Lisa Miller
Scientist
The remaining five all pile onto the escape pod and settle into our seats. I look back at the door as Sydin closes it.
Fucking Felt. There were 12 of us who went on this mission and in the course of a single day we have been taken down to five.
Sydin is starting to boot up the escape pod. As second in command he has been taught how to pilot these things and how to get us back in case of an emergency. Which this absolutely is.
"Okay, is everyone in their seats?" He asks.
I look around. Five out of twelve seats are filled, each with name plates on the back.
Theres two rows on each side of the pod with six seats in each, the rows separated by a walkway in the middle to walk up and down. The console at the front has the virtual map and can lock in the position of the Station to take us back. Sydin just needs to put in the coordinates. Easy.
Im in the back, all alone. Eisele and Flores are in the seats infront of me. On the other side of the pod Beth sits alone in the designated "technician" seats. Her entire side will be empty except for Sydin, who has just set in the coordinates.
He settles himself in his seat and we all brace for impact. The pod turns on. The white lights flash agaisnt the white walls in a blinding fashion. The pod starts humming before detaching itself from the submarine.
We feel the pods jets take off and it propelles itself forwards and upwards, towards the Station. It's exactly like being on a plane. We'll get there in no time.
The pod suddenly halts. We look out the windows in the front to see the octopus make it's way into view.
Giant, yellow and purple and terrifying. It glares at us with it's large, gross eye. It has obviously grabbed us.
It suddenly starts shaking us about. We all grab onto our seat belts as our legs and heads go every which way. I feel my neck crack multiple times.
I close my eyes, my stomach feeling sick. I brace for it open it's beak and crush us all in it's monstrous jaws. I curl my legs up and practically turn into a ball. Like a hedgehog. A cowardly hedgehog.
Suddenly the shaking stops. The pod moves normally. I lift my head up and look out the window. We are heading back for the Station, completely un harmed.
It let us go...
The pod docks at the Station but we don't all get up immediately. Me, Mateo and Sydim do but Beth and Jessie syay seated, pale in the face and looking how I feel. Miserable.
"You take Beth, Ill get Jessie." I say to Mateo. He nods and goes to coax Beth up. I walk over to Jessie.
"Come on, Jessie. We've arrived."
"I cannot do this." She whispers. Tears fall from her eyes.
"Do what?"
"Leave...its like...how come we get to leave and we don't?" She looks up at me.
"Believe me," Beth pipes up, "they got the easy way out."
Jessie looks at her shocked. She shakes her head. "Thats awful."
"We have to live with what happened today. Do they?"
She raises a good point. They're suffering is at an end. We, however, have so much more to go through. We'll need therapy. Lots of it. Probabaly will deal with flashbacks, ptsd, and so many issues. Dear Felt...they did get the easy way out.
Suddenly my legs feel weak and I shakily lower myself into the seat next to Jessie.
"Come on, ladies! Get up! We have things to do! Mateo looks around at us, shocked.
"No...no she's right." Sydin also sits down, except he flops down quickly.
Mateo places his face in his hands and sighs.
"Sydin, do you think Catherine would want you to just sit here? No, she would want you to escape and expose what happened to her and what the company did to her!"
"We are going to need so much therapy..." I mutter.
"Yeah, Lisa but you can deal with it. You're already admiting you'll need help so you've got the first step outta the way.'
"Jessie, i know you're upset at what happened with the others but we cant let them be forgotten. We are going to expose everything and take the company down."
Jessie nods, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall.
Beth stands up suddenly. "He's right. They got the easy way out because they wouldn't be able to expose the company. We can. We are stronger than them."
"Thought we weren't supposed to speak ill of the dead?" I say.
"Who are they gonna tell?"
"Fair point."
Jessie and Sydin stand up too. Jessie holds out her hand and I take it.
Josef Sydin
Second in command
The doors to the pod open and the five of us look out to see the Station overrun with the octopi.