Mystery At 4,000 Fathoms

Chapter 2: Descent into Darkness

Seagulls fly overhead, the waves rolling softly, a much different scene compared to a few hours ago. The scent of salt hits my nose as the warmth of the sun's light hits my skin, bouncing off my brown hair. I look around one way and another, and am met with nothing but endless ocean, not even a glimpse of land in sight.

My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach. There's no escape from my metal prison, not yet.

"There. We've taken in enough air," Jenny calls from inside the Bellerophon, and I look down at her from where I am on the ladder, halfway out of the hatch.

"But-" I start, but she's having none of it.

"Take one last look at the surface, Five, because the Bellerophon is descending to Atlantis."

It takes a great amount of effort not to sneer at that word again. Yes, Solus did talk oddly when he said things like 'Topsider' and such, but what's to say this guy wasn't just insane like Jenny? Maybe he just believes he's from Atlantis, and this submarine is just... from some other country that has technology different from that of America or Great Britain.

I suppose it doesn't matter, I think as I close the hatch and secure it before climbing down the ladder. I'm going with Jenny on this expedition whether I want to or not.

I don't want to even humor the idea of a fairytale city existing, but if Atlantis is real, then I'll need to find some hard evidence to prove it. Maybe, if Jenny's calculations are right, I'll be proven wrong.

I doubt it, but I've been proven wrong before, multiple times. None of them were surrounding the existence of a legendary lost city, but I suppose there's always a first time for everything. Until then, I'll remain skeptical.

Jenny's taken a seat at the piloting console, and I watch as we begin to descend, going deeper and deeper into the depths of the sea.

"The pressure will increase as the submarine dives. It can feel odd. Exercise helps. Jumping, stretching, even dancing. I've gone over my calculations again and again using Solus' charts. I must be right. Atlantis should be directly below us now. It's hard to believe, isn't it?"

"That's one way to put it," I say as I bend down and touch my toes.

"After Thomas disappeared, I told anyone at naval intelligence who would listen that he'd gone to Atlantis, but they all laughed at me." She smiles sweetly. "But I can tell you're not that sort."

I smirk. Oh, do you now?

"Listen to this. It's another one of Solus' engraved disks." She inserts the disk into place as I stand and pull at my arms to loosen up my shoulders.

"March 18, 1869. Atlantean society is fair. Nobody goes hungry, and every citizen can follow the path they desire, unless they wish to leave the city. Once I thought this unfair, but now I understand why leaving is forbidden, why I had to steal this ship to escape. Our technology is centuries beyond any topside civilization. Were greedy or desperate hands to grasp it, it would be catastrophic. And I have seen much greed and desperation up here."

"He's lying, of course," Jenny says quickly. "The Atlantean conspirators walk the world as we know, but it's clear we shouldn't expect a warm welcome."

"But why would he be lying if these disks were his own personal logs that he didn't want you finding?" I ask. The man might be mad, but I doubt he would lie concerning his own delusions about coming from a fantasy city.

"There's something you can do to protect us, Five, but you'll need to warm up your muscles. Keep moving as we dive." She doesn't' answer, and I cock a brow. I continue stretching when she offers no further explanation on what I can do to protect us.