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Sea Sphere - Chapter 1
By Guilty Spark
SATURDAY - 2:03 PM
The last of the helicopter's bearing Icebreaker's handpicked professionals slowly lowered onto the tiny helipad. Trainwreck stood ready and waiting for them to unload. As they stepped off the helipad, Trainwreck took a role to make sure that everyone had arrived safely.
Evilgrinch was the first off the helicopter. An outside computer analyst being invited in had some of the staff analysts upset. They viewed him as an interloper.
Next was MartinRandle. It was hard to Trainwreck to believe that the leather-jacket wearing, chain-smoking, pissed-off looking Brit standing before him was a marine biologist. Harder to believe yet, was that he was a well-respected mind in the field who had studied the possibility of unknown megafauna existing somewhere in the Pacific.
As Evilgrinch and MartinRandle lined up where Trainwreck indicated, they both gave him a sneering look. Neither one was very happy to be out here, in the middle of the ocean, having only the clothes they had worn yesterday and those supplied by the SIRP.
Trainwreck returned their glare, "Hey pal," Grinch smiled, "Wanna take a picture?"
Next up was Icebreaker's chosen engineer team of Raptor Vinny, Yvonne, and Dac. These two were the premier names experimental design. Not only that but they had between them over 15 years experience working with systems similar to the ones found on the station. Icebreaker had hoped that they would be able to pick up the slack from the staff engineer, Dino-Snore. Icebreaker's request for more staff engineers had been denied.
The last two off the helicopter were Aragorn, a paranormal investigator, and PaulSF, a geologist. Both men approached Trainwreck smiling. They were more than happy to be there as they considered it an adventure.
"Alright," exclaimed Trainwreck, checking their names off on his clipboard, "Everyone else is down below."
It was only now that PaulSF took note of the fact that the little pad that they had landed on was basically all there was out here.
"Uh, excuse me," Yvonne raised her hand, "But how are we supposed to get to the station?"
"The station," Trainwreck began, "Sits about two-thousand feet below the surface here. We will be proceeding down to it in just a few moments."
Everyone was quiet not really knowing what to say as he hadn't really answered the question. There was a rumble and bubbles started to form at the edge of the staging area. Suddenly the top of a small submersible burst up and the top hatch swung open. A gruff looking man popped his head out, smiling. For however organized and robotic the three soldiers they had met working on this program looked, this man look the complete opposite. He looked like a happy cartoon sporting a huge beard and Oakley shades.
"Howdy!" He called out, "How you guys doing this fine afternoon?"
Trainwreck cringed at this man's 'unkemptness', and addressed him in a more casual manner than any of them had previously seen, "They're fine Kevy. Can we get going?"
"Hey, man, you're the ones who ain't in the sub yet!" Kevy Mac smiled and ducked back into the submersible.
Trainwreck motioned for them all to board the sub. One-by-one they filed into the cramped quarters. Right before Trainwreck stepped in, he turned and saw Evilgrinch standing by the far end of the platform...urinating.
Evilgrinch must have sensed his staring because he spared him half a glance and shouted, "Hey! Do you mind?"
Trainwreck smiled, "Mr. Evilgrinch, I assure you that you do not want to be left up here if we decide to go down without you. That helicopter's not coming back for three days."
Evilgrinch gave himself a shake and zipped up before rushing to the submersible hatch. Trainwreck took a last glace around before lowering himself down.
Storm clouds were sitting ominously in the distance and he thought he could hear far-off thunder echo though the sky.
* * *
SATURDAY - 2:45 PM
"We'll be coming up on it shortly folks." Kevy Mac announced, though nobody had asked him how much longer it would take.
In the distance, the passengers could faintly make out the shape of the station.
"Lady and gentlemen," Kevy said, trying to convey how amazing the site truly was, "I give you Basilisk station."
"It looks look a pair of testes!" Evilgrinch exclaimed.
Basilisk was made up of two halves, each vaguely oval in shape, with lights adorning them.
"That one there," Kevy pointed to the one on the left, "Is East Shell. It's got all of your basic needs. Galley, bunks, toilets, etc. as well as the main life support systems. It's where we'll be docking. That one on the right, it's West Shell. It's got the science stuff. Analysis banks, communications, test labs, your moon pool, so-on-and-so-forth."
The sub dove underneath the East Shell with only inches to spare. Kevy seemed relaxed behind the controls of the submersible as he pulled back the control stick and a loud clunk sounded out throughout the small craft.
"Lucy," Kevy turned, smiling to the group, "We're home."
7/27/2009 2:49:22 AM
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