Laurentian

Data Recovery/Audio Entry Four Thousand One Hundred And Thirty Five (4135)/DSIL/Deep Sea Installation: Laurentian/Laurentian Abyss/June 8^th/Parties Involved: One [1] – Omar Carmine, Two [2] – Doctor Danielle Hussein, Three [3] – Victor Flynn, Four [4] – Ronald King, Five [5] – Sergei Ivenko, Six [6] – Camilla Webb/Locations: Communications, Transit

[1] Ready Sergei?

[5] Dah.

[1] How’s it looking up there Cam?

[6] About as good as we’re going to get.

[5] Not instilling confidence Cam.

[6] Sorry, but this place was never designed to be overloaded.

[1] Enough chatter. Let’s get this done. On my count, overload Cam.

[6] Roger.

[1] Victor, are you clear about what you’ve got to do with the lines?

[3] I am Omar. Again, apologies for Ron not being willing to help.

[4] I can hear you.

[1] Don’t mention it Victor. And once we’re done we can all move on.

[4] Says the man who isn’t likely to lose a mountain of research data and specimens.

[2] Ron, this is not the time. We lost the vote. Now we have to pull together. So are you ready?

[4] Yes, Doctor Hussein, I am.

[1] Three…two…one…over…

A deep single-note chime rings out over the installations speakers to draw attention to the fact that the power has been overloaded.

Straining noises follow right after.

[5] This door is heavier…than it…looks.

Sergei’s voice is strained as he speaks.

[1] Just keep pushing Sergei. We’re almost there.

[5] Daaaaaah.

[3] Water is spilling in.

[5] We have to slip through and seal quick so not to risk flooding the other sections.

[1] Go. Go. Go.

A period of almost silence hangs in the air until a loud metal clang rings out.

[5] Door resealed.

[1] Why is it that they’re always easier to close than open?

[5] Physics.

[6] What can you see down there?

[5] Not a lot.

[2] How much water managed to get into Transit, Victor?

[3] A couple inches at best.

[4] English Victor. Not all of us work in imperial still.

[1] This isn’t right.

[6] What isn’t? What’s going on?

[1] The section isn’t flooded.

[2] What do you mean it’s not flooded?

[1] Exactly that.

[3] So where did the water come from?

[5] Looks like a burst pipe.

[4] So we overloaded Dsil for nothing?

[2] Calm down Ron. How is that possible? We saw the murk through the cameras. The section was flooded.

[1] Well, it’s bone dry past the failure in the pipe.

[3] This makes no sense.

[6] What else can you see?

[5] Not a lot. Torches are not great at illumination down here.

[6] So the powers out?

[5] Dah.

[4] Are we just going to ignore that the overload was for nothing?

[6] It wasn’t for nothing. We still lost contact with Storage, so we had no other way of opening the door.

[2] Is there not an override?

[6] Not that would have worked with the link corridors having failed.

[4] But they haven’t failed. Two of the team are stood in one right now telling us that!

[6] But the sensors think they’ve failed.

[2] A burst pipe can trick the sensors?

[6] No. I mean it shouldn’t have.

[4] You don’t know.

[6] Get off my back it’s not like any of us knows.

[4] You’re the maintenance team!

[6] No. We’re the babysitting and run defined procedural checks team. We didn’t build this place.

[4] So why is it that no one that had a hand in this facilities construction is here?

[1] Money. Now cut the chatter. Sergei and I have reached the Storage door.

There is a collective silence. No one says anything, until finally the silence is broken by the strained sounds that are clearly coming from Sergei and Omar as they exert all their strength attempting to shove open the hatch.

[5] This one is….worse…than the…last.

Sergei says with difficulty.

[1] Huh…just…as well…we’re through…huh…dammit…then.

Omar’s breathing is ragged as he speaks.

A long silence follows.

[5] Omar, You’re going to want to see this.

[2] What is it? What’s going on?

[1] What the…

[6] Omar, Sergei, what have you found?

[5] They’re dead.

[3] What do you mean they’re dead?

[2] Is the section flooded?

[1] No. It’s dry. There’s power.

[6] What? Power! But then how did we lose contact?

[5] I’m not sure we did.

[4] What does that mean?

[1] I’m no expert but it looks like they drowned.

[2] What?

[6] How?

[3] Huh?

[2] Repeat Omar, did you say drowned?

[1] Yeah.

[4] How is that possible? You said the section is dry. No flooding. You can’t drown in air!

[1] I know. It makes no sense. But they definitely drowned.

[2] How can you be so sure?

[5] We’ll take a few snaps to prove it to you Doctor. But, they’re soaked and their bodies are…

[1] …swollen.

[3] That’s horrific.

[6] Omar, you and Sergei need to withdraw.

[4] Why? If there’s no failure they’re in no danger.

[6] Just because the section isn’t flooded doesn’t mean they’re in no danger. There are three dead bodies over there. No explanation of how they drowned.

[4] If they drowned.

[5] Professor King, you want proof. Check the monitor now.

[2] My God. They drowned.

[6] Repeat, Omar and Sergei, get out of there.

[1] We’re already on our way.

[3] You can’t be considering just leaving their bodies!

[5] We have no choice, Victor. Dsil has no morgue to store these bodies in.

[3] We could use one of the labs.

[4] We are not contaminating the labs. Are you mad Victor?! It could put our research back years!

[3] Have some compassion Ron! These were colleagues! Other human beings! Do you feel nothing for them?

[4] Alex would understand.

[3] Understand!

Victor exhales sharply.

[3] Doctor Hussein, I request an immediate transfer.

[4] You dolt. You’re under miles of water. There are no immediate transfers.

[2] Noted Victor. Shut it Ron!

[1] If you’re all done bickering…I’m calling for an immediate withdrawal.

[4] What?!

[2] Omar, I understand, but we cannot do that. We need time to gather our research and pull the back-ups.

[1] I’m not losing anyone else.

[2] Please, I beg you let us gather what we have. It’ll only take a few hours.

Silence hangs in the air for a while.

[1] Fine. You have five hours. Not a second more.