I Held The Rope Underwater While He Shouted She Was Trying To Escape...

Rope burned my palm and I didn't let go. Cold had gone through uniform into skin. Blue light above me thinned and hands reached down through surface and grabbed rope above my hands.

I heard shouting muted by water. Boots on deck. Metal clank.

Hands closed around my wrists. Not gentle. Two deck crew pulled. Rope jerked. My shoulder wrenched against hull. I kicked without meaning to and mouth filled with salt. I coughed and didn't get air.

They hauled me up hand over hand. Water dragged at my legs. Gray hull slid past my face, barnacles and paint and rust streak. Breath sawed loud in my ears. I tried to get footing on hull and slipped.

At rail, more hands grabbed collar of my uniform. Fabric ripped at shoulder seam. White insignia scraped. They dragged me over rail and onto deck. I hit steel on knees. Water poured off me onto gray deck. Chest heaved. Breath audible, ragged, too fast. Dripped from hair pulled back loose now, strands stuck to cheeks.

Antagonist stood at rail above me. Same figure from before. Rank on his collar caught flat daylight. His voice cut through crew noise.

"Get her up. She was trying to escape."

No one answered at first. Corpsman knelt beside me. Young, hands hovering, not sure where to touch.

I pushed up on hands. "I wasn't— I didn't—"

Antagonist spoke louder. Over me. To crew.

"This is discipline issue. Safety issue. She went over side. We pulled her back. Log it as attempted escape. Everybody saw."

Crew handlers looked at each other. One kept grip on my arm. Hard fingers around bicep through soaked navy fabric. Uniform clung, heavy, dark. Water pooled under me.

I turned to corpsman. "I was holding rope. I didn't jump."

Corpsman glanced up at antagonist, then back down. "Ma'am, breathe slow."

Antagonist stepped closer. Boots near my knees. "You were told to stay clear of dome area. You didn't listen. Now you put crew at risk for recovery. You understand that?"

I shook head. Water dripped from chin. "I wasn't escaping. Deck— dome—"

"Enough," he said. "No statement on deck. Get her inside. Secure that uniform."

Two handlers pulled me to feet. Legs shook. Wet shoes slipped. They didn't let go. They walked me toward passageway. Crew parted. No one met my eyes. One woman near pipes looked down fast.

Passageway smelled like oil and cleaner. Cold air hit wet skin and I shivered hard. Teeth clacked. Handlers kept pace fast. My breathing still loud in narrow space. Uniform squelched. Chest pin pressed cold against ribs.

Sick bay was small, white, bright. Corpsman followed and shut curtain. He said, "Need to get you out of wet clothes. Hypothermia risk."

Antagonist stayed at hatch. Didn't enter. Spoke from doorway.

"Uniform stays as evidence. Bag it. Log chain of custody. Watch on her till inquiry. No calls."

Corpsman hesitated. "Sir, she needs—"

"She needs to think about what she did," antagonist said. "That's order."

Handlers released me onto edge of bunk. Corpsman handed me thin blanket and paper scrubs. He wouldn't look at antagonist when he said, "Ma'am, I have to take uniform. You can change behind curtain. I'll turn."

I held blanket and didn't move. Water still dripped onto floor. Breath slowed but still hitched.

"I want to say what happened," I whispered.

Corpsman shook head small. "Not now. Not here."

I changed. Hands shook so bad I couldn't work buttons. Insignia snagged. Corpsman waited with back turned. Fabric was dead weight, soaked. I dropped it on bunk. He bagged it quick in clear plastic, sealed, wrote on label with marker. Wet navy uniform inside, dark, pin visible through plastic.

Antagonist watched bag seal. Nodded.

"Good. Duty log will note attempted escape, recovered via mooring rope, subject secured in berthing under watch. No injury beyond exposure."

He left. Hatch clanged.

Corpsman set bag on counter and didn't meet my eyes.

He said, "Stay here. Don't wander. Someone outside hatch whole time."

I sat on bunk in paper scrubs, blanket around shoulders, hair dripping, feet bare and cold on steel floor.