Guy; a name graciously gifted to him by his cold host, sat inside his dark, metallic chamber and looked out the small, circular porthole offering a direct view of the facility - his new home if he had understood the beautiful girl correctly.
Ever since waking up in Site B, he had been feeling the claustrophobia of being trapped in their submerged home. The metal walls of his bare chamber chilled him to the bone with their green, bubbled alloys; alloys that seemed to defy nature by resisting a corroded death for so long in the salty depths.
The outside world was dark, but for the red lights cast their illuminance on the stacked, hollow boxes that had once supposedly brimmed with life. Though he didn’t know how he knew, he understood from the data in the life-support system that the station suffered immensely due to the dying fusion core. As a mode to use the dwindling electricity optimally, the temperature had been lowered to ten degrees, meaning that without the use of the thermosuits everyone wore, they would all have been dead within hours. Yet the girl seemed none the wiser of it - he imagined most were ignorant of the dreadful data on the screens. How else could they continue to live their lives in the hostile elements without fleeing for the surface?
But the Logoruum people, as Luna called them, would likely not survive on the surface. The gaseous mix allowing them to breathe under such high pressure had built up in their tissues for generations. Any attempts to depart from the depths would cause explosive decompression and, within a short time, would kill them… painfully.
This knowledge came to him not in words, but by a curious mix of sensations, dreams, and more disturbingly: an inexplicable need. Not at all dissimilar to how his feet would itch in the coldness of the nights, only to ever still as he twitched his legs before they returned to him.
In other words, he felt as if some grand intelligence spoke to him from the furthest reaches of his mind; a being above the need for words and writing. Was this the Monstrum they suspected him of harboring? This supposed world-ending threat that had driven them into the depths? Why, then, had she saved him - this Luna, who kept bringing him food before quickly disappearing from his chamber to speak to him through the panel?
Though he dared not speak it, he enjoyed those stolen moments when her light voice would bleed from the panel. So far, he had only heard the three of them: the station Commander, his second-in-command Mars and, most enjoyably, Luna.
The trio stimulated him on different levels. Stellaris had attempted to milk him of knowledge of the outside world - of his origins and his family. He likely knew that something in the story was amiss, but much befitting a man of his station, he seemed not to act on it unless he had proof… or perhaps Mars or Luna had stayed his hand.
Mars was a far more interesting character; preoccupied with the workings of their ‘sacred System’ and would often question at length about various pieces of machinery - even discussing the philosophy behind them. He would always leave on a positive note, unlike the last of his hosts… Luna…
The first time she had visited him in his chamber, carrying with her a bowl of the delicious, salty stew, he had been stricken with tempers unknown. Physically, her exterior made his stomach churn, but positively. Those long legs, the ridges to her famished pelvis, the flat chest, her small nose, and those expressive, dark-ringed, red eyes appealed to him in a manner that seemed to stimulate not only him but the intelligence speaking to him from the back of his mind. But her physical visits were always short. She was afraid of him - it was written all over her as soon as she stepped into the chamber. She would grip her right elbow and stand at a respectable distance, avoiding meeting his curious gaze.
The first time he had seen her, she had kept her hair bundled up at the back of her head, but since then she had let it hang over her shoulder, revealing that it glistened most extraordinarily in the bright, white lights of his humble abode.
He had made a note of noticing something new about her every time she was in there so that he might envision her better when she spoke through the panel; conversations that had dried up, likely due to his lack of conscious knowledge and experience.
Unbeknownst to him, this also filled her with dread. The angel of the kelp fields interested her greatly, but she detested the lengthy periods of silence in their communication. He had interesting insights into machinery, but that only ever went so far… when it came to anything else, he was as ignorant as could be and the conversations were not as stimulating as she imagined they could’ve been if he only knew more.
That aside, she had begun her new job as a scavenger, which brought with it new stresses. She was no longer the kelp culturist, meaning someone else had taken over her job, sealing her way back. Every day, she and her only other colleague: a brutish, macho man by the name of Menta would leave for the flooded partitions to scavenge for sacred circuitry and parts that they would bundle and package for their journey to Stellaris station; a journey still a few months off. But with any luck, they would soon find themselves on the floor of the Fish, traversing the great unknowns to a land of magic and bright lights.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
But despite her bright outlook on the future, the dreaded day of her father’s departure crept ever closer; a day she dreaded like none other.
The door to Guy’s chamber slid open to reveal the strange, young man, himself. Luna noted how he had moved the blanket serving as his bed to the middle of the naked room, where he could look out the small porthole. There, he sat with his back turned towards the door and stared out into the abyss in silence.
She had clothed herself in her fresh, beige jacket and another short black skirt. She approached him from behind with her bowl of stew in her right hand and a glass of water in her left. To his surprise, she did not stop her usual two steps into the room and instead approached him with heavy steps that echoed between the solid metal hull-plates. When she was finally behind him, she leaned over to stare out the small, circular hole and joined him in the silent beholding. After a long moment of comfortable musings, he whispered: “Don’t you ever feel it? That… icky feeling?” She seemed relieved he decided not to make a big thing of her approach. She cocked her head at him and asked: “I… feel a lot of things. Anything more specific?”
He nodded, still staring out. “We’re so far underwater we can’t see the sun or the skies… we can’t tell if it’s night or day… don’t you ever want to leave? To go up there?” She seemed taken aback by the question.
Still holding his foodstuffs, she made a ponderous sound and answered: “I used to, as a kid. But my dad says we’d explode if we tried, so… well, I’m just used to this being our world, I guess?” The answer left him dissatisfied. Still, without looking at her, he said: “I’m not sure why, but I’m surprised at this. You, your father, and your uncle have all accepted that this is where you belong. Whatever drove you down here… don’t you ever want to fight it?”
For the first time since he had met her, she sounded a genuine giggle, greatly bemused by his suggestion.
“We can’t fight the Hellspawn, Guy… that’d be like fighting the water or hunger. All we can do is live with what we’ve got. D’you think you’re from up there? I mean, it kinda fits with you being an angel. They’re said to live up in the heavens.” He shrugged, shook his head, and finally stood up, making a point to turn slowly so as to not frighten her. Surprisingly, she did not rear back as he stood face-to-face with her, yet her eyes never met his. Instead, she extended the metal bowl and the glass in his direction.
“Something’s… different with you. You usually keep your distance.” He said as he took the items from her and put them down next to the improvised bed.
“I think we know each other well enough for me to know you won’t kill me, right? B-besides… my dad says it’s time to let you out of here. He doesn’t know the full story, but… I think he’s right. If you were a monster, you'd have eaten me already, right?” She finally met his gaze to smile up at him, letting him see her beauty in full.
Her cheeks felt uncomfortably warm - it was unlike anything she'd ever felt before as she stared up into his bright-red eyes. The mysterious stranger who had so unnerved her now stared directly into her soul with a kindly smile - a far cry from the crazed beast she had met out into the kelp. His smile drew sideways as he, too, took in their proximity. Then… the weight pressing on her shoulders returned. That pit in her stomach ate away the warmth of her face, leaving her with that melancholic cold.
He could easily see it on her, that shift, and said: “Today’s the day Commander Stellaris leaves for the expedition. You seem worried.”
She was about to open her mouth, when the source of her worries keyed open the door, stepped in and proudly paused to look at the pair inside the chamber, noting their closing proximity. Commander Stellaris had dressed himself in a black thermosuit, lined with yellow lines and topped with a long, brown coat - the same coat he always wore when he left. His pristinely smooth-shaven head and scalp reflected the overhead, bright-white lights as he stepped in and closed the door; straightening his back to look at the youngsters with a bright grin.
“It’s been a mooncycle, so you’re overdue to earn your stay, stranger. I take it Luna’s told you?” Guy nodded. Stellaris chuckled and made a point of shining his dashing smile towards his daughter as if to say, ‘he’s a keeper’.
Stellaris raised his hand to his chin and turned towards the panel by the door, speaking over his shoulder: “The weirdest things have been happening lately… it seems like the System’s started prioritizing differently lately. Instead of the regular power cut-outs in the vital sectors, it’s been redirected whenever the core’s struggling. By my accounts, we should have lost another harvest, but due to the reprioritization, we’ve managed to boost growth in three beds to two hundred percent.” Luna reared her head and looked to her father and Guy in turn. The two men’s eyes met as they exchanged a silent understanding that Guy had, already, done more than enough to earn his stay.
“I feel better knowing the System’s under your watch while I’m gone. With you at my brother… and my daughter’s… side… I’ll rest safer on the expedition. I won't be gone for long, so rest easy I won't work you too hard. I’ll be back for the next harvest.” His confidence was inspiring and it was no mystery to Guy how this man had been elected for his seat.
Luna seemed perpetually displeased as she continued to hover over Guy and rubbed her elbow- forming one grimace after the other, but kept her mouth still. Whatever Devil had gotten into her father's moods, he seemed determined to make her speak and so, Stellaris went on to jest: “That’s not even enough time to make a grandchild.” Luna’s jaw fell agape, her cheeks intermittently flushed and paled as she took a decided step away from the stranger and shouted at her father: “That’s disgusting! And stop joking around - you’re going on a dangerous mission!” His laughter only further increased her annoyance.
“I’ll be fine, Luna. I’ll be better than fine - I’ll return with the core and we’ll reclaim our lost cantons. The people will eat again - we may even celebrate by bringing in some nitrogen to feed the System. Naturally, I’ll need your help, stranger. Whoever you are, you know the System better than any of us - installing the core will be the most important operation our society’s ever performed. Will you assist us?” Guy did not hesitate in nodding, despite harboring doubts he would find any free cores out in the dunes.
“Of course, Commander. I’d like to be useful… you saved my life, after all.” The last part was directed at Luna, whose cheeks warmed up at the pleasantly confident smile.
“I’m sure you’ll save ours in turn.”