I Work on a Deep Sea Power Line. Something Odd is Happening in the Ocean.

Hello and welcome back to another episode by Sleepy Pasta. Before you doze off tonight, don't forget to leave a five star review and a comment where you are watching from. Let's begin. I zipped up my thermal suit. The material hugged my body, protecting me from the Atlantic's chill.

I stepped onto the MSV Horizon's main deck. The crew had already gathered for the morning briefing, their breath visible in the cold wind. Jade stood at the center of our loose circle, clipboard in hand, her black hair pulled back so tightly it looked painful. She never wasted time with pleasantries. Listen up.

We've got a damaged underwater power cable at coordinates already loaded into your navigation systems. Powell, Calhoun and Mitchell, you 3 are going down to assess and repair. She looked directly at me. Gregory, your lead on this one. The company needs this fixed yesterday.

Jack nudged my shoulder. Lucky us. He whispered, a half smile playing on his lips. Matt nodded seriously beside us, already mentally preparing for the dive. At 27, he was the youngest of our three man team, but what he lacked in experience he made-up for in methodical precision.

Visibility is poor today, Jade continued, Currents running stronger than usual, so watch your oxygen levels. I want regular check insurance questions. No one spoke up. We'd all done this kind of work before, though rarely at the depth this job would require. Dismissed.

Jade said, turning away to speak with the navigation officer. I headed toward the equipment room, Jack and Matt following close behind. The metal stairs clanged under our boots as we descended below deck. 200 plus meters in this soup. Jack said, gesturing back toward the churning ocean.

Hope you ate your Wheaties this morning, boys. Matt frowned. I'm worried about the temperature. Waters 4° colder than normal at depth. I pulled my equipment locker open and started my pre dive check.

That's why we get paid the big bucks. I said. Though we all knew deep water repair specialists didn't make nearly enough for the risks we took. I laid out my gear on the bench, checking everything. The regulator, primary and backup air supplies and tools for the cable repair.

In this line of work, equipment failure could mean death. Jack was less methodical, pulling his gear together with casual confidence. He'd been diving longer than any of us, and sometimes I thought he believed himself invincible. You hear about that research vessel that went dark last month? Jack asked, checking his depth gauge with a quick glance.

Whole crew claimed they saw something massive moving under the ship before their electronics fried. Probably a whale. Matt said, not looking up from his careful equipment inspection. Whale doesn't fry electronics. Jack countered.

I'm telling you, there's weird stuff out there. My buddy on the Atlantis swears they recorded sounds that shouldn't exist at those depths. I shook my head. Save the ghost stories for tonight's poker game. The door swung open and Rita walked in, toolkit hanging from her belt.

Her Auburn ponytail bobbed as she moved directly to our communication systems. Morning, boys. She said, her accent making the greeting sound musical. Let me check your comms before you go killing yourselves. She took each of our headsets, connecting them to her diagnostic tablet.

Her fingers moved quickly across the screen, eyes narrowed in concentration. Gregory, your primary channel has some static. I'm switching you to backup. She made the adjustment without waiting for my response. Rita never asked permission when it came to equipment safety.

Joshua Lee appeared in the doorway next, his stocky frame filling the space. Platforms ready, he said. I reinforced the cable winch after that issue we had last week. Thanks Josh. I said, pulling on my thermal gloves.

He nodded then pointed at Jack. Your left tank pressure gauge was reading funny during the test. I swapped it out for a new one. Jack gave him a mock salute. Always looking out for me.

Someone has to. Joshua replied with a small smile before heading back to the launch Bay. Once Rita cleared our communication systems, we finished suiting up. The diving gear was bulky and restrictive, but kept us alive in these deadly depths. Matt helped me secure my helmet and I did the same for him.

Jack managed his own as always. The familiar weight settled on my shoulders as the suit pressurized. Comms check. I said, my voice sounding tinny through the helmet speaker. Reading you.

Matt confirmed. Loud and clear. Jack added. Let's get wet. We waddled awkwardly to the launch platform, where Joshua waited with his final checks.

The platform would take us down the 1st 50 meters before we'd swim the rest of the way to the cable currents pushing SE. Joshua said, handing each of us a specialized tool belt. Compensate accordingly. Rita's voice came through our headsets. Control to dive team, you are cleared for dissent.

Maintain regular communication and stick to the repair protocol. Copy that. I responded, beginning descent. The platform jolted slightly as it began to lower us into the water. I felt the familiar tightening in my chest that came before every deep dive.

Not quite fear, but a healthy respect for what we were about to do. Cold water climbed our suits as the platform submerged. The Gray green water closed over our heads and the world above disappeared. The platform stopped at 50 meters, I signalled, and we pushed off, swimming downward along our course. The water darkened as we descended, our lights cutting through it.

Depth 100 meters, I reported. Visibility 8 meters, proceeding as planned. The ocean pressed against my suit, I felt the pressure increasing as we move downward, letting our weighted belts do most of the work. 150 Matt called out. Cables should be visible on heading 045 in approximately 30 meters.

I adjusted my core slightly, checking my wrist computer to confirm our position. The blue black water surrounded us. Now our light's the only break in the darkness at 180 meters. I heard it, a strange warbling sound that cut through our breathing and equipment. It rose and fell in pitch, almost like what the hell was that.

Jack's voice came through my headset, tense and alert. The sound came again, a distorted cry, like a human scream, twisted until it barely seemed human control. Are you picking up any acoustic anomalies? I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Rita's voice crackled back.

Negative, Gregory. All our sensors show normal ambient noise. What are you hearing? Some kind of? I paused as the sound came again, seeming to circle around us.

It's like a warbling scream moving around us. I hear it too. Jack confirmed. Never heard anything like it before. Matt's breathing had quickened slightly.

Could be whale song, distorted by the thermocline. Not like any whale I've ever heard. I said control, can you run a wider acoustic sweep? Running it now? Rita replied after a moment.

Nothing unusual on any frequency, Gregory. Our instruments aren't picking up whatever you're hearing. The sound faded, leaving only the hum of our equipment in the soft rush of water around our suits. Continuing descent, I decided keep alert for any other anomalies. We pushed deeper, the pressure increasing with every meter.

At 200 meters the damaged cable came into view, a thick black snake stretching across the seabed. Visual on target. I reported approaching damage site. We swam closer, our lights illuminating the tear in the heavy duty casing. I frowned behind my mask.

The damage pattern looked strange, not like normal wear or even the typical abrasion from underwater currents or shifting sea floor. Matt, what does that look like to you? I asked as we hovered above the cable. Matt moved closer, his light focused on the jagged edges of the tear. That's odd.

Almost looks like bite marks. Jack finished. Big ones. He was right. The pattern of damage formed a curved line of punctures and tears, as if something with massive jaws had clamped down on the cable and ripped through the reinforced exterior.

What kind of animal could do this? Matt asked, his voice hushed despite the private channel. Nothing I've ever seen. I answered honestly. Control.

We've located the damage beginning repair procedure now. We set up our portable workstation, anchoring it to the sea floor with weighted stakes. Jack unspooled the replacement section while Matt and I prepared the damaged area for splicing. The work was precise and demanding, requiring complete focus. Despite the cold and pressure, we fell into our familiar rhythm, hands moving with practice deficiency.

Despite the bulky gloves, I noticed a large dark shape moving just beyond our lights. I turned quickly, trying to catch it in my beam. For a split second, I thought I saw a humanoid figure, tall and oddly proportioned, hovering in the water about 20 meters away. Then it was gone, vanishing into the darkness so quickly I couldn't be sure I'd seen anything at all.

Did you see that? I asked, pointing my light toward where the figure had been. See what? Matt asked, looking up from his work. Jack swung his light in the same direction.

I don't see anything, Greg. I kept staring into the darkness, a chill running through me that had nothing to do with the water temperature. Thought I saw something like a person, but bigger. Even as I said it, I knew how it sounded. A person at this depth.

Matt's skepticism was clear in his voice. Jack's light joined mine, sweeping the water around us. Nothing there now. Maybe a big fish. Yeah, I said, not believing it.

Maybe. I returned to work, but kept glancing over my shoulder, feeling watched from the darkness beyond our light. The strange warbling sound never returned, and I saw no more unexplained shapes in the water. But as we finished the repair and prepared to ascend, I couldn't help wondering what exactly lurked in the depths around us, and what kind of creature could bite through a reinforced power cable as if it were nothing more than a garden hose.

I pushed my tray across the metal mess hall table, the half eaten sandwich forgotten as Nancy Peters and John Zimmerman looked at me with varying degrees of interest. Nancy set down her coffee mug, her bandana slightly Askew over her black hair. So you're saying you saw something shaped like a person down there at 200 meters?

Nancy asked, leaning forward. I know how it sounds, I said. It was there for maybe 2 seconds, then gone, like a shadow moving between the lights. John snorted and stabbed at his pasta with a fork. Classic deep water hallucination.

Happens to everyone eventually. I've been diving for 10 years. I said never hallucinated before. Doesn't mean you can't start. John pushed his glasses up with his knuckle.

The human brain does weird things under pressure, literally and figuratively. Nancy seemed more willing to consider it. What about the sound you guys heard that screaming noise that was real? I said we all heard it, but Control said the sensors didn't pick up anything. Could be equipment malfunction.

John said with a shrug. Or maybe you 3 psyched each other out. Group suggestion is powerful. I know what I heard. I insisted, and what I saw.

John wiped his mouth with a napkin. Look, Gregory, I'm not saying you're making it up. I'm saying your brain made it up and showed it to you. Big difference. Nancy tapped her fingers against her mug.

What did Jack and Matt say about the figure you saw? They didn't see it, just me. There you go, John said, as if that settled everything. I pushed back from the table. Fine, forget I mentioned it.

Nancy reached out and touched my arm. Hey, I'm not dismissing you. The Ocean's full of weird stuff we don't understand. But John's right, that perception gets tricky at depth. I guess we'll see.

I said, standing up. We're going back down tomorrow to check the repairs. John gave me a thin smile. Just try not to see any more mermaids. Powell wasn't a mermaid.

I muttered, picking up my tray. And I'm not crazy. I walked away, dumping my tray at the station near the door. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but keeping it bottled up felt worse somehow. The next morning, our team assembled on the platform again.

Jack checked his regulator while Matt adjusted the straps on his tank. The sky was clearer today, pale blue with scattered clouds, but the water looked just as dark and uninviting. Remember. Joshua said as he helped me secure my helmet. Stay on the channel Rita, fix the static issue on your primary.

Got it? I said, giving him a thumbs up. Jack slapped me on the shoulder. Ready to find more sea monsters today boss? Very funny.

I said. Matt looked between us. What sea monsters? Nothing. I said quickly.

Just something weird I thought I saw yesterday. Man, I miss all the good stuff. Matt said with a grin. The platform lowered us into the water and we began our descent. The familiar pressure built around us as we dropped past 50 meters, then 100.

The visibility was slightly better today, maybe 10 meters instead of eight. Control, this is Powell, I said into my calm, passing. 100 meters. All systems normal. Copy that.

Rita's voice came back. Keep an eye on that current. It's shifted northwest since yesterday. We continued downward, the blue growing darker around us. At 1:50, we switched on our lights, cutting bright cones through the gloom.

There's the cable, Matt said, pointing to where our repair job from yesterday was visible on the sea floor. We swam toward it, moving in formation through the water. The repair looked good, no obvious issues with our work. Jack swam a circuit around the junction box while Matt and I examine the splice we'd made.

Look solid. I said. No leakage connection. Is the sound cut through the water without warning? That same warbling, distorted scream we'd heard yesterday, but louder now, vibrating through my bones.

What the hell? Jack's voice came through my calm, tight with tension. You guys hear that? I asked, my heart pounding. Yeah, Matt said.

Jesus, what is that control? I called. We're picking up that acoustic anomaly again, much louder this time. Are you getting anything? There was a pause before Rita answered.

Negative sensors show normal ambient noise only. That's impossible, Jack said. It's loud enough to feel. I looked around, sweeping my light through the water. Nothing but blue, black emptiness.

The scream faded, leaving us in silence again. Let's finish the check and get out of here. I sat. We worked quickly, verifying connections and testing the power flow. I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting to see that humanoid shape again.

Instead, I saw something much worse. At first it was just a deeper darkness in the distance, maybe 30 meters out. Then it moved, and I realized how massive it was, a shape sliding through the water that blocked out everything behind it. Guys, I said, my mouth dry. Look.

3:00 Jack and Matt turned their lights. The beams caught the edge of something enormous, a dark, sleek form moving through the water with impossible grace for its size. Holy shit, Matt whispered. What is that? Jack's voice had gone up an octave.

The creature was at least 30 meters long, maybe more bigger than any whale I'd ever seen or heard of. Its shape was wrong too. Not quite a whale, not quite anything I recognized. As it moved, I caught glimpses of what might have been fins, but elongated and jointed in ways that didn't make sense.

Control. I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. We have a visual on an extremely large marine Organism. I'm talking bigger than a blue whale. Can you see anything on sonar?

Negative. Rita replied, sounding confused. Sonar's clear, except for you 3. The creatures circled us once, staying just at the edge of our light beams, never fully revealing itself. I caught a glimpse of what might have been, an eye, massive and dark, before it turned and vanished into the depths, moving with shocking speed for something so large.

Did you see that? I asked, my heart hammering in my chest. Yeah, Jack said. What the fuck was that thing? I don't know, Matt said.

But I vote we finish up and get the hell out of here. We completed our check in record time, barely speaking as we worked. The creature didn't return, but I kept feeling like we were being watched from the darkness beyond our lights. Back on the ship, word spread quickly. By dinner, the entire crew was buzzing with theories.

We'd gathered in the common area, an impromptu meeting that had formed organically as people sought information. So all three of you saw it? Doris Hawkins asked, her notebook open in front of her. The marine biologist hadn't stopped asking questions since we surfaced. All three?

Jack confirmed. Big as a house and moving like nothing I've ever seen. Could you describe the morphology in more detail? Doris pressed. Did it have a dorsal fin?

What about the head shape? It stayed too far out in the dark to see clearly, I said. But it wasn't shaped like any cetacean I've ever seen. The proportions were wrong. Wrong how?

She asked. I struggled to find the words. Too elongated. And the way it moved wasn't right either. Too fluid for something that size.

Jude Mason stood with his arms crossed, looking skeptical. Or it wasn't an animal at all. What do you mean? Matt asked. I mean, military technology has come a long way, Jude said.

Russians, Chinese. They've got underwater drones that can mimic marine life. This wasn't a drone, Jack said firmly. Unless they've got drones the size of submarines that don't show up on sonar. Maybe that's exactly what they have, Jude countered.

Perfect for spying on underwater infrastructure. Doris rolled her eyes. Not everything is espionage, Jude. The ocean is full of undocumented species. We've barely scratched the surface of deep sea biodiversity.

Something that big would have been spotted before, Jude argued. Not necessarily, Doris said. The giant squid was considered mythological until relatively recently, and we have historical accounts of marine creatures that don't match any known species. So you're saying we saw a sea monster? Matt asked.

Doris smiled. I'm saying we might have encountered an undocumented species, which is exciting from a scientific perspective. The debate continued through dinner, with the crew splitting into camps, those who believed we'd seen some new species of marine life, those who thought it was foreign technology, and those who thought we were exaggerating or mistaken.

I stayed quiet through most of it, picking at my food and thinking about that massive dark shape and the strange humanoid figure I'd seen the day before. Were they connected somehow? And what about that screaming sound that only we could hear? By the time I headed to my bunk, my head was spinning with questions.

Matt was already in the cabin, pulling off his shirt. Crazy day, huh? He said. Yeah, I agreed. You doing OK?

He shrugged. Little freaked out, but it's not like it attacked us or anything. Just watching, that's what bothers me, I said. It felt intelligent. Matt climbed into the lower bunk.

Well, I'm sleeping with one eye open tonight. I laughed, but it sounded hollow even to my own ears. Good plan. I woke suddenly in the darkness, unsure what had pulled me from sleep. The cabin was quiet except for Matt's steady breathing from the bunk below.

The digital clock on the wall showed 3:15 in the morning. Then I heard it again, my name spoken softly, as if from a great distance. Gregory. I sat up, nearly hitting my head on the ceiling. Matt.

I whispered, no response except continue deep breathing. He was sound asleep. Gregory. The voice seemed to be coming from outside the cabin. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Matt, and pulled on my sweatpants.

The metal floor was cold against my bare feet as I moved to the door and eased it open. The corridor was empty and dimly lit by the night cycle lights. I stood listening, but heard nothing except the normal sounds of the ship, the low hum of machinery, the distant rumble of the engines.

I was about to go back to bed when I heard it again, clearer now. Gregory, come see. The voice was high and light, a child's voice. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the deck. Something about it pulled at me, an urge I couldn't explain.

I found myself walking down the corridor, then up the stairs toward the outer door. The night air hit me like a slap when I stepped onto the deck, cold and damp with sea spray. The moon was nearly full, casting silver light across the water. I walked to the railing, looking out at the vast expanse of ocean surrounding us.

At first I saw nothing unusual. Then movement caught my eye. A small ripple in the water about 20 meters from the ship. I squinted, trying to make it out in the moonlight. What I saw made no sense.

A little girl stood on the surface of the water, Not in a boat, not on anything directly on the water's surface as if it were solid ground. She looked about 8 or 9 years old, with pale skin and dark hair that moved gently in the breeze. She wore what looked like a simple white dress that somehow remained dry despite the waves lapping around her feet.

I blinked hard, certain I was still dreaming. When I opened my eyes, she was still there, looking directly at me. Gregory, She said, her voice carrying clearly across the water. I found you. My mouth opened, but no sound came out.

This was impossible. People can't stand on water. Children don't appear in the middle of the ocean at night. She smiled, a sweet, innocent smile that somehow made my skin crawl, and raised her hand as if in greeting. He's waiting, she said.

Down below. Jack will see soon. Then, between one blink and the next, she was gone. No splash, no movement. Just empty, moonlit water where she had stood.

I gripped the railing, my knuckles white. Had I dreamed? It sleepwalked somehow, but the cold metal under my hands felt real, and the salt spray on my face was wet and tangible. I stayed there for a long time, staring at the spot where she had stood, waiting for her to reappear. She never did.

Eventually, the cold drove me back inside. I returned to my cabin, slipped into my bunk, and lay awake until dawn, unable to shake the image of the little girl standing on the water, speaking my name. I sat on the edge of my bunk, staring at my hands. The clock on the wall read just past seven in the morning.

Jack was already up, pulling on his boots across from me. You look like hell, Jack said, glancing up at me. Yeah, well. I rubbed my face. Didn't sleep much.

Jack tied his laces with practice deficiency. Bad dreams. I looked at him for a long moment. We'd known each other for years. If I couldn't tell Jack about this, who could I tell?

I saw something last night, I said on the deck. Jack stopped what he was doing and looked up at me. What kind of something? A girl? The words felt strange, coming out of my mouth.

Standing on the water, Jack went completely still, his face drained of color. What did you say? He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. A little girl, maybe eight or nine years old, pale, with dark hair, white dress. I watched his reaction carefully, standing on the surface of the water about 20 meters out.

Jack sat down hard on his bunk. Holy shit, you think I'm crazy? No. He shook his head slowly. I've been dreaming about her.

My stomach dropped. What, Almost every night since we started working this site? Jack stared at the floor. She's always standing on the water, beckoning me to come in. Says she wants to show me something, something beautiful beneath the surface.

The chill that ran through me had nothing to do with the cabin's temperature. You never mentioned this. Would you have? Jack asked. Dreams about a ghost girl calling you into the ocean, Fairpoint.

I leaned forward. But Jack, what I saw wasn't a dream. I know, he said quietly. That's what scares me. We sat in silence, the ship rocking between us.

We should tell someone, I finally said. Jack laughed, but there was no humor in it. Tell them what? That we're seeing the same ghost girl? That'll go over well.

Maybe Doris. No. Jack stood up. Look, it's just weird coincidence. My dreams, you're whatever you saw.

Let's just focus on the job. I wanted to push harder, but the look on his face stopped me. He was scared, more scared than I'd ever seen him. OK, I said. But if anything else happens, it won't.

Jack cut me off. Let's get to breakfast before Matt eats everything. The next three days brought increasing strangeness with each dive. On the first day, we went down to check a secondary junction box. The warbling scream started the moment we hit 150 meters.

It had become so regular that Matt didn't even comment on it anymore, Just a quick look between US and we kept working control. We're at the junction box. I reported, starting diagnostic. Copy that. Rita's voice crackled in my helmet.

Keep it quick, Weather's turning up here. I was halfway through the system check when I saw it. The massive shape moved at the edge of our lights, a darkness blacker than the surrounding water. It circled us once, keeping its distance. None of us spoke, but I knew Jack and Matt saw it too.

Their lights tracked it, just like mine did when we surfaced. Matt broke the silence first. That thing's following us. Jack nodded, eyes fixed on the water. The second day was worse.

We lost communications twice during the dive. My helmet lights flickered and died for nearly 30 seconds, leaving me an absolute darkness at 180 meters. When they came back on, Jack was staring at me with wide eyes visible through his face plate. You OK? He asked, his voice tight.

Yeah. Equipment malfunction, Greg. Matt cut in. Look. He pointed his light toward our section of pipeline.

All our tools, wrenches, cutters, sealant guns had been arranged in a circle on the sea floor. My thermal suit couldn't stop the chill. Did you do that? I asked. No, Matt said.

They were in the toolbox when the lights went out. Back on the ship, Aiden Watkins cornered me in the equipment room. Something's not right with the gear, he said, checking my regulator. Third equipment failure this week. Bad batch, I suggested.

Aiden shook his head. I've been doing this job 15 years, never seen failures like this. He lowered his voice, found my tools arranged in a perfect circle yesterday, took a 5 minute break, came back and they were laid out like someone was performing a ritual. My blood went cold. You tell anyone who would believe me.

He handed back my regulator. Just be careful down there. By the third day, I couldn't ignore Jack's behavior anymore. He spent hours on deck, just staring at the water. Twice I caught him talking to himself, words too quiet to make out.

During lunch, I watched him push food around his plate without eating, his eyes distant earth to Jack. I said, waving a hand in front of his face. He blinked, looking surprised to find himself in the mess hall. What? You were gone again the third time today.

Just thinking about what? Jack shrugged. Nothing important. After lunch, I followed him to the observation deck. He stood at the railing, looking out at the water.

Jack. I said, coming up beside him. We need to talk. About what? He didn't look at me.

You know what? The staring at the water for hours, The talking to yourself, the zoning out during conversations. I put a hand on his shoulder. What's going on with you? Nothing's going on.

He finally turned to me, his expression blank. I'm fine. You're not fine. You've been acting strange for days. Jack frowned.

What are you talking about? Just now you were standing here for 20 minutes staring at the water. No, I wasn't, I just got here. He looked genuinely confused. Jack, I watched you, you've been here since lunch ended.

He shook his head. That's not possible. I was. He trailed off, brow furrowed. I was.

You don't remember. I said it wasn't a question. I must have just lost track of time. Jack ran a hand through his hair. Been tired lately.

I wanted to believe him, wanted to think it was just fatigue or stress, but I'd seen the girl on the water, I'd heard Jack's dreams matched what I saw, and now he was losing time with no memory of standing for hours at the railing, talking to nothing. Maybe you should see the medic, I suggested.

I'm fine. He snapped, suddenly irritated. Drop it, Greg. He walked away, leaving me alone with the Gray waves and the knowledge that whatever was happening to Jack was getting worse. That night, the crew gathered in the common area.

Joshua checked his equipment. Nancy and John sat together, speaking quietly. Jude looked uneasy, cleaning his sidearm again. Anyone else having trouble sleeping? Doris asked the room.

A chorus of tired agreements followed. Been hearing things, Nancy admitted. Like someone walking past my door at night, but when I look, nobody's there. Found my personal items rearranged, John added. Thought I was losing my mind until Joshua mentioned the same thing happening to his tools.

Water pressure gauges keep fluctuating, Rita said. But only when we're directly over the work site. I caught Jack's eye across the room. He looked away, quickly getting up to leave. Where are you going?

I called after him. Need some air. He mumbled, heading for the door. I followed him out into the corridor. Jack, wait.

He stopped, but didn't turn around. You can't keep avoiding this. I said. Something's happening to you, to all of us. Nothing's happening, He insisted, still facing away from me.

Just a stressful job. Is that why you stand at the railing for hours? Why you talk to yourself? Why you can't remember doing any of it? Jack's shoulders tensed.

Leave it alone, Greg. I can't. You're my friend, and I'm worried about you. He finally turned to face me. You want to know what's happening?

Fine, I hear her calling me all the time now, not just in dreams. She's out there waiting for me to come see what's below. The girl. She says there's something beautiful down there, something we can't imagine. His eyes had a feverish intensity, and I believe her.

Jack, listen to yourself. This isn't normal. Normal. He laughed. Was that thing we saw normal?

The screaming sound. The tools arranging themselves, none of this is normal, Greg. I took a step toward him. We need to tell Jade get you some help. I don't need help.

Jack backed away. I need you to trust me. Whatever's happening, it's not bad, it's just different. Before I could respond, he turned and walked quickly down the corridor. I thought about following him but decided against it.

What would I do? Force him to see the medic? Lock him in his cabin? I went back to our room and lay on my bunk, staring at the ceiling. I couldn't sleep.

When I closed my eyes, I saw the girl standing on the water, heard the scream from the depths and pictured the massive shape circling below. And I thought about Jack, my friend, slipping away from me a little more each day. Whatever was calling to him from beneath the waves was getting louder, and I was terrified of what would happen when he finally answered.

I woke up to darkness. Something was wrong. The room felt off the air, too. Still. I blinked, trying to focus in the dim emergency lighting that ran along the baseboards.

Jack. I whispered, my voice sounding too loud in the quiet. No answer. I pushed myself up on my elbows and looked across the small cabin. Jack's bunk was empty, the covers thrown back.

His boots were gone too. I swung my legs over the side of my bunk and grabbed my pants from the floor, pulling them on quickly. I didn't bother with a shirt or shoes, just headed straight for the door. The metal floor was cold against my bare feet as I moved down the corridor.

Jack. I called again, louder this time. The empty hallway swallowed my voice. I picked up my pace, jogging toward the stairs that led to the deck. Something pulled me upward, A certainty I couldn't explain.

That's where he'd be. That's where she'd be. The night air hit me when I pushed through the door to the deck. The moon hung low and bright. I scanned the deck, my breath making clouds in front of my face.

No, Jack. Then I looked toward the water. There he was, already a good 30 yards from the ship, his head and shoulders visible above the dark surface of the Atlantic. He was swimming away. From us his.

Stroke steady and purposeful, Jack, I shouted. What the hell are you doing? He didn't turn or slow. Down. He just kept swimming toward something.

I squinted. Trying to make sense of what? I was seeing a large dark shape was rising from below the surface, about 50 yards beyond Jack. It was massive, breaking the water in a way that seemed impossible, like the ocean itself was being pushed upward. I ran to the alarm station and slammed my palm against the red button.

The klaxon blared across the ship, loud enough to wake everyone on board. Man overboard. I shouted into the emergency con. Jack Calhoun is in the water. He's swimming away from the ship.

I need a rescue team on the deck now. I didn't wait for a response. I kicked off my pants. Swimming in jeans would only drag me down and ran to the edge of the deck. The water below was black and looked solid, like it might break me in half when I hit it.

I didn't care. I dove. The cold knocked the. Breath from my lungs. For a second, I couldn't move or think.

Then training kicked in. I surfaced, gasped for air and swam toward Jack. Jack I. Called between breaths. Stop, come back to the ship.

He was still. Moving away from me, toward. That dark shape that seemed to grow larger by the 2nd. Then I saw her, the girl standing on the water's surface near Jack, as if the ocean were solid ground. Her white dress was dry despite the waves, her dark hair perfectly still in the night breeze.

She was smiling, one pale hand extended toward Jack, beckoning him forward. Jack. I screamed, pushing harder against the water. My muscles burned. From the cold but.

I kept going. Don't listen to her, Jack. This time he stopped. He treaded water and turned to look at me. Even in the moonlight, I could see his face clearly.

He looked peaceful, serene. His eyes were wide and bright, his expression one of wonder rather than fear. Greg. He called back, his voice carrying easily across the water. She's showing me something beautiful.

You need to see it too. Jack, please. I was closing the distance between us, maybe 15 yards away now. Whatever you think you're. Seeing it's not.

Real. We need to get back to the ship. He shook his head, still wearing that unsettling smile. It's real. More real than anything.

She's been telling the truth all along. The shape behind him. Broke the surface. It was enormous, like a small island. Water ran down its black surface.

It wasn't a whale or any sea creature I recognized. It seemed to absorb the moonlight. Jack. I was almost to him. Now my arms.

And legs numb from the cold. Get away from that thing. The girl turned her gaze to me. Her eyes were wrong, too dark, too deep. She smiled wider, revealing teeth that looked sharp in the moonlight.

Jack looked over his shoulder at the massive creature, then back to me. They've been here longer. Than us, Greg. They've always been here and they want to show us things, beautiful things. I lunged forward.

Trying to grab him. My fingers brushed his shoulder, but he moved away toward the girl. Don't be afraid, Jack said, his voice oddly distant now. This is what was meant to happen. The girl reached out.

And took Jack's hand. For a moment they both stood there, Jack somehow on top of the water now too, his clothes dry, looking more at peace than I'd ever seen him. Then the massive. Black shape surged. Upward, directly beneath them, I caught a glimpse of what?

Might have been an eye. Huge and ancient before the girl and Jack began to sink into the water, not falling or diving, but descending as if through a doorway, still holding hands, still dry despite submerging. No, I screamed, swimming to where they had been. Jack. The creature started to submerge with startling speed.

The water around it began to spin, creating a Whirlpool that caught me in its pull. I fought against it, but the current was too strong. It dragged me toward the. Center where the creature was. Disappearing.

I was pulled under, spinning in the freezing darkness. Water filled my nose and mouth as I tumbled helplessly. My lungs burned for air. The pressure increased as I was dragged deeper. Just when I thought I couldn't.

Hold my breath, any. Longer. Something grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me upward. I broke the surface, gasping and coughing. A spotlight from the ship blinded me.

I got him, someone shouted. It was Jude, the security officer, treading water beside me with one arm locked around my chest. A rescue boat appeared, hands reaching down to haul us aboard. I fought them, trying to turn back toward where Jack had disappeared. Jack.

I choked out between coughs. He's still out there. The girl took him. There's no one else in the water. Jude said firmly, helping the others pull me into the boat.

We've been scanning since the alarm. You're the only one we found. No, you don't understand. I insisted, shivering violently as someone wrapped a thermal blanket around my shoulders. There was something in the water, something huge.

It took Jack and the girl, the girl on the water. The rescue team exchanged glances. I recognized the look. Concern mixed with doubt. We need to go.

Back, I said. My teeth chattering so hard I could barely speak. We need to search for him. We will, said Nancy, who was piloting the rescue boat. But first we need to get you warmed up.

You're going into shock as we speed back toward the MSV horizon. I kept seeing Jack's face, that serene expression as he willingly went with the girl I kept seeing. That massive shape rising. From the depths back on deck, the. Entire crew.

Had assembled. Jade pushed through the crowd as they helped me out of the boat. What happened? She demanded. Where's Jack?

Something took him, I said, my voice breaking. Something in the water. The girl was there the. One on the surface. She led him to it.

Jade's expression hardened. Get him to the Infirmary, she ordered, and prepare the rescue boats for a full search pattern. As they led me away, I heard the whispers behind me. He's delirious from the cold. Jack must.

Have fallen overboard and he. Jumped in after him. What girl is he talking about? Poor guys lost it, just like Jack did. I wanted to turn.

Around and scream at them. That I wasn't crazy, that what I saw was real. But the words froze in my throat. How could I make them understand what I'd seen when I barely understood it myself? In the Infirmary, the medic checked my temperature and heart rate while I sat wrapped in heated blankets, still shaking.

Tell me exactly what happened. Jade said, standing at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed. I could see the doubt in her eyes. I woke up and Jack wasn't in his bunk. I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

I went to look for him and found him swimming away from the ship. There was there was a girl. Standing on the water. The same one I saw before, she was calling him and there was something. Else something.

Huge coming up from below, a girl standing. On the water. Jade repeated flatly. Yes, the same 1 Jack was seeing in his dreams, the same one I saw on deck that night. She was real, and she took him.

Jade looked at the. Medic who shook. His head slightly. Greg. She said her.

Voice softening in a way that made my stomach twist. You were in 30. 8° water for. Nearly 10 minutes. Hypothermia can cause hallucinations.

I wasn't hallucinating. I tried to. Stand up but my. Legs wouldn't cooperate, Jack told me. She was showing him something.

Beautiful. Those were his exact words. Ask Matt. Jack told him the same thing in his dreams. We're organizing.

Search boats now. Jade said, placing a hand on my shoulder to keep me seated. We'll find Jack, but you need to rest and warm up. I knew what she wasn't saying, that they thought Jack had some kind of breakdown and jumped overboard. That I'd gone in after him and nearly drowned myself.

That the cold and stress had made me see things that weren't there. But I knew what I saw. The girl on the water, the massive creature rising from the depths, Jack taking her hand, looking more at peace than I'd ever seen him as they sank beneath the waves. He's gone, I whispered, more to myself than to Jade.

They took him, and you're never going to find him. Jade squeezed My. Shoulder once before turning. To leave, try to rest. We'll talk more when you're warmer.

Left alone with the. Medic. I stared. At the wall, seeing Jack's face and that girl standing on the water, I couldn't stop shivering, knowing whatever lived in the depths had taken my friend and that no one believed me. I stared at the search grid map spread across the mess hall table, my finger tracing the section we'd already covered twice.

Three Coast. Guard vessels Our. Ship and two aircraft had been combing the Atlantic for the past 18 hours. No sign of Jack Powell, Captain Wang's. Voice made me look up.

She stood in the doorway, her expression grim. We're starting the. 4th quadrant sweep. Coast Guard wants you on their lead vessel since you were the last to see him. I nodded.

Folding the map with hands. That wouldn't stay steady. Any word from the helicopter team? Nothing yet. She.

Hesitated the water temperature. The survival window is closing. The words hung in the air between us. We both knew what she meant. In these waters, hypothermia would kill.

Within hours, Jack had been gone nearly a day. I followed her to the deck where a Coast Guard boat waited alongside. The officer helped me aboard with a sympathetic nod. As we pulled away from the horizon, I caught the eyes of crew members watching from the rail. Their expressions were a mix of pity and something else.

Wariness maybe, like I was contagious. We'll need you to go through it again, the Coast Guard officer said once we were underway. Everything you remember about which direction he was swimming. I'd already told this story 6 times. Each telling made it sound more unbelievable, even to me.

Northeast, about 50 yards out, he was swimming toward. I stopped myself. I'd learned not to mention. The massive shape. Or the girl standing on water.

He was just swimming away from the ship. The officer nodded, making notes without meeting my eyes. And you're certain he wasn't? Answering when you call. To him, he answered.

He just wasn't making sense. That much I could say without sounding crazy. He said something. About seeing beautiful. Things we spent four more hours searching.

The Coast Guard crew was professional, thorough. They didn't say what they were thinking, that we were looking for a body now, not a survivor. When we returned to the Horizon that evening, Rita and Matt were waiting at the ladder. Any luck? Matt asked, though the answer was obvious.

I shook my head as I climbed aboard. Rita touched my arm. You should eat something. You've been out all day. I'm not hungry.

The thought of food made my. Stomach turn. Greg. Her voice softened. This isn't your fault.

But it was. I should have noticed something was wrong sooner. Should have told Jade about Jack's behavior, about the girl in his dreams. Should have checked his bunk more often. I'm going to clean up.

I muttered, heading below deck. In the corridor I passed Jude, who gave me a long look before stepping aside. Something you want to say? I asked, too tired to be polite. You know more.

Than you're telling he. Said quietly about what happened to Jack. I stared at him. What's that supposed to mean? You were both acting.

Strange for days. Now he's gone and you're the only witness. He shrugged. Just saying what everyone's thinking. I pushed past him without answering.

In my cabin, our cabin, Jack's things were still scattered around his side of the room, his worn paperback on the shelf, his favorite mug on the desk, his jacket hanging on the hook. I sat on my bunk and pressed my hands against my eyes. The image of Jack standing on the water wouldn't fade.

The girl with dark eyes taking his hand, the massive shape beneath them. Had I really seen those things? Or was Jade right? Had hypothermia. And panic made.

Me hallucinate the rational part. Of my brain said it had. To be that people don't stand on water. Girls don't appear in the middle of the ocean, and whatever that shape was, it couldn't have been real. I lay back on my bunk, exhaustion finally winning as I drifted towards.

Sleep Jack's. Voice echoed in my head. They've been here longer than us. Two days later. We finished the.

Cable repairs. The work felt mechanical empty. Matt and I barely spoke as we completed the final checks at the junction box. No one mentioned the strange sounds we'd heard before. No one talked about tools arranged in circles or equipment failures.

And no one, especially not me, mentioned seeing anything unusual in the water. The search for Jack had been officially downgraded to recovery. The Coast Guard vessels had returned to port. Only a bulletin to passing ships remained. I stood on the deck as we pulled up anchor, watching the spot where Jack had disappeared grow smaller.

The ocean looked ordinary now, just water, vast and empty. Mind some company. I turned to find Jade holding 2 steaming mugs. She handed me one and leaned against the rail beside me. Thanks.

I said, wrapping my hands around the warmth. We stood in. Silence for a while. Watching our wake spread out behind us, the official report says Jack had a psychotic break. She finally said that he jumped overboard during a delusional episode and drowned.

I took a sip of coffee. To avoid responding. Is that what you think happened? She asked. Does it matter what I think?

It matters to me. She turned to face me. Look, I've been doing this job for 20 years. I've seen equipment malfunctions, hallucinations from nitrogen narcosis, even mass hysteria. But what happened on this job?

She shook her head. I've never seen anything like it. I studied her face, trying to read what she was really saying. The company wants this classified as an unfortunate accident, she continued. Mental health issues exacerbated by isolation.

They're already talking about psychological screening for future crews, and you don't buy that. She looked out at the ocean, I think there. Was more to Jack's disappearance. Than what went in that report. I think you know that too.

My heartbeat faster. What exactly are you asking me, Captain? I'm not asking anything. She finished her coffee. Just letting you know you're not the only one who thinks there's something strange about what happened out here.

She pushed away from the rail. We'll be in St. John's by evening. Companies arranged for grief counselors to meet us at the dock. I almost laughed.

Grief counselors? Great. Take the help, Powell. Whatever you experienced out there, you need to process it. I watched her walk away, wondering if I should have.

Told her everything. About the girl, Jack. And I both saw. About the massive shape in the water, About how Jack had stood. On the surface.

Before sinking into it like it was a doorway. But I didn't, because even now I wasn't sure what was real anymore. The lights of St. John's Harbor appeared. As the sunset, I stood at the bow, watching our approach.

After weeks at sea, I felt strangely reluctant to see land, as if returning meant leaving something unfinished. The harbor grew closer, docks lined with fishing boats, warehouses and processing plants. People moved about, unaware of what lurked in the deep water. We were about 500 yards from the main dock when I saw her.

The girl stood at the edge of the pier, her white dress unmoved by the wind, her dark hair perfectly still. Even from this distance, I could see she was watching me. I gripped the rail, my knuckles turning white. She was real. She had to.

Be real. As we drew closer, she smiled that same unsettling smile she'd given Jack. Then, slowly, she raised her hand and pressed one finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. The message was clear. Don't tell.

I blinked and she dissolved, scattering like sea spray until nothing remained. You OK, man? Matt appeared beside me. You look like you've seen a ghost. I forced myself to breathe.

Normally. Just tired, ready to get off the ship. He nodded. Looking toward the dock where? The girl had stood.

Yeah, me too. This job. I don't think I'm coming back after this one. Can't blame you. As we docked and the crew prepared to disembark, I kept my eyes on that spot on the pier.

There was nothing there now, no sign she had ever existed. I thought about telling Jade what I had seen. She'd hinted she believed something strange had happened. Maybe she'd believe this too. I remembered how the crew.

Looked at me after. Jack disappeared, the whispers and glances. If I mentioned seeing the same girl Jack had described, they'd assume I was breaking down too, that I'd be next to vanish. Maybe they'd be right as I shouldered my. Bag and walked down the gangway.

I made my decision. Whatever I'd seen. The girl, the creature Jack, standing on water. I would keep it to myself, at least until I figured out what it all meant. Because one thing was.

Certain something was. Out there in the deep, and for whatever reason, it had shown itself to me. I sat at my kitchen table staring at the growing stack of books and printouts about oceanic anomalies. 3 months had passed since Jack disappeared and I hadn't set foot on a boat since. The coffee in my mug had gone cold hours ago, but I barely noticed as I flipped through another book on marine phenomena.

My apartment walls were covered with maps marking unexplained disappearances at sea. Red pins clustered around certain regions, the North Atlantic, parts of the Pacific, and a few spots in the Indian Ocean. Too many to be coincidence. I'd spent weeks. Gathering these cases.

And the pattern was becoming impossible to ignore. I picked up a weathered. Book I'd found in. A used bookstore, its pages yellow and brittle, it contained accounts from 18th century sailors describing encounters with children standing on water before crewmates vanished without trace. One account from 1763 described A pale youth with eyes black as the deepest trench, who appeared to a sailor named Thomas Harwick before 5 men disappeared from their vessel the following night.

The similarities to what? I'd seen made. My skin crawl, the girl on the water Jack vanishing, the massive shape beneath the waves that no one else would acknowledge. I opened my journal a thick. Leather bound book I'd.

Started keeping after returning to shore inside. I documented everything. I could remember about the incidents on the horizon, the strange warbling sound we'd heard underwater, the humanoid figure. I'd glimpsed at 2:00. 100 meters.

The massive creature that it circled us, the girl with the 2 dark eyes who had taken Jack's hand before they both sank into the water as if through a doorway. Writing it all down had become my obsession, my way of convincing myself I wasn't crazy. Each detail I remembered went into the Journal, along with newspaper clippings about Jack's disappearance and the official report claiming he'd had a psychotic break.

My phone buzzed. Doris Hawkins. I've been trying to reach her for weeks. Greg, it's Doris. Thanks for calling back, I said, straightening up in my chair.

I was starting to think you were avoiding me. Sorry about that. Been busy with research. Your messages said it was about Jack, sort of. It's about what happened out there.

I need to talk to someone who was there, someone who might believe me. A pause on the line. I'm in town for a conference. We could meet tomorrow if you want. That would be great.

There's a coffee shop called Harborside near the Oceanography Center. I know it. 10 in the morning. I'll be there. After hanging up, I turned back to my journal, adding notes about our conversation.

Every detail mattered now. The next morning, I arrived early at Harborside and sat at a corner table. I'd brought my. Journal and research folder. Doris walked in 10 minutes late, her long black hair now cut short around her ears.

She spotted me and headed over, setting down a small cooler beside the table. You look like hell, Greg. She said, sliding into the seat across from me. Good to see you too. She studied my face.

You haven't been sleeping? Not much. I admitted. Too busy with this. I gestured to the materials spread across the table.

What exactly is this? She picked up one of the maps, examining the red pins. Unexplained disappearances at sea going back decades. Look at the patterns. She frowned at the map.

What am I looking at? Clusters. Disappearances happening in the same regions, often with similar reports beforehand. Strange noises, crew members acting oddly, and in some cases I pulled out copies of the historical accounts. Sightings of children or young people on the water.

Doris set down the map and sighed. Greg. I know Jack's. Disappearance was traumatic. This isn't about trauma.

I cut in something took Jack, something that's taken others before. She watched me for a long moment and then reached for the cooler she'd brought. I wasn't going to show you this yet, but maybe I should. She opened the cooler. And removed a small.

Case containing several glass slides. I took water samples. From where, Jack? Disappeared. Standard procedure after an incident, but what I found wasn't standard at all.

She handed me one of the slides. Look at this under a microscope and you'll see organisms unlike anything in scientific records. The cellular structure is wrong, like nothing we've classified. What are they? I don't know.

But they were concentrated in that exact spot where you said Jack vanished. Nowhere else in the surrounding water. I felt a chill run through me. You believe me? I believe.

Something unusual happened out. There she hesitated. And I believe these organisms might be connected to whatever you saw the creature? I said quietly. Maybe.

She took back the slide. I've been running tests, trying to understand what they are and where they came from. So far all I know is they're not from any known evolutionary branch. Have you told anyone else? She shook her head.

Who would I tell the company? They'd shut down my research and probably fire me for going off script. The scientific community, they'd want peer review, more samples, evidence I don't have. I pushed my journal toward her. I've been documenting everything, every detail I can remember.

She flipped through a few pages, her expression growing more serious. You're planning to go. Back out there, aren't you? I nodded. I need answers, Doris.

I need to know what happened to Jack. That's suicide, Greg. Whatever's out there took Jack, it could take you, too. I have to try. I pulled out a print.

Out of a job listing. There's a research. Vessel heading to the same. Region next month, the Oceanic Explorer. They need experienced divers.

Doors closed. My journal and pushed it back. To me, you should talk to Matt first. He's been affected by what happened, too. You've spoken to him.

He called me a few weeks ago, said he needed to talk about the horizon. She looked down at her hands. He told me he's been. Hearing Jack's voice in. His dreams.

My heart skipped a beat. What? Jack's been talking to him, describing things beneath the waves. Beautiful things. She met my eyes.

Sound familiar? I remember Jack's words before he disappeared. She's showing me something beautiful. I swallowed hard. Where's Matt now?

Working on land maintenance at the harbor. He refused to go back to sea. I made a note of this in my journal. I need to see him before I leave, Greg. Doris said, her voice softening.

Have you told your family about this? About going back? I shook my head. They wouldn't understand. My sister already thinks.

I should switch. Careers after what happened to Jack? Maybe she's right. I can't walk away, Doris, not until I know the truth. She looked at me for a long moment, then nodded.

The organisms in these samples, they're not just unusual, they're impossible. Their cellular structure. Shouldn't be able to. Function. But it does.

Whatever they are, they don't play by the same biological rules as everything else on Earth. You think they're connected? To the creature I saw. I think they might be part of it or created by it. She closed the case of slides.

Be careful, Greg, if you're determined to go back. Out there, don't go. Looking for this thing? It found Jack. It might find you, too.

Three days later, I stood outside the Harbor Maintenance building, waiting for Matt to finish his shift. It felt strange being so close to the water again after months of avoiding it. Matt emerged from the building, looking thinner than I remembered. His curly hair had grown out, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. He spotted me and stopped in his tracks.

Greg. Hey, Matt. He approached cautiously, as if I might disappear. What are you doing here? Doris told me.

You. Were working here. Thought we should talk. He glanced around nervously. Not here.

There's a bar down the street. We walked in. Silence to a small dive bar. That smelled of beer and fried food. At 2:00 in the afternoon, it was nearly empty.

We took a booth in the back and Matt ordered a beer while I stuck with water. You look like you've been through hell, he said after his first sip. Funny. Doris said the same thing. She told you we talked?

I nodded. She mentioned you've been having dreams. Matt's fingers. Tightened around his glass. Not just dreams.

Tell me. He leaned forward, lowering his voice. It started about a month after we got back. I'd hear Jack's voice. Right as I was falling.

Asleep. At first I thought it was just, you know, grief or whatever, but it kept happening. What does he say? He talks about where he is now, says it's beautiful down there, that they've shown him things no human has ever seen. Matt took another drink.

He says they've. Been watching us for thousands of. Years. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. They, the ones who live in the deep, the ones who took him.

Matt's eyes met mine, he says. They're not what we think. Not monsters or aliens or whatever, just different. Been here longer than us. I pulled out my journal and.

Made a few notes. Do you believe it's really him? I don't know what to believe anymore. Matt pushed his beer aside, but he knows things only Jack would know. Personal stuff, and he keeps saying they're preparing for something.

Preparing for what? He won't say exactly, just that the oceans are. Changing and they're. Responding to it, Matt rubbed his eyes. Look, I know how this sounds.

I haven't told anyone else because they'd think I'm crazy. I don't think you're crazy. I closed my journal. I'm going back out there, Matt. His head snapped up.

What? I've taken a job. On a research vessel. The Oceanic Explorer, they're heading to the same region next month. Are you insane?

After what happened to Jack? Because of what happened to Jack? I corrected. I need answers. Matt shook his head.

They'll take you too, maybe, but I'm not going to let. Them take me the way they took. Jack, I'm going prepared. Prepared how? What could possibly prepare you for whatever that thing is?

I tapped my journal knowledge. I've been researching similar incidents, gathering patterns, and I'll be documenting everything. Matt leaned back. In his seat. Studying me.

You know what? Jack told me in my last dream. He said you'd be coming back, that you're different from the others. He finished his beer. In one long swallow.

He said you're supposed. To see but not join. A chill ran through me. What does that mean? Hell if I know, but it scared me enough to call you.

He pulled a crumpled napkin from his pocket and pushed it across the table. If you're really doing this, take my number. Call me if when you start hearing him too. I pocketed the napkin. You're not tempted to come back to see for yourself?

God, no. Matt's voice cracked slightly. I'm never setting foot on a boat again. Whatever's out there, it's calling to you now, not me, and I'm grateful for that. As we left the bar, rain had started to fall, turning the pavement dark.

Matt stopped under. The awning looking. Out at the harbour, Greg. What if Jack's not a victim? What if he went willingly?

The question caught me off guard. What do you mean in my? Dreams he's not scared. Or trapped. He's happy, like he found where he belongs.

Matt turned to me. What if? Whatever. Took him, offered him something. He wanted.

I thought about Jack's peaceful expression as he stood on the water's surface. Even if that's true, I. Still need to know what? Happened what they are, just be careful. What you wish for?

Matt extended his hand. Good luck out there. I shook it, noting how cold his fingers felt. Thanks. I'll stay in touch.

Two weeks later, I packed my gear in my apartment. My duffel bag held diving equipment, clothes, my journal, research materials and a new waterproof camera. I wanted evidence. If I saw anything. Unusual.

This time my phone rang. My sister Kate. Are you really going through with this? She asked without preamble. Hello to you too, Greg.

This is insane. Your friend died out there. He disappeared, I corrected. They never found a body. A frustrated sigh.

That doesn't make it better. You nearly drowned trying to save him, and now you're going back to the same area. It's a different ship, different mission, same ocean, same danger. Her voice softened. Look, I know Jack was your friend.

I know you feel responsible somehow, but this won't bring him back. That's not what I'm trying to do. Then what are you trying to do? I paused, considering how much to tell her. I need to understand what happened out there for my own Peace of Mind and risking your life.

Will give you peace of. Mind, she didn't wait for an answer. Mom's worried sick, you know, First Christmas without Dad and now you're running off to the same place where your friend vanished. The mention of our. Father hit hard.

He'd passed away six months before Jack disappeared, a heart attack while out on his own fishing boat. The irony wasn't lost on me. I'll be careful. I promised. It's just a three month assignment.

Please reconsider. There are plenty of jobs on land. I'm a diver, Kate. It's what I do. Another sigh.

Call me when you get. On board, at least. And check in when you can. I will. After hanging up, I zipped my duffel bag and took one last look around my apartment, the maps and research.

Materials were packed away. But I remembered everything. Patterns of disappearances, Historical accounts of children on water, Doris's strange organisms. I picked up my journal and opened to the last page I'd written on reading my final entry. I'm not going out there to join whatever took Jack.

I'm going for answers. Unlike Jack, I won't be LED away by a girl on the water or promises of beauty beneath the waves. I'll document everything. I'll find evidence. And maybe, just maybe, I'll find Jack too.

Or at least learn what happened to him, whatever's out there. Has been calling to people. For centuries now, it's calling to me, but unlike the others, I'm answering on my own terms. I closed the journal and slipped it into my pocket. Tomorrow I'd board the Oceanic Explorer and return to where Jack disappeared in the Atlantic.

This time, I'd be ready. I woke up to the gentle roll of the ship beneath me, a rhythm I'd almost forgotten in the six months since I'd last been at sea. My cabin on the Oceanic Explorer was smaller than the one on the horizon, just enough room for a narrow bunk, a metal desk bolted to the wall, and a locker for my gear.

The digital clock. On the wall read. 5:15 in the morning, still dark outside, I sat up and. Reached for my journal on the. Desk, the leather cover worn from constant handling.

I'd filled almost half. Of it since Jack. Disappeared every night before sleep and every morning when I woke. I wrote down anything that seemed important. Dreams, thoughts, theories about what happened.

Today's entry was brief. Day three aboard the Explorer. No unusual sightings yet. Dreamed about Jack again. He was swimming beneath the ship, trying to tell me something, but I couldn't hear him through the water.

I closed the journal and got dressed. The Explorer was different from the horizon, newer, with more Advanced Research equipment and a larger science team. I'd signed on as a diving specialist. But my real reason? For being here was something.

I kept to myself. The corridor was. Empty as I made my way. To the mess hall. Only a few early risers were there, Doctor Foster at one table reviewing data on her tablet and two crew members I didn't know well.

At another. I grabbed coffee. And sat alone by the window. Watching the first hint of dawn lighten the eastern horizon. You're up early again, Doctor Foster said, sliding into the seat across from me, Her Gray streaked hair.

Was pulled back in. A practical ponytail, and she wore the same Navy blue Explorer sweater as yesterday. Never been much for sleeping in, I said, taking a sip of my coffee. We're moving into the. Area you requested.

Today, Captain says we'll reach those coordinates by noon. I nodded, trying to hide my eagerness. We were heading to the exact spot where Jack had disappeared six months ago. I'd convinced the research director that the area was worth investigating for unusual biological activity, which wasn't exactly a lie. Thanks for pushing for.

This, I said. I know it wasn't on the original survey plan. She studied me with sharp eyes. You still haven't. Told me why this particular.

Patch of ocean matters so much to you scientific. Curiosity. I said, the lie coming easily after months of practice. Right. She didn't believe me, but she didn't push either.

I'll be in the lab if you need me after she left. I finished my. Coffee and headed to the deck. The ocean stretched out in all directions. Somewhere beneath those waves, Jack was what?

Alive. Dead. Something else entirely. I leaned against the railing, remembering his words from that night. They've been here longer than us.

They want to show us beautiful things. Three nights later, I jerked awake from a dead sleep. Greg. Greg, can you hear me? Jack's voice.

Clear as day. Like he was standing right next to my bunk. I sat up, heart pounding, and switched on the light. The cabin was empty. Jack, I whispered.

Down here, Greg, in the water, you need to see this. I pulled on clothes and shoes, grabbed my journal and hurried to the deck. The night was clear. With stars and a. Nearly full moon.

The water was calm. Jack. I called softly, not wanting to alert the night watch. It's beautiful down here. His voice came again, seeming to rise from the waves themselves.

Like nothing you've ever seen cities, Greg. Older than anything humans have built. I scan the water's surface, seeing nothing but moonlight reflecting off gentle swell. They've been watching us for so long, learning they're worried about what we're doing to their home. Who's they, Jack?

I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. The old ones. The first ones. They were here before the continents took their current shape. I felt a chill.

Come down, Greg, see for yourself. No, I said firmly. You come back up. Silence followed then. I can't.

I'm different now, changed, but it doesn't hurt. It's wonderful. The voice faded and I stood there for what felt like hours, waiting for more. Nothing came. Eventually I returned to my cabin and wrote everything in my journal, my hand shaking slightly as I recorded Jack's words.

I'll know her the next morning. I was back on. Deck before sunrise, watching the water. Doctor Foster found me there, 2 cups of coffee in hand. You look like you've seen a ghost, she said, handing me one of the cups.

Just didn't sleep well, I replied. She leaned against the railing beside me. We're getting some unusual readings from the deep water sensors, temperature fluctuations, current patterns that don't match our models. I nodded. Only half listening.

That's when I saw it. A massive black shape breaking the surface about half a mile out. It rose like a small island, water streaming off its dark surface before slowly sinking back down there. I pointed did. You see that Doctor Foster?

Squinted in the direction. I was pointing see what something huge just. Surfaced out there. She pulled out a pair of binoculars from her jacket pocket and scanned the area. I don't see.

Anything could have been a whale. It wasn't a whale, I said with certainty. It was too big and the wrong shape. She lowered the binoculars and gave me a long look. Greg, what's really going on?

You've been acting strange. Since you came. Aboard, always watching the water, writing in that journal of yours. I hesitated, weighing my options. For months I kept.

Everything to myself. Afraid people would think I was crazy, but Doctor Foster was a scientist. Maybe she'd listen. Can we talk somewhere private? I asked.

She nodded. My lab, 20 minutes. Doctor Foster's lab was small but well equipped, with monitors showing various oceanic data streams and specimen containers lining one wall. She closed the door behind us and turned to face me. All right, let's hear it.

I took a deep breath. And placed my. Journal on her desk. Six months. Ago I was working.

On the MSV horizon, when my diving partner Jack Calhoun disappeared, I remember reading about that man overboard incident, wasn't it? That's what the official report says, but there's more to it. I opened my journal to the first entry. Something took him. Something that lives in these waters.

Over the next hour, I told her everything. The humanoid figure at 200 meters depth, the warbling scream, the massive shape we'd all seen. The girl standing on water, and how Jack had walked on the surface before vanishing. I showed her my research on similar incidents throughout maritime history and the maps I'd made tracking disappearances.

When I finished, she sat in silence for a long moment, her expression unreadable. You think I'm crazy? I said finally. No, she said slowly. I think you believe everything you're telling me, but you don't believe it.

She tapped her fingers on the desk, thinking. I believe in evidence, and right now all I have is your word. But she paused. You're not the first. Person to report something.

Like this? I stared at her. What? She stood up and went to a cabinet in the corner, unlocking it with a key from around her neck. She pulled out a thick.

Folder and placed. It on the desk. What I'm about to show you is classified. If anyone asks. You never saw this.

She opened the folder to reveal documents stamped with government seals, photographs of strange underwater formations and sonar readings I couldn't interpret. For the past 30 years, there's been a small government program investigating oceanic anomalies, strange sightings, unexplained disappearances, underwater sounds that don't match known marine life. I picked up one of the photographs, a blurry image of something large moving beneath the surface.

You're part of this program. She nodded, one of several scientists brought in to analyze the data. Most of what we find has natural explanations, but some things? She pulled out a map. With red dots marking.

Locations across the world's oceans. These are incidents that remain unexplained. The pattern was. Similar to my own map. But with far more data points.

Why keep it secret? I asked. To prevent panic, mostly. The oceans cover 70% of our planet and we've explored less than 5% of them. People don't like to think.

About what might be. Down there watching us, a chill ran. Through me at her words. So similar to what Jack had said, have you ever found? Anything.

Concrete. Nothing definitive, but there are patterns. She pulled out another map. These incidents cluster around certain underwater geological formations, deep trenches, underwater mountain ranges, areas with unusual magnetic properties. I thought about the spot where Jack disappeared and the area we're in now sits.

Above an underwater Canyon. System that drops to depths our equipment can barely measure. She hesitated. There's something else. 2 days ago we picked up unusual sonar readings from the deepest part of the Canyon.

What kind of readings? She pulled up an image on her tablet and turned it toward me. This is a. Standard sonar sweep. Of the ocean floor, the image showed.

The expected contours of. The sea floor and this she swiped to another image. This is what we. Found in the Canyon. The second image showed what looked like geometric shapes rising from the Canyon floor, straight lines and right angles that couldn't be natural formations.

What am I looking at? I asked, though I already had a sinking feeling I knew. That's the question. These structures appear to be artificial rather than natural. They're too regular, too precise.

A sunken city? I suggested. Maybe, or something else entirely. She took the tablet back. We're preparing to send down a remote submersible to get a closer look.

I stared at her, my mind racing. When? Tomorrow. If the weather holds. She closed the folder.

And returned it to the cabinet. I shouldn't have shown you any of this, but after what you told me, I thought you deserved to know. I nodded. Trying to process everything. Whatever took Jack, it's not just some sea creature, is it?

No, she said quietly. I think we're dealing with something much more complex, possibly intelligent, and the government has. Known about this for decades. Known about? Yes.

Understood. No. She locked the cabinet and turned to face me. We're as much in the dark as you are, Greg. That's why we're here, to find answers.

I thought about Jack's voice telling me about cities older than human civilization and beings that have been watching us for centuries. I want to be there when you send down the submersible, I said. She studied me for a moment, then nodded. I'll arrange it, but this stays between. Us for now.

Understand, Understood. I left her lab with mixed feelings. For months I'd been searching for proof that I wasn't crazy, that what I'd seen was real. Now I had it, and I almost wished I didn't. Back in my cabin, I wrote everything in my journal, recording Doctor Foster's revelations and the evidence she'd shown me.

As I finished writing, I felt the ship change course slightly, and I knew we were positioning ourselves above the underwater Canyon, above whatever was waiting for us below. Tomorrow we'd send down. The submersible. We might finally see what Jack meant about the ancient structures underwater, built by beings that had been here longer than us.

I closed my journal and put it in my pocket where I could keep it close. Whatever we found tomorrow, I would document it all for Jack, for myself, and for anyone else who might need to know the truth about what lives in the deep. I leaned forward in my chair, watching Doctor Foster review the submersible systems one last time.

The control room buzzed. With quiet. Tension screens displaying the underwater Canyon we'd positioned ourselves above during the night. I should pilot. It, I said.

Breaking the silence, Doctor Foster looked up. From her clipboard. Eyebrows raised. You're not trained on this equipment, Powell. I've operated similar systems before.

I lied, and I'm the one who's seen these things. If something goes wrong, I'll have the best chance of understanding what's happening. She studied me for a long moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. This isn't about getting. Closure for your friend.

Is it? I met her gaze. It's about getting answers for all of us, Doctor Foster. Sighed and set. Down her clipboard.

The submersible. Has a Full Auto. Return function. Any critical system failure, it comes back on its own. You understand that if you deviate from the planned route, I'll override your control and bring it back immediately.

Understood. I sat at the control. Station. Gripping the twin joysticks that guided the remote submersible, I wore a headset to. Communicate with the control.

Room while watching the video feed, the yellow robotic pod with its mechanical arms and cameras had already been lowered into the water. Systems Check complete. One of the technicians announced all readings. Normal Doctor Foster. Stood behind me.

Hand on the back of my chair. Remember, this is. Observation only. No sample collection without explicit authorization. I nodded, focusing on the screens.

The submersibles front cameras showed nothing but dark water illuminated by powerful LED arrays. Beginning descent, I said, pushing the left joystick forward gently. The depth meter ticked downward. 10 meters, 20 meters. 50 meters.

The water darkened. As they descended. With only the submersibles beams cutting through the blackness. 100 meters, I reported. All systems normal.

The descent continued smoothly. I kept my eyes fixed on the screens, scanning for any sign of movement in the water. At 150 meters, I spotted a school of fish darting away from our lights. 200 meters, I announced. Approaching the edge of the Canyon.

The sea floor came. Into view and. Then suddenly dropped away as we reached the underwater Canyon Doctor Foster had shown me on the sonar maps. I guided the submersible forward over the edge and began our descent into the chasm. Depth, now at 300.

Meters and. Increasing, I said. Canyon walls. Visible on both sides. The rock faces of the Canyon rose like massive cliffs on either side of us, covered in strange growths that didn't look quite like normal sea plants.

I zoomed one of the cameras in on a cluster of them pale tube like structures that seem to pulse slightly in the current. Are you seeing this? I asked. Yes, Doctor Foster replied through my headset. Unidentified marine organisms make a note of the location and continue.

I guided the submersible. Deeper through the. Ocean floor Canyon the depth meter past 500 meters, then 600. The submersible was. Built to withstand the.

Crushing pressure outside. That's when I heard it. The same warbling scream that had haunted me for months. There's that sound again, I said, my voice tight. Do you hear it?

Static crackled in my headset, breaking up. Repeat. Doctor Foster, I called control. Do you copy more static than fragments of voices losing signal? Continue protocol.

The sound grew. Louder seeming to. Come from everywhere at once. I checked the submersible. Systems.

All still functioning normally despite the communications disruption. Making a quick decision, I continued forward, deeper into the Canyon. At 800 meters, the Canyon widened dramatically into a vast underwater valley, and there, rising from the ocean floor, was something that made my breath catch a massive black. Structure stood before. Me spanning several city blocks.

Parts looked organic, grown from the sea floor, while others appeared constructed with geometric patterns and possible entrances. Sections shifted slightly as if breathing control. Are you seeing this I? Asked, knowing they probably couldn't hear me, I guided the submersible closer, sweeping the lights across the structure as the beams. Illuminated more of it.

I realized what I was looking at. An underwater city sprawled across the ocean floor and Canyon walls. Tunnels and chambers were carved into the rock, with towers rising from the sea floor. Parts of it looked ancient, covered in growth, while others appeared newer, with surfaces that absorbed light. Strangely, movement caught my eye.

Strange, elongated creatures swam around the structures. They looked somewhat like whales, but with longer bodies and precise movements. I counted about a dozen, ranging from 20 to 50 feet long. I maneuvered the submersible to follow one of the smaller creatures as it swam toward what looked like an entrance to the structure. That's when I saw them, human figures moving among the creatures.

I frantically adjusted the camera, zooming in as far as possible. The image was grainy. At this distance. But unmistakable, Human shaped. Forms swimming without.

Any visible diving equipment moving with the same fluid grace as the whale like creatures. And then I saw him. Jack. He was swimming alongside one of the larger creatures, his movements natural and easy, as if he'd been born to the water. Even at this distance I recognized the shape of his face, the way he moved his arms.

But something was different. His neck appeared. To have strange ridges. Or Gills and his hands seemed webbed between the fingers. Jack.

I shouted uselessly into my headset. Jack, it's Greg. I pushed the submersible forward, trying to get closer, to confirm what I was seeing wasn't some trick of the light or my desperate imagination. That's when she appeared. The girl materialized.

In front of the. Submersible's camera floating in the water, her white dress moved in the current, her black hair spread around her face. She looked exactly. As she had that night on the. Surface about 8 or 9 years old.

With the same knowing smile, she placed her hand. Against the camera lens. Palm flat against the glass, every system on the submersible died. The screens went dark, the joysticks went limp, and the emergency lights flashed on control. We've lost all systems.

I shouted, frantically, trying to restart the equipment. A computerized voice announced. Emergency ascent initiated. Please stand by. I felt the submersible lurch upward, the emergency ballast system engaging to rapidly bring the vessel back to the surface.

The sudden. Movement threw me back in. My seat. The last thing I remembered was a crushing pressure in my head, as if I were the 1 experiencing the rapid change in depth rather than the protected submersible darkness. Closed in from the edges of my.

Vision and then nothing. I woke up to a. Heart monitor beeping. I opened my eyes and saw I was in the ship's medical Bay. Welcome back, Doctor Foster said.

She sat in a chair next to my bed, looking tired and concerned. The submersible? I croaked, my throat painfully dry. What happened? She handed me a cup of water, which I drank greedily.

We lost contact. With you for three. Hours, she said. The submersibles, emergency systems finally kicked in and brought it back up. You were unconscious.

When we recovered it. I tried to sit up and felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. Three hours? That's not possible. I was only down there for 40 minutes, maybe an hour at most.

The dive log confirms it. You descended at O 900 hours. We lost contact at approximately O 947. The submersible resurfaced at 12:53. She paused, studying me.

The strange thing is, the cameras recorded nothing. All the data drives were wiped clean. I stared at her. That's impossible. I saw.

I trailed off, unsure how much to reveal. What did you see, Gregory? She asked quietly. A structure like a city built into the Canyon, and creatures. Not like anything I've ever seen before.

I hesitated before adding. And I saw Jack. Doctor Foster's expression remained neutral, but I caught the slight tightening around her eyes. We need to run some more tests on you, she said. Instead of responding to my claim.

Your body is showing. Signs of extreme. Pressure changes? Nitrogen bubbles in your bloodstream, minor tissue damage consistent with rapid decompression. That's not possible.

I said I was inside the submersible the whole time. Exactly, she replied. Which is why it's so concerning physically. Your body is reacting. As if you were actually down there, exposed to the pressure, not safely inside a pressurized vessel.

The realization. Hit me with the force of. A physical blow. I hadn't just been. Piloting the submersible.

Remotely, somehow, some way, I had been physically present at that underwater city the girl had. Done something when she touched. The camera connected me directly to what was happening 800 meters below the surface. I need to go back down there, I said. Doctor Foster stood up.

That's not happening, not until we understand what occurred. I've already contacted the research director about this incident. She walked to the door and paused. Get some rest. We'll talk more when you're stronger.

After she left, I lay back on the bed, my mind racing. The city, the creatures, Jack with gills and webbed hands. It had all been real, not a hallucination or a dream. And somehow I had been there, not just watching through cameras. I reached for my journal, which someone had placed on the bedside table, and began to write everything I could remember.

The underwater city, the whale like creatures, Jack swimming among them, changed but alive. And the girl with dark eyes who reached through technology to pull me into their world. I opened my eyes to the stark white ceiling of the medical Bay, blinking away the disorientation. My body felt wrong somehow, heavy in places it shouldn't be, light in others.

You shouldn't be sitting up yet. Doctor Foster stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, her expression a mixture of concern and scientific curiosity. She walked to my. Bedside and checked. The monitor displaying my vitals your body.

Shows all the physical markers. Of having experienced extreme pressure changes, she said, tapping the screen. But that's impossible. You were in the control room the entire time I saw him, I said, my voice raspy. I saw Jack.

Doctor Foster's hand paused over the monitor. The submersibles data was completely wiped. We have nothing I don't need. Data. I know what I saw.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the wave of dizziness that followed. Jack is alive down there. He's been changed somehow. He has gills now, webbed hands. That's not physically possible, Doctor Foster said, but her tone lacked conviction.

Neither is what happened to me, or the fact that all your equipment failed. At exactly the moment I saw that girl, I looked her directly. In the eyes. You've been studying. These phenomena for 30.

Years. You showed me your classified files. Are you really going to tell me this is outside the realm of possibility, Doctor Foster? Sat down heavily in the. Chair beside my bed, the research director.

Is flying in tomorrow. He wants the submersible program suspended until they can determine what caused the malfunction. We don't have time for that. I leaned forward. I need to go back down there.

Absolutely not. Not with the submersible in person. I pointed to the door. That experimental diving suit you showed me in the equipment Bay, the one rated for extreme depths. Doctor Foster laughed, a short, sharp sound.

The Deep 6, it's a prototype. It's only been tested to 800 meters in controlled conditions. That's deep enough. That's where the city is. You're not qualified to use it.

I'm a certified. Commercial diver with. Over 10 years of experience. This isn't a commercial diving operation. Doctor Foster stood up.

And after what just happened, there's no way I'm authorizing a man to dive. I reached for her arm. Listen to me. Whatever's down there, whatever took Jack, it's trying to communicate the girl, the creatures. They could have harmed me if they wanted to, but they didn't.

They're showing us something. And what exactly do you think that is? I don't know yet, but I'm certain of one thing. Jack is alive, and I need to find out why they took him. Doctor Foster.

Pulled her arm away. Get some rest, Mr. Powell. We'll discuss this when the director arrives. I needed to go down there, and I knew exactly how to convince Doctor Foster to let me.

The next morning I found Doctor Foster in her lab, reviewing sonar readings from the previous day, the screen showed. The same Canyon I'd. Seen through the submersibles cameras but the resolution was too poor to make out any structures. The director. 'S flight was delayed. She said without looking up.

Weather over Newfoundland. He won't be here until tomorrow. Good, that gives us time. She finally looked at me. Time for what?

To prepare for my dive. Doctor. Foster sighed. We've been through this. You've been studying these phenomena for 30 years without concrete evidence.

I said, pulling my journal from my pocket. I'm offering you the chance to get answers by sending you to your death. The pressure at 800. Meters would crush. You if that suit fails, it won't fail.

I opened my. Journal to the pages where I. Documented everything about Jack's disappearance. Look at this. The patterns, the historical accounts, the coordinates, they all point to the same thing.

Something intelligent lives down there. Something that's been watching us for centuries. Doctor Foster took the journal, flipping through the pages with growing interest. These accounts. Go back hundreds of.

Years, and they all. Describe the same thing. People taken into the water, led by children who seem to walk on the surface. The same thing that happened to Jack. She handed the journal back to me.

Even if I believed you, and I'm not saying I do, The Deep Six suit requires specialized training. Then train me today. We have 24 hours before your director arrives and shuts everything down. Doctor Foster studied my face. Why are you so determined to do this?

Because Jack was my friend. Because something took him, and I need to know why. I paused. And because whatever's down there wanted me to see it, they've been calling. To me since Jack disappeared.

I think they want me to understand something after a long. Moment. Doctor Foster. Nodded. 4 hours.

Of training if. You can't handle the suit protocols. By then, the dive is off the deal. The Deep Six suit resembled a small submarine rather than traditional diving gear. Its rigid shell combined carbon fiber and titanium with flexible joints at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.

The clear Dome helmet provided wide visibility and connected to the life support system built into the back. This isn't like. Any diving gear you've used? Before, Doctor Foster explained as Chen helped me into the suit. The pressure resistance comes from the rigid exoskeleton, not compressed air.

You'll maintain normal pressure inside regardless of depth. How do I move in this thing? I asked. Is the lower section locked around my legs? The suit amplifies your movements with hydraulics, takes getting used to.

She pointed to the. Left forearm panel. This controls oxygen, vitals and buoyancy. The right arm has communications and emergency systems. I practiced moving in.

The suit in a test. Tank for three hours, learning to control my buoyancy and use the mechanical arms. The movements were clumsy at first, but I gradually adapted to the suit's responses. You're picking this up faster than most, Chen commented as I successfully manipulated a set of tools with the suit's mechanical hands.

I've always been a quick. Study with equipment. I said, though the truth was more complicated. Something about the? Suit felt oddly.

Familiar, as if I'd used it before, the same strange feeling of deja vu I'd experienced when looking at the underwater city through the submersibles cameras. By late afternoon, Doctor Foster seemed satisfied with my progress. The dive team will. Prepare the winch system. Tonight will launch at 600 tomorrow before the director arrives.

Thank you, I said, stepping out of the suit as Chen powered down the systems. Don't thank me yet, Doctor, Foster replied. I'm still not convinced this isn't a suicide mission, but if there's even a chance you can bring back evidence of what's down there, She trailed. Off then fixed. Me with a stern look.

You have 4. Hours of oxygen in that. Suit, I want you back on the surface with three hours to spare. Understood, Understood. That night I couldn't sleep.

I lay in my bunk thinking about Jack swimming through that alien city, his hands webbed, gills pulsing at his neck. What had they done to him and why? The girl's face kept appearing in my mind. Those two dark eyes, the unnatural stillness of her hair, the way she'd placed her hand against the submersibles camera lens just before everything went dark.

I'm coming, I whispered to the darkness. I'm coming to find you. The crew prepared the launch platform. The Deep Six suit stood upright in its frame, unlike typical diving equipment. Doctor Foster.

Supervised as Chen. Ran through the final system checks. Communications check, Chen said, handing me the helmet. I secured it in place, feeling the seal pressurize around my neck. Chen's voice came through the internal speakers.

Comms test, do you read loud and clear? I replied. Doctor Foster approached her expression grave. Remember. 4 hours of.

Oxygen, 3 hours to return. If anything, and I mean anything, seems off, you activate the emergency ascent. The suit will bring you back automatically. I'll be careful. I promised the dive team will monitor your vitals and position from the control room.

I'll be in direct communication with you the entire time. She hesitated. Gregory, if you find anything unusual documented, that's your primary mission. Not rescue, not contact documentation. I nodded, though we both knew I had my own agenda.

The crane lifted the suit with. Me inside and. Positioned it over the water, I took a deep breath as Chen counted down 321 release. The cables detached and I plunged into the Atlantic. The suit slowed my descent as I passed 10 meters, then 20, the water darkening around me.

Systems normal descending its standard rate. Copy that. Doctor Foster said. Maintain heading 045 to reach the Canyon edge. I used the suits.

Thrusters to descend. At 50 meters, I switched on the external lights, illuminating the water around me. 100 meters I reported visibility. 12 meters with lights, vital signs stable, Chen replied. Oxygen consumption normal.

The descent continued. Past 200. Meters, then 300. The Canyon wall appeared with the same tube like growths I'd seen from the submersible, glowing faintly. 400 meters, I said, Approaching the Canyon edge now.

Pressure hull integrity optimal, Chen reported. You're doing great. At 500 meters, the water pressure outside would have crushed an unprotected human instantly, but inside the deep 6 the suit systems worked harder to compensate 600. Meters, I reported. Still following the Canyon wall.

That's when I heard it. The same warbling scream that had haunted my dreams since that first dive months ago. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Do you hear that? I asked.

Hear what? Doctor Foster replied. We're not picking up any acoustic anomalies. It's the same sound. We heard before.

The screaming Gregory. Our sensors show. Nothing but normal ocean ambient noise. Are you? Her voice cut out mid sentence, replaced by static.

I checked the communication panel. All systems showed green, but the link was dead. Doctor Foster Chen, do you copy? Nothing but static. I continued my descent, now past 700 meters.

The Canyon had widened into the vast underwater valley, and in the distance to the dark shape of the underwater city. A movement to my right caught my attention. The girl floated in the. Water about 10 meters. Away, her white dress billowing around her dark hair spreading outward, she looked exactly.

As she had on the. Surface pale skin, dark eyes, unnaturally still despite the currents. She smiled, beckoned, then swam away with impossible speed. Wait. I called out though.

She couldn't hear me through the suit. I followed her using the suit's thrusters. She appeared at the edge of my lights, beckoning before disappearing. Each time she reappeared, she led me closer to the massive structure. At 800 meters, I reached the underwater city.

It rose from the ocean floor, built partly into the Canyon wall, partly freestanding. Some sections were ancient stone, covered in marine growth. Others looked newer, with smooth surfaces that reflected my lights. The girl appeared in front. Of me put her.

Hand on my helmet, her lips moved silently. She pointed to an entrance in the structure, large enough for my suited body to fit through. I followed her inside. The passage opened into a chamber with air at the top. I used the suits buoyancy controls to rise into this pocket when she gestured.

Once my helmet cleared the water I could breathe normally. The air had a metallic taste but was breathable. My suit readings. Showed pressure matching. Surface atmosphere, despite being 800 meters below sea level.

That's impossible, I muttered. Not impossible, just different physics than you're used to. The voice came from behind me. I turned the suit around clumsily and saw Jack standing on a raised platform at the edge of the water. He looked almost the same as I remembered.

Same face, same build, but with alarming differences. His skin had a faint bluish tint and I could see the edges of gill slits on his neck closing now that he was in air. His hands were slightly. Webbed between the. Fingers and his eyes reflected my suit lights like a cat's Jack, I whispered.

Hello, Greg. His voice sounded the same, though there was a new resonance to it, almost musical. I knew you'd come eventually. What happened to you? What is this place?

Jack smiled. Help me get you out of that suit. It's safe here, I promise. I hesitated, then activated the emergency helmet release. The Dome hissed as it unlocked, and I lifted it off.

The air was cool. And damp against my. Face with that same metallic taste, the rest of the suit, Jack said you won't need it here. Following his instructions, I disengaged the main seals and stepped out of the deep 6 standing in my. Base layers a.

Thin thermal suit. I felt strangely vulnerable. How is this possible? I asked. The walls shifted as I.

Looked at them. How can there be air pressure like the surface at this depth they've been manipulating? Their environment longer. Than humans have existed, Jack said, stepping closer. They understand physics.

In ways we're only. Beginning to grasp they the creatures I saw, Jack nodded. The old ones, they've been here since before. The continents took. Their current shape.

They watched the first fish crawl onto land. They've been watching us ever since. What are they? They evolved in the oceans, just as our ancestors evolved on land. Different path, different biology, different civilization.

Jack gestured. Around us. This city is older than anything humans have built. Parts of it date back millions of years. I tried to process this information.

Why did they take you? They didn't take me, Greg. They invited me and I accepted. Jack's expression grew serious. They've been watching humanity's impact on the oceans with growing concern.

The pollution, the warming, the acidification. It's threatening their home, their very existence. So they're what, looking for Representatives, ambassadors, something like that? Jack held up his webbed hand. They offered me a chance to understand them, to live as they do.

The changes were intense, but worth it. I looked at his gills, his altered hands. They physically changed you. They helped me adapt. To their world.

Jack smiled. I can breathe underwater now, Greg. I can swim to depths that would crush an ordinary human. I can see in near total darkness. It's incredible.

But you can never go back to the surface, to your life. Jack's smile. Faded slightly. I've found a new. Life here A.

Better one in many ways a sound like distant. Whale song echoed. Through the chamber, Jack turned toward it, listening. They want to meet you, he said. They've been curious about.

You since you first. Saw them. The girl. Who is she? A projection, a way for them to interact with surface dwellers.

They created her from old memories, from stories humans have told about them over centuries. Jack held out his hand. Come on, there's something I want to show you. We followed Jack through a series of chambers, each more strange and beautiful than the last. The architecture defied human logic, with spaces that seem to fold into themselves and materials that glowed with soft bioluminescence.

Finally, we emerged onto a platform overlooking a vast open space within the city. Below us, several of the massive whale like creatures moved through the water with graceful, undulating movements. Up close, I could see they weren't quite like any whale species I knew. Their skin had patterns that glowed and shifted, and their heads were more elongated with features that suggested higher intelligence.

The old ones. Jack said softly. They've been watching. Humanity's evolution. With great interest, they've seen civilizations rise and fall.

They've watched us spread across the planet. What do they want from us? Understanding, cooperation. Eventually, Jack turned to me. They're worried, Greg.

The oceans are changing faster than they have in millions of years. Their home is becoming hostile to them because of climate change. Ocean acidification? Jack nodded. They've survived mass extinctions before, but this is different.

It's happening too quickly for them to adapt naturally. So they're what? Recruiting humans to help them in a way? Jack looked out at the creatures below. They want to share.

Their knowledge with us. To help us understand what we're doing to the planet. But they need intermediaries, humans who can comprehend their perspective. One of the creatures rose up toward our platform, massive and graceful. It stopped just below us, an enormous eye the size of a dinner plate, regarding me with unmistakable intelligence.

They're offering you the same thing they offered me, Jack said quietly. The chance to join them, to be changed. I stepped back to become like you with gills. And it's not as scary as it sounds. Jack's expression was earnest.

The transformation is painless, and what you gain is beyond description. You'd be part of something ancient and beautiful. I thought about it, really thought about it. To breathe underwater, to swim freely in the deepest parts of the ocean, to communicate with these incredible beings. Part of me was tempted.

I can't. I said finally. I have a life up there, people who depend on me. Jack nodded, not seeming surprised. I thought you might.

Say that there's another. Option What's that? Be our messenger. Help people understand what's happening to the oceans. Help protect their world and ours, The creature below.

US made a series of. Clicking sounds. Jack listened, then turned back to me. They want to show. You something before you decide.

The girl appeared. Beside us, her dark. Eyes fixed on mine, she held out her hand. It's OK, Jack assured me. Take her hand.

I hesitated, then reached out. Her hand felt solid and cool in mine, though I knew she wasn't physically real. The moment our hands touched, images flooded my mind. Oceans teeming with life. Coral reefs stretching for miles.

Creatures I'd never seen before moving through pristine waters. Then the images changed. Bleached corals, dead zones. Plastic waste drifting in currents. Oil slicks spreading across the surface.

The final image. Was the most disturbing. The underwater city abandoned, the old ones gone, the Ocean's empty of all but the most resilient species. The girl released my hand, and the vision stopped. That's what they're afraid of.

Jack said softly. Not just for themselves, but for all ocean life. I took a deep breath, trying to process what I'd seen. I understand and I want to help, but I can't stay here. Jack I need.

To go back. Jack nodded. I know, but will you tell their story? Will you help people understand what's at stake? Yes, I said without hesitation.

I'll do whatever I can. Jack smiled. There's one more thing they want to show you before you go. He led me back through the. City to a different.

Chamber. This one filled with water, except for a small platform where we stood in the center of the chamber. One of the massive creatures waited, floating just below the surface. They want you to touch it, Jack said. It's how they share knowledge directly.

Is it safe Completely. Jack's expression was reassuring. This is a gift, Greg. Knowledge they rarely share with surface dwellers. I knelt at the platform edge and reached into the water.

The creature moved closer, gliding until it was beneath my hand. I felt its smooth. Surface against my. Palm. Then a tingling sensation spread up my arm.

Images flooded my mind. Ocean currents flowing through the deep. Whale songs carrying across vast distances. Water pressure at extreme depths. The taste of minerals in seawater.

Knowledge about ocean systems. Temperature changes, chemistry, migration patterns, and feeding grounds. It was overwhelming but comprehensible, as if the creature was controlling what it shared. When the connection broke, I fell back onto the platform, gasping. Jack helped me sit up.

What was that? I asked. They've shared some knowledge with you. Jack explained. Information you'll need to understand what's happening to the oceans.

I looked at my hand, which still tingled from the contact. Will I remember all of it? Yes, though it may take time to process everything. Jack helped me up. It's time for you to go back.

They've altered your suit for your safe return. Will I see you again? Jack smiled, but there was sadness in his eyes. I don't know, maybe someday, But know that I'm happy here, Greg. I found my purpose.

We returned to the chamber where I'd left the Deep Six suit. It looked different somehow, sleeker, with faint luminescent patterns along the joints that hadn't been there before. They've improved it, Jack explained. It'll get you back to the surface much faster now I stepped into the suit. The systems came online, displays showing full power and oxygen.

The old ones will guide you back. Jack said as I secured the helmet. Trust them. I will. My voice sounded strange through the suit speakers.

Goodbye Jack, Goodbye Greg. Remember what you promised. The girl appeared in the. Water beside me. As I submerged, she grabbed my suit's arm.

And swam. Upward at impossible speed, The pressure gauge spun as we ascended, but I felt no discomfort. What should have taken hours happened in minutes. The girl stayed with me until we neared the surface, then released my arm and vanished. I broke the.

Surface beside the oceanic. Explorer as the sun rose as the crew helped. Me onto the deck. Doctor Foster rushed forward, her face a mixture of relief and anger. Where have you been?

She demanded. You've been gone for 12 hours. Communications failed after the first hour, and your tracking beacon went dead at 800 meters. I blinked in confusion. 12 hour?

That's impossible. Chen helped me out of the suit, which now looked exactly as it had when I'd left. No luminescent patterns, no alien modifications your oxygen should have. Run out hours ago. Doctor Foster said, checking the gauges.

But the tanks are still half full. That's not possible. I reached for my journal, which I'd left in my pocket before the dive. It was still there, but when I opened it, I found pages of new writing in my own handwriting that I had no memory of writing. Precise coordinates of underwater locations, Detailed descriptions of ocean current changes.

Warnings about temperature shifts in specific regions. What happened down there? Doctor Foster asked, looking over my shoulder at the journal. I closed it quickly. I found Jack, I said simply.

And I learned why he was taken later. Alone in my cabin. I read through the new entries in my journal. The information was extensive and precise. Locations of deep sea thermal vents.

Migration patterns of various marine species. Predictions about ocean temperature changes over the next decade. Knowledge I. Couldn't possibly have known. Written in my own hand, I understood.

Then what had happened? The Old Ones had made me their messenger, a bridge between their world and mine. The knowledge they'd. Shared would help me prove. What was happening to the oceans?

Help me convince others of the urgent need for change. I placed my hand. On the Journal. Feeling a faint tingling sensation, the same I'd felt when touching the creature. Something had changed in me, something fundamental.

I wasn't transformed like Jack with gills and webbed hands, but I wasn't the same person who descended in that suit this morning. I was something in between, now still human, but carrying the knowledge of beings who had watched the oceans for millions of years, a messenger between 2 worlds forever. Changed by what I'd seen in.

The depth below.