Atlantica IV City

+6:22:45 hrs since seismic event

Sounds.

They mean everything down here. Seven miles deep. A city of two million living beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. I was born here. I have only ever seen pictures of the sun, or noticed it on the news channels that tell us about the things on the surface; not that any of that is important down here.

specially designed lights, meant to make sure we get the right ballance of light and darkness, are mounted in the walls throughout the structure that some wealthy billionaire built nearly fifty years ago called Atlantica IV; the fourth of such an endeavor to colonize the inhospitable depths of our planet. At first, it was only biologists and scientists that wanted to come here, then it was the laborors, and maintinance people, along with their families. Then it was decided that computer technicians, programmers, and similar occupations were needed, as the surface opperated much differently than we did down here.

Soon, mechanical engineers, robotics specialists, and subaquatic welders became prevelent, as the original Atlantica structure was deemed too small to support the growing populace, that was 43 years ago, the hospital was built on the surface, lowered down to us, then teathered, and the hydrolocks placed. if something goes wrong, the hospital is designed to be unclamped, and jettisoned, to let it raise to the surface as fast as it's boyancy will allow it.

massive reinforced concrete girders support the whole part to keep it from breaking apart during the rapid ascent. but in order for me to survive a catastrophe, I have to make it there before someone decides to pull the big red lever that releases it. its drilled into everyone who has grown up down here, what that one lever means.

a decade ago, a test was performed on an old residential portion, people who wanted to leave were asked to move in, and the section was jettisoned after a new complex was lowered to us. once it was beneath the section that was going to go up, the old area was jettisoned. Three hundred people moved in; Twenty made it to the surface, the aged portion crumbled as it rose, the pressure of the inside being too much as it neared the surface, and a weak window seal blew out a half mile under.

The hospital isn't guaranteed survival, but its the only chance.

Me? I'm probably not going to make it in time. Especially not with one of the nitrogen pipes having fallen from the ceiling. The earthquake six hours ago having broken something in the foundation, the whole city was now only being held down by the wire teathers, and only two of the seven foundation pillars remained.

My classmates left me when the pipe hit me; I heard a few of them say that I was already dead as they forced their friends to leave me under this heavy pipe, my hands pinned, so I couldn't even fix my uniform's skirt, that showed an embarassing scene to all the students who fled after my class.

The unusual sound of the wire teathers, that have broken free, twanging off of the ones that are still holding, while the ocean currents settle from the earthquake are new, the raw, unregulated, cold, nitrogen flooding this area causing my ears to pop from the ammount of pressure from the pipe that is bigger around than my seventeen year old, size nine, body.

A loud Klaxon blared, and a sound that I had only heared once before, in grammar school, sounded through the building. A dull thud, followed by an unmistakable sound of an air blast.

The Hospital was now gone.

The hallway in which I was pinned, shifted slightly, the missing Hospital, unballancing the city on the remaining foundation pillars that were meant to keep us on the bottom of the ocean. The main body of the city wouldnt survive the rise, the pipe rolling off of me, down my legs, and across my knees, gave me the worst pain that I could remember, then it rolled over my feet, and off my body. I was free.

I was in shock. I was going to die down here, the hospital was gone, the farm was in the module under the hospital, it would either have gone up with it, or be flooded now; all of the cows, chickens, and sheep would have gone to the surface with that jettison, but the grains, fruits, and vegitables were now gone.

I stood straight, and set my head against the wall that leaned toward me. I don't know how long I stood there crying, but I suddenly realised that I wanted to live, no matter what that entailed. I am trapped, seven miles deep, in a concrete bunker that could implode at any second because of the stresses of it's own precarious position. The only food I have is what would be in the resturants near the core of the city, the surface elevator was probably the first thing used in the evacuation, but even if it was still down here, the city wouldn't be able to release it at it's current angle.

I jogged back to the house I had shared with my father, up until last year. changed out of my uniform, and into one of the emergency wetsuits that hung just inside the doors of every apartment. I had just had a new one delivered last month after our school's quarterly health checks. my old one wouldn't have fit anymore, so I got a new one.

Leaving the house, I made sure to seal the hatch behind me, keeping some oxygen in the structure when it finally implodes may help increase the chance of survival, but its doubtful. At this depth, a puncture that could only produce a drip through the crack on the surface, could potentially cut the steel walls with the force behind the water, and sealing it would be impossible.

As I turned the handle it's final turn, I noticed Dad's scratches on the door. Dad was a Subaquatic Welder, but at these depths, that meant he was more a submersible pilot than a welder. Last year, his sub imploded, there wasn't anything left of him, a few strands of his hair was all that was left inside the vehicle. When I was eight, he had put these marks here, and showed them to me, in our own coded written form, so others couldn't read it.

"I love you Pica, never forget that."

I touched the letters, remembering the day he showed it to me, then turn and ran toward the submersible bay. I'd have to go further down, the bay, and the high-pressure moon pool would all be near the bottom of the city, eleven stories beneath me, and through one of the maintinance floors.

Minutes felt like hours as I ran, only stopping for a moment to grab food from a hot-dog stand as I went by it. Sounds came from below, and the sound that Control had told us was the foundation pillars releasing, resounded through the city once more. The floor shifted angle again, I almost fell, when I thought it was going to tilt further, it stopped as the twang of steel cables resounded, followed by the low hum of the ocean currents pulling the lines tight like they do when the tides begin moving faster.

I wolfed down the second sausage I had grabbed from the stand while I regained my ballance on the odd angled floor, and continue to head down to the bays. but greeting me was a scene I had hoped to never see. water up to the center of the glass in the moon pool room.

I had forgotten what the list of the city would do to the air that constantly pressurized the moon pools, it released it back into the ocean. the moon pools wouldn't let me get out, but perhaps the hard-bay would. there were three weld-subs left down here, two were missing the front glass, and one was missing one of it's drive motors. as long as the three others it had could work, I could get out from underneath the city and make it to the surface.

diving into the seal door, located in the back of the pressure chamber of the weld-sub, I jumped into the controls chair, and pushed the emergency release button on the top of the little vessel. it didn't work.

I got out, and found that the batteries of all three of these vessels were gone. no battery, no power, no power, I can't blow the pressure tanks to accend. whoever had taken the seperate battery out of the emergency door opener, just saved my life.

Surface Trade Station

Atlantica IV

+12:44:12 hrs since seismic event

I was mesmerised at the scene before me. unlike the residential section ten years ago, the hospital made it to the surface, fully in tact. the pressure had finally equalized to the point that we could open the hatches that were above water level, and let the people out. Atlantica IV was the largest of the twenty remaining Atlantica stations, well, I guess it's nineteen stations now.

We were closest to the united states, but it would still be another two hours before any evacuation ships could get here to start getting these people out of here. As my subordinates were getting the people out, there was only one face I could hope to see, but it was getting less and less likely to see it as the once familiar faces shuffled to the door.

"Elaine, its good to see you." I get greeted by one of the deep city administrators, I only recognize the uniform, not the person wearing it. up here, I'm the one in charge, but only the top of the city leadership actually know what I look like, so that I can make unnoticed trips down to the city for inspections.

"How many made it?" I asked, without asking for their name. my mind was on survival at this point, the surface didn't have the food to support this many people, and the farms may not have made it, we can hope, but always plan for the worst.

"I think we got everyone." he said to me. "Headcount was inconclusive, I figured we could count as they exited."

Lazy bastard. At his words, I turned my head and glared at him; then announced in a loud enough voice that all the regular citizens around me could hear.

"You chose not to do a headcount before releasing the hospital? you chose to possibly kill anyone left when none of the water seals, or alarms had gone off yet, only the list warning? you chose to deploy the most expensive safety yacht in the city, without doing your job, former administrator?"

"Now, you listen here..."

"No! you listen, you self-satifying putz! you WERE in charge of a city, a city that is now ABANDONED. I am in charge of the surface platform, and every thing, and person on board, as well as within ten kilometers from it on the surface. that includes the hospital. Now, go do a fracking headcount." I did my best not to use profanity, but I really wanted to.

Surface Trade Station

Atlantica IV

+28:44:12 hrs since seismic event

"Elaine." The man who I had told to do a headcount finally came back.

"How many did your lapse in judgement kill?" I asked without looking up.

"There were only three people missing from the counts, two bodies floated to the surface an hour ago, leaving only one person unaccounted for. A Pica Bridges."

My eyes lifted from the paperwork in front of me, and bore into the man in front of me.

"You are sure, Pica is the only unaccounted?" I asked; trying my damndest to not show how pissed I really was at the moment. I could tell I failed.

"Possitive, a couple of boys from her class said they had seen her trapped under a dislodged nitrogen pipe as they fled the school sections."

"Bring those boys to me. Now." I guess the look on my face was scary, as he left my room pretty quick. An hour later, six boys were lead into my office.

"You six said you saw Pica Bridges trapped during the evac?" I asked them pointedly.

"Yes, Station Commander." one answered quickly, he was too young to have been in Pica's class. "I had tried to help get the pipe off of her, but these gentlemen pulled me away, saying she was already dead."

I looked to the other boys, "Was there blood on her outfit?" they shook their heads, "Did you check her pulse?" they shook their heads again, "Did you verify that she was deceased before halting rescue operations?" they shook their heads, this time with eyes wide. They knew exactally why I asked those questions now, it was a capitol offence in any subaquatic city to stop rescue operations before death was confirmed.

"If she comes up alive, you five better hope you are already off my platform before I hear of it." I look to the sixth boy. "I will stand witness for your testimony." I told the sixth boy, letting him know that I could testify to the judiciary on his behalf. the boys began to turn and leave, "By the way, boys. Pica Bridges, the girl you left behind, she is my niece, and the only family she has left, is me. so you better pray that you were right, that she was dead when you left her, otherwise our next conversation will not end with plesantries; enjoy the rest of your stay on Aquatic IV Trade Platform."

Atlantica IV City

+46:23:55 hrs since seismic event

I finally got a couple of station batteries fitted, it took me nearly two days, but at least the wire teathers were holding, as long as I'm not dead, I am going to continue with what I have to do to try and survive. dull rings began sounding through the city, and cracking sounds began. I'm out of time.

I dive into the rear hatch again, the little ship barely large enough for me to lay down inside to opperate. I could sit up, but the controls were meant to be used while in the laying position. it felt awkward, mainly because this one was meant for a man to use. I closed the hatch, and pressed the emergency button again, the massive doors ahead of me opened faster than I expected, I layed there in awe, wonder and surprise as one of the doors slid completely off it's rails because of the speed it opened.

"Emergency Indeed." I said to myself. the tiny four inch window was easily a couple feet thick, carved into a cone shape, resting against the pressure hull around me. With only three motors, it was a bit difficult to operate, but it wasn't so bad once I released the mooring clamps off the top of the sub.

yeah, I tried moving without releasing the mooring from inside the sub, once it was done, moving wasn't so hard. I turned on the communications radio, it could only broadcast 2 miles at this depth, but I could hear anything that was going on, I also turned on the distress beacon, and the sonar locator, so I would show up as a much larger vesse on most sonar screens.

I slowly moved out of the bay, having to continuously let water into the balast tanks to attempt to stay level.

U.S.S. Constitution

Outside Atlantica IV City

+49:24:19 hrs since seismic event

"Sir, I just picked up a very loud noise, shortly followed by a distress beacon, and its moving along the lower portion of the city."

"Moving?" I ask.

"Yes; Without a doubt, its comming closer to our location, should we attempt contact? as of right now, there is only one soul unaccounted for, it may be her."

"These cities are kind of particular about ensuring the life or death of someone, go ahead ensign."

"Aye, Aye; skipper." the communications Ensign responds, then quickly puts on the headset that drowns out the bridge noise. "Unkown Vessel, can you hear me? Please respond."

"I read you." I heard a young feminine voice across the bridge speakers. "This is Pica Bridges, Atlantica IV; I might have caused a little bit of damage to the city, but in all honesty, I'll take my punishment if I can reach the surface." the girl says through the radio.

"Pica, this is Ensign Cray, Aboard the U.S.S. Constitution, reconasance Submarine; is there any reason why you wouldn't make it to the surface, now that you are out?"

"Ensign, some of that damage was to attempt to get this little weld-sub working enough that I could use it. I had to steal a couple station batteries, and a few feet of wire from one of the locomotion generators, and I couldn't find another motor to replace the one this one is missing, also, even though I have turned off the inlet valve for the balast tanks, they are still leaking some water into them, I won't rise quickly enough to keep one of the tanks from going critical."

"Thats a damn good assessment from a seventeen year old girl, who has been completely alone for almost two days." I say, not realizing that she could hear me.

"Thats a new voice." she replies. "My father was a welder down here, up until last year. he taught me a lot about these little things, namely because its all he knew he could talk about with me, and second, because his life depended on it working right. I lost him, when it wasn't." she replied. "Can I ask who the new voice is?"

"I am the current Captain of the Constitution, my name is Ryan Goss; so please, refer to me as Skipper for now. do you think you could get yourself above our bow?" I asked, noting her location on the sonar screens.

"I'm sorry, I only heard part of that." she says, and Ensign Cray repeats my request.

"I'll take any help I can get." she responds, and half the bridge leave their stations to watch the blip on the sonar screens take a weird path to get to us, but with it fighting the currents, and being down a motor, she was making good time, and had really good control. after about an hour, we finally heard her voice again. "Skipper; Constitution hull in viewport, attempting soft-dock."

soft-dock, when two sumbersibles touch on purpose, but not in a way that connects their pressure hulls. A clang is heard through the ship, made much louder by the fact that it seemed every sailor was stone quiet listening for her success, or failure. a second, and third clang were heard before her voice came back.

"Soft-dock successful, mooring magnets deployed. The moorings will hold me stable up to 16 knots, thanks for the assist."

cheers erupted around me, I was happy too, but I was captain, I couldn't show it.

"Release the anntenna, boost the signal, back to your stations people! until she is on the surface, she isn't out of danger. those damn welding subs are nearly thirty years old now, far older thain their expected survice life ever was. navigator, do whatevery you have to, to keep pressure on that sub under the 16 knots she mentioned. keep in mind also that she is using mooring magnets, they arent effected by the pressure like mooring hooks, 16 knots to the surface, even if we loose her." I look around the room before issuing my next command. I pick up the ship's intercom phone, and issue the order the crew loves hearing the most. "Rise, Rise, Rise."

Surface Trade Station

Atlantica IV

+56:08:20 hrs since seismic event

"Mam, U.S.S. Constitution just called in, Emergency Rise, Emergency Personel on Alert, Possible Survivor with them."

Surface Trade Station

Atlantica IV

+62:04:09 hrs since seismic event

The U.S.S. Constitution's conning tower crested the water, shortly followed by the bright orange Welding vessel that Atlantica cities use. the magnetic mooring chains were deployed, and practically held the tiny submersible near the bow of the ship. most of the survivors had already been evacuated, I made sure that a certain five boys would be the last ones off my station; so they were still here.

millions of people inside one of these cities, only two dead, and one left behind. the safety procedures would have been considered a complete success, had those five boys helped instead of leaving a girl to perish. I saw a string of men and women exit the hatches along the top of the Constitution, and run toward the welding sub. It was resting with its nose facing forward, so the sailors were able to get to the outside access hatch. after a few seconds, the bright green and clashing orange of the city's wetsuits was glaringly obvious amoung the uniformed people of the Navy Vessel.

"Bring her onboard; get her checked out." I commanded over the radio. two speed boats, and a fleet of tugs went out to collect the constitution, along with probably the most important payload of this whole thing, Pica.

the speed boats returned to the Trade Station, carrying Pica, and took her immediately to the medical sector. I couldn't afford to miss anything in this, afterall, almost every major news orginsation in the world had cameras pointed at me right now, and not all were figurative.

when the constitution was finally tugged to the dock, I noticed the welder that Pica had brought up. it was in horrid shape, and shouldn't have been sea-worthy. although it had three motors, they had the old style three bladed impellers, instead of the, now regulation, eight blades; I had already been told one motor was missing, but I hadn't been told that station batteries, with plastic wrap ductaped to the connections was all that was keeping her alive; nor was I told that there was nearly two hundred feet of wire strapped to the outside of the hull, to power a double set of lights.

I'm not sure I want to know where, or how she got some of this stuff, to get this working.

"Bring me two engineers." I called out to my assistant.

"Elaine." Ryan said as he walked up beside me. "Thast really what she used?" he asked, seeming to really see it for the first time.

"She is her mother's daughter." I said, he looked at me from the side of his eyes, but I could tell he wouldn't ask more. "Her Mom was the Kelsey Price." I told him.

"Her mom was the designer of the new modules?"

"And the new welders" I told him. "Her dad, Gregory Bridges, was a welder, Kelsey made the new design to help him work better."

"you read pretty far into her file." he said to me.

"No, Ryan, She is my niece; my sister was her mother." I look back to the welder as our dock crane removes it from the bow of the constitution. "So, now work; you were down there, how bad is it?"

"When I gave the order to rise, the city was at a 33 degree list, with only one foundation pillar remaining. and only two tether wire beacons were stationary, the rest were waving along the current. I would put the oxygen seal of the city to only last another day at the most, but it could fail at any time. This city is a total loss."

"I heard you needed an engineer mam?" a new person walked up behind me, and I saw Pica behind him.

"I need you to go over that Sub-Welder with a fine tooth comb, catalogue every change, every jerry-rigged solution to a problem, and diagram everything out." I ordered; "And, Pica, get over here."

"Station Commander Price." she said super formally, but she stared at me in wonder for a moment. She didn't know that I had been watching her from afar, how could she know.

"Pica, formalities are for later. first, come here." I said as I took my niece into an embrace for the first time since she was an infant. I immediately felt Pica relax, and it wasn't long before she was embracing me back while crying.

Washington D.C.

United States of America

+96:02:09 hrs since seismic event

"Four days ago, the first ever mass evacuation from a submerged city occoured after a real world event, with only two deaths, both individuals not being onboard the exodus module, or as the locals simply refered to it, the Hospital, during the evacuation. Although a tragedy, this event will aid us in making the other Atlantica cities, as well as the Pacifica cities safer.

Today, Pica Bridges is to be recognized for her bravery, as well as her engineering prowess in keeping herself safe, as well as getting more out of an old welding sub that had been decomissioned, than even it's designers had thought possible."

The only other person here, stood in front of a wall of cameras, took a step back from the podium, and walked toward me; he walked behind me, and picked something up.

"Pica Bridges, in recognition for your achievements, I present to you the Medal of Freedom; the highest honor I am able to bestow upon a civilian for bravery. May you wear this with pride."

little red lights flashed off of all the recording cameras, and I hurried off the stage toward the woman who I now knew was my aunt.

"Ready to go home Pica?" she asked. I knew what she meant, but I figured I would say something.

"My home doesn't exist anymore. mind if I stay at yours; I kind of like seeing this color." I finish while pointing at the sun."