by Eliza Taye
For a while, we jogged in silence, my breathing even and well paced. Dr. Wilcox, however, started to breathe slightly labored after a few minutes, but he never lost stride with me.
Dr. Wilcox checked the holographic map projecting from his c-com. “One minute until the train arrives at the station. According to my map here, we’re still about a three-minute walk away. We’re going to have to run the last couple of blocks.”
“Can you make it?” I worriedly glanced over at him.
Huffing and swatting his hand as if he were shooing the thought away like a foul odor, Dr. Wilcox replied, “Most definitely. I can’t let myself be bested by a young person in anything! I’ll have you know that I’ve never lost a challenge.”
“All right, then. Beat you to the train!” I catapulted myself to my full speed, feeling the blood flowing through my veins with exhilaration. It’d been so long since I’d run at full power. I’d forgotten how great it felt.
Dr. Wilcox also pushed himself to go faster, but I easily gained a long distance ahead of him, reaching the empty train station about sixty feet before the train arrived.
“Hurry, Dr. Wilcox, the train is almost here!” I shouted.
Arms moving so fast they blurred into the shape of windmills and legs that appeared nearly robotic in nature, Dr. Wilcox pushed his old body as fast as it could go.
“Allie, get on the train,” he huffed. “Even if I don’t make it on, you have to.”
“You’ll make it, Dr. Wilcox, just keep coming.” I backed into the train as I watched Dr. Wilcox pound the pavement.
A couple yards from the doorway, I gestured for Dr. Wilcox to keep going, shouting encouragements.
“Stand clear of the doorway. The door will be closing in three seconds,” sounded an annoying voice.
I glanced up at the speaker on the ceiling of the train car and then back at Dr. Wilcox. “Come on, Dr. Wilcox, you can do it!”
With one last effort, Dr. Wilcox threw his weight forward and leapt into the train car, bringing his legs up as the door closed an inch from his bent knees.
Smiling, I reached down to help him up. “See, I told you you’d make it.”
Bending over to catch his breath, he finally uttered breathlessly, “Well, you had a lot more faith in me than I did.” Ambling over to the nearest seat, Dr. Wilcox collapsed down into it.
I took a seat across from him and asked, “So, where will this train take us?”
“It travels principally around the outer edge of the city. It winds through most of the neighborhoods that still haven’t been allocated for residency as of yet. On its last leg, it’ll take us within a few blocks of the city entrance. From there we will have to walk to the elevator.”
“How long will that take?”
“Possibly an hour or so…you might as well get some rest while you can. We’ll be traveling until the end of the line.” Dr. Wilcox lay back across the space of several seats and closed his eyes. “I certainly will be.”
Just as Dr. Wilcox had predicted, it was an hour until the train finally brought itself to a slow stop and we disembarked at an unmarked area. Dr. Wilcox did his best to take me down empty streets, but it was impossible to avoid everyone being so close to the entrance of the city. Luckily, since I was wearing clothes similar to everyone else, no one paid us any attention.
By the time we arrived at the elevator, several other people were already waiting. Shuffling to the rear, we waited as the rest of the people got on. This time, the elevator stopped at every level, giving me a chance to see what laid below sublevel one—the only one I’d seen so far. Finally, I got a chance to glimpse the elusive greenhouse sublevel. About half of the people on the elevator got off here, giving me time to examine it. Each area was compartmentalized based on the types of crops. According to the sign near the entrance, it included a livestock area as well. As the air from the greenhouse level filtered into the elevator, it felt humid and warmer than the temperate air I had grown accustomed to in Oceania.
The doors closed and we began to descend again—way before I was ready. The next level down was filled with large containers resembling silos. The fourth level was full of what appeared to be a lot of high tech equipment, but the elevator doors closed so fast on this level, I could only guess at what it was for. The remaining people disembarked here, leaving Dr. Wilcox and me as the only ones on the elevator.
“Okay, we only have one chance at this. I’m certain the suit will work, Allie. I normally would test this in an underwater simulation chamber, but we don’t have the time. You will be fine. I am sure of it.”
I couldn’t tell if Dr. Wilcox was trying to assure himself or me. Peering out of the corner of my eye, I could tell he was fidgeting nervously. “I know, Dr. Wilcox, you’ve told me that already, remember?”
Somehow, I’d become resigned to what I was about to do. I felt calm. The excitement had finally overridden my fear sometime between when we exited the train and made our way to the elevator. Perhaps, it was my curiosity at the different sublevels of Oceania. I still couldn’t figure out what was on level four and it was driving me nuts.
My silence must have made Dr. Wilcox think I was afraid, because the next thing I knew, he placed his hands on my shoulders and stared at me dead in the eyes. “Allie, you will be fine. There is nothing to worry about. Every part of this suit has been individually tested multiple times. The only part that hasn’t been is the entire suit together. You will be fine. In a matter of a few hours, you will be back home in the surface world and this will all be a dream.”
“Wait, did you say hours?” My tranquility shattered and my breathing quickened. I tried to calm it down, but to no avail.
“Allie, Allie, Allie…you’re going to be fine. Focus on the animals you’ll see. No one in the world has had the experience you’re about to have. You’re going to be able to freely swim in the ocean like any deep sea creature without a submersible at 12,000 feet below the surface.”
I nodded; he was right. This experience was going to be an experience of a lifetime. No one else had done this before—I’d be the first. A fourteen-year-old girl would be the first human being to go deep-sea diving without a submersible. As long as everything went right, I’d be in the history books. Well, the history books of Oceania that is…my world would probably never know of it.
“Oh, and I forget to elaborate on the GPS. It is a computer automated artificial intelligence system. It will guide you the entire way via conversation and a miniature map in the right-hand corner of the screen. It won’t simply tell you which direction to take, but it will give you companionship as well.”
I gawked at Dr. Wilcox. “Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?”
“It slipped my mind until now…I am sorry.”
I simply shook my head. Gran had once told me scientists often thought of things differently than the average person. She said they frequently forgot or misplaced things other people deemed as important. Apparently, it was why she and her mother, who had been an environmental scientist, never saw things eye to eye. I think she was right.
At last, the elevator reached the bottom floor and the doors opened into the white corridor. Dr. Wilcox and I hurried over to the access code panel adjacent to the door of the docking bay.
“I’m going to have to alter some things here so that we aren’t red-flagged. Hold on a minute, Allie. In the meantime, you might as well remove your street clothes and pack them into this shrink bag before you place them in the SCUBAPS pack.”
Receiving the items from Dr. Wilcox, I yanked off my Oceania clothes and folded them neatly, which was the only way they’d fit inside. Opening the seal, I slid the clothes in and resealed the bag. Immediately, the entire bag possessing my clothes shrunk to the size of a typical gum container. Retrieving the small pack I had tucked under my left arm, I easily tossed the shrink bag inside.
“Okay, we’re inside.”
I followed Dr. Wilcox into the docking bay, the door sliding shut and sealing
airtight with a hiss behind us. We found ourselves in a see-through chamber I hadn’t noticed before when Dylan and I had come into Oceania. It was square in shape, but had what looked to be rubber tubing lining one side of it. I assumed it contained an expansion port, but I wasn’t sure.
“What is this?”
“This is an observation/work area. This cube can be transported throughout the docking bay and be kept entirely dry the whole time. It’s used to help repair the submersibles. Instead of shutting down the whole docking bay when any of the subs need to be fixed, this cube can simply attach to the area that needs to be fixed, create a watertight seal, and be secured into place. It allows the engineers and mechanics to remain working on a sub even if the docking bay becomes submerged in water.”
“So, why are we using this?”
“We’re using it because there is no allocation for a single person without the protection of a sub being in the docking bay. Without this cube, the sensors in the docking bay would detect a human being and not allow it to be flooded with water. Since this is the only way in or out of Oceania for you, we have to use this.” Dr. Wilcox walked over to the far edge of the cube where the rubber-looking tubing was. “This area will expand out into another section that acts as a wet area. It has an emergency hatch you can pull once the docking bay is completely submerged. You can then swim out into the hangar, through the gate, and out into the ocean without being detected as an anomaly to the system.”
“Got it.” I held a thumb up.
“Good.” Dr. Wilcox hoisted the propulsion device onto my back and secured it. “You’re about ready to go. I’m going to place this helmet on your head last and then I’m going to put in the command for the docking bay to flood. I’ll remain in this section of the cube to secure it as you step into the other half. Once over there, simply unlock the hatch on the floor and lift it up in order to swim out.”
“Okay, I understand.” I stumbled backward a couple of steps due to the unexpected weight of the jet propulsion device. Leaning forward to compensate, I caught my balance.
As Dr. Wilcox attached the small backpack, he added, “Once you swim out of here, wait for the A.I. to give you the okay to turn on your jet propulsion device. Every command needs to be relayed verbally. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I nodded back, confident I was ready.
“Okay.”
Dr. Wilcox lifted the helmet and placed it on my head. It was much lighter than I expected it to be, especially after the shock of the jet propulsion device. I waited for it to be strapped on, but instead, I felt the suit stretch to fasten and merge with the helmet itself. The skin of the suit further stretched to cover the whole helmet as well. I felt a small tug at the base of my neck as the helmet and suit completed the seal. Finally, I was covered completely from head to toe without a seam in sight.
Dr. Wilcox pressed a button from within the chamber and the outer edge began to expand into an antechamber. Without hesitation, I stepped inside and shut the door behind me, which sealed immediately afterward.
“All right, now, Allie. I’m going to put in my code and give it the command to begin room immersion. Is there any message you want me to give to Dylan when I see him again?”
“Tell him that I’ll be waiting on the other side. I’ll be at the beach every day waiting for when he’s able to return. Tell him he hasn’t lost his friend.” I smiled and just in case Dr. Wilcox couldn’t see it, I nodded as well.
Dr. Wilcox’s smile extended into his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell him.”
Watching the enormous gate, I waited for Dr. Wilcox to push the button that would allow the water to begin to flow.
I never saw him press the button, but a rush of water flooded the room with more force than I was ready for. Although the doors opened slowly, the rushing water hit the cube like a tsunami. Startled, I sucked air in between my teeth and watched as the entire docking bay dimmed to be replaced by blue lights. Worried I wouldn’t be able to see enough to get out, I was relieved when I glanced down and noticed that the emergency hatch was also lit by the same blue lights.
The water seemed to take an eternity to fill the entire area. I waited until the thumbs up from Dr. Wilcox, and then reached down to examine the hatch. Four sturdy safety locks caused me to have to tug hard in order to release each one. After the last one, I grasped the handle firmly and twisted it clockwise. The hatch opened easily and I swam out.
Not realizing I was holding my breath, I began to breathe normally and was delighted that I could. The air smelled a bit like the suit. It was so strong that I could taste it, but it wasn’t too bad. All that mattered was that I was breathing underwater!
Turning around, I waved back at the black form in the box that was Dr. Wilcox, and then began swimming towards the black void I knew was the ocean. Kicking my feet and spreading out my arms to part the water before me, I headed straight for the gate. Slowly, the black expanse seemed to loom ever closer until I had passed the bay of shining blue lights behind me—I was in the open ocean.
All I saw ahead was blackness.
“Headlight on,” I thought to say, and a 180-degree field-of-view spreading out to about ten feet ahead of me was bathed in yellow-white light.
The GPS crackled on and instructed in a feminine voice, “Continue to go straight. Do not activate the Jet Propulsion 500 yet.”
I followed the directions and continued to swim forward. The dim light of the city preparing for the simulation of night glowed in the water behind me, but ahead still remained a mystery. Thankfully, the helmet allowed me ample peripheral vision, but everything outside my 180-degree radius of ten feet was as black as a moonless night.
As the city lights faded to black behind me and I was alone with my solitary light, an absolute loneliness enveloped me like I was the only one in the entire universe drifting in deep space instead of the deep sea. Keeping my calm, I remembered what Dr. Wilcox had said about an A.I. “Um, hello?”
“Yes, what is it?” the A.I. calmly inquired.
I didn’t know what to say at first. All I wanted was another voice, another semblance of a human being in this darkness. “When can I turn on my propulsion device?”
“You may turn on your Jet Propulsion 500 in another fifty meters.”
Oh, great! My suit was on the metric system. I tried to remember the quick conversion in my head. Fifty meters times three point three feet was…165 feet. I could make that. Once I was there, I commanded, “Turn Jet Propulsion 500 on at medium speed please.”
“Turning on at medium speed.”
Medium speed was much faster than I had anticipated. I propelled through the water so fast I could feel the water stream as I created my own current. Curiosity overtook me. I couldn’t help but wonder what was out there just beyond the reaches of my headlamps, possibly being pushed away by my speed. Which creatures that science still had yet to discover, could I be the first person to see?
Sweeping my headlight around, all I saw was marine snow. Frustrated, I asked the A.I., “Why can’t I see any fish or anything living around here?”
“Some may be afraid of your light. Others stay away from this area because of Oceania. The farther we go out, the more creatures you’ll see. Some will come towards you because of your light, searching for a meal.”
My heart leapt and did a somersault—that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. To maintain my calm, I figured I’d ask the A.I. some questions to take my mind off of possibly being eaten. “Could you tell me some interesting facts about the city of Oceania?”
“Most definitely, I could talk about Oceania for a long time. The city was founded in 2130. Its initial residents were comprised of the brightest minds from all over the world. Each inhabitant was at the top of their respective fields. Residents included equal numbers of individuals from all the various countries around the world. Oceania has residents representing nearly every language, culture, and ethnicity. At the beginning, the total population consisted of one million resid
ents.”
My former inner serenity had returned, until a gigantic dark object loomed into view, completely obscuring my vision. I swallowed hard. I had no idea what it was. All I felt was a supreme, primordial fear for my life.
Chapter 12
I gasped when I recognized what was floating in front of me. The enormous underwater vessel that I had curiously inspected from inside the docking bay now glided in front of me. The massive bay had dwarfed the true size of it. Outside in the unrestricted black waters of the abyss, it clearly was an underwater titan. More spherical in shape than I had realized before, it was easily larger than a double-decker 747 jet plane. Viewports the sizes of small cars ran along the side of the vessel, with one large continuous viewport wrapping around the front area.
Without further hesitation, I realized how fast it was moving in my direction.
“All external lights off,” I commanded to my suit.
Instantly, my command was obeyed and the water around me went dark. I watched cautiously as it came ever closer, hoping no one inside had seen me out here.
Fearing part of the vessel I couldn’t see in the dark might collide into me, I began swimming backward away from it, constantly keeping a close eye on the behemoth.
The vessel continued on at a steady pace, passing by me close enough that everything through the view ports was crystal clear. Through the porthole on the left side of the ship, which faced me, I saw tons of people walking around. Most of the men were dressed in black and white suits with decorative ties. The women donned elegant clothes of all different styles sporting brilliant shades of color. The room in which they stood appeared to take up the entire front end of the ship. Tables and chairs were scattered around the center, with servers clearing up what appeared to be leftover food. Several of the people were crowded around the windows drinking from wine glasses and chatting to one another.
