They must be protecting the being below, I thought. As the body has white blood cells that fought disease and eliminated foreign viruses and bacteria, the creature must have its own defense system. And as they began to converge on my position, swimming in unison, I realized that I was the intruder in this situation.

I pulled on my line, hard, hoping and praying that Crankshaft was paying attention.

By the fourth jerk, it went taut, pulling me backwards...