Subnautica: Echoes

Bonus Content: The Last Call

A calmness settled over 4546B as the suns began their slow descent towards the horizon. Peach-tinged water lapped at the shore and scattered loose grains of sand. Skyrays spread their wings for their last flight of the day and swooped in impressive loops. The evening breeze drove the fresh scent of the Bulbo trees towards the rounded structures at the base of the mountains, rushing in gusts to declare the approaching night.

Astrid dangled her legs over the edge of the Quarantine Platform bridge. Below her feet, the waves sloshed against the alien tower, rolling in and out again with the rise of the planet's fire moon. Of all the places she'd explored, 4546B had fascinated her the most. She'd seen desolate worlds, deserts sprawling for hundreds of miles, forests taller than skyscrapers, and trekked through the ruins of countless dead civilisations. But this one was different. Smaller. Humbler. And despite the deadly creatures and fatal storms, the closest she'd been to home since leaving Earth.

Home. She wasn't sure Earth was her home anymore. Home was wherever her husband and her daughter were, where they were together, but they were miles away.

Her eyes rose to the two stations hovering in the sky where the blinking of their signal lights became more apparent in the swelling night. They were up there, waiting for her to return, and she longed for the moment she could hold them both again.

She withdrew her PDA from her belt pouch and browsed through the list of contacts before selecting one, swinging her feet in time with the monotone beeps. longed for the moment she could hold them both again.

She withdrew her PDA from her belt pouch and browsed through the list of contacts before selecting one. After a few monotone beeps, her husband's face replaced the dialling screen. 

"Hey, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I had some spare time, and I wanted to see how you're both doing."

"We're good." Ryley fixed the camera on the dining table and flashed her a charming grin. "Lyra made dinner tonight. Some noodle dish she found last week. It's good. I'm sure she'll make some for you when you get back."

"That sounds perfect." Astrid whirled herself around from the side of the bridge and propped her PDA in front of her. She relished the prospect of a family dinner after almost a year dashing for meals before work pulled her away. It was the one time of day they could all be together, and she missed the exchange of amusing stories, and jokes, and plans for the future. Part of her regretted taking those times for granted. "Speaking of our curious daughter, where is she?"

"She went out about half an hour ago. Movie night with Hunter, Cassidy, and Samuel. I can contact her and tell her you're on the phone. She's only down the hall."

"No. Leave her to her fun." Astrid lowered her gaze to a cluster of loose grass blades caught in the rigid lines of the Architect structure. She brushed her hand over them, and the tendrils tickled her fingertips.

Ryley shifted in his seat. The closed Quarantine Enforcement Platform towered behind his wife, stony and cold against the warmth of the setting suns. He still recalled the echoing halls and the emptiness, mostly in his dreams. But sometimes, in waking, the spectres of that place crept up his spine to remind him they were still there. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The explorer nodded and put a sweet smile across her lips to ease her husband's concern. The loyalty she prided herself on begged her to tell him what was on her mind, of the worrying information she harboured, but she knew what he'd do. She couldn't risk it, not until she was confident of her suspicions. "I miss you and Lyra," she replied. Not completely a lie. "This expedition is a lot longer than the others, and my request to return for a few days has been rejected again." She held her hand up. "And before you offer to speak to the council, don't waste your time. You have more important things to deal with."

"Nothing is more important to me than you and our little girl," Ryley said. "But you'll be home soon. You told me last week you had one more port of call before your contract for this expedition ends."

"There... uh..." Astrid rubbed at a trickle of sweat on the tip of her nose. "There may be another place I need to go. Somewhere that wasn't on Alterra's itinerary."

Ryley's ears perked up. "As long as you'll be safe."

Safe, Astrid thought, resisting a bitter laugh. Nothing about this world was safe. Not for her, not for any of them. Each biome posed an unfamiliar threat, and by the time they clocked it, it was too late. She'd already lost good explorers, but Alterra wanted more. This mission hadn't been one of exploration for many months now. The company was hellbent on recovering more and more valuable elements. And the more they took from the planet, the more the planet took from them.

"Is this something you can tell me about?" Ryley asked.

"No." The word shot from her mouth like a bullet, harsher than expected and drenched in the fear she'd locked away for months. She pushed down the knot in her throat and inhaled a soothing lungful of sea-scented air. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I'm not completely sure of it yet, but as soon as I am, you'll be the first to know."

Ryley swept a finger over the camera as though he might reach through the glass, and the cables, and the miles between them. "No need to apologise, sweetheart. I trust you. Just promise me you will stay safe and come home to me in one piece."

"I'll try."

"And contact me if there's anything you need."

Astrid grinned. "Keep being the wonderful man I married and take good care of Lyra. That's all I need."

"I can manage that."

Her PDA pinged and a notification banner dropped from the top of the screen. She glared over her shoulder at the senior cabin. Her superior stood at the window and tapped his wrist, his apathetic gaze scrutinising her over the rim of his glasses. "I have to go, but I'll call again soon." She blew her husband a kiss and pretended to capture the one he offered her in return. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Astrid waved and cut the communication. Her pale face stared at her from the darkened screen, sleek midnight hair brushing her shoulders and rosy smile fading. The hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach roiled and an impending headache pricked in her forehead, but she did what she'd always done when adversity reared: she got to her feet, dusted the sand and dirt from her clothes, and one step at a time, walked towards the unknown. 

A/N: 

Hello all! I hope you're doing well. 

Just in case some of you didn't see the latest update on my profile, I'd like to introduce you to Subnautica: From the Dust! The Subnautica: Echoes sequel now has a title and has been completely planned. I've still got a little bit of work to do on my Among Us fanfiction which will be starting soon(ish), but once all of that is done, I am going to get to work on the draft for the next Subnautica story. 

Also something I mentioned in the update: if any of you would like to do fanart/fanfiction based on the Subnautica: Echoes universe (or any of my works), please do. My social media profiles are in my bio, so if you post them, feel free to tag me so I can see your awesome creations!

In the meantime, if any of you are interested, I also have my original work on here, so if you'd like to give any of it a read, it's all on my profile. 

Thank you to all of you for your continued support, views, votes and comments. 

Stay awesome!