The Tale of Tara and Emiko

XI. Zia

The radio buzzes with static. This is the first time it's made sound in the days between now and the descent of the submarine. You don't know the name of the vehicle, though. The higher-ups didn't trust you with that. Why they trusted you with the radio connected to the submarine but not the name of the actual submarine is confusing.

Your coworker's head instantly snaps up. Her sister was on the submarine. What was her name...Cara or Tanya or something like that. You can't remember.

A voice, grainy and staticky and yet somehow intelligible can be heard coming from the speakers.

"If you're hearing this, hi! I'm Tara Grey and I'm on the-" static, crackly and annoying hisses for a moment before she continues. "Our objective is to investigate a source of mysterious energy found at the bottom of the-" More static. Ugh. "-ocean. I'm the head scientist and researcher, and I'm so, so grateful I was chosen to go on what might be the most important mission I'll ever participate in!"

Another voice is heard, older and tireder and yet just as excited. "Hello. Greetings? Uh, my name is Emiko Naga and I'm the engineer and pilot of this submersible. I'm not as excited as my friend here, but still ready to go down there and learn more about this specimen." Your coworker smiled. Tara's her sister. You can't begin to imagine how proud she is of her.

"That's my girl," she says softly. "That's my little sister." You click play on the speaker again, wondering why it suddenly turned off. Emiko's voice flows through the room.

"Today is January 19, 2024. I was instructed to record these and send them to you all at once regardless of whether we succeeded or failed. All the recordings will either be manually sent when I feel we have collected enough information or automatically transmitted should Tara or I die, for if one of us is lost the other may not have the capabilities to fulfill our main goal."

"But enough of the pessimism!" Tara interjects. "We're about to board the vessel. The sun is so pretty today, you know. I wish you could see it from where we're standing, the skies are beautiful and cloudless and a brilliant blue-" She breaks off, her breath hitching in her throat, emotional even through the device. "I still can't believe this is happening. I feel like I'm on top of the world. Think of all the knowledge we'll gain from this endeavor! Think of the possibilities! Think-think of our social standing!"

"Yes, yes, I'm thinking!" Emiko replies. "Come on, we've got to go. They're calling us."

"Alright! Well, this is Tara Grey and Emiko Naga, signing off." You can hear her whisper "Is that the right way to end a recording?" before a beeeep emits from the radio, ending the transmission.

You turn to your coworker, who is beaming with pride. "We should probably tell someone this has happened-"

But the radio crackles again, a second transmission being received, forcing you to sit back down and listen.