Explorers

“All the systems fully operational. The engines work normally.”

“The radio communication is clear as well as the radar.”

“Great. Did you check the oxygen, John?”

“Yes, everything is operational.”

The two explorers looked back at the mothership which was growing smaller imperceptibly, turning into a white flake, raised and descent by the stretched blue moveable hills.

“Close the hatch, it is time to dive” – the project manager said and the two of them settled themselves on the seats in front of the control panels.

The submarine – one almost miniature miracle of the technology – had everything necessary for the successful fulfillment of the mission which supposed two-hour diving at more than three thousand and two hundred fifty meters of depth, three hours of exploratory job and two more hours and a half for floating up. The two explorers’ target was one of the volcanos of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, that swept mainly hot sulfur, carbon dioxide, and other poisonous gases from their depths. The latest measurements made by their scientific group had stated that the water temperature around the crater reached a hundred and ten degrees Celsius but the risk of a recent eruption was almost zero.

According to the madcap for many people theory by professor Cameron, who had been researching the biodiversity of the ecosystems in the Atlantic Ocean around the peaks of the underwater volcanoes turned the ocean bottom into an underwater mountain chain, that halved it from north to the south, undiscovered yet microorganisms existed, for more than ten years. One of the professor’s main arguments was that shrimp colonies that obviously had to eat something existed near the volcanic cones, under the craters that erupted glowing gases. Most of Cameron’s colleagues dismissed the theory as crazy, with the undoubtable argument that there was not a single microorganism able to survive at that temperature and poisonous environment. Only John – his friend since the childhood and a prominent volcanologist, a madcap like him – believed him wholeheartedly and joined the expedition willingly; moreover, it would let him make exceptional of their kind explorations of the bottom volcano and geological structures.

They needed a bit less than two years until the little submarine was build. It had to meet the numerous conditions. They needed also a few more months till they mastered the skill to rule that rather high-technologically scientific instrument than a vehicle but the Day of their Truth had come.

The two explorers were shivering with excitement to see the ocean bottom at the light of the powerful floodlights but meanwhile their stomachs sank when thinking about the millions tones of water that was left behind them.

“We begin the descent” – Cameron murmured.

The cape slightly angled and while one of the men was following the movement direction, the other one was careful not to let the submarine careen.

At first, the golden flashes of the water surface, watched from bellow, and the fish that passed along the small hatches from time to time, created the pleasant feeling of a journey. However, gradually, the darkness among them started gaining density until finally the only spot of light among the gross darkness was the one of the floodlights, the two lamps above their heads and somehow relaxing blue spreading from the little screens and instruments on the panel.

During their training, the two scientists had managed to dive to a depth big enough but had not overcome the feeling of being in a coffin yet. This feeling was reinforced by the burdensome realizing of the fact that the trainings had already been behind their back and then they could rely only on their own skills.

“What depth are we at?” – John asked and Cameron murmured:

“Five hundred and twenty meters.”

The biologist’s voice echoed deafly in the narrow room. The world as if had stayed in some other dimension or rather they had tuned out to be in some nonentity of darkness. The only thing that reminded about the reality existence was the connection with the mothership that had been left some far, far above them.

“A thousand meters” – Cameron reported a while ago, rubbing his chin while gazing at the map and comparing the statements from the three-dimensional graphics of the relief far under them that had been modeled by the sonar.

John felt it like hours had passed since they had left the shipboard but in fact a bit more than thirty minutes had passed.

“Do you really think there could be life down there?” – the volcanologist said not so much in order to get an answer but to break the deafened rumbling of the engines that made the silence stand out more and more and to press them into it.

 “I don’t know...” – Cameron mumbled. – “I have told you; there is a great possibility to find some unknown organisms that had developed or rather that have kept their capability to live in such conditions. After all, you know it not worse than me that the conditions around the craters resemble the ones when Earth life was established largely. Can you imagine it to find organisms that have stayed unchanged since that time?”

“It would be a great deal” – John joked but his words sunk into the ocean’s silence.

“Two thousand meters, the lowering continues normally” – Cameron reported and the information was confirmed by the ship when suddenly something massive ran against the submarine.

“What was that?” – the biologist made buggy eyes.

“A monster?” – John hardly whispered when an enormous tentacle emerged at the light of the floodlights, pushed the blanket up and grandma Nadya bent over the destroyed wall of the submarine.

“Ah, here it is where you hid, vagabonds! Theo, what are you doing there?”

 “Why are you destroying our game?!” – the two explorers sat up from under the desk and started shouting with one voice. – “You disarranged our submarine!”

“What a submarine is chattering in your heads? Hit and run to the kitchen that I have served the lunch and your soup is cooling! Christo! What did you get that colander for?”

“It is not a colander but a pressure helmet!” – the geologist walked away offended and the boys shuffled down the hall.

“It has just started to get interesting...” – the biologist murmured while stirring the spoon in his bowl.

“Never mind! Let’s pretend that this is the submarine canteen and grandma Nadya is the board cook” – his friend said and dragged a little book with an enormous Earth on its cover.

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Translated by: Vessislava Savova