[center][b][u]Lower Deck One[/u][/b][/center]

The shorter woman looked back as Armas settled in behind to help her, giving him a brief, warm smile. His feet planted wide to absorb the force of the water, he wrapped one arm around the hose and the other around the woman herself, trying to keep her steady as she kept the nozzle pointed at the fire. He felt her stance change, leaning into him to take advantage of his mass. He dimly heard her thank him over the din and smoke and grinned back at her, though she couldn't see it [b]"No worries! Just keep it up."[/b]

The flames roared and danced in defiance as they continue to pour gallons of freezing saltwater into the blaze. He was aware of the other passengers abd crew manning their own hoses around them, a variety of expressions on their faces as they continued to battle the blaze. Surprisngly the rich industrialist lady was closest to the action, along with the Captain, who was spotting her on the hose. For an eternal few minutes they seemed to be at a stalemate with the fierce fire, the heat rolling off it in waves as it resisted their combined efforts to quench it. The adrenaline pumping through his veins doing a great job at dispelling the fear that had settled in his stomach like a snake. He'd been on some rough waters before - but the worst waters in all the UI weren't a drop in the ocean compared to The Ring in all it's fury at the attempted escapees.

The stalemate was finally broken as another crewman dragged a fourth hose into position, throwing the lever with a triumphant cry that Armas couldn't quite make out. The jet of water soared out to join the others and the fire finally started to retreat, beaten back by the sheer weight of the water thrown at it. The [i]Garrloch[/i] lurched madly, sending them all stumbling, and they scrambled madly to get the fire back under control as it seemed to leap at its renew oppurtunity to wreak havoc. Finally, amidst Conway's shouted encouragement the last of the fire dissapeared under the downpour of the combined hoses, leaving only the thick smoke and the water pooling aorund their ankles. Armas grinned at Edward's woop of victory as they shut off the hoses. [b]"Is anyone hurt? I'm one of the medical staff"[/b] the woman in front of him asked.

Armas had a quick look around and turned to answer her, but was interrupted by the PA system before he could reply. A 100-foot wave? His eyes widened as his brain filled in the scale of the incoming monster compared to the ship. The [i]Garrloch[/i] began to tilt backwards as the climbed the massive wave, the water streaming past them to pool at the end of the passageway.

[b]"Hit the deck and grab ahold o' somethin'!"[/b] The Captain roared, reacting quickly, almost tackling Holloway to the deck as he braced for the coming impact. Armas's partner latched onto him, [b]"Looks like its a day for you to just save my hide, huh?"[/b]. Armas grinned back at her as he prepared to follow the Captain's lead, looking around for a convenient place to brace. Almost in slow motion he saw Edward fall over as the water betrayed his footing, landing with a heavy thump as he was washed down the corridor. The woman was dashing towards him in an instant, yelling for him to follow as she ran towards the fallen journalist.

Armas cursed and started after her. The world was going crazy now, the angle of the deck increasing as the ship climbed, the engines bellowing as they tried to stop the ship from sliding backwards. The smoke was burning his eyes and mouth, but he could see the woman lunged forward and grab a hold of Edward, wrapping her legs around a support pole to stop her own slide down the passageway. Just as he was about to lose his own footing, he threw himself over to one side of the passage, landing heavily and grabbing onto a hatchway for support. 

His mad dash after the woman had brough him almost level with the two and he reached out to grab a hold of Edward. [b]"Bloody mad you are!"[/b] he called to the woman, [b]"On two! One. - Two! "[/b] With a grunt of effort he heaved, his arms and legs burning, trying to swing the journalist over to the side of the passage so he could grab a hold of something. Between the two of them the load was more manageable, and he shifted his grip and planted his feet against a locker as he braced for the coming impact.

[b]"Brace! Brace! and hold on cause we're gonna drop![/b] He yelled over the din.