Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
AN: Hello again, I hope you all enjoyed the story so far. Not much to say but that I appreciate all the support you gave me by following, favoring and reviewing. Also this is the pre last chapter and I hope you stick until the very end, not much longer. Hopefully the last chapter won't take too long to finish. Anyway on with the story...
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Chapter 9
The fog slowly cleared from his mind, he tried to get a bearing on his surrounding but a sharp pain in his arm and right leg stopped him from doing so. He felt groggy at best and disorientation didn't help the matters. Everything was dark. He quickly moved around and found the emergency light, which, thankfully, these pods had.
"Jemma?"
He looked around and saw her lying on her side. Moving as quickly as his current state allowed him he went to her and examined her injuries. Nothing major, a few bumps and bruises and he let out a sigh of relief when he placed his fingers to check her pulse and found it beating. She was just knocked unconscious. Placing her gently back on her side so she doesn't hurt herself any further he examined the situation.
The storage pod had a lot of things packed and they could help him come up with the solution.
"Come on, come on."
He rummaged through but found nothing of use, only thing that was helpful was a makeshift slingshot for his broken arm. His leg probably suffered from a fracture but he couldn't be bothered to look more extensively. It was time to focus on the escape plan.
He saw an EKG device and a thought came to mind. He could try and wire it so it would send out a distress call, sure it may be a weak signal but they were still sinking so maybe there was time. As he worked on the small device he felt the time running out and no matter how he tried to hold on to the belief that they could make it, it slowly started to vain. After what seemed like an hour he came to the realization that it was a frequency that probably here no one was listening or looking for. That lead to another disappointment, He went over to look for supplies at least, something to sustain them here.
No matter how he looked he couldn't find anything that would spark a plan and fear grew along the frustration.
"Damn it."
He tossed the empty box to the far corner. The pain in his arm was increasing and his leg couldn't hold him for much longer. He looked over at Jemma before lowering himself to the ground. He watched as the small rays of light began to shrink the lower they sank. Soon it was complete darkness. He watched resigned to their fate, as the last light faded, so did their chance for making it out of here.
No distress call, no supplies to help them survive.
It left him melancholic and his thoughts roamed through the memories. Memories of his recruitment and hope he once had to make things better, discover greatness tat the end of the road and the realization that it had all fallen apart. Ward was right, he was weak and he failed. As hard as it was to die with that knowledge, it is even harder to finally admit what Ward did. His friend had betrayed him and left him to die. Such a Shakespearian fate that he refused to acknowledge it.
He looked over to Jemma and saw that she was slowly coming too. He felt his heartbeat speed up as she slowly pulled herself up to examine their surroundings. Too late for that, for them. She was still confused, probably didn't think they'd survive the impact. He started to explain, just to keep his mind clear from pain that his arm was causing him.
"On impact, the atmospheric adaptation must have tried to compensate. We slowly sank as it increased the density of outer walls."
She looked at him, concerned and worried. He was way past that now.
"By the density of the ray light and how quickly it dispersed and disappeared I managed to calculate the speed by which we are descending. We're at least 90 feet down, as you can't see the surface anymore."
She was still confused, questioning, and hopeful and as much as he didn't want to take it away, he knew where they stood.
"Fitz, how did we survive the fall?"
Explain, that he could do, just to delay the inevitable conclusion.
"The plane must have been in vertical flight mode, flying low. I managed to strap us to one of the backboards before we hit."
He glanced at his arm, the pain present as a long distant memory reminded him of a different time.
"I broke my arm same two places I broke it in second grade which is strange."
He can feel himself losing focus. Jemma on the other hand chuckled at their good fortune. One, he sadly couldn't share with her.
"I thought we were dead for sure, Fitz. We're so lucky. Now we just need to figure a way out of here."
She looked at him, all hopeful and waiting for him to hash out a plan for their grand escape.
"We'll find a way out of here, right?"
He almost wanted to chuckle, always the one with the bad news. It never seemed to change, the brains only served for him to know the facts of their demise and now he really didn't want to.
"And then we'd be in the middle of the ocean with the bends and no floatation and no one looking for us. I already spent an hour trying to rig the wireless signals on the EKG to send out a weak distress call before remembering that it's a frequency and no one's listening."
He glanced at the offending machine that just wouldn't give him what he wanted and even that wasn't their main problem here.
"And that's not the problem. The problem is that there aren't many supplies left in here, so I've already done the math."
She interrupted him, fierce and fearful at the same time.
"Enough with the math. What are you saying?"
He looked at her hope vanishing and the fear slowly take over what was left of a rational thought. He did that too, but it needed to be said.
"There is no way out Jemma."
He didn't want to see it, but there it was. The crushing realization as she said.
"We are going to die here."
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The next few moments were spent in silence and their own head. Basically that was the one place he didn't want to be at now so the words left his mouth.
"I'm hungry."
Instead of an angry retort all he heard was a soft reply.
"Me too. Scared and hungry."
He saw the fear and lifted his other arm in her direction. Jemma seemed to understand and came to sit by his side, while he wrapped his hand around her for comfort. Soon she spoke.
"What do you think death is like?"
He had time to think about that one since they were in this entrapment.
"I don't know, heard there were pleasant ways to die, drowning Is supposed to be like that."
He felt her nod her head from his side and couldn't help but finish the sentence.
"After the water fills your lungs apparently."
To move away from the grimness, he tried a different approach. She beat him to the punch. She was speaking mostly to herself but he enjoyed it anyways.
"Well, my mum always said that you shouldn't be afraid because it's just like the way life was before you were born which wasn't that bad, was it? That's sweet. Though, apparently, I was miserable before I was born upside down, umbilical cord all wrapped around my head. Yeah, well, she meant pre-conception, of course I know."
He started his little metaphor.
"I like to think about the first law of thermodynamics, that no energy in the universe is created. None is created, none is destroyed."
She seemed to catch his train of thought, like always, and continued.
"That means that every bit of energy inside us, every particle will go on to be a part of something else, maybe live as a dragonish, a microbe, maybe burn in a supernova and every part of us now was once a part of some other thing - a moon, a storm cloud, a mammoth."
He couldn't help but add as he softly moved his hand over her shoulder, tracing a pattern in a comfort manner.
"A monkey."
He felt her smile and couldn't help but enjoy the small moment.
"A monkey."
She spoke in agreement. He just couldn't help but mourn the time lost. Time lost in having her as a college, a friend. He almost missed what she said next.
"Thousands and thousands of other beautiful things that were just as terrified to die as we are."
He couldn't help but marvel at the picture she was painting and add a little bit of his own.
"We gave them new life, a good one I hope."
The next thing she said made his entire being slow down to a halt.
"It's fitting we're down here together, Fitz."
He was terrified that she was here with him, wouldn't want her anywhere near this desperate situation but also didn't want anyone else by his side. So in return he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and looked towards the world outside.
"This is where all life began on our planet, anyway."
She also leaned to look at the incredible mystery outside, the other side.
"Just outside that glass."
Then it clicked. Glass. That was it. He nudged her a bit away from him.
"Jemma?"
She looked up towards him and he was once more caught by how beautiful she was, but now was not the moment to dwell on it. Not now when he could still save her.
"What Fitz?"
He let her follow his gaze towards the offending object.
"The glass!"
After a moment she caught up, like she always did.
"The glass Fitz."
He quickly reasoned their train of thought. Their thought and sentences joining into one.
"It's bulletproof, pressure-resistant glass, but the seal is 4-hydroxy. If we use medical ethanol it has a low flash point, burns hotter and we could use the defibrillator as an ignition source and build a compressed explosive-o ignite the seal, the outside pressure will - blow the window in!"
She felt the same elation he did and in the next moment she hugged him tight. He would've loved to stay longer but she was squeezing his broken arm and it hurt like hell. So he moved away.
"That hurts my arm."
She was concerned for a moment, but saw him smiling and couldn't help but chuckle as she apologized.
"Sorry, sorry."
She moved to stand up and clasped her hand in excitement.
"Okay. Now that we know where to start there's a whole new set of problems, but where do we start?"
The question was sound and this time he had an answer.
In a matter of minutes he had the whole thing set up, after some deliberation he decided that by his calculation he wasn't getting out of this one and it didn't matter. He had already made peace with it.
He grabbed her shoulder to focus her attention on him. He took a deep breath, released the tension and started with the most difficult and easiest thing he had to do in his life.
"Now, when I press that power button the window will blow in, and water will rush inwards. The wind's going to be knocked right out of us."
She nodded as she followed along. He showed the small oxygen tank.
"Now, this is near empty, but I've rigged it to let out a burst of very high pressure should force a breath into your lungs, but you have to hold on to it, okay? Hold on tight."
She was tense, words probably were harder to speak, the lack of oxygen in the pod making it difficult to think properly. Now, he had to say something that will surely make this the most difficult task he ever did.
"It should be enough to get you up the 90 feet or so."
The confusion settled in like he knew it would and the question bubbled from her lips.
"One breath? But there's two of us."
The resolution he felt then as he saw her looking lost was stronger than anything he ever felt. He knew that he would do whatever it takes, but now he could literally feel it in his bones. It made all of this easier to do. Breathing deeply, he tried to maintain his focus on the task at hand.
"Yeah, I've done the math. That's why you're taking it. You're a better swimmer, anyway."
The outright disbelief at him even suggesting something would've made him chuckle if they were anywhere else.
"No."
He had to reason with her. She had to see.
"Jemma."
But she wouldn't hear it. She just shook her hand as if trying to wipe away even the thought about it.
"No! I'm not leaving you here. That's ridiculous. We need a new plan."
If there was anything else, he would've done it. He had tried numerous ways when she was unconscious to come with the solution but this was the only way out.
"We're not discussing it, okay? You're taking it end of story."
She had to live, nothing else mattered. He will make it so.
"I couldn't live if you didn't."
She desperately clutched at his shoulders, trying to convey how desperate and same she felt.
"Well, I feel the same way. There has to be another way."
In amazement he felt his resolve crumbling, but not doing all of this but how she could make him change his mind on anything except on this.
"You are taking it Jemma."
She looked like a trapped animal, like she was a moment from spilling something she shouldn't.
"Why would you make me do this? You're my best friend in the world!"
He was seeing her desperation, her need to keep him alive and he knew now was the moment. It was a shame they didn't have time.
"Yeah, and you're more than that, Jemma. I couldn't find the courage to tell you."
He saw her tears and it just doubled his resolve. She just couldn't seem to get a hold of herself.
"So please, let me show you."
By then, she was sobbing, holding on to him for dear life. She held on to him, never wanting to let him go and he just moved his hands to push the tank in her hand and whispered reassuring words to her. He needed her to live, as simple as that.
"It's okay. It's going to be okay."
He tried to pry her from himself but she wouldn't listen whispering 'no' and holding on to him.
"You know I love you, right?"
She gazed at him with hear tear strained eyes and before he changed his mind he kissed her. He poured everything in that one kiss he will ever have. He wanted to show her that everything will be alright as long as she lived. The warmth and bliss that enveloped him when she kissed back was something he will remember forever. He will take it with him and never let go. As he deepened the kiss, he felt her relax into him and as much as he wanted to continue he pushed her away and she grasped the oxygen tank looking desperate.
"No."
Before she could grasp him again, he blew the window. The desperate cry rang all the way to his bones.
"No!"
Then there was silence. He had no regrets, he had done all he could to save her. The words that echoed in his head were from a friend.
End of the line, Fitz
The end indeed.
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