Leviathan Three rose through the darkness.
Inside the command chamber, the members of the piloting team kept their eyes shut, using the hive terminal to help the behemoth execute fine-tuned maneuvers. The contours of the seabed terrain appeared in their minds as a massive rock formation loomed closer.
"Five hundred meters to target," the deputy helmsman reported.
"Slow down. Prepare to ascend."
Moonlight filtered down through the surface, forming hazy columns of light in the dark water. The tentacles of Leviathan Three swayed gently as its massive body turned, churning the pillars of light into shifting patterns.
"Ascend to a depth of ten meters."
"Roger."
The great beast rose slowly, its eight tentacles unfurling in the water as if probing for something.
Within the hive terminal, the outline of the Crying Rock grew increasingly clear. It was a black reef that jutted up from the seabed, its surface covered in sharp edges and deep fissures.
"Cease ascent. Maintain depth."
