A great flood has covered the earth and has ended a great era of humanity. Those who knew of this great calamity built ships. Ships that could sustain humanity. The one that I am in now is the Celestial Leviathan, Celethian for short. I, Dr. Lester, a scientist, have discovered a way to bring humanity back to before the flood. In this current situation with other crewmembers, we will be traveling to the Ariana Trench. With Sasha, my assistant who shares a similar goal as me. I spotted her in the hallway. She is a somewhat pale young lady who lived her whole life not seeing the sun, stuck within this place.
Sasha stood there looking out the window still in her casual clothes of a red sweater and denim jeans, she seemed nervous. Calling out to her she doesn't seem to notice me approaching. As I get closer I place my hand on her shoulder. It spooked her enough to let out a little yelp and turn to me. For a moment she had the look of fear.
"Sasha, are you sure that you don't want to go back? We still have some time left before we leave the Celethian."
Her face says it all, she was confused momentarily by my sudden question but stood firm on her decision. She wasn't going to go back anytime soon.
"This is what I wanted. I'm sick of it. Sick of the life that we live in now. A life where the poor have to work to death, unable to even to touch the light of the real sun. I didn't work this hard to end up the same way, and some water is not going to scare me away from that. It was my mother's wish to live in the outside world just like the stories my grandfather told her of what life was like," She spoke with passion.
The way that the social system works now it has become more of a plutocracy, where the wealthy have the most influence. Not a single one of them cared about the past but only how to improve their life on this ship.
Onto my side Ashton taps my shoulder. With that conversation done it's time for breakfast.
"Come on. We can't miss our breakfast." As I say this I head away from the window of the dark sea.
#
Being at the edge of the submarine it took us a while to get to the cafeteria. Every sense inside me feels uncomfortable walking in this corridor. The lack of lighting down this corridor gave an eerie feeling every time and just the smell of it made me lightheaded. I just wish that if they had cut down on the use of electricity then they should have at least gotten rid of these thick windows. These windows revealed nothing but the darkness of the ocean.
Passing by each and every one of these windows made me nervous as if some great creatures were watching us as the light flickers signaling them to follow out of hunger or curiosity. This must make it all the worse for Sasha, who probably couldn't comprehend how large the ocean was before working with me. It would give anyone thalassophobia, fearing the deep waters.
"Ashton, how are the kids?"
"..."
"As expected," I said.
Ashton, a bodyguard of sorts, doesn't speak much. He's only here to complete the mission of protecting me. Despite how old he is he looks like a young man. He had a whole family to take care of even.
"Dr. Lester, will Frank and Wendy be there?" She walks beside me trying to keep up with my pacing.
"They will be, after all, this is the only time when people can freely talk without needing to focus on maintaining this fragile submarine we'll be using. Ah, and here it is."
Making a single turn into the cafeteria we passed by some guys who are ship operators. Seems like their break is over. With how big this vessel is and considering the size of the Celethian, this vessel is massive enough for there to be people working at different times. Within the cafeteria I could smell it, the smell of cooked meat, seasoning, and the sounds of sizzling eggs and many other dishes being made in the kitchen. It covers up the smell of the walls of metal that this submarine is made up of. Posters of games, ads of movies to be released are plastered onto the walls as if we even have the time to relax, play or watch.
I see Frank sitting at a table in the middle by himself. He simply stares into space the whole time. We sat down at the table where Frank was without him noticing. Sasha sitting right beside him waves her arms in front of his face.
"I wonder when Frankie will notice that we already sat by him. Frank, Frank snap out of it." Snapping her fingers in front of his face he comes out of his state of confusion wondering what just happened.
He looks at us one by one assessing the situation that he was in now.
"Ah, Sasha, Dr. Lester and … Al?"
"He's Ashton." I said.
This is only the second time he's seen Ashton so it's understandable.
"Right! Your bodyguard. I was wondering when you three would get here. Breaktime is almost over, most of the people have already left to continue their work elsewhere."
"Frankie, you should have seen how long those corridors were. It's so unnecessarily long to be going to the core of the ship where most things are. It would've been better if they had at least reinforced it, maybe three times as much, enough that there isn't any point for windows since this submarine is built for deepwater investigations." Sasha says annoyed.
"Listen Sasha there is nothing to worry about. I've been doing this for as long as I can remember."
"And how long was that?"
"…For a long time. You don't have to worry. I have been the captain of many and here I am operating one right now, except right now it's on autopilot to a slow descent. Also, the windows are made extra thick this time no longer thirty two inches. Nothing will get past it now."
Sasha was slack-jawed at this response of his. Having both of her arms on the table to extend herself to his face chastising him. For some odd reasons their relationship is quite close, with how old Sasha is, and the Captain with a father-like appearance, they seem like a pair of father and daughter. A person approaches us.
"What's going on here? Seems like Frank is in a bit of trouble."
"It's been a while, Wendy," I said.
"Same to you, old man" She pats me on the shoulder.
"I'm twenty nine years-old, I don't even look old."
"Yeah, well, with the way you handle yourself you might as well be, I used to be able to see you all the time but now you grunt in quiet and mumble out of nowhere. Looks like this discovery of yours has gotten you to come out."
"This solution of mine is going to save the human race. I don't understand how you all or the main populace weren't excited by this."
When I had said that with her eyebrows up she looked at me as if I should have known it.
"Whatever you had told the higher ups is worthless to them. From what I heard you said something about some ore in the Ariana Trench that will somehow lower the ocean level back to its original sea level like it was ninety years ago. And honestly, I don't understand how I ended up here as a unit supply specialist. All I do is run around and check the inventories, it's such a down grade from a Fire Controlman. There is also the fact-"
As Wendy continues to suddenly ramble on about her struggles I had a thought. This ore that I mentioned. They must have seen it as something to profit off of, a fuel some kind to spurge their wealth on. It was stupid of me to trust them, but it's a good thing they had caught interest. With this, I can finally get my hands on the objects that will change everything. That will change our life forever. They wouldn't have understood. Understand the need of these eggs that the heavenly voices have told me to retrieve. They wouldn't understand the heavenly voices that has graced me, they wouldn't have noticed the devilish being that watches us from far away yet so close, ready to bestow us in its near future. With one blink of its eyes this ship will break into pieces. Giant tentacles will phase through holding every single person's hearts in its suction, ready to pull them through the throat ripping at the other organs only to lay the hearts in your mouth. They wouldn't know. They wouldn't, they'd never, they couldn't, will never ever, can-
"Finally! Breakfast is here." Sasha says excitingly.
"Oh man I was just getting hungry. What took you so long, Chef Rimsey?"
"All of ya's came here way to dang late. I wasn't expecting any more of ya'll people to come in. Eat up. I have to clean up the place and inspect the food supply before we depart. And don't give me ye're excuses like getting lost in those corridors or coming here from further out the ship. "
"...Yeah fair enough." I said.
Sasha sits on the other side with Frankie. Ashton, still being human, eats his fill still standing by me with a plate in his hand, Wendy sits besides me waiting for my answer with her own meal ready.
"It isn't just some ore underwater. It may be the cause of the tsunami that engulfed the whole world. Think about it, there is three hundred and thirty two million ish cubic miles of water. Considering the geological standpoint of our world there isn't sufficient water to cover the world nonetheless the mountains that exist. So, how could the sea level rise above the highest mountain? Something is producing it and this ore…"
I wasn't sure if I should tell them the truth of what I had actually found. I'm not even sure they would believe me that what we're searching for can even save us. Not even Sasha actually knows the truth. Nobody in the past had time to find the reason, only a solution for survival, but now, although there was a lack of research, clues have finally been found, after fifty years.
"That's where we'll find it, the cause of death of the many."
Sitting with me, with food stuffed in Wendy's mouth, her eyes tell me that she was invested and so were the others, staring.
"I didn't know that, is that why the outside world is just water? I'm always told that a rapture from God caused this."
With Wendy asking that question, the others had the same eyes of wonder. This is unsettling.
"Don't you all know? This should have been general knowledge. Frank, you're the oldest, didn't your parents tell you tales about it?"
"No, we were too busy. I was born on the lower class side, my parents were too busy keeping me and my siblings alive, and we as siblings had to support each other so we never cared about the past."
"Sasha, how about you? Parents?"
"I didn't know, all my parents told me was to stay close to the core, never to go too far out. The more people die the farther out the area of the ship they are. They warned me but I…wandered too..far.."
Her parents, I had forgotten so easily. It was insensitive of me to say such a thing. Wendy lightly punches my shoulder.
"You really need to shut your mouth sometimes."
Although it was supposed to be light, my shoulders stinged.
"Sorry."
The silence was deathly awkward but Frank speaks up, startling us.
"I have some news that I have to tell you all. Tomorrow, we're going to descend down deep into the Ariana Trench. We'll be ascending down quickly to where you find this ore of yours on the edge. No one will be allowed anywhere near the submarine sides, edges, outer, the water, whatever you call it. With the lack of material to reinforce, chances are the water pressure will make it collapse in itself. Everything closer to the core will be reinforced leaving the outside to possibly collapse."
"That's so stupid. They should've scrapped the outside if they were going to reinforce it closer," Sasha says.
"That's that, nothing can be done about it."
"Oh bull shi-"
Sasha with her statement, is now belittling the people of the higher ups. With that said the day continued on without much else to do. Each of us work in our own roles keeping everything in check. Frank at the helm is watching everybody ensuring nothing weird malfunctions occurred and we are going at a steady speed, Wendy continues on with her duties somewhere on the other side of the submarine. As for me and Sasha, we stayed in our own chambers. Ashton being relieved of his duty today is most likely talking with his kids on the Celethian through the network.
Staying in my room which I had filled the room with barely the necessities that I needed for myself. As for entertainment, the only thing that I had was a tape recorder and notebook with a pen with some snacks in the cupboard. I have a very desolate room. Now was the time that I could let out my thoughts without accidentally mumbling what I'm thinking. I don't have to try to keep my ideas, or opinions in my head anymore and let it out.
"Audio recording number two thousand and thirty four…ish, I lost count a while ago but there is nothing I can do about it right now. It's me Dr. Lester, I am here no more as a scientist but just a guy who's about to save humanity with my own hands. Most of the people that have encountered me thought of me as weird or crazy to be here mumbling out words like wanting to save the world."
Grabbing a piece of banana chips it turns instantly brittle.
Yes, I say that a lot without much thought. An interesting thing that I have learned is that nobody here has any knowledge that the world once had land. Even when I asked them to pass by they had no reaction. No shock, no creepiness, no weirded outness by my sudden random question in the corridors. Just a simple, oh how interesting, Though we were all born on the Celethian it's impossible to not have known about this. It's only been three or four generations since it happened. It should have passed through the education system and they should have had history lessons and not just ways to survive in the world we're in now."
A piece of strawberry is snatched, it snaps and I consume it either way.
"It feels like they don't have care for it and right now is more important. Maybe it is, maybe it doesn't matter since the past can't be changed. Honestly, as I say this it makes sense as children born on the Celethian they nor I have no clue what it was like on the outside. Maybe the skies were blue just like the deep ocean world. Maybe there were some sorts of creatures that could cross the world in a single line just like now and maybe it's the same. We work and work just to live another"
Taking two flavoured chips by accident I shove them into my mouth while almost biting my fingers.
"No point in talking about this now. Onto the descent discussion. The Ariana Trench that we are heading towards is much larger than others. It's ten times wider than the Mariana Trench and taking an educated guess the deepest is 32,952 meters, three times deeper. No submarine will ever reach that far.
I eat and I eat.
"The location of the ores that I'm looking for is on the side deep inside the crevices of the Ariana Trench. Now what is this ore you ask? Well it's… it's…what is it? Why? How is it?"
As I continued to eat faster by the minute I bit my finger by accident.
"Ow. That hurts like hell. I really need to slow down,"
Taking a small aid kit on the wall I disinfect the wound, clean it up a little and wrap the bandages around it.
"Great, now I have a blood bubble under my nail."
And with that my thought process was now gone.
Sitting back on the bed grabbing the recording box it turns out I accidentally pressed the reset button when I got up.
"I can't even replay my recording anymore. All of it, gone, in an instant, just like a human's life."
Giving a deep sigh I put back my recording on the desk, wrapping myself in the cozy blanket. The day ends there in comfort and in pain.
#
It was time to descend and right now Sasha and I are at the helm which is somewhat large with twenty people in their roles at the helm. Each person states their position in the waters along with the operations of the submarine itself. As we fell deep into the Ariana Trench we had to stay close to the edges or else we'd be lost forever unable to track down where we came. It has always been strange that as vessels that have gone into the deep, where no land is seen, never came back unless they were near land or the edge of one. News of this has spread all over the rest of the ships in the world. Nothing could be done about this.
As we descended, crevices were appearing, small yet extending deep inside.
From the submarine mini robots were sent to search the deep crevices, all controlled by this helm. The search takes a while as we and the mini subs descend further down slowly and now we're unable to see the light. We are now in the midnight zone.
The crevices, they've gotten even wider and bigger, I couldn't see the end of it. Life bloomed within them, mostly creatures that were bioluminescent. An anglerfish which has adapted to become an ambush prey hiding in the sand, a frilled shark that is now glowing maybe due to its food, crabs walking on the surface and jellyfishes which for some reason are now sideways slowly falling into this deep crevice. I knew what type of creatures some of these were, but some were new, not written in textbooks. Ores of many kinds have appeared on the ground and roof, each radiating its own color. With lights showing the way we could now see what the mini subs have sensed. It was weird, all of these ores are nothing that I knew of nor does it make sense for it to be on here. Having a look through the cameras, what I have been looking for has caught my attention.
"That one, take more pieces of it as a sample then the rest."
"Yes, Dr. Lester," Frankie answers.
"Sasha, let's go."
We are now on our way to see this unique ore to experiment and analyze now. Halfway through the corridors the materials appear before us being shipped to the Lab room. Following them in the lab it was now time to make use of our roles. The line of ores being taken and moved, we headed straight for the lab and began our experiment.
We were now on our 11th experiment and what we were doing now is burrowing our hands into it. What I have been looking for could have been anything other than an ore, it could have been a water plant or some living lifeform, but this, this is something else. It's unusual, It's not acting like how it's supposed to be as the inside was just some bioluminescent white goo. This wasn't an ore. It was more like a hard shell for a living organism. The ones that we have already cracked open had goo that had a constant change of color on the inside, mixes of black, red, and purple every time. It all stopped. The goo started to spill out of these shells.
The ores which I will refer to as eggs sat on the tables with a sound scraping away on the inside. A sound that I have heard so many times but always forget. Another was the sound of a screech that you would hear when you scrap and knife against a metal pot, a sound that you would hear when using incorrect tools on a chalkboard. We should have taken precaution. This was so stupid of me to do.
"Take it," a voice tells me.
"Take what Sasha?"
"What?" She says confused
"You said take it."
"I didn't say that."
Again, a voice whispers into my ears it's now telling me to take the egg, run, run and go save them all. But what is this egg that it's telling me to take? What is this voice inside of me?
"Take the egg, run, run, go save them all."
Those sounds that I hear, it's in my head it's my own voice but. It's different. These aren't my thoughts but they are. I didn't, no, I wanted to, this is how. How I should save everybody.
It was no light headedness that I was feeling. The pain that I kept feeling was because of a creature. A creature that has sealed my memories but now I remember it all but, Am I really Dr. Lester?
"Dr. Lester." Ashton calls out.
"My name, who am I? I'm…I'm."
Ashton grabs onto me but the moment he did. Blood came out of him, no it was heart in his mouth. He drops dead onto the floor.
"Dr. Lester. Wha-what what Doc?" Sasha was shocked, scared of my actions.
We were in its control this whole time from the very beginning, it has been watching us from the very beginning, through the little flickers of light in the windows. Sasha, she should have known. I saw her stare deep into the window into the nothingness. She surely must have seen it.
"You've seen it haven't you?"
"Seen what?! How crazy are you?!"
I don't get it, she did see it she was right there with me. It had been watching us long before we got on the submarine, it has been there since the creation of the Celethian. I've been manipulated, controlled, by that thing, and I can't escape it any more.
"Sasha, help me."
She stares at me, I can see her taking a few glances at Achton on the ground, feeling reluctant to do so after seeing what happened to Ashton. I could explain to her. I can explain to her what happened, it wasn't my fault, really.
"Listen, I can explain."
"You can explain it later but first, we need to call for help and take care of you."
Take care of me? What did Sasha mean by that? Are they gonna lock me up? No, I can't let that happen."
"I can't let you do that," I can see her slowly trying to leave.
"What do you mean?
"We have bigger problems. We need to take the egg and-"
"Ok, Dr. Lester, I need you to get medical attention."
"You're not listening! I have no choice."
Within me, the voices of mine tell me. They are showing me the way. Take it, take it, take it. I grab it and run, run, run. Through the corridors, through the rooms of people I went everywhere.I don't remember what came after, only faces. Frank, at the helm, sees me and he's worried, he comes closer and sees it and looks horrified. He dies. Wendy in the distance, along with some other soldiers is in the long corridor. They all immediately aim their guns at me. It's no use. They spazz out seemingly also choking. They're dead.
"What…What is this? How can it end like this so quickly?
"It's not your fault Les-"
"I know it isn't, I'm asking, Why can't I feel it. They're gone, my emotions, they aren't there."
A single memory of her death just seconds ago flashes before me. With her dying breath a heart pops out of her mouth. I see her dead on that ground. I should feel something.
"Lest-"
"I was gonna save everybody."
"Leste-, did it ever occur to you, a single puny scientist, was allowed to go on this vessel of yours? Do you even remember what you said to those big men on the top of the hierarchy?"
This voice, it's the voice in my head.
"I…no."
"Did it ever occur to you that it makes no sense a mineral, ore or crystal can save humanity?"
"...."
Right, why did I think that would actually make sense. I, what kind of scientific explanation did I have for the higher ups?
"A mineral can't, but I can. I am a being beyond a simple word as god. I have lived far too long, seen space and time repeat itself again and again. An eldritch being as you may call me."
An eldritch, there are so many legends of them, more than I can remember. With the tentacles it must be only this one eldritch being.
"...Cathulu."
"Nonesense! I am much more than that youngling being. I am ****."
The moment his name was spoken in my mind it had been completely blurred, unable to comprehend those ancient words. I hadn't realized. As I was having this conversation within me I had been lying amongst the dead bodies, all with their own hearts stuck in their mouths. I was in the cafeteria where I had my breakfast. Laid there all curled up on the table still hugging this mineral. No, this egg. Not a single injury on me. I'm fine. I try to think but I can't.
"No more thinking, I'll take over, don't worry, I'll save the people on the main ship. I promise you, Lester."
"I'm…grate…ful."
This story of mine ends here. This is where I die. I want to think about the people on the main ship. I may have caused their deaths. But that doesn't matter anymore. I just need to stop…thinking.