"Hey-!" Phones started. Followed by an "OW!"
Fisher had indeed backhanded him with a smack.
"Did he at least get that wound cleaned up?" The Commander asked.
"He did. Marina too." Troy confirmed. "But as I said she's got a deep scratch or two on her face."
"One cut on the cheek is from actually busting her out of there." Phones chipped in, rubbing the good arm where Fisher had punched him.
Marina shifted where she stood, disliking the scrutiny.
Troy noticed but still scowled. "But that big old bruise, that one looks a few days old."
"She winced about her shoulder too." Phones said, "and the eye looks sore as well, near the bruise."
Did you two have to tell them like this? Marina cringed at him.
"You told on me." Phone grumbled back, reading her like a sea scroll. And said to the others, "And that really nasty one on her arm? It's from where Titan himself tried to hold her hostage during the gun fight."
"Damn cowardly move. That true Marina?" Shore asked. Marina nodded. Fisher and Atlanta were appalled.
"What?!"
"He had Marina like a shield!" Troy said.
"Oh no!"
"I can see the arm. Marina, let me see this bruise." The Commander demanded.
"Here sir..."
Marina wanted nothing more than the mighty ocean to swallow her up with embarrassment. But Atlanta was already steering her around to face him. And framing Marina's face in her hands, all gentle but firmly smoothing back her fringe so there was no hiding. Marina tried scowling falsely to shake her off. She tried to get out of it, finding the whole thing indignant too.
And found her own feelings mirrored back. Atlanta's face was almost void of expression. But her eyes were full of pity and anger and sorrow all at once.
"What did they do to you?" Atlanta murmured, so quietly Marina wasn't sure she heard it herself.
Marina froze. Then sighed. Trying to tamper down her own emotions she turned her head and looked down to the Commander as directed. And then decided this was stupid. Despite the etiquette around the Commander's chair, Marina bobbed into a crouch for him to see better, clinging to the cuffs of Atlanta's shirt for balance.
The Commander didn't say anything at first. Marina looked away without moving her head, focusing on some point away over his shoulder. But she could see his eyes look her over up and down her face. His own face fell and set like stone.
"That," He started, pointing at the larger bruise with the whole of his hand as she stood back up. His voice was almost a growl. "That's nearly a shiner."
There was a mutter of agreement. Atlanta was quiet and angrily wiped one hand across her own cheek, possibly catching another rogue tear. Marina winced again.
"Could one of them aquaphibians have punched her? Or Titan himself?" Fisher suggested. Marina shook her head.
"No. Something that size?" Troy was practically simmering as he chipped in. "I'd say it was one heck of a smack with something, rather than just a hand. Maybe a club? Or a rifle-butt."
Marina made the fatal mistake of nodding at that last one. It sent Troy flying into another rage fuelled paddy, and he lost his temper like he had on the fish.
"Sir, Titan's gone too far this time!" He said, turning to the Commander. "Permission to take Stingray and blast the guy out of the water!"
"Troy?!" Atlanta squawked in fear.
At the same time Phones said, "yeah but Troy-!"
And Marina begged, unheard,
Don't you dare, Troy! Please! Forget it please.
"Permission denied, captain." Commander Shore overruled. Marina had never been so happy to hear him say no.
"But sir he-!"
"But nothing. I know what he's done. Heck I can see what he's done! And I've several backlogs of reports from all his other schemes. But revenge is a fool's game. You're not going down there Troy. Because I want Titan dragged up here to answer to me. Then HQ and the governments!" the Commander snarled. Even thumping a fist to his chair panel.
"For his crimes against both the wasps and the underwater races. Marina included! We will do it by the book. And then the shark faced bastard can serve out his time in the cooler-!"
"Father, language!" Atlanta cut in with a snap.
"I will do more than cuss if I get a hold of him!" The Commander snapped back.
"Then let me go Sir and put him under arrest right now."
"I said NO, Troy!"
Only Marina didn't hear anything after the 'thump'.
Although that particular action was something he did often, for some reason this time when the Commander hit his chair top, Marina startled badly. The flinch was more like a jolt, and it sent her back into Phones. Worse, the world went white then to bright then dim and Marina's lungs all seemed to stop. Her mind filled with radio static, picking up too many electrical noises and the others' emotions at once.
Plus, she was sure she stepped on someone's foot. Not that it would hurt with them in shoes and her in her normal bare feet. But she felt ridiculous for doing so. And for reacting the way she did.
The buzzing stopped and the lights came back to normal. For her. But someone was still shouting. Troy. And the Commander. They were shouting at each other. Until Atlanta said. "Oh, stop it, the pair of you! You're upsetting her!"
Marina focused on getting her breathing under control. But her hands were stuttering too much to explain. Even as Phones soothed her again, as he had on the fish when she'd lashed out.
"Hey. Shh. Easy Marina?"
"I think you startled her?"
"Maybe Titan hits things too?"
"Knock it off, Fisher."
"She ain't normally so jumpy."
"Marina ain't normally just been rescued."
"Sorry. Sorry." The Commander, his hands up away from the panel, apologised. Troy too had shut up. "Sorry Marina."
Marina couldn't see it where she was still staring at the floor; but could imagine the scary glare Atlanta sometimes wielded. It was scary enough to even stop the Commander. Or worse, that disappointed look of Fisher's-!
"It's alright Marina. Skipper's going nowhere fast." Phones assured her. "You okay now? That just make you jump?"
Marina looked up at him and nodded… although it was fib. She didn't feel okay at all right now.
"He certainly ain't. None of you three are fit to do so." The Commander agreed, and turned to Troy. "Besides Tempest, that's probably what he's expecting you to do? Or hoping you will. So, he can get another chance at catching you."
"You'd be killed." Atlanta said bluntly and upset.
"That." Sam nodded, agreeing with his daughter. "Plus, Stingray will need refuelling and weapons stock before you were to take her back out. And repairs."
That got Troy's attention.
"What repairs?"
"Any that I can and will make up to keep her in dry dock until you calm down." The Commander told him. Then almost slyly smiled far too nicely to the others. "Only, I didn't say that. Did I? Lieutenants?"
"Sorry Commander. Did you say something about repairs? Cos I sure didn't hear anything illegal." Phones winked.
"No sir. I must have missed that, sir." Atlanta agreed.
"Oh, n-no sir." Fisher straightened up sharpish, "no one heard you say that. And all repairs if found, will be written up and definitely real on both paperwork and the engineers pay slips as normal."
Marina smiled, laughing. Despite herself. But Troy was very offended by it. He made to jump back to arguing but cut off before he got any further.
"We just got you both back you idiot!" The Commander scolded. "I'm not sending you back out there so soon; or letting you walk into a trap. And that's it. I want all three perfectly fit and rested before you even think of heading out to a regular patrol. Need I remind you that you are under doctors' orders to rest anyway, and today was an exception. And now you've two injured teammates. I am telling you, for once you and Stingray will stay put."
All the while Marina stood, folded in on herself, eyes on Troy. Atlanta's hand was on her shoulder, and Phones' hand was still at her back. And Marina had lent into it. But felt something not quite numb to the touch. Panic still tried to surround her and sapped at her strength, despite no danger.
Please Troy. She thought, willing him to just this once stand down. You need to be safe. Please don't go.
"You, your crew, and Stingray stay as far away from that place and Titan as we can keep you for now. That's an order." The Commander finished. Then turning to the group.
"Anyone, any of you at all, even so much as thinks or talks of returning to Titanica, I'll have all five of you doing pot wash duties in the canteen for a month. Don't think I won't! Two months and a court martial if you go off doing by yourselves."
Marina nodded again, this time meaning it. And Commander got three out of four "yes sir!" In response.
"Tempest." He warned, "Is that understood?"
"Yes … sir." Troy said. Marina wrinkled her nose at the arrogance in his tone. The Commander did not sway so easily either.
"I mean it Troy. You did good today. But if you step foot on Stingray solo with some scheme in mind, I will have you bumped down to ensign before you can get out the ocean door."
With that the Commander turned on his chair and made to move out.
"Alright enough chat. Reunions over." He said in his usual gruffness. "Let's get out of here and let the engineers have their space back."
He gestured to the other side of the decking. The engineers were indeed still busy with both craft. Stingray was being hosed down, while the terror fish had been beached on the side of the dock. There was some sort of crane being brought in on that side to hoist it out of the water.
"I want a debrief and you two looked at by the doc. You as well Troy."
Marina was relieved to finally leave the fish behind. Even if it was just in her eye line. Hopefully for good. Leave Titan behind even.
I don't want to see him or any of his mechanical beasts for a very long time. She thought.
And hurried after the Commander, the others close behind them.
"- was so worried we wouldn't get you back." Atlanta was saying. "Or the plan wouldn't work, and we'd lose all three of you."
"When have these fellas ever let you down?" Her father chuckled.
"We nearly did. Not to sound like a cod fish but that was too close for comfort." Troy admitted.
"This from the fella who wants to go back?" Phones jeered.
"Alright, alright Phones, knock it off-!"
Marina didn't argue. But leant in to the wonderful 'home' feeling. Even if it all felt too much at once already. The loudness. The closeness. Laughing. The banter and contact. It continued even as the Commander went a different route via a ramp and another very noisy automatic platform. There were smacks on the shoulders all round in their land people way. The claps on arms and backs were a sign of a good team. Troy and Atlanta even had an arm looped about each other's, casual then usually in their uniforms. There was a more off duty feeling in the air.
It was much better then hearing Titan's voice sneering and demanding 'slave this' and 'slave that'.
This is real. Right?
Marina hesitated to look back for a last glance back at Stingray. And ended up following behind the group. Until Troy hung back a moment and steered her in front of him and Atlanta, his hand at the small of her back again for a moment. Marina resisted the urge to wiggle out of it, a sudden revulsion to being touched. She couldn't cope with that as well right now. But let him. Phones casually offered his arm, and she held it, both men steering her up the metal stairs and into one of the controls many many painted beige and white metal corridors.
Marina let them. As if it was someone else walking with her feet and seeing with her eyes. She just felt...odd. Or more precisely at odds with herself. She felt she should be happy. But instead, here she was feeling anxious again. For what? Why?
Safe. Rescued but...they shouldn't have?
They didn't need her.
The wasps had managed without her. Stingray. They needed Troy. And Phones. They shouldn't have risked-!
No.
Marina tried to take a deep breath and calm her. Before her mind went down that long eel hole again. They came to her aid because they were both good people and her friends. She'd choose to join the wasps to help fight Titan and keep him and others from forcing a war between the peoples of land and sea. She stayed because she'd come to love these people. She'd chosen to return to Titanica. Voluntarily, none of the aquanauts had made her go. Even not knowing if Titan was bluffing, she'd had to take that chance. It didn't mean she'd been happy about it. And she should be happy now, correct?
Marina just … she wasn't sure what she was.
This world wasn't built for her. Much as she made it home. It was loud- too loud sometimes. And so confusing. Such different cultures and things to do. Plazas that moved. Cars. Drumbeats, sirens, and planes flinging themselves into the other big blue. Nothing was like what she'd grown up with. Not the air, not the food, not the rules or the social skills. It was all so crazy at times.
It didn't mean she wasn't glad to be back. So glad. Her hearts were still beating so wildly as if still escaping. But now they felt full and joyful, not broken. Filled by Phone's kindness, Atlanta's friendship, and Troy's caring. Even if he is still sore about arguing with the commander.
If only her feelings and body would match up to what her head and hearts knew?
Marina again tried to concentrate on something else. And started trying to follow the conversation around her. But the cross chatter and descriptions flowing and blurring. Marina herself was passed pillar to post. Different hands guiding her along and she hadn't even noticed really. Marina didn't notice as her feet touched the worn fuzz of the carpet either, signalling they were stepping into the main building of the tower.
Atlanta was teasing Phones about his chair being so far back from the controls. The Commander was grumbling about wanting a cigar. To which Troy was suggesting a game of cards that evening. Fisher was practically orbiting about them and asking questions; both as a fan of the aquanauts and for paperwork reasons, filling out a clipboard on the go.
It was so nice but so much after everything. There was just something in her chest she couldn't unclenched. No matter how hard she took deep breaths.
Just as her flipper feet went from steel to carpeted floor, however; she felt them. Tears. Tears were already forming before she could stop them. Marina was surprised herself. She'd cried so much since Troy had been attacked, she didn't think she had any left to shed. She certainly didn't feel hydrated enough. There wasn't enough salt water in the city to cover what it felt she'd cried recently.
Why? Why now? What is so bad now?
She made to wipe them away before anyone saw and thought her weak. But more fell despite her efforts.
Then Phones asked simply, "Marina?"
Followed by Troy, "You okay there, Marina? What's wrong?"
"Ah no Marina-?" Phones started.
And the dam broke.