17: At Marble Cliff's Lake, Zemostra instructed Damion on the possible entry points into the Riven. Kenn and Mina wished him good luck and hoped he'd stay safe. With that, Damion plunged into the water. He swam down to the Riven and examined the hull. The entry points were exactly where Zemostra had described and Damion chose one to get into the space craft. Having a body made of water made it easy for him to gain entry.
Once inside, he found that there was still some air trapped inside the interior, but the water level was steadily rising. He quickly made his way to the room in which the suspended animation chamber was. The glass front had been shattered. From the looks of it, it had been broken from the inside. That told Damion that Kaziah had gotten out and was either hiding somewhere or dead from starvation. It depended on how long ago she had left the life support behind. He hoped it hadn't been long. The evidence did not give that information.
Noticing again the rising water level, Damion knew that even if she was alive, she would drown if he didn't find her in time. He called out her name several times. A thorough search might take too much time, but he didn't have a choice. He went from room to room looking anywhere a human being could fit. The strange machinery was literally alien to him, but he kept up a diligent search of all the quarters. So far he hadn't heard a peep.
Around a corner he thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye. In the dimness he couldn't be sure, but he would investigate. Yes, there was a figure lying behind a table. She had wisely chosen to stay in the highest point of the ship, but even here, the water level was dangerously high. Damion had come just in time. He rushed over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She was unconscious. She was probably weak from a lack of sustenance. He gave her mouth to mouth in an attempt to resuscitate her.
Her eyelids fluttered almost imperceptibly. Damion breathed a sigh of relief. "Kaziah, I'm here to rescue you. The water is rising and we need to get out now."
Kaziah opened her eyes and they slowly gained focus. She looked at Damion, but there was no sense of awareness in her stare. A moan escaped her lips, but she was obviously still quite dazed from hunger. By this time, there were less than two feet between the surface of the water and the highest point in the room. All of the exits were now under water.
Damion tried to think quickly. He closed his eyes and thought back to what Temeron had said about the Hierarchy of Sypraxus. He said that the third stage of matter was gas. Unfortunately, he had never seen anyone with enough love or faith to reach the third stage. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the water level reach his chest.
He thought back to his many nights in Mina's arms. A warmth filled him. This was the mother of the woman he loved. Kaziah somehow mustered the strength to make a panicked sound somewhat akin to a whimper. Damion thought back to the night he himself had died. He had very clear memories of the horrible grief that Kenn went through in the wake of his murder. Damion did not want Mina to have to never have a chance of even meeting her real mother.
There were mere inches of water left in the room. Kaziah was practically kissing the ceiling. She took one last deep breath and was plunged into murky darkness. Damion cried out in desperate agony at the hopelessness of the situation. The warmth that was inside him suddenly spread out. It spread out so wide that it was no longer contained in a human shape. To Damion's amazement, the entire room was once again filled with air.
It occurred to him that he was the air. Oxygen is a gas and he had become that to save the life of this poor woman who would never have had a chance to escape without enough air. His love for Mina and now Kaziah had brought him to the third stage of enlightenment. His consciousness was still aware of everything in the room, but he was not in bodily form any more. He wasn't seeing with his eyes, he was seeing with his heart.
He found that he could also move around. The pocket of air that he provided was mobile. Adrenalin had given Kaziah stamina enough to stand on her own. She took a hesitant step toward the door. Her legs were a little wobbly, but she did not fall. This encouraged her to take further steps. She wasn't completely out of danger yet. The air bubble moved toward the passageway outside the door and she followed it. Since Damion knew the way out, she let him lead.
When they came to a hatch which led to the outside world, he used his strength to shred a hole through solid metal. Water would have started pouring in, but he held it at bay. She would now have to tread water on her way up as he provided a safe atmosphere for her. She was fearful, but she trusted him.
When they reached the surface of the lake, he became a hard surface for her to float on. He propelled himself toward the shore where they were met by a grateful group. Kenn ran to Damion while Mina ran to Kaziah. Zemostra helped Mina support Kaziah as she hobbled her way to Kenn's car. Kenn then drove the five of them back to the hotel where an even larger group of people was waiting to greet them. It was a hero's welcome for Damion.
Once inside, he found that there was still some air trapped inside the interior, but the water level was steadily rising. He quickly made his way to the room in which the suspended animation chamber was. The glass front had been shattered. From the looks of it, it had been broken from the inside. That told Damion that Kaziah had gotten out and was either hiding somewhere or dead from starvation. It depended on how long ago she had left the life support behind. He hoped it hadn't been long. The evidence did not give that information.
Noticing again the rising water level, Damion knew that even if she was alive, she would drown if he didn't find her in time. He called out her name several times. A thorough search might take too much time, but he didn't have a choice. He went from room to room looking anywhere a human being could fit. The strange machinery was literally alien to him, but he kept up a diligent search of all the quarters. So far he hadn't heard a peep.
Around a corner he thought he caught something out of the corner of his eye. In the dimness he couldn't be sure, but he would investigate. Yes, there was a figure lying behind a table. She had wisely chosen to stay in the highest point of the ship, but even here, the water level was dangerously high. Damion had come just in time. He rushed over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She was unconscious. She was probably weak from a lack of sustenance. He gave her mouth to mouth in an attempt to resuscitate her.
Her eyelids fluttered almost imperceptibly. Damion breathed a sigh of relief. "Kaziah, I'm here to rescue you. The water is rising and we need to get out now."
Kaziah opened her eyes and they slowly gained focus. She looked at Damion, but there was no sense of awareness in her stare. A moan escaped her lips, but she was obviously still quite dazed from hunger. By this time, there were less than two feet between the surface of the water and the highest point in the room. All of the exits were now under water.
Damion tried to think quickly. He closed his eyes and thought back to what Temeron had said about the Hierarchy of Sypraxus. He said that the third stage of matter was gas. Unfortunately, he had never seen anyone with enough love or faith to reach the third stage. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel the water level reach his chest.
He thought back to his many nights in Mina's arms. A warmth filled him. This was the mother of the woman he loved. Kaziah somehow mustered the strength to make a panicked sound somewhat akin to a whimper. Damion thought back to the night he himself had died. He had very clear memories of the horrible grief that Kenn went through in the wake of his murder. Damion did not want Mina to have to never have a chance of even meeting her real mother.
There were mere inches of water left in the room. Kaziah was practically kissing the ceiling. She took one last deep breath and was plunged into murky darkness. Damion cried out in desperate agony at the hopelessness of the situation. The warmth that was inside him suddenly spread out. It spread out so wide that it was no longer contained in a human shape. To Damion's amazement, the entire room was once again filled with air.
It occurred to him that he was the air. Oxygen is a gas and he had become that to save the life of this poor woman who would never have had a chance to escape without enough air. His love for Mina and now Kaziah had brought him to the third stage of enlightenment. His consciousness was still aware of everything in the room, but he was not in bodily form any more. He wasn't seeing with his eyes, he was seeing with his heart.
He found that he could also move around. The pocket of air that he provided was mobile. Adrenalin had given Kaziah stamina enough to stand on her own. She took a hesitant step toward the door. Her legs were a little wobbly, but she did not fall. This encouraged her to take further steps. She wasn't completely out of danger yet. The air bubble moved toward the passageway outside the door and she followed it. Since Damion knew the way out, she let him lead.
When they came to a hatch which led to the outside world, he used his strength to shred a hole through solid metal. Water would have started pouring in, but he held it at bay. She would now have to tread water on her way up as he provided a safe atmosphere for her. She was fearful, but she trusted him.
When they reached the surface of the lake, he became a hard surface for her to float on. He propelled himself toward the shore where they were met by a grateful group. Kenn ran to Damion while Mina ran to Kaziah. Zemostra helped Mina support Kaziah as she hobbled her way to Kenn's car. Kenn then drove the five of them back to the hotel where an even larger group of people was waiting to greet them. It was a hero's welcome for Damion.
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