(2022/10/10)
His body was dragged under at a frightening pace. Water sheared into his face and an unstoppable pressure built in the insides of his ears. Slowly, methodically, his lungs caved in upon themselves. He tried to gasp for air, but only water met his desperate breath.
Helplessness overcame his very existence, he sucked in more water into his lungs as his desperation increased tenfold. The endless lashings of water whipped at his face. Throughout it all, he shut his eyes tight, if he even opened them a slight crack, then water would slice straight though them.
Through his shut eyelids, he only saw a dark haze of nothingness. But as he was pulled further and further under, the darkness deepened, until it was a pure black abyss.
Two scaly hands gripped his shoulders with impossible power, swimming at a rate that was far to fast to comprehend. The scales bit into his skin, drawing blood, the grip was too tight for his soft skin.
He tried to flail his arms in attempt to break free, but it wasn't possible, the hands were dragging him so fast that he couldn't move his arms at all without intense searing in his muscles.
His horror grew to unbearable amounts as he finally realized something that shook him to his core, something that he never truly thought he would imagine, something that originally itched at the back of his mind. But only now had this thought come true.
He was going to die.
He let out a precious gasp of utter fear, losing more of his non-existent air.
He tried to fight, but it was impossible, he couldn't move his arms, he couldn't take a breath, he couldn't fight against his impending death, nor could he understand anything that was happening around him.
Massive, god-like hands compressed his chest, caving it inwards in search for valuable air. His chest heaved against itself, making a desperate attempt to save him. It heaved again, unbearably harsh, he screwed up his eyes further in pain.
As he was dragged further and further under, his mind began to buzz with frantic numbness. He had never done what he had wanted in life, he had never wrote that book, and he was going to die here. Thoughts of his unaccomplished goals haunted his mind. But soon, that was replaced with nothingness, his eyes slowly but surely fizzled out into stars. His brain melted in his skull, collapsing in on itself and liquefying, his neurons blared in alarmed fright as they were obliterated into nothingness.
The constant, intensely torturous knives in his ears disappeared, fading into black.
His mind went numb, his brain was gone, his thoughts were non-existent, his memories were erased.
He trailed along in the water for a thousand years, his body was bliss. He had no pain, no inconveniences, no troubles, no stress. He was free. His very existence blinked out, until he was--truly and fully--nothing.
But then, his body shifted, the sensations around him turned and twirled and danced and pranced. The blissful, subtle emptiness that surrounded him dissipated in a fiery explosion of pain.
His eyes shot open, his lungs heaved harder than they ever had, with a sound like a dying god he coughed up gallons of water, his lungs painfully drained themselves of the alien water.
His arms convulsed and twitched, his eyes shuddered with the new, clear vision in which life had gifted him.
His life had returned to him, but it had placed him in an unknown world. Something completely alien, completely strange and new, something that no human had ever seen before.
As his body slowly regained its functions and his life reeled back into him. He took notice of his surroundings. He was in an underwater dome, fish flew past the sky above. But the sky was not the sky, it was water, it was the deep, murky water of the ocean. Corals grew on the dome, and fluorescent lights beamed out into the darkness, flickering with an eerie glow.
The lights bounced through the water and cast a shimmering caustic glow on the metallic floor in which he laid on.
He rolled over onto his side, completely dumbfounded of what was happening to him. He wondered if he was in heaven, he knew one thing for sure. This wasn't Earth.
To his side a large fish-like man stood confidently. It stared at him with a eerily intelligent glare.
He scrambled back, yelling in fright. He stumbled up to his feet and shoved his back against the clear dome, fish shimmied away from his sudden movement.
He breathed heavier than he ever had in his life. Pure, unbridled fear shook throughout his body. He stared at the fish-man, it stared back. It didn't move, it didn't do anything. It just stared.
He heaved and heaved, still pushing water out of his lungs. It dribbled from his lips and onto the surprisingly dry floor. But his attention had turned from his horrible pain and near-death encounter. His knees trembled with uncanny fear, his face was chalk-white, his eyes stared soullessly at the beast.
Slowly--as he wasn't fully recovered from the frightening lack of oxygen in his brain--he pieced his situation together. He realized that this thing standing in front of him was what had dragged him underwater. It was what had leaped into the air on that dock and tackled him headfirst into the ocean. The monster had done this to him. This was what had almost killed him.
He didn't hate it, he was far too afraid for that. It scared him further, past rationality. It scared him to his core. It frightened him so far past reason for one reason. He didn't understand how a living creature could do this. It was impossible to swim that fast. Nothing could move with such speed without a second's notice.
He tried to back up further, but there was no such doorway that allowed him to do so. The only exit was a circular trapdoor in the roof. It wasn't an option. But he knew he had to get away from that beast, if it could move that fast, then it could run straight at him in an instant, snap his neck, and then eat him.
He felt completely trapped in this dome, he had no where to go. Anywhere his foot fumbled, the beast could pounce to him in a fraction of a second. He had never been claustrophobic, but now he experienced it to its fullest extent. It squeezed against his lungs, constricting his breath, it compressed his cracking skull inwards, it shoved his eyes unnaturally far back into his sockets. He felt as if a giant's fist was slowly, painfully crushing his entire body, deforming his bones and stretching his muscles past their limit. He couldn't move an inch, he was trapped in this tiny dome with a half-man half-fish prowling dangerously close.
But a thought came to him, he wondered why the fish-man hadn't ate him already. He pondered it for a moment, hope rushed back into him. But hope was dangerous, it could lure him into a false sense of safety. He was aware of the danger of it, but he couldn't stop from letting it in. He grasped to it like it was the only tether keeping him from falling down a cliff. It felt to good to have hope, he bathed in its beauty, it brought back his thoughts, his rationality.
But by no means was he not frightened to his core by the fish-man. After all, his rare hope was only a fraction compared to his monumental fear.
The only sounds were his heavy breathing, the rapid thrumming of his heart, and the subtle gurgles of the fish-man. He stood there, frozen, just staring at the fish-man, hoping to god that it turned out to be philanthropic. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts of what was happening to him, none made sense.
He had no idea what world he was in. The ocean around him didn't even seem like an ocean. He took a leap of faith and tore his eyes from the fish-man. He studied his surroundings, he peered through the crystal-clear dome out into the depths of the ocean. In the back of his mind, he always kept a careful watch on the fish-man, it seemed intent on watching him. It studied him with an intense passion and curiosity. Or at least what he interpreted as being curious.
In his immediate surroundings, the colorful lights outside the dome illuminated the floor of the ocean. All different types of ocean-life thrived there. Creatures scuttled past coral reefs, fish fluttered by in flocks, intimidating sharks prowled the depths like watch-men, squid and octopuses darted into nooks and crannies of the rocks.
Other domes laid scattered on the floor of the ocean. Bright lights shone in them, illuminating the empty contents of the domes. Only a dozen-or-so domes littered the floor, each was in the near vicinity of the one in which he stood in.
In the distance, a myriad of rainbow lights shimmied through the water. It was a jagged, pyramidal shaped, blurred by the refractions of water. The multicolored lights danced, carefree and childlike, only to be restrained by towers that jutted from the pyramid.
All throughout the surrounding water, thousands of specks and pinpricks of rainbow lights flew past. They turned the deep-black ocean into a sky of racing rainbow stars. They dove past every inch of the distant water, millions of them, heading into every different direction.
A star hovered close by the dome, it encompassed a far larger space than he thought possible. Its lights rapidly shifted colors, like a child deciding what they wanted for Christmas.
He only realized what it truly was when it hovered a hundred yards above the dome. The multi-colored lights outlined what was an alien submarine.
But it was a sin to call it a submarine. While human submarines were formed from imprecise metal and shaped into a cylinder-like build, this was nothing of the sort. This was leagues beyond, it was so far beyond humans that it was--quite frankly--incomprehensible. Submarines were one thing, this was something completely different. This was beauty.
Its outer shell was forged from the smoothest metal imaginable, he could stare for hours and not find a single imperfection on its body. The pearlescent material allowed him to blurringly see in to the inside of it, where shapes moved and lights danced. It hummed with a constant, reverberating white-noise that very slightly shook the dome. But, for some peculiar reason, it did not scare off the fish. In fact, hoards of fish swirled around its body as it slowly hovered past.
He stared at it, completely and utterly transfixed. It was like nothing he had ever seen, it was as if he was in an entirely different world.
"It is beautiful, is it not?" said a silky-smooth voice, underlaid by a coarse roughness from a language rarely spoken.
He jumped in shock, he hadn't forgotten about the fish-man, not even close. But the fact that it spoke English was dumbfounding. Even more, the incredible fluidity and beauty to its words was a clear shock to his bones. He couldn't think of anything to say, he just stared at the fish-man, jaw agape.
The fish-man regarded him with a quiet, analyzing look, as if he was trying to figure him out. It stayed quiet for a moment, and then softly spoke. "I am sorry for the pain I caused you. But it was a certain necessity to drag you down quickly, I could not permit it if you were to drown. I fear I was almost too slow even then."
He stared a him, his eyes were wide, he couldn't make sense of this, even if he wanted to, after a moment of utterly flabbergasting confusion, he stammered, "How...How can you speak?"
The fish-man took a moment to reply. "I'm afraid I cannot divulge the secrets of my most ancient and proud people," it said simply.
"OK...Where am I?" he asked.
Again, the fish-man took his time to speak. He stared at him the entire time, a benevolent curiosity emanating from him. "You currently stand deep under the Pacific Ocean, in a prodigious underwater cave system. It is what maintains our secrecy from your kind," it paused for a moment, and then continued. "Humans call this sacred place Atlantis."
The hovering transport slowed to a halt. It stopped right above the latch, lowered itself slowly and latched itself to it with a hissing sound. The hatch popped open and misty air blew into the dome.
The fish-man solemnly regarded the machine above him, he slowly swiveled his head to meet his watching eyes. "Come with me, I will bring you to the main palace," with that he jumped up in a single leap and climbed into the hatch.
He didn't know what to do, or why he should follow the fish-man. He stood transfixed on the spot, not daring himself to move. The fish-mans scaly face peered out from the hatch, it stared into his very soul. His eyes egged him on towards the hatch, the innocent eyes of the fish-man were incredibly endearing, it seemed completely harmless.
But he knew better, he wasn't a fool, he wasn't going to walk into an alien-like ship with a walking fish. But, then again, what choice did he have.
The fish-man patiently waited for him to walk towards the hatch, and after lengthy debates in his mind, he hesitantly trudged towards the hatch. With a late reaction, the fish-man nodded to himself ever so slightly.
The man came to a stop right under the hatch, the fish-man lowered his arms and reached for his hands, mentally telling him to reach up and grasp his forearms. He begrudgingly raised his arms, and the fish-man's surprisingly strong grip grasped around his hands and pulled him up with one swift movement.
Once he was on his feet in the transport, the alien interior jumped out at him like a blazing sun 2 inches from his eyes.
Fluorescent lights blared in every corner, lighting it with a fill of white and dancing rainbow gradients. Other fish-men and women stood in the transport, the peered curiously at him, creeping towards him silently, trying to get a better look. They slowly surrounded him, he twisted his head, trying to keep them all in sight. He wasn't comfortable with one Atlantian, but ten was something else.
They seemed particularly frightened of him, the fish-man he knew spoke to them in a gurgling, coarse speech. They nodded slowly and reached their hands out and brushed their fingers across his skin.
He swiveled his head and met their curious gazes, he felt immensely violated, but he couldn't imagine what to do. They gripped his shoulders and felt his skin, and at last he had endured enough of their curiosity. He pushed their hands away and they accepted it without comment, they backed away but kept gazing at him with intense inquisition.
The fish-man's clear, smooth voice broke the intimate silence. "I apologize for my people, human. Indeed, it is a very rare day when we Atlantians see the people of land. Your kind is quite peculiar to us."
"Can they speak too?" he asked.
The fish-man waited in speaking. "Not your language, no."
It walked to the side of the transport, to a large window. It turned to face him. "Come."
He tentatively sneaked past the watching eyes of the Atlantians to the window. Outside, the pitch-black abyss of ocean water danced before him. The micro-fractures of other transports raced past the window as his transport zoomed forward, their multicolored lights flooded into the night, illuminating the vivid ocean floor, which was full of lush life.
The transport was headed straight towards a monumental cluster of lights, it glowed with an incredible intensity of flickering lights. The lights grew to massive sizes as they raced at it at impossible speeds.
As they neared closer, the shapes of massive towers and spikes became easily visible. More transports moved within the city, they swirled around the skyscrapers like flies. It was just like a human city, but far more colorful, the shadows appeared deathly intense here, and bubbles jetted up around the towers in swarms.
The transport raced closer and closer, and as it did, the city consumed his entire view. For miles upon miles, the massive city laid sprawled out on the ground, larger than any human city. Atlantians whooshed past in colorful transports.
Unhindered by the heavy restrictions of gravity, the Atlantian buildings encompassed impossibly massive spaces. Their transport slowed near a structure that dwarfed all of the ones by it. It was a cubic base carved and sculpted into the finest architectural masterpiece he would ever see. Lights twirled on its surface, searching the air like laser-beams.
Their transport slid past an opening in the outer shell and into a small cavern, where it glided to a gentle stop. The fish-man stepped out into small foyer and motioned for him to do the same. Without thinking, he followed. The fish man clicked a button on the blurry-clear wall and the door behind them shut. They were now stuck in a small room, it had doors on both sides of them, one led into the transport, the other led out.
"We will travel out into the depths of the citadel," the fish-man said. "Into the throne room, everything will be explained there. I will carry you to it, do not be afraid."
The fish-man latched his hands onto his shoulders and pressed another button. Water immediately flooded into the room, but they were already moving.
He couldn't comprehend his surroundings, it felt as if history was repeating itself. The fish-man dragged him faster than he could ever imagine. The most impossibly horrible pain met his body, it felt as if every square inch was being crushed. The insides of his ears exploded into fiery pain.
But soon, it was over and he was lying on his back, gasping for air.
"Again, human, I am sincerely sorry for your pain, but I had to go fast."
His entire body ached, and he didn't know if he could even move his legs to stand up. He shut his eyes tightly and writhed on the floor.
"Human, you must stand up, you must," the fish-man pleaded.
He opened his eyes a sliver. The ceiling was forged from pure gold, it glittered and sparkled like nothing ever before.
"Human, please, you must stand now, it is a necessity that you pay your respects."
With a groan of pain, he sat up, and in front of him, on a pure gold throne, sat a fish-man in lavish rubber robes.
To his left, the fish-man kneeled on the ground in a sign of reverence to the ruler. He quickly got on his knees and bowed as well.
The ruler spoke up in a voice even silkier than the fish-man beside him. "Human, it is an overjoying pleasure to realize your positioning here in Atlantis. I do hope you will enjoy your stay. I am ruler--" he produced an overwhelming gurgling sound from his throat. "You are stationed at our most holy and proud Atlantis for a reason of utmost cruciality. You are to inform us of the earth-dwellers. You may take your time in piecing together your information, we Atlantians will wait patiently."
He stopped talking and an uninterrupted silence overtook the throne room. The silence stretched for an entire minute, he didn't know if he had the right to speak. But both Atlantians seemed perfectly content with staring at him in gentle reticence.
Finally, he spoke up. "Your...Your honor, why did you choose me?"
Neither fish-man seemed troubled by him speaking, a wave of relief washed over him.
In the peculiar habit that all Atlantians seemed to portray, the ruler took his time in answering. "You appear educated and well established in your earth-dweller realm. You have been selected due to the fact that we believe you will offer us the best report possible. This is so we can ascertain the state of the land-dwellers."
"O-OK. How long will I be here?"
After a few seconds, a grim look rained over the King's face. "For our safety and yours...Forever."
