Into the Depths

9.

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𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

LOCATION:

The Depths—Cavern #2

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Coordinates:
40º 19' 0.00624" N
73º 5' 54.5532" W

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In all of Delilah's years of living in the Ark, never, not once, did she feel this awful. The sensations surrounding her didn't make sense. Nor did the suffocating weight on her lungs.

And it wasn't until she pried her eyes and blinked through the clouded patch of sleep that caked her weary gaze, that she started to accept her state.

With a roll of her tongue, Delilah knew it had been hours since she lost consciousness—And there was no telling what was happening at the Ark.

That is, if the Neptune was able to return with her crew all in one piece...

The instant all the memories ricochet back into her mind, all too fast for Delilah to see at once, so she lowered her head back down and closed her eyes. Taking the blissful moment to breathe through the pain, as well as trying to coach her body to regain self-awareness—All between her toes and legs, but the trouble was her stomach.

It felt...Numb.

Which was odd, considering how she could move her toes and foot if she needed to—But her stomach, it felt twisted and hot. So when she pulled herself upwards to take a peek, the sight was more concerning than waking up in storage spot four—Or was it two?

While still wearing her dive suit, an area in which it tore had been strapped and tightly wrapped in Kelp. Or what Delilah assumed to be Kelp, given the color and smell, though it reminded her faintly of the Infirmary—That sterile sort of tint that any sort of first aid kit smelled of, one of which, she would kill for right about now.

Given that her head didn't accept the fact that was now awake and active, slowly tuning into senses that she wished didn't exist.

Thirst. What's the point?

Hunger? Gods, I'm begging to feel the silence of the water, this was torture.

With a twist of her body, Delilah wasn't even sure if she could manage to move, let alone press against the cool ground. Cruel as it was to be hungry and thirsty at the same time, it didn't help the fact that she was surrounded by gallons of water.

Nothing suitable to drink until she could get the small water distillery set up—And even then that could take hours.

Best to get it done now, right?

Having managed to twist to her side, Delilah did her best to crawl on uneven grounds to the dozens of crates that she and her team had placed. It didn't help that her data pad was off where she first woke up—Instead of backtracking, she continued onward and did her best to try and get a handle on each crate for what they were.

After the third, she had been utterly thankful for finding it so soon into the search. And what better luck that it was closer to the pool and had enough room to assemble with another crate for her to lean up against.

"Data pad, what percentage are you at?"
"Greetings, Captain...After applying energy-saving mode to the battery following our switch offline and into survival mode. We are at 57%, the timed SOS signals have been sent out but have not received any word in response." Delilah sighed, leaning her head back against the crate as she peeked at the ceiling once more.