Samudra & the Soul of the Deep

Razor-sharp salt crystals pelted Samudra’s hefty leather coat. If her skin were exposed, they would no doubt open tiny, stinging cuts. The thick salty air made breathing difficult. Through her compact goggles, she could see the town. Dusty buildings covered in white crystal formations sat in a wide-open plain. The town grew how the landscape allowed. A high metal tower leaned awkwardly to one side, and ropes holding tarps stretched out like a haphazard circus tent. So, it’s a shit hole, got it. She checked the map her grandmother had given her again. After a short scan to confirm, Samudra took a deep breath and, throwing the map back into her bag, marched towards the dilapidated town, clutching her heart-shaped locket. You’re finally here, don’t fuck this up.

As she drew near, the signs came into focus amid the heat haze. “TOWNSHIP OF MARIANA,” the closest sign read. As she continued, more signs became visible. She peered at them, a frown stretching across her covered face. “PROPERTY OF STEVEN FISHER,” “TRESPASSERS WILL BE DETAINED,” “MERCHANTS ENTER AT THE MAIN GATE,” “VIOlATORS OF THE LAW WILL BE DRAINED.”

“Lovely place,” Samudra muttered to herself as she drew closer, grimacing. The outer ring of the town kept out intruders as well as a spiderweb traps a dog. Sheet metal dug into the ground with barbed wire stapled to the outside. Underneath the salt, there was a patchwork of metal sheets. Samudra scoffed a little at the lax security. There isn’t even a guard. It’s like they want someone to break in. She pulled a knife from her belt and got to work.

Once inside, the multicolored canopy of tarps blocked out most of the sun, so only tiny beams of light butted from the ceiling like blades cutting into the ground. Samudra crouched in a dingy alley created by two shanty buildings on either side of her. The town’s interior was louder than the wind had been outside as workers bustled around carrying plastic containers. She found herself staring at everyone’s faces. How different they looked. God, how long has it been since you’ve seen any face but your own? The thought threatened to overtake her excitement, but she firmly shoved it down. Ogle the people of the world after you save it, now focus up. The inhabitants of this town all dressed the same; dirty tunics and cloth wrapped them up to their shoulders, and a smooth steel collar with a blinking light hung around every neck. The workers would walk up to Kelpies, half-horse animals meant to sweat and produce water, and attach their jars to a device around the animal’s middle. Slowly water would fill the container. Then another worker would detach the vessel and carry it over to be stored. As she watched, one of the workers dropped the container of water and broke into a run. Before he had made it halfway to the entrance, his body jerked, and he collapsed, shaking violently. Samudra winced viciously. I guess the collars aren’t just for show. Poor bastards. She used the distraction to climb up a huge dried spinal column of an ancient beast and perched on the roof.

The facility she was looking for was practically ancient. Her family had worked in it many generations before she was born. Then the Calamity occurred, and things went downhill for the planet real quick. Almost all species went extinct after a year, with humanity close behind. We hung on, proving to be more like a cockroach than previously expected. But her great great great grandmother, Samudra could never remember how many greats exactly, had transcribed everything she knew about the facility onto a map and saved a key. An answer to the Calamity, the Soul of the Deep. A device so complex it resembled more magic than technology. So this map and key were passed down, generation by generation, until the responsibility of this knowledge fell to Samudra. And now, here she was, finishing the legacy herself.

Two guards, dressed in dirty black robes, strode under where Samudra sat. They had no idea an eighteen-year-old threat to their security lurked five feet above them. She smirked, checking the map. There should be a ravine that this town couldn’t have built over and a responsibly safe way to get down it. Stuffing the map away again, she jumped to another building.

As it turns out, the ravine wasn’t hard to find. It was massive, and the town merely clung to the edge of it like a barnacle. This canyon stretched over forty miles wide, and darkness clouded its depths. A small half-bridge hung out with a rickety rope pulley system designed to lower people into the chasm. From the look of it, the contraption had only taken a few lives, so she picked that as her way down. Now, there was a choice in front of her. Stealth or mad dash? She mulled the two options over in her mind until a guard shouting and pointing made the decision for her. She dove off the rooftop, rolling as she hit the ground. More guards accumulated, producing rifles and taking aim as Samudra sprinted. She had been shot before and would prefer to avoid it if possible. When a bullet whizzed over her shoulder, her hopes died. There was a large metal box she guessed controlled the motor of the pulley. She smacked the lever on it as she passed, not slowing down at all. The cart began to lower without her as more bullets struck her surroundings. This is gonna be a lot closer than I’d like. As Samudra was almost to the end of the walkway, and the box was barely visible, she slid. And came up short, sliding two feet away from the end of the bridge. How the hell did you misjudge that? She thought as she scrambled on all fours the rest of the distance. A bullet cracked against the railing, splintering the wood, and she fell ten feet into the box. The entire cart rocked as she landed, swaying as it lowered.

“Not a bad getaway if I do say so myself.” Samudra got up, brushing dirt off her clothes, smiling.

It was hard to judge how close to the bottom she was when the cart halted. Then, far too fast for her liking, she started going up. Swearing audibly, Samudra began to swing the box, pulling her up to the firing squad above. She just needed to get close enough to the wall to jump off and clim-- the rope snapped, and gravity grabbed her. Samudra was so surprised she forgot to scream.

The first thing Samudra felt when she woke was her broken ribs. When she gasped for air, shooting pain made her spasm on the soft grey sand. Bones of long-dead animals littered the ground around Samudra as her eyes filled with tears. “Get up,” she wheezed out. Her body wasn’t obeying her. “Get up!” She said, gritting her teeth. Slowly, painfully slowly, she rose.

The canyon’s bottom was hot, and she started to wonder just how deep in the earth she had fallen. Tubelike volcanic formations spewed heat. Strange white spiky things clung to the black rocks around her. Maybe they were plants once? Then she laughed, which sent a fresh blade of pain into her ribs. Listen to yourself; you’re not making any sense. The pressure down here was intense. She felt like her pack had become twice as heavy since she’d come down. Although maybe that’s your ribs. Moving was agony, and just as she considered if she was even going the right way, Samudra saw a building. It was a colossal metal cylinder covered in salt and black soot. A smile broke through the pain, and Samudra quickened her pace.

Inside, the research facility was almost untouched. It had been sealed airtight, and no salt or basaltic sand had snuck in. Old screens and dust-covered machinery cluttered the walls. A massive collection of electronic instruments reached down from the high ceiling, clawing towards the center of the room. And in the center of the room… Samudra was speechless. A metal pillar covered in tubes and wires rose from the ground. On it was a cylindrical device. Its surface was inlaid with tiny circuits, miniature grooves, and holes so intricate it was impossible to see with the human eye. Breathlessly, Samudra drew out the heart-shaped locket that hung around her neck. Inside sat a tiny rectangular pillar. She moved like in a dream, floating over to the ancient machine. On its front was a slight indent, a space for her key.

“I must admit I am quite surprised you survived the fall.” A voice said from behind her. Samudra turned, and a man in a white tunic with dirty blonde hair, flanked by two guards, stood holding a pistol. They had stepped out of an elevator. They had a fucking elevator? Her breathing came a little faster, making the throbbing pain in her ribs stronger. She couldn’t have fought even if she wanted to, not in this condition. “Did you know of this place before you fell? Or was it merely fate that brought you here?” She didn’t answer him; there was nothing to say. “My name is Steven Fisher, and I am the arbiter of this town. What you’ve come for is my property.” He said, dripping arrogance. Samudra had seen men like him before. She could explain what she was doing here, and maybe he’d listen. Or maybe his ears were too clogged with his own bullshit to hear her. “What are you doing in this place? How did you know this was here?” Samudra considered her response.

“I am here to bring life back to this waste of a planet.” His eyebrows raised a bit at this, so she forged on. “Long ago, my family used to work here. They believed this machine could reverse the Calamity.” She had moved back closer to the device, holding the key behind her. If you can just slip it in while he’s talking… Steven Fisher cocked his head to one side, thinking. “I rather like the way things are. Well, I suppose it’s as good a grave as any.” He shot her.

As Samudra fell, she stared at the Soul of the Deep, with her key resting on its crest. A small blue light pulsed out from the core across the device. Then another. From inside the Soul of the Deep, an azure light began to emanate. Water started to accumulate in the air. First, tiny drops hung there, slowly growing in size, until head-sized globes of water floated gently, rippling. More and more globes materialized as Steven, and his men ran back into the elevator. Samudra smiled. This would be happening everywhere. The ravine was filled with bubbles melting away the salt crystals and rising up. Far away from the Mariana trench, people watched as a tide of orbs appeared near the beach. People emerged from their houses and shelters to find a mass of floating, churning marbles around their homes. Samudra blinked back tears but they streamed down. And to think I never got to swim in it. Samudra tried to hold back the regret and the fear of death, but she let it wash over her. As ends go, it could be worse. The globes slowly began to float down until they broke on the floor, and Samudra felt seawater for the very first time. Even as she died, the feeling of the cool salty liquid against her skin was the most fantastic sensation she’d ever felt.