Beneath the Black Abyss
Amaral investigates an alien artifact deep in the ocean.
Stab Unit™ Case File: 2730-012
Tony Amaral pressed his forehead against the cold glass of the submersible, watching the last rays of sunlight fade into the endless blue. The ocean above was a memory now, replaced by the oppressive darkness of the abyss.
The hum of the engine and the soft beeping of the sonar were the only sounds in the cramped cockpit.
He checked his watch. 19:47. The Institution’s orders had been clear: arrive at Facility D-9 by 2000 hours, no questions, no delays.
He was used to the secrecy, but he hated the water - and they knew it. Things seemed distant as if management was at odds with him.
The briefing had been sparse, even by their standards. All he knew was that something had been found, something not of this world. And he was on his way to secure, contain, and protect.
The pilot, a young woman with a buzz cut and a scar across her cheek, glanced at him. “You ever been this deep before, Amaral?”
“Not by choice,” Tony replied, forcing a smile. “You?”
She snorted. “I don’t get paid to answer questions.”
The submersible shuddered as it finally docked with the airlock. Tony grabbed his duffel and followed the pilot through the hatch, into the heart of the facility.
Facility D-9 was a marvel of engineering, a sprawling labyrinth of steel and glass buried five miles beneath the surface. The corridors were lined with flickering lights and reinforced bulkheads. Armed guards in black uniforms patrolled every intersection, their faces hidden behind mirrored visors.
Tony’s ID badge, marked with the Institution’s sigil, a stylized eye - granted him access to the inner sanctum. He passed through a series of security checkpoints, each more paranoid than the last, until he reached the central lab.
Inside, a team of scientists clustered around a massive containment chamber. The artifact inside was unlike anything Tony had ever seen: a sphere of black metal, etched with glowing blue runes, suspended in a web of cables and sensors.
Dr. Elena Voss, the project lead, looked up as he entered. Her eyes were bloodshot, her lab coat stained with coffee and something darker.
“Amaral,” she said, voice hoarse. “You’re late.”
“Blame the ocean,” Tony replied. “What’s so important you needed me down here in person?”
She gestured to the sphere. “We found this two weeks ago, embedded in the wreckage of a spacecraft. It’s… active. We think it’s some kind of power source, but the readings don’t make sense. It’s like it’s alive.”
Tony studied the artifact. The runes pulsed in time with his heartbeat, as if responding to his presence.
“And you want me to do what, exactly?”
“Security, containment, protection.” Voss said with sarcasm. “We’ve had… incidents. Equipment failures, hallucinations, people going missing. The brass wants someone from the Institution to keep an eye on things.”
Tony nodded. He’d seen enough classified projects to know when things were about to go sideways.
The first attack came at 02:13.
Tony was in the security office, reviewing footage from the artifact chamber, when the alarms started blaring. Red lights flashed, and a robotic voice echoed through the facility: “Hull breach detected. Full evacuation underway.”
He grabbed his sidearm and sprinted down the corridor, dodging panicked scientists and soldiers. The air was thick with the smell of ozone and burning plastic.
He reached Sector C just in time to see a wall of reinforced glass implode, sending a torrent of seawater and debris into the hallway. Something massive moved in the shadows beyond the breach - something with too many arms and eyes that glowed like lanterns.
“Fall back!” Tony shouted, firing into the darkness. The bullets sparked off rubbery flesh, doing little more than angering the creature.
A tentacle whipped out, smashing a guard against the ceiling. Another wrapped around a scientist, dragging her screaming into the black.
Tony retreated, slamming the emergency bulkhead as the creature slammed against it, denting the steel.
He keyed his radio. “Control, this is Amaral. We have a breach. Something’s in the facility. Repeat, something’s inside!”
Static. Then Voss’s voice, trembling. “They’re everywhere. The artifact - something’s happening to it. You need to get to the lab. Now.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Stab Unit - Case Files to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.