100 Days In A Submarine

Mini Prologue

It was the dead of night, though none of the crew of the CX45 could tell whether it was truly day or night in the depths of the ocean. The submarine was pitch dark inside, running in silent mode to avoid attracting attention. Captain Rogers had gone missing three days earlier, but no one dared speak of it out loud. The crew had grown accustomed to the watchers—dark, shifting figures in the water just beyond their lights, always watching but never approaching.

Bryan, the most skittish of the crew, would emit a small peep every time one of the watchers drifted close. The others tried to keep the atmosphere light, but it was a brittle cheer. Each member was haunted by the unspoken truth: something waited for them out there in the blackness, and the watchers had no intention of letting them leave.

Part 1: The Journey Begins

Jeremy had spent his life dreaming of a journey like this one. He had always been drawn to the mysteries of the ocean, fascinated by the challenge of exploring its uncharted depths. When he received his acceptance letter to join the CX45’s mission—one of the largest, most ambitious underwater expeditions to date—he was ecstatic. The submarine was built for the most extreme depths, armed with cutting-edge technology that could withstand the crushing weight of the deepest trenches.

As he boarded the CX45, Jeremy felt a blend of excitement and dread. He joined a crew of scientists, engineers, and marine biologists, all eager to unlock the secrets of the ocean. Their mission was to explore the darkest regions of the Pacific, places untouched by humans. But as the submarine descended, Jeremy sensed that the ocean held secrets far stranger than they’d anticipated.

Captain Rogers gathered them for a briefing. “This will be a journey into the unknown,” he said, his voice calm but stern. “We’ve trained for every possible scenario, but down here, anything can happen. Stay alert, follow protocol, and, most importantly, trust your instincts.”

The crew nodded, their excitement tempered by the seriousness of his words. As the CX45 dove deeper, the sunlight faded, and they were left in a world of shadows and bioluminescent life. Jeremy gazed out of the porthole, wondering what lay in the darkness ahead.

Part 2: Into the Darkness

The first few days were filled with discovery. The CX45 navigated vast, eerie landscapes of volcanic vents and sprawling kelp forests. The crew was captivated by strange creatures that glowed in the dark, living in depths where life seemed impossible. They collected samples and took photographs, cataloging the bizarre and wondrous life forms they encountered.

But as they moved further down, shadows began to drift through the water outside the submarine. They were unlike any creature Jeremy had seen—dark, amorphous shapes that seemed to merge with the water itself. They floated just beyond the reach of their lights, moving in silence, always watching.

“Are they just curious?” Maya, the ship’s navigator, whispered, her face pale.

“Maybe,” Jeremy replied, though he wasn’t convinced. Something about the way they moved felt intentional, as if they were studying the submarine and its crew.

Bryan was the first to voice what everyone was thinking. “What if they’re not just watching? What if they’re waiting?”

The thought sent a chill down Jeremy’s spine, but he brushed it aside. They had a mission to complete, and he wouldn’t let fear get in the way.

Part 3: The First Encounter

On the sixth day of their descent, Captain Rogers went missing. He’d gone to check the navigation systems late at night, and by morning, he was gone. The crew searched every inch of the submarine, but there was no trace of him. The unsettling presence of the watchers seemed to grow stronger in his absence, their shapes pressing closer to the portholes, their movements more deliberate.

Jeremy took over as acting leader, though he felt the weight of Rogers’ absence. He tried to keep the crew focused on their tasks, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the watchers had something to do with the captain’s disappearance.

Late one night, as he reviewed the sonar readings, a strange signal appeared on the screen. It was faint, a rhythmic pulse coming from deep below them. Jeremy felt a pull to investigate, an instinct that he couldn’t explain. He gathered Maya, Bryan, and a few others, and they set a course for the signal.

As they approached, they saw a faint light glowing from the ocean floor. It was a massive, ancient structure, covered in bioluminescent coral and strange carvings. The watchers hovered around it, as if guarding something. Jeremy felt a thrill of discovery tempered by an unshakable sense of dread.

“What is this place?” Maya whispered, her voice barely audible.

“I don’t know,” Jeremy replied, staring at the structure. But he had the unsettling feeling that it wasn’t meant for human eyes.

Part 4: The Portal

As they examined the structure, Jeremy noticed a circular, stone-like formation embedded in the seabed. The carvings on its surface seemed to pulsate with a dim, otherworldly light, shifting in rhythm with the signal they’d picked up on the sonar.

“It’s like a door,” Maya said, her fingers tracing the carvings on the screen.

“But to where?” Bryan muttered, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear.

The moment Jeremy touched the stone, his vision blurred, and he felt a sudden, wrenching pull as though he were being drawn through space and time. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a place that defied comprehension. It was an underwater landscape, yet he could see everything with perfect clarity. Strange, shimmering shapes floated around him, and the water glowed with an unnatural light.

“Jeremy! Do you see this?” Maya’s voice came through his headset, filled with wonder.

They had crossed into another dimension—a hidden realm beneath the ocean, filled with impossible creatures and vibrant, alien landscapes. The watchers were there, too, moving freely in this strange world. Jeremy realized, with a mix of fear and fascination, that they were in a place where the laws of physics didn’t apply, a realm that existed alongside their own.

Part 5: The Guardians

As they explored the new dimension, the crew marveled at the creatures surrounding them—giant, translucent beings with bodies that shimmered like liquid glass, towering structures of coral and stone, and schools of glowing fish that moved in perfect synchronization.

The watchers appeared frequently, darting in and out of view, their movements more erratic. Jeremy had the sense that they were patrolling, as though guarding something. The crew stayed quiet, careful not to attract their attention.

“What do you think they’re protecting?” Maya asked, her gaze fixed on the watchers.

“Whatever it is, it’s important enough for them to guard it across dimensions,” Jeremy replied, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach.

As they ventured deeper into this realm, they found a massive structure at the center—a monument that seemed to pulse with a quiet, powerful energy. Jeremy felt an overwhelming urge to understand its purpose, but he knew they had to proceed carefully. If the watchers suspected they were getting too close, they might intervene.

Part 6: Hidden Truths

In the days that followed, Jeremy and the crew studied the structure, taking careful notes and recording every detail. It became clear that this was no ordinary monument; it was an artifact of immense power, something that had the potential to influence both their world and the dimension they had entered.

One night, while reviewing footage, Jeremy noticed something strange—a shimmering light emanating from the structure, forming symbols that seemed to communicate a message. He spent hours decoding it, feeling as though he were piecing together a puzzle left behind by an ancient civilization.

“It’s a warning,” he finally concluded, chills running down his spine.

“What do you mean?” Maya asked, leaning closer.

“It’s warning us not to disturb the balance between our world and theirs,” Jeremy replied. “The watchers… they’re not just observers. They’re guardians, keeping the two realms separate.”

Part 7: The Rift

As they prepared to leave the dimension, a tremor shook the CX45, and the shimmering landscape outside began to flicker and distort. The watchers became more agitated, moving with a new urgency. Jeremy realized, to his horror, that their presence had destabilized the boundary between the two realms.

“We have to leave, now!” he shouted, steering the submarine away from the monument.

But as they tried to pull back, a blinding flash of light enveloped them. The CX45 shuddered violently, and Jeremy felt himself being pulled between two worlds, his mind torn between the reality he knew and the surreal landscape of the hidden realm.

Part 8: The Escape

The crew scrambled to stabilize the submarine as the watchers closed in, their movements no longer gentle but frenzied. They were pushing the CX45 away from the structure, guiding them back toward the portal.

“Hold on!” Jeremy shouted, his hands shaking as he adjusted the controls.

With a final surge, they broke through the boundary, emerging back into the familiar darkness of the Pacific. The watchers lingered at the edge, their forms fading into the shadows as the portal closed.

Part 9: Revelations

Back in their own world, the crew reviewed their footage and samples, struggling to process what they had experienced. They had evidence of the watchers and the hidden realm, a discovery that could change humanity’s understanding of the ocean and the universe itself.

“We have to be careful with this,” Maya said. “The world isn’t ready for what we found.”

Jeremy agreed, feeling the weight of their responsibility. They had glimpsed something extraordinary, but they

knew the watchers would be watching, ensuring that their secret remained safe.

Part 10: The Return

As they surfaced, Jeremy looked back at the ocean, feeling a strange connection to the depths. They had survived the watchers’ domain and returned with knowledge beyond comprehension. But as he gazed at the water, he knew that the ocean would always guard its mysteries, and the watchers would be waiting for those bold enough to venture too close.