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voyages-extraordinaires · 6 years ago

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C:R ~VE~ Chapter 32

I hadn’t realized how tense the atmosphere between Cardia and Barbicane had been until I saw them again. It was like a cloak of pressure had been pulled off, and all that was left were their smiles.

The both of them looked so happy. They looked ‘complete’ together, partners who would one day conquer gravity and the atmosphere itself to ascend to the moon.

Well, that’s how I felt, anyway. The whole thing was terribly romantic.

“So, Nemo tried to teach you how to drive, huh?” Barbicane’s barely looking at me as he speaks. All of his attention is on his angel, who’s still trying to eat her flummery with an exasperated smile.

“’Teach’ is putting it very loosely, I’m afriad,” I say, pushing my glasses back onto the bridge of my nose. “He stepped away from the wheel and I had to grab it. I thought I was going to get us all killed!”

“Well, we all have to start somewhere,” Barbicane finally looks my way and gives me a wink. “I should thank the two of you, though! When the Harper began rocking, I had to hold on super-tight to my princess!”

Cardia sighs and shakes her head. Eventually, though, her embarrassment seemed to melt and she said, “I remember how much fun I had when I first piloted Impey’s Ornithopter. I guess I was lucky to have such a good teacher.”

“’Guess you were lucky’? Luck had nothing to do with it, Cardia-chan! Wasn’t I the best teacher out of them all?! Didn’t you look at me with sparkly eyes and cry: ‘Teach me more, sensei!’“

Cardia sets her fork down. “I’m fairly certain I didn’t do anything like that...”

“Well, just as long as my driving lessons are kept below the sea or on terra firma, I’m fine. I’ll leave Ornithopter piloting to you, Cardia.”

Cardia smiles slightly. “You can count on me.”

“H-Hey! Who owns the Ornithopter, here?! Come on!”

Cardia’s laugh is joyful. I want to give the lovebirds more time to themselves, but I did come here for a specific reason.

“We’re headed towards the continental shelf now. Nemo said that once we get to shallow enough water... we’ll be able to walk on the ocean floor, deeper than man has ever gone.”

"Heh, you’re usually pretty cool, Polly-chan, but you sound like you’re about to burst!” Barbicane gives me a wolfish smile.

I put a hand to my throat. Was my voice trembling that much?

“Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about! When I’m about to set foot on the moon, I’ll be leaping for joy! Maybe I’ll carry my angel across the threshold of the ship-- she’ll be so beautiful in her suit!”

“The suits are on the bridge, right?” asks Cardia. “How are we going to get outside? I know we have an escape pod, but I don’t think that would work. If we open the hatch, water will come pouring in, won’t it?”

"You wouldn’t have to worry about that even being a possibility,” I say. “The ocean’s pressure is so great that we wouldn’t be able to open the hatch while submerged, no matter how hard we tried.”

“Oh yeah,” Barbicane sighs. “Nemo has a super-secret plan for getting us out there, but he said that if I told you he’d make me his...”

He wrinkles his nose and shudders. “His ‘cute guinea pig’...”

I hide my laughter behind my hand.

-----

About half an hour later, the four of us are gathered in the bridge.

“We’re at about 50 fathoms,” says Cardia.

“Excelleeeeeeeeeeent! This-- maaaany fathoms below the limits imposed upon man by nature herself-- will be a suuuuuuperb demonstration of my genius!” Nemo throws his head back and cackles while Barbicane lunges forward to catch the steering wheel that Nemo had let go of in his throes of science-induced hysteria.

“Oy, oy, Nemo! Can you cut the hyena laugh while you’re DRIVING?!”

The two scientists do an awkward sort of tango as they fight over the wheel, leaving Cardia and I to muse to ourselves.

“My god... we’ll be walking 96 meters under the water’s surface!” I breathe. “I-- I thought it would be maybe 50 meters at most.”

I can feel excitement bubbling inside of me as I clasp my hands in glee. “I’ll finally be able to be a part of that submerged world, lovingly embraced by the most primal element, the place where life began!”

Barbicane somehow wrestles the wheel away from Nemo, fending him off with one of his feet while balancing precariously. How have we not crashed yet?

“We’re going in teams of two,” says Barbicane. “It’ll be a double date, you know?”

Nemo grimaces at the redhead. “Pleeeeeeeaaase... don’t disrespect this momentous moment with inane babble... try to be serious, hmm? Do it for meeee?”

“I DO NOT NEED YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, TO TELL ME ME TO BE SERIOUS!”

Each couple will be limited to an hour outside. The Harper’s spotlight will illuminate a distance great enough for us to explore to our heart’s content. Each of us will carry one of the rifles specifically designed for this expedition. Each of us get twelve bullets that are already pre-loaded. Only one shot is needed for each enemy, thanks to the electric miracle that each bullet possesses. Quick, painless, and deadly.

“While the first team is out there, the second team will be standing by to make sure that everything goes well. There’s an emergency transmitter in each helmet, but it should really only be used if you absolutely, positively need it,” says Barbicane. “So no screeching. Got it?”

“Hmmm? Whateeeever are you talking about...” Nemo trails off.

“The divers won’t be able to communicate with each other?” I ask.

“Sorry, Polly-chan,” Barbicane smiles at me. “I know you were probably really excited about fish talk, but pressure resistance and the emergency communicators were a higher priority.”

“It’s fine, Barbicane. If anything, it will add to the serenity.” I pause to shake my head. “So, how are we doing this? Shall we pick lots to see which team will go first?”

Barbicane shoots a glance at Nemo before looking back at me. “You’re kidding, right? That’d be like drawing lots to see which one of us will take the first steps on the moon!”

“We had already decided back when the ship was being built,” Cardia smiles.

“Fwee hee hee... of coooooourse it only makes sense that a genius as great as myself would be the first to walk on the ocean floor at this depth!” Nemo laughs loudly, but it soon dies down into a hum. “But to keep you away from the sea of your heart would be like clipping a bird’s wings! Ahhh, how needlessly cruueeel!”

“Nemo... everyone... being able to walk out there... be a part of that world for just a moment... I can’t even begin to thank the three of you enough. But, please... humor my attempt! Thank you!!”

“Geez, so formal,” says Barbicane. “Come on, lighten up a little, will you? We’re your friends! I can’t let go of the wheel right now, Cardia-chan can you go give her a noogie for me or something?”

“A what?” Cardia stares at Barbicane.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” I say quickly as I notice Nemo’s goggles flash with wicked intent. “I am curious about something, though... Nemo.”

Nemo stops, his fingers twitching with what I can only imagine is a childish desire to get me in a headlock like we were schoolchildren.

“Y-Y-Yeeees...?” He looks like a praying mantis, reared back and ready to pounce. The posture is... definitely more intimidating on the insect...

“Cardia raised an interesting point. At this depth... even if it weren’t suicide, it would be impossible for us to open the hatch thanks to the ocean’s pressure. How do you plan on us getting out of here?”

“Ohhh...? Impeeey Barbicane didn’t tell you, after all? Such a shame... what a shaaaaaaaaaame!! He would have made such a cute little guinea pig, don’t you think...?”

Barbicane sounds like he’s choking.

“But, no matter! Come, come, coooome with me! I will shoooow you, my daaaarling---!!” Nemo takes my hand and begins to lead me towards the salon.

“You two better not do anything too creepy out there while my honey and I are watching--!” Barbicane yells after us.

“Heheheee... don’t teeeempt me!” Nemo flashes a smile as he shuts the salon door behind us. He gives my hand a squeeze before approaching his pipe organ and flicking open a small compartment. He presses a button, and the pipe organ... it’s almost like the mouth of a living creature as it jolts to life and opens with a roar. Beyond the instrument is a room so small that the four of us would have trouble cramming inside. But the most interesting part of it is the trap door and some valves nearby.

“Water will come in through here,” Nemo points to the valve. “And the pressures will equalize. Then, we will drop into the seaaaaaaaaa!”

He looks at me with a leer. “Are you frightened? You can hold onto me if you neeeeeed~”

I laugh and turn away from the open pipe organ. “I’m not afraid of the sea... but I just might take you up on your offer anyway.”

His smile widens, and I quickly look away before adding: “You know... just so we won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Despite our banter, getting undressed is surprisingly uneventful. We have bigger things to think about. We drag our diving suits over to the trap door and begin to suit each other up. Our boots are weighted, so it’s much easier for us to dress directly above where we’ll be dropping.

The suits are beautiful, rubber and canvas with a strange metal vest to protect ourselves from the pressure. There’s also a strange box upon our backs not unlike the one Nemo usually wears. I can only assume that these are our breathing apparatuses.

Nemo looks delicious in the technology he’s created, hair falling temptingly over his shoulders as ties it back so it will fit in the helmet. Overcome with excitement and desire, I pull him down to my height and kiss him.

“For luck,” I say with a shrug.

“We have science on our side, which is faaaaaaaar more reliable than luck! So if you want to kiss me, do it in triumph of this moment we will carve into the annals of histoooooooory!”

Separated by the weight of our suits, I can’t hold him as tight as I want or kiss him as deeply as I want, but it is still an embrace carved into my memory forever.

It takes a little while for us to screw our helmets into place, but I’m pleasantly surprised by the amount of visibility I have. Nemo, too, looks absolutely delighted and decides to demonstrate this by affectionately thunking his helmet against mine. It would have been cute if the impact hadn’t made my teeth rattle.

There’s a light, mechanical hum and a pulse not unlike a mechanical heartbeat before I realize that I can breathe normally. With this, I know that we’re ready for the true expedition of our voyage.

Nemo holds an arm out towards me and I try to shuffle in my boots to get closer to him. It doesn’t really work, and the two of us look more like we’re dance partners being scrutinized by chaperones.

Still, with an arm around each other and guns in our free hands, I feel like I’m ready to take on the world!

Nemo reaches up and flicks a switch, and we’re surrounded by darkness. There’s a loud rumble before I feel a coldness surrounding me, enveloping me slowly from my feet upwards. But in that coldness is freedom, and once we’re submerged in the water I’m able to pull Nemo in by his waist.

A moment passes, and Nemo presses another switch. The floor beneath us opens into a square of blue twilight, and we begin to sink a short distance down to the bottom of the sea.

How can I possibly describe the marvels before me? The sand beneath our feet is even and dusted with pieces of shells, and I do my best to avoid the unfortunate mollusks that have made their home here. They were truly radiant, lining the ground like a path in the Count’s gardens.

It’s so easy for me to move now that we’re submerged that I’m able to bend down to take a closer look at the shells. I immediately recognize the angel wing clam, and it takes all of my self-restraint to stop myself from picking one up to get a better look at the magnificent shape. After all, here I am merely a visitor. Nearby are various bullmouth snail shells, and I find myself climbing carefully to get a closer look.

Nemo observes me side-stepping the creatures, and for a moment I fear that he might not have the same regard for the ocean life. I’m relieved, though, to see him apparently realize the significance of this untouched landscape-- or maybe he just knows it would upset me-- or... perhaps he just wants to show off, as he jumps over the groups of mollusks like he’s playing a game of hopscotch.

Either way, I show my approval by taking his free hand and giving it a grateful squeeze. He returns the squeeze, clearly glad that I noticed his attempt to spare the lives of dozens of helpless invertebrates. Nemo thunks his helmet lightly against mine multiple times, trying... apparently... to mimic an excited flurry of kisses.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

He doesn’t let go of my hand, leading me through the kaleidoscope of wonders before us. The light fading in the deep casts a reddish glow over us as we enter a forest of seaweed blooming in more hues than I could even imagine.

An underwater forest... the site of many of my childhood adventures. Surely as we tread through this place, I can push away the kelp and catch a glimpse of my beloved Atlantis!

But it’s not Atlantis I see as I push aside stalks of kelp: Squalus cuvier, renamed Galeocerdo tigrinus in 1837, and more commonly called the man-eater shark.

I take a step back in the sand, telling myself it’s to get a better view of the shark in its natural surroundings. My quaking legs say otherwise.

I love the creatures of the deep, all of them, truly. ... But god, what terrible and fearsome foes sharks are!

I mean, I don’t have much reason to think so... sharks are usually docile creatures who show curiosity with their teeth. With their many, many rows of teeth... and their inky black eyes...

I shudder, hoping that the motion was hidden by my suit.

Nemo looks at me, then at the shark, then at me again. I can practically see him squinting in confusion.

It’s perfectly natural for a marine biologist to be nervous around sharks! In fact, we should know better than anyone what these creatures are capable of! Like removing limbs and things like that.

He points to the shark and looks back at me, tilting his head. It’s strange to see him pantomiming his usual outbursts... and it’s even stranger how he still manages to slouch so distinctly in his diving suit.

But my observations are cut short when he cocks his rifle with a flourish and takes aim at the shark.

I quickly begin waving my arms, shaking my head vigorously. I might be frightened by these creatures, but that is certainly no reason to kill it! It hasn’t even noticed us!

I should have known guns would be a bad idea, almost as bad as handing him explosive material! He’s like a giddy child, if he has a toy he simply has to show it off-- tenfold if it’s one he created!

Nemo looks over at me, his gun still raised, and tilts his head in the opposite direction.

Damnit, he doesn’t understand! Why don’t we have any way of communication?! If only I could somehow convey that this creature is a precious specimen, a precious piece of the ocean’s biological community! Think clearly, Pauline!

I worriedly look back at the shark and freeze-- my hand signals must have attracted it, because it’s headed this way! And if it heads this way, Nemo will certainly kill it!

The shark swoops down, and I shove the both of us to the ground. Of course, Nemo being Nemo, he begins to flail in a panic. Being a rational woman, I quickly climb on top of him and lay still, hoping to weigh down his limbs.

Sharks have terrible vision, and once we’re on the ground it doesn’t seem to notice us, even as Nemo continues to attempt his kicking.

Once the shark meanders out of sight, I slowly roll off of Nemo and onto my back, staring up at the surface of the ocean as my heartrate begins to go down.

Nemo’s probably very confused as well, but hopefully he’s able to realize how closely we brushed against death. He leans over and peers at me, his lips pursed in confusion. But when I shake my head, he shrugs and flops back down, sending up a cloud of sand.

The sun seems so far away down here, and the ripples of the water give it the appearance of a stained-glass window. It’s peaceful, almost solemn, much like the church I visited as a child.

Nemo reaches over and rubs my hand for attention. Such a needy man! But I can’t help but smile and thread our fingers together.

Holding his hand, I look back up at the surface as a denizen of this wonderland that lies fathoms below.

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