[Zero Kilometers above sea level]
Samuel gets out of bed and heads into the shower he checks himself out in the mirror and flexes him muscles, he immediately regrets that due to them still being sore from yesterday. After getting changed he walks to the mess hall to grab some food. He notices that no one else is around expect Zhou. She is sitting by herself eating a full course meal. Squid, chicken, rice, dumplings, pork, and steak, and a large helping of vegetables, Samuel is a little shocked by her appetite, but he isn't one to judge. He orders fried squid, rice, and a few assortments of vegetables. Samuel goes to sit a Zhou's table, noticing she still has a bruised forehead,
"Sorry about yesterday." Samuel says before shoving a fried squid in his mouth.
"It's fine I was just hungry and not paying attention to my surroundings. Hey, whenever you are ready meet me in the moonpool all you need to do is turn right and walk downstairs. It'll be to your left." Zhou finishes her food and walks away. An intercom spoils Samuel's breakfast.
"All personnel report to your post it's time to embark." Samuel sighs and scarfs down the rest of his rice.
"This place can't be serious." He whines with a mouth full.
Samuel walks out of the mess hall. He turns to the right to see someone walking downstairs. A shaggy white-haired boy around the same age walks past him. The boy stops when he notices Samuel and raises his sunglasses. His pupils are bright orange, and they have a strange glow. He is carrying a long case on his back and wears a coat that goes down to his knees. The letters "Beethoven" marked in white fabric along the right side of his coat.
"You must be Samuel, big sis told me about you. Names Johnny, Johnny Silvers." He holds out his hand. Samuel shakes it.
"Nice to meet you, Johnny." Samuel looks at his eyes.
"Hey, your eyes are pretty cool how come they glow like that, it's awesome." Samuel is in awe of Johnny. Johnny is a little surprised, but he smiles.
"They're implants helps me with my hearing." Samuel eyes brighten.
"THAT'S SO COOL!!!" Johnny gives him a big smile.
"Well Sammy, I'll see ya downstairs!" Johnny starts walking off his coat flowing like water.
"You bet Johnny!" Samuel waves back.
Samuel walks downstairs, stumbling for a moment, his head still aching from yesterday. He collects himself and walks to the left into an airlock. Behind it there is a small open room with a pool and three submarines, and Zhou is standing next to another woman wearing a jump suit and black hair going over her shoulders.
"So, what did you want to say Kris?" Zhou looks down at the woman.
"I'll open the facility moon pool, once you get inside the moon pool will stay open for as long as you need. Make sure that when you're down there to stay vigilant of any marine predators, Vice-captain." Kris walks past Samuel and gives him a light punch in the shoulder.
"Good luck out there!" She smiles at him.
"Thanks..." Samuel speaks nervously.
"Ready Samuel?" Zhou looks at him with a hand on her hip.
Samuel hears the door open behind him. It's Loraine and three others including Johnny. A tall muscular man wearing a feathered mask with a giant sword on his back and a small black-haired girl about Samuel's age carrying a doll.
"These three will accompany us, Samuel. Along with Loraine " Zhou walks over to the three. A tall man looks down at Samuel, he towers three feet above Samuels five eight stature.
"Nice to meet you kid, names Ruben." Ruben, the friendly giant, holds out his hand.
Samuel shakes his hand; the feeling of his warm soft hands calms him down.
"N-nice to meet you Sammy, miss Loraine told me about you. My name is Sophia." The black-haired girl smiles at him and walks up to Loraine.
"Do we really have to go into the water?" Sophia looks extremely scared as she clenches her doll.
"Yes, but don't worry we won't be down there for long." Loraine comforts Sophia.
Johnny and Ruben go over to a control panel and flip a switch. A submarine drops down, splashing Ruben.
They all board the sub; Ruben grumbles about the height.
"Everyone buckled and ready to dive?" The woman in the jump suit asks from outside.
"Ready." They all say in unison.
"The ship is piloted by Kris from the control room, and she will open the doors to the moonpool; all we have to do is get to the facility." Zhou crosses her arms and legs.
"This'll be fun." Johnny smirk and sits down next to Samuel.
"First mission... you're lucky to get to come with us. Lin and the others have much more boring stuff to do." Johnny Snickers.
Sophia looks outside to see a rainbow color fish with four eyes.
This fish is known as Vividpiscis Visus or Rainbow Seeker. These fish are known for being the main protectors of smaller coral.
The surrounding area is known as a megafauna ecosystem; this specific one is home to large scale coral reef spreading across the entire northern region of Qerta-8's tropical ecosystem and is also the home of many large marine mammals, fish, and reptiles. As the group travels deeper the smaller the coral gets, however the clusters are much larger, expanding double the size and even going into underwater caves. Bioluminescent coral can be found at deeper areas. This allows smaller marine animals to take shelter and provides a lush ecosystem down in the depths. Lastly there are known underground caves however no one has explored many of them
"Fifty meters. One hundred meters. Two-hundred-" Kris counts each time they descend.
"Five Hundred. One Thousand. Two thousand five hundred. Halfway there. "The outside of the sub is dark now, bioluminescent coral is expanding, however. Sophia puts her face in her knees.
"You've arrived in the facility moon pool. Good luck team." A set of recon drones drop from the ceiling.
"Any intel you find give to the nautilus drones. They will scan the area and give you a map of the facility." Everyone climbs out of the Submarine.
"Jeez smells like death down here." Johnny covers his nose and opens a locker.
Samuel presses a panel next to a door.
A body falls right at his feet; its body is bloated. Samuel falls on his back.
"AAAHHH!" Everyone looks at him.
"Oh no." Zhou walks over to inspect the body.
"Doctor Morgan.... Nautilus One, report this to HQ please. Something terrible has happened here." Zhou commands the drone.
"Affirmative taking pictures. Sending to command." The drone flashes and begins blinking.
"Doctor James Mogan, KIA? This isn't good I'll inform the captain." Kris sounds worried.
"Doctor Jame Morgan, cause of death, drowning." Everyone looks surprised.
"How the hell did he drown? It's drier than a desert down here!" Johnny rubs his head. Loraine looks around loading a shell into her staff cannon. Johny uncases a long hammer like horn with cloth around the handle.
"This isn't gonna end well." Ruben picks up the body and carries it over to the sub. He puts the man's body into a capsule inside the ship.
Ruben grabs his sword from in the sub and steps out.
"We need to see if anyone else is alive. Samuel, Johnny, and I will go to the left wing. Ruben, Sophia, and Loraine will go right. Nautiluses one and two will go with your group, while Nautiluses three and four will come with us."
Listening to Zhou's plan, Zhou's group heads right into a large room with a bunch of windows. There is bioluminescent coral outside a large snake like whale swims in the distant. A bellowing noise shakes the walls. Samuel accidentally kicks something on the ground. A gun of sorts he picks it up off the ground and inspects it. A forty caliber Omni Bull Magnum. Still in perfect condition.
"A pistol that can have any modification." Johnny looks at Samuel.
"You know your weapons." Samuel checks the ammo, still full mag. He puts the gun in his bag.
"I'll keep it, might come in hand-"
SEEHHHHHHAAAAASSHHHH
A noise comes from the opposite room.
"That was the sound of an angry Zelbeast!" Zhou draws her sword. Johnny removes the cloth from his handle. Samuel draws his bow.
In the left-wing Loraine's group walks into an open room with a tree in the center. There is a balcony with an abyss leading down.
Ruben looks around. Sophia walks up to the tree. Loraine follows Sophia.
"A tree? What's it doing down here? It's pretty though." Sophia blushes.
"That must be a part of the research. Hey three scan this tree and send it to HQ." Loraine points to the tree
"Affirmative scanning now." The drone scans the tree and sends it to Kris.
"I got the intel good work guys!" Kris applauds them.
Ruben lets out a scream.
"Something is climbing the balcony. A Zelbeast!" Ruben hits it and the creature lets out a deaf piercing scream.
"Ruben, fall back!" Loraine barks.
"Why is it white?! Aren't they supposed to be black?" Ruben steps back in shock.
"It must have mutated, stand your ground!" Loraine aims her staff. Sophia cries out.
"Threat detected." Nautilus three shoots a sonic boom at the beast.
Nothing happened. Ruben attacks the beast. It catches his sword and mimics the sonic boom of the drone.
"WHAT THE. AAAH!" Ruben falls on his back. Loraine runs over and jabs her staff into the beast.
KABOOM
The beast falls back and looks at Sophia. An easy target.
"Ah no!" Sophia cowers.
The Zelbeast leaps at her using another sonic boom. Sophia falls to the ground.
"Emanate threat detected, deactivating mutation nullification systems." The doll in Sophia's hands makes a clicking noise as it shatters.
"Damn this isn't good! Sophia's doll broke!" Ruben reaches out for his sword.
A high pitch noise knocks Loraine back as Sophia stands up. Something is different about her now. Her hair is longer; her eyes are black like the deep sea. Her body has become more muscular, and she is taller.
"Sophia..." Loraine tries standing up.
The Zelbeast bites down on Sophia's hips. She stares down with a blank expression, then blushes.
"My aren't you a cutie!" She grabs it by its neck.
CRACK
The Zelbeast neck begins cracking but it manages to escape Sophias grasp just in time. It staggers before charging again. Sophia jumps up and drops her leg right on it. Another crack.
The Zelbeast flops to the floor motionless. Sophia notices something rip out of its stomach and retreating into the abyss.
"Ah no! That's not good! Send word to HQ of an Anomaly, Mr. Three!"
"Roger that." The drone hovers in silence. Sophia turns to look at Loraine on the floor.
"Anomaly? I'll inform the captain.
"You two, okay?" Sophia runs over to help Loraine up.
"Sophia your clothes are torn." Ruben stands up.
"AHH REALLY." She covers herself.
"Here take my jacket." Ruben takes his giant jacket off.
"Thanks Ruben." Sophia looks very embarrassed.
"I hope the others are doing okay..." Sophia looks back at the door.
"If there is an anomaly, we have to be careful." Loraine coughs.
Zhou's group in the right wing heard a loud noise.
TUNG THUNG THUNHG
The door to the next room is violently torn open. A piece of metal flies past the group.
"EEHH, that was close!" Johnny's glasses slip down.
A Zelbeast walks out, its body a deep red, extra eyes, arms, and tendrils that whip around variously.
"What the heck?! This thing is extremely mutated stay back!" Zhou drives her heels to the ground.
Samuel releases an arrow. The Zelbeast hisses and catches the arrow.
"Huh?" Samuel takes a step back.
"How the hell?" They all say in unison.
The beast opens more eyes. They all look directly at Samuel. A sense of dread overwhelms him.
"Insolence." The Zelbeast speaks to him.
"Anomaly detected activating assault mode." The two nautilus drones speak in unison.
"IT SPOKE!" The group is in shock.
"ANOTHER ANOMALY DETECTED?! TEAM, YOU NEED TO KILL IT! BE CAREFUL, I'LL SUPPORT YOU WITH DRONE FIRE!" Kris yells over the drones.
The drones begin hitting the creature with tasers and gun fire. It roars in anger.
"Scatter!" Samuel yells as the arrow in the Zelbeast hand fragments and mangles it.
The Zelbeast howls in pain. Johnny takes the opportunity to hit it in the head. A loud drum sound is heard when he hits it. He holds the end of the handle and blows into it. A loud bellowing noise disorients the Zelbeast.
THUNGOOOOOOOOHH
"ITS DISORENTED! VICE CAPT. YOU'RE UP!" Zhou runs at the beast and pulls a cord at the hilt of her sword. Her sword turns into a drill.
She stabs in into the monster as it lets out a large screech throwing them back. Samuel sees something rip out of the beast back and crawl through a vent.
"SOMETHING CRAWLED OUT GUYS." Johnny and Zhou look up to an octopus like creature slither away.
"DAMN IT!" Johnny pouts.
"We need to track it! Attention team two we have found another anomaly we need you to stay vigilant." Zhou calls over the radio.
"Roger." Loraine says on the other end.
The Zelbeast stands back up to bite Zhou. Samuel shoots another arrow that scatters into its neck. Shredding flesh covering Zhou in blood.
"You alright Zhou?" Johnny and Samuel run over to her.
"Yeah, let's get back." Zhou radios Loraine to meet back up at the rendezvous point.
They all meet back up. Samuel notices Sophia is bleeding.
"Ah! Miss Sophia, are you okay?" Samuel grabs her by the shoulders.
"Uhm weren't you a little smaller last time I saw you. And more importantly.... WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?!" Samuel immediately throws his jacket on her.
"Thank you, Sammy, that's very kind." She blushes as she looks away.
"Sophia has a genetic mutation that evolves her anatomy in various ways." Loraine leans against a wall.
"She usually carries a doll around that lets her contain her strength." Loraine reloads her staff.
"We need to track down the anomalies." Zhou Sharpens her sword with a small stone.
"Relax hon, we got this." Loraine walks over to a vent.
"We will let a Nautilus scan the vent systems. Whenever it returns it'll be easier to find those pests, right?" Loraine smiles at the group.
"Good job Loraine!" Sophia pats her on the back.
The Nautilus enters the vent, turning back for a moment to look at Loraine.
"These vents are scary Loraine!" Kris whines.
"You'll be fine you're not down here with us." Johnny barks back.
"Hm? Something came up on the scanner. AH! THERES A SCIENTIST IN THE VENTS!" Kris screeches
"WHAT?!" The entire group falls into shock.