The control room buzzed with low murmurs and the hum of machinery as the team crowded around the main console. The tension in the air was palpable, a strange mix of excitement and unease that no one dared voice aloud. Evelyn stood at the back of the group, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she watched the technician's hands fly over the keyboard. The screen flickered, bringing up a series of grainy sonar images that pulsed with each new scan of the trench below.
"We've got something big," the technician muttered, his voice cutting through the quiet. He leaned closer to the monitor, adjusting the settings. "Look at this."
Naomi was the first to step forward, bending over his shoulder to peer at the screen. "Is that…" she trailed off, squinting. "A city?"
The word hung in the air like a weight, and the room fell into a stunned silence. Evelyn felt her stomach twist as she stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the screen. The images revealed a massive, sprawling structure buried deep beneath the ocean's surface. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. Towers spiraled upward, their shapes defying logic, while the walls seemed to shift and shimmer as if refusing to be confined by the rules of geometry.
Drew let out a low whistle. "I told you," he said, his voice laced with a mix of triumph and dread. "It's alive down there. This… this isn't just a city. It's something more."
Naomi shot him a glare. "Can you not?" she snapped. "Let's focus on what we're actually seeing, not your conspiracy theories."
Evelyn barely heard them. Her heart pounded as she leaned closer to the monitor, her breath catching in her throat. She could feel the cold sweat forming at the back of her neck, but she didn't care. There was something hauntingly familiar about the images on the screen, something that tugged at the edges of her memory like a half-forgotten dream.
"Enhance the resolution," she ordered, her voice sharp and commanding.
The technician nodded, typing quickly. The image sharpened slightly, revealing even more intricate details of the submerged structure. Evelyn's hands trembled as she reached for her father's journal, flipping through its worn pages. She stopped at a sketch—rough, hastily drawn, but unmistakable. It was the same city. The same impossible towers. Beneath the sketch, her father had scrawled a single line: "A city lost to the tides, a sleeping giant."
"This is what he was searching for," Evelyn murmured to herself. Her voice was barely audible, but Naomi glanced at her. Evelyn didn't notice. Her thoughts were racing, piecing together fragments of her father's cryptic notes and the reality now staring her in the face. He knew it was here. And now… so do I.
Graves' voice cut through her thoughts like a blade. "We need to stop and think about what we're doing here."
Evelyn turned to face the captain, her jaw tightening. "What are you talking about? This is exactly what we came here for."
Graves crossed her arms, her expression as unyielding as the steel-gray waters outside. "This doesn't feel right," she said. "There are things we're not meant to find."
Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "You think I came all this way to turn back because you've got a bad feeling?"
"It's more than a feeling," Graves shot back. "Look at that thing." She gestured to the screen, where the city loomed like a dark, ancient predator lying in wait. "It's not natural. You don't have to be a superstitious idiot to see that. We have no idea what we're dealing with."
"My father—" Evelyn started, then stopped herself, the words catching in her throat. She swallowed hard and tried again. "My father spent his entire career looking for this. I'm not going to let fear stop me from finishing what he started."
Graves' expression softened slightly, but her voice remained firm. "And what if he didn't find it because it wasn't meant to be found? Have you considered that?"
Evelyn's grip tightened on the journal. "We're going down there," she said, her voice steely. "End of discussion."
The captain's eyes darkened, but she didn't argue further. Instead, she turned away, her body stiff as she walked toward the door. "You're making a mistake," she said over her shoulder before disappearing into the corridor.
Naomi let out a low whistle. "Well, that went well."
Evelyn ignored her, turning her attention back to the screen. She didn't have time for doubts. Not now. Not when they were so close.
As the crew resumed their chatter, debating the next steps, a sound cut through the room like a knife. It was low and rhythmic, more felt than heard, and it sent a shiver down Evelyn's spine. She stiffened, her eyes darting to the audio monitor.
The technician frowned, adjusting the controls. "What the hell is that?"
The sound grew louder, filling the room with its strange pulse. It was unlike anything Evelyn had ever encountered—a deep, resonant thrum interspersed with faint, melodic tones. It wasn't just a sound. It was a pattern, a signal.
Evelyn's heart raced as she clutched the journal tighter. Her breath came in shallow gasps, and a memory surged to the surface. She was a child again, standing on the deck of her father's ship, the salty wind whipping her hair. He had played a recording for her, a strange, haunting melody that had stayed with her ever since.
It was the same sound.
Her hand flew to her mouth as the realization hit her like a wave. This wasn't just some random discovery. It was connected—to her father, to his work, to everything she'd spent her life chasing.
"We've found it," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Naomi turned to her, her brow furrowing. "What did you say?"
Evelyn didn't answer. Her eyes were locked on the screen, where the city loomed like a sleeping beast, its secrets waiting to be unearthed.