Page 84 of Fallen from the Stars

“I’ve never seen creatures like these,” Larkin said.

“Adapted to the unique conditions of this trench,” Kane replied. “Some of these creatures give off strange readings. It must be some quirk of their unique biology.”

“What do you mean bystrange?” asked Theo.

Kane made a thoughtful humming sound. “Erratic. There are traces of what I can only assume is halorium in their signatures — much too faint to be of any concern to us, but present nonetheless.”

Ahead, two small blue orbs appeared in the darkness. As Theo neared them, the source became apparent — a half-meter-long fish with large, pale eyes and two points of bioluminescence near its mouth. The fish’s glow went out abruptly, and the creature vanished in the gloom. More creatures entered Theo’s view as she swam onward; a few cast their own light, but most were revealed to her as fleeting, ghostly images in the glow from the diving suits and her kraken companions. She had the sense that those phantoms were lured in by the light only to be scared off by what they saw upon drawing close.

I survived the streets pretty much on my own as a kid,she thought.I got this.

“There is an anomaly ahead,” Kane said, drawing Theo’s attention to the spot with a briefly flashing circle in her display.

At first glance, it seemed a natural feature of the trench floor — a large outcropping of rock, perhaps, blanketed with sediment and clumps of what Theo assumed was some sort of vegetation. What she was looking at became clearer as she neared — especially the size and shape of theanomaly. It was long and roughly cylindrical, though the bottom was mostly lost in the sand on the floor of the trench. The anomaly extended far beyond her field of view, which was limited to only five or ten meters.

Kane superimposed a wireframe model of the sub over the anomaly; though centuries of sediment and growth had obscured the shape, it was a near perfect match. The rises and dips followed the contours of the sub’s design exactly, stretching one hundred meters from one end to the other.

“I think we found our sub,” said Larkin.

Finally, they came close enough for the exterior lights of the diving suits to fall upon the anomaly directly. Even partially buried, it stood at least twelve meters high. Odd, pale vegetation, dirt, and strange shell-like growths covered its surface, but there was something more to be seen —metal. Though dulled and dingy, Theo knew those little patches breaking through the sediment were glimpses of the hull.

“We sure did,” Theo agreed, “and it looks like it’s in one piece.”

Larkin followed Theo closer to the old submarine, swinging her harpoon gun off her back and into her hands. “It’s been here a long time. There’s a good chance it’s not intact, despite how it might look. Most things from the colonization are broken down or worn away.”

“As long as there was no significant damage to the hull, it should be almost as good as new,” Theo said as she reached forward to place her hand on the metal. She smoothed her palm over it; despite the bumpy grime caked on its surface and her diminished sense of touch through the suit, it felt familiar. She was back in her element just like that. “According to the specs Kane pulled, they put alotof money into this thing. They wanted the stuff here to last. The IDC considered this place a long-term investment.”

“I hope you’re right. So, how do we get in?” asked Larkin.

The sub’s plans appeared superimposed over Theo’s vision again.

“There is an airlock on the starboard side near the fore of the craft,” said Kane. A soft pulse of light drew Theo’s attention to her right, where Kane highlighted the airlock entry door, seventy-five meters away.

“Okay,” Theo said, “Let’s go check it out.”

Letting her harpoon gun hang by its shoulder strap, Larkin signed to the kraken, who had spread out to keep watch. After she was done, Dracchus made a few more signs, using his tentacles as well as his hands.

The party moved along the hull of the submarine. Everything within their combined light was perfectly illuminated, but only impenetrable darkness loomed beyond. Though she was with a group, Theo couldn’t help the feeling of loneliness and isolation lurking on the edges of her mind; if someone were to die down here, they’d just begone, never to be found. Claimed by the sea for eternity.

“Here we are,” Theo said as they finally reached the airlock door. Though it was positioned low on the submarine’s exterior, the door was only partially blocked by sand thanks to the curve of the hull. But that blockage wasn’t her primary concern — the hardened buildup of shelled creatures and grime was more problematic.

Larkin gestured to the kraken, who fanned out in a semicircle around the door, weapons in hand. She kept near Theo, having shifted her harpoon gun back into her hands.

“We need to get this door cleared before we try to open it. Kane, have you been able to connect to the sub’s computer?” asked Theo.

“Yes, but it has been in a low-power state for hundreds of years, and its remote functionality is extremely limited. Everything seems to be operating normally. The filtration system has kept the air clean, and the reactor is stable, but you’ll need to use the manual controls to open the door.”

“Okay. Let’s get to work.”

Theo caught Vasil’s attention and pointed to the sand gathered at the bottom of the entry door. She curled the fingers of both hands and pantomimed digging, imagining a dog pawing through the dirt. She’d only seen a few mangy strays during her childhood, but she’d always been fascinated by the animals; there hadn’t been much other wildlife to see apart from roaches and rats.

He probably doesn’t even know what a dog is, she thought.

When they were done with all this, when they finally had some time to rest, she’d have to show him. Even if he never saw one in person, it was better toknow, wasn’t it?

Vasil nodded. He carefully placed the container he’d been carrying on the sea floor about a meter to the side of the door. Her personal tools were stored within, protected from the water. Once his hands were free, he swam closer to her, cupped the back of her head with one hand, and leaned in to press a kiss atop her hood.

Theo’s body hummed, and it had nothing to do with the diving suit’s internal energy field. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to feel his skin against hers, to feel hisheat, to smash her lips to his and kiss him long, deep, and passionately.

---