Thanks for all the reviews. I honestly didn't expect so many.
"Steve, I've never trusted anyone more than you, but I can't do it. I just… can't." Danny's voice trembled, the thought of failing his children tightening the knot of panic in his chest.
"Yes, you can," Steve assured him. He placed a steady hand on Danny's shoulder, his eyes locking onto Danny's with a look that conveyed more than words ever could. "I will be there with you, okay? You'll be alright. I promise I'll make sure of it."
Danny stared into Steve's eyes, searching for any sign of doubt. There was none. Just unwavering determination and steady reassurance that had gotten them through countless scrapes before.
"Okay," Danny whispered, his voice barely audible. He took a few deep breaths, each one a battle against the rising tide of fear that threatened to drown him. "Okay."
Steve gave him a small, encouraging smile. "We're going to take it really easy, alright? Just focus on me and nothing else."
Danny nodded again, feeling a slight sense of calm wash over him. He trusted Steve with his life, and he had to believe that they would get through this somehow, and meanwhile come up with a way to get the kids out of harm's way. Together. They'd do it together, as always.
With trembling hands, Danny put the mask back on, his fingers clumsy and slow as they fumbled with the strap. Steve's firm grip on his shoulders grounded him as he put the regulator into his mouth, sealing his lips around the rubber mouthpiece.
"Breathe with me, Danny. In… out… in… out…"
Following Steve's lead, Danny slowly matched his breaths to Steve's, the tightness in his chest loosening with each shaky inhale. Each exhale pushed the edges of his panic further away, leaving a somewhat sense of calm in its wake.
"That's it. You're doing great," Steve said, his voice a steady anchor in the storm of Danny's emotions. "Just keep breathing."
Danny focused on the rhythm of their breaths, drawing strength from Steve's calm presence. The fear was still there, lurking at the edges of his mind, but it was no longer overwhelming. As long as Steve was with him, he could do this. He had to. For Charlie and Grace.
"You really wanna waste that air here?" Scar-face's voice cut through the moment, sharp and impatient, pulling Danny back to the grim reality. The weight of a loaded gun, the danger his children were in, what he was about to do–it all came rushing back, threatening to undo the fragile calm Steve had built.
Steve didn't pay any attention to Scar-face. His focus was solely on Danny, who followed his lead, ignoring any outside distractions, ignoring the fact his children were held hostage, ignoring the gun in Scar-face's hand, ignoring everything but his best friend's voice. It was the only way to get through this.
"Alright," Steve said after a moment. "Let's get in the water. We've got this, Danny."
Together, they shuffled to the edge of the boat, the weight of the tanks pressing down on them. Thanks to Steve's patient guidance, he now felt a little more in control, a little more ready to face the darkness ahead.
Scar-face stepped closer. "You better not screw this up," he hissed. "Or those kids will pay the price."
Focus, Danny reminded to himself. Don't listen to him. Just focus on Steve.
Steve gave him an approving nod, and they jumped into the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Steve felt a rush of cool water envelop them as they plunged into the ocean. The world above faded away, replaced by the gentle sway of the underwater realm. The sunlight filtered through the surface, creating dancing patterns of light on on the seafloor below. Usually, nothing would match the eerie feeling of weightlessness and peace the underwater world provided. But not today. Nothing about this situation was peaceful.
The sounds of their breathing were the only thing he could hear, and it was impossible not to notice Danny's sped-up breathing, twice as fast as Steve's. That wasn't good.
Every diver knew that staying calm, especially during emergencies, was necessary for several reasons, one of which was gas management. One didn't need a university degree to know that panic led to hyperventilation, and that the faster the person breathed, the faster the air supply would run out.
And then there was also a risk of hypoxia due to reduced CO2 levels. The last thing they needed right now was Danny passing out underwater. He needed to calm down. Fast.
Steve reached for Danny's hand immediately, and turned his friend so he could look at him.
I'm here with you, he tried to say without any words. I've got your back.
Steve tried his best not to pay any attention to the stubborn pain pulsing in his liver, nor to the threats and pressure to succeed. He funneled all his energy into his best friend, knowing that Danny's life depended on his ability to stay calm and focused. Every throb of pain was a cruel reminder of the crippling blow, but Steve pushed it aside as much as he possibly could.
He stopped just a few feet below the surface, and checked on Danny, whose eyes were already wide with terror. He could feel Danny's tension through the strong grip, the fear that lurked just beneath the surface threatening to explode. He locked eyes with him, and gave a nod. Danny responded with a nod of his own, his breaths measured but still anxious.
Steve pointed at the surface above them, just far enough to almost stick their hands out of the water if needed, then formed a circle with his thumb and index finger to signal 'OK' to Danny.
It's alright, Danno. See? You're underwater. You can still breathe here. You'll be OK.
Danny seemed to understand. After a few breaths, he replied with the OK sign.
Steve tightened his grip on Danny's hand, offering more reassurance through physical connection as he pulled him further down little by little, making sure Danny wouldn't realize the gradual descent.
'Equalize,' Steve signaled, pinching his nose and miming the action. The truth was, he didn't need to pinch his nose, as there were other, more advanced techniques to compensate for the increasing pressure. But this one was the most beginner-friendly, and he'd do it just to make Danny repeat after him. Danny followed suit, and Steve watched closely to ensure he did it right.
Once Danny seemed a little more comfortable, Steve took a moment to orient himself. The instructions Scar-face barked at them while suiting-up replayed in his mind. "Follow the reef edge to 220 degrees until you see the drop-off after approximately a minute of swim. Then descend by the wall and the cave entrance will be there, about 130 feet down. There's a line you can follow from there."
Steve hated that man with his entire being for doing this to Danny. 130 feet was already the bottom limit of the recreational diving. Everything below was too technical, too dangerous to attempt without a certain skill set and years of experience. The cave diving itself was considered the peak of technical diving, being one of the most challenging and most dangerous kinds of diving along with wreck diving. Too many things could go wrong down there, and the tiniest mistake in an overhead environment could be fatal.
He tried not to dwell on the odds of their survival and focus on navigation and keeping Danny as calm as possible. He set up the compass, adjusted his and Danny's buoyancy with a quick press of a button, and began to swim, guiding his friend alongside him. The reef was teeming with tropical life, which made a perfect contract to their dire situation. Schools of fish darted around them, seemingly unaware of the human drama playing out in their midst.
Steve reminded Danny to equalize again, knowing he might forget due to extreme stress. Danny did so, and they descended deeper. The reef edge came into view, a sharp contrast between the vibrant corals and the deep blue of the open ocean. Steve glanced at Danny, who couldn't hide the growing panic, but somehow, he was still holding it together. He signaled 'OK' to his friend again, hoping he would understand it was meant as a question.
It took a moment, but eventually, Danny nodded hesitantly.
By this point, there were over eighty feet deep, already double the maximum depth allowed for a non-certified diver. The daylight started to fade out gradually, and the water darkened with each passing second. The beautiful colors of the fish and corals all blended into blue and green tones due to the lack of light.
Soon, they reached the drop-off, and Steve pointed to the dark entrance of the cave below them. He could feel Danny's hesitation. Steve took a deep breath through his regulator, making sure his own calm demeanor was evident.
I've got you, buddy. You're doing great.
They slowly descended further into the darker waters, towards the cave. The pressure increased with every foot. At 300 feet it would be ten times greater than the pressure on the surface, that's why frequent equalization was incredibly important. He kept reminding Danny by pinching his nose every five feet or so, and made sure he did it correctly.
Once they stopped in front of the cave entrance, Steve felt Danny's grip tighten, his breaths becoming more rapid. There was a look of panic in his baby blue eyes as he stared into the tight dark space in front of them. The blond man shook his head wildly, pulling away from the cave, kicking frantically and struggling to ascend back to the surface, but Steve didn't let him.
Understanding his friend's intention to flee and the dangerous consequences a rapid ascend from such depth would mean, he reached for the dump valve on Danny's wing and removed the air from it, significantly slowing any attempts to swim up. But it didn't stop Danny from trying. In fact, as soon as he realized he was not swimming upwards, he just tried harder, kicking and flailing his arms desperately, pulling Steve up with him.
Normally, it would be smarter to let the panicked person go, just because one hurt person was still better than two, but it wasn't even an option. Steve had no choice. He wrapped his legs around Danny's, stopping his friend before he could hurt himself, and forced him to look at him.
Danny did, but kept struggling against Steve's hold, clearly hating the restriction of any movement when he so desperately wanted to get out.
Steve wished he could talk to him, to tell him everything is going to be okay, but he couldn't. Hands signals and wordless looks would have to suffice.
'Breathe,' he signaled, making the motion for slow, steady breaths. Danny's struggles eased after a few seconds as he tried to match Steve's breathing. It was obvious it took all Danny's willpower to do so, but after a few attempts, Steve could see some of the panic receding. He freed Danny's legs, but kept a close eye on him, ready to intervene at any moment.
Good, Steve thought. He pointed at Danny, then his eyes, then at himself. Look at me.
Danny kept his eyes on Steve, kept trying to breathe slowly. After what felt like a whole eternity, considering their limited breathing gas supply, Danny took a deep breath and finally signaled he was OK, even if his body language didn't match the sign.
Steve nodded, and reached for Danny's gauge to check the pressure in his tanks. It was significantly below the optimal, and Steve was certain that if Danny didn't calm down really soon, he would be out of the main gas before it was safe to switch to another.
But he didn't let his worry show. He needed Danny calm and focused. He gave yet another reassuring nod and signaled to Danny they needed to keep moving. With a firm grip on Danny's hand, he guided him back to the cave entrance.
For a moment, an option to leave Danny here and to the worst part alone occurred to him, but he quickly disregarded it, knowing that Danny wouldn't be able to stay calm and still, waiting alone. Sooner or later he would panic and either sink too deep or shoot up to the surface, and hurt himself or drown. Steve liked his chances more under his supervision, even if it meant Danny would have to face his claustrophobia on top of his fear of the ocean.
He took out two flashlights out of his pocket, and gave one to Danny. Then gave his friend one last, reassuring look. Their eyes met, and in that brief moment, Steve poured all of his strength and confidence into Danny, willing him to believe that they would get through this.
Then he propelled them forward to the dark mouth of the cave. He checked his surroundings, looking for a line Scar-face mentioned. There it was, a thin rope, leading into the depths of the cave. Steve had read countless stories of divers lost to the cave's labyrinth. The guide rope was their lifeline–quite literally–without it, they were as good as dead.
Luckily, the cave was wide enough for the two of them to swim together, but from experience, Steve knew that it would probably get narrower the deeper they were, and eventually, he would have to make Danny swim alone, with one hand always on the guide rope to guide him.
Steve pointed out the line to his friend, and they moved in slowly.
It got dark really quickly. It was a different kind of darkness. Complete. Blackest black, where not even silhouettes could be seen. Steve looked to his right and left and nothing was there beyond the beams of their flashlights. He knew swimming 160 feet through the underwater cave beyond an ambient light zone would be one of the hardest things Danny had ever done.
Even with the lights, the visibility couldn't be more than 12 feet. It wasn't terrible for a cave like this one, but it wasn't great either. One wrong move, however, and it could be reduced to zero without any warning.
Keeping one finger on the guide rope at all times, holding the flashlight in the same hand, and squeezing Danny's hand at the same time, they swam through the tight space, barely wide enough for the two of them to fit.
Danny crushed his fingers at this point, and Steve heard his breathing speed up again. He didn't like it one bit.
Come on, Danno. Hang in there.
At one point, Danny's hand slipped, and his movements turned erratic. Steve was there immediately, grabbing his hand firmly again.
I'm here, buddy. I'm here.
He checked the dive computer at his wrist. 210 feet deep. Almost there. Just a little more. But after a few more kicks, the passage narrowed rapidly. Steve stopped to examine it further, and swore out loud even though nothing intelligible would come out.
It was way too tight for two divers to fit in. And as much as he hated it, they would have to swim one by one from here. Maybe for just a few feet, maybe all the way down. He had no idea of the layout of this cave, which made it ten times more dangerous.
Steve drew Danny nearer, pointing to the rope, signaling for him to hold on tight. Danny nodded, though Steve could see the anxiety in his eyes. Steve felt a pang of worry as he let go of Danny's hand. The mechanical sound of Danny's breathing and the beam of artificial light were the only things that ensured Steve that his friend was still right there behind him and hanging in there.
But just by the movement of the light, Steve could say that without his help, Danny's buoyancy was all over the place, as expected for someone who had never done this before.
Steve checked the depth again. 250 feet. And then… A cloud of silt obscured his vision. A cloud so thick that he couldn't see beyond it, even through the lights. He couldn't even see his hands in front of him.
His heart raced. Danny must've kicked up the bottom by accident, which meant that they would have to swim the rest of the cave totally blind, relying solely on the guide rope in their fingers. A scenario every cave diver had to train for extensively. A scenario that would freak out even a season diver, let alone a claustrophobic non-diver.
It was impossible to turn around in the tight space, impossible to touch Danny and let him know it was going to be okay, that he was still there with him even if he couldn't feel and see his presence. And, as expected, the speed of Danny's breaths skyrocketed.
Steve knew there was no other choice but to keep swimming forward and hope for the best. As long as he could hear Danny breathing, everything would be okay. It had to be.
He tapped into his training, remembering how he was forced to find his way out of the cave maze using just the lines, with a blindfold over his dive mask. He'd gotten lost at first, but eventually, he got the hang of it. And now he had to do so for real.
Completely blind, Steve continued navigating by touch, fixing small plastic arrows on the guide rope. A procedure that would mark their way back to the entrance if they lost a sense of direction.
When the silt settled slightly, the cave widened again. Without a delay, Steve turned and fumbled for Danny, whose panic was clear as day even even in the near total darkness. Steve touched his arm and squeezed, assuring him once again.
We're nearly done, Danno. You'll be alright.
This time, not even physical contact helped to calm his friend down, though. Steve knew they couldn't afford another mistake, and his anxiety grew with every second as he guided Danny through the last bit of the cave.
At nearly 300 feet, the cave opened up into a wide chamber. Before starting the search for that damn crate, Steve checked Danny's main breathing gas. It was dangerously close to the red zone. He checked his own, too, and he had more than enough to return. Good. This way he could share with Danny on the way up.
But they didn't have time to lose. With Danny being low on air, they definitely didn't have fifteen minutes to stay at this depth before ascending as planned. More like two or three minutes at best, and even that was already pushing it.
He quickly set up another line he had with him on a reel, attaching it to the existing one as an extension, and moved away from it to conduct the search of the area for the crate.
Holding tight onto Danny's hand, he searched for the crate, scanning every inch of the opening with his flashlight. Danny hovered next to him, squeezing his flashlight without any intention of actually using it efficiently, as if completely frozen. Panic would do that to a person. Which was one more reason to get out of here as soon as possible.
After what felt like an eternity, Steve finally spotted it, half-buried in the silt. He swam over, heart pounding. It was also metallic, but about half the size of the one he saw on the boat. And it was locked. There was no time to try and open it by force, so he stored it in the pouch on the back of his wing, and signaled to Danny to turn around.
Steve guided them back to where the guide rope was, using the extension of the rope, but something completely knocked the wind out of him.
The guide rope was gone.
*to be continued*
I tried to keep the technical things to a minimum and just kept the ones important to the story. I hope it's not too much.
Let me know what you think. It's always appreciated.