"Emergency Alert! Your underwater suit's energy source and life support system is about to shut down in 12 hours and 43 minutes," warned the personal Artificial Intelligence (AI) designated 'Halo.'
Elaraion Vance stared into the blackness, the alert echoing in the confined space of his suit. "Halo," he finally said, a dry note in his voice, "looks like we're looking at our last moments together."
Separated from his team, the deep-sea vessel destroyed by an unknown attacker, he could only recall the moment before chaos: the scanner's initial soundwave mapping sequence revealing a colossal cavern of staggering complexity. He must have been knocked unconscious when their ship was annihilated. How many, if any, survived? Where was he now?
Not near the entrance, he thought, confident in his spatial memory. The suit's scanners are limited as they were without full power, showed a completely different configuration.
Despite the crushing reality, a deep-seated stubbornness warred with the despair. Giving up wasn't in his nature. He'd learned since young that failing was less terrifying than quitting while you still have breath in your lungs.
"Halo," he commanded, his voice steady, "give me a summary report of what happened from the moment I passed out."
"The summary report will consume a portion of your suit's energy source, reducing life support from 12 hours to 10 hours," Halo replied, its voice a flat monotone. "Confirm before proceeding."
"Well, two hours won't make a difference at this point," Elaraion murmured. "Proceed."
"Understood. Reviewing recorded events... Extrapolating possibilities... Summarizing..."
Moments later, Halo delivered the grim assessment.
"Summary Report after Unknown Attacker destroyed 'Okeanos'. Ship assumed to have been intentionally attacked. Team was scattered after it's destruction. No evidence or means to identify additional survivors. Master only survived due to automatic activation of underwater suit defensive mechanism before impact, forming a protective barrier. Unconscious duration: 4 hours, 14 minutes."
Halo continued its report, devoid of emotion. "During unconscious period, multiple attempts made to communicate with possible survivors and send SOS alert to command center. SOS alert was successfully transmitted but a stable two-way communication failed. No biological lifeforms encountered. Environmental mapping incomplete due to subject's size and complexity; requires massive energy. Probability of survival: below 5%."
No miracle, no good news. Just the cold, hard data confirming the hopelessness pressing in from all sides. He'd been drifting blindly, navigating by feel, afraid to use his light and attract whatever lurked in the dark. The lack of predators was a small comfort; but the cavern itself was a death trap.
A profound sadness settled over him, heavy with the weight of an unfulfilled promise. He hadn't found them. Not his origins, not his biological parents. That regret, sharper than any fear of death, spurred a decision. Playing it safe was just a slower way to die. It was time to gamble.
His gaze fell to the sturdy metallic chain around his neck, the vessel for Halo, his only companion since childhood memory began. "Halo," he said, the word tight in his throat, "we've been together a long time. You know my wish. This next command... it might be the last."
"Compile a record of my life," he instructed. "Save it with DNA authentication security. On the remote chance our bodies are recovered from this hell, hopefully, you can reach my parents. Keep a separate record of all our exploration findings and transmit it to the authorities if you're recovered." He thought of the ring he usually wore, left safely at the Advanced Soul Research (ASR) laboratory – a place where humans fruitlessly chased the mysteries of the soul, hoping to harness its 'eternal' attribute to send consciousness through time and space, perhaps to another realm. Leaving it behind had felt like insurance, a piece of his history protected. Now, it felt like a sacrifice made for a life he wouldn't live.
"Now," Elaraion declared, a newfound resolve hardening his voice, "let's gamble one last time. Halo, activate thrusters and barrier. Begin mapping the surroundings, using light only when essential. Record everything. Continue sending SOS alerts and attempts to connect to command center. Disregard any negative energy implications."
He quickly reviewed his commands. "And Halo? No more time alerts please. I don't need to know how long I have before I die. One last thing: in the final five minutes, induce coma. Force it. I'd rather not suffer asphyxiation. Dying in my sleep... that sounds acceptable."
"I shall execute all commands, Master," Halo responded.
Free from the immediate fear of death, Elaraion unleashed the suit's thrusters. His slow, blind float became a determined charge. He zipped through tunnels, past countless intersections, relying purely on gut instinct and Halo's developing map. The oppressive silence was broken only by the sound of his own breathing and the steady thump of his heart against the suit's interior. At least there were no immediate predators.
After two hours of relentless movement...
"Halo," Elaraion breathed, "am I hallucinating? It's... brighter. There's a light source."
"Affirmative," Halo confirmed. "Change in visibility detected. Light source ahead. Follow projected path."
"Good sign," he muttered, though he kept his hopes in check. After endless darkness, even a distant glow was a reprieve. He followed Halo's guidance, navigating a dozen more turns.
Then he stopped dead.
It was a dead end. But blocking it was something impossible.
"What the hell is this?" Questions exploded in his mind, shattering the silence. An exit? An entrance? How could this be here? Floating before him, defying logic, was a colossal door.
It was vast, perhaps five kilometers tall and two kilometers wide, a massive stone slab embedded in the rock. Huge, luminous gems were set into its frame, the source of the light, though how they generated it was beyond comprehension. He stared, momentarily questioning his sanity.
Minutes passed before reality anchored itself. The door was real. Insane, but real!
"Alright," he decided, his voice firm. "No energy to go back. We push forward. Halo, scan for mechanisms. There has to be a way to open this."
He moved closer, examining the intricate carvings covering the surface. "Not a dragon..." he mused. "Looks like a serpent, or a snake... coils around something. Are those orbs behind it? Or orbiting it?"
He spent hours searching, moving along the edges towards the center, ignoring the glowing gems, his focus solely on finding a way through.
Near the center, he found it. "Wait... is that a lock?" A distinct feature stood out, shaped like a keyhole, roughly a meter in circumference. "It looks like a lock paired with a key. What kind of key?"
"Halo," he commanded, "search the immediate surroundings for a possible key that matches this notch."
"Initiating search... Possible key found..."
A key? Just lying around? The sheer audacity of it was baffling. Who would build something like this and just leave the key nearby?
"Initiating forced coma and cryostasis," Halo stated abruptly.
"What?!" Elaraion exclaimed, the suddenness of it a jolt. Good news followed instantly by the inevitable. "You find the key, and then you pull this? I know it was my command, but you could've been a little gentler" he sighed.
Annoyance flared, but quickly dulled as the cryostasis protocol took hold. He is about to die in minutes after losing consciousness. "At least it wouldn't be painful." he muttered.
I'm sorry I couldn't find you, Mom, Dad. His last conscious thoughts were of them. I hope you're doing okay. I... I did pretty well, didn't I? Just wish I could have hugged you both goodbye.
A single tear escaped the corner of his eye, sliding across his temple as his body went limp. He sank slowly towards the rocky floor, his breathing fading, then stopping. As Elaraion Vance drew his last breath, he clung to the hope that his parents knew he hadn't abandoned them, that he'd searched until the end.
Looking above, the colossal stone door trembled almost imperceptibly. While back in the distant ASR laboratory, the ring Elaraion had left behind vibrated faintly, mirroring the tremor in the deep.