Flashes passed through my vision as I fell endlessly into a bottomless void. I couldn't open my eyes because I didn't have eyes to open, but that didn't stop the flashes of memories.
I couldn't focus on any single one, but I slowly started to get a feeling of understanding. It was like a gate was opened that blocked knowledge that was stored somewhere deep inside of me.
Water. The ocean. The Creatures. Swimming, I somehow understood it all. Crabs, I still didn't like them or most of the other things, but a gray whale had just hit the ship… I was thrown overboard, and I had hit my head… was I dead?
"Breathe."
I could hear a voice telling me to breathe, but how did I breathe without a body?
Suddenly, I was back on the ship, soaked and on my side choking up water. I gasped for air and drew in a sweat breath, and then let it back out. I coughed a couple more times, but then blue cover breast smothered me, making it hard to breathe again.
"DON'T DO THAT!" Lesha cried out as she smothered me, and only after Gloria pried her off was I able to breathe again.
My head hurt something fierce. When I put my hand to the side where the pain was coming from, there was a large lump.
"I didn't mean to do that? I just could remember what a whale was, but why would it come at us so fast? Oh, I know how to swim, let me try," I said, but I was grappled by the five girls.
"Are your brains scrambled woman?" Gloria growled at me. "You just told us before…"
"That pole over there? A mast. This side of the ship? Port. The sponge-looking plants of different colors? A coral reef. To stay above water, I pretend I am riding a bike and spreading sand, right? The tide is in right now, right Braum?" I could have kept going, but I need some air.
All this water-based knowledge, but nothing else. It was like an injection of knowledge, but it was all my own past experiences. The memories and references were of me doing them, or showing, and teaching the knowledge to others.
"Baby, are you alright? You hit your head pretty hard, maybe you should come to lay down...why is your face getting red? Are you okay?" Lesha asked with panic, but I let out the breath of air.
Barely three minutes, so I would need the air after all, but I would be able to do better in the future. I really needed to hit my head more often. I wonder if the same would happen with a shield…
"Kiada!"
I jumped, there were too many new, but old concepts and ideas that were running through my head. I focused back on Lesha.
"I don't know what happened, but when I hit my head, something unlocked inside of me. Now, I know things about running a ship, the ocean, and the creatures in it. Many things that I am sure that not a single person here knows, but I am not trying to start a debate," I said staring into the depths of Lesha's sparkling blue eyes, and put my hand on her cheek. "I have memories of doing and learning all these things, and almost every one of them is with you."
I leaned forward and kissed her trembling lips softly, feeling a tear rolled down to our lips. I slowly pulled away and smiled at her, taking a hand away to wipe my own eye before it rolled down. She smiled back, and we both turned to the others who were all studiously looking for something else to look at and examine.
"So, Lesha, I would like you to stay here and do the winching if you don't mind, please. I have a better understanding of it all and I understand what needs to be done. The Flexil look very similar to the Man-O-War jellyfish, but the Flexil have no tentacles, and they look a lot denser. So they must be able to move fairly quickly if they have control of their amorphous body, meaning they can jet like a squid. Right Braum?" I asked, turning from Lesha to look at him.
Braum just stared at me open-mouthed, but he wasn't the only one. Both Tim and Gloria had the same expressions. I clapped my hands twice and snapped my fingers twice, holding my hand up for them to see.
"Hey! Wake up! We don't have all day. Can't you feel the slight drop in the temperature? Let's get belted, and bottled up, and get down there!" I shouted, and everyone started moving.
Gloria helped me into the belt that was about six centimetres wide and it should be easy enough to pull us back safely. The position of the rope should be fine without causing too much strain on our bodies having the ropes from the back.
"Are you sure about this K? You hit your head pretty hard," Candi said coming over to me. "I have seen things like this before. The person seems fine and they act better than ever, and go back to what they are doing, and then die."
"I Will argue that that might be the case, but I am okay. You have to remember, because of your Service, Lymphocyte, I can heal. The lump that I had is already healed, and my head doesn't even hurt anymore. I just need you girls to do your jobs up here you two are in charge of Gloria's winch and Corbit will take mine" I told the girls to pacify them.
Lesha came over to me, still looking worried. I wanted to tell her that I was fine, but that would be useless, I could tell she just wanted to fuss. So, when she started, I pulled her in for a kiss to cut her off.
"Okay, time to go, don't let us get eaten by boogers, and I love you!" I said as I pulled away and ran for the railing on the port side.
There was a storm coming.