The Argonaut

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…

The submarine sonar rang out in a high-pitched tone at constant intervals. The display showed a circular graph with a moving green light, like the seconds hand of a clock. The occasional fish appeared on the display, but nothing unusual happened as the submarine hovered above the ocean floor. The walls of the sonar room were covered in futuristic radars, and were littered with buttons and switches with different colors and abbreviations.

“Good Morning everyone, this is your captain speaking.” Sam said over the intercom, “It’s time to wake up to another day in paradise.”

The dark, desolate ocean floor was only illuminated by the two flood lights on the front of the submarine. The sleek, modern design of the submarine was state of the art technology, which included many sensors on the outside to take various measurements. The submarine went unnoticed in the deep ocean, only seen when the floodlights came on. The interior on the other hand was bustling with activity, and contained many different sections. There were living quarters, a sonar room, an engine room, and a mini-laboratory contained within the walls of the hull.

“Ughhh…turn it off.” Bill grumbled.

As the lights on the interior of the submarine jumped on. He was lying on the top of a bunk bed, and started to slowly rise. He peered over at the other three beds, and found them neatly made and empty. He climbed to the bottom, and slipped on his uniform. Tan trousers, plain white tee, military-issued flannel, gray socks, and black boots. He then made his way to the engine room to complete his daily maintenance check of the engine, and do any repairs if needed.

“Why are there no disturbances?” John said. “We have been down here for two weeks without a single tremor in the ground. I refuse to believe there is no activity down here.”

John stared at the measurements in disbelief. He was currently in the laboratory trying to figure out what was wrong. Around a month ago U.S. seismic sensors picked up an unusual tremor in the middle of the Atlantic. The tremor was less than a one on the Richter scale, but it came in one minute intervals without fail. For a week this went on, until the U.S. deployed a crew to figure out what was causing this anomaly. Sam, who is a world-renowned helmsman that loved spending as much time as he could out at sea, and learning about the different wonders in the sea. Billy, a mechanic who worked on The Argonaut, a new generation of military grade submarines with the latest technology, and the vessel the crew is currently in. John, the foremost expert in seismology and was credited with discovering earthquakes on Mars.

“Captain, I think we ought to head back up to the surface now.” Billy said as beads of sweat dripped from his face. “John has found nothing here, and I’m getting tired of staying on this submarine. Any longer and I’m gonna go insane.”

“Oh, I enjoy down here within the confines of The Argonaut.” said Sam. “But I understand what you are saying. Go ask John what he thinks about heading back.”

“Ok.” Billy replied.

He started to make his way down the narrow halls of The Argonaut. “That maniac, saying he likes it down here.” Billy thought to himself, while shaking his head. He passed the living quarters, and stopped in front of the laboratory door. He knocked on the door, and a hollow, metallic noise rang out.

“Come in.” John said. He saw Billy enter the room with an aggravated look on his face. “What is it?” John asked.

“I want to return.” Billy said.

“Why?” John said. “We haven’t found anything yet.”

“Exactly, we have been down here for two weeks and gained nothing. I am getting sick of breathing recycled air, and being 12,000 feet underwater without a ray of sunshine.” Billy said.

“No…No, I won’t do it.” John said. “Not until I find something.”

“Arghhhh!” Billy exclaimed. His complexion darkened as he stormed out of the laboratory.

“Hey. Hey, come back. Where are you going?” John asked as he followed behind Billy. He eventually made his way to the sonar room, where he saw Billy arguing with Sam.

“Ok. Ok. How about this, let's take a vote to decide if we return to the surface or stay down here.” Sam said.

“Fine.” Billy grumbled.

“Oh, John. Perfect, did you hear what we were talking about?” Sam said.

“Uhhh. Yeah, something about voting, and returning to the surface.” John said.

“Yes, we are going to take a vote to decide if we remain down here or return to the surface. Are you okay with that?” Sam asked.

“Sure.” John said.

“Let's get this over with, so I can see the sun again. I vote to return to the surface.” Billy immediately said.

“I vote to remain underwater.” John said angrily.

“Ok gentlemen,” Sam said, “let's calm down. I vote to…”

Beep…Boop…Beep…Boop…Beep…Boop… The sound of the sonar rang out, but this time it was different than it had been the past two weeks. Sam curiously looked over at the radar. On the graph there was a familiar green line moving clockwise, but now there was also a flashing green dot. It was moving closer to The Argonaut, and was closing this distance rapidly with each passing second.

“What is it?” Sam said.

“Finally, something in this barren world.” John exclaimed happily. He peered into the circular window, which was the only way to see the outside world. He pressed his face up against the cool glass, and saw two glowing objects in the distance. They grew closer and brighter, and a faint outline of a massive being was beginning to reveal itself.

“What in the…” Billy said, “Captain, quickly take us up.” Billy turned to see Sam hitting various buttons and switches, and out of the corner of his eye John laid passed out on the ground. “Faster Captain!” Billy screamed. He looked out the window and saw a looming shadow starting to consume the submarine.

“Phew, it's finally done.” Sam said.

“Okay then let's go.” Billy said quickly. “We can’t waste anymore time down here.”

“Oh, I forgot to cast my vote.” Sam said.

“There’s no time to…” Billy said before he was interrupted.

Override successful. Systems shutting down. The Argonaut went dark. The only light were the two glowing objects, which now shone brighter than before.

“I vote to stay down here.” Sam said with a crazed grin on his face.