucky to make it back within seven.

"You want me to state the obvious, boss?" Moe looked back at the team lead, visible concern etched into his face.

Sejal did not respond right away. She chewed on her bottom lip contemplating their options. The waters surrounding the island were no longer as large a threat as before the president had put out a call for assistance. Almost immediately, neighboring islands had reacted, committing their resources to supporting the standing government in regaining control. The president of Yonaguni was well respected and trusted, despite their differences regarding alliances with the UEO and Macronesia, and it had never been more obvious before now. The UEO had official permission to enter the island's territory and Yonaguni's General had his hands full. He more than likely had pulled back his forces from the water to focus on the movement on land.

Despite the lesser threat now faced in the water, Sejal was still concerned for Piccolo's safety. The water was cold and the swimmer had already passed the limit for the time he should be submerged. In addition, his oxygen must be running close to empty by now. No, she had to get him out immediately. He could not wait for their delayed arrival.

"Moe, get me a secure link with seaQuest."

"SeaQuest?"

"They were called in to secure the Cabinet's release. They must have a presence in the water right now."

"Right. On it."

Sejal slipped into the empty seat next to Moe, and waited for him to make audio contact with the large submarine. She listened as he relayed their request to speak with the captain, and for Hudson to respond.

"This is Captain Hudson, who am I speaking to?" The man's voice came through the headsets clearly, his distrust heavily veiled.

"Captain Hudson, I am Agent Mina Sejal with the UEO. My agency mission code is 759286 and you can confirm our authority with the office of the Secretary General." Certain that the man was relaying this information with one of his officers to confirm, Sejal waited.

"Proceed, Agent Sejal."

"Captain, I know seaQuest currently has a presence in the waters around Yanoguni," she paused, but the captain said nothing. "We have one agent still on location and will not make it to the rendezvous point on time. I would like to request assistance in retrieving this agent."

"You left one of your own?"

"Yes, sir. At his request the agent was assigned the responsibility of bringing back the two agents that we lost." Sejal closed her eyes. This was probably where she should inform the captain that one of the lost agents was seaQuest's very own Lucas Wolenczak, but found herself unable to do so.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Agent." Hudson's tone had become softer, most likely from having been in the same situation himself. "We have two vehicles in closer proximity to the island than seaQuest and one will be able to retrieve your agents. Relay the coordinates, and we'll pass them on."

"Thank you, Captain. We will make contact with seaQuest to retrieve our agents." She immediately passed on the coordinates and the connection was severed.

They had no way of communicating the change of plans to Piccolo, but as a former seaQuest crewmember, he was sure to recognize the vehicle and its team. Somewhat relieved, Sejal sat back in her seat as they moved at high speed back towards their mission site.

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They made their way slowly through the underwater passage, carefully handling Anna's body between them. As the water within the internal cavern had continued to rise, Lucas had insisted that they bring her back with them. Tony, who Lucas had learned fought for permission to retrieve both of their bodies, had not argued. The biggest obstacle they'd faced so far was how to get both of them through the small opening and on the path to freedom with the added complication of the rising water level. By the time they'd both made it out, the small enclosure had filled with water to within an inch of the ceiling. Lucas had never been so happy to see a rebreather as he had that moment. Without Tony's gills, and the un-needed piece of equipment, Lucas would surely be dead by now as well.

Reaching the point where the escape pod had blasted through the rock wall and out into open waters, Lucas shuddered. While it was further from the space where he and Anna had been trapped than he had been led to believe, it was not far enough that Dom should have left them both to die. The man was a poor excuse for an agent and even a worse excuse of a man. When he got his hands on the guy – Lucas found himself clenching his one free hand into a fist. No, he wasn't going to think of that right now. He and Tony first had to get themselves out of this water and back onto the COA sub. Then, he'd let Dom know exactly how he felt.

Lucas felt a nudge in his side and glanced at Tony. The other man tapped his watch and pointed ahead. They were going to have to move a bit faster to make it to the pick-up point. Nodding, he readjusted his hold on Anna and kicked his legs in the direction they were to head. It was much harder to swim without a wetsuit or flippers. He'd removed most of his extra layers, including his boots, but both he and Tony had decided against leaving anything behind. If the enemy soldiers investigated the cavern, it was best they leave no trace of the COA's involvement. Instead, Tony had insisted on carrying the extra gear and clothing in his waterproof pack, pointing out that at least he was dressed for swimming. Lucas hated to admit that his friend was right.

Lucas pushed forward, following Piccolo's lead. He found himself breathing faster, attempting to pull more oxygen out of the rebreather, but found his lungs burning as a result. His movements became more sluggish and spots began to dance across his field of vision. Wha - ? Lucas' fingers slipped from their hold of Anna's clothes, and his vision began to narrow. He could feel the rush of blood in his head, but he couldn't keep his focus. Oh god. He was passing out. Lucas felt his body slip from the grasp of consciousness, and he fought to regain control. It was almost as though he was being swallowed up by complete blackness.

Suddenly, he felt oxygen rush back into his lungs and his head began to clear almost instantly. Lucas became aware of a firm grasp on his upper arm, and he snapped back to attention. With wide eyes, Lucas stared at Tony, whose face exposed the panic he must be feeling. He tried to relay that he was fine, but his friend didn't look as though he was going to let go of his arm. At that moment, he realized that he'd lost his grip on Anna, and Tony had done the same to respond to Lucas. Thankfully, her body had not moved far from them, and Lucas reached out to grab her.

Tony again reached out for Lucas and pointed up. He was suggesting that despite the unknown threats they could face, that they should surface. Lucas wasn't sure that this was a good idea, but with no other option available, he nodded in agreement. He felt the added support of his friend as they moved closer to the surface of the water.

"What the hell happened?" Tony burst out, their heads barely breaking the water's surface.

Lucas spat out the rebreather, and gasped for breath. He was a strong swimmer, but the events of the past day were taking a toll on him. Even treading water to keep his head over the waves was taking more out of him then he wanted to admit. "Don't know." He coughed out, wiping the water from his eyes. "I think the rebreather is low on oxygen. For a while, it felt as though I was suffocating, then it was fine again."

With Anna's body carefully cradled under his one arm, Tony reached for the now-discarded rebreather. "There's no way this thing is out of oxygen. It was fully charged when I gave it to you." Examining it closely, Tony's expression began to change.

"What?"

"The gauge is off. Looks like it's almost empty."

"Let me see," Lucas reached for it, looking at the oxygen gauge carefully. "Crap. I don't think there's more than thirty minutes left in this tank. How much longer before the team gets back?" Lucas knew the answer before Tony could speak. Not enough time.

"'Bout an hour. What d'ya wanna do? Hang out up here and risk it? Or see if we can push our luck under water for a bit longer? We don't have far to go."

Lucas didn't hesitate. They needed to get to the rendezvous point as soon as possible. Once there, he at least could stay close to the surface and wait for the sub to arrive. It had to surface for them to enter the hatch anyway. "Let's keep going."

"Okay. But we're gonna stay just deep enough to avoid the pull of the wave. Don't want you goin' deeper if you start to pass out again. You feel any sorts of funny, you go straight up. Got it?"

"I got it, Tony." Lucas didn't have the strength to roll his eyes. He knew Tony was suggesting exactly what he would if the circumstances were reversed. He pulled the rebreather out of the water and placed it back into his mouth. As he reached for their fallen friend, Tony frowned and pushed his hands away.

"Don't even think about it, Luke. I got her. You look like you can barely haul your own ass through the water. There's no way I'm letting you take Anna too."

"I'm fine, Tony," Lucas sighed, but he didn't try again. Tony was right. He was exhausted. His head hurt, his lungs burned and his limbs were starting to feel like lead weights. Lucas knew it was going to take everything he had left just to swim and tread water for the next hour. He took one last glance at the island country, it's steep cliff walls seeming further and further way in the darkening evening sky, and then willed his body back underwater, moving towards their meeting point.