Below The Earth

by Lucas Pederson

  All my proximity sensors brayed as something drew close.

  I located the source and faced it. The minisub had stunners. Just enough to maybe scare off Roofus for a minute but would do little else. I waited to be devoured.

  Then, through a speaker, a familiar voice said, “We have a net to hold him down.” Hannah. A few seconds later, another minisub drifted into sight on the monitors. Then, as though hearing my thoughts… “Don’t worry. It’s biodegradable. It’ll give us a good eight hours.”

  I eventually found the comms button and pressed it. “Wait, we’re searching for the tunnels now?”

  “Might as well.”

  “But, Burt. He hasn’t—”

  “He will have to accept it now. The facility is in danger. We need to stop Roofus.”

  I agreed, of course, but I was one of the lowest people on the ladder. If Burt saw fit, I’d be the first to be fired. Losing my job would be bad. Like, horrific bad. But, at the same time, if the plan worked, maybe all the fish and animals of the park would be fed sufficiently. It would be a way of preserving the park and revenue. After all, no one wanted to come and see a great white belly up.

  “When he’s in sight, move away from me,” Hannah said. “I need you to be bait so I can shoot the net at him.”

  I paused. Then, “Okay.” Because of course I was the bait. I was a nobody after all.

  “All your sensors on?” Hannah asked.

  “Uh…” I checked over everything and nodded. “Yep.”

  “Good. These subs are brand new. Have you noticed the beacon sensor?”

  I had not and soon found a button for it to the far right on the console. I pushed it. “What does it do?”

  “You can pinpoint any movement within a 500-foot radius.”

  “Nice,” I said as another monitor near the button flickered on. It revealed the dark figure of the facility, the trench, the ocean floor, and all the life surrounding me. Nothing large enough to be Roofus, though.

  “He’s waiting,” Hannah said. “Probably lying on the floor. He knows where we are. He’s—”

  “Hunting,” I whispered.

  “Yeah,” Hannah said. “Stay on your toes. He’ll come at us without warning.”

  Then…we waited. And waited. Waited some more. Almost an hour passed.

  Hannah sighed through the speakers. “Okay, well, I guess we’ll have to coax him to—”

  The beacon sensor beeped. Merely 50 feet away, an enormous figure shot toward me from the ocean floor.

  “Wait,” Hannah said. “I’ll tell you when to move.”

  I nodded, too fixated on the monitor to respond vocally. My one hand gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, while my other clutched the accelerator. I needed to be quick and true if I didn’t want to become Roofus’ snack.

  “Hold,” Hannah said. “Hold…”

  I sucked in a breath and held it as I watched Roofus’ mouth open.

  “Now!”

  I simultaneously turned the wheel and slammed the accelerator forward to top speed. An insane move, but an effective one if a monster was about to eat you. I spun away, speeding from zero to 30 knots in seconds.

  “Keep going,” Hannah said. “He’s right on your tail. Go as fast as you can. Full accelerator.”

  My accelerator was pushed to the max, speed climbing from 30 knots to 50, to 80. As I raced along the trench, I was terrified I’d meet a nanite fence. If that happened, it’d be over. At 80 knots…the minisub would crinkle like a pop can, crushing me instantly.

  That’s if it didn’t explode, of course.

  I glanced at the rear monitor every now and then, heart stammering when I saw how damn close Roofus was.

  Then…

  “Net deployed and…”

  In the rear monitor, I watched Roofus suddenly drop out of view.

  “Got ‘im!” Hannah shouted. “Slow down, Wen. He’s sinking to the trench. We have eight hours before the net begins to disintegrate. If we don’t find anything and need more time, we’ll need to place another net.”

  “Okay,” I said. I wondered if she had supplies packed, because, as far as I knew, this sub was empty. Not that it mattered. No way to get anything to my sub without drowning.

  I positioned my minisub so I faced hers.

  “Let’s see what we can see,” Hannah said.

  “Are Max and Megan with you?”

  “Damn right,” Megan said.

  “Yep,” Max said.

  I smiled. I didn’t know why, but I felt better with them around. Maybe because we kind of became friends.

  Hannah’s sub turned away and I followed behind as we approached the concaved area Hannah pointed out in the meeting.

  As we left Roofus behind, I wondered if the net would really hold for eight hours.

  I wondered if, maybe, we’d be dead soon…

  4

  “There’s a small boarding dock under the sub,” Hannah said as we hovered in front of the concaved space. “New feature, so you probably weren’t fully aware of by simply driving it around. You can attach to our top hatch with it and I’ll get you some supplies.” She paused. “Be careful, though, we need to make sure that everything is sealed before opening latches.”

  “Okay. So, it’s like our subs are having sex,” I said. “Got it.”

  “Holy shit,” Megan said, and laughed. “She does make jokes!”

  I smiled.

  “Ease it in, Wen,” Max said in a soothing voice. “Slow. Steady. Just to see if we like it.”

  I burst out laughing. Couldn’t help it.

  “Alright, everyone,” Hannah said. “This is serious. If the seal isn’t right, we’ll all die. So, we need to make this count.”

  “Okay,” I said and maneuvered the minisub above Hannah’s.

  Using the sub’s lower monitor, I nudged closer to the top hatch of Hannah’s sub.

  “Alright, Wen. I need you to turn the sub around. Your hatch is on the opposite side of mine right now.”

  I nodded and carefully turned the sub so that I faced the facility. I checked the lower monitor and, as I reversed a bit, I saw the hatch.

  “Good,” Hannah said. “Now, decompress to lower your sub to mine. I’ll guide you as go. I can see everything in the top monitor, so no worries. Just take it very slow and easy, okay?”

  “Okay,” I said.

  I tapped the decompress button and the sub hissed as air was pushed out and upward. Decompressing was the safest way to lower a minisub. Or so I’ve heard.

  “Good,” Hannah said. “Slow and easy. You’re right on track and…wait, just a little to the left.”

  Smiling a bit, I nudged the sub to the left.

  I could hear Megan and Max chuckling in the background and Hannah telling them to hush.

  It took all of me not to burst out laughing too. Dirty minds thought alike. Or something.

  “Yes,” Hannah said. “Right there…right there…”

  Did she even know what she was saying? I couldn’t stop laughing, nor could Megan and Max, by the sound.

  “Okay, damn it,” Hannah shouted, startling me a bit. “This serious. Life and death serious. You all need to think about kittens or something.”

  That garnered more laughter and I thought I heard Hannah laughing too.

  Once it faded, Hannah said, “You have about a foot, Wen. Right on course. Another six inches.”

  Stowing my laughter, I tapped the decompress button three more times and…

  The entire sub vibrated. A loud clunk filled the air followed by a long hiss.

  “We’re connected,” Hannah said. “Prepare for boarding.”

  I really didn’t have any idea what that meant for sure, though I hurried to the hatch anyway. There, I hit the red open button and watched the bar across the hatch slip aside. Another very loud hiss exploded and the hatch opened slowly.

  Steam billowed upward and…

  “Why does your sub smell so much better than ours?” Megan popped her head out o
f the hatch opening and grinned. “Oh, wait… Max. Never mind.”

  I chuckled and helped her the rest of the way up.

  Max popped his head up. “I heard that.”

  Megan and I laughed, and we might have continued being goofy if not for Hannah shouting from the other sub.

  “Get your asses in gear! Those nets holding Roofus are ticking time bombs right now.”

  Max sighed. “Okay. Hold on.” He ducked back into the other sub.

  Megan stood over the opening and glanced at me. “That took some balls, you know?”

  I frowned. “What?”

  “Getting Roofus away from the facility on your own.”

  “I…yeah, I needed to do something. Anything.”

  She smiled. “I bet.”

  I grinned. “Plus, I really didn’t want to die where I work. That’d be like the final level of Hell, or something.”

  Megan snorted.

  “Okay,” Max said. “Here cometh the goods.”

  “Did he just say…cometh?”

  Megan rolled her eyes. “He thinks he’s a medieval knight.” In a lower voice, she said, “More like the stupid court jester.”

  “Heard that.”

  Both Megan and I laughed as Max handed up a black helmet. Megan set it aside.

  “Hold up,” Max grunted. “This thing is kinda awkward. Not sure if it’ll even fit.”

  From farther below, “I got it in here, you can get it out. Now hurry.”

  More grunting, then… “Grab it, Meg. Shit.”

  Megan bent and reached down into the hole. The cords in her neck popped out with the strain of pulling whatever it was into my sub. I hurried over to help and, reaching in, I caught a glimpse of the thing.

  Something black and fairly heavy.

  It took both of us lifting and shimmying to get the damn thing into my sub. We let it thud to the floor and all I could do was gape at it. It was like something between a wetsuit and a mech.

  Megan shrugs. “I don’t even know what it’s called.”

  “Flex Mech,” Hannah said as she climbed out of the opening and stepped onto my sub. “As I said, it will protect you from deep-sea pressure. The only weapon it has is a short burst laser, however, so confrontation is best avoided.”

  “Flex…Mech?” I shook my head and pointed at the thing. “It doesn’t have a tank either.”

  Hannah nodded and hunkered down beside the Flex Mech. She patted it. “She’s brand spanking new. A prototype of my design…well, with the help of a few expert divers, of course. It’ll be like a second skin out there, saving you from the cold and lessening the pressure to 20 percent. You’ll feel it a bit, but you won’t die. The suit actually flexes and moves, responding to pressure and temperature.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Max spouted. He stepped closer and pointed at me. “You’re going to put her in a fucking prototype? Are you nuts?”

  Hannah’s gaze fixed on me. “She can handle it. That’s why I chose her.”

  “Me?” I chuckled, flapped my arms, and spun away from them all. “I’m nobody. Just a guide.”

  “Wen,” Megan said.

  “You’re more than that,” Hannah said. “You’re a deep diver. And what I saw a little bit ago…you taking off in this minisub to protect the facility…you’re so much more than what you think you are, Wen.”

  Without missing a beat, Max said, “And that, ladies and gents, is how you motivate a person. Bravo, Ms. Hannah!”

  “Ugh,” Megan said. “You really are an idiot, aren’t you.” Not a question.

  “What?” Max patted my shoulder. “Gotta get her all hyped up and ready to die, right?”

  “Max,” Hannah said.

  “Oh, come on. Why don’t you tell her why we’re really all out here? She has a right to know, for Christ’s sake.”

  I turned back around, and everyone stared at me. I looked at Hannah, heart thundering. “This…what is this?”

  Hannah sighed, stood, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Roofus isn’t the only prehistoric hybrid, and we were hired to find more like him. We believe they still might be frozen in the tunnels.”

  Frowning, I shook my head. “Hold on. What?”

  “We have side jobs, hun,” Megan said.

  “We hunt monsters,” Max said.

  “It’s not exactly hunting,” Hannah said. “We don’t kill anything.”

  “Yeah?” Max grinned. “What about the Mosasaurus/Basilosaurus hybrid farther south? Or…the Bigfoot thing attacking farmers in Iowa? Because you and I remember things a whole hell of a lot differently.”

  Hannah shot him a searing glare. “Those were accidents. You know that. We’re hired to locate and capture if possible, not kill.”

  Max grunted. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  “Dude,” Megan said. “We would’ve died if we hadn’t killed those creatures, and you fucking know it.”

  Max rolled his eyes, shook his head, and waved a dismissive hand at them. “Whatever helps you sleep at night. Go ahead, tell her the rest.”

  Hannah lowered her head, took a few breaths, and looked at me. “I wanted us to at least have a meeting before setting out on who we are and what we do, besides being marine biologists. So you weren’t blindsided like this.”

  I wasn’t able to speak. Everything pummeled into me all at once, wiping out almost all my thoughts before they’re conceived.

  “Uh,” Max said. “I think you totally crashed into her instead of blindsiding.” He snapped his fingers in front of me, which I saw, though couldn’t react to. “Dude, she’s like some kind of weird zombie.”

  “Stop it,” Megan said. “You’re being an ass.”

  “I’m just trying to—”

  “Both of you, shut it.” Hannah stepped closer to me. “Wen? Are you alright?”

  It took a while (not even sure how long) for me to finally respond. “Y-Yeah. I think so. Just…holy shit…”

  Hannah smiled. “Didn’t think we had side jobs, did you?”

  I shook my head.

  “Well, rest assured, we’re not in the business of killing anything. We capture them and send them to our buyers. We make sure every habitat is well-maintained and the food is regular before depositing the animals, or hybrids, whatever, to the buyer. It’s money, but we’re not assholes and still love sea life. We just—”

  “Have a lot of bills to pay,” Max said. “Because it really all comes down to money.”

  Hannah shot him a glare, though she fell silent.

  “More or less,” Megan said. “But, really, our mission is to save these things as they unthaw or are discovered. That’s the main goal.”

  Finally, I managed to find my voice. “Who pays you?”

  Hannah shrugged. “It varies. Can’t really discuss that with you. Sorry.”

  Where once I felt like I was a part of a team, right then I felt like an outsider again. I felt used…

  “No,” I said, voice thin.

  Hannah stiffened a bit. “What?”

  “I won’t be your little expendable experiment.” I purposefully glared at Hannah. “Look, you lied to me. We’re supposed to be finding tunnels for food, not looking for frozen prehistoric monsters.”

  Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “You need to understand one thing: as of now…you’re not in charge. I am. You will do as I say or I’ll make sure you never return to the facility.”

  “Wait, what?” Megan spouted. “This isn’t like you, Hannah.”

  “Oh,” Max said. “It’s like her, alright. You just turned the other cheek for money.”

  Megan shook her head. “No. It’s not like that and you know it.”

  “How many millions of dollars are in your bank account right now?”

  Megan sighed, turning away from everyone.

  “Thought so,” Max said. “You know, I don’t get it. Why are y’all trying to lie to her?”

  “If we had the meeting, she would—”

  “She would’ve walked then, and you know it,�
�� Max said. “You hoped for this moment so you could trap her.”

  Hannah shot him a glare. “If you really think that, you can get out of these subs right now. Try to make it to the surface before your lungs explode.”

  Max chuckled. “Oh, for Christ’s sake, I was just joking. Y’all need to lighten up.”

  “We don’t need a fucking comedy relief, douchebag,” Megan said.

  Hannah shook her head and waved a hand at him. “Get back to our sub and bring up a case of water and a few MREs.” She grinned then. “Although, it would be kind of funny watching you try to swim to the surface.”

  Max did a double take. “Did you…did you just make a joke?”

  Hannah, face unreadable, said, “No.”

  His smile faltered a bit. I could tell he wasn’t used to having the shit flung back at him very often.

  Finally, he snorted and climbed down to the lower sub.

  And yet, even though he said he was joking, I wondered how many bits of truth there were in his little tirade? Judging by Hannah and Megan’s reaction, perhaps, quite a bit. I mean, could I really trust any of them at that point? Did I have a choice?

  I felt the choice had already been made for me.

  “Anyway,” Hannah said and once more squatted down by the Flex Mech. She patted it. “You don’t need a tank because there are water intakes that turn the water into oxygen. They work even if you’re not moving.”

  Yes. The choice had already been made for me and there was no way out. Maybe Max was right about that. Hannah trapped me. Either intentionally or not, she did.

  So, I sighed and nodded. “Fine. So, what do I have to do?”

  “Wen, look,” Megan said. “As weird as this all feels, we really are trying to do good here.”

  I wanted to believe her, I really did, but things just felt off now. Too many things Max said made sense. Regardless of how much of it was true.

  I glared at Hannah. “What do I have to do?”

  Her face slackened a bit. She huffed out a breath. “As we come to each tunnel, I need you to place explosives on each to open them up.”

  “I’m no sea-floor expert or anything,” I said, “but won’t an explosive collapse everything?”

  “Not necessarily,” Megan said. “The floor beyond the trench is made of strong bedrock and granite. It should hold up okay.”