Eva wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't about to be put down like a dog as she was taken down into the Rig. Any pretense Talbot wore of civility was long gone as she was dragged to the elevator. Her stomach growled, a few pieces of bread weren't enough, and she should have at least finished dinner before rejecting his offer.
The elevator seemed to continue down forever until it finally stopped and opened. It was cold in the room they exited in, the smell of salt heavy in the air. Eva realized why, they were underwater. This place lacked the luxury of the Rig above.
It seemed mostly like the wet room of the research facility except it was far bigger. A massive elevator was against the other wall, designed for supplies rather than people. Wetsuits and air tanks lay on shelves but what really caught her attention was the large moon pool and the submarine that was docketed in it.
It rose majestically from the water, a bridge leading to its sail. It was twice the length that the helicopter had been but still only half a dozen or so people buzzed about. Most of them lowered a familiar crate into a hatch of the submarine. Viola’s cries were barely audible over the roar of machinery.
“Don't diddy daddle, you'll be reunited with your precious mermaid shortly,” Talbot snorted, stepping onto the bridge as she was dragged along. Eva’s confusion was only growing, why were they going down? A plane was one thing, the idea of being on a submarine was terrifying itself let alone where she was going and who she was with.
Talbot climbed down the ladder before she was pushed towards the hatch. She really didn't want to climb down. The muzzle of a pistol pressing into her back was however enough encouragement. The space immediately felt cramped when she reached the bottom, the gray walls and low ceilings only heightening the effect as she was led down a hall narrower than the aisle of an airplane.
A man in a blue coveralls stepped to the side to allow Eva and her captors to squeeze by as they entered an area with a few chairs. Eva’s sense of direction had long given up, she knew nothing about submarines and the alien environment only added to her disorientation. Talbot and his bodyguards were entirely at ease, on second glance though Eva was pretty sure one of them was somewhat uncomfortable.
Talbot continued through a door with one of his men while the others stayed with her. They didn't bother locking her to the chair though they did force her to sit. Even more so than in the airplane there was nowhere to go.
“You seem nervous,” Eva commented, the man just glared at her and she caught one of the others fighting back a smirk. Talbot returned and sat in the chair across from her now carrying a bottle of wine. “Where are we going?”
“The Rig was my father's masterpiece, we're going to mine,” he said flatly and poured himself a glass.
“Dive, dive.” The words sounded over an intercom before a strange alarm blared to ensure everyone knew what was going on. Eva braced, her hands digging into the armrests. Someone in blue coveralls hurried past and her centre of gravity shifted. Talbot adjusted his glass to ensure nothing spilled with a skill that spoke of experience.
Gravity continued to shift as they descended. Everyone leaned at a 20-degree angle though Eva felt like she was the only one having so much difficulty staying in her seat. Slowly the angle became more bearable but Eva knew nothing else beyond the fact they were going down. There were no windows or monitors, no glimpse into the world around her. Just a small cramped metal box as they descended into the abyss.
Eva’s mind raced, she still couldn't figure out what was going on. They were directly taking Viola into the ocean. Viola was in her element here and Talbot… and Eva, were definitely not. Time crept along in uneasiness. There were no clocks, nothing to look at but Talbot sipping his wine. The occasional hiss or thunk of machinery made her jump. Even more so than helicopters and airplanes this was utterly terrifying.
She loved the ocean, she really did but as a human, she had no willingness to dive beneath the surface. No more than her body could easily handle. As long as it was light and she didn't need to worry about drowning, decompression sickness or instant implosion she loved the ocean. A love that was being severely tested right now as they descended god knows how deep. What was worse is they just kept going down.
Each second ticking by marked more distance between her and the surface, more distance between any sense of safety. There was no escape, the submarine around her was the only thing keeping her from death. The only point of reassurance was that if the submarine collapsed she would be burned, exploded and crushed faster than her brain could register. Her rising panic was not shared by anyone else, even the bodyguard who had been nervous. She really was not adapted to this. There was a reason that the marine mammals she obsessed about could always be found at the surface,
“How much longer?” Eva asked, her agitation building.
Talbot sighed and checked his watch. “We've just passed 2000 meters, we're almost there.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“2000?” Eva gasped. That wasn't possible. They were well into the midnight zone, where light did not penetrate. It was the difference between colourful fish and whales and the more alien anglerfish and squid of the deep. They were over halfway to the depth of the Titanic. Vegetation did not grow, they were surrounded by an abyss of darkness.
She was honestly thankful for the lack of windows. Not being able to see the vast emptiness around her was almost a reassurance, though windows would have immediately resulted in their deaths at this depth.
Only highly specialized vehicles came down this far. The only light was from the bioluminescent things that lived here. This was where humans were never meant to go. Forget space, space was not remotely as hostile as where they were now. This place was the antithesis of humans more so than any deep cave or distant planet. It was precisely where they were never meant to go.
“Don't worry,” Talbot smiled. “This baby is the most advanced submarine that money can buy. We can go far deeper.”
“That isn't reassuring! Where are we going?” Eva pleaded, unable to hide the shakiness in her voice.
“Do you know why Alcatraz was so hard to escape from? It wasn't the guards or the security, it was that it was the only point of safety surrounded by impending doom. Humans make mistakes, we’re flawed, try as we might, but nature… nature is an unstoppable force. It makes a far better prison than anything we could hope to build.”
“What are you talking about?” she spat, though honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.
“Docking, prepare for docking,” a voice ordered over the intercom before that same alarm blared.
Talbot smiled, “I’m talking about my life’s work.”
“Cryptic bastard,” Eva growled under her breath.
There was a loud hiss as the submarine connected with something halting its movement. Talbot stood and motioned for Eva to do the same. Dragged along by two of Talbot’s goons, Eva passed a few crew members as she was led back to the ladder, Talbot following behind.
A crew member was at the top of the ladder, opening the hatch before stepping out. All Eva could see was a room of some kind as she began to climb. She pulled herself up to find herself in a cramped room. The walls were white and metal. A grate lined the flood as water dripped from every surface. A large reinforced circular door on the other side that a man was in the complicated process of opening. The man then moved to the side as Talbot stepped forward, pressing his thumb to the machine before scanning his eye. The door then slid open.
Eva didn't have to be forced to follow Talbot as he continued forward. Her curiosity piqued. It seemed impossible that Talbot could build some kind of structure this deep in the ocean but then again she wasn't an engineer.
Moving through the airlock they arrived in another cramped metallic room which was effectively barren except for a locker and a few boxes but what was beyond was far more fantastical. Instead of a fourth wall, the room opened up into what could only be described as an aquarium. A massive glass dome reinforced with metal beams arched over warm blue water. Sun lamps embedded in the beams made it feel like she was standing under the sun, except the sky was black. Though murky glass was the void of the midnight zone, the light from this space was consumed by the empty vastness.
Even more impossible was the pool itself, several times the size of an olympic pool and full of life. Eva could see fish and vegetation, shrimp and octopi. A piece of the sunlight zone transported into the abyss in this strange artificial place. It was as impossible as a space station on the surface of Mars, a bubble of life among the crushing depths.
‘H-how?” she finally managed to stutter.
“Impressive isn't it?” Talbot beamed.
“How is this possible?”
“Something complicated about gravitational fields and blah blah blah. Stuff I pay people to figure out for me. It's entirely self-sufficient, powered by a hydrothermal vent which keeps this place warm and with a supply of air. The ecosystem is large enough that my mermaid won’t go hungry and everything can be monitored from above. A gilded cage with nowhere to go,” he explained gleefully.
“If she gets out the pressure would kill her,” Eva realized.
“Exactly. I’m not a monster, I designed this entire place with mermaids in mind. It's their very own garden of Eden.”
“What makes you think she’ll put up with being here any more than the research facility? The only difference is a fancier pool,” Eva huffed, crossing her arms as she approached the edge of the room. A sloping drop further led into the pool.
“You forget she won't be alone down here. You're going to keep her company until I get what I want, Ms. Diaz.”
Eva spun around, understanding now finally hitting her. “You can't leave me!”
“What use is a mermaid whisperer without a mermaid? Where else would I keep you,” he grinned.
“It's a death sentence, I’ll starve,” Eva pleaded.
He waved away her concerns, “Not if you get me what I want.”
Eva bolted for the submarine in a futile attempt to not be left there. She didn't make it to the airlock before Talbot’s bodyguards grabbed her. She fought and kicked. Coming down here was bad enough but being marooned in the depths of the ocean was far far worse. There was no chance her family would even be able to recover her body. She would just be gone, erased from the world.
“Toss her in, we have work to do,” Talbot ordered.
Eva had always been tall and strong but Talbot’s goons were taller and stronger. Despite her best efforts, they dragged her to the edge, past the ramp and to the sudden drop before shoving her in. Eva scrambled to find purchase unsuccessfully before she plunged into the salty water.
She flailed, breaching the surface and gasping for air as she swam for the ramp. She arrived just in time to watch the large reinforced watertight door lock shut behind leaving her alone. She crawled up the ramp doing her best to wipe the salt water from her eyes. “You fucking bastard!” she screamed, her voice cracking with anguish.
She dragged herself out of the water. She was soaked through but she didn't feel the cold yet. The water was far warmer than the few degrees above zero beyond this little bubble of life but she knew enough to know she could still freeze to death. Right now though she didn't have the strength to care about that.
Something heavy moved, and machinery screeched before something thunked. The rough sound of a submarine detaching from a deep-sea habitat if Eva had to guess. She collapsed into sobs, the dread mounting to an overwhelming level. She was utterly fucked. Had she known this was coming she would have fought to escape long ago. Now she was more isolated than those on the space station.
This place was beautiful but she would die of exposure regardless. A gilded cage was still a cage. The facility had been bad but she hadn't been locked in there. This was an inescapable prison designed for creatures that lived in the water. She was utterly fucked.
She couldn't hold back the tears. Felisha and Mike would be left without answers but worse was her mother. She didn't have any support beyond Eva and god knows she needed it. None of them would ever get answers. Hell, Felisha and Mike were in danger working at Ocean Land. Yet Eva was entirely powerless, it was all out of her hands… unless she got what Talbot wanted.