[sb118-gorkon] Ensign Ethan Espinoza - Into the Rapids
Ethan Espinoza
(( The Underbelly, Tanglewoods, Gateside Dimension ))
Ethan’s vision smeared with streaks of light and motion. The water crashed around them, the tunnel breathed in slow, unsettling pulses, and somewhere in the chaos the others were shouting out.. His focus was gone, scattered by panic, by noise, and by the blow to his skull that still throbbed behind his eyes. Neathler’s voice crackled in his ear, but it sounded far away.
Neathler: I’m almost there Ethan, why don’t you and Atlas keep your position for now until I’m there. Finch, how are you holding up?
Finch: The bad news is, I’m still here. The good news is, I’m still here and I’ve got the flare!
His vision blurred, darkening at the edges as his eyelids drooped. He felt like he was dragging himself through mud; his body went slack, limbs heavy as sandbags, his frame slipping across Atlas’s slick hull.
Then something seized him. The jolt of panic snapped him back, adrenaline tearing through the fog as his eyes flew open, ready to fight off whatever vine had caught him.
But it was Neathler. The breath he released came out shaky but relieved.
Neathler: Take a few deep breaths, Ensign. We’ll get to Doz eventually and then we’ll compose a complaint to our host that we want better accommodations.
There was something undeniably steadying about Neathler. The firmness, the bravery, the quiet humour she let slip when he least expected it. It anchored him, especially in this moment. Their eyes met, and he managed a weak nod as he fought to steady his ragged breaths and pull himself back into his body.
Then Doz’s gentle voice threaded through the noise, a soft reminder that she was still out there, still in danger, still counting on them. He swallowed, forced the panic down, and with the smallest spark of composure, pushed himself into motion again.
Finch: I’ll have the deluxe room with a jacuzzi ensuite and an ocean view balcony, next time, please! And don’t forget the artisanal teapot for my brew.
Neathler: You feeling okay to move forward? Doz, can you spot us on your tricorder? The tunnel is splitting up further ahead and we’ll have to know which way to go.
Espinoza: I’m good. I’m alrigh’. Thank you.
Finch: I don’t have it out at the moment, Samira, but I’ve — ah! ::A sizzling sound soon followed.:: It’s active!
Ethan’s gaze roamed around the tunnel between the two paths. The bang and hiss of a flare was distant, but the lack of any evident illumination didn’t bode entirely well for them finding Finch.
Neathler: Let’s continue. Ethan, you keep an eye out for the flare. I’ll keep track on my tricorder. ::She smiled, patting the young man’s shoulder just once.:: We’ll find her, finish our mission and head back to the ship.
Espinoza: You got it, Commander. I can’t see anythin’ right now… she mighta gotten dragged down one of the tunnels, or it’s reconfigured.
Finch: I’ve sent it out! You should be able to see it from wherever you are. It’s as bright as a lighthouse.
Neathler: Ok, we’re coming your way, Doz.
The two of them pressed on toward the fork, Atlas scrambling behind them, while the water surged at their legs, tugging hard, trying to pull them down one path or the other.
Espinoza: I really can’t see the flare. Can you describe anythin’ else, Commander? Anything at all?
Finch: It’s deeper where I am. There’s very little to—
Her voice fell silent. Ethan turned, catching Neathler’s eye, and in that split second they both understood. A single nod passed between them before they pushed forward, Ethan’s gaze darting between the two branching paths.
The walls were alive with vines and swollen pods, their bioluminescent spines strobing those familiar neon‑noir colours across the tunnel. Shadows writhed with every flash, stretching and collapsing in ways that made the world tilt, distances warp, depth slipping out from under him. Nothing looked still.
Neathler: Any sign of the flare?
Finch: Response
Espinoza: None. It must have shifted. The right tunnel looks deeper, but… it’s hard to tell with this light.
Neathler had procured her tricorder and started scanning both tunnels. The water was chaotic, but the anchor that was Atlas gave them a modicum of steadiness. His gaze swung back to her as she concluded.
Neathler: I’ve got… ::Then another life sign popped up and another and another. With a gloved hand, dripping from the water, she struggled to change a few settings on her tricorder. After a few attempts it finally worked.:: There’s other life signs there, not all humanoid. ::She looked at Ethan.:: We need to hurry.
Finch: Response
Ethan nodded and shifted his focus to the right tunnel. The truth hung between them: there was no fast, safe way to get to her. Here, the water was shallow enough that they could let the current take them, but if it dropped off the way Fiz had hinted, there’d be far greater difficulties.
Espinoza: Hang tight to the wall. I’ll take right, you take left. We’ll let the current take us. We should be able to slow ourselves usin’ the vines if we need to. Keep up, buddy. ::he muttered with a pat to Atlas’ frame::
Finch: Response
Every part of him hurt; ribs, skull, muscles all burning, but a hard jolt of adrenaline cut through the fog. He drew one steadying breath, struggled his way to the right wall, crouched low, and kicked off. His body lurched forward, momentum grabbing him before he could second‑guess it.
The rapids seized him without warning, hurling him down the tunnel far faster than he’d anticipated. Each time the current pulled him toward the centre, he snatched at a vine or scraped his fingers along the mesh‑like wall, using whatever he could to drag himself back toward the right side.
Something flashed further ahead, a deep red, distinct from the flashes of cerulean.
Espinoza: I think I see the flare, Commander! Further ahead!
Finch / Neathler: Response
He had no idea if Neathler heard him whilst the roar of the water drowned everything. His own breath thundered inside the helmet, loud and ragged, as the current hurled him forward. Behind him, Atlas crashed through the rapids clumsily.
The tunnel snapped into a sharp bend. The world spun. Ethan snatched at a thin vine, catching it just long enough to swing, but the momentum tore him sideways and slammed him into the wall with a thud that rattled his teeth. Another bruise, or break, to add to the collection. The impact knocked the spit out of his mouth.
Ahead, the flare burned like a beacon.
Espinoza: …there! There! I see it! It’s on your side, but I don’t see Commander Finch. Commander! Can you see her?
Finch / Neathler: Response
Ethan forced himself onward, half‑swimming, half‑dragged by the current. The water was too deep now for his boots to find purchase, and panic sharpened with every heartbeat he couldn’t see Finch.
Flare‑light and bioluminescence strobed across the tunnel, shadows lurching and spinning until he felt dizzy. In those fractured flashes of colour, he glimpsed tendrils unfurling from the walls and slipping beneath the surface, writhing with some intent he couldn’t immediately see.
Espinoza: I think she’s under the water. Your side, Commander, right below the flare. Atlas!
Finch / Neathler: Response
The tunnel erupted in a deafening roar as the suit surged ahead, skimming through the rapids with a burst of speed he hadn’t quite thought the thing capable of.