Megan led the voyagers down another corridor, this one as white as the one that led to the medical bay. She then opened a door to reveal a large room with two rows of bunk beds.

"The last ones near the wall are empty," Megan said, gesturing to the beds. "You can choose any place that feels comfortable."

Megan walked down the middle of the two rows, heading towards another door at the opposite end. Olivia looked around, noticing that each bed had a set of bedside drawers with locks.

Reaching a bed in the corner, Megan took a key out of her pocket and opened one of the drawers. She then pulled out a bunch of keys and tossed them to Kalvin, who caught them deftly.

As Kalvin caught the keys, Olivia observed Megan locking her own drawer, and securing whatever belongings she had inside.

Megan turned to the voyagers and said, "Keep your drawers locked. Some people here are really good at stealing."

Olivia looked puzzled. "Stealing? For what?"

"Although this place is like a prison, people still like to have their own things," Megan explained. "There's a shop in the tunnel that leads to the Ocean Diamond. We can exchange items there or work to earn credits to buy stuff."

Kalvin's eyes widened. "So there's a tunnel?"

"A heavily guarded tunnel," Megan quickly replied, as if Kalvin had touched on a sensitive topic. She then opened a door that led to a small room with two doors on the left and right. This room was furnished with three couches and a radio.

"Girls to the right, boys to the left," Megan said, opening the door to the right.

"You'll find a cupboard inside the room that will open with the same key as your drawers," she continued. "There's another door inside that leads to the washrooms and dressing rooms."

As the guys opened the door to their room, Olivia couldn't help but ask, "Did Emerson and Grace come to you asking for keys?"

Megan's expression remained neutral as she replied, "Yes, they did."

But before she could turn to leave, Kalvin interrupted, "Have you ever tried to escape?"

Megan whipped around, her index finger instantly raised to her lips, signalling for them to be quiet. The voyagers stared at her in surprise.

Megan then tilted her head upwards, drawing their attention to the ceiling, where they spotted two small black boxes.

"Sound recorders," Kalvin murmured in a very low voice to himself, quickly understanding the implication.

Megan's tone shifted to a surprisingly cheerful one as she said, "We've never tried to escape. Why would you want to? It's fun here."

However, her face betrayed a different story, one of hidden unease and tension.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"You can go to the party hall if you're done here," Megan continued. "It's a very loud place, not good for talks. But after turning on the radio, the dining hall is a better place to talk – more calming "

The voyagers exchanged a knowing glance as they realized what Megan meant, sensing the layers of complexity and unspoken rules that governed this strange community.

"Hmm, "Olivia let out another breath realizing this getting more and more complicated.

In the evening, the voyagers gathered in the dining room, the radio playing loudly enough to cover their conversation.

Tara whispered, her gaze fixed on her teacup, "This place is so weird."

Marcus replied in a curious tone, "The scientists have been searching for aliens for centuries. Who would have thought they've been under our noses all this time?"

Kalvin, lost in thought, said, "I wish they were never here on Earth. None of this would have happened."

Melvin sighed, "You never wanted to come. I'm the one to blame. You should be having dinner with Bell and Maxwell by now."

Kalvin looked at his sister, shaking his head. "Don't say that. Bad things happened, but good things did too. If none of this happened, we'd both still be haunted by the past."

Melvin smiled. "There's a silver lining in every dark cloud," she said in a more lighthearted tone.

At that moment, Carl approached them with an excited look. "I've found some details," he said, taking a seat next to Olivia.

Kalvin leaned forward curiously. "It looks like Mr. Sherlock has a big story to share."

Carl chuckled. "Not much, but a bit." He took a deep breath and began speaking in a hushed tone. "I talked to some people and found some details."He continued in a low but urgent voice.

Carl's voice dropped to a whisper as he continued, "The 'Ocean Diamond' is called that because of the shape of the prison. It's created in the shape of a diamond, with three main parts: the prison, the yard, and their spacecraft."

He paused, his eyes narrowing. "Their spacecraft is placed under the sea bed. They did that for the safety of the spacecraft after it crashed into the sea. They were scared of being found and imprisoned by humans."

Curie scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "That must be why they're treating us so kindly."

Carl nodded solemnly. "They do it because they need supplies for a cure. Anyway, the spacecraft is bigger than the largest spacecraft you can imagine. That's where they live." Voyagers exchanged a heavy look. Carl continued.

Carl leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "And the yard is a built-up area, just like the prison, but it has the shape of a diamond too. That's where they've placed their lab and the stolen submarines, ships, and flybats."

Brayan's brow furrowed. "What do they do with them? I don't think they stole them to create a museum."

Carl's expression grew sombre. "They use them for their needs. They break them down into pieces."

Kalvin leaned forward, his eyes widening in surprise. Olivia quickly shushed him, reminding him to keep his voice down.

"What?" Kalvin exclaimed in a hushed tone. "If they break the submarines into parts, how are we supposed to leave?" He said in a shocked voice. Melvin's voice was laced with urgency and fear as she said, "We have to do something."

Olivia let out a heavy sigh. Since joining the voyagers, she had been letting out an unusual number of sorrowful breaths; each one seemed to grow heavier than the last.

Kalvin clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. There has to be a way to escape, to get help, to expose the truth."

Curie's expression hardened. "But how? We're trapped, constantly watched, and they have all the power. What can we possibly do against an enemy this formidable?"

The voyagers fell silent for a moment.

Olivia spoke carefully, her words measured and deliberate. "First, we need to find some details - exactly where we are, how they brought us here, and about the tunnels."

Carl nodded, his hand reaching under the table to gently grasp Olivia's. "I'll see what I can do. I'm good at getting information out of people," he replied with a smile.

Olivia returned his smile. "I'm sure you will. You can trick people easily."

Kalvin leaned forward, his brow furrowed in thought. "If we can find a map of this place, that could be useful."

Olivia took a sip of her tea. "I'll talk to Megan about that. She seems to know this place pretty well, so she might be able to help us."

The voyagers exchanged determined looks, their spirits renewed by the prospect of gathering more information and potentially devising an escape plan.