Mariana 1

      The year is 2064, two years after Earth was first contacted by the Ollut species. The Ollut came from the planet we once documented as Kepler-22b, but what they have named Ul’dumt – of course in sound. While they have learned our language quickly, it is still taking us time to do the same with theirs.

           They came to our planet in peace, and to prove so they have taught us technological advancements that would’ve taken us decades (if not centuries) to uncover on our own. But the most remarkable thing of note, to Captain Alexander at least, was that they did not appear all too alien – they were carbon-based lifeforms, and in many ways, they looked like humans; though their skin ranged on a spectrum from deep crimson red to a bright purple, and their eyes were apparently nothing but pupil. Captain Alexander noted he could perfectly see his reflection in their eyes when he had met one in person.

           Now, thanks to the exotic teaching of the Olluts, a massive deep-sea explorative vessel named Marian 1 was idle just above the trench for which it was named. The design of this watercraft was remarkable, as it was as spacious as a station on the surface, and the immense pressure just outside these walls couldn’t be felt; it was as if one were standing at sea level on Earth.

           It was eventually revealed that the Ollut’s had come here with a more specific purpose in mind; they had been receiving a strange type of transmission from Earth that they could not identify and came here to investigate. Once they realized we humans could be trusted, they opened up to us. Together we found this transmission, which sounded like a discordant song when run through their technology, was coming from the bottom of the Marian Trench. Thus, the Mariana 1 was constructed by both Human and Ollut hands, a symbol of unified worlds for the noble goal of scientific discovery.

           Captain Albert Alexander was anointed the commander of this extraordinary station, with a first mate being one of the Olluts. His name was Aq’rah, and Captain Alexander found him to be a very pleasant bit of company. Cpt. Alexander and Aq’rah were alerted of a distress signal by their ground units down at the surface of the trench. Apparently, as they set their suits to automatic homing back up to their ship, Petty Officer Garibaldi’s suit malfunctioned which sent him drifting back to the bottom of the trench.

           Cpt. Alexander had begun organizing a rescue party immediately and, against the advisement of his first mate, had climbed inside one of the deep-sea mechsuits. These suits were three times the size of a regular human, with a type of clear shield that covers where the operator would sit. Within just a few moments, Cpt. Alexander along with Lieutenant Hutton and Ensign Johnson all descended, down into the dark.

           “Light’s on, people.” Cpt. Alexander said through their coms. There was a short chorus of “Aye, captain!” as bright beams shot out from each mechsuit, like pairs of extremely heavy-duty headlights. As powerful as these lights were, they only allowed vision just a few feet ahead of them in such powerful darkness.

           The heavy boots of the suits each clamped on the trench’s floor with reverberating thuds. “This is your queue, Johnson.” The Captain said. Ensign Johnson nodded in his suit, not realizing that his captain most likely didn’t see this gesture, as he raised his suit’s left arm and shot a unique type of flair out of it. The flair burned bright, and the damp dark blue around them had become just a little clearer; like looking down the street at night when the moon is a quarter full. “Garibaldi’s distress call was last heard approximately fifty meters south of us,” Lieutenant Hutton said, “I suggest a spread-out wedge formation.”

           “That checks out. Johnson, take starboard.” Cpt. Alexander replied. Johnson moved to the left side of his captain and started to move forward, when Alexander said, “Johnson, I know you’re nodding at me in there, but for clarity’s sake please say something in response when we’re down here.” Silence at first, then, “Right. Aye Captain!” from Johnson.

           Even through the clear visors and with their different ways of illumination, it was difficult to see exactly where they were going in this murky deep. Occasionally Alexander would see something moving in the dark, just out of reach of the lights. Though he was certain any creature down here wouldn’t have the strength to instantly break or dismantle one of these suits, they still set him on edge. For one, these suits had no weaponry installed in them, and secondly – what the hell kind of creatures even live here? Not any kind he’d want to see face-to-face.

           As if Johnson could read the captain’s thoughts, he muttered, “Man, down here will never NOT give me the creeps.”

           “Tell me about it,” Hutton said back.

           Alexander chuckled, and said, “Don’t I know it. Just keep your eyes sharp, and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

           The three had been down here for roughly thirty minutes now, and Johnson had to swing away more than one weird type of “squid-thing!” as he called them. When Alexander had started to get nervous for Garibaldi, he heard Hutton call, “Over here! I think I see him!”

           Alexander and Johnson were running (or, the next best thing to running as these suits could allow) in Hutton’s direction when Alexander saw what Hutton was seeing – a blinking blue light, the same kind that can be seen on one of these suits when the lights are turned off. The blinking was sporadic and rapid, and Alexander couldn’t think of why. The answer became clear when Johnson said, “Jesus, he’s being swarmed! It’s probably that damn blue blip!”

           Johnson was right – Garibaldi’s mech suit was being swarmed. Different creatures that thrive in the trench were squirming and gnawing at Garibaldi’s mechsuit, some of them eating others with one fell chomp so they could be the one to get to the light – and to Garibaldi on the other side of it. “Get the hell off of him!” Hutton said angrily, as she swatted her suit’s arm at the creatures. The slimy and scaled things had turned to gnash at her instead out of anger or, possibly, confusion. When Johnson and Alexander joined in swatting these deep-sea creatures, they would eventually recede and swim away. “Fuckin’ pests!” Johnson hissed angrily at their retreating figures.

           “Never mind them!” Alexander said harshly; he was looking through Garibaldi’s face shield. There was no crack as far as he could see, but there was a crack somewhere in Garibaldi’s suit as he saw the water pooling inside, reaching up to his lower lip. Garibaldi’s eyes were closed, his skin was pasty white, and his lips were blue.

           Jesus, I can’t imagine how God damn cold he’s got to be in there, Alexander thought. How much longer is this suit going to last down here with that crack?

           “Captain, is he even...?” Johnson began, but Hutton cut him off with a sharp, “Shut up, Johnson! Not now. We have to get him back.”

           Alexander nodded, noting the irony of the gesture just after his command to Johnson earlier. He hooked his suit’s arms around Garibaldi’s suit, and gave the command, “Everyone take hold of some part of him, we’re getting out of here – now.” They each did as he asked – Hutton grabbed Garibaldi’s left arm, and Johnson the right. “Get your suits on autopilot in return back to the ship, it’s the only chance we got!”

           Near simultaneously, each of their mechsuits began to hover off the trench’s floor. Water jets spun rapidly under their feet as the suits themselves magnetized with their assigned return point at the bay doors – This exceptionally magnificent use of magnetization was another huge thanks to the Olluts.

           The bright light from the opening hangar doors of the Mariana 1 was so inviting, that Alexander felt he could weep. He was used to submarine work, but this entire mission was something else entirely.

           The four of them were safely inside the vessel and Garibaldi’s mechsuit was set as gently down as they could manage. As Alexander climbed out of his suit, he saw Aq’rah powerwalking towards him with a neutral expression. At least, Alexander thought it was neutral – with how alike the Olluts appeared to humans, their differences were still vast, and emotions were no exception to that. “Is he alive?” Aq’rah asked in his strange accent. Alexander expected some kind of, “I still think you shouldn’t have gone down there?” but he learned quickly that these were a very to-the-point kind of people.

           “Yeah… I think so, anyway.” Alexander replied as he watched the standby medical team load Garibaldi onto a stretcher. Hutton and Johnson were muttering fiercely to each other by Garibaldi’s mechsuit. “Good,” Aq’rah said, “Every life here is important for this mission.” Alexander smirked at him for that, and said, “I agree completely. No one left behind!”

           Aq’rah looked as if he was going to reply, but remained silent as his eyes shifted past Alexander’s shoulder. “What is-?” Alexander started to ask, but was cut off when Hutton called, “Captain, I think you should see this!”

           Alexander turned briskly on his heel and looked at Hutton (and Johnson, who was looking over her shoulder and into her hands with wide eyes) and saw that she was holding a black cube in her hands. When she brought it closer to him, he could see that this strange cube was of seemingly perfect dimensions, and its coloration was the darkest thing he’d ever seen, except for the edges; the edges of this box were a dark purple only seen with a backdrop as if there was a violet flashlight being held behind it.

           “That’s… Well, very peculiar, Lieutenant. Where did you find this?” Alexander asked.

           “Well, if you could believe it, sir,” Hutton said in a chilled tone, “It was being clutched by Garibaldi’s suit. Suffice to say, he found it. Down there.” She pointed below them as if that needed to be specified. At this Alexander’s eyes widened, as he reached for the box. Hutton handed it to him, and he found that it was extraordinarily light in weight. “That’s not possible,” he mumbled, “It’s so clean… and with how light this is, you’d think it would be completely destroyed in that pressure!”

           Aq’rah narrowed his eyes at the cube. “I do believe, Captain, that this is what we are looking for.” Alexander turned to face his first mate and asked incredulously, “You mean this is what was sending out that signal that brought your people here?” Aq’rah closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “I do not know. But I have little doubt that this object is at least related.”

           Hutton gleamed at the box when she heard this, and Johnson still stared at it with an empty, dreamy expression. Alexander noticed this and cautiously said, “I need you two to go get some rest. That’s an order.” Hutton shook herself and looked at her captain. “I feel fine, sir,” she said, “Honest! I was just a little… I guess intrigued.”

           “Now, Lieutenant. That means you too, Ensign!” Alexander ordered. Hutton gave a salute and dejectedly walked away. Johnson, however, stood lazily still, saying nothing, still eyeing the black cube. Alexander handed the cube to Aq’rah. “Take this… Somewhere safe. We’ll figure out what it is later.” And radioed for medical to come and take a look at Johnson.

***

           Ensign Johnson woke up in a start and sat upright. He looked around and saw he was in sick bay. “How the hell...?” He whispered to himself. He looked next to himself and saw Garibaldi lying on a bed unconscious, tubes and wires hooked into his too-pale skin. “Hey, man,” Johnson said to his unconscious shipmate. “You just hang in there, okay?” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He stretched his spine forward and back, then side to side. With a yawn, he moved over to the wall where a comms box was attached. “Hey Hutton, it’s Johnson. I don’t know how but I woke up in medical,” he spoke into it, “Do you know which wing I’m on?” A quiet static was all he got in response.

           “Hutton?” He clicked again. More static, but now he could make out some words, “Did..s…Box?”

           “What?” he asked into the speaker.

           “Did..s…Box?”

           Johnson rubbed his temple, irritated. “Hutton if that’s you, you gotta speak up I can’t hear a word you’re-”

           “Did you see the box?” A male voice said behind him.

           Johnson whirled around, almost tripping as he did so, and looked at Garibaldi. Garibaldi was standing before him, naked, the wires and tubes hanging lazily around him from out of his skin. His eyelids were closed.

           “G!” Johnson said, startled, “You freaked the shit outta me, man! What are you doing?”

           Garibaldi did not reply. He stood there motionlessly, looking but not looking at Johnson with his closed eyelids.

           “G...?” Johnson practically whimpered. “What’s going on, man?”

           Garibaldi opened his eyelids, and what was beneath them was nothingness. It wasn’t pitch blackness, but it was the type of nothing as what one cannot see behind their own head – only Johnson did see it, that nothingness, in Garibaldi’s eyes. “Did you see the box?” asked Garibaldi.

***

           Captain Alexander walked through the corridors of his ship. It was “night” time, according to their clocks; though it was perpetually night down here, the only thing stopping that was the timers on the ship’s lights. Now there was only a faint illumination of a dim red glow through the hallways. He found sleep evading him and decided this was the best way to clear his head. It was a troubling day of work, yet ultimately a success.

           And there was the box.

           Such a strange object that defied all reason, and was so captivating just by existing. He had so many questions about the box; where did it come from? Who made it? What is it even made of?

           As he pondered this, a feeling of unease struck his stomach. No, it wasn’t unease, it wasn’t even subliminal; it was an actual, gravitational feeling.

           Why are we ascending? He thought angrily. He broke into a sprint towards the bridge.

***

           Captain Alexander was through the blast doors before they would even fully open. “What the hell is going on here? Who gave the order to make land?!” He bellowed.

           First Mate Aq’rah, Lieutenant Hutton, Ensign Johnson, and Petty Officer Garibaldi all stood on the bridge, their backs facing him. “Well?!” He demanded. But they did not even seem to register him. It was with this pause that Alexander noticed his surroundings – the hull of the bridge was covered in a sickly, palish purple substance that looked flesh-like. “What… How…” He didn’t know what to say, as he watched this contortion of gooey flesh on his ship start to throb – no, not throb, but breathe.

           “Did you look at the box, Captain?” Aq’rah said with Garibaldi’s voice. He turned to face Alexander.

           “What the fuck?!” Alexander said stumbling back into the squishy wall, raising his hands up defensively.

           Aq’rah’s eyes, which were once black and reflective, now mirrored clustered stars with purple veins thrumming through them. His crewman’s blouse had been ripped open, revealing a face that looked almost human birthing from his chest – a face with a grotesquely frozen expression of horror and pain, and tendrils of muscle slowly wriggling around it.

           “It is a god. But not one you can see.” Garibaldi’s voice said through Aq’rah’s mouth. “But it wants you to see.”

           Alexander was shaking, sweat poured down his back as his eyes bulged at what remained of his closest shipmates. “No…” he pleaded with a whimper.

           “You must see it, Captain.” Hutton said with an otherworldly echo, “It is his gift. Be one of the first to receive it before we reach the surface. Be like us.”

           “This is the water, and this is the well,” Johnson sang with a siren’s grace, “Drink full, and ascend.”

           Aq’rah moved to his fear-stricken Captain and lifted the lid of the box, and though he tried to resist, the temptation was too great – the pull that whatever this thing had on his mentality was too great. The Mariana 1 was rising to the surface to greet the peoples of two worlds with their findings – their gift – and the ship’s commander, Captain Albert Alexander, looked into the box and ascended.