the deep blue death

The Mariana trench

Deep down in the deep dark Mariana Trench , there lived a group of researchers. Not some boring researchers, studying fish and the effects of the pressure on the body. These were scientists tracking down an ancient beast. No one on the base truly knew what the creature was. All they knew was that it was awake. And it was angry. But it sure wasn't going anywhere. The researchers called this thing the Yahkslen. No one knew what it looked like. No one even knew if it really existed. But apparently, this group of researchers did. Or at least, they thought they did. (Spoiler alert, they aren't wrong. But they are, at the same time.) These researchers called themselves the Trench Alpha, not to be confused with Trench Beta. Or Trench Omega. They come up later.

 This story, however, does not focus upon the scientists. It focuses upon a woman living with the scientists, by the name of Daimon Belladona. She is happily married, without any kids. She was married roughly two years ago, to a man living on the station, by the name of Liam Belladona. At this current point in time, she is not living a dangerous life, in fact, what she is doing is a pretty normal thing to do. What she is currently doing is sleeping. She is asleep in her husbands lap, While Liam focuses on the monitor in front of him, furiously typing. He finishes typing, and turns off the device. He looks down at his wife, dozing soundly, and smiles a soft, serene, and peaceful smile. A smile that can only be given by one who is in love. He begins stroking her hair, gently jostling her. She begins to wake up, slowly opening her eyes and looking around the room. At this point in time, most narrators would describe her. Which is what I'm going to do. Imagine a hard, tough woman with the ability to kill you with their bare hands. Then give them the body of an angel. An angel with a lot of muscle. And scars. Actually, you know what, scrap the angel part. She doesn't look like an angel. She's scary, intimidating, just altogether terrifying. Her husband? The exact opposite. He's tender, loving and caring. He's a sweetheart who is willing to put family first, no matter what. As she slowly blinks and awakens, the door to the room swings open. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Belladona, your presence is requested in the main control room by Mr. Paarshons." A young boy says, popping his head in their room.

"Tell him to shov-"

"Tell him we'll be there on a minute." Liam says, shooting Daimon a nasty look.

"Mr. Belladona, Mrs. Belladona, how good to see you again." Mr. Paarshons says, waving to the two of them. "Interns? Could one of you get me a coffee? I need some sort of caffeine to function this early at night." He said, turning to the mass of college age interns huddled around a monitor. One of them rush out of the room, slowly and quietly closing the door to the control room behind him.

"It would be much better if you didn't wake me up for this." Daimon shoots back, glaring at him. 

"Ah, well, science never sleeps. We're now entering the Challengers deep. I believe, Liam, that you asked me to find you when we were entering."

"I did?" Liam asked, trying to remember

"Actually, that was me." Daimon says, yawning and stretching. 

"Why? You don't do research here. You don't even know what we're doing here!" Mr. Paarshons asked, his brow raised.

"If something happens, I want to know where we were when it happened, and what caused it."

"Well, then, you're doing very poorly at your job. Liam, I believe this now belongs to you." Mr. Paarshons said,  handing a badge to Liam.  "Your new post begins in roughly fifteen minutes. Congratulations on being the new head of the research facility."

"Excuse me?" Both Liam and Daimon say, somehow at the exact same time. 

"Daimon is bad at her job, Liam is the head scientist. Now go back to bed." Mr. Paarshons said, beginning to push the couple back to their room.

The door swings open before they get there, and the intern rushes in, their face red. "Your coffee, sir."

"Ah, thank you!" 

"No. What did I do that makes me bad at my job? Why is Liam suddenly the head scientist?" Daimon asked, planting her feet. 

"The current head scientist has died." Mr. Paarshons responded, suddenly very interested in the floor.

"What? He died? He was in excellent health for eighty-seven years old!" Daimon

"He fell and broke his neck. Stairway XX47. Go check it out yourself. Blood isn't even dry yet. The body is in the morgue. No foul play, just an old man who missed a step." Mr. Paarshons "Now can you please go back to bed? I have a very important job to do." Mr. Paarshons

"I've never seen Paarshons so close to frantic. I'm going to go check out the stairway. Somethings off. If I'm not back by ten hundred tomorrow, I'm probably passed out somewhere in a corner." Daimon.

"How about we go to bed, and you sleep, then take take care of it." Liam

"Disgusting. That involves actually taking care of myself." Belladona

"Is that why you married me? So that someone would remind you to take care of yourself?"

"No, I married you because you're stable, and because you managed to drink an entire pot of coffee in fifteen seconds."

"That was an odd day."

"Indeed it was. Now, If you'll excuse me, I have a body to investigate."

 I'm going to move this part of the book into a later segment, so that I'm able to build up the characters a bit more. a set of red warning lights start to go off. They both shot to their feet and started sprinting down the long hallway to the main control room.

"What the blazes is going on in here?" Damion shouted, throwing open the door.

"I don't know!" A nervous unpaid intern shouted. (Wow that must be a sucky internship. 35,000 feet below the ocean surface, not even being paid. Well, at least they don't have to worry about paying for food. Or rent.) "The light just turned on! We cant stop them!"

"Then stop the lab! Turn it around! Just get us out of here!"

"It won't move! We've tried that already! It's stuck!"

"Get everyone to their stations. Where are the guns on this thing?"

"You're the head of security! You're supposed to know this thing!"

"I know where the guns are on the inside of this ship! I mean get the guns on the outside ready!"

"There aren't guns outside the ship!"

"Then get a sub out there. Figure out what's going on. Turn the cameras on! Do something!" She roared, starting to panic.

I wouldn't do that if I were you. A voice rang out through the corridors, Stooping inside their heads. There are things down here you don't want to see. The doors to the control room slammed shut. And many of them are hungry.

"Who are you?" Liam asked, his voice quivering slightly.

I am everything. And I am nothing.

"Okay that's not really much help. Names, idiot. What's your name?" Damion said.

To you, I would be called war, destruction, chaos. To those before you, I would be a god.

The intern began shaking. Damion Began slamming on the door, trying to get it to open. Suddenly, a light went on outside of the lab. It began moving back and forth methodically. The inter walked up to the window at the front of the room, placing his hand on the glass. "What is that?" He asked, terrified.

"Whatever it is, it isn't a fish. Well, at least, not anymore." Liam responded.

"Thank you for that totally not ominous response." Damion said.

"No, I mean, the anglerfish uses that same thing. They use lights to draw in their prey. But that isn't an anglerfish."

"How on earth can you tell?"

"The way it's moving. It looks too choppy to be swimming like a fish. See how its bouncing when it moves? You, put a light on it." Liam said, looking at the intern to finish his statement.

Don't do it, child. Not if you want to keep your sanity.