Bill never used to believe in much. Now his whole world was turned upside down. He thought of Bryant's wife and daughter. Would they even know what had happened? Not if the black suits controlled things properly, Bill thought. How could anyone even start to explain what had happened? Although, if what Colonel Kevin said was true, then a whole lot of people would soon be aware of a new world, a new world of terrors.
Bill had decided to sit away from Gordon on the flight to the old CORK. Veronica kindly stayed by his side. Bill looked at her, thinking of how they'd only just met, yet, she supported him a lot. Captain Mark had co-ordinated things to pinpoint accuracy. They would be meeting up to land on a warship near the CORK location. More than a few, one man subs would be available. No doubt they would have already retro-fitted the Marines rides out with some creature repellent weapons.
"I just don't see how all these creatures could go undetected for so long." asked Veronica.
Bill looked at her eyes, noticing they were as tired and weary as his own. "I guess they were just down too far. There's not a lot we have been able to confirm about what is under the earth's surface."
Even though Gordon was not invited into the conversation, he decided to butt in anyway. He spoke with a sly conspiratorial tone. "Ah, but what if the earth's surface is just a shallow barrier between their world and ours?"
"I thought you didn't believe in the reports Gordon."
"Maybe I am starting to come around. Besides, Colonel Kevin Hardy said we had to work together."
"Listen," Bill said firmly, pointing his finger. "You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."
Gordon put his head back into his research books, while Veronica gave Bill a look, whispering, "Why do you give Gordon such a hard time?"
Bill whispered back at Veronica, replying "I just don't like him."
A hive of activity surrounded the warship as the helicopter approached. Deep sea subs were being readied in the water for immediate despatch. Sailors scurried like ants, efficiently ensuring everything was in place. Immediately after touching down, the Marines exited the chopper, ushering the guests out quickly. Veronica was to stay topside with Captain Mark, assisting with navigation and communications. Bill, Gordon and the rest of the Marines could waste no time as they proceeded to the boarding area for the deep sea subs. Bill felt a great wave of uneasiness overcome him as he stood on top of another floating platform. His stomach churned as he thought he was going to vomit. Only his steely determination to be there for Selena was able to prevent him from losing it.
Yellow and white deep sea sub vehicles lined the perimeter of the large square platform as the shadow of the immense warship loomed over them. After being assisted into the subs, they had special headset placed upon them. The basic operation of the headsets was the microphone and speaker functions for communication. The added technology was the flip down data screen at the eye level, which, when activated, illuminated a blue lined diagram of whatever you were looking at. It was supposed to make it easier to discern what might be moving in the waters from the landscape; to sort the creatures from seaweed. For the Marines, it also synced in with the retro fitted underwater concussion blasters that were attached to the DSV's.
After a quick sound check, Mark reminded everyone of what was going to happen. It was another classic 'don't interrupt me' speech.
"Alright listen up, this is how things are going to roll out. I want a smooth recon and assessment. Bill, you know the way, so you'll be upfront." Bill still hadn't learned the lesson about not interrupting.
"So what am I supposed to shoot with if something comes my way? Should I just give it a threatening look?" Bill asked.
"Don't worry Bill." Replied Mark crisply. "You'll have Grace and Tony right by your side to give you the necessary support if anything gets in your way. Grace is usually directly by my side on missions, so you're in good hands. Trey and Ethan, you're with Gordon. Ellen and Terry, you will be keeping a general eye out for the whole team."
An affirmative 'yes captain' echoed through the comms. Ellen could still feel a sharp pain in her shoulder from the blue tick creature that fired it's antennae at her on the 'Infinity'. Ellen was tough though, and wasn't about to let a wound stop her from doing her job; and from getting revenge for Will.
As the sailors closed the hatches, the subs were slowly immersed into the blue liquid world. Bubbles rushed upwards over the clear dome viewing windows with the occupants heads well positioned within them. The subs were comfortable enough for a couple of hours exploring, but one would not wish to be captive inside for days. There was no real amount of space to stretch out your legs. The multidirectional propellers spun behind them, giving the subs momentum. Bill carefully headed towards the direction of the old CORK.
As Bill approached the CORK hatch gate, he noticed it was closed, but unlocked. Using the forward mechanical claw, he easily moved it out of the way, allowing them to enter the vertical tunnel. It was another spacious hole, enough to fit two subs, side by side. Bill wondered if this many deep sea subs had been together in the one place at the same time. He figured not.
Bill hit the button, activating his high beam lights as the sub crossed the threshold into the tunnel. The subs had a concertina effect as Bill paused to peer into the deep void. He could see nothing, except some floating bits of weed. Grace being by his side, looked through her clear dome at Bill and spoke. "It's okay Bill, we have to keep going. Flip down the visor on your headset, it will give you a clear vision of what's ahead. If anything pops up, don't worry; we'll take it down."
Bill nodded in acknowledgement as he continued adding thrust to the propellers while keeping a sharp eye on his visor display. His anticipation kept building, hoping, willing, to find Selena alive and well. The team viewed the grey concrete walls of the tunnel amidst the swirling fragments of sea weed. The steady hum of the propellers broke the eerie silence in what could easily become a tunnel of death for them.
Veronica's voice came over the comms, "You're about two thirds of the way down, do you see any signs of life yet?"
Bill double checked his visor before answering, "Nope, nothing yet. It could just be a dead end. There were no signs of life when we checked it five years ago, so why should've anything changed." Bill's hopes started to dwindle like the floating seaweed before him, swirling aimlessly for no reason.
As they descended further, the pressure was building on the subs. The CORK had originally been designed to only reach the maximum depth level of the subs. To dig them any deeper would have been pointless, as there would be no way to reclaim any samples of life from below. Gordon seemed to be handling it okay. He of course, had been on many deep sea treks for his own research. The Marines took it all in their stride, as was expected from them.
Approaching the end of the tunnel, Bill noticed something strange on his visor. "Hey Veronica, not sure if you can see this, but just how far exactly is the end of this tunnel from our current position?" he asked.
Veronica checked her data, "Um, five metres according to this. Why?"
"Well," responded Bill, "Check out the visor reading."
Veronica and Mark looked closely at the pattern on Bills visor through the video screen. As the subs got ever closer, it became ever clearer that the tunnel did not stop where it should have. Instead, the reading indicated a veering to the right. Mark decided to take control, speaking clearly, "All right, obviously they've been here, I'll need the Marines to go in first to..." Mark stopped as he saw Bill's sub entering the foreign tunnel without hesitation. Thinking about stamping his authority, Mark thought better of it, reluctantly letting them continue. At least Grace would be by his side, he thought. Bill wasn't going to hesitate. How would that help him find Selena in time? No, he had to push forward, even if it cost him his life.
The wall lining was strange. No longer was it a smooth concrete form, but had formed rounded ridges at 500mm intervals. It was almost like something had systematically sucked out the sections of earth. Still a greyish blue in appearance, Bill could clearly see the layers of rock and soil, all neatly sealed to prevent collapse. Bill soon halted though, as an incredible sight opened up before him. Grace and the others were amazed too, as they congregated in a larger chamber that had been dug out.
It was no longer a simple guided tour. Multiple tunnels were now evident, winding, twisting, crossing each other, all supported at the appropriate places. It reminded them of an underground cave.
"Now what?" asked Tony.
Grace was next in charge, so she wasted no time in making a decision. "We stay in our teams. Terry and Ellen, you hold the left position. Trey and Ethan, you're on the right. Gordon, Tony, myself and Bill will stick to the centre. Be sure to stay alert, obviously this has been constructed by something. Do not engage any hostiles unless necessary. This is a re-con mission and the aim is to get in and get out undetected. Clear?"
The affirmative response through the comms made Mark glad that he had chosen someone like Grace to be second in command. Gordon had a last minute comment before departing though. "Ah, Bill I thought these depths were beyond the subs capacity?"
Bill looked at his gauges. He was amazed to find that the pressure had actually equalised to a better level, and not increased as it should. "How the..?" questioned Bill.
"Perhaps the delicate creatures are smarter than we think. Possibly they have changed the structure under the surface." Gordon's tone became conspiratorial again. "Or maybe we had no idea what it was like all along."
Grace had better ideas, "Let's move!"She commanded.
LE CHUGLUILLA CAVE
As the caving team woke from their rest, the sulphur smell in the air bit the interior of their nostrils. After a few health bars and a drink from the pure clear waters, they left most of their gear in the anti chamber. It would not be needed for the next leg to 'Castrovalva Proper', the largest underground cave lake. Amongst other things that would not be needed immediately was their clothing. It was to no benefit for them to get their socks, boots and clothing wet. Besides, they all needed a bath.
Near the archway were two inflatable yellow rafts. There was an adequate gap under the archway for the rafts, but not with occupants inside them. After stripping, they piled their clothes and a few items into the rafts before entering into the crystal clear waters. A few yelps and whoops echoed through the cave as they felt the cold waters wash their naked bodies. They would pull the rafts behind them by rope as they swam under the long archway to their final destination.
The lights on the raft lit up the archway and the waters beneath them. It was almost like they were walking in space. The mild splashing of the water was occasionally disrupted by their laughter, joyful to be here amidst a place where few travelled.
Finally they got to the end of the archway. It opened up into a huge area with the massive lake in front of them and awe filled sights of beauty around and above them. Soft sweeping movements of breaststroke carried them to the lakes centre. The water was so crystal clear; it was as if they were floating in mid air. Below, they could see a chamber, an opening leading to a deeper section below the main lake floor. They had not come all this way for nothing. With shadowy rocks poking up from below, and an insatiable urge to delve deeper, the team took their floating stance before duck diving. Heading for what seemed to be the centre of the earth.
As they passed the edge of the lake floor, a strange blue glow emitted from inside. Their eyes bulged as they viewed the large transparent blue patterned embryonic-like sacks that lined the base of the chamber floor. It didn't take more than an instance for them to realize that something was within the sack. It was more than a few moments before they realized that there were human forms within them. Air bubbles rushed quickly from their mouths as they realized the horrible discovery. Panicked movements of arms and legs turned the peaceful waters into a turbulent spa. Breaking the water's surface, they gasped with shouts of confusion.
As they began swimming to reach the lakes edge, slippery sensations began brushing past their legs, causing them to freeze in their tracks. Looking below again, they could see dozens of yellow umbilicus ribbons swimming around them like eels. On one end of the yellow ribbon creatures, was what looked like a red tulip with white highlights that was opening and closing as they swam around. The water was cold enough, but the added element of fear caused goose bumps to appear on the caving team's skin.
With lightning speed, the tails of the yellow ribbons wrapped around the arms and legs of the cavers; one creature for each limb. Fastened securely, the cavers became submerged as they were dragged below the crystal waters. Hysterical screams from under the water made little difference as the yellow ribbons aligned their tulip heads to meet each caver's stomach. The cavers could feel the slimy folds of skin against their own skin. Moments later they felt the needle prick pain as something inserted into their bodies. Out of breath, they succumbed to their new burial place.
Bill kept venturing further down the 30 degree sloping maze, getting more anxious of the extreme depths they were traversing. They had descended far more than any human before them, or at least any human that they knew of.
Finding the silence too deafening, Ethan started to banter with Trey, "Man, this place is feeeaaky. I need to speak with whoever their decorator is. With a few lights, some pumping music and a buffet, this could make an off the chart night club."
"Right," Responded Trey sarcastically. "It's off the chart alright, and the only buffet I'd be serving down here is seafood!"
Bill noticed on his visor an array of new objects appear in the distance. "Whoa, hold on, Veronica, are you reading this?" The subs stopped moving as they heard Bill speak.
"Hello, ca...Bill I... not....are you.." The message came back as fragmented and crackled as an out of range mobile phone conversation. Modern technology was not modern enough for these extremes. Grace knew it was up to her to take control. Seeing the strange array of lines on her visor, she decided to flip it back up and just use normal vision. The other Marines did the same. As Bill looked down below he realized something was different. "Grace, look below us."
As Grace looked, she realized they had come to the end of the tunnel section. A vast and unending amount of water was before them with an array of lights in the distance. It reminded her of times she had flown into a city at night and she could behold the lights in the distance amidst the dark expanse. It was an underwater city.
"Which way?" questioned Bill.
Grace was at odds, even debating within her own mind whether to continue or not. Did they have enough oxygen? Would they be able to escape if they were noticed?
Gordon put his piece in before Grace could calculate the odds. "Ah, you know, the way I would recommend is heading directly for the lights. It is how these creatures' congregate, using lights to indicate to other creatures. Of course," Gordon continued in a more cautious tone, "that is also how they lure their prey. We could stick to the outer edge though, there seems to be other tunnel exits surrounding the area if we need them. I suggest we cut out internal cabin lights and run on silent to avoid detection."
Grace looked at Bill for his acceptance, as if Bill would ever be turning back without finding out something about his daughter. "Okay, let's move. Dim those lights and be on the lookout. First sign of trouble and we are out of here. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes First Lieutenant," was the unanimous response.
Sticking close to the bluish grey rocky walls, they steadily propelled along as the lights became larger. Bill could view a lot of movement from some of the lights, while others remained stationary. About fifteen minutes later, they were finally close enough to view what was really going on. What they saw would change things forever.
Gordon sat mesmerized as he checked off all the moving creatures he was familiar with, or at least, used to be familiar with. Large pillars from the base of the vast chamber, reached high up to what would have been the sea floor; as humans knew it. With organized purpose, the creatures moved about, in and out of caverns and other structures.
"Is that what it looks like, or is my vision screwed from being under water?" remarked Trey.
Grace peered closer, "It looks like...like machinery?" They couldn't risk travelling any closer without getting noticed. "I have to get a closer look," she continued. "We need to know what we're up against. Tony! You're with me. The rest of you stay back. First sign of trouble and I want everyone topside."
"I'm coming too." Bill's voice was not unexpected, but Grace didn't like the idea; not one little bit.
"We can't risk it," she spoke, hoping to put him off. "You don't have the necessary training in case trouble breaks out.
"I'm going! I need to find what's happened to Selena."
Grace could hear the determination in his voice. What the hell, she thought. They'd all come this far. "All right, come along. But if something happens, I can't guarantee your safety." A nod from Bill came as acknowledgement, and they moved off to get a closer look.
Moving closer, they sheltered behind a structure, trying to make sense of what was before them. It soon became clear, but didn't make sense. In human terms it looked like, ships, machines, cranes, and weapons. How was this even possible? Did they make these things, if so, from what? How long had they been here? The forms of some machines were streamlined, as if made from engineered metal. Yet, the exterior was symbiotic with the watery deep in which they dwelt. Some of the surface finishes resembled the creatures themselves, including the bioluminescent lights. Leather, skeletal, weed and sac-like sections arrayed the machines.
Grace racked her brains, trying to think of possible scenarios. Had the aliens sent this equipment here thousands of years ago, waiting for life to abound for harvesting? Or had they used technology of mankind, and reconstructed it to fit their world? If this was just a small portion under the sea floor, how many of them existed around the globe? "No way!" Grace whispered to herself.
Her thoughts were distracted as an array of light appeared on the other side of the chamber wall. As the lights flashed in sequence it became evident that it wasn't a wall at all. The team had not spotted it before, its sheer mass made it look like part of the earth. It soon became evident that it was a very large construction. Red became the dominant flashing color, as most of the creatures darted off to various positions. "What the..?" voiced Tony
A high pitched tone rattled their subs as a long blue laser pulse echoed from the centre of the machine, sending volumes of water rolling from its path. The pulse went directly upwards, colliding with the sea floor, resulting in massive movements from the earth. The pillars too were being manipulated from the creatures; moving up and down, creating an undulating effect. The thought soon came to Grace, it was a weapon; but for what?
"Um, what was that?" asked Tony cautiously. "Why would they just rock the sea floor like that, if..?"
"No way!" Grace whispered to herself again. Surely these creatures were not controlling earthquakes and plate movements? But that would mean -she thought. There was no time to waste. "Everybody, topside now, we've got to report back to base."
As Grace turned around to check on Bill, she noticed his sub was not there. "Tony! Where's Bill?"
Tony shrugged his shoulders, "He was there a minute ago."
Something had caught Bill's eye as the quaking had occurred. From a distance he saw an area off to the right which appeared to reveal some large blue sacs, similar to the one the alien had surrounded Selena in before taking her into the water. He just had to know.
As Grace looked over, she viewed Bill's sub getting closer to area, and it became apparent to her, that he would not leave until he knew. Grace told the rest of team to commence their evacuation from the area. Grace and Tony would retrieve Bill, and Ellen would cover them from the exit point.
Bill moved in closer as the creatures were distracted after the recent blast. Connected to the sacs were long, round blue tubes that all ran to a central spherical shape above. He could see the blue patterns all over the sacs, almost like an alien language. Peering closer, Bill could see the humans within them; alive, but seemingly asleep. How many humans had they captured over the years? Why had they done it, and what did they do with them? Anxious to see if Selena were among them, Bill positioned his sub above them, and looked closer; an old lady, a young man, so many different people. How long had they been here? Where was Selena? Bill also noticed small tubes attached to the temples of each person within the sacs. Possibly they were feeding off the knowledge of each prisoner. A practical advantage if they sought to destroy humans.
Bill could not see Selena. Thinking that she may be nearby, Bill turned his sub around to check another area. Grace was close enough to see him manoeuvring the sub as his propeller clipped one of the main tubes leading to the sphere. Air released from the tube as the sac it was attached to collapsed. In quick succession, the other sacs too lost their vital air, each one becoming engulfed by the water surrounding it. The human occupants suddenly became aware as their eyes shot open. Their arms and legs flapped around as they tried to remove themselves from the embryonic sacs. Bill froze in horror; how could he help them? Putting his hands up against the clear dome of the sub, Bill could but watch as they convulsed and drowned, their faces looking at Bill. All their eyes asked the same question, why?
Grace heard the high pitched noises from the creatures almost immediately after Bill had ruptured the tube. Their presence was now known!