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If Simon had been told he'd encounter horrifying creatures in this blood ocean, he probably would've fought harder to avoid this fate. However, if he would've been told that one of said creatures would treat his submarine like an excited child would a new toy, and choose to play around with him instead of ripping him apart—well, he would've thought that person was insane, quite frankly.
Nothing could have prepared him for this encounter, but at the same time he wasn't complaining. Whatever this creature was, they seemed harmless, at least to himself. The talons he saw on their hands suggested they very well could've tore their way through if they pleased. Thankfully, they didn't appear to have any reason to, and he'd like to keep it that way.
So now here he was, attempting to navigate through this ocean of hell for whatever the fuck the C.O.I. was looking for, while a terrifying yet amiable sea creature followed him along like a puppy. He could hear them, their happy trills and chirps echoing around the sub as they swam around in circles, never once leaving despite him trying to continue along.
For the umpteenth time when he trudged backwards to hit the camera button, he was met with the sight of their wide, pitch-black eyes, sharp teeth and waves of hair. A sigh left him in response, slightly annoyed at this point since they kept blocking him from seeing anything else.
"Can you move, please? I'm trying to find... something." Simon called out, his deep voice layered with exhaustion. He ran a hand down his face, rubbing away some sweat as he trailed back to the control panel. "Not fucking sure what, but I can't do that regardless if you're hovering in front of the camera the whole time."
A low humming came from the wall to the right of him, its tune sounding confused. Then not a second after a pitched noise followed, enthusiastic to the point he could imagine the creature perking up. There was a swishing around the vessel that shook it a bit, before he could hear the parting blood of the ocean as they swam away.
For a moment he stared at the side of the hull with puzzlement, until he shook his head and brushed it off. The creature was gone now, so he could get back to work without the distraction—not that he wanted to. Unfortunately, this would be the cost for his freedom.
He resumed the routine like normal, switching between steering the submarine and hitting the camera button to take pictures. So far he wasn't having any luck, only being met with the ocean floor, caves and empty space each time.
The lack of progress was starting to frustrate him, and the sweltering heat inside this hunk of metal wasn't helping with his rising anger, either. He found himself hitting the button a little harder each time, shifting the lever forward with a force that could've broke the rusted metal, while his knuckles turned white from the grip.
Right when he was at his wits end, ready to find whatever he could and hurl it across the hull, a light tapping met the front. He paused in his blinded rage, chest heaving and eyes wild as they snapped to that area, his expression slowly dropping.
The tapping continued, making his confusion shift to realization and relief. That creature must've returned, and instead of being irritated by it, he found himself welcoming the distraction this time. It wasn't much, but at least it was something to keep his mind sane for a short period of time, like a break of sorts—to prevent him from breaking something first.
"Back again, huh?" He called out, wanting to ensure it was them and not something else he should be concerned about. When a delighted coo met his ears, he gave a breath of a laugh.
That was going to be the end of that interaction, or so he thought. Once he stopped talking the tapping on the metal continued, and he even swore they started doing it more insistently. His brows furrowed together, not sure what the creature was trying to do.
He stared at where the sound was coming from, shifting awkwardly where he stood in the center of the vessel. "Did you... need something?" He asked hesitantly, wincing at how ridiculous that sounded. Yet they gave a chirp, still tapping away at the metal.
There was a small pause as he tried to wrack his brain for an answer. Clearly they were trying to get his attention towards something, but that wasn't exactly possible given his situation. The only way he could see was through the camera attached to this thing... Oh.
Now understanding what they wanted, Simon made his way back towards the glowing green button, giving it a firm press. After a few seconds the camera flashed, and with it the noise of their claw clicking against the metal halted.
His brown eyes squinted, trying to make out all the details of the grainy, black and white photo. It showed them up close, yet far away enough to reveal an object in their hand, showing it to the camera. He wasn't exactly sure what it was – something spherical, smooth and shiny – nor why they were so eager to show it to him.
Then after a couple seconds, it clicked. They were trying to help him find the something he said he was looking for.
Even as the picture faded away, he found himself staring at the black screen in silent awe. It was already unfathomable that this creature somehow understood him and was friendly, but now on top of that, they were trying to help him. He couldn't wrap his head around it even if he tried—it was almost like they were just a human in a different form.
A tap met the hull, singular and questioning. He blinked a couple of times, still in shock over his current revelation, yet managed a response. "That's, uh... not what I'm looking for. But thank you..?"
His gratitude sounded more like a question, struggling to comprehend the actions of this horrifyingly intelligent creature. Yet they didn't seem to take notice of it, only providing a low, rumbling hum of acknowledgement before he could hear them swimming away again.
This time Simon didn't resume steering the submarine. Instead he patiently waited by the button, finding himself intrigued to see if they would come back with something else. All the anger from before had melted away, replaced by pure curiosity.
Sure enough, he could hear them swishing back up to the sub, before the tapping resumed again. Without missing a beat he hit the button, the screen in front of him flashing after a few seconds.
Like before he wasn't able to tell what they held, yet he grimaced at how... alive it looked. Then again, he was in an ocean of blood, so he supposed it shouldn't be that surprising seeing that kind of horrid stuff.
Shaking off the thought, he called out to them again. "Sorry, that's not it either. I don't..." He trailed off, debating with himself for a second, before continuing. "Think you can try again for me?"
Originally he was going to tell them it was pointless, that he'd have no clue whether or not they had grabbed something of importance for him. But then a softer part of him realized this was rather peaceful—sitting here, watching a sea creature bring him random items or organisms, instead of constantly worrying about his inevitable fate. He'd have to get back to his punishment eventually, but for now, he could humor this and let himself relax.
A smile cracked on his lips when they gave a whistle that echoed around him, pitched with an enthusiasm that didn't need words to understand. He swore this time when they swam off it was quicker, even rocking the submarine more than usual, causing him to chuckle a bit.
It was such an odd situation, one he would've never predicted. Yet now with it being a reality, he found himself enjoying the company of this mysterious creature. If he had unlimited oxygen, food and water, he'd much prefer to stay down here with them then ever come back up to the C.O.I. At least this creature didn't want him dead.
They came back again, and this time they didn't need to tap since he was already hitting the button. His eyes squinted, still trying and failing to make out whatever they held each time, like a game of sorts. It was no use since he had no clue about what was even down here, yet he'd continue to guess in his head anyway.
From that point on, the pattern continued—them going to fetch whatever they could find to show him, and him inspecting it after they got back. At one point he began sitting on the floor, having been there for so long his legs started to tire from standing.
Everytime he'd make a little comment about what they brought, things along the lines of: "That looks... interesting," or "Maybe you should put that back, it's moving," and his personal favorite, "That's just a piece of metal you took off the submarine. I could hear you doing it." He swore he heard them laugh afterwards, too, like a deep rumbling with small puffs in between.
He wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed, nor did he care. The C.O.I. could drag him back up whenever they felt like it. For now, he was more interested in observing and learning about this creature.