Chapter Text
When the Nublar Five stowed away on a cargo ship to uncover the identity of the mysterious broker, Darius, Ben, Sammy, and Yaz found themselves caught and imprisoned aboard the ship. Locked inside an old rusting cargo crate, until the crew could decide their fate, their situation took a dire turn when the storm surged, pushing their crate into the sea.
Stuck again…
Darius violently shook the chain and lock that kept them from escaping this Stupid cargo crate, water was slowly seeping in as they Sank to the bottom of the ocean.
Ben, Yaz, and Sammy, we're getting major déjà vu. How are they two feet underwater again? Would they manage to escape this time or will their luck run out? So many questions in a short amount of time.
"Oh! Not this again!" Sammy paced frantically like a distressed cow. "We're sinking!" Her breathing quickened. "We don't know where Kenji is!" She hiccupped between sentences. "O-or if he's s-safe!"
Yaz hurried to Sammy's side as best she could in the darkness of the crate, relying on Sammy's voice to locate her. Yaz's hand found Sammy's jacket, and she gently moved her hands up to cup Sammy's cheeks with both hands.
"Hey, hey, look at me," Yaz reassured her, even though Sammy couldn't see her. Yaz's voice was calm amidst the chaos. "We will figure a way out—"
"How do you know that!" Sammy's voice wavered with anxiety.
Sammy's anxiety was skyrocketing, and Yaz knew that a panicking Sammy wouldn't benefit anyone in this situation. But all Yaz could do right now was comfort her girlfriend and attempt to reassure her that everything would be fine, that they were going to be alright.
"Because you're country strong... and I used to be a track star, remember?...Ben probably has the strength of two men." Yaz's hands dropped from Sammy's face to grasp Sammy's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze.
Sammy's anxiety seemed to ease, prompting a half-hearted laugh from her.
with the sound of Ben's own name he gave a deadpan "Ha ha" and cautiously made his way over to join the couple, the slowly rising water dragging at his feet.
"And Darius is like a genius, with the four of us we will find a way out," Yaz remarked, tilting her head in Darius's direction.
A moment of silence followed with no response from Darius.
"Darius?" Yaz called out, noticing his lack of reply.
"Darius!" she repeated.
"Huh!?" Darius exclaimed, Yaz knocking him out of his trans of thought, he was picking the create lock with a bobby pin. Darius turned towards them, causing a splash of water to mimic his movement.
Yaz glanced over with concern. "You holding up okay?" She knew it was a futile question; no one would be fine in a situation like this.
"Yeah, just working on a way out," Darius replied his tone a mix of cold determination and barely concealed worry.
"I can try picking the lock," Ben offered, trying to ease the burden on Darius, who always seemed to try and shoulder their escape plans alone.
"I've got it," Darius replied firmly.
"Darius—" Ben began again, but was cut off.
"I've got it," Darius repeated, his tone colder than intended. He wasn't trying to be bitter; he was simply frustrated with himself.
Ben knew he could handle it; Ben just always felt compelled to share the leadership burden, to prevent Darius from drowning in responsibility...like last time.
He had always felt the need to support Darius and be there for him, their connection strengthened by their shared interests and the memories they cherished together on Nublar. "We're quite a pair, huh? Dino nerd and island boy," a younger Darius had once joked.
But since their late night conversation on the cargo ship, Darius had seemed more distant from Ben.
Silence settled between them as the water continued to rise.
.....
"...We're going to find a way out of this...right Darius" Sammy's voice, now steadier, left Darius uncertain if that was a statement or a question. Was that a statement of resolve, or a sign for reassurance. "Are we going to find a way out of this? Or will we...." Darius thought
Either way, Darius didn't respond. Leaving the statement/question unresolved.
The four stood there as the crate sank In an unsettling silence, pierced only by the steady flow of water Darius picking the lock and occasional creaking from the metal container walls. Unknown to the four this was only the calm before a storm.
The metal door let out a sudden, heart-stopping CREEeEeEeEK as water flooded in overwhelming Darius and knocking him back in surprise. Causing him to involuntarily gasp and forcefully swallow the stinging salt water. Darius struggled to regain his balance and thoughts amidst the relentless gush of water that felt like being caught in a jet stream, his lungs burning with each breath.
"Darius!" Ben's desperate cry was swallowed by the rushing of water and the chaotic thoughts in Darius's mind.
Darius needed to act fast! water was filling the container ten times faster now. Think Darius think! The seawater was knee-deep at this point and if he didn't find a way out-
"Darius!" Ben's grip tightened on Darius' shoulder. "We need a way out!" Frantically, Ben tugged at the chains. "I know, I know! Come on, Darius, think. The cargo crate is old, so maybe if I..."
Before he was thrown in, Darius had caught a quick glimpse of the interior until they slammed shut the door, leaving them in darkness. The container's insides were lined with decaying metal structures, rusted and jagged at the edges. If the bobby pin wasn't sharp enough to pick the lock, he'd have to make it sharper.
Darius knew it would be a long shot, but he was running out of time. He wasn't as skilled as Brookly in picking locks, but he had picked up a few tricks from her.
Carefully, Darius reached out to find the sharp edge of a metal pole. A sudden sting shot through his hand, and a warm liquid trickled down. "Darn it!" he hissed in pain his hand accidentally finding the sharpest part of the pole. Despite the cut, he located the sharp part of the pole. Time was running short, so he focused on sharpening the bobby pin, inadvertently scraping his hand in the process.
Sharpening a bobby pin in the darkness was no easy feat, but Darius was determined.
"Darius!" Ben's voice echoed urgently. "Yeah, I know! I'm on it!" Darius yelled back, his voice filled with determination. He gave the bobby pin one final scrape, satisfied with its sharpness.
Hurrying over to where Ben, Yaz, and Sammy struggled to keep the door at bay, Darius took a deep breath. And he submerged himself in the murky water, the chill creeping up to his shoulders. Despite the persistent pain shooting through his hand, he reached out, fumbling to locate the lock in the darkness.
Gritting his teeth, Darius focused on picking the lock, desperate to escape the suffocating crate. "Come on, come on," he thought, his head starting to spin from lack of air. Unable to hold his breath any longer, he kicked upwards, breaking the surface of the water. His feet no longer touched the crate's floor.
As he emerged gasping for air, the sound of "Darius!" finally reached his ears. Ben had been calling his name for what felt like an eternity. "Darius!" Ben called out again, his voice filled with relief as Darius felt his touch on his shoulder.
Ben reached down to grab Darius's hand, (not injured one) Darius limply let him, not paying much attention. Ben was trying his best to keep everyone and everything together.
"Did you find a way out?" Yaz asked, her voice tense as she rubbed circles on Sammy's back, trying to soothe her and keep her afloat.
"No, but I'm going back down to pick the lock," Darius replied determinedly.
"Darius, no! If... if we're going to—" Ben started to say, his voice filled with concern.
"Don't say it. We are going to make it," Darius interrupted firmly. He knew deep down they weren't going to survive, but he refused to let despair take over. He couldn't bear the thought of their final moments being filled with sadness and regret, blaming himself for their fate, trapped in this crate.
He couldn't stand being the cause of someone else's he love’s death...
He took a big breath in and Ducked back down Ben's voice being the last thing he heard "Darius wait!-"
Darius didn't wait, Just like on the Monorail Darius hand slipped away…
"No, no, no," Ben thought urgently. He felt compelled to act, to do something—anything. Perhaps Darius would come to his senses and return to the surface. But as fourteen agonizing seconds ticked by, Ben's resolve crumbled.
He couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer.
Taking what could potentially be his last breath, Ben plunged into the water after Darius. The sight that greeted him nearly made him gasp, threatening to expel the precious air from his lungs.
"Darius did it!" Ben exclaimed as he surfaced in the small air pocket of the cargo crate.
The three of them took their last breaths and submerged. They smiled at Darius's success, but their relief was short-lived. Something was wrong—Darius wasn't moving. He was sinking slowly? He was drowning! Panic surged through Ben.
Ben rushed to Darius's side, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around his shoulders. With urgency, he propelled them both towards the surface of the water.
"Come on, Darius, hang in there," Ben pleaded silently as they burst through the water's surface ,a large gasp from Ben, Yaz and Sammy following closely behind. Ben's heart sank as he looked at Darius's unconscious, pale face. He couldn't tell if Darius was breathing. They needed to get to land, and fast.
The closest land was the distant coastline, visible but still a ten-minute swim away at most. Ben's heart raced with urgency as he cradled Darius, hoping beyond hope that he could hold on just a little longer. Every stroke towards shore felt like an eternity, each moment crucial in their race against time