NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3: The Deep
The vessel hummed with a low, steady resonance as Luther powered up its core systems.
His underwater high-energy ship, Abyssal Wave, was unlike any other vessel humanity had constructed, a marvel of science, yet entirely his creation.
As usual only he actually liked his invention because it didn't need any source of fuel to run.
It was equipped with reinforced nanocarbon plating, thermal shielding to endure crushing pressures, and an energy field generator powered by his Illuminate Vortex prototype.
This was it. The culmination of his career, or what was left of it.
Amanda was still in the hospital, and the government had officially barred him from continuing his work.
Her family would let him see her either.
They confiscated the vortex prototype, or so they thought. They hadn't found this version, the real one, the one he'd hidden inside the Abyssal Wave.
This was his last chance to prove himself, to salvage his name, his career, and maybe even his life.
The ocean gleamed in hues of deep sapphire and black as he maneuvered the ship toward the descent point.
"Depth calibration, set," he muttered to himself, fingers dancing over the holographic console. "Pressure shields online. Core energy output at forty percent."
As the ship began its dive, the water around him shifted. The sunlight grew dimmer until it was swallowed completely.
The deep ocean had an unnerving way of making one feel small, insignificant. It wasn't just the absence of light; it was the weight of it all, the sense of being enveloped by something ancient and unknowable.
This place surprisingly seemed comfortable to Luther, like he had a home in the darkness.
Luther's voice echoed in the empty cabin. "Beginning descent into the hadal zone. Estimated depth: 6,000 meters."
The displays flickered with data, pressure readings, temperature gradients, sonar sweeps.
The numbers climbed, signaling his dive into one of the most extreme environments on Earth.
It was darker than darkness.
The Abyssal Wave was equipped with photonic illumination panels, capable of mimicking bioluminescent wavelengths.
Luther activated them, and faint pulses of blue and green light illuminated the immediate vicinity of the ship.
The sight was mesmerizing yet alien: jagged rock formations, sprawling fields of hydrothermal vents, and scattered flashes of deep-sea life.
He adjusted the ship's trajectory. "Approaching target coordinates."
The silence was oppressive. Not just the absence of noise, but the kind of silence that pressed against you, making you hyper-aware of every breath, every beat of your heart. Luther realized, for the first time, how alone he was.
And yet, he pressed on.
He reached the trench, a chasm that seemed to stretch endlessly downward, its edges shrouded in shadow.
This was his destination, where he would prove that his Illuminate Vortex could generate unlimited energy from the abyssal currents and bioluminescent ecosystems.
"Position stabilized," he announced to himself. "Initializing vortex array."
The ship's core began to hum louder as the Illuminate Vortex came online.
Energy surged through the conduits, lighting up the interior with flickering streaks of cyan.
The exterior panels glowed faintly as they began to siphon bioluminescent particles from the surrounding water.
"This is it," Luther whispered, eyes glued to the monitors. "The breakthrough."
The displays filled with data: energy spikes, particle oscillations, and thermal differentials. Everything seemed perfect.
Until it wasn't.
The first sign was the pressure gauge. The needle spiked erratically, jumping from stable levels to dangerous extremes.
"What the-?" Luther scrambled to stabilize the system.
A low vibration began to build, resonating through the ship. At first, it was barely noticeable, but within seconds it grew into a deafening roar.
"Energy output exceeding safe levels!" the ship's AI warned. "Core destabilization imminent!"
Luther's heart raced. He frantically adjusted the controls, trying to shut down the vortex. But the system didn't respond.
Outside the ship, the water around him began to glow unnaturally. Swirling patterns of light and energy formed, pulsing and expanding outward.
The trench seemed to come alive, as if the ocean itself was rebelling against his intrusion.
"No, no, no," he muttered, sweat dripping down his face.
The vibration reached a crescendo. The ship jolted violently, throwing Luther against the console. He tasted blood in his mouth.
His head spun, and his ribs caved from the force of the hit.
The displays went haywire, flashing red warnings:
"UNSTABLE ENERGY FIELD DETECTED."
"CORE OVERLOAD IN PROGRESS."
"EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."
And then it happened.
A deafening boom echoed through the depths as the Illuminate Vortex unleashed a catastrophic surge of energy.
A blinding flash of light filled the cabin, and the last thing Luther saw before everything went dark was the sight of the trench collapsing around him, the ocean roaring with unimaginable fury.