As the water began to flood the room, everyone seemed to accept the fate that there was nothing that could be done.
Most stood there, silently.
Simmons wadded through the water to Virginia.
"Virginia, I have something to say." Simmons, for once, spoke sternly and confident.
"Hm?" Virginia tilted her head, confused.
"I... Well, the other night, I invited you to my room and you said no, and I, for one, was a little taken back by it. I mean, you came into my room the night before, with wine, and seemed to have been flirting with me, and I thought... I was under the impression... You...?"
Virginia stood still, watching as Simmons poured his heart out. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest. "I just... I like you. I liked our talk we had, and I think you are simply amazing and smart and beautiful and-," Simmons inhaled, as if he was choking back tears. "I've never felt his way.. most girls make me nervous like a damned idiot. But, with you..."
Simmons began to fiddle his fingers, nervously, regretting even having start this conversation. "Fuck, I don't know what I'm trying to say." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Simmons, I-," Virginia began to say. Simmons held up a hand.
"Please, don't feel like you have to say anything, because, if we die right here, right now, I think I can die happy knowing that I at least told you how I feel." Simmons ended with a sigh and looked down at the water.
"Sure, the guy gets some balls right before we die." Grif whispered to Tucker.
"Mm hmm." Tucker nodded.
"Well," Virginia began. "Your timing is wonderful." She let out a laugh.
"I know. I'm sorry." Simmons apologized. "I-," Before he could continue his ramble, Virginia cut him off.
"I like you, too."
Simmons felt his heart drop. He looked up at her, unsure if he heard correctly.
"Y-You do?"
"Yes." Virginia nodded and approached him.
"That's.. this is great!" Simmons said happily. "Well, not great, given we're about to die momentarily."
Their hands reached across the water and as they touched, Simmons winced from static electricity. "Ouch!" He screamed.
"You okay?" Virginia asked.
"Yeah, it's the cybernetic parts and this damn water." Simmons mumbled. Virginia paused for a moment as Simmons shook his finger. She then looked over at Lopez, who was still standing still.
"Sarge, don't let Lopez's upper body get wet!" Virginia yelled. Everyone looked over at Virginia, who was rushing through the water to get to Lopez.
"Uh, say what now?" Sarge asked.
"Sarge. Simmons. We can use the parts from Lopez to boost our transmission from our helmets." Virginia explained. "Can't we? Get it through the metal in this room and it can travel through the water."
"Hmm, that... actually might be plausible." Simmons thought.
"I'm not sure I follow." Sarge said as he removed Lopez's head.
"Think about it. Radio waves transmit information underwater. We need a good conductor to convey the electricity. Lopez is completely metal." Virginia explained. "At very low radio wavelengths, we will be able to transmit our message. We should be able to reach Kai up on that cliff and let her know we need help. We will have better luck trying to reach her then trying to reach a further distance, like to Kimball."
Simmons looked at Virginia in awe.
"I love you."
"What?" Virginia asked.
"Nothing." Simmons blushed and went to taking part of Lopez's torso.
"Assemble it on top of this crate." Grif said as he pushed a crate through the water to Virginia and Simmons. He held the crate steady so it wouldn't float away.
Sarge helped remove the torso of Lopez, pulling out a screwdriver that he had attached on the inside of Lopez's chest.
"I hope you guys know what you're doing." Wash said as he waddled through the water; it coming up to his hips now.
"Don't put pressure on us, Wash!" Simmons warned as he began to take part of some circuit boards.
"No pressure... but please... get us out of here." Wash said.
Everyone gathered around, watching as Sarge, Simmons and Virginia began to take pieces of Lopez apart, and furiously assemble together a way to call for help.
Kaikaina got out of the ship and stared down the cliff at the opening. She hummed to herself, feeling nervous.
"They've been down there awhile." She said. She began to worry for her brother and Tucker's safety.
"Kaikaina, come in, over." Came a voice over the radio.
"This is she." Kai responded.
"It's Kimball. Any word from them?" Kimball asked.
"Nothing yet. I'm getting kinda worried. It's been quiet." Kimball paused for a moment.
"UNSC will be arriving shortly. I'll make sure they get down there ASAP." Kimball explained.
"Okay. Roger." Kai said and clicked the radio off.
She peered down the cliff, once again, focusing her eyes on the canyon wall.
"Please, be okay...," she begged.
"I don't like the sounds of that." Doc admitted.
"I agree. I haven't heard from them in awhile either." Kimball sighed as she configured the radio settings to contact the UNSC.
"This is President Kimball." She announced on the radio.
"Hello Kimball, we are getting ready to land on Ambrosia." Announced one of the pilots.
"Good! You need to get down there. I believe they may be in great danger!" Kimball stressed.
"Roger that, we'll be moving fast and furiously." Responded the pilot.
"Please, let me know once you find anything." Kimball pleaded.
"Copy."
Simmons hooked up the radio transmitter to Sarge's helmet. He held the mechanism gingerly in the air, making sure to avoid any contact with the water.
"Alright, Sarge. Try it now." Simmons said.
"Okay. Hello? Come in? This is Sarge. Over." Sarge called over the radio. He heard the whirring and static of the radio, then silence. "Nothing."
"Keep trying." Simmons insisted, holding the transmitter with his cybernetic arm.
"This is Sarge. Come in. Over." Sarge tried again, releasing a breath after he only heard silence.
"...Hello?" Came a familiar voice.
"Kai, is that you?!"
"Old man?!"
Sarge laughed joyously.
"Yeah! Hey, we're kinda in deep trouble down here. We need back-up, pronto!" Sarge announced.
"What's going on?!" Kai asked.
"Temple and the others fled. We're stuck in a room that's being filled with water. We're about to become fish food." Sarge explained. "The paths are all blocked."
"Gotcha! Help is on the way!" Kai said, and the radio clicked out.
"...Um... hello?" Sarge asked.
"What happened? Did you get through?" Wash asked.
"Yeah, I got through. She said help is on the way and it died." Sarge explained.
"Well... let's hope she comes through." Wash said.
"Is it kind of nerve-wracking that our lives right now are hanging in the balance with Grif's sister being our only hope?" Carolina asked as she leaned over to Wash.
"Um. Only slightly." Wash said sarcastically.
The group began to stare up at the ceiling, waiting to hear any noise that may be the sound of their rescue.
"God, I'll kill her if she fucks this up." Grif mumbled.
Several spaceships landed on the ledge of the canyon where Kaikaina was standing. She rushed over to a soldier as he stepped off the ship first.
"What's the status?!" He asked.
"They're in an underwater base, trapped. The room is flooding. You need to get down there and rescue them before they drown!" Kai explained.
"Roger that." The soldier responded and stepped into the ship to debrief the solders he brought along.
The men quickly got down to the canyon as a separate ship hovered above the lake.
Kai waited anxiously, hoping to see her brother...
"Alright guys, this looks like it might be it." Carolina said as the water came to their shoulders now.
"If I make it out alive, I'll go back to college. I'll go to church. I'll donate! Please, just let me live." Grif whined.
"I hope you all know... that I think you're all pretty great." Caboose admitted. "I know, we sometimes have tough times and like to yell and fight... but just know... that I'm glad you guys are my friends."
"You're a good man, Caboose." Tucker said as he patted his comrade on the shoulder.
"Aw, thanks Tucker." Caboose said. "You know, I never really liked you much in the beginning."
"Oh, shocker." Tucker smirked. "That's because you were too far up Church's ass to appreciate anybody else."
Caboose gasped.
"I was never up there!"
"Geezum, guys. Can't you die quietly and peacefully?" Wash asked.
"Nope. This is how we started. This is how we'll finish." Tucker responded with a shrug. "Take it or leave it."
"If we make it out, I'll go to Paris." Donut prayed. "I'll travel! See the world!"
"We've seen lots of worlds, Donut." Grif pointed out.
"Yeah, but we never really appreciated our own."
"Guys, quiet!" Wash yelled. Everyone looked over at him as he held his hand up. He slowly looked up at the ceiling and everyone turned their ears to listen.
There was a series of beeping, and the group suddenly began to panic as an explosion went off, and the ceiling caved in on them. All at once, the water rushed in, and everyone held their breath for one last time.
Tucker gasped for air as he was pulled out of the water. A pair of strong hands held onto his arms, and he found himself lifted out of the water and onto the floor of a spaceship.
Grif was pulled up next to him, followed by Caboose and Donut. Tucker weakly sat up on his elbows and saw another spaceship across the way, which was pulling up Carolina and Wash.
Sarge's head broke through the water, and he was holding up Lopez's head. The soldier that had pulled up Carolina grabbed hold of Sarge's arm and pulled him aboard the ship.
Simmons and Virginia were pulled up next to Carolina and Wash.
"Is that everyone?!" A soldier asked Tucker.
"Yeah, that's everyone." Tucker said, before dropping his head backwards against the floor.
"You made it!" Kaikaina screamed as she rushed over to the ships as they landed. She jumped aboard the shift, bent down and hugged her brother.
"Oh, take it easy! I swallowed too much water." Grif groaned.
"Kimball will be so happy to hear you guys made it!" Kai said as she turned to Tucker and hugged him.
"Yeah, but Temple and the others got away." Tucker said frustrated.
"That's okay. As long as you guys made it, that's what matters." Kai said. Tucker couldn't help but smile and hugged her back.
"They made it?! Oh, thank God." Kimball said, putting a hand to her chest.
"Thank the stars!" Doc exclaimed.
"They report that Temple and the others escaped." Announced the soldier that was talking to Kimball.
"That's... okay. We will take this loss for now. They can't run forever." Kimball said.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Just bring everyone back here."
After being checked out by paramedics, the group was flown to the hidden base for Kimball. The ship she let them borrow was brought back UNSC headquarters.
"You guys had me so worried!" Doc said tearfully as he ran up to hug Donut.
"I know! We almost drowned!" Donut replied as he returned the hug.
"You don't know how relieved I am to see you all here." Kimball admitted.
"We were nervous wrecks." Jax admitted.
"We're okay. Nothing a little soup and dry clothes can't take care of." Wash said, sounding exhausted.
"I'll let everyone get comfortable, then we can talk later." Kimball said. "I have a chef preparing some food for everyone now."
"Yeeees." Grif said tiredly, raising a fist up in the air. "I love when I don't have to cook my own meals."
"Come on everyone. Hit the showers." Sarge ordered, putting Lopez's head on the table.
"Oh no, Lopez!" Jax said as he bent down to look at the helmet.
"He gave his body to help us get out." Sarge said. "What a brave robot."
"That was fast thinking on Virginia's part. Making that transmitter to help boost the radio waves." Wash said as he gave a pat to Virginia's shoulder.
"Thanks. I guess it's good to be a nerd." She chuckled.
"I feel like a building has been dropped on me." Carolina said as she limped in the room.
"Yeah, that fucking sucked." Tucker admitted as he stretched his lower back. "No more underwater lairs, please."
"I can agree with that." Caboose said. "Freckles doesn't know how to swim."
Everyone dispersed to go clean up and change out of their soaked armor.
After several minutes, the group found their way shuffling to the dinner table, looking exhausted. Several of them had bruises along their faces, arms and legs.
"You guys don't look so good." Doc said softly.
"Well, after nearly drowning and having a ceiling fall on you, you kinda don't look your best anymore." Grif stated dryly.
The chef that Kimball hired came to the table with serving trays and sat out bowls of soup for everyone. Kimball even joined them for dinner, which she rarely did.
"I'm sorry, Kimball. We let you down." Carolina apologized as she twirled her soup with a spoon.
"No, you didn't. You gave them a run for their money. You tried. It was a good plan." Kimball said, reassuringly.
"Hey, Kimball, do you know anything about equipment being hijacked out of UNSC?" Simmons asked.
"Oh yeah. Simmons found crates worth of stuff to build bombs." Carolina said.
"Wait, what?" Kimball looked confused. "I haven't heard anything about that."
"Well, it's true. They had a storage room full of crates to make explosives." Virginia said before she slurped her soup.
"I should probably call them and ask about that." Kimball thought out loud. "That feels like important information that the public should know about."
"That's what we thought, too." Carolina admitted as she went to take a spoonful of soup into her mouth.
"I don't like it when information is being kept in the dark." Kimball admitted. "It's too suspicious."
"Let us know what you find out." Wash asked.
"Of course."
Everyone engorged their soups, along with slices of bread. It made them feel full, and warm, and alive.
After they finished their food, they all went to the connection of couches that was in the center of the living room, and that night, everyone slept side-by-side, sprawled out on the furniture.
They weren't victorious, but they were happy to accept the fact that they were going to live to see another day.
