Alien Fantasy-File 14: The Grip of the ocean.
âI take it you guys are the reinforcements? Captain Jessica Lombardi asked.
âYup, thatâs us maâam.â The leading researcher said as the rest of his team joined the captainâs own.
"Damn, Yaâll werenât kidding during the call. Thereâs almost nothing but ocean here.â One of them said as they starred at the big ocean in front of them. It didnât look that different from the beaches back home to be fair. The only difference was the dark sky with more than one visible celestial body and all the fog that covered what little ground they had found.
"Everyone gear up. Oxygen levels in the atmosphere are within human-tolerable ranges, but let's maintain suit protocol for now." One of Lombardiâs crew mates, Matty, said. The team marched out of the ship, The fog swirled around their boots as they gathered around and made preparations. All around them, dark waters stretched endlessly into the light fog.
âCaptain. Are weâŠAre we really supposed to go in that water?â One of the crew mates from the new squad, James, had asked.
âWeâve collected initial water samples at the shoreline. And my crew has been able to swim in it no problem. There doesnât seem to be any wildlife to report around this area.â Lombardi stated.
Unbeknownst to them, Below the surface in the darkness of the deep, massive forms stirred. Their elongated bodies shifted in the shadows of underwater caverns. Long, plant-like stalks extended from their bodies, swaying in the current, sensing the vibrations above. Humming noises emanated from their spots as they communicated.
ââŠTheyâre backâŠ.â
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"preparing to dive in three, two, one..."
They slipped beneath the surface. The new crew members were surprised. The water was clearer than expected, with visibility extending about thirty meters before fading into darkness. Their lights illuminated strange, coral-like formations growing from the rocky seafloor.
"Hey Jessica, you seeing this?" Cooper's voice came through the comm. "Those stalks have gotten a bit bigger than they were a few days ago."
Weird stalks resembling thick plant stems, protruded from various rock formations. They swayed gently, despite the minimal current.
"Getting samples." James replied, swimming up to one of the stalks. In the darkness below, several eyes watched with growing curiosity.
âBe careful, Rookie!â Cooper shouted as he reached out to the one slowly sinking into the dark.
"These specimens are unlike anything in our database- wait, what the-"
The stalk suddenly wrapped around his leg with surprising strength. Before he could react, he was yanked downward into the darkness.
"James!" One of the others screamed. Cooper watched the entire exchange and hastily activated his comms.
"Emergency! Diver down! Something's got him!" Cooper shouted. Suddenly, he was pulled down to by a nearby stalk. Cooper struggled against the grip, reaching for his weapon. The stalk pulled him deeper, Even with the increasing darkness, he could faintly see a crack downward where the stalk seemed to be coming from.
He dug the bayonet of his weapon into the stalk and fired, severing the appendage. He kicked hard, swimming upward as fast as his legs could manage.
A very shrill noise came from the darkness, along with rumbling. Cooper kept swimming. Dodging all the appendages that tried to grab him.
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Cooper burst through the water's surface, gasping and thrashing. His teammates rushed to pull him onto the rocky shore, his diving suit having taken damage in the escape attempt. A few other crew mates hastily followed suit.
"What the hell happened down there?" Matty demanded, helping Cooper remove his helmet. Cooper coughed, his hands shaking as he checked his gear.
"Those things... they're not plants. They grabbed us. Pulled us down toward some caves. I only got away because I had my weapon."
Matty's face went pale as he looked around.
"Wait. Where are James and Rivera?"
Cooper's eyes widened with horror. The rest of the crew looked around and they all began to panic. One of them said they tried to save him. Cooper scrambled to his feet, scanning the dark waters. Nothing but fog and gentle waves met his gaze. Matt tapped a button on his suit.
"COMPUTER! Run emergency scan for James and Rivera's suit signals!"Â Matty called out to the ship's AI.
"Scanning... Suits detected. Depth approximately 127 meters. Both suits still damaged, but active."
"Life signs?" Cooper asked, dreading the answer.
"Life support systems in both suits are operational but showing critical levels. Current estimate suggests complete depletion within 3 minutes." Matty grabbed his tablet, watching the depth readings.
 "They're moving. Something's dragging them deeper into those caves. What do we do?!" Cooper panicked.Â
âJessica! WEâVE GOT A PROBLEM!â Cooper shouted.
One by one, the life support warnings turned from yellow to red. Then, finally, black.
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 "It does not respond to our questions...."
"The device on its back is loose, and it makes no movements." Another one said.
"Greetings, i am [#&&@@*@()!]. What's your name, creature?"Â
"Mine is not moving anymore."Â The giant bodies continued to poke and prod at the bodies.
"Perhaps they require different conditions to communicate?" Another pair of eyes hummed as they poked the body hanging limply in the otherâs grasp.
"The coverings they wear are most peculiar." another observed, gently rotating James's body.
"See how they encase themselves completely?" They added.
The creatures shimmied around their captives in the vast underwater cavern. Their elongated bodies swayed with the deep currents, while hundreds of stalks waved around them like a forest of living threads.
"The previous ones we observed seemed much more... active." a third one noted. The first creature delicately probed the tears in Rivera's damaged diving suit. Water had long since flooded both suits, the eyes inside were open, but unresponsive. Much like the rest of the body.
"We have seen them return to the surface repeatedly. Do they fear our realm?" hummed another in what might have been disappointment.
Their stalks continued to explore the equipment strapped to the bodies. One creature managed to activate a still-functioning light on James's suit, causing a burst of awe among the titanic group as they watched the light cut through the darkness.
"Such fascinating tools they carry." one observed.
"They create their own light..." They muttered.
"We shall wait the otherâs return." the largest one predicted.
"Should we pushes these ones back up there?" asked one of the younger ones, its stalks wavering uncertainly.
"No. Our appendages are not long enough to reach beyond the sky. They are specimens now. We will learn from them. Understand their construction. Perhaps it will help us communicate better with the next ones." Decided the largest one.
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"This is bullshit!" Kenzo slammed his fist against the ship's outer hull.
"Two people dead in less than five minutes! How the fuck weren't there protocols for this?" He shouted. The research team huddled near their equipment, faces drawn and pale. In the corner, One of them sobbed quietly, her shoulders shaking as she stared at James's empty suit locker. They'd only been a team for eight months, but James had been the one she immediately found comfort in.
"The stalks showed no signs of biological activity." A member of Lombardi's crew argued back, pulling up holographic readouts from previous scans.
"Look at the data yourself - no neural patterns, no significant energy signatures, nothing that would indicate sentient life!"
"Oh, that's real fucking comforting! Tell that to Rivera's kids back home! 'Sorry your dad's dead, but our scanners said everything was fine!'" Kenzo spun around, his face contorted with rage.
Cooper sat on a supply crate, still shivering despite the thermal blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
"They were coordinated." he muttered, but only Matty heard him. "Those things... they knew exactly what they were doing."
"What about the emergency beacons?" Another researcher, stepped forward. "Standard protocol says-"
"The beacons are dead. Whatever's down there, it's got them too deep. Signal can't penetrate." Matty cut in, his voice hollow.
The argument got louder and louder. The sobs grew louder, a strings of Romanian curses could be heard. Kenzo and the member of Lombardiâs crew were practically at each other's throats, while other crew members either tried to separate them or joined in the shouting match.
"We need to go back down there!" someone yelled.
"With what? More people to feed to those things?"
"They were our friends, we can't just-"
Captain Lombardi's voice cut through the shouting. The fighting ceased immediately.
"Listen up, because I'm only saying this once. We've lost two people. Two good people. And right now, everyone's scared, angry, and looking for someone to blame." She paused, making eye contact with each person in turn.
"But throwing accusations or rushing back in half-cocked isn't going to bring them back. It's going to get more people killed."
"So what's the plan, Jessie?" Cooper asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Lombardi pulled out her datapad, scrolling through emergency protocols.
"First, we document everything. Every scan, every recording, every piece of data we've collected. HQ needs to know exactly what we're dealing with."
"And then?" Kenzo pressed.
"And then we wait for orders. No unauthorized dives. No heroics. No exceptions." Her tone left no room for argument.
Kenzo wasn't finished though. He stepped forward, his voice cracking.
"What about the bodies? Are we really just gonna leave them down there?!"
Lombardi's shoulders sagged slightly. She rubbed her temples, exhaustion evident in every movement.
"We'll figure something out." she groaned. "But right now, our priority is making sure no one else joins them."
"Get the emergency beacon ready." Lombardi ordered, turning to Matty. "Priority One distress signal. And someone get me a secure link to Command. They need to know what they're really sending people into out here."
The crew dispersed slowly, copper looked to his left. The one member remained by the lockers, her hand pressed against James's name plate. Cooper joined her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"He was talking about proposing to his girlfriend when we got back. Had the ring hidden in his quarters and everything." she whispered.
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Several days had passedâŠ.
Several Cycles had passed.
In their dark domain, several stalks had laid at the ready. Eager to fetch. But they didnât show up.
They stopped showing upâŠ
A few cycles ago they did see a faint shadow near the surface. But it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
"They have not returned." One of the massive creatures hummed, its stalks swaying listlessly in the deep currents of their cavern home.
"Perhaps we were too... eager in our approach?" Another suggested, multiple eyes blinking as it circled the preserved specimens they had collected. The bodies of James and Rivera remained suspended in the water, their suits now covered in a thin film of organic matter.
The largest of them, the one they referred to as Elder, moved their stalks closer to examine the specimens again. Gently probing the deteriorating equipment.
"We have observed their kind for many cycles now. Always at the surface, always protected by these artificial shells. Yet we still understand so little." The Elder's voice waved through the water.
"The devices they carried continue to emit strange signals." a younger one noted, manipulating Rivera's tablet with surprising dexterity.
"Though weaker now than before..." it said, tapping the tabled as it turned on and then back off. Not knowing what the âempty batteryâ symbol was.
"I miss their lights. The way they would pierce our darkness from above. Dancing like stellar bodies in our realm." another added.
"Should weâŠlet the ocean carry them? As a gesture of...understanding?"" A younger creature asked. The Elder's eyes pulsed, casting eerie shadows through the cavern.
"No. They are part of our collection now. Our window into understanding their kind. When they return - and they will return - we must learn to communicate more... delicately."
"If they return." another corrected, its stalks drooping slightly.
"They seem like such curious creatures." the Elder responded. "Their curiosity rivals our own. It will draw them back to our waters. And when they come..." The Elder's massive form shifted in the darkness, hundreds of stalks waving with anticipation.
"We will be waitingâŠâ