Chapter Text
Hull Breach.
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Hull Breach.
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Hull Breach.
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“Simon!? Oh god—-OH GOD IT’S FOLLOWING-”
Blood splattered through the speaker of the comm, dripping down from the bars protecting it. Simon’s skull pounded against the sound of an outside noise he could only pinpoint as a crunch. Following up with the rumbling of his vessel crumbling in on itself.
“I’m sorry, we had to. We had no choice.”
His stomach clenched. She came for him, Ava, the only person to ever know his name in a brighter light. Now gone to be another statistic to the bloodied sea. Simon’s only escape stripped away from him and his tormentor mocked him. That thing sounded sympathetic, though he knew damn better that was all a ruse to make him drop that guard he desperately held on to. His heart pulsed violently against his ribs—It was now or never, to fight for his life, to fight for what Ava died for. Him dying meant all of this was for nothing, he was more than that. The black box rose around his feet due to the blood slowly rising and causing it to bob up and down.
This wasn’t how things were going to end, not by being eaten by a fucking oversized giant fish. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, Simon hissed through his teeth.
"You think I'm just gonna give you what you wanted? FUCK THAT AND FUCK YOU!” Lunging, his hands grasped at the lever and slammed it forward. It was satisfying to hear the commotion around, that piece of shit submarine roaring to life despite how much blood already started to cause failure to its systems.
“You wanna eat me?! COME AND TRY!"
As triumphant as he was in the moment, his body screamed for the sweet release of this Hell.
Simon’s body lurched forward—BANG!
A loud, shrill cry echoed through his ears and slowly faded out into the depths. The force so strong that it recoiled against him and sent his form slamming back against the wall. “SSSSSIIIIIIIIMOOoooonn..!”
It was a direct hit. Hopefully it bought him some time with the short window he had. To flee? No, he could never escape if he tried. But rather to reflect on moments previous. With his aching back against the steaming pipes the blood continued to drip against his soaked skin. Droplets cascaded down his skin, Simon shuddered at the sensation. It burned.
...
Why did it burn?
No surprise his questions only lead to no answers, and a new problem headed his way. When Simon attempted to rise to his feet he found himself struggling against a force he couldn’t see. “Hhg..- What the fuck??” His teeth grit, arms shaking before he gasped out upon being pulled back against the wall.
Warm, slick tendrils stuck themselves to his skin. Actively mutating cells and replacing them with their own. The Convict’s eyes widen; and he struggles against the confines of the living tissue. No, no, no, NO! This wasn’t happening—He tugs, jabs at, and twists with all his might but the effort is futile. It already started grabbing his other arm.
“—Shit, no!” He wheezes, the blood sinking the vessel had risen to his chest, and in a few minutes it would completely engulf him. Though right now? That was the least of his worries.
Hull Breach.
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Hull Breach.
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Creeaaaaaaaakkk……
Fuck. It was coming back. Slowly the panic was getting to him, jaw going slack while gasping for air that couldn’t entirely fill his lungs. Simon continued to writhe against the flesh. Each tug more painful than the last- As if it were tearing at his skin. Luckily he was able to achieve ripping his other arm away as it didn’t get a good grip, and he attempted to use that one to pry the other off. Nausea still bloomed in his gut, only intensifying when the sound of his own bones creaking could be heard. God he didn’t want to lose an arm over this..
All was silent. Other than the blood churning around him.
Oh, and another thing.
“—SIMON! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO US? TO YOUR LAST HOPE?! WE ARE GOING TO SAVE YOU, WE ARE GOING TOGETHER! BEYOND THE LIGHT!”
Son of a bitch. Whatever this mass restraining him was didn’t let up; the pain bubbling on the edge of becoming agonizing. Simon bit back a whimper. Was this really it?
He was able to hold his head just above the surface of crimson and when the SM-13 inevitably imploded he could only pray that the black box made it out. It was bigger than him, after all. His vision danced with black dots, hazy and warped like he was on a strong drug. Simon felt like his skull was going to burst from his much it pulsed; his ears rang with this odd warbling noise. That didn’t sound familiar.
“QUIT FIGHTING, JUST GIVE IN! Please..”
No. NEVER! His boots caught traction and despite being in a lock he got up; glaring at an unseen force and spitting. The vessel whined, teeth shredding right through the welded metal.
“You…YOU WANT THE BUTCHER? COME ON!! I’ll GIVE you the-“ Simon never got to finish his words, before being yet again slammed back against the wall. But with that, the teeth puncturing the Iron Lung were too pulled out and he heard a roar of anger from the monster. It seemed just as surprised as he was.
Speechless, the area around him no longer felt hot and acidic—rather it was cold, and still. His senses became painfully aware; catching a glimpse of..Something long, wriggling. Though, only a man can see so much through thick flowing blood. Whatever it was, grabbed a hold of him in a coil like a serpent. “Hey- HEY!” Struggling, it suctioned to him. These odd hooks dug into the thickness of his skin, it hurt like hell.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
Huh? What then hell is going on?! There was so much commotion from outside the sub, Simon couldn’t see a damn thing but certainly felt it. Something else held him, an entirely different anomaly that lived within this vast ocean. Why was it here? Certainly wasn’t there to save him.
His point only being proven when the other entity wrapped itself around the eldritch beast—Holding it just out of reach of the man. It appeared to be the thing causing all of this noise and distortion, as it only intensified the closer Simon was pulled to it. Bright…It was so bright.. Was this the light?
It was..Oddly beautiful, calming even. Hypnotic. The furious screams of the other creature were quickly drowned out by the buzzing hums of this light; pulling him closer…And Closer.. Simon could make out the star shape of its- Oh god, its mouth.
But, somehow, he couldn’t help but allow himself to feel helpless. No longer afraid but accepting, he’d done all he could. God, if only Ava could have met a similar end.
“No. NO! WAIT!-“ The monster seethes, gnashing its teeth in hopes it would catch on the other anomaly.
Simon closes his eyes, waiting to wake up elsewhere.
...
Then he opens them again.
A tumble, then WHAM!
A yelp tore through his throat and the interior of the SM-13 shattered into pieces. He’s swiftly ejected from the sub and tumbles out onto a hard surface. A flood of blood soon follows behind, spilling over him and soaking his already damp hair. But he wasn’t dead.
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At least not yet.
Simon sucks in through his teeth, using his arms to pull him up. It seems that his arm was freed during all the ruckus; although he groaned upon realizing that some of the tissue attached itself to his forearm like a parasite. It hurt. “What in God’s name…–Was… That.” He pauses for a moment. When he looked up the sight hit him like a brick. Where the hell is the ocean? What just happened? There was just a simple hallway in front, lights illuminating the floor and some shelves. At the end stood a doorway. Simon couldn’t see what the green light next to the door said from this distance. The convict did however glance behind him at the wrecked remains of his former submarine. Looks like it crashed straight into the wall out of nowhere.
This..Didn’t make an ounce of sense. Then again—His previous mission was ridiculous too. Luckily for him, no broken bones to make note of; aside from the gashes and bruises he obtained from being thrown around like a pinball machine.
Knees shaky, finally he was able to catch his footing. Swiping away the blood from his eyes, the confusion really began to settle in. He was just on AT-5, not like it could have just disappeared! …Unless that’s exactly what happened. That creature, whatever the hell it was, both simultaneously saved his life and for all he knew dropped him into another Hell.
Simon reached the end of the hall, attentively picking at the purplish stingers stuck in his arm. Gross. Some of them oozed a black liquid, he didn’t want to make theories. The door itself had no handle, and he assumed it was motion activated—Alas, it didn't budge.
“Don’t tell me I need some kind of special access.” Turns out, he did. And he grumbled. Better to actually find anything than mope, though he did it dragging his feet as heavily as possible. Every space and cranny observed didn’t seem to have a code card, Simon’s been through this before—Space stations and all. Ugh, maybe he shouldn’t think about that right now.
Growing impatient, the unfortunate cabinet in his grip was thrown to the side with a growl. How the fuck did he get out of here?!
Jingle.
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“Eh?”
Turning around, he waited and listened.
Jingle.
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“So.. I’ve not gone completely insane yet. Shocking, could’ve sworn I was long gone” Simon paced to the source of the sound; it led to a shelf he hadn’t bothered to reach up for. Low and behold, the distinct blue shimmer of a card came back with his hand, this must be it.
“Just hope it gets me out of here..” Back at the door, he held the bar code of the card against its frame. A beep, and then it was open. Finally.. Now to figure out—
“Fuck.”
It was another hallway…Its format was very different from the straight shot from before. This room connected at four crossroads. From appearance, the stairs lead up over an abyss.
Simon swallowed dryly, glancing above him to observe what that green light actually was.
A number?
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‘100’
This was room one hundred. Out of what?