"[W]e spent hundreds of years looking up at the stars and wondering, 'is there anybody out there?' and hoping and guessing and imagining,  because we as a species were so lonely, and we wanted friends so bad, we wanted to meet other species and we wanted to talk to them and we wanted to learn from them and to stop being the only people in the universe. 

And we started realizing that things were maybe not going so good for us– we got scared that we were going to blow each other up, we got scared that we were going to break our planet permanently, we got scared that in a hundred years we were all going to be dead and gone and even if there were other people out there, we’d never get to meet them.

And then... we built robots?

And we gave them names, and we gave them brains made out of silicon, and we pretended they were people, and we told them, 'hey you wanna go exploring,' and of course they did, because we had made them in our own image.

And maybe in a hundred years we won’t be around any more, maybe the planet will be a mess and we’ll all be dead, and if other people come from the stars we won’t be around to meet them and say, 'hi! how are you! we’re people, too! you’re not alone any more!' Maybe we’ll be gone.

But we built robots, who have beat-up hulls and metal brains, and who have names; and if the other people come and say, 'who were these people? what were they like?'

The robots can say, 'when they made us, they called us Discovery; they called us Curiosity; they called us Explorer; they called us Spirit. they must have thought that was important.

and they told us to tell you hello.'"

-Hannah Weverka, 2014.

A crew, consisting of 6 total people. The pilot, of course, with his brash attitude and often troublesome penchant for getting them into dangerous situations without consulting them first. The co-pilot, a sharp woman with no patience for the bullshit the pilot always put them through. The mechanic, known for her consistency and ease of access if something ever went wrong. The communications officer, keeping them in touch with shore and often found alone in their room/office. The doctor, a kind man who wasn't interested in most of the petty arguments on board. And finally, the researcher, focused on her experiments and what she could develop from her findings on the ship, or wherever they ended up.

The pilot named John, co-pilot named Beth, mechanic named Samantha (or Sam for short, as most of them called her), communications officer simply nicknamed Rock (nobody knew their real name), doctor named Iosif, and researcher named Mel. Their humble beginnings were on a boat, the Mary-Ann. It wasn't too small, but they didn't have a budget big enough to get anything larger than a 6-crew vehicle. Each of them had their own room, however, and there was a kitchen, a 'bridge' (in the loosest sense of the term), and a commons area where the crew could meet for whatever reason they needed (and also with a table to eat). And that was where they were at the current time.

Each of them had a typical outfit they would wear. John would usually wear jeans with a waxed cotton jacket, and whatever shoes he could find. Beth would wear a red trench-coat, with her hair up in a ponytail and large boots on her feet. Samantha would wear a leather jacket with jeans and sneakers, and she could sometimes be found with a black cap, turned backwards when she was concentrating on a task. Rock would wear a grey tank-top with sweatpants; they hated socks and would have sandals on no matter the weather. Iosif would wear a flight jacket, black cargo pants, a blue shirt and had an assortment of shoes that were all black. Finally, Mel had a lab coat she always wore-"for the aesthetic," she would say-with a black dress shirt underneath, uncomfortably tight white pants and dress shoes with extended heels.

They all had very minimal ties to the shore and people on it. They still had families, sure, but they had been gone time and time again, due to their work at sea. They had been commissioned often by sources ranging from people who just wanted specific fish, to manufacturers who needed new fuel or experiments tested. If one were to give them a very simple name, it would be 'hired help.' They were known for being successful in the jobs they had been given, and never failed to deliver what they promised. The pay was never great, but it was enough to get them by until the next job.

And it had all been normal, at least, as normal as these such jobs could get, until now. Their status-of whispers on the tongues of those involved in hidden activities-and high success rate, had resulted in them being contacted by the government itself, in a surprising show of misfortune. An assignment involving them going far off the coast, further than they had ever been, in order to dive deep underground with a two-person contraption that they had been provided. It was something very hush-hush, as suggested by the actions of their commissioners, and they had been warned about what would happen if they were to talk about it with anyone other than the crew themselves. They had also been told they were set for life were they to succeed, the government taking care of all their needs if they retrieved the item. The only description they had been given, however, was that it would be obvious to them when they found it.

The first person to speak was the co-pilot. "We need to do this. It's the government, who knows what'll happen if we call up and say, 'hey, we've decided not to do this creepy top secret thing that we already stated we'd do'?" She passed her cigarette to Rock, who took a long drag.

"We didn't really accept... they just sort of assumed," Sam said, sitting at the table, her hands folded in front of her face.

"Really? And how well do you think that argument will go with them?"

"Beth is right," John spoke up, standing in front of the window of the commons area. "Plus, they've given the co-ordinates to us already, they might suspect us of wanting whatever it is to ourselves."

"Thank you, John," Beth said, grabbing her cigarette back from Rock, who had depleted it past halfway. Rock blew the smoke from their mouth and Iosif frowned in disgust.

"And what's wrong with th-that?" Rock said, ignoring the doctor's glare, "if it's v-valuable, we c-could sell it to the hi-highest bidder."

Iosif shook his head. "Please tell me you're joking," his thick Russian accent only emphasizing his seriousness, "having the government on our backs would only make everything worse."

Rock shrugged, having no point other than that. They weren't one for detailed debates.

"We can't debate this any longer. We need to push off now. Beth, start getting us off the docks."

"Sure thing, captain."

"Don't call me captain," John said, turning to the crew, irritated. Beth shrugged, took a final drag of her cigarette, and left the commons. "Sam, go over everything once more. I know you've already checked, but with the distance we're going we need to be one hundred percent sure we're good for more than a day. Mel, check out the contraption and the instructions they gave us. I'm sure it won't take you long. Rock, make sure our equipment won't strand us a thousand miles offshore without a way to contact anyone in an emergency. Iosif... help Mel. Alright, break."

As he said that, they all went off to their respective tasks, hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. Mel and Iosif went to the underbelly of the ship, to find and examine the machine that would help them retrieve the Item. Sam thought for a moment, and decided to look at the ship from the angle Beth was at, and went to join her. On her way, she went to her room and grabbed a clipboard and a pencil, to be able to check off everything that was working fine. Rock took Beth's packet of cigarettes she had left and made their way to their room and office, to make sure that their devices wouldn't malfunction while they were out at sea. And John went back to the bridge to ready the ship for their departure.

---

Beth was untying the back end of the ship when Sam came out. She looked up for a moment, before getting back to her work. Sam came up onto the dock to look at the outside of the boat, tapping her chin with her pencil in thought. Beth took the last of the rope, and started to loop it around her arm, shortening it so that it wouldn't be a major hassle. She turned to Sam.

"You and Rock don't seem to keen on this idea. Helping the government find whatever it is they're looking for," she said, taking a piece of gum out of her pocket and popping it in her mouth. She offered some to Sam, who shook her head.

"I just... I don't have a great feeling about this, that's all," she responded, looking down at the clipboard to keep from making eye contact. "It's different from what we usually do."

"Really? Usually we go out to sea for one reason or another, often taking something with us. Sometimes using that thing to experiment or whatever. We've even retrieved stuff before. Just 'cause it's the government doesn't mean it's much different."

Sam shrugged, checking something off her list. "I guess... Still. I'm not going to get comfortable with it." She turned, going up to the other end of the boat to inspect that part. Beth leaned against the post the rope had been tied to and watched her walk away.

---

Mel and Iosif walked side by side down to the ship's bottom. She kept scratching at her left palm, which caught Iosif's attention and made him frown in disapproval. She looked at him and gave her own expression, one that seemed to tell him to mind his own business. Nevertheless, she put her right hand in her pocket and clutched her PDA with her left. She looked forward and marched ahead of Iosif, who had to speed up to stay right behind her. The two of them only walked for a few more moments before they opened the door to the underbelly of the ship. Iosif came closer than Mel as they approached, and he knelt down to examine it more.

"It's some sort of... submarine-like device," He told her, looking up, "there's enough room for two people."

She tapped something on her PDA, then came up behind him, leaning over his shoulder. She brought the device in her hand up and took several pictures, and she put them in a folder marked for their current expedition. She was keeping track of everything, in case they needed to look back at it all later. Iosif tapped the glass of the front of the contraption, but it didn't give any echo, like he would expect of a typical glass container. Mel came down beside him and did the same, before writing something else down on the PDA.

'The glass has to be incredibly thick,' she signed, 'so that whomever goes down below can be fairly safe from cracks.'

Iosif nodded. "That's obvious." He cupped his hands around his eyes and peered inside. "I can't see anything... must be one-way?" He glanced up to Mel to get a confirmation. She shrugged. Then, she circled the contraption to the other side. She tapped the side to get Iosif's attention and motion him over to check something out. He walked over.

"What is it?"

She pointed to an incredibly complicated part of the contraption and signed, 'this must be where we open it.'

He placed his hand on it and frowned. "You think you can figure it out?"

She rolled her eyes. 'What do you take me for, an idiot? I'm one of the best in my field.'

"What is your field?"

She waved him off, signalling that he should stay back while she took notes, not answering the question he asked her.

---

Rock's attention was focused on testing the communications devices, so they didn't notice when the pilot walked into their room. He watched them for a few moments, before speaking up.

"How's it coming along?"

Rock jumped, turning to look at John. "Jeez, C-Captain, no need to sneak up on me like that." Their surprise cause them to stumble over a few of their words, making the pilot slightly impatient.

"I said not to call me Captain," he told them, "just call me John. How're the devices doing?"

"Well, they s-seem to be working fine... I-I just need a few more moments to th-th-thoroughly check them. I'd say we're good to go, o-otherwise."

John nodded. "Do you suppose we could check that off our list then?"

"Yeah. We can leave as long as the others are done." Rock turned back to their devices. "I'll just keep an eye on them in here. An imp-imp-important job, as you know."

"Of course. I'll leave you to it."

---

Sam appeared at the bridge right after John had arrived. She handed him her clipboard, grimacing at the prospect of what was to come next, and whatever it was that she had a bad feeling about.

"Everything's been checked over," she told him, "and Beth has started us off."

He took the clipboard and placed it on the top of the console. He started to get the ship moving, making double sure he was heading in the right direction by using a slip of paper the government had given him that contained the coordinates. He thought for a few moments, before getting on with moving the ship. Sam noticed his seeming hesitation.

"What is it, John?" she asked him.

"I think I know what you were getting at," he said, "this is big, even if one doesn't believe in the... change you said could come."

She grimaced, coming up to him. "Well, whatever happens... we can trust each other, right?"

He didn't hesitate, nodding immediately. He turned to her, holding out his hand to shake hers. "Let's promise to stay together, then."

She took the hand, but didn't shake immediately, looking him in the eyes and seeing if she could read him. "The whole group?" He thought for a moment. They had all been together for some time, and were used to each other's company. However, they hadn't been through anything that would compare to what was coming. But, nevertheless, he knew he could trust them. He gripped her hand firmly. She smiled.

"Agreed."

 The two of them separated as the boat's engine roared to life and it lurched forward like a an old jalopy, as it always did when they set out from the bay. Beth came into the bridge, passing by Sam and ignoring her before coming up beside John and starting the conversation that would last until the end of their 12-hour journey. She leaned against the console and watched the captain do what he had to. She spoke with her usual attitude.

"What do you think is down there?" she finally asked him.

He shrugged. "We'll know when we get there, I suppose."

"You don't think it's something... unethical, do you?"

"We've done some fairly unethical things before, Beth."

"Yes, but nothing, even the ethical things we've done, have been this substantial." She stopped leaning and turned to look outside. They had already left the docks behind, John pushing the ship at full force. "Maybe I shouldn't have dismissed Sam like that."

"Both of your points of view are understandable. Assuming the worst is Sam's deal, whereas you're more prone to a neutral standpoint. However," he turned toward her, "you are my co-pilot, and your input is always important. Why didn't you speak about your reservations before we set out?"

"There had only been a small amount of time from our... 'commission,' to our meeting as a group," she answered, without shrugging, "but when I was getting us off the docks... I was just thinking, alone, and the worst ran through my mind. But now I'm over that. I think." She hesitated. "I think... we need to be careful."

---

As the two continued, there was something else happening at the commons area of the ship. Sam sat on the counter, her head down while she ate a granola bar. Her thoughts drifted, going from that morning-their commission from the government-to their current situation-on their way to fulfill said commission. She wasn't so worried that she would vomit or panic, but she did have an uneasy feeling in her stomach all the same. She had always had a sort of 'sixth sense' about things, or so she had been told. She was like one of those mystery children who get sick the day a relative dies. It had subsided some as she got older, but every now and then she knew when something major was going to happen. She figured it explained her current queasiness.

Before long, Rock came to join her in the Commons area, getting a snack before sitting down on a chair at the table (which she was still sitting on). They remained quiet for a few moments, before Rock finally spoke up.

"Why were you hesit-hesitant?"

Sam sighed. "It's not... like what we usually do. Does that make sense? We've never done anything quite like this before."

They frowned. "We've gone underwater before, to look for things." Sam shook her head and hopped off of the table.

"Those were for corporations. They may be... occasionally unlawful but they still need to be careful with the law. The government? It is the law, so it can do what it wants and say it's legal."

"I'm... not sure I und-understand. I don't believe they would do something that harms the citizens, the ones whom they need in order to stay in power."

"No, see, remember the whole reason they're commissioning us? We're 'hush-hush.' The 'citizens' you're talking about won't know about whatever it is we're retrieving, because of our code, and thus this won't away them in favor of... what? Revolution? Voting against the current oligarchy?"

"An olig-g-garchy? That sounds like a conspiracy theory, Sam."

Sam sighed. "I know. But honestly? It's not like my opinion matters. We both know none of us are going to reveal what we find, regardless of it's... morality."

"Well... I agree with you. I mean, with the dangers of wh-whistleblowing."

She nodded as she walked toward the hall. "We're getting paid. That buys us both. I have my suspicions about our pilot, though..."

"I don't think he'd endanger us," Rock said, shrugging. It earned a laugh from Sam, who was at the doorway and about to leave.

"Really? You don't think he's reckless?"

She didn't wait for an answer, leaving Rock with the subject of their pilot's behavior to think about.

---

Mel and Iosif kept working on figuring out the contraption. Where the divers entered, how they would retrieve the item, how to work it... Two people could fit, there were 'claws' on it that could grab something and put it through a hatch on the side, there was a system of various wires that enabled the divers to talk to those above water, and it was controlled through-according to Mel's observations-a cooperative effort between both those above and below water.

'This doesn't seem like a typical... vehicle,' Mel signed to Iosif, before tapping away on her PDA. Her fingers were a blur as she wrote down her impressions and theories. Iosif thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I've definitely never seen anything quite like it," he responded. He rubbed his chin. "At least, not anywhere I've been. Maybe it's Swedish."

Mel made a gesture that made it clear she had no idea. She looked at her PDA a final time, before pocketing it and heading for the stairs. Iosif stayed behind, figuring-though they had both looked it over from top to bottom-that the oddity of the machine meant it had some more secrets. He would stay down there for the next 7 hours of their trip to their destination.

---

As Mel walked to the bridge, she bumped into Sam, her PDA falling out of her hands and almost clattering onto the floor. Sam was able to grab it mid-fall, earning an appreciative smile from Mel.

"So have the two of you worked out how to operate the machine?" Sam asked.

'Mostly. We know how to work it, but not really how it works,' she answered. Sam thought for a moment.

"Who do you think should be put in there to retrieve this object?" She asked after a period of silence.

Mel looked like she had forgotten about that. 'I have no idea,' she signed, 'but I do know that it shouldn't be Iosif.'

"Really? Why not?"

'Do I really need to explain why? Whoever gets trapped in that thing with him is likely to go insane.'

Sam laughed. "Oh, now I get it. I agree wholeheartedly, Mel." She checked her watch. "Well, we still have a few hours. I'm going to spend the time sleeping. You should probably draw up a plan. Or you could have Beth help you. Either way, see you later."

With that, she patted Mel on the shoulder and walked away to her room. Mel continued to the bridge. Though, when she saw Rock in the commons, she decided to sit down and talk with them. Their conversation would continue until their destination.