Suyin sucked air desperately into her lungs, exposed to more then enough on the rolling dock. Several surrounded the columns that braced Mana One to the ocean floor. Equipped with rafts and emergency supply bags, no one need visit them unless the station needed to abandoned. Thus, Suyin was promised solitude. The rain, easing, clung to her hair; same as the animal of fear clawing her chest. The sea was tempered from the passing storm, yet it remained unbroken. Wide and lonely... affording her no hope.

When their air had come under an hour, she'd fled the control room. If Driscoll called again, someone else would have to mediate. She couldn't watch the clock anymore. Nor could she stand here, unmoving. Any options to move forward though, had been snatched from her; a damaged rescue DSV, all lines of communication brutally silent...

I could just dive. Suyin considered absently. Dive straight down. Cut through the layers of cold and straight through the breach to bring her family back up. Or to wake up from this nightmare.

"Suyin?"

Suyin jerked around to find Jaxx stepping onto the platform. "Nothing from the station yet."

She remained at the ladder awkwardly- wondering if it was safe to approach. Then, Jaxx cleared her throat. "Course we figured comms weren't likely. I'm sure our deep-sea criminals took extra pains to go undetected."

Suyin's heart ached, impatient in the suspense- did she become sad, angry, or surrender to hopelessness? She eyed back to the water, a step closer to its edge. She saw her tiny body floating down now, deep into the ocean's endless belly- until she felt nothing.

"You know what's consumed my thoughts these last months..." the regret finally pushed out in her tears. "'What must they think of me.'... 'They must be so disappointed.'"

Jaxx came up, voice pensive, but caring. "'Is she okay?'."

She touched Suyin's elbow, getting their expressions to meet. "That's all anyone cares about."

She didn't add anything else. Jaxx operated on few, but essential words. It made Jonas like her, and Mac trust her, while being DJ's bone of contention. Suyin pressed her hands to her face, fatigue hitting behind her eyes.

"We... might have another problem." Jaxx pulled her attention again, hands irritable on her tablet. She handed it over, checking up to Mana One's upper walk. "I double checked because I'm- petty. Suyin, the DSV's fine."

Her sentence didn't register. Suyin looked down at the tablet, showing the DSV's systems. "Fine? But Jess said the control panel-"

"Her diagnostic showed it not working." Jaxx agreed, while her cheeks hinted at rage. "But- it's only unwired."

Something that took 10 minutes or so to fix. Suyin choose anger then, hot bile constricting in her throat. "Where-"

"Still with Mac on the observation deck." Jaxx headed for the ladder with her. "She and DJ are monitoring the breach. Anything that might pop up on the radar-"

The universe saw fit to be funny then. An irregular sound pattern in the waves got their attention. Suyin squinted, but sure enough she saw these strange lumps skimming the surface of the water- as they moved toward the dock!

Jaxx grabbed her arm, rushing for the ladder. Everything felt stalled, thick as mud to move her feet until the first, long oily eel leapt from the water. Bloodthirsty eyes drew Suyin out from her shock as she barely dodged its path. The eel missed, curling and withering for control of its own body until it slipped back into the ocean.

"C'mon!" Jaxx yelled as another dark-patterned eel ascended from the water like a rocket- attaching itself to Jaxx's leg! She screamed, yanked off the ladder as it dug into her calf and Suyin realized its size- twice that of any species she knew.

"Jaxx?!"

Duyi, one of the engineers suddenly appeared- eyes popping from his head. "Shénme?"

"Bāngbāngwo!" Suyin cried, Duyi jumping onto the dock. He fought for his footing, but barely made a step as a third slinked, gripping his ankle- this however, was not an eel. Something else! Duyi's nails ripped the dock in vain as he was pulled under by something else. Suyin hadn't seen it, but there wasn't time to ask! On hands and knees, Suyin reached one of the rafts, oars strapped to the side.

"Aaaaggghhh!" Jaxx jammed her free foot against the eel's head, but it proceeded to coil around her leg, securing its bite. "Su-Suyin!"

Suyin unwrapped an oar, sensing more trying to climb the deck. They'd be surrounded in moments! She smacked the edge of the oar into its eye. Leaving it dazed, she began to wedge the oar between scale and flesh; feeling its weight. Quickly! There will be more!

Jaxx, face scarlet in pain or adrenaline, smacked her fist straight into the nose. The eel neither budged or blinked. Still, she struck again while Suyin leveraged the flat end to separate her from it. There was a horrid, sucking sound as they fought for its release. Blood-stained teeth emerged, leaving the eel's jaws to wildly snap the air. Suyin saw her chance and let it have the oar. Loosing Jaxx, the eel struggled blindly with the new prey. Arms burning from effort, Suyin half-dragged Jaxx up the ladder. Get inside! Just get inside!

}{}{}{}{

Everything was cold. And dark, though it didn't want to be. There was too much intensity in the air. And crying... there was a baby crying-

Get up... get up... Jonas pushed the order through his brain, as it was slowly reminded of the floor, the walls; his soaked clothes, and the lights of the airlock. The water had drained, leaving him exposed- but alive. He'd made it! Now to make it to the submersible.

He coughed onto his side; just in time to avoid choking on his own vomit. He must've swallowed some water... the final seconds were a blur. In any case, it barely alleviated the disgusted feeling his mind fought against. He spit the rest out, stumbling up and to the door. Buttons glared through his double-vision. How much noise would it make when he opened it? They couldn't have left yet- only 5 minutes had passed, right?

There was no way to know how long he'd been out. But he wouldn't think that way. Jonas glanced back, to where Jiuming had laid Curtis. Everything had drifted upon his entry, but he spotted her spear gun beneath her body.

"Sorry." Jonas tilted her to take the gun. The short walk helped him reclaim his center of gravity, bracing as he opened the airlock. Following their path back to the moon pool was easy, Jonas needing the time to figure what to do when he got there. Surprise was all he had; it'd have to be enough.

"Stay there, Meiying."

Jonas stiffened at Rigas' order, followed by Jiuming's Mandarin. Where did that put Montes? He kept to a corner, until he heard footsteps. "Just finish up!"

There was his opening! He burst out of hiding, catching her by the shoulder. He slammed her into the wall, gun to her throat. "Surprise."

Her eyes widened, halting her resistance. Finger on the trigger, he was all set to pull.

"Jonas, no no, Jonas." Jiuming rushed his arm. He tried lowering the gun, but Jonas refused. "Jiuming-"

Jiuming's look pierced him. "She tricked him to get us access to the sub."

Rigas nodded, chin quivering against the muzzle. "N-not my swiftest move. But... I thought you could handle it."

"What offer was he talkin' about?" Jonas pinned her even tighter to the wall. Rigas held his gaze. "Nothing direct. Just if I fancied a bigger payday. Honestly, I'd forgotten all about it."

"But not completely." Jonas processed this against the 2 years they'd known Rigas. Hardcore, self-sufficient... to the point of being self-centered. "Where's Montes?"

"W-We exchanged a few shots... when he came back without you," Rigas managed. "We've got the battery. We put it in, and we're gone."

"We're exposed out here." Jiuming stated, eyes spying the other corners of the room.

Jonas didn't let up.

"We need to go." Jiuming stressed. Jonas followed his nod to spot Meiying, waiting by the hatch. She still shivered, and the water continued to rise.

"They were my friends too." Rigas affirmed, emotion slipping from her pupils. Jonas watched with narrow eyes- but lowered his gun. Taking a step farther back then he meant to. Jiuming helped right him, giving Rigas clearance back down the catwalk. "You did something reckless again."

"I'm alive, aren't I?" Jonas straightened, ignoring the groan of his muscles. Jiuming sighed, pointing. "Your ears are bleeding."

Jonas moved on to the sub, only for Meiying to notice the same thing. "What happened?"

"We need to close the hatch." Rigas saved Jonas from an answer. Jiuming rounded off the group, sealing them in while Rigas returned to attaching the battery. "The others look good. Same for the ballast tanks. It'll make the trip."

"Good." Jonas echoed, headed to the front to acquaint himself with the controls. Knowing Meiying was on his heels every step of the short way. He sat and glanced all the buttons and levers; it had been built for far longer excursions then Mana One's.

"Auto-pilot still works." Meiying spoke up, pointing out an orange button between the seats. "It's programmed to adjust at depth changes."

Jonas grinned, only to wince; every motion was hurting more and more. He took a breath, preferring not to throw up again. Meiying reached down and presented a water bottle. Jonas hesitated, but ultimately accepted.

"I'm sorry." Meiying admitted softly as he took a swig. Jonas swallowed past the raw sensation up his nose and down his throat. "Not your fault."

He knew what she was referring to. And if she could admit that, nothing more needed to be said. Meiying leaned in for a ginger hug. Jonas wrapped an arm around her, fully realizing her clammy skin. "Should be extra thermals in the back. Get one on."

"I'll get us both one." Meiying decided, slinking past Jiuming to the back. Jiuming patted her head, grinning at Jonas from the junction box. Jonas took another drink. "What're you smilin' at?"

Jiuming shrugged. "She takes after me."

"Great," Jonas worked off his damp sweatshirt. "Suyin can blame you then."

The sub woke up in that moment, getting exclaims of joy from Rigas. Closing the compartment, she hurried to the front. "Check and see if she's ready."

Jonas brought up the O2 lines, while Rigas checked navigation and pressure gauges. Meiying brought him the thermal sweatshirt, another already dwarfing her shoulders and torso. Jonas relented to Rigas and braced for the initial lurch as he stretched it on. Together, he and Rigas found the tunnel beneath the station... in held breath, they followed it to a gate. His chest only eased- the irony- when they found themselves climbing once again through the trench. A field of seaweeds masked the first minutes, but soon, it was just water... and darkness.

Jonas eyed Rigas, then Jiuming before switching the front lights on. One meter at a time.

"With any luck," Jiuming watched with Meiying at one of the side windows. "They're still mating."

"Where's the luck in that?" Rigas looked back, baffled. Jonas stayed focused on the faint blue and black swirls above them... where the blasts had ripped the thermal cline wide open. Same as a wound, it was trying to repair itself. But the damage will have already been done.

The sub shook, erecting them same as scarecrows. It settled... what's more, held. More than enough to reach the surface.

And what'll we find when we get there? Jonas side eyed Rigas. "Did Montes approach anyone else from Mana One?"

Jiuming leaned in, interested in the answer.

Rigas chewed the corner of her lip. "Not him."