(no subject)

[theamazingdalet.livejournal.com]

In a single motion, Balthazar slid the card through the reader, pulled the lever, and hit the call button. A motor began to whir from far below them, and in less than a minute, the doors pulled open.

“Wait!” Cass grabbed Balthazar’s arm, pulling him back from the door.

“W-what’s wrong?”

Cass had not protested until this moment, yet he seemed surprised at Balthazar’s confusion.

“This elevator only goes down,” he insisted. “That’s what’s wrong.”

It took Balthazar a moment to catch on, and a sudden chilled passed through him.

They were on C Deck, with everything below them completely submerged…

…yet the elevators only went down.

Balthazar took a half-step forward, leaning over the threshold of the elevator doors and scrutinizing every inch.

“It’s totally dry inside…” he murmured.

“So?” Cass was clearly still ahead. “That just means the shaft is watertight.”

“True, but…” Balthazar rubbed his chin, “if we’re meant to go further down…then perhaps it’s not ‘everything below C Deck’ that’s underwater…”

“–but only D Deck?” Cass eyed the elevator suspiciously. “I mean, I guess so, but…”

“I’ve got it!” Inspired, Balthazar reached around the lift door. There were only two buttons, C and E, and he hit the latter, quickly moving back outside as the doors closed.

“This way we’ll know the doors opened down there,” he said quietly, as he and Cass pressed their ears to the grate. They heard a faint *ping*, and the unmistakeable sound of the doors grinding open.

Castiel hit the call button again, and they leapt out of the way as the lift returned…just in case.

“…It’s bone dry,” Balthazar observed, craning his neck to peer inside. Cass frowned deeply at it nonetheless.

“Why don’t you stay here?” Balthazar offered, touching Cass’ arm. “Worse comes to worst, you can avenge my death.”

Cass looked rather appalled.

“Why don’t you stay here?” he countered, tilting his head with a smirk. “At least I’d be buried on an Olympic-class ocean liner.”

“Fair enough,” Balthazar conceded with a smile as he stepped onto the lift. Castiel followed quickly, and hit the button.

“You know,” he murmured thoughtfully as the doors closed, “if the shaft is watertight, then it must be airtight, too.”

Balthazar’s stomach did a small, determined flip.

The two-deck ride seemed interminably long as he considered any possible way they might have been tricked into drowning themselves. His hand twitched nervously, but Castiel took it and held on tight.

The doors slid open.

There was no flood, and yet they hesitated, peeking around the corner as though the seawater might be lying in wait.

Finally, they exhaled.

“You see?” Balthazar chuckled breathlessly as they slowly emerged onto E Deck. “Not a drop of water in sight.”

“No, there’s plenty of water,” Cass corrected him, slowly raising his eyes and pointing to the ceiling, “…riiiight above our heads.”

“Tell me something,” slightly flushed, Balthazar smiled at him, “is this you in a good, or a bad mood?”

Castiel smiled sweetly back, but declined to answer.