The Twilight is stranded mere meters away from an underwater volcano that threatens the spectral ship's existence as well as all of the souls that she carries. The eruption was imminent; it was just a matter of time.
"Captain, we have never used those gears in the Kasanaan; there is no guarantee that they would hold the waters at bay." Chief Officer Bustamante voiced his concern, making sure that it was clear there was no way to definitively conclude that the gear would protect Chris from the abysmal waters.
"Those deep-sea gears were designed to keep water out. As long as I don't get exposed to the water, I should be fine," Chris said, explaining his theory on how the gear would protect him.
"Should be fine?" Chief Murillo arrives and weighs in, "What do you mean should be fine? You should not be delving into something we are not a hundred percent sure of!"
"Captain, the Chief is not wrong, you've got to listen to them, it's too dangerous, there's got to be another way!" Martinez chimed in, voicing his concern, urging Chris to reconsider his perceived course of action.
Cecilia watched the exchange. She wondered if there was something she did not know. "Why are they so concerned with this person? What has he done to earn their respect?" she wondered to herself
Chief Officer Bustamante voiced his other concern, "Captain, what if something happened to you? Won't the ship…"
"What I do know is if we don't do anything, the ship and everyone on it will surely cease to exist" Chris pointed out "There is no time, the second volcano can erupt at any moment, if we are caught in the explosion, every last one of our passengers and crew will be swallowed by Kasanaan and erased from existence!" The entire room stood in silence despite their protests to the captain's decision; he was right, time was not on their side. "Bustamante…I want you to take care of things here, make sure everything is fully functional and running smoothly. Engines and the propulsion system are our top priority. For now, I will proceed with the initial plan!"
At the ship's stern, Chris inspects the deep-sea gear. He was circling the suit, making sure there were no rips or tears that would let the water seep in, when Cecilia approached him. "Are you sure about this, Captain? I heard the concerns of the officers; they are all opposed to this plan."
"Do you see that faint smoke rising off the ship's port side?" Chris pointed to the rising smoke from the waters
"Port? Port side?" Cecilia asked, as she was not familiar with the terms.
Chris frowned as he donned the diving gear. "It means the left side of the ship. Port is left, while starboard is right."
Cecilia waved her hands and shook her head. "Not important! What is important is this crazy idea you are planning to do! You're running to your…" Chris glanced at Cecilia, waiting for her to finish her sentence, "…your death!"
"It does not matter…" Chris, with the help of two crewmen, latched, sealed, and locked his helmet in place. "Either way…I'm as good as dead!" One of the crewmen helped him walk to the platform that would be lowered to the river, while the other monitored Chris's vitals, oxygen level, and tether line.
Chris nodded and gave the okay sign. Cecilia anxiously fidgeted with her fingers as she watched Chris being lowered into the Kasanaan River. All the while, Chris looked up, glancing at the human being whose features showed fear and concern. As soon as he disappeared into the depths of the water, Cecilia darted to the monitor, her heart racing with anticipation. Waiting by the receivers, Chief Bustamante, Murillo, Martinez, and the rest of the crew waited anxiously.
"Lower the jackhammer," A grainy voice rang from the numerous receivers throughout the ship. Everybody cheered as they had confirmation that the captain was safe. Now there was hope to escape the underwater volcano.
"You heard the captain…lower the jackhammer," Cecilia told the crewmen, a smile plastered on her face.
Chris immediately went to work. He leaned on the rudder for support and started chipping away at the solid rock. Meanwhile, up on the deck, Cecilia monitored the feed closely. One of the crew received a call from Engineering, "Yes, chief, on our way, chief!" he ended the call and informed his crewmate. "Additional hands are needed in the engine room. Let's go!"
"Ma'am, this button here activates the coms with the captain. Keep pressing on it while you're talking, then release it to let the captain talk. Should there be a problem, dial zero on the intercom." The two men quickly left, running towards the engine room.
Cecilia puts the headset on and presses the radio's talk button. "Captain? Can you hear me?"
Chris halts what he was doing as he presses something on the communications tab on his arm, allowing him to reply without needing to press the talk button. "Pink? What are you doing there?"
"I'm keeping you company…so you won't get lonely down there." Cecila cheerfully answered.
"Keep the lines clear, stop bothering me," Chris replied as he continued to chip away at the huge rock.
"Come on, Captain, I know you need someone to talk to, especially right now, you are all alone, doing the best you can to save everyone on this ship." She answered back, those words somehow softened his stoic resolve.
"Whatever, keep your chatter to a minimum." Chris adjusts the torque on the jackhammer and begins to chip away again at the rock.
"How are you down there? Are you okay?" Cecilia asked, and Chris could sense the genuine concern in her voice. Unbeknownst to the two, their conversation was being broadcast on the entire ship.
Chris checks his surroundings and sees from a distance the faint red glow of magma escaping from the underwater volcano. "To be honest? A bit too toasty for my taste."
"Captain? Have you ever been in love before?" Cecila asked with a solemn voice. At the same time, everyone who heard her stopped what they were doing and whipped their heads towards the speakers. Some grinned and laughed at the question, while others could not believe the human's audacity to ask the captain such a thing.
"What? What the hell kind of question was that?" Chris stopped to adjust the torque on the jackhammer.
"Nothing, I'm just making small talk," She replied innocently. She never thought that her question would be such a big deal.
"Why don't you just monitor the volcano?" Chris told Cecilia, this was his attempt to stop her from talking to him. "In the monitor, you can see an active graph of the volcano's activities. If any of the lines reach red, you inform me immediately." Chris turned his attention back to the faint red glow. He was surprised to see that it was no longer faint, but a solid red creeping slowly in his direction. "No wonder the water is getting hot; time is running out." He turned the jackhammer's torque to its maximum setting and resumed his task.
"Alright, Captain, I'll keep you updated if anything urgent comes up, but I'll stay by your side in my own way—you're not alone down there," Cecilia said softly, her voice carrying a quiet strength. Then, with a gentle smile, she added, "Take care of yourself, Captain. Not just because your safety matters to us all, but because…" All those who heard what she said stopped what they were doing, eager to see how she would end that sentence, "…we're all here, waiting for you to come back."