Subnautica: Echoes

Chapter 6: The Sacrificial Lamb

"Like we'd stay down there to get eaten," Hunter jested, his jovial tone crackling through the receivers in their face masks.

"In that case, I'll see you all in there." Lyra dived in and sank onto a platform a few metres below.

Three plumes of white bubbles fizzed as the others plunged feet first into the aquarium.

"What the hell is this doing here?" Hunter spun to gather his bearings, the water whooshing around him.

"Could be a vehicle platform, or an observation stage?" Samuel suggested, crawling to the edge of the platform. He peeked over cautiously and abruptly pushed himself backwards in a rush of bubbles.

Cassidy caught him in his whirlwind haste to retreat and held him steady. "Calm down, Samuel. What is it?"

"There's something big down there," he screeched, grabbing hold of the pilot in his panicked state. Rough breaths whistled through the speakers in their masks. "Massive even."

Lyra floated to the rim of the wide surface and gazed down at the aquarium below. Fish of all kinds swam in peace, not a single aggressive snip or snap in sight. Flora sprouted from the sands, and an arch like the one they'd passed through to get to the facility lay at the other end of the containment. In the centre of it all rested a motionless creature, bones poking through the scraps of skin and scale still clinging to its skeleton. "Whatever it is, it's dead," she assured them. "None of the critters down there seem to be dangerous either. Even the Stalkers aren't attacking anything."

"Doesn't mean they won't try to take a bite out of us," Samuel pointed out.

Lyra grabbed the side of the metal plank and propelled herself down into the depths of the aquarium. She kicked her legs to continue the downward motion and halted once she'd reached the Architect structures at the bottom. Alien blocks seemed to spring from random locations around the containment, situated strategically she imagined, not that she could sense any pattern to them.

The others split to cover more ground, and Lyra explored the arch and the skeleton. Five empty holders sat around a plinth like the one Marguerit used to get them there. She reached into the first box and felt something sharp brush against the back of her hand, startling for a moment before realising it wasn't moving and drawing it out. She thought it a piece of fractured pottery, but when she turned it over she clocked the distinct curve of an egg.

"My children, now free," the wispy voice called, louder this time. Closer.

Lyra looked up at the colossal skeleton, her eyes almost bulging from their sockets. An absurd thought struck her. "Are you the one speaking to me?"

"What was that?" Samuel questioned, his words waning through the fluctuating connection.

"Nothing." She kept her attention fixed on the decaying face and the drooping antennae of the deceased creature. "I thought I heard something, but it was a bit of static. Nothing to worry about." She jabbed at the side of the mask to shut off her microphone and paddled towards the remains. "You're the one who's been talking to me?"

"I am, child."

"How? I mean no disrespect, but you seem rather... dead."

"A body may die, but a spirit does not," the creature replied. "Your father came here once. He helped me. But I was awaiting your arrival."

Lyra glided forwards and crossed through wide, crooked ribs, the arching bones flowing above her and sinking down into the sand below. "Why were you waiting for me?"

"We must protect our world at all costs. Greedy hands reach for the riches this planet nurtures, and whatever they can't take, they will destroy."