I had just started crafting the first additional primary drysuit when I noticed Threedots flashing emergency assistance at me from across the chasm; I let the geneforge falter and stop as I swam, pumping full jet as hard and fast as I could towards her. I signaled back attention as bright as possible from my fins and mantle; Threedots started using education formation of tentacles, but only in attention coloring in order to communicate. It would be slower and was not perfect, but it would suffice for the longer distance.
“The bipeds are not behaving normally and may be in distress. We do not know what is wrong.” She stopped sending after I sent back acceptance, which would now just be visible at the distance between us. I could tell even from the dim lighting that she went back inside the tunnel, likely heading to the cavern. I was not sure why, but I NEEDED to get there as fast as possible. The faintest banding of black flickered over me as I sped through the tunnel, nearly scraping the walls several times through bends and turns to where Halfblue and Threedots were. Halfblue was just finishing sliding out of the primary drysuit, which I would be taking next. Threedots was shifting in and out of red for agitation/concern; a spectra normally avoided, as predators tend to have a keen sense for the color.
I slipped into the primary drysuit, not bothering to ensure a complete fill as an investigation would either lead to an obvious and immediate answer, or...No, there is always an answer to every question; if I could not find it, another Ceph would. Halfblue and Threedots gently grabbed the sides of the drysuit with their arms and after I sealed it up, they assisted me in moving up the short distance to the entrance to the dry cavern a bit more quickly.
Once inside, I noticed something the others had not; the luminescence of the coral was slightly lower than normal. This meant that the normal biological processes had stopped some time ago, as the light would continue long past the death of the organism. I looked to one of the common devices attached to the outside of the drysuit, and it showed my water quality was moderate. It was also dropping faster than normal, partially because I did not fill the suit as much as it could hold, but also because I had exerted heavily on my way here. I looked around further and noticed several bipeds on the sand, respirating at a faster than usual pace. I needed another quality measurement device; not for water, but instead for sky. If my postulation was correct, I do not have the needed time to create one to validate. I have to act quickly.
This will be tricky. Using the light from my tentacles directed at the sensory growths along the bottom of the drysuit, I command it to lean backwards. Preparing for proper timing, I reach a tentacle up to open the top of the suit as it slowly tips over, allowing me to spill out back into the sea filled tunnel, assisted by a deep jet push. Both Halfblue and Threedots showed surprise at this action, as my arms pick a small amount of sand off my mantle.
“Threedots, the inner coral in the cave has died and I am not sure why. I postulate that the bipeds are experiencing what we experience by staying in the drysuits too long, but I am not sure.”
Threedots briefly pulsed myriad. “Halfblue, I believe the best course of action is to flood the tunnel with sky.”
“The Canid could be waiting for exactly that.” She responded.
I did not hesitate. “If the Canid are waiting, it is likely the outcome is the same regardless. Support.”
Halfblue briefly pulsed acceptance. “Toroid, will the new sky flow in to replace the old?” She asked.
“I do not know, but I have no alternative to offer.” I respond.
“Make sure the others are out, then flood it.” Halfblue stated.
We all swam off, checking the few side chambers and up to the exit to the dry that the bipeds originally entered from. With everyone clear I left the main tunnel, through the side exit that opened up into the great chasm and headed to the nodes that controlled the water level in the tunnel. Once there, I slid my arms inside and gave the commands required to fully flood the tunnels dry. I felt the impulse of the powerful siphons, and held on as the water tried pushing me away from the controls until it finished flooding.
Halfblue swam over along with the rest of the squad, barring Tips, who had not yet returned from her prior tasks.
“The tunnel is flooded and sealed to us. Do we drain and check?” I asked. “I am unfamiliar with sky currents, but if they are similar to sea currents, just flooding the tunnel with sky may not be enough.”
I release the control nodes after doublechecking that everything was sealed properly.
“Toroid, are you able to pump sky in and out by flooding and draining the tunnel?” Threedots asked.
“I am able, but what if the first time worked and the bipeds are in the tunnel when I drain it? They did not seem to want to be near the water.”
Threedots flashed consideration and uncertainty. “The tunnel is long. Are you also able to drain sections individually? We may be able to pump sky in and out that way.”
I flashed surprise. “The pressure of the cavern can be adjusted, and excess can be vented. We can force all the sky they have right now out from in between coral veins by forcing it down the tunnel; that was an excellent suggestion, Threedots.” She flashed gratitude briefly.
“Drain a small amount of sky from the tunnel nearest the cave, that may be enough to prevent them from moving down the tunnel further; then proceed to drain sequentially from the land to the cave, and vent as required.” Halfblue instructed without hesitation. “The first run should be slow to give them time to move back to the cave, if required.”
I flash acceptance and start the sequence.
“I will go in and check after the fifth cycle, Toroid. Continue cycling after I enter.” Halfblue stated.
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“There is no drysuit out here, Halfblue.” Threedots stated. “You may die from sky exposure.”
“I am squad leader, and my specialist role has already been completed; the bipeds are truly sentient, if simple creatures. Their strange behavior before may have been due to their sky being poisoned.”
Halfblue then flashed attention.
“Even if I return Threedots is to regain leadership of the squad, but not until after I have entered the tunnel.” She instructed.
“Halfblue, you will return; there are several secondary drysuits at the geneforge across the chasm.”
Threedots signaled surprise. “You did not start with the primary drysuit, Toroid?” She asked.
“They are much more difficult to craft; I decided it would be prudent to have more secondary drysuits available for use faster than simply a single additional primary.” I stated. Halfblue signaled gratitude, while Threedots had already started her swim to the geneforge to retrieve them.
“I have not been part of this squad for long,” Shimmer stated, “But even given the short duration of my observations of this squad, I am inclined to state for the history that it is one of, if not the most innovative and reactive squads I have yet documented.”
Myself and Halfblue both shifted a deep shade of gratitude.
----------------------------------------
I awoke, mouth full of sand, to the sounds of panic and a pounding headache. A gentle breeze swept over me, followed closely by pressure inside my head. I looked around, but it was darker than normal, and thus, much more difficult to see anything other than vague shadowy figures.
I pushed myself up to my hands and knees, spitting out as much sand as I could when something bashed into the back of my head hard.
“Ow!” A female voice stated. By the position, we likely bumped heads as she bent down for something. What that would be, I couldn’t tell.
“What’s going on?” I asked over the sounds of sobbing and shuffling.
“I don’t know, I just woke up a little bit ago myself. Not sure anyone knows.” The unknown female stated.
A few seconds pass, and another breeze follows. Once again, my head feels the pressure for a moment. I consider that if there is a breeze flowing from anywhere, it would be from the normally flooded tunnel. A tunnel which very well may no longer be flooded; at least not completely. I turn towards the breeze and slowly shuffle my way towards it, one foot sliding across the sand, the other following. It takes about 30 to 45 seconds between them, but I feel them getting much stronger as I approach the source. After only a few cycles of this, my foot hits something. I bend down to determine what it is, and find it to be cold, wet and slimy. Was this one of those suits the squid people wear? Going from memory, it felt like it. From memory...My memory from before the blackout was hazy, but my head, though still throbbing, was considerably more clear.
I toss what I believe to be the goldfish suit off to the side and crawl further forward, feeling around and finding only wet sand. The next blast of air hits me right in the face, burning my eyes with salty spray and causing me to recoil. I rub my eyes with the back of my hands to avoid the wet sand stuck to my fingers and palms, then continue to move forward, feeling around before each nudge forward.
Finally, I find a downward slope, and I edge further forward, feeling for where the water level is, but don’t find it. Edging further forward, my forehead touches something slimy, just as the blast of air arrives once more. This time, no spray to the face; instead, I see a faint glow and a fist sized eyeball in the center of it. I jump back in surprise, kicking away until I run into someone, startling myself. They yelp in surprise, and I grab my chest and take a deep breath. It’s a Ceph in the tunnel, it has to be. Damn thing didn’t make any noise again, and the lack of light probably doesn’t bother it one bit; especially having eyes that large. A new problem on top of the old one to solve, but a clear head to do it with.
Another deep breath to steady my nerves, then I stand back up. Slide forward, reach out blindly hoping not to run into it again. A momentary, light pulse of color slightly off to my left. I do my best to face it, then point directly at it. No response. I need to be smart about this; I need to tell them to show more light, somehow, so we can stop panicking in the dark, treat injuries due to the lights out situation and finally move forward with communication.
I stand still again, and someone bumps into me; we steady each other, and I make my best guess as to where the Ceph was and point at it again. A moment passes, and another dim flash of color just off to my right. I immediately turn and point at it. It lights back up, but it’s still too dim to see much around it other than the sand immediately around it at the bottom of the suit….and the wet glint of what might be another Ceph suit. I’m not sure if this will work or if I should even approach this close to them, but I take a big dry swallow of courage and start slowly shuffling towards the one I can barely see.
I touch the suit by accident and immediately stop and step back to just outside arm’s length. Slowly, I shuffle over to where I think the second Ceph is, eventually touching their suit before once more stepping back. I adjust my position the best I can to form a triangle between them, and take another deep breath.
I turn at the hips to the dark Ceph at my right and cover my eyes with my right hand, then point at the glowing Ceph with my left. It takes a few repeats of this action, but the second Ceph starts to glow as well, the same dull, dark violet as the other.
“YesyesyesYES!” I whisper loudly to myself.
I turn towards the Ceph on my left then cover my eyes with my left hand. When I uncover my eyes, the Ceph was dark. I repeat the same action to the Ceph on the right, but with my right hand, who seems to understand and completes the same action. “Finally!” I whisper, feeling my bottom lip quiver ever so slightly. Such a simple thing, but I feel like I’m soaring!
I turn and point at the Ceph on the left again, and it lights back up. Same for the Ceph on the right. They both had the same dim purple glow once more.
“Okay, now how do we bump the dimmer switch?” I mumble to myself through a couple ragged breaths. The sand. I look down and see what I saw earlier; the faint edge of a glow. I drop to my knees facing the Ceph on the right and trace the edge of the glow as best as I can, then sit back. I look up at the Ceph then cover my eyes with my left hand; I’m peeking through my fingers and see that it understood and stopped the glowing. I feel the sand gently and find the mark I left, and erase it. I point again, and it lights up. I draw the line again, then I draw a new line a little further away and erase the other. I point. The glow brightens. I exhale hard in anxious relief. Drawing in sand is too slow, but I know they understand gestures. That reminds me; I do the blue gesture, hoping it means something good or thankful, and their color shifts to blue, but dims. Not what I wanted. I signal them both to stop glowing.
Patience is key. I have to teach them how to talk to me, and they need to teach me how to talk to them. Don’t rush, Kevin.
I point, and the Ceph on the left once more lights up blue. I immediately signal to stop, and it does. I then point again. Blue again. I signal stop immediately. It’s stuck thinking I wanted blue. Even though it’s still dark, I cover my eyes with my left hand and use the blue gesture with my right before letting my hands drop to my sides. Looking up where I think it is, I point and get the original purple.
Relief. I draw the brightness line one more time with my left, erase it, draw the further away line and point. The brightness increases. I turn my left hand palm up in front of me and raise it slightly in a distinct gesture. I then erase the new line and redraw the line closer to the Ceph and point. Brightness lowers. Excellent. I make a new distinct gesture, palm down and lowering.
Moment of truth. I erase the line in the sand, stand and point at the Ceph on the right with my right hand, and gesture for more light…And I get more light. I point at both and request more and more light until they stop increasing in brightness. It’s not as bright as when the cave was self lit, but it was enough. I turned and found I could see faces again. Almost everyone looked like they had noticed the glowing squid, and many were frightened.
“Anyone injured that needs medical attention please come to me; call out for help if you need assistance. Carolyn, and anyone else with medical training, if you could join me that would be great.” She came forward and people started limping, crawling and stumbling forward. In the mass panic of waking up in the dark, several had been trampled, or ran into the coral walls. As Carolyn started triage with me assisting, there was some strobing of the light, and one of the Ceph dimmed and moved off; as I looked up, the other was moving closer and seemingly trying to glow brighter. It crouched, if you could call it that, and lined up as many tentacles as it could to give the most surface area for light emission, directly on the patient laying in the sand.
That’s when I noticed that this Ceph had three dots, and it made me smile... Perhaps for the first time in several months.