One of my most important duties aboard NOAH 1 was making sure the humans woke up on time for their duties. This often meant heading to the Navigation Deck, where I’d usually find a petty officer slumped in his chair, sound asleep when he should’ve been alert. My job? To wake him so he could rouse the rest and get the day started. I’d spring onto his chest and deliver a firm thump to his head—wake up! Wake up!
Startled, he bolted upright, nearly toppling off the chair before regaining his balance. Rubbing his eyes, he’d glance out the window at the faint light of dawn creeping over the horizon. That was his cue. Grabbing the horn, he’d march through the ship’s hallways, from the topmost deck to the very bottom, his blaring call echoing through every deck, impossible to ignore.
The scavengers’ departure, however, was different from the lively wake-up calls. It was always a quiet affair, their journeys beginning long before the first light of dawn. On the day Louis and his crew departed, I woke from my own makeshift bed—a tin tub lined with a blanket, just large enough for me—placed opposite Alan’s bed. Stretching and yawning, I shook off the last traces of sleep and made my way through the little plastic-flapped opening at the bottom of the door.
As the leader of the scavengers, Louis was always first in line to receive my personal wake-up call. padded down to the Kelping suite, a deck below, where a similar opening allowed me to enter.
“Wake up!” I called, scampering to Louis and Sarah’s closed door. Scratching at the wood, I shouted again, “Wake up, Louis! It’s that time—another sea adventure awaits!”
Inside, I heard the soft stirrings of movement—slippers sliding on, footsteps shuffling—and the door opened with a click. Sarah stood in the doorway, wrapped in a dark green robe, her face still heavy with sleep but smiling faintly.
“Page, you’re going to have to help me wake him,” she said, moving aside and opening the door wide enough for me to go through. “He’s being stubborn and refuses to budge.”
I didn’t need further prompting. I launched myself onto the bed and landed squarely on Louis’s chest. I licked his face until he stirred awake, groaning and swatting me away half-heartedly.
“Alright, alright,” he grumbled, stifling a yawn. “I’ll get ready now.”
Sarah laughed softly, crawling back under the covers to plant a lingering kiss on his lips, while I found myself squeezed snugly between the two of them.
“You know I’m right here, don’t you?” I meowed indignantly, though they didn’t seem to care.
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I circled Louis, sprawled face down on the floor, and brushed close enough to lick his cheek and nose. His eyes snapped open as I backed away, watching him suck in a shaky breath before exhaling deeply. Slowly, he raised a hand to scratch me behind my left ear with a familiar, fond touch.
“I thought I was dreaming,” he mumbled, his voice thick with fatigue. “But you’re here, aren’t you, buddy?” He groaned, pushing himself upright but swayed dangerously, his knees threatening to buckle. Francis rushed in, gripping his arm firmly and pulling him to his feet just in time.
Alan appeared moments later from around the corner, her weapon raised and ready. But when her eyes settled on Louis, and she saw Francis helping him to his feet, the tension eased and she lowered her gun.
“Who’s that?” she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Louis gave her a weak grin. “Hey, Alan. Good to see you.”
Alan’s eyes went wide, her jaw slack with disbelief. “It can’t be…” she began, her voice wavering as she struggled to form the rest of the sentence.
“Louis?...” She breathed.
“Yeah, it's me.”
“Just don't stand there, Officer Alan! Help us over here,” ordered Francis.
Quickly, Alan stepped forward, taking her place on Louis’s other side. Together with Francis, she helped him stay upright as he directed them toward the Laboratory. Inside the room, two bodies lay side by side on the floor. One of them was Quintin, another scavenger.
I remembered him well—a good man with a wife and several children. Quintin wasn’t much for talking, but he had a quiet kindness about him. He loved watching the sunrise from the rail on the promenade deck and didn’t mind when I joined him. Sometimes, he’d even offer me a small treat, like a few crumbs of dried seaweed.
Now, here he was. Lifeless. Naked. His body, his tangled beard, even his hair were slick with a strange, viscous slime.
“Quintin…” Alan gasped, rushing to his side. She knelt down, pressing her fingers to his neck, listening intently for any faint sign of breath.
“Is he alive?” Francis asked, hovering behind her.
Alan’s breath trembled as she lowered her head, a quiet, pained “No” slipping from her lips. Her hand brushed the side of Quintin's neck. Her touch lingered over the faint bruises. “It looks like he was choked to death,” she said, her voice breaking slightly.
I lowered my head, a sharp pang lancing through my chest. Goodbye, Quintin, my friend. Rest peacefully. Stepping closer, I pressed my nose gently against his cheek. The cold slime clung to the tip of my nose, its clammy texture sent a chill down my spine
But as I lingered there, something about this scene began to bother me. Something wasn’t adding up. Why was Quintin covered in slime? What had happened to the rest of the crew? My thoughts turned to Louis. He had survived, yes—but unlike Quintin, he was clothed and untouched by the strange substance.
I turned my attention to the other body. It was one of the humanoids. I sniffed its hand and examined the swollen, disfigured face partially peeking out from behind the shattered helmet. Judging by the scorch marks and charred edges, it appeared the helmet had been destroyed by a gun’s beam.
Although alive, its condition was grave. Each breath came ragged and strained. I flinched as one of its bulging eyes twitched, shifting in my direction. I stood frozen, my limbs gripped by terror. Before I could react, it had its grip on my neck, pulling me toward its open mouth. As I neared, the tentacles slithered from its mouth, reaching for me with an insatiable hunger. But before they could wrap around me, a flash of blue light struck the humanoid. Its hand slackened, falling to the floor.
I snapped out of my paralysis and stumbled backward, watching as the tentacles pushed out of its mouth, followed by a blob that landed with a wet plop. Franics stomped on the creature, while Alan scooped me up from the floor, holding me in her arms—not to comfort me, but to restrain me, keeping me in place as if I might unwittingly wander off into the jaws of another peril.
“What was that thing?” Francis asked, his face twisted in disgust.
Louis dropped into a chair, his exhaustion evident in his labored breathing. “It’s a mutated jellyfish,” he said. “Not that it resembles one anymore—it’s more like a blob... or a brain. I call it the sea brain. If one gets inside you, it takes over—your mind, your body, everything. There’s no way to get it out without killing you.”
Slumping against the chair, Louis reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slender vial. Francis raised a brow, shooting him a questioning look, and Louis responded with a weary smile, “I’ve been without food for days, and this has been the only thing keeping me alive.”
He uncorked the vial and drank its liquid. Almost immediately, a flicker of energy returned to him, and his pallid complexion warmed with a faint hint of color.
“What am I going to do with you, Page?” Alan muttered, her scowl deepening as she tightened her grip around me. “I shouldn’t have let you on the boat. From now on, you’re staying with me until we’re safely back home.” Her arms were a cage, but my curiosity was restless, eager to break free.
My eyes wandered across the laboratory, a maze of strange machinery that seemed to hum with mystery. Familiar instruments stood in orderly rows—microscopes, hot plates, and beakers and flasks neatly arranged on shelves. They reminded me of the ones I'd seen in Dr. Willis's lab. It was a small comfort to see something familiar in this alien space. But beyond them lay contraptions unlike anything I’d ever seen. Three large white pods, shaped like chicken eggs, dominated the center of the room. Two of them were tethered to the central pod by slender silver wires, their metallic sheen glinting faintly like threads spun from light.
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But what drew me most were the transparent spheres suspended in mid-air like bubbles, each a prison for creatures of the deep. One sphere shimmered with silvery eels that flashed in and out of view, their bodies catching the light in strange, hypnotic patterns. Another contained squids with multiple eyes and octopuses whose suctions hid jagged-toothed mouths and forked, writhing tongues. Elsewhere, jellyfish and odd-looking fish drifted. Their imposing presence was pulling me in like a magnet.
Francis moved closer, his steps slow and cautious as he studied the pods' sleek white surfaces with awe, though there was some fear flickering across his face. His eyes also wandered to the floating spheres. He raised a hand, reaching out toward one.
“Don’t,” Louis warned sharply.
Francis stopped short, startled. “Why not?”
“Your hand will pass through the barrier, but those creatures inside? They’re killers. You’d lose your hand in seconds.”
Alan turned to Louis. “What is all this?”
“This is where they play like gods–they’re engineering live creatures, mutating them into something else,” Louis explained, gesturing to the three pods. “Two creatures go into those pods. Their strongest traits are extracted, and their essence is channeled into the central pod.”
“And then what happens?”
“What comes out is… better. A superior being, built from the best of both.”
“You’ve witnessed this?”
Louis gave a slow, weary nod, his gaze distant and haunted. “I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. The depths of the sea hold a world beyond imagination—strange, monstrous, and alive.”
“You’re saying there are more of them?” Francis pointed to the lifeless humanoid. “Why are their faces like that?”
“Because they’re creatures of the deep sea,” Louis explained. “Down there, the pressure holds their bodies together. Up here, without it, they swell and distort. Their suits are what protect them; keep their forms stabilized on the surface.”
“If there are more of them, it’s clear they have a plan for us,” said Alan. “I don’t know what it is or why, but I already hate it. Whatever they are, they’re not our allies.”
Francis raised an eyebrow at Louis and asked, “So, how did you even end up here? And where's the rest of the scavenger crew?”
Alan nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to know that, too. We've been looking out for you for about two years now. You and the crew were close to being officially declared dead.”
Louis looked as though the air had been knocked out of him. “It’s been that long?” he breathed, a flicker of despair crossed his face.
“Over 700 days since the day you were supposed to return.”
Louis’s hand trembled as he ran it through his hair. His shoulders sagged, his voice quivering. “Sarah and the kids… They must be sick with worry all this time.”
I swallowed hard. Louis couldn’t possibly know what had happened to his family. I wondered if Alan or Francis would be the one to break the news. Maybe now wasn’t the time. But then again, when is it ever the right time to deliver such devastating news?
Alan’s grip on me tightened, and when I glanced up, I saw her lips pressed into a thin line. Finally, she asked Louis, “Can you tell us what happened?”
Louis exhaled slowly, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin. So much has happened…”
Francis broke the moment with a quick cough, glancing away. “Let’s focus on finding a way back home first. Then you can tell us everything.”
A faint, almost hopeful smile touching Louis’s lips. “Home…” he repeated. “I never thought I’d make it back.”
My ears perked up and my body went rigid. I heard a noise from above. I listened for it again. Metal doors sliding. Heavy footsteps marching across the metal floor.
My humans heard the noise too. Louis’s face darkened. He rushed over to a flat rectangular blackstone embedded in a wall and with one touch, it started to glow, showing a map of the upper level of the submarine where there were several green dots heading towards the doors that would lead them down the sloping corridors to the second level. He touched the stone again and the image changed. This time there was a clear image of the beings in their dark blue metallic suits and helmets, marching down the corridors. They were armed and heading towards the Laboratory.
“We need to take cover,” said Francis, searching the laboratory for a place to hide or escape.
There was an escape! Another door! I wiggled and hissed.
My ears twitched, and my body tensed as a sound from above reached me. I froze, straining to listen. The metallic scrape of sliding doors. Heavy footsteps clanging on a metal floor.
My humans heard it too. Louis’s jaw tightened, and he moved quickly to a sleek black stone embedded in the wall. With a single touch, it came to life, glowing as it revealed a map of the upper level of the submarine. Several green dots moved steadily toward the doors that led to the sloping corridors connecting to the second level.
Louis tapped the stone again, and the display changed. This time, the intruders came into view—figures clad in gleaming dark blue metallic suits and helmets. They were armed and heading straight for the laboratory.
“They’re coming,” he said.
Francis cursed under his breath and began scanning the room. “We need to find somewhere to hide. Or a way out!”
My eyes caught it first—another door! I hissed and squirmed in Alan’s grip, desperate to make them understand.
“Page, stop it!” Alan’s voice was strained, her grip firm but loosening. I paid no attention. I hissed again, wriggling with all my strength.
I'd never dream of hurting a human, desperate times called for desperate measures. There was just no other way. Unleashing my claws, I swiped at her hand, then slashed at her cheek. She flinched, crying out in surprise, her grip loosening just enough for me to slip free.
I bolted across the room to the door marked with a red line bisecting a yellow triangle. Turning back, I let out a sharp, insistent yowl.
Over here! This door! Open it now!
Alan hesitated for only a moment before rushing over to me. Her eyes swept over the door and its surroundings, but no switch or button was in sight. There was only a small, square black stone embedded in the wall.
The sudden hiss of laser fire pulled our attention. I turned to see Louis crouched over the lifeless humanoid. He had used the gun to sever its hand. The exposed flesh was swollen and sickly pink, glistening as he peeled away the glove. He moved quickly, pressing the ugly hand against the black stone.
The door responded instantly, sliding open and disappearing into the wall. I went into the room, Alan and Francis just behind me. The door hissed as it slid shut, sealing us inside. But Louis hadn’t followed.
“Stay here,” his muffled voice came through the barrier. “I’ll handle them. Don’t move.”
Francis clenched his jaw, slamming the flat of his fist against the door. “Louis! Damn it, no!” Alan also let out a growl of frustration and pounded the door with her fist. “You idiot!”
Ignoring the echo of their shouts, I turned to take in our surroundings and froze, my breath caught in my throat. I turned my attention to the room and froze, my breath catching. On one side, rows of glass tanks were embedded in the walls, each containing the blobs with their long, spindly tentacles.
But it was the other side of the room that truly made my stomach turn. Pods, also built into the walls, glowed faintly, filled with a clear liquid. Inside them were the missing scavengers—Jerry, Dan, Tom, Gina, and Frankie—all suspended, stripped bare and unmoving. Their eyes were closed, their faces serene as they slumbered.
I padded closer, my nose wrinkling at the sour, chemical tang in the air. One pod, however, was empty. Its door hung slightly ajar, and a puddle of glistening slime had gathered at its base. Slimy footprints trailed across the floor, leading to the door. My mind whirled as the pieces clicked into place. Quintin. The slime. This must have been his pod. Had he fought his way out, or someone released him?
Doubt stirred within me once more. How had Quintin died? Why were the rest of the crew imprisoned in these pods? And Louis… How could he have survived and escaped the fate that had befallen the others?
My train of thought was derailed as Francis swore quietly, striding toward the pods. He slammed his fists against the glass, shouting the names of the missing crew. Alan moved quickly from one pod to the next, searching for any means to free them, her frustration growing as she found no mechanism to release them.
The door reopened, and Louis stepped in, unarmed. Through the doorway, I glimpsed several humanoids standing in the laboratory behind him, their laser guns trained on us.
Alan and Francis stiffened, raising their weapons in unison. Louis threw up his hands. “Wait! Wait! They’ll let us go,” he exclaimed. “Just put the guns down.”
“And you believe them?” Francis growled.
“I don’t,” Louis admitted. “But do you really think we can fight them off? Unless you have a better plan, this is our only shot.”
A tense silence followed before Francis exhaled through gritted teeth. He lowered his weapon and placed his weapon on the ground. He glanced at Alan and motioned for her to do the same. Alan’s lips pressed into a thin line, her frustration evident in the way her fingers tightened around the handle before she let it go and followed suit.
Arms raised in surrender, my humans made their way out of the laboratory, the humanoids marching behind them, their guns still aimed at them. One of the humanoids reached down, taking hold of me by the scruff of my neck. It started to move toward one of the transparent spheres, intent on adding me to the collection of sea creatures.
Alan’s voice rang out in protest. “No! He belongs to us!” She sprinted toward us as I clawed at the humanoid’s arm, fighting to escape its hold, my fur bristling in alarm.
It released its hold, and Alan seized the moment, gathering me into her arms just as the humanoid prodded us forward with the barrel of its gun. We were led out of the submarine, climbing back through the hatch we’d entered, and emerged once again into the bright sunlight of the open sea. Nearby, another whale-sized submarine had surfaced next to the one we were standing on.
The other crew members of NOAH 1, who had been clinging to their capsized vessel earlier, now stood atop the submarine with us, guarded by two of the strange beings, their guns raised in silent threat. Their boat had sunk, forcing them to swim toward the submarine for safety. The sudden appearance of the second submarine and the alien sea beings emerging from it had sent them into a panic. But one of their guards fired a signal flare into the sky, its faint red trail still hanging above us.
In the distance, a boat was making its way toward us. Dr. Willis stood at the bow, waving in our direction, with a steward steering the boat behind him.