To the Bottom of the Ocean. Shunevo's beckoning call to the shining crescent

The truth, hidden by lamentable circumstances, gradually began to manifest itself in Dr. Otto. He recalls moments that seemed to have never happened at all, he did not want to believe in everything that was happening to him. By checking his guesses on analytical tests specially designed for such cases. Otto compared the results, all hinted at the fact that he periodically experienced major gaps in the memory of his past. The doctor concluded that he was the owner of the amnesia. Flashing moments about the past in his mind gave him the notion that he had previously founded his own group of researchers. At the head of which, during their next sailing into the ocean, they stumbled upon the floating Island Shunevo. While studying the phenomenon of the appearance of the Island, and the reasons for its rapid growth and development. Dr. Otto and his group researchers decided to build their own research center on the roots of the Island, which they assigned the code name Shunevo. He could not fully reveal the veil of secrecy in his memories. The only thing that he additionally realized was that he was the only survivor of his entire large team. Remaining in the research center, everyone else began to descend to the bottom without any preliminary data about what might be there. After a long time none of his comrades returned to him. The cause of death of his research team, as well as information about how he returned after what happened back to Yokohamin, remained unknown to him. Dr. Otto had only an assumption that all his comrades died by cause of the creatures living at the bottom in the area where the three trunks of Shunevo Island were located. At that time, no one paid much attention to this moment. Since the doctor was not officially a scientist. With a doctoral degree awarded to him over time, but only a researcher of the water world with his team. His words did not have much weight for anyone. For this reason, no one was going to take on this matter. Having founded his agency and developed over time in his professional path, he realized the horror of the impending problem, and did everything possible to prevent the consequences of a future disaster.

Chapter 10 – Research center Shunevo

As if a moment passes a couple of minutes and the submarine sails into the territory of the floating Island of Shunevo. At such a low depth, not only Lunniva now shines brightly, but likewise the huge flocks of various species of fish surrounding it. Underwater vegetation that emits various colors of light, wrapping around the huge branches of the Island’s additional numerous roots, which have grown by virtue of mutations. There was so much of everything that almost every meter could be seen not only through special cyber-windows with night vision settings in the main control compartment, but also in other bays even through ordinary windows without special equipment.

MIYA

Take a closer look! Above us I can see the upper part of the Island, it is formed from numerous plexuses of tree branches and plants among themselves.

YUTO

The shape of the upper part is very similar to a mushroom cap.

AMI

Everything is so clearly visible since of the natural light that surrounds us that it even astounds. But more importantly, we came here to destroy the Island itself, we somehow need to prepare for a long descent to the bottom and find the smallest thickness of the tree trunks.

After a couple of minutes, a loud, terrifying cry of some creature is sharply heard from afar. The system of storage and recognition of sound waves in the control compartment records outgoing sounds and selects information about the creature from the existing database, but exact results on the similarity and environment among world creatures are not found. Divers do not receive the necessary information about the creature.

KIZE

Gosh, dear god bless me…

YUTO

Unbelievable and magnificent! Divine and wonderful! Charmingly and breathta…

Miya abruptly interrupts Yuto.

MIYA

(Walking up to Yuto and gently stroking his head)

Mine attaboy… But the time has come to stop your admiration and let me say something important to everyone else. Based on what we heard, and what can be happening below us at the required depth point, we do not know, so at the moment we are sailing to explore the upper part of the Island, we still have time, I think everyone agrees and objections are not accepted. Also, two of our partners are still unconscious! Lunniva, although weakly, but damaged. We sail out to the land of the upper part, I have information that a group of scientists who temporarily visited there before us built a base, perhaps we can find something useful for us, and at the same time patch up the submarine.

Taking control of the submarine, a team of divers head up to the hanging hat of the Floating Island, sailing next to the huge trunks of Shunevo. Seven minutes later, the most diverse types of vegetation that hung from the braches of the hat became more clearly visible: mutated macrocysts, kelp and phyllospadixes from 4 to 50 meters long twisted around the Island’s huge coils. Taking a closer look, divers notice a large and unnaturally made hole in the hanging hat that stands out brightly among all the underwater greenery, through which it is presumably possible to sail to the land of the Island. From the hole, which is surrounded by various small fish, overgrown with sea moss and braided with all sorts of different colored algae, the brightest light came out, which caught attention compared to other places.

Deciding to sail through this hole, after a while, light pillars become noticeable, and then a bright natural light that penetrated into the water from the surface. Floated to the surface, Lunniva accidentally finds herself in an old submarine station. Having moored, Kize opens the hatch, and leaving the submarine, notices an abandoned research base, a hundred meters away, which was once used to study the surrounding biosphere of the Shunevo Island. Yuto, Ami and Miya follow their partner. Stepping on huge numerous branches, which are intertwined in billions of quantities, they formed various surfaces where, in addition to the flat part of the Island, in some places you can see slopes, ledges and even small mountains. Even more surprising, these are all side branches of the three trunks that have grown as a result of mutations.

KIZE

Guys, I think I found the entrance to the research center, but it appears that it is overgrown with branches and plants, you should help me break this whole thing down to get to the entrance. An energy laser or a flaming ax would be useful here. Let someone run for one thing to Lunniva, since you are not far from the sub!

MIYA

(Thinking to herself: Hmm, I seem to have forgotten something too, maybe I should take it with me as well)

Consider that I left to look for two tools!

Miya returns to the sub. Meanwhile, Ami and Yuto are heading further towards Kize, in a blink of an eye, Ami steps on a branch and slips on the overgrown moss, and falls from a ledge several meters high, but Yuto manages to catch her by the arm.

YUTO

Wheuuuh, mi-lady, ma-lady… Please, be careful and look under your feet, it's not the beach sand to walk here, this is a dangerous place.

Fixing himself between the branches, Yuto lifts Ami up from the ledge.

AMI

(While hugging Yuto, her heart began to beat incredibly fast)

Holly-molly! You’re an angel, the moss-covered branches were so well disguised as others that I didn’t even notice them, like the ledge itself, I’ll be more vigilant in the future.

YUTO

It’s good that everything worked out, let’s hurry to Kize.

Having reached the entrance to the center together, Kize has a question.

KIZE

Tell me what the hell happened, I heard a loud scream from Ami, is everything okay?

AMI

I’m a little bit fucked up on my way to you, because of the hidden deception between the branches, I almost said goodbye to my life, but Yuto managed to grab me, thereby saving me.

KIZE

Jeez… Really lousy! Are you all right?

AMI

Yeah, thank god that I escaped with only a couple of scratches…

KIZE

Look! Everything here is walled up with branches, I personally tried to break some of the branches, but I can’t break these four huge ones in any way, I need special tools for that.

YUTO

Mmm, what beautiful flowers have grown here! Now stand and look at these charming flowers, Henceforth you are a complete dunce! How could you not take your tools with you? I took a mini-saw with me, and also an awl, which I will now shove up your ass for all the good thing! And why didn’t I find either a fiery ax or an electric laser anywhere, and who told me that he would take them with him?

KIZE

Well, you’re a rare bastard! Yes, this was stipulated, but I with myself searched all the tools in the sub, and nowhere did I find either of the two instruments, which suggests that either someone else took them, or they were transferred somewhere during transportation. How are you starting to annoy me, now I’m holding on to the last of my strength so as not to hit you… Oh, and there’s also the fact that before I got off the sub, I sent a message that I couldn’t find my tools anywhere. And who read them? Nobody!

AMI

Oh my Goddess, you will squabble over some tools? Please calm down! Soon Miya will reach us, and maybe find these two tools, and then all four of us will enter this damn center!

YUTO

Aaarghhh, fine, for now I’ll try to cut these branches with a saw, but I don’t think that something will come out with such a mini-saw…

After some time of futile attempts to cut at least one of the four branches, the saw gets stuck and breaks in half.

YUTO

Ffffffffffffffuuuuuuck! Uhhhhhh, that’s it!

AMI

Honey, please! I got a message from Miya and it looks like she found the tools and will be there soon, let’s not make any extra moves…

Miya follows the correct path to the research center, spots her team, walks up to them and realizes that for some reason everyone looks out of sorts.

MIYA

Yeah, everyone is so devastated, Ami brought me up to date with messages, but you somehow get stronger! Here are your tools guys, Kize barely found two of yours, they were some kind of hell at the armory, sunk into the crates. I also grabbed an electric saw. This is probably for you, Yuto! Ami, take this cybernetic backpack, it’s small, it has a medical kit and water, the same one I have.

AMI

Thank you very much!

YUTO

Thanks a lot!

KIZE

Thank you dear!

YUTO

Heck yeah, now I will cut this rubbish with my ideal electric saw, and we finally go inside!

Yuto manages to cut four branches the right way, and clear a path to the door.

KIZE

Now it’s my turn, after several attempts to open or knock out the metal door, it doesn’t work out for us, no matter how hard you try – you just can’t open it, I use an electric laser and that’s it, wait until I burn this door.

After 5 minutes, Kize completely burned out the door and four divers go inside, seeing in front of them a huge chemical room with various kinds of equipment, a large number of containers and several black crates.

MIYA

Blimey! Such a huge room with a lot of equipment and all sorts of chemicals! It looks like there are still biomaterials left, some species of plants and creatures in bioreservoirs.

AMI

Miya, look, this book on that carved table stands out from all the others, after rereading it, I realized that it contains records on the study of all plants and creatures, there are several of them, and they are divided by danger class and species rarity.