Edge of the Ocean

Orion grabs Cole and pulls him out of the water with brute strength.

Cole gasps, struggling, then Orion sets him down on his own feet.

Cole recovers and slowly looks. They are in a small dry spot in the corner of a submerged hallway.

Orion laughs, seeing there is barely room for the two of them. He grabs on to a part of the ceiling that is near his face, leaning and gasping for air.

The two then stare at the small pool they just came from. They see the torches and the massive abyss of a never ending metal shipwreck below them.

Orion starts to laugh, almost hysterically.

"What are you laughing about?!" Cole yells, wondering if Orion has lost his mind. "We were just in hell!"

"Yup. We were. But we're out. And we are going to be okay. Maybe some radioactive poisoning, but I'm sure you already have that."

"How are you so confident?" Cole is annoyed.

"Cole, Goliath can stare at that all day. But he doesn't know what to do with it," Orion says, his tone changing to a more optimistic tone like he had on the island.

"When did you become a nuclear scientist?" Cole asks, not being sure of the new found optimism.

"I'm not. But neither are they. They can't just blow it up. It doesn't work that way. He can stare at all he wants."

"Big assumptions," Cole counters. "That's world ending stuff back there."

"The world already ended," Orion replies coldly, looking around at this tomb they are in.

"So what do we do now?" Cole asks. "I saw another symbol for the pods down there. We are close."

"We find those pods and then I sink this thing to the bottom of the ocean. Or split it in half. There has to be an armory around here. I intend to blow it up."

Cole smiles. "You got answers for everything, don't you?"

Orion nods and points to his temple. "Got anymore updates you can share with me?"

Cole's flashing red display is another topic all together.

Nope. I'm dying.

"No," Cole lies. "It's not really working down here."

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah. Better than ever."

"Good."

Orion looks at the water, right near his boots, and where Cole is awkwardly sitting.

He stares at the glowing lanterns from his dry place, not wanting to go back down.

"Deep breaths, sailor," Orion says, nudging Cole.

Cole nods, and motions that he is going to go first.

ORGAN FAILURE IMMINENT

ORGAN FAILURE IMMINENT

ORGAN FAILURE IMMINENT

SEEK TREATMENT

ACCESS RESERVE XP?

Cole selects the reserve XP silently, hoping it does something.

He dives into the water.

Orion jumps in feet first behind him.

The two are back in the cavern of the metal and swim through the darkness and the weird floating lights.

Orion suddenly points.

Another fallen creature is swimming around, on patrol.

It is larger and more fish like, with a massive burnt, demonic, fish and shark like face.

Cole grabs Orion and points.

A larger symbol for the canisters is above, with a small hallway tunnel next to it.

Orion points for Cole to go, and he takes off.

The symbol and the hallway are farther away than Cole wants, and he kicks his feet harder, bubbles rising.

Light breaks ahead, but he feels the urge to gasp for air.

Cole kicks harder and harder, going towards the light, and gets to a horribly cramped hallway that his shoulders can barely get through.

The fallen creature turns and sees Cole's feet as they disappear into the hallway and speeds off towards him.

Orion comes behind the monster and tries to slit it's massive throat, but the beast grabs his hand and spins him around, face to face.

Bubbles go everywhere as the two huge bodies thrash and slash and kicks and try to stab and smother one another in the horrible darkness.

Cole kicks harder and harder.

OXYGEN WARNING

OXYGEN WARNING

The fallen creature grabs Orion's hand and smacks the knife away with it's own massive, knife like paw.

Cole kicks harder. He starts thrashing his arms in panic.

His hands and arms hit the small walls, as they seem to encroach even closer around his body.

His feet can barely move and kick.

The light is almost there.

Cole has one thought.

Home.

Even in the panic and drowning, he has a warm feeling of familiarity.

The light is closer.

Cole's lips twitch to open and swallow the sea.

The creature screams at Orion underneath the water, the sound waves shaking him, in a burst of energy that would have deafened the soldier if they were on land.

The fallen grabs Orion and brings it's horrible face forward for a final cannibalistic bite.

The rows of teeth and bone come forth.

Not like this. We all die. But I'm not dying at this thing's face.

Orion frees his hands and shoves one hand in the beasts mouth as it is about to bite his arm off, then lifts his other hand on the outside, and twists and pulls and snaps the jaw of the creature.

He then puts his massive hands around the throat of the creature and twists, breaking its neck.

Orion then looks up to the beam of light that is flickering from the outline of Cole's body trying to reach it.

I can't make that.

Orion pushes as hard as he can, and takes off towards the light.

Cole panics more.

Hands moving.

Mouthful of water.

The light touches his eyes, but his mouth is full of toxic seawater.

His heart beats through his chest.

DEATH IMMINENT

ORGAN FAILURE IMMINENT

DEATH IMMINENT

Well, I died trying.

Cole has a strong sense of peace as he decides to drown.

I was dead already. Hopefully Orion can save the day.

He keeps kicking and fighting.

TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE AND XP?

TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE AND XP?

TRANSFER KNOWLEDGE AND XP?

Cole wants to, but the endless sea is filling his mouth even more.

Gulp.