The quiet of the Eclipse Cove Laboratory was disturbed by the sudden wails of the sirens. The man, flustered by the abrupt shift in environment, recognized the urgency and darted down the hall that was filled with red from the alerting flashes of light; behind him, his assistant closely trailed. 

“Hurry, Lilly! We must check the readings!” he exclaimed, almost echoing a mad scientist. The familiarity of their office reached their eyes as they skidded to a halt before the flashing computer. Gilbert reached the desk and put an end to the sounds of the sirens with the push of a button. 

“Mr. Gilbert, look!” said Lilly, as she pointed to the screen. An image of a creature of tremendous proportions that floated in the water met Gilbert’s vision. Beside it shining text read, “Unknown Specimen Detected”. Excitement dawned on Gilbert and Lilly, knowing that their next mission would entail the beast. Full of joy, Gilbert embraced Lilly. 

“It is about time that we-”

He was cut off by the arrival of a reckless-looking man, whose chocolate brown hair whooshed messily to the side when he stopped at the door. Although his marine uniform implied professionalism, his wild grin indicated otherwise. 

“Hey, I saw the emergency light’s goin’ off and I just wanted to check on you,” he said. “Can’t have you guys dyin’ on us!”

“Ah, Sergeant Dexter! I appreciate your concern. It is lovely to see you again. Come, we have great news!” replied Gilbert. 

Dexter joined the two in front of the computer. Clutching her clipboard closer to her face, so as to stay discrete, Lilly attempted to hide her newly crimson cheeks from Dexter's sight. 

“Lil, how are ya? We haven’t seen each other in so long!” he said excitedly. 

“H-hey, Dex…yeah, i-it’s been some time, h-hasn’t it?” she stuttered. 

Gilbert explained the situation to Dexter, whose attempts to contain his excitement proved to be futile. 

“So that’s the monster, eh? It looks awesome!” said Dexter, pointing to the animal on the screen. 

“Yes, it is truly stunning. We will need to request assistance from the Marine Corps, no doubt,” stated Gilbert. “Together, we shall investigate the creature. We will descend with our Sunken ship into the Pit, which is where the creature resides. Lilly and I will pilot it while you and the rest will attempt to capture the creature. Hopefully, our capturing net will be able to neutralize the beast long enough for Lilly and I to navigate the Sunken back to the surface. From there, I aim to study it closely back here at the lab.” 

“Sounds great,” said Dexter. “I’m pumped. This’ll be my first time ever going as deep as the Pit! The farthest I’ve gone is only the Midnight Zone, and that’s pretty much nothin’.”

. . .

One week later, Gilbert and Lilly were prepared to embark on their mission with the Marine Corps. The two stood before the Sunken on the Eclipse Cove Laboratory dock. Its metallic covering gleamed in the sunlight. They watched as the soldiers marched into the ship, led by Sergeant Dexter. Behind the troop followed a respectable-looking, middle-aged man. One glance at him would immediately indicate his status as Sergeant Major, or, in other words, the leader of the Marine Corps.

“Sergeant Blaze, my friend! How do you do this morning?” yelled Gilbert. 

“All well and ready for action!” shouted back Blaze.

Looking to Lilly at his side, Gilbert said, “I suppose it is time for us to mount the sh-”

“Honey! Honey! Wait!” cried a woman. She wore glasses and had long, black hair that drifted in the wind as she ran at Gilbert. 

“Hannah, darling, I assure you I will be fine,” insisted Gilbert. “Lilly, you have yet to meet my fiancée, correct?”

Holding out her hand, Lilly said, “It’s a pleasure to meet y-”

“Hey, c’mon you two, let’s go! We don’t have all day!” shouted Dexter from the Sunken. 

“Alright then, that’s that,” said Gilbert. Embracing Hannah tightly, he whispered affectionately in her ear, “I love you, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.”

And so, the group descended into the depths of the ocean, in anticipation of encountering the great beast. They moved swiftly through the layers of the ocean, from the Twilight to the Midnight, where the sun shone no more, the Midnight to the Abyss, passing through the Hadal, where the dark seemingly consumed the Sunken, finally arriving at the Pit. If it weren’t for the Sunken’s lights illuminating the black, nothing would be seen. In the cockpit, Gilbert and Lilly sat confused. 

“Mr. Gilbert, I’m not too sure why we’re not seeing it yet,” said Lilly nervously. “According to our scan, it should be right he-” 

She ceased her speech in a heartbeat. 

“Come again, Lilly?” asked Gilbert. 

Then, he understood. Right in front of the Sunken, the creature stared dead into Lilly’s eyes. The initial scan at the laboratory could not compare to the sheer grandeur of the beast. It wore a skeleton of what looked like grey cartilage and scales that would only make sense as a cross between a megalodon and a crocodile. Despite its notable length, it still towered over the Sunken with its incredible height. Gilbert quickly attempted to evade the monster, but it was far too late. With an impressively swift thrust for its magnitude, it rammed into the Sunken. Screams were heard throughout the ship, as it quickly began to sink.

“Engine failure, I repeat, engine failure,” informed Gilbert. “Lilly, we must- Lilly? Lilly?!” 

Lilly’s head bobbed down and her eyes shut close. The last thing Gilbert saw was a flashing white light, before all was black.

. . .

“Mr. Gilbert? Mr. Gilbert, wake up!”

Gilbert found himself still lying in the cockpit. He saw the concern on Lilly’s face as he rose from his chair. The control panel was lifeless; there were no signs of it being able to reactivate. How they could breathe he questioned immediately, but he prioritized confirming the safety of the rest of his crewmates. 

Gilbert exited the cockpit, only to find that everything else was thrashed. Even worse was that it seemed that the soldiers did not make it. Regret immediately slapped Gilbert in the face. How could I be so foolish? I was not careful enough… he thought to himself. He looked outside the cracked window, and to his shock, he saw a blue, electric-looking aura that wrapped high above the ship, meeting the ground and stretching around the perimeter of the area. It looked like a protective forcefield that he assumed was allowing them to breathe and keeping them from being crushed by the immense water pressure of those depths.

“Come, Lilly, we should leave these ruins quickly,” he said.

The two walked out of the ship, and the sight they saw was breathtaking. What stood before them was a city. Not a small town that could fit 500 citizens at best - a real, massive city. Buildings of immense size and of all kinds lay across the landscape. Most impressive of all was a castle in the dead centre. It towered over the rest of the city, reaching even double the height of the tallest skyscrapers that they could see. It implied a royal feel, and the epic atmosphere it gave off ensured their silence. The blue forcefield that Gilbert had seen earlier continued around the entirety of the city, blocking the water from flowing in.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” 

The two whipped around to see Blaze and Dexter, unscathed, the former having an amazed look on his visage and the latter practically dancing with excitement. 

“My friends, it’s good to see you’re safe and sound,” said Gilbert softly. “It is truly an astonishing sight… The environment is almost serene, even…”

With an air of childishness, Dexter exclaimed, “Wasn’t that monster so cool? Look at that city! It’s awesome! We should totally-”

“Welcome, foreigners. Please make your way on to the green platform to your left. Resist at your own risk.” The booming voice effectively silenced the group. A green beam of light from the ground attacked the eyes of the quartet, but quickly faded to a weaker glimmer surrounding a rectangular platform.

“W-What was that?” stammered Lilly. 

“I’m unsure, but I believe our only choice is to do what the voice said,” said Blaze. 

One by one, they stepped onto the platform. 

“Why hasn’t anythin’ happened yet?” asked Dexter. “Maybe we should just not-”

In the blink of an eye, the surroundings suddenly shifted to a huge, white room. Massive blue pillars lay along the walls. The group stood in the centre of the room, encircled by what seemed to be guards; they had a hint of humanoid features, but otherwise, their skin was blue, and were much taller than an average human. They did not wear armor; in fact, their outfits did not seem very resistant to weapons. In front of the group was another one, but this one sat on a big, velvet throne. His silky garments sparkled in the light. He looked down upon the four with an air of narcissism, as if they were exhibits at a museum, only there for entertainment.

“Welcome,” he said. “It seems you are in need of an explanation, which I will provide.” His voice resonated in the walls of the throne room. “I am the ruler of this city that has been peacefully living away from you people for millennia. Now, however, you humans have come increasingly closer to our territory. We’ve prepared for your arrival; your encounter with that creature was not by accident. It is rather unfortunate that you four had survived that attack, because now I leave you only two options. We will make certain that you will not leave this place. You may either live in our city as prisoners, or you may be executed.”

“I won’t allow it!” shouted Blaze. In a move of desperation, he hurled his knife at the king. 

“My Lord!” yelled one of the guards. He sprung in front of the king, taking the shot. Gilbert felt a strike to the back of his head, and yet again, all he saw was black.

. . .

Gilbert found himself still in the throne room, but now kneeling before the king. Beside him, he saw Lilly and Blaze in the same position. They seemed to have also just woken up. 

“H-Hey… where’s Dex…?” asked Lilly feebly.

“In the flesh!” jeered Dexter. He stood next to the king, peering down at the trio. 

“Sergeant! What are you doing?” yelled Blaze. “I order you to stop this!”

“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m already following orders! But they’re not from you; they’re from him!” he taunted, pointing to the king.  

“Explain yourself at once!” said Blaze furiously. 

“Alright, but you’re gonna have to hang in there for a while, this one’s a doozy!” replied Dexter mockingly. “I was born in this city. But, there’s somethin’ special about me. You see, I’m a natural shapeshifter. I know, I know, it’s hard to believe; you humans have only heard of shapeshifters in comics and movies. Whattya know, they’re real. Anyway, when I was a young boy, I went on an expedition to the surface. When I got there, I shapeshifted into a human boy. My main goal was to make myself someone of importance, preferably in the military. You could say I did pretty well there. Finally, using my status, I was to bring a strong soldier back here, who could act as a bodyguard and protector of our lord. I’d say Blaze would fit that role perfectly.”

“That cannot be… I have known you for your entire life!” said Gilbert, unwilling to believe Dexter. 

“Well, clearly you haven’t! Face it… I’m a genius, and you guys fell for my disguise,” mocked Dexter. “Why do you think I was so excited to join you guys on your little mission to investigate the ‘monster’? Why do you think Blaze got through the crash? I made sure to protect him; you two just so happened to survive, probably from the cockpit’s extra protection.”

“Y-you… I can’t believe I had feelings for you… you monster!” yelled Lilly.

“Silence,” spat Dexter. “No use for emotional yelling. Now, it’s time. You, come here.”

“Wait… please… let Lilly and Gilbert go. Help them repair their ship and let them go home safely,” demanded Blaze.

“Aw, how sweet,” said the king mockingly. “Very well, I accept his offer. There’s no use for those two anyway. Take him away.”

One of the guards grabbed Blaze roughly and began to drag him off. 

“Blaze… I will never forget this…” said Gilbert sorrowfully. Blaze, staring directly into Gilbert’s eyes, gave him a slow head nod that was to say, “It was an honour.”

Lilly and Gilbert were presented with another green platform. When they stepped on it, they were transported back to the Sunken, which was already fully repaired and cleared, ready to operate. 

As they were mounting the ship, they heard the king’s reverberating voice again, saying, “Once you exit the forcefield, your minds will be altered. You will forget all about our city. You will also forget all the memories you’ve made with many individuals, including all those who accompanied you today. All you will remember from today is the interaction with the creature. That is all.”

And so, the duo took off and exited the protection of the forcefield, ascending through the layers of the ocean.

“I’m happy that this is finally over,” said Lilly. “Although, I’m glad we were able to gather all that information.”

“Yes, truly,” agreed Gilbert. “The encounter with the creature was riveting. We should be grateful that we are still breathing after that. I am fortunate that I was educated on how to control this Sunken so well, or I would have never been able to evade it.”

The rays of light from the sun finally reaching their eyes could not have felt any better when they passed through the Twilight. Finally, their Sunken surfaced, and they docked the ship. They quickly exited, and their coworkers were there to meet them. 

Gilbert heard one ask, “Hey, where’s Sergeant Blaze? And Sergeant Dexter? Or any of the other soldiers…? Don’t tell me…” 

“Who? What do you mean? Sorry, we’ve no time for chatting,” yelled Gilbert as he and Lilly zoomed past them, “We must record our information in the database!” They pumped their legs, running through the hallways yet again, gaining speed with every push. 

As they reached their office, they met a beaming woman at the doorway. She wore glasses, and had long, black hair. 

The mere sight of Gilbert made her smile lovingly. She embraced Gilbert tightly without hesitation. Gilbert quickly pulled away and, looking the woman straight in the eyes, he asked:

“Who are you?”