Gore and action on the way, promise! Like I said before, practicing my character moments and development. I wanted to flesh out an entire book length, but will be jumping a few parts from here. My schedule DOES NOT allow for the whole thing. Thanks for reading this far, hope it's a blast!
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Jonas grabbed DJ's hand as they cleared the chopper. "Welcome back!"
The welcome committee never failed when he and Jaxx were aboard Mana One. With all his reservations, he was genuinely happy to see his friend. Suyin showed the same joy toward Jaxx as they hugged. Meting got in a round of high fives, the rotor blades winding down for them to hear. A step off the helipad and you were on the topmost level of Mana-One Marine Station and Laboratory. The four-poster station stood alone against wave and wind, more then 5 miles off the coast. New turbines and observation decks had emerged- while staff had reduced-, but it remained their same home away from home. Diving or not, Jonas knew Meiying was glad to be back.
"Way is the descent the hardest part?" Lance shook off his air sickness. DJ moved in and grabbed his cooler. "Tell me you have it... yep!" He grinned at the brews inside. "Knew my boy wouldn't let me down."
"The pilot had to leave his knapsack behind to accommodate." Suyin laughed. Jiuming copied her, only to falter. "I had to pay him 50 extra yuan!"
They fell into line as the outer catwalks only allowed two at a time... Meiying keeping to the front, where she could hear the usual pre-dive schpeel.
"How was your black-tie affair?" Jaxx teased Jonas, playacting a necktie- and choking. Jonas smirked at her. "You're on the next guest list."
"They'll be very disappointed." Jaxx shuttered. She passed a few loose papers to Mac. "Jess and I are finishing diagnostics for the morning's dive. We've got rainstorms up top, but nothing severe. Sub 2's controls shorted out a few times, so we're holding it back-"
She trailed off as they walked, nudging Meiying. "Convince them yet?"
"No," Meiying hung her head, eyes upturned toward Jonas. Suyin came up behind, eyes scolding. "She'll still be happy to help in any way."
"Keep the suits off our lines," Jaxx suggested, which DJ nodded in agreement. "Of come in person. Morris was a bonehead, but he was at least put in some field hours."
"They haven't asked for much since updating the control center." Suyin tutted, turning the two techies into children. Jiuming chuckled, btu shrugged. "Hillary admitted that it's as adventurous as she gets."
"What about the new sublevel Singer wants to create?" Jonas glanced at Mac, halting the group outside the reinforced oval door. The shelf Mana-One was anchored to, dropped off a half mile out. Singer's idea for 'expanding' Mana-One involved a fully operational laboratory almost a mile below the surface. Jonas' chest tightened to imagine it; he knew Mac's did too.
"Jess," Jaxx air-lighted her voice with contempt. "tells him it's a great idea."
"So naturally she's against it." DJ bobbed Jaxx on her beanie. He eased over at Jonas, pretending to whisper. "Like a leopard and jaguar, these two. Outta see the claw marks-"
"Like they outta see your search history?" Jaxx stopped him, brow piqued over her aviator sunglasses. DJ's smile dissipated. "It's a joke, Jaxx. Learn to take one. Try to be as fun-loving as your ink might lead people to believe-"
Jonas eyed Mac, asking the silent question about the sublevel. It was the first he'd heard of it. Mac passed the blame with a nod to Suyin. Jonas looked back. "Singer really wants to build an underwater lab?"
Suyin stared back at him before hurriedly following Lance into Mana-One. "Meiying, yìqǐlái."
Which left Jonas in the wake of her coolness, though it was likely to avoid an argument. One always came up when a new addition to the station was brought up. All the while, we're pressin' our luck.
He then realized everyone had trailed inside except for Jiuming and Mac. Jonas narrowed his eyes. "Did everyone know, but me?"
"Your wife just gave you the brush off and that's what you're worried about?" Mac posed to him, Jiuming nodding in agreement. Jonas turned abruptly, getting as far as the corner railing. Dropping his duffel at his feet, he eyed out in the endless sea; hoping for some object of distraction. Please don't follow me, please don't-
"Meiying still hopes for her first dive." Jiuming came up alongside; Mac on the other. Jiuming looked just as reflective. "I think she might be ready. We had a good talk about journeys and dragons."
"What?" Mac craned his neck at Jiuming. Jonas wished he felt like laughing. "I think she's ready. But not for one with prehistoric monsters on the radar."
"Things have been quiet." Jiuming let that fact trail off, studying Jonas. "But, that's not what bothers you."
Jonas clenched his jaw at his cornered position. Mac knew it and made good on his ability to get Jonas to open up. "Things any better?"
They stared off for a second, before Jonas finally sighed. "Suyin's tired of me telling the truth. Makes sense she wouldn't say anything about Singer."
"By focusing solely on her, you're allowing yourself to lone wolf it." Mac concluded. Jonas glared now. Then swallowed, stomach churning with the steely-gray waves below. "I think about it more then I should."
"Don't we always." Mac's own shoulders tensed, maybe recalling his own diving days.
"That's not healthy." Jiuming said before too much silence has passed.
"You think we have a choice." Jonas bit out.
"You lose someone-" Mac shook his head. "It just plays over and over."
This is 10 times worse. Jonas stared straight down, preferring the nausea to memories.
"This loss wasn't anybody's fault." Mac's voice came steady and sure. "No miscalculations or faulty systems... nothing you could've done different."
"The things in life are meant to balance us." Jiuming jumped in, a pat on Jonas' shoulder. "Its good and bad. How we move forward, lies the true reveal of our character."
They were nice to offer advice, but none of it was landing. Jonas lifted his head. "Suyin cares about moving forward. Just in all the wrong ways."
"Any kind of sublevel's a long way off." Mac reverted the conversation, making once again for the door. Jonas followed. "Needs to stay that way."
Jiuming gave another pat, getting Jonas to look at him. "She'll come around. You know Suyin never gave up between me and our father. She's the hopeful one."
"What's that make you?" Jonas puzzled. Jiuming proudly raised his chin. "The good-looking one."
They all chuckled at that.
}{}{}{}{
There were different kinds of quiet.
Working closely with the ocean, one became aware of this. There was the quiet before sleep, the comfortable quiet in an evening at home... but below.
Fateful. Collin decided on the word, keeping himself still. That quiet before the storm, of something mounting beneath the surface. But what? He felt this now, sitting outside Haiqi's tank. Her vitals remained slightly elevated, the vents pushed water in and out of her home, yet everything else was- quiet. Hadley had been kind enough to save his solitude, since Jiuming had asked for 24/7 surveillance. She, of course, had fallen asleep before 3am.
It's the thought. Collin glimpsed to the couch, then to his empty mug. Tea? Or Coffee? Tea...?
The computer beeped and he blinked at the spike it showed to Haiqi's heartrate. That, and the speed on her tracker! Collin looked at the blurry-black window, unsure of what he was seeing. Where...
"Hadley!" Collin's eyes widened.
He thought he saw her head move, but then the whole room rocked. Collin toppled from his seat as Hadley did from the couch. Panic hit even harder as Collin wrestled for his glasses.
"What happ-" Hadley started, bewildered.
Once in focus, he saw the growing cracks, along the corner wall- closer and closer to the window! They stemmed from the vent. The circular, megaladon-sized vent? No. Haiqi couldn't.
Another shockwave kept Collin on his knees, trying to spot Hadley while grabbing his phone. "Pull up the shock fence!"
"She's already wedging through!" Hadley, fully awake, staggered back, eyes and mouth round. The window before them continued to weaken, but that didn't make sense- it was twelve inches thick! In the tank, Haiqi's tail thrashed. Her whole body became a snake, wriggling to break the vent. Break into freedom.
"Get out." Collin's mind snapped back to reality. He blindly grabbed his laptop, rushing for the door. There was suddenly a burst from behind; a roar of water flashed into the room, rushing Collin away from the door and into the wall. Laptop lost, he barely grabbed the wire stair to keep from swirling back in with the current. His eyes shot back to the door, gushing water into the rest of the institute. I can ride it out.
"Collin!" Hadley screamed out, her voice a strange echo in the flooded room. Her body floundered, pushing against the roof for air, or a grip on anything. Her hand reached. "Col-"
She disappeared, the suction pulling her under. Soon, the entire room and Collin would be under. He tried to grab enough air. I'll ride it out... just ride it out.
Mouth shut tight, he plunged beneath, but he didn't see blue. Only red! Collin felt wildly for the door, kicking toward the current. It pulled him at last, but not before he caught sight of Haiqi. Whether stuck or wiggling through the tunnel, she had Hadley in the side of her mouth... he saw the teeth flash, heard the crunch right down the middle!
The current finally spit Collin into the hallway, right as he lost air... the water, her blood shot through his mouth and up his nose. The ocean and glass chased him further down, until he was slammed into the first corner, where it slowed significantly. Collin felt the corner with both hand, shivering and clinging as it swept over him. What- What just- what?!
His brain wouldn't go beyond the next word. A shove to his shoulder awakened him, only to glaze his eyes with shock.
One of Haiqi's gigantic teeth flashed at him again. Lodged in the remnant of Hadley's head!