In The Deep

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Markus groaned quietly as he shut off the internal alarm in his head. His eyelids split open, slowly and groggily, as his mismatched eyes took in his surroundings. Shifting to prop his arm on his bed, the android let out a yawn as he took note that his private shared quarters were empty, devoid of life. Sunlight was shining brightly through the windows, flooding the room with a soft glow. His head dropped to the left like it was a bowling ball and noticed that the other half of the bed was empty except for a small note. He picked it up and squinted his eyes to read it.

'Off with Josh to the outskirt refuges, be back soon. Love you – North' it had said.

Markus collapsed back on the bed with a flop, too lazy to do much of anything. Ever since he had that proper upgrade of the T750, he has established more human responses and habits. One of which was the annoyance of waking up and leaving the comfortable sanctuary of his room.

But he knew he had to get up at some point. This thought however was delayed for about ten minutes as he continued to stare blankly up at the smooth white ceiling.

Hoisting himself out of bed, shivering slightly as his feet touched the cold floor, he shuffled his way to the bathroom for a shower.

He had grown to like showers ever since his enhancement a few weeks ago. Compared to 'feeling' water before the upgrade only felt like an odd heavy fluid bouncing and sliding off his body, leaving no residue to signify that he was even wet in the first place. But now, he can feel what water, fire, and other things against his skin were truly remarkable. It made him more aware of what things he couldn't experience before now. His wife, who has yet to get the update, didn't think it was necessary since neither of them can produce body odor, but he preferred to keep a clean routine.

So as he stepped into the shower, he felt the intensity of the heated water spring down on him in a refreshing sensation. He closed his eyes and let his exhaust sweep away for a brighter attitude. He didn't have shampoo or all that fancy stuff (he barely has any hair on the top of his head) but he does have a single bar of soap since his synthetic skin gets dirty quite often, especially when he gets into his little adventures. Even then, dirt slides off fairly quickly after a quick rinse.

Stepping out of the shower after ten minutes, he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom for his bedroom. However, the moment he walked over to his drawer to grab some clothes, he heard the pitter-patter of running feet behind him.

Markus whipped around so fast, his towel would have flown right off if he wasn't gripping it so tightly. His eyes flicked around the room, taking in anything that might seem odd until his mismatched eyes landed on something left on the ground.

It was a gold card, just sitting there and waiting to be read. He noticed small printed numbers when he slowly retrieved it from the floor. Markus frowned.

-21.92178, -95.06735

What did that mean? Furthermore, what did he hear earlier? Markus was sure he heard something in the room with him and this card wasn't there before, he would have seen it since it was directly in front of his bed.

Someone was messing with him. Thinking that it was a practical joke from Simon or some other android, he crumpled up the paper and threw it away before turning to change.

But that card wasn't through with him.

Everywhere he went, Markus found the same golden card with the same numbers imprinted on it. The kitchen. The command center. On his desk. In a taxi. Heck, even on a random dumpster he happened to be passing by. The deviant leader began to get unsettled. He had questioned Simon but the blond deviant had no idea what he was talking about. Whoever was doing this was following him, they were planning something.

So when Markus found another card taped to his office door he immediately stomped over to the room next door. He slammed the card down onto Connor's desk, who didn't seem startled in the slightest.

"I would say good morning but it would seem that you are in a foul mood, brother," Connor observed as he paused his typing to stare at the older deviant.

"Have you been following me around and putting up these cards everywhere I go?" Markus demanded with a cross of his arms.

"I have not. Your accusation is incorrect as I am not familiar with this card."

"Well someone has! I've been finding these things the entire day," he huffed, abruptly sitting down on the other chair. Though his irritated expression was penetrated by a slight unnerved frown. Connor quietly looked over the card, scanning the object as if it were a piece of evidence of a crime scene. Only the numbers were noticeable but nothing more.

"Where was the first time you located this?"

"My room. I heard something too, I thought it was my imagination," Markus muttered, but the other heard him just fine. "I thought I heard something running behind me when I got out of the shower. Next thing I know, there was that card on the floor."

Connor's frown deepened with protective worry and confusion. "These numbers, they are coordinates. Longitude and latitude. However, they seem to pinpoint the west of Spain. Approximately 1,374 miles into the South Pacific Ocean from Peru."

Markus gaped. "Some weirdo stalker wants to send me to the ocean? What for?"

"I do not have an answer at the moment. Though this is an intriguing mystery," he hummed. "There is a 79.264% chance of finding a plausible answer if we travel to these coordinates."

"What?! Are you insane?" Markus exclaimed. "It could be dangerous or a trap or it could be nothing at all!"

"Or it could be a client," Connor calmly interjected. "Whoever keeps leaving these for you is insistent on you to go. It could be a trap or a call for help. What will happen is that if you don't attend, nothing will change."

Markus stared at him then the card for a long moment, about a minute or two in silence before he relented. "Fine. I'm going, only to prove you wrong that there will be nothing out there but salty water."

"I'll join you." Markus began to open his mouth, but the RK800 already began to stand. "Before you refute, think of it this way. When you're there, you'll have a backup in case this is indeed a trap."

"Oh, like that makes me feel a whole lot better."

Connor paused to tilt his head. "I don't understand why it should as there is a probability that we are going to be walking into a quagmire."

"You need to learn how to pick up on sarcasm, buddy," Markus rolled his eyes. "If we're going to be going to the ocean, we'll need some scuba gear and, more importantly, a boat. Fortunately, I know a guy that could grant us both."

Traveling over four thousand miles over water, a sleek pearly white speed boat brisked away across the remaining miles to reach its destination. It took a few hours but they arrived at the exact points of contact. Elijah Kamski shut off the engine of the boat before approaching the two deviants who are outfitted in special elastic wetsuits and fins.

"You look like you're just going to go exploring, nothing suspicious about that!" Kamski exclaimed with confidence. As he browsed through a certain compartment, Markus grunted in annoyance as he adjusted the neck of the suit.

"Why do we have to wear these things? Our body doesn't react to water the way it is to humans."

"You are correct. Unlike the human body, you are made of plastic and metal. A material in between," Kamski explained with a nod. "If you get too far underwater, you will be crumpled like a soda can. These wetsuits however will prevent that from happening. It enhances your metal properties and protects your more vulnerable areas." He finally found what he was looking for and tossed them a pair of regulators. "You'll need these. Like how humans need oxygen to breathe underwater, these will filter oxygen through your thermal regulators so you won't overheat and damage them."

"Well at least there's a positive spin on this," the RK200 grinned sarcastically before putting on the oxygen regulator.

"Contact me through the open radio feed if you discover anything or need help," the man mentioned. Both brothers saluted as they sat on the edge of the boat before falling back with a splash.

Ocean water flooded their vision, giving them a clear view of the water that slicked back against their advanced eyes. Markus switched his night vision on which lit up the darkness below to a certain degree.

'Kamski, do you read?' Connor's voice filtered into his head. Markus slowly turned to his brother and watched as his hair floated sporadically in the liquid.

'Loud and clear, Connor,' the man responded a moment later. 'All readings are fully functional. I can see you on my radar. You're free to dive.'

'Copy.' Connor turned to the older android and held his hand out. 'After you.'

'What a gentleman,' Markus replied cybernetically. He tucked in his arms to swim down, knowing well that the other was following. The RK200 felt like he was floating, feeling pressure build-up around his body but never enough to hurt him. Fish and other marine animals swam by, observing them for a moment before fleeing. The android smiled a little in awe. 'I feel like I'm in another world. I don't think I've been this long underwater before.'

'Don't get used to it. We're here for one thing and that is to gain insight on the purpose of the golden card,' Connor commented. Markus rolled his eyes.

'Can't you let me have a little fun?'

'Considering what we are doing, I see no need to do so. But, as humans say, 'whatever'.'

It didn't take long until they reached the ocean floor. Coral reefs and seaweed were around everywhere. The sea life continued to thrive while the androids settled to a stop.

'We've made it to the bottom,' Markus reported to Kamski before directing his next sentence to his brother. 'Look around. Anything that might be out of the ordinary, report it.'

There wasn't much to work with. Just the usual wildlife. Markus, despite being a little grumpy for having his morning and afternoon ruined by a sudden adventure to the deep sea, had to admit that he was a little curious to know what was hidden in the area. Whoever sent him the card must have known that Connor was coming along as well. It didn't say to go alone. If Markus was contacted, that meant the messenger knew who he was if they managed to break into New Jericho unnoticed. They didn't want to be identified, that much was obvious, but why? If they knew Markus, they knew that both brothers don't do anything without each other. Even if they sent it to Connor, they'll still go but it'll keep their guard up.

A gleaming shine blinded Markus for a moment. He narrowed his eyes as he stared off into the distance. He contacted Connor cybernetically, offhandedly; before a gigantic shadow approached him at a quick speed. His eyes widened when he realized that the thing that blinded him was razor-sharp teeth.

It felt like slow motion as he spun around and began swimming away while cybernetically shouting, 'SWIM!'

'Markus, what are you…?' Connor paused as he too saw what the RK200 was fleeing from. 'Oh shit!'

Markus frantically swam as fast as he could, using the terrain to his advantage. He glanced behind him and regretted it.

A large aquatic serpent, approximately the size of a school bus, with razor-sharp teeth and beady black eyes staring angrily at him. The deviant leader felt his stress levels rise dramatically as he swam frantically away. With another glance behind him, the unknown creature was chomping dangerously close to his leg.

Suddenly, his leg was pulled down into a hole. Markus squeezed his eyes shut when he felt the pressure build on his arms and let out a girly squeal of terror.

"Markus!" The said android cracked open his eyes and his yell slowly deflated. His eyes locked onto the annoyed brown ones across from him. "Are you done screaming like a YK?"

Markus looked around and noticed that the cave he was pulled into surprisingly had oxygen in it. He removed his oxygen regulator. "Where are we?" He asked.

"An underwater cave," Connor stated the obvious as he swam to the side and pulled himself up onto the platform. Markus followed. "I believe this could provide a decent sanctuary from the atrocious creature."

"Yeah, about that, what the hell was that?!" He roared. "That mutant sea snake is swimming over us and waiting for us to leave so it could gobble us whole!"

"I do not believe it is a mutation of any kind or a serpent that currently exists," Connor mentioned as he ran his hand through his wet hair. "I ran a scan of the creature while you were occupied screaming like a girl."

Markus deadpanned.

"I was not able to detect any heat signatures or heartbeats from it. I ran another analysis by sifting through my records and all knowledge that match the correct descriptions of the creature, however, I made no match."

"What are you saying?" Connor turned to him with a tense look.

"The creature prowling outside of this cave is not a living being; it is synthetic, like you and I. The only difference is that while we were built to assist humans, this creature is programmed to destroy. And, if I am correct, its prime directive is to eliminate us."

If he had saliva, Markus would have gulped.

"... We must find a frequency where we can contact Kamski and warn him of the creature," Connor mentioned after a moment. He spun around and walked further down the cave, into the dark tunnels of the unknown. "You may stay here. It would be unfortunate if the both of us were lost in the tunnels."

Markus heard a distant roar. "Nah, I'll stick with you!"

Markus held a torch, something he made from a few rocks and emergency fabric, to lead the way. Despite having night vision, he thought that if there were any creepy crawlies around, the fire might spook them away.

(And with his special vision, he can't see any spiders – that's a big no-no.)

"I guess this was a trap after all," the RK200 mentioned after a few minutes. Their walk was usually filled with silence as they listened to their surroundings, which wasn't helpful. "Huh. I don't remember making enemies with anyone lately. I guess it's my natural charm that seems threatening."

"Your nonexistent charisma does not affect anyone, not even our clients," Connor responded dryly. Markus deadpanned. "This case is extremely peculiar: finding a robotic mythological species that threatens to devour us while we are in search of something we don't know about. It would be unlikely that the only reason to have built this creature was to eliminate us. Though, I theorize that it may have something to do with your involvement. The card was specifically addressed to you and the mailer would have known that you would have shown me the coordinates. There is something here but we are missing something."

"Well whatever it is, the sooner we find it, the faster we get out of this place. 'Cause at the moment, this cave is beginning to feel like our prison."

"I find no point of argument in your reasoning."

Although it felt like forever, it didn't take long until they found light at the end of their tunnel. Literally. The slow pulsing light attracted them like bugs to a flame. When they reached the end, their footsteps echoing off the cave walls, they skidded to a stop.

"It's a secret research station!" Markus exclaimed the obvious. He looked around the dusty discarded area in wonder. Connor walked over to a table and dragged his finger across, lifting it to show the amount of dust collected.

"It seems deserted."

Markus stood next to him, peering down at the scattered papers on it. He hummed loudly. "Blueprints. Looks like whoever was down here was building something. Hey, look at this! 'Project J.E.M', what do you think that means?"

"I'm not sure, but according to my analysis, these blueprints are not for nothing," Connor pointed out. "Matching these measurements with all records, I conclude that these are exact to one of the creature's."

"Wait, so you're saying that the person that stayed here built that thing? Then how do we stop it?"

"... It says that there is an emergency shut-off located inside of the machine," the RK800 mentioned with a point of his finger. "I suppose the creator knew that if someone were to shut off the creature then it'll take more than a little system hack to do so."

"So one of us is going into that thing's stomach and shutting it off. Ain't that a treat?" Markus huffed. "Alright, so someone sent us here to kill that thing. Not in our expertise but I say we take care of the overgrown snake. Can you get a signal?"

There was a small pause. "... Negative. I am unable to contact Kamski."

"Then I guess we're on our own." Markus paused as he looked around the room. His eyes landed on a pile of spare parts in the corner of the room. He suddenly got an idea. "Hey, Connor. How fast can you swim?"

'I believe that the word 'hate' is indeed a harsh statement, but my displeasure toward you matches the description perfectly,' Connor grumbled cybernetically as he was standing in a patch of sand, intensely scanning the ocean water surrounding him.

'Love you too, Connie,' Markus responded from the entrance of the cave. He tightened the thick cable around his waist, knowing that his brother held the other end. 'Plus, who's going to go out there and be snake food?'

'That doesn't explain why I have to go first… And 'Connie'? Really? That's the best you can come up with?'

'Well if I call you dimwitted or ugly, I'm sure I would have gotten a comment harsher than 'hate'.' The other made a noise in offense. Before the other could retaliate, the RK200 beat him to the punch. He plunged into the water and got into position. 'Do you see anything?'

'... Negative.'

'Alright. Go for it.'

'Swimming up now.' Connor kicked his legs repeatedly, using his arms as well to propel himself up to the surface. Markus watched him from a distance as he made sure nothing crept up on the vulnerable RK800. Everything was going well for a few seconds. Markus thought that he would make it and they would be able to get this settled.

But then the next few seconds rolled around.

Like last time, Markus saw an approaching shadow grow larger in the distance. His stress levels skyrocketed when he saw the large serpent creature heading straight toward his brother.

'Connor! On your right!' He urgently shouted through the cybernetic link. He saw Connor turn to the right and dodged in time when the robot snapped at him. The younger deviant was frantically swimming to the surface as the creature began to make a turnaround. 'Come on. Come on!'

'Your continuous chant is unnecessary and fairly distracting,' Connor's calm (Markus could hear the slight tremble of panic in his voice, however) tone demanded through his head. 'I highly advise you to shut up.'

Markus was surprised nonetheless. 'Sorry.' The serpent was returning. 'It's coming back around. 9 o'clock!'

Connor narrowly missed being eaten, but he dropped the cable from the sudden attack. The RK800 swam back down to retrieve it just as the serpent rapidly pursued him. Markus widened his eyes and came out of hiding. He held an old flare gun, aiming it toward the beast, and fired.

The red flared bullet traveled through the water and hit its target. The beast cried in anguish as it was hit in the eye, momentarily stopping from its previous victim.

'Yes!' Markus threw his arms up in success.

The creature saw him and began to swim his way.

'Uh oh! Connor!' Markus frantically yelled as he began swimming for his life. 'Hurry up with that cable!'

Connor had already managed to get the line and began to swim up while Markus kept the beast occupied. He broke through the water and looked around for the boat. When he noticed it a few feet away, he climbed aboard and began to attach the cable to a crank. Meanwhile, Kamski rushed up to him with a scared expression.

"Connor, what was that?! What happened? Where were you? I tried contacting you but all lines were gone. Where's Markus? What's with the cable?"

"A robotic creature is currently chasing Markus underwater, this cable is attached to him so when the serpent inevitably devours him, this could be an assurance to pull him out," Connor rushed out, yet his voice was as thoughtful as ever. Kamski widened his eyes.

"You're going to sacrifice your brother?!"

"If it's any consolation, he volunteered."

Back with a fleeing Markus, the android had managed to delay the synthetic sea creature by trapping it in a few deep ocean ruins. He knew that the diversion wasn't going to last forever, so he connected to his brother.

'Connor, you there?'

'I'm here, Markus. The cable line is secured, standing by for your signal,' the RK800 responded a moment later. Markus looked back to see the creature finally bust free from its cage and fiercely swim toward him.

'Alright. I'm ready. If I don't make it out of this, just know…' He paused for dramatic effect. '... you dragged me into this.'

'Do not worry, Markus. You'll make it out so I can punch you properly.'

Markus smiled a little and turned to the inevitable. The last thing he saw was the large mouth of the creature that swallowed him whole.

Connor watched as the cable began to rapidly loosen from the wheel, only clanking to stop and making the boat lurch when it reached the maximum length.

"Full reverse!" He shouted when it happened. Kamski, who was at the steering wheel, followed the command by shifting the lever to go backward. The android could see the water rippling against the beast's incredible strength. His collected exterior was penetrated as he nervously tapped his fingers against the railing of the boat.

Creeeeaak.

Connor snapped his head toward the strange noise. The cable was losing integrity, it wouldn't hold much longer against the strength of the synthetic creature. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the rope snapped. He turned back to the water and could only watch in intense silence.

Markus plunged into a large tank of Thirium. Hundreds, probably thousands, of gallons were stored in the belly of the beast. He quickly got out of it and climbed onto a small platform in the middle. Observing his surroundings and noticing that the walls moved rhythmically like a bending straw, Markus knew that he was near the manual override.

"Okie dokie. Where are you, little shut-off button?" Markus spoke aloud, his eyes scanning the area. Using the enhanced scanner his eyes provided, the RK200 managed to pinpoint the location from a glowing signal. "Bingo."

Just as he was about to dive into the ocean of blue thick liquid, the body of the synthetic sea serpent rocked and abruptly lurched him forward, causing him to disgracefully fall into the Thirium. Considering that he was there, he began his swim across while his mind whirled in worry, wondering what was happening just outside the beast.

The sea creature fiercely tugged against the cord, causing the boat above the water to jerk dramatically in the same direction. The end of the cable creaked from the tension. The robotic creature loosened its strength momentarily before swimming around and ramming into the boat's side.

"Invasive maneuvers!" Connor exclaimed from the front deck. "Don't let this thing get the upper hand!"

"I'm trying!" Kamski snapped. The RK800 saw the massive silhouette slam into the boat once more before going full speed in the opposite direction.

"Fire cannons! Give it everything we got!"

The billionaire looked at the deviant incredulously. "This thing doesn't have any weapons! It's a yacht!"

Before Connor could refute, he heard the creaking of the cable screech intensely before snapping entirely. The deviant managed to catch the line. He lunged forward and trapped his legs against the boat's side so he wouldn't go overboard. The deviant clenched his teeth, grunting as the weight of the synthetic sea creature pulled against his arms.

"Full… REVERSE!" Connor shouted harshly.

"Woah!" Markus grunted as he hit the wall when the entire body abruptly sped forward to a random direction. "What the hell is going on out there?!"

Of course, he didn't get a response. There was no way he could get a cybernetic link with anyone or anything, the body of the beast prevented that. All he could do was get to the button.

However, there was a loud bang that shook where he was, sloshing the Thirium into his face and mouth, making him unintentionally swallow it. He coughed but realized that every time he

tried to swim above the liquid, it kept rising at an alarming rate. Despite not being able to drown in water, androids can suffocate in an abundance of Thirium that overflows their initial amount.

The further he floated up, the further he was from the button. He coughed harshly, trying to expel the extra Thirium from his body and stay afloat.

From the outside, Connor had managed to tie the cable enough on his hand while he miraculously found a harpoon gun. Now Kamski could only watch in bewilderment as the RK800 wrestled with the robotic sea creature that had a harpoon wedged into its body through the thick line while screaming in a barbaric warrior battle cry.

Meanwhile, Markus sputtered at the relentless Thirium rising to his mouth. Just as he reached the ceiling, he shut off his oxygen intake valves before he was fully immersed in the sea of blue. The RK200 looked around for a moment until he began to dive back down to where he was.

A blinking red light led him to where he needed to be. Floating in front of the box, he opened the panel only to reveal a keypad right next to the button. He ran millions of possibilities in his head, taking a quick note of his rising core temperature, then began implementing at an incredible speed. As he did this, he looked around for any clues that might help hint what the password might be.

He tried every code he could think of: the first hundred digits of android programming, the coordinates of where to meet, even a simple 1234, but nothing seemed to work. Right around his 238th try and his core temperature reached an alarming 110, he thought that he wasn't going to make it.

But then it hit him.

Connor's words echoed in his head, 'The card was specifically addressed to you'. It didn't make sense! If it was, where was he a part of it? So far, nothing in their adventure had clued him on why he was specifically involved. But as he continued to think, the more it became clear.

Whoever mailed him the card knew that if Markus received it, he would have shown his brother. They knew that they were so close, so bonded, that nothing would be ever kept a secret. It wasn't just about him, Markus realized, it was for both of them! The mailer was never sending them on a rescue mission, it was a test! He had a feeling that it was, but why? Why would someone doubt the strength both brothers share?

Unless… they were exploiting their weaknesses.

Markus looked at the keypad intensely before slowly putting in eight digits; then the light turned green. His finger lightly pressed the button before an emergency stasis mode was activated and his body slowly sank limply to the bottom.

TBC...