The Northern Realm
Chapter One: Into the Sea, Darkly
In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, an extensive underwater excavation is taking place.
Thanks to the huge leap of technology in the past years, a satellite camera caught sight of a wide-ranging formation that appears to be an ancient city. This triggered the interest of the archaeological community especially since it is only now that this site has been uncovered. One theory suggests that several deep sea earthquakes have triggered a geological displacement on the sea floor that revealed the formation of the underwater city and it is this theory that Dr. James Johnson, a man well into his late 60s and a respected expert in his field of study, with a team of young archaeologists are studying and working on.
"Alright, now. On three. One, two, three!"
A huge splash was heard on the top deck of the Majestic as four divers went into the water for a reconnaissance of the sea floor. Dr. Johnson stood on the ship's navigational room directing the crew's numerous day to day activities. It was an exciting moment for the old archaeologist. Never before has such a massive undertaking been done in the Atlantic Ocean. The unpredictable weather pattern of this giant body of water has always been a regrettable setback for numerous deep sea projects, but the summer months have revealed a favourable climate. It was this window of a chance that Dr. Johnson was waiting for and he is never a person to let a lucky opportunity go to waste.
The divers have finally reached the right area where they spotted an interesting anomaly the night before. The patterns they have drawn up using sonar and GPS have revealed a curvature shape to the entire excavation site. Dr. Johnson speculated that what they were studying is most likely the remnants of a harbour city.
There were some wild speculations in the scientific circles that the entire continent of Europe and Africa actually had reached over the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and it was only due to a flood of mythical proportions that half the mass of both continents were wiped off the face of the earth. Pseudo-scientists have been loudly whispering the name of this lost continent in the recent century. They draw all their theories on a short paragraph written by Plato. It was just a footnote in the philosopher's extensive essay, but it has since triggered the imagination of the romantics. Dr. Johnson was one such romantic and though he wouldn't waste his time chasing after guesswork he never truly dismissed the legend. The legend was what spurned him to become a deep sea archaeologist in the first place. Yes, Atlantis served as his constant inspiration to reveal the secrets of the ocean and there are a lot of secrets to be revealed.
"Tower to M1, are you now at Site A? Over," Dr. Johnson spoke through a specialized two-way radio system.
"M1 to Tower, yes, we have reached it. There are several structures that have been revealed most likely statues and carvings on several walls. We will be taking small samples. Over," Cian Sebastian, the head of the diving squad, replied.
"Yes, be careful not to disturb any of the foundations. I will send a crate down. Gather the materials. Over," ordered the professor.
"Roger that," the diver quickly answered.
Dr. Johnson pressed a button on the ship's controls and used the microphone to catch the attention of his assistant on the lower decks. Alex Thors, a tall blonde man with short-cropped hair who looked like the Vikings of old with his muscular built, was standing on the edge of the ship near the diving board controlling the machines the crew uses to lower down tools for the divers. He faced the top deck and made signals that the materials are ready to go. Dr. Johnson gave a thumbs up and so Alex secured the crate and slowly lowered it down to the waiting divers.
Under the water, Cian signalled two of the other divers to get the crate which has slowly sunk 5 meters from their base of operations. To his left, he directed his assistant, Marina Grayson, to gather some samples of the carved rocks on the sea floor as well as some of the scattered objects the sands have uncovered.
Marina is the youngest of the diving squad that Dr. Johnson sent down to the sea for the reconnaissance. It has always been her dream to become an archaeologist. Her constantly curious and inquisitive nature made her a natural explorer. She felt so fortunate to just be included in this project let alone being part of the diving expeditions. A chance encounter with Dr. Johnson when she was still finishing her dissertation papers for a master's degree in archaeology opened doors for her. She presented her final papers to the professor and he was impressed by her radical ideas that he gave her an opportunity to assist him in the excavation they were undertaking now.
She was assigned to be part of the diving team under the direction of Cian, an enigmatic man with piercing gray eyes and dark hair, because she was young and energetic and could able to withstand the tiring demands of diving in and out of the water day after day.
This is so amazing, Marina thought to herself as she gathered the materials that were asked of her.
It was a slow and tedious process and patience is definitely a virtue in the archaeological world. She has to be very careful not to rush things and spoil the samples. She was concentrating so much on her tasked that she didn't notice her team swimming farther away from her, carrying the only source of light the group had, for it was dark and quite murky at the depth they were in.
Oh no! They'll leave me behind! Her heart quickened with panic and she tried to swim as fast as she could towards the disappearing light.
On her way towards her team, she caught sight of a black object half buried in the sands. It looked to be an Obsidian stone carved to form a perfectly shaped globe. Glancing at the retreating figures of the divers, she tried to dig into the sand as fast as she could without disturbing the surrounding area. The globe looked to be bigger than she imagined and far heavier than she expected, but she was determined to bring back this object to the ship to be examined by Dr. Johnson.
It could be something very important, she determined as she made her way back to the other divers.
Cian glanced up as he saw Marina's form swimming quickly to him. He saw in her hands the black globe. When Marina reached him, she handed him the object and he gave it a curious once over before placing it carefully in the crate.
"M1 to Tower, M1 to Tower." Cian spoke to his communicator unit.
"Roger M1," Dr. Johnson replied.
"Tower, M2 has uncovered an object with puzzling properties. It could simply be Obsidian stone. We are not sure, over."
On the top deck, the professor looked into the TV monitors and searched for the one recording the diving activity. The images shown were so blurry because of the water conditions, but he did see the mysterious object Cian mentioned. He looked more closely at the monitor and stepped back in surprise. Something flashed inside the stone! He looked at the divers through the cameras if they've noticed something happening to the orb, but they didn't indicate that they've seen anything unusual.
What is this thing? He asked himself in wonder. The scientist in him was very much eager to know. "Bring the object up. Over and out," he excitedly ordered Cian.
Cian signalled the other divers to finish up the work. He then indicated that they have to go up the surface to bring the crate for the professor's inspection.
Alex ordered the rest of the crew to prepare for the surfacing of the divers. The rope for the crate became taut with pressure as the crate was hooked to it. He pushed a button and the mechanism rolled the rope back bringing the heavy crate up.
Dr. Johnson came down from the top deck to welcome back the divers and to have a look at the objects they've gathered. It was a successful dive as was indicated by the large haul of artefacts that the team came across. In one corner of the crate was the large dark globe that Marina accidentally saw and unearthed.
"What do you think that is, professor?" Alex inquired pointing to the globe.
"I have no idea, son, but we're about to find out." The old man's eyes gave out a twinkle of excitement. He has never felt this much of a rush since his first excavation.
When the divers have finally surfaced after a decompression period, the professor asked the team to gather at the meeting room at 8:00 in the evening to discuss the day's activities and discoveries.
Marina was just starting up on her dinner when she heard her name being called by Alex. "Marina, finish up. The professor is already in the meeting room waiting for everyone."
She sighed and looked at her food forlornly. It was always so busy on deck that she never had a quiet time to eat and do things without being interrupted.
Stop being ungrateful, she admonished herself. You're lucky you're even here with the little experience you have.
She took a big bite out of her sandwich and gulped down some water as fast as she could. As she stood up, she caught sight of herself in the dining hall mirror. Her hair was long and has the color of white gold that, in certain lighting, it appeared almost silvery. She was pleased that she acquired a rosy tan after months of being under the sun, but she grimaced at her messy hair and stained clothing. It's always difficult to be the only woman on board a ship full of men who care nothing for tidiness or appearances, which was probably all the better, because she looks like a fright just now.
She walked through the galley and into the hallway going towards the meeting room. She could already hear Dr. Johnson starting on his analysis of the artefacts they've uncovered early in the afternoon. She rushed inside the small room and took a seat between Alex and Cian. On a small table in the middle of the room and the centre of the conversation was the dark orb, its mysterious properties and origin being dissected and analyzed to its very core.
"I find it rather unusual that this thing wasn't covered by any algae or coral overgrowth as seen in the other artefacts that we've discovered," Cian remarked.
"Perhaps the overly smooth qualities of the stone prevented any living organisms from making it into their new home," Rick Chen, one of two other divers, replied.
"That's highly impossible. If this object is indeed from an ancient time then severe deterioration should be present," Mike Andersen, the team's mineral analyst, argued back.
"Marina, perhaps you can shed some light on how you recovered this orb which truly confounds us all," Dr. Johnson glanced at the young woman who now found herself the centre of everyone's attention.
"Well, Dr. Johnson, I actually discovered the object quite by accident. I was tasked by Cian to collect some samples of the different rock surfaces that appears to be engraved with numerous patterns when I noticed the others swimming away. I didn't want to be left behind, of course, so I swam to the light as fast as I could and, in the corner of my eye, I saw something glinting on the ground. It was the globe and it was only half buried in the sand." Marina gave them a full recount of what she did as best as she could and, when she was done, she noticed the old professor had walked to one corner of the room absorbed in her story and staring intently at the orb.
"Half buried, you say? Then maybe it is not part of the original archaeological structure. Maybe it's something that fell to the ocean at a later time period. Perhaps, something that is even closer to our time now. That would explain why it hasn't given in to deterioration yet," Mike expounded.
The discussion drawled on late into the night until they've exhausted all possible topics on the subject.
"Only further analysis would shed light on this mystery. We can send a small sample to the headquarters when the inspection team arrives later in the week," Alex concluded. "What do you think, professor?"
"I think we would all have fresh minds that are better for finding an answer to this puzzle in the morning. Go now and rest for we have a full day of work tomorrow to finish," the professor heaved a tired sigh. The rims of his eyes were becoming red and dark circles have started to appear under it.
Everyone agreed for the day had been long and they were all exhausted by the day's activities so they all stood up and left for their respective cabins. Marina was almost to the door when Dr. Johnson called her back.
"Marina, please wait," he requested.
The young woman glanced back and saw the professor indicating to a seat next to him.
"What can I help you with, professor?"
"I wanted to share something with you and I don't want the others to hear about it. Not until I've thoroughly investigated the matter at hand that is. I thought that since it was you who discovered this orb then you have a right to know of what I saw earlier during your diving trip," he said in a quiet voice.
Marina furrowed her eyebrows in puzzlement. "What do you mean by that?" she asked him.
"I was looking into the camera monitors earlier when Cian contacted me about the object. Maybe it's simply a trick of light, but I truly saw something flashing inside this orb. I've examined it afterwards when the crate came to the surface, but I see no indication that the flash would repeat again. I want to know if you've also noticed the same peculiarity when you picked it up from the sea bed."
Marina glanced at the dark orb that was still in the middle of the room, "I'm sorry, professor. But, I didn't notice anything unusual. I will help you take another look at it tomorrow if you want. We can also review the video footage to see if there are other qualities this object has shown underwater that we might have missed."
Dr. Johnson wearily nodded in agreement. His earlier excitement waning as his body is catching up with fatigue. Marina helped him up and led him to his room after which she went inside her own cabin and, without bothering to change her clothes, stretched out on her bed and was asleep immediately.
That night, Marina found herself dreaming of the mysterious dark orb.
Somehow, she knew that she was in a dream and she found herself inside the meeting room again. She noticed that the orb is glowing with white light from inside. She slowly walked towards it attracted by the cold fire within its core.
Come and find us, Marina. A voice whispered. Come and meet your destiny.
The sound emanated from the orb. Surprisingly, she didn't find herself afraid of the voice. It was melodious and pleasant to the ears, but the sound of hopelessness could be inferred from its tone. She was tempted to touch it, to find out more, but she was afraid for in the deep recesses of her heart she knew that this orb had properties beyond the understanding of mere mortals.
Return to us, young princess. Save us from our despair.
Her hands were an inch away from touching the orb and, finally, curiosity got the better of her. After all, what can happen in a dream? The moment her hands touched the smooth cold stone she saw a never-ending land of snow.
In her vision, she felt like she was flying through the magical landscape. She was soaring high above pure-white mountains and through the thick clouds, the cold breeze pushing her hair back and playing whispering songs in her ears. It was a beautiful feeling and she never wanted the moment to end. She closed her eyes for a moment preserving the stunning landscape in her mind. When she opened them again she saw fire surrounding her. Suddenly, a shrill noise like a band of screaming banshees echoed around her.
I see you. I see you, cried a horrifying voice from the fire.
Marina woke with a start. Sweat was dripping from her forehead and her breath came out in harsh intervals.
A quick knock rapped on her door and it was unceremoniously opened by Cian. "Wake up, Marina! A storm is heading our way. You need to put on your life vest and gear and help us on deck," he ordered brusquely.
Marina snapped to attention and quickly gathered everything she needed. There was no time now to think of what she dreamt about. A storm is a dangerous business out here in the open sea.
She ran out of her room and into the long corridor. The small ship was already being tossed to and fro by the huge waves. She clipped herself on the safety rope and made her way up the lower deck. Alex saw her and shouted, "Go to the upper deck and help the professor contact the coast guards!" Marina quickly ran up the stairs and opened up the latch to control room.
"I'm here, Dr. Johnson."
"Marina, thank God! I am worried for everyone. This type of storm is quite unusual for the summer months and this small ship cannot withstand for too long the strong winds and heavy downpour." The professor tightly closed his eyes as if he was willing the storm to finish already.
"Have you gotten hold of the coast guards yet?" Marina worriedly inquired the professor.
He shook his head in regret. He has tried several times now, but the storm has interfered with the radio signals and the coast guard office couldn't be reached for help.
"Let me try again then. There's no time to lose if we're vulnerable in this type of weather."
Marina speedily took over the professor's task constantly dialling on the communicator and monitoring the others on the board through the cameras. Cian and Alex were holding on to a thin stretch of rope on the starboard side of the ship desperately trying to secure all the expensive equipments that they have.
It felt like hours already, but the storm had no indication of slowing down. In fact, it was gaining more strength by the minute. Then, out of nowhere, a huge swell towered over the ship. Marina and the professor's eyes widened with horror as it approached the boat. For a moment, it was as if time stopped and both of them held their breath in anxious anticipation. Finally, the wave was brought down by gravity and crashed its heavy burden on them all.
End of Chapter One
Author's Note: This is an alternate universe fanfiction and is written for my own enjoyment (and, if they like it, the enjoyment of other fans). As the story has an AU story line, please expect slight changes to the characters, situation, and the like. In other words, don't be a Tolkien legendarium Nazi. The usual disclaimer and copyright apply.