Chapter Text
DEEP-SEA RESCUE MISSION. INDEPENDENT SSB. PHILIPPINE TRENCH.
The hatch to the control room came off, revealing a person dressed in a specialized suit and a rescue harness. Red Hearts took off her helmet once the oxygen stabilized and tied her hair back in a ponytail. The heat inside the vessel was overwhelming, but that only motivated her to finish the job as quickly as possible and get out of there.
The mission: rescue everyone and escape.
Red continued her way through the damaged nuclear exploration submarine. She had been sent along with her teammates, Ace Spades and Robert Rabbit, to rescue the crew members who had been trapped after a "system failure." Flashing emergency lights and shattered communication equipment were all that could be seen in the darkness.
"Ace, Robert, what's your report?" she called to her teammates through the comms.
"We're in the sonar room. Only nine rescued so far," Robert replied. "This is a mess down here. I've never seen anything like it."
Red continued her route, listening to her teammate, until she found the body of a soldier. She rushed over, but there was no pulse. Disappointed, she was about to leave when she heard someone call for help.
She walked carefully, stepping over the water that was starting to seep in, until she found a young man calling for help. With her flashlight, she illuminated the person, noticing he had a leg wound and was slowly bleeding out.
"Help, please," the boy looked at her with fear and desperation.
It was obvious he was new, terrified. This must have been his first mission.
"Easy, friend, I'll get you out of here," she offered a hand to help him up and hoisted him onto her back. With clumsy steps, she moved through the vessel.
She swayed a bit from the movement of the water, but that didn't stop her.
"Guys, I've got one more survivor," she reported. "I'm heading to the rescue vehicle now."
Suddenly, a jolt moved the entire vessel, causing Red and the injured sailor to fall.
"Robert, Ace, what the hell was that?" she complained, as she got back on her feet.
The operation leader heard her teammates complain as well.
"I have no idea," Ace grumbled.
"Quiet," Robert interrupted them. "Do you hear that?"
Ace and Red fell silent, looking around. A kind of strong current was surrounding the vessel.
"Red… There's something outside the submarine," Ace murmured nervously.
"What are you talking about?" Red doubted.
"There's definitely something out there," he repeated, even more panicked.
Another jolt, stronger than the previous one, hit them abruptly. More water was seeping in. Red struggled to her feet, carrying the injured boy.
"Are you okay?" she asked, worried. The young man was very pale.
"I-I think so."
Red nodded and continued her way. A loud crash against the door stopped her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Giant teeth were deforming the metal, trying to break through. The mark was like a six-foot bite. Luckily, the submarine was nuclear and designed to withstand major impacts.
"Oh, for the sake of Hearts…" she gulped nervously. "Ace, Robert! Get back to the rescue vehicle, now!"
"On our way," they obeyed the order immediately.
The boy she rescued couldn't bear the pain and blood loss any longer, falling unconscious. Climbing the stairs that led to the exit hatch, which connected with the rescue submarine, was incredibly difficult. Red received help from the already-rescued crew members to lift the boy up with them.
"Ace, Robert! Report, are you close?!" she called out to her two friends, while she prepped the controls to leave. She was very worried; they were taking too long.
"Red, can you hear me? We're trapped, I repeat, we're trapped," Robert reported, distressed.
"The impact damaged the hatch! We can't get out!" Ace sounded even more panicked.
"I have to go back for them," she informed the crew. "I'll be right back."
Red told one of the rescued crew members to activate the exit controls. She headed for the hatch, ready to save her friends, when another jolt shook everyone.
"The sub is starting to collapse!" Robert's comms went out.
"Robert! Can you hear me?" she tried to call him. "Robert?!"
"Red, we need you back here before it's too late!" Ace screamed.
Another impact shook them.
"The sub has been breached! There's water everywhere!" he yelled, terrified. "Captain, it's flooding!"
The danger alarm blared, indicating the risk of damage to the rescue vehicle. Red panicked. There was no time, and if she went back, not only would she fail to save her friends, but everyone else would die, and the mission would be a total failure.
She looked at the rescued crew members. They were all hurt, scared. Some were praying, others were clutching photos of their families. All she could hear were the pleas of her friends and the radar alarm, warning of the proximity of an object about to collide.
"Red, where are you?! We need your help!" Ace screamed.
Red couldn't think of anything else. She closed her eyes, feeling an enormous guilt for what she was about to do. She sealed the hatch of the rescue vehicle and disconnected the link with the nuclear submarine, starting her ascent.
"Are you crazy?!" the team doctor, Morgie, tried to go back to the hatch to return for Red's friends.
Red pushed him, preventing him from opening it.
"Back off, Morgie!" She pressed her forearm against his neck. "If we go back, we'll all die, do you hear me? Everyone!"
Morgie froze, in fear. He looked in shock at his captain, who was now operating the controls to get them out of there. A few seconds later, the nuclear submarine exploded, emitting a shockwave that pushed them away.
Morgie looked out the hatch with Red, the debris of the vessel scattering, tears in his eyes. His two best friends had died because of Red's cowardice.
But it wasn't cowardice; it was a difficult decision. The captain had to choose for the well-being of everyone. Something Morgie couldn't see in his pain. It was ridiculous, but Red saw it. She would swear on her life that she wasn't crazy.
"What have you done…" Morgie muttered through gritted teeth. "You killed our friends!"
Red was still in shock. She couldn't believe it. She felt stressed and sad. She felt like the most dishonorable person of all. She had abandoned her friends to their fate. And even though it was the only option to keep the crew safe due to lack of time, she felt like garbage.
They were her friends, and she had just left them to die.