The trio got hammered by the pitch-black depths. It was a brutal shock to their systems: instant muscle freeze from the cold, lungs squeezed flat, and total confusion from the water blasting everywhere.
The force ripped them apart. Veridian struggled against the current, the Manifest in her pack dragging her down. Garth spun helplessly, his air tank useless against the pressure. His right arm screamed in pain.
I. Point of No Return
Garth's training – years fixing stuff underwater – took over. He knew they had maybe half a minute before their bodies gave out below 300 feet.
His brain was all he had left.
No signals, no swimming. Just his smarts. He felt the Silver Reef's shield humming above.
They needed a safe spot with regular pressure.
Garth reached for the emergency air tank regulator with his good hand. Instead of breathing, he shot a burst of air upwards, aiming for the thermal field.
The air shot up and the shield stretched the warm air bubble, creating a small zone of lower pressure.
It was a risky move, buying them maybe another three seconds.
II. Impossible Bubble
That extra time was all Elara needed. The power from the Refinery Core surged into the water. She felt the pressure, Garth's trick with the field, and instantly knew what to do.
Elara held out her hands, cyan light spreading out in all directions.
Zzzzzzzzhhhuuummm!
The energy field stabilized the low-pressure area, then did something crazy: it flipped the direction of the water molecules. The cyan light formed a shimmering, perfect bubble in the crushing depths, like a sea-level room.
It was a bubble made by reversing the water's energy.
Veridian, half-gone, crashed into the field, gasping as the water stayed back. She pulled Garth inside.
The... pressure... Veridian choked, lungs burning.
NORMAL. SPHERE IS CUT OFF FROM OUTSIDE. Elara stood in the middle, glowing. MANIFEST NEEDS CONSTANT CODE TO HOLD THE SPHERE. TIME'S SHORT.
The bubble seemed perfect, but was super unstable. The field flickered, and the air smelled like burning metal.
III. Human Saves the Day
Garth was slumped over, shivering. He pulled a little metal scanner from his pack – a tool to measure stress in metal.
He held it against the bubble. His mind, fueled by adrenaline, instantly saw the problem.
Captain! The bubble's shaking! It's looping the code I put in the Directorate's system! Garth yelled.
Veridian stared. Your hack? In the defense?
It wasn't supposed to loop back! Garth said, realizing the problem. The Anti-Abacus used the power before the code was gone. Now it's using that mistake! The bubble is trying to be perfect and impossible at the same time!
The field flickered, and a drop of ice water hit Veridian.
FAILING. POWER LOW. Elara's face didn't change, but the light flickered like crazy.
Garth grabbed a small wrench from his pack with his good hand. Now it was time for plain ingenuity.
Veridian! Hold her steady! I need to stop the code!
What are you doing?
I'm going to ground it! Garth ripped open the scanner, exposing a coil, then wrapped the wrench around it.
He made a tiny, flawed path for the messed-up energy to escape.
Garth slammed the coil and wrench against the bubble.
FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!
Energy crackled through the wrench. It vaporized in a puff of smoke, but the bubble stopped flickering.
The sphere was solid, stable, and held against the pressure.
Elara snapped her head toward Garth. DATA. ENGINEER GARTH. MANUAL GROUNDING. STABILITY BACK. SURVIVAL UP 74%.
Garth collapsed, saved by turning a mistake into a fix.
IV. The Getaway Ride
We're good, Veridian whispered. But we're a light show. Everyone can see us.
NO. A SHIP IS COMING. SYNDICATE. LOW-LEVEL COURIER. CALLSIGN: CINDER. Elara said. NOT HERE FOR US. ON NORMAL ROUTE.
A deep thrum vibrated against the pressure. The ship was huge, but running silent.
A Syndicate courier means supplies or VIPs, Veridian said. They won't expect us.
THEY WILL SEE OUR POWER SIGNATURE IN 90 SECONDS. WE CAN'T STAY. Elara looked at Veridian. VERIDIAN USE SYNDICATE RULES TO GET ON THE CINDER. I WILL HIDE US. ENGINEER WILL USE HIS INJURY TO LOOK HARMLESS.
The machine saved them, and the engineer proved his worth. Next up: trickery.
The escape leads to a meeting with scary Syndicate people.