Left Breathless

Ray's eyes darted from one bright spot to the next, alert to any movement or suspicious shadow.

Floating in the calm, still water seemed to slow down time as well. Nothing moved, nothing changed, the same endless expanse spreading in all directions. Only the burning pressure in his lungs reminded him of the passing minutes and of their preciousness.

He glided parallel to the wall, keeping a steady pace, willing his mind not to hurry, not to overlook the smallest detail.

In the dark abyss of the ocean, glass cells gleamed dimly. Neat rows of lights stared vacantly at Ray. He shivered. Without a hydrosuit, his body was quickly overcome by coldness, the icy water enveloping him with its frigid tentacles. He put more force into pumping his legs. It would use up extra oxygen, but freezing posed a far greater risk.

If time ran out... No. He shook his head. Never. She would be saved — she had to be.

The cells stretched from top to bottom, seeing all of them was impossible. Koi might be somewhere in the middle, but as likely she was put into a room on either the highest or the lowest level. He also couldn't dismiss the chance that Vulcan had taken her away as a part of an evacuation or to prevent her from breaking out of the prison like he had.

Mentally counting seconds, Ray zigzagged along the wall. A flicker of motion caught his attention. He dove down, straining his eyes to pick out the silhouetted figure.

It was her — Koi!

At full speed, he crashed into the glass wall, startling Koi and making her turn around and open her eyes. They were red and puffy.

Her gaze locked onto his, a gasp forming on her lips. Then she glanced behind him and squeezed her lids shut again. Ray drummed at the glass to get her attention back before waving his hand, motioning for her to step further away. Koi peered down, flinched, and, without standing up, crawled until she reached the metal wall.

It was going to be alright. The adrenaline rush ebbed, leaving Ray all alone with aching legs, trembling hands, numb fingers, and aching lungs. Well, as long as he would get Koi out of this cramped cage. He backed up and flung the small sphere at the prison.

A wave shoved Ray away, forcing more oxygen out of him. It didn't matter. Koi would be out of the cell soon, Marlin would bring their ship, she would be safe. Right, she should know about the approaching submarine. He frowned, pondering how to convey such a complicated sentence through gestures, and looked up.

Her eyes bulging, her mouth open in a silent scream, Koi quivered on the floor, staring at the gushing water. It reached her chest, but she didn't attempt to rise up. Ray's heart jumped. He recalled her saying that she disliked getting wet, but he could have never imagined it was such an understatement.

Swimming up too close risked being sucked in by the strong water flow and getting slashed by jagged glass. There should be another way to draw her attention.

With stiff fingers, Ray patted his pockets. There it was. After carefully taking the flashlight out, he flipped the switch, and held it between his teeth. A beam of light flickered across Koi's face as he swayed his head.

She froze, her wide eyes meeting Ray's. He motioned up with the flashlight. She blinked. The water splashed against her lips. Koi followed the spotlight, pushing herself up against the wall.

Too early to relax — what if she couldn't swim at all? Ray kept on looking into her eyes, praying that his gaze passed on to her some calm and cheer.

He smiled reassuringly at her. The flashlight wobbled and slipped out of his mouth, the beam of light twirled in circles, slipping farther into the darkness.

At last the cell filled with water and Ray beckoned for Koi to get out. She swerved in place, her limbs stiff and clumsy. He swiftly dove inside, grabbed her trembling arms to put them around his waist, and carefully maneuvered back out into the ocean.

Unsure where Marlin might come from, Ray hovered not far from the prison. He knew it was too dangerous to wait here, right at their doorstep, with no place to hide. Picking a direction at random was the right choice, but with so little information, he feared to make the wrong one anyway.

Dark spots bloomed in his vision. His chest tightened, threatening to cave in his ribs. Koi's weight tripled. The pull of the abyss dragged him down.

It was all his fault: letting his emotions get the better of him, overexerting himself, not planning ahead. Ray strained his neck, willing his body to move up and forward when something soft touched his lips. A gush of oxygen filled his lungs. Koi leaned in, her mouth pressed against his.

Soon her grip loosened. Ray clutched her closer and pumped his legs with renewed vigor, not wishing to squander the chance he was given.

He didn't manage to go far when an unknown, yellow submarine sped straight towards them. Ray gritted his teeth and tensed, there was nowhere to go. The ship halted in front of them, blocking the way, its hatch sliding open. He had zero confidence in his ability to fight even a single person underwater, unarmed, exhausted, his hands full with Koi.

But no one came out to greet them, the craft stayed silent, waiting. Weird, it didn't even have any lights on. Ray's eyes widened in realization. He hurried inside.

***

"We have to get it back."

"You deaf? There are guards all over it."

"Yeah, that's why you couldn't do it on your own, but now that's all of us are back together, we can go retrieve our ship," Ray beamed.

Marlin grunted. "To abyss with that ship. This one works just fine."

"We can't abandon Angie and Silky — they are family!"

"I don't remember being related to that murderous thing."

"A murderer?" Koi leaned on the doorway, holding her head in both hands.

"Though I'm glad you're awake, maybe you should go lie down again. You're rather pale," Ray quickly got to her side and placed the back of his hand to her forehead.

"Were you hiding one more criminal on the ship?" Koi ignored the suggestion and swatted his hand away.

"What do you mean one more? And Silky didn't murder anyone. Well, except a whale, but it doesn't count. He is a stingweave specter."

"Oh, I never noticed you had one."

"How? His and Angie's aquariums take like half a wall in the common cabin," Ray spread his arms.

"Angie? I usually admire the neat soldering work or pipe connections. Didn't pay much attention to what else you had aboard," she shrugged. "This submarine's insides look uninspiring. My vote goes to getting our beauty back."

"I poo-poo your vote. For having a stupid reason," Marlin stuck his tongue out.

"It's two to one, Marlin, give up. I promise it's going to be cool," Ray patted the boy on the shoulder. "Plus, this ship is much slower, and we have a long journey ahead of us. Is that reason good enough for a genius thief?"

"Fine, I'll indulge your savior complex one last time."

"By the way, I always wanted to ask," Koi looked at Ray. "What's the name of your submarine?"

"Ehm, it doesn't have one. Only its model," he raised an eyebrow.

"You name fish while the ship goes nameless?! That's rude, she has been helpful to you all this time."

"Psst, is it that strange not to name a ship?" Ray shot Marlin a sideways glance.

"Nope, she's the weird one here. I know, unbelievable! Someone beat you to the title."

"Alright, I suggest postponing the imperative issue of the ship's name till after we reclaim it... her," Ray looked around at his tiny crew, meeting first Marlin's, then Koi's eyes, offering them a hearty smile. "The plan is..."