Chapter Text
The cold breeze whipped against your skin and tore through your hair. The small boat rocked under you, and suddenly you were glad you chose to sit for the ride instead of stand. The entire deck was soaked, including yourself. You could only remain thankful that your ferryman had an extra windbreaker. Clutching your bag tight in your cold hands, you looked out over the edge of the boat, watching the choppy waves crash into the sides. The darkness of the water was suddenly feeling much more apparent, as if it stared back at you. The sky was grey above you, rolling clouds threatening a storm.
“Rough weather, ain’t it?” The man driving the boat yelled back at you, though it was hard to hear him over the wind. You shouted back. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
You didn’t say much more for the rest of the ride, only staring at the raging ocean, and soon, you spotted the island you were going to dock on. It was a dreary little place. Moss-covered rocks jutted up from the waves like daggers at its sides, the only fitting place to stop the boat being a small beach at the southernmost end.
As you approached shore, you looked on in slight awe and fascination at the facility stationed there; your new work place, and temporary home, for the next few months. Just across from the bit of shore your boat was coming towards was another, larger vessel, stuck to the rocky beach by a rope and anchor. You felt the boat come to a stop, hearing the soft, rumbly scratching of gravel against the boat’s hull.
“Aight, we’re here. Hop on off, I don’t wanna be out here longer than I oughta be.” The ferryman laughed.
You simply nodded, slipping him 50 bucks on your way off. All he did was nod back. The moment your feet hit the shore, he was backing off, and within your first few steps up the path he was gone.
You looked up at the lab before you, your eyes scanning over the cool-toned metal and pale, plastic walls. This place was made to be temporary. You could tell by the tarp covering a sizable hole in the side that this little fortress was already beginning to crumble under the harsh conditions.
You sighed, and knocked on the door. One moment passed. Then another. Then, you’d already been standing there for five minutes without an answer. You reached to knock again, only for the door to open.
A small woman stood on the other side, staring up at you with big, watery eyes behind her glasses. She was clad in formal wear and a lab coat, hair slicked back into a bun, making you feel a bit drab in your jeans and windbreaker. She smiled sweetly at you.
“Hello! You must be our new scientist, correct?” Her voice was soft and clear. She asked for your name, and you gave it to her. “Yup, exactly who we’re expecting! Come inside dear, let’s get you all sorted out.”
You followed her inside, analyzing your surroundings. The facility was dismal to say the least. The walls were lined with small shelves, short wires poking through any cracks in the metal. There was a circular room in the center, with corridors branching off into other, smaller sections. A couple of people in lab coats darted through the cramped hallways, yelling to each other.
“Where’s the spare respirator!?”
“We don’t have a radiator!”
“Dammit Collins, I said RESPIRATOR!”
“We don’t have a refrigerator either!”
“You dumbass!”
“Didn’t ask for what!?”
The scientist yelling at “Collins” groaned, walking into the large room, placing an oxygen tank on the table at its center. He heard you and the woman approaching, looking over with a small smile.
“Dr. Holland.” He nodded to the woman next to you, addressing her curtly. He spoke your name and nodded to you as well. “Welcome home. I’m Dr. Montgomery, and that’s Dr. Collins.” He pointed to the person across the room.
Dr. Montgomery himself was tall, with a sturdy build and messy, unkempt hair. Though he was amiable towards you, his steely eyes analyzed you with a wary glare. The sleeves of his coat were rolled up to his elbows, the dark skin underneath showing rather nasty looking scars alongside his tattoos.
Out of the other room stumbled Dr. Collins, holding a large box full of food reserves. They looked up at you with bright eyes and a smile, showing off a little gap between their front teeth. They moved their ponytail off of their shoulder, chuckling before they spoke. “Hi!” They waved at you excitedly before leaving with the box in tow, presumably to place it down somewhere.
“Your quarters are the first hall to your right,” Dr. Holland pointed to where your new room would be, “Montgomery’s is the room next door, Collins is on the opposite side of you, and I’m next to Collins. The remaining rooms are our different labs and storage.”
She looked up at you. “I suggest you go get dressed, we have a long day today.” You gave her a nod and then made your way to your room through a noticeably more cramped hall. You sidestepped a couple of cardboard boxes and finally got to the door, stopping for a second just before opening it.
Your name had been drawn on a piece of paper in green crayon, and then taped onto the door. It even had a smiley face next to it. You noticed the outline of a small plaque underneath it, though, and lifted up the paper to read it. “Dr. Quincy McRhodes” You were a replacement, it seems. You hoped the scientist before you left without any resentment for or from the crew.
Opening the door, a strange feeling overwhelmed you as you looked around. An unmade bed, shoved into a corner. A desk full of papers on one wall, a dresser covered in trinkets on the other. Shelves were lined with pictures and other memoirs. You spotted a photo of a man you didn’t recognize with an older woman, sitting on the nightstand. As you explored the room, you realized the only thing that had even been removed were the previous scientist’s clothes, taken out from the dresser and the storage bins beneath the bed. The room felt stagnant, like a time piece, left untouched for much too long.
It was becoming increasingly clear that Dr. McRhodes didn’t simply leave. The thought made your skin crawl, but you ignored it. Still, the feeling loomed over you as you emptied your bag and sorted your belongings.
You shoved the papers on the desk aside and set down your laptop, plugging it in— Thank God there were outlets— and moving to fish more items out of your bag. Anything that wasn’t yours, you moved to a spare storage bin under the bed, and quickly replaced with your own items. Part of you felt weird replacing the belongings of someone who was probably dead, but that wasn’t on your mind right now. You just wanted to get settled in before you got too creeped out.
You set your burner phone on the nightstand. You were told this was a very covert expedition; no one can know about this. Not even loved ones. You didn’t ask why, for fear you’d get booted off.
Despite the apparent dangers, this was the chance of a lifetime. Discovering new fauna and flora in underwater caves, on a remote island off the coast of Canada, previously untouched by humanity? You didn’t need to hear more. You signed on as soon as possible, and didn’t look back. You knew it was naïve to not ask questions, especially about the safety and ethics of the mission, but your excitement overrode your caution. By the time you were finished unpacking, it almost felt like home. Almost.
You took all the sheets and covers off the bed, walking out into the main room to see if they had a washing machine, before getting spotted by Dr. Holland. She yelled your name. “What are you doing!? I said get dressed, not do your laundry! C’mon now! We’ll deal with getting you settled in when we get back!”
You didn’t need to be told twice and rushed back to your room, just setting the loose sheets on top of the bed and trying to change as fast as you could into uniform. By the time you returned, you noticed Holland already had a coat on, with Collins beginning to slip on another.
You groaned, about to turn back and retrieve your windbreaker, before a low voice stopped you. “Don’t worry about your jacket, that one’s too thin anyways. Here, take this one.”
A coat was promptly thrown at you by Montgomery, and you fumbled to catch it for a moment before glaring at him. “Could’ve used a warning next time.”
He shrugged, scoffing. “You gotta keep your guard up out here. I’m training you.”
You rolled your eyes, putting on the coat. It was substantially heavier than the old windbreaker you were given, with a bit more insulation. Comfortable, but it went down to your knees, making walking a bit awkward. As Holland began to leave the station with Collins at her heels, you followed, leaving Montgomery alone.
“I feel like a penguin in this thing…” You muttered as you shuffled behind Collins, and they chuckled.
“You get used to it eventually. Good news though, you get to take it off soon! Today’s a diving day.”
Your eyes went wide. “Diving day?”
They nodded, looking back and giving you the smuggest smirk known to man. “Diving day.”
You sighed, continuing to follow. Holland stopped at the front of the boat you’d seen earlier, trying to reach up and bring down the ladder, though just unable to reach. She grumbled, frustrated. Collins reached up, untying the ladder with ease, letting it swing down and hit the side of the boat with a BANG! Holland yelped at the sound, and then gave Collins an angry glare. You suppressed a chuckle.
“Unnecessary.”
“I know.”
“You’re an asshole, Collins.”
“I know.”
She shook her head, and then clambered up the side of the boat, you and Collins following soon after. You sat down on one of the benches at the front of the boat, and Holland sat to your left.
“You trust them to drive?” You questioned, giving a playful smile. Holland giggled. “They’ll be fine.”
Collins was already stationed at the driver’s seat of the boat, rummaging in their pockets for the key. They quickly fished it out, turned it in the ignition, and the boat roared to life.
As Collins began to drive, Holland handed you something from a compartment in the seat of the boat. A wetsuit. “I probably should’ve told you to change into this before you got on the boat, but we’re… a bit late for that. There’s a space in the bottom of the boat that we usually use for storage, big enough for a person to fit. I suggest you get suited up.”
You groaned, shakily trying to stand without falling. Holland gestured to a hatch at the front of the boat, muttering a soft “I’m sorry” to you as you began making your way there. The storage compartment was cramped, but not as much as you thought it would be, and when you got out you gave Holland a shaky thumbs up. She smiled, giving you a hand as you sat back down next to her.
Holland began fishing something else out from the compartment in the seat, pulling out a respirator and oxygen tank. The devices rested in her lap for the remainder of the ride, and you couldn’t help but glance at them every so often. Those two items were the only thing keeping you alive down there. You ignored the bad feeling you got in your gut.
Once you arrived at the diving spot, you were confused by the odd location. You were stopped next to the rocky cliff of a smaller island nearby, waves pounding against the stone with vigor, splashing water up and onto the boat. Collins chuckled, leaning back in the driver’s seat. “Good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
Holland gestured for you to stand, helping you over to the side of the boat facing the rocks. “You’ve dived before, right?” She gave a nervous chuckled.
You shrugged. “I’ve done training dives.”
With a sigh, she grabbed the equipment from before. “Good enough.”
You shivered, the wetsuit not protecting you one bit from the cold. As Holland assisted you with putting on your respirator and fastening the tank, she gave you a quick run-down of what was to be expected. “It’s gonna be cold. It’s gonna be cold as hell frozen over. You’re not gonna get hypothermia, this thing is built to keep you alive, but it’s not gonna be pleasant. Don’t be down there for any longer than you need to be. Go in, take pictures, get out, document what you found. Simple job. And whatever you do, please, for the love of god, don’t get lost.” She sighed, and then patted your shoulder, giving you a smile. “Ready?”
You nodded determinedly. “Yep.”
You sat on the edge of the boat, the waves rocking beneath you like a seesaw. The wind wasn’t quite as strong here, but it was still chilly as ever, and the sea spray whipping at your hands and back wasn’t helping any. You gave Holland a quick thumbs up, and after she nodded, you fell back. The sky flew up into your vision, and for half a second the world was upside down before you hit the water.
At first, you couldn’t see a thing as the water enveloped you. It was beyond frigid, far worse than it was on the boat. You could feel the current and waves trying to thrash you around, like two people pulling at each one of your arms, but you fought against the tide and began to swim down. Suddenly, it was clearer. The deep blue of the salty water filled your vision, the silhouette of the rocky caves just a couple feet away still hard to make out. You reached up, clicking on your flashlight, illuminating the tunnel entrance.
A few small fish— you guessed sculpin, by their small size and spiny appearance— darted away as the light suddenly hit their hiding spot, leaving the entrance barren. Hesitantly, you moved closer, entering the mouth of the tunnel. The rocky surfaces of the cavern were smooth and covered in algae, most edges eroded away by the rough current. The further in you went, the less yellow-green algae coated the rocks, and soon enough nothing surrounded you but jagged stone.
A few things caught your eye, despite how bland and lifeless the caves seemed. There were plenty of small fish, no bigger than your finger, darting in and out of any nooks in the rock and nibbling off the limited plant life. You took a few pictures of these fish to identify them later. There were a couple of crustaceans that caught your attention as well; shrimp, you guessed, though they were on the larger side. You took pictures of these as well, finding their pale coloration due to the lack of sunlight to be stunning.
You took regular looks at your oxygen. Currently, you had a little more than half your tank left. Good. Just a bit more looking around, and then you’d come back up. The tunnel you were in suddenly got wider, and soon you were staring into a connection point between tunnels. You lifted your camera to take a picture of the cave, planning to mark it as a place of interest. As you swiveled to analyze the entirety of the tunnel system, you noticed something strange.
At first, you thought it to be an eelpout or moray. They got pretty big, and would explain the odd yellow-and-black coloration. But what you noticed on the other side of the cavern was much, much bigger than a simple eel. You locked eyes with it, those two dots of red staring at you like a shark spotting a seal. Your first instinct was to run. Your second instinct was to take a picture. The light from your camera flashed, and the thing shrieked, darting away into the tunnel.
You stayed in place for a good many moments, contemplating, processing. And then you took a sharp inhale. What the fuck?
You just turned to leave. No, this was not something to have a crisis over now. Even if you did just find an entirely new species in these caves, it’d be significantly easier to freak out about it when you’re on land. Making your way quicker down the tunnels, your brain was focused on nothing but getting out. Something about it gave you chills. The mere size of it was nothing but insane, especially for underwater caves, and the eyes… you would’ve shivered if you weren’t freezing already.
By the time you surfaced, you had a bit less than a quarter of your oxygen left. You saw Holland leaning over the edge of the boat before you even breached the surface, and when you did you could barely hear her mutter, “Oh thank God.” Collin dashed over to the side of the boat as well, grinning ear-to-ear. They let down the ladder, allowing you to scramble back up. “You were down there for a while!” Collins laughed, leaning against the side of the boat. “We almost thought you ended up like—“
“Collins. Not the time.” Holland narrowed her eyes at them, and for the first time, you saw her look genuinely angry. Collins’ grin was wiped right off their face, and they hung their head, murmuring a quick apology.
Holland’s expression softened as she looked back at you, helping you get the respirator and tank off. “How was it? Are you okay?— Collins, get the towels— Did you find anything down there?” She sat you down, resting a hand on your shoulder as she took a seat next to you. Collins brought over a dark blue towel, draping it over your shoulders awkwardly before shuffling back.
You blinked in stunned silence for a moment, garnering up the words in your head before slowly nodding. “Yeah. I found something.”
…
“A fucking what!?”
Montgomery stood across from you in the main room of the laboratory, eyes wide as he listened to you recount what you saw. Holland chimed in. “I- I didn’t believe it either, but… well, they got a picture. This is a new species, I’m sure.” She gave you a small smile. “I’m proud.” You smiled back, but as you glanced again at Montgomery, that smile faded.
“So… what do we do now?”
He smirked at your comment, shaking his head. “We send you back down there tomorrow.”
Your eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”
“I said, we’re sending you back there.” He stood up straighter, his smirk turning somewhat sympathetic, if you squinted. “This time, with a video camera and a tag. We need to document this thing as fast as possible.”
You scoffed, folding your arms. “Why can’t you just send someone else to do it? I’m still new here, I have shit to do besides explore creepy sea caves.” In response, Montgomery’s eyes only narrowed.
“Because you found it. It’s good training. We’ll have the equipment together by morning.” And with that, he walked back towards his quarters, already having made up his mind.
You watched him leave with a glare. Holland chirped up in a soft voice, placing a hand on your shoulder. “It’ll be fine. We’ll make sure you’re safe. Get some rest, okay?” You looked back at her with a sigh. “…Alright.”
She was right. Today had been a long day. Tomorrow would be longer.