The Amphibia approached the underwater rock, revealing its appearance under the spotlights. The entire crew stood silently in front of the large screen in the central compartment. Only the captain and first mate were talking while steering the submarine. Even Dr. Moore put aside her work for a while to observe the unusual find.

The entire display transmitted images from only one camera, which covered the main part of the object.

– Captain, look! Here! – Morgan exclaimed, pointing to the top of the image.

Captain De Bont came closer to the screen and, squinting, began to examine one detail, saying almost under his breath:

– Yes. It looks like an inscription. – After that, in a slightly cheerful voice, the captain gave the order to the engineer: – Henry, take a picture.

A couple of seconds passed and Henry reported:

– Already done.

– Display the image on the screen.

A motionless picture froze on the screen.

– Turn it ninety degrees clockwise.

After turning the picture around, the captain began to examine the object even more carefully, moving his finger across the screen. The captain’s face seemed to freeze with firm confidence, which was supported by his determined walk towards the holographic image.

– So, what do we have here?

– This is huge – Tucker said.

– Since when has this been here? – Kayla asked, scratching the back of her head.

– I think from the forties – said the captain, still not taking his eyes off the three-dimensional image on the holographic platform. – «U-116». It belonged to the Nazis. Ninety meters long. It could dive at most two hundred and twenty, but went down seven and a half kilometers.

– Did it fall in the Battle of the Atlantic? – Hector asked.

– I don’t think so. In 1942 she was declared missing. The last coordinates from which communication was established are located four to five thousand kilometers from here. Even if they stopped communicating because they were torpedoed, the submarine sank too far from these coordinates. And if communication problems had arisen on their own, they would have been forced to return to one of their bases to repair the equipment, because not a single warship would sail an ocean without communication with the command.

– And what kind of typhoon brought it here? – Kayla asked.

– Well, this is not the only Wehrmacht submarine that has gone missing. Within about six months there were five of them at once. Now let’s scan it and see if my suspicions are justified. First mate! Reduce the distance to the object. Thirty meters.

The Amphibia approached the fallen submarine of the Third Reich, after which Captain De Bont commanded:

– Drop the anchor.

The submarine hovered at one point.

– Henry. Prepare for probing.

Two cylindrical probes with laser scanners on their lenses extended under the submarine’s nose.

– The probes have been sent – Henry reported.

– Set the focus area.

The engineer began to configure the selection of an object from the general space that needed to be scanned.

– Ready for probing.

– Start probing.

Pressing just one key, Henry solemnly exclaimed:

– There is a beginning!

There was at least two days of waiting, during which the process of scanning the submarine, which sank to the bottom of the ocean during the Second World War, would take place.

– So, – said Captain De Bont, looking at his watch, – gentlemen… and ladies, our liner has just made an emergency stop along the given route. Waiting time ranges from forty-eight hours to infinity. We apologize for the inconvenience, and as compensation we invite everyone to go to the galley for a poker game.

Under the aromas of hot tea and freshly brewed coffee, the crew members indulged in one of the biggest vices – excitement.

– If someone forgot, I’ll remind you – the captain began. – During the voyage, everyone must tell about some secret. By some absolutely unimaginable accident, we ended up with playing chips. Everyone will receive five thousand in chips. But, as everyone has already guessed, we will not play for money. Mr. Hughes remains on watch, so we’ll split into pairs. Whose couple is eliminated first in full force, they tell one secret each. The participants of the pair that is eliminated second decide among themselves who will make a sincere confession. And I immediately warn you that I can smell nonsense from a kilometer away.

– What if there are no secrets? asked Dr. Moore.

– Then we’ll make them, Miss Moore. So it’s in your best interest to delve into your memory as best you can. It’s better to remember than to do it in front of everyone.

Kayla and Hector decided to team up on their own. The captain invited Kate to play with him, since in his youth he had won countless times by sending other sailors on watch instead of himself. That left Henry and Morgan.

After two hours of ante, blinds, check, bet, raise, 3-bet, all-in and bluff, the crew members got to know each other much better. It turned out that at the age of fifteen, Hector went to a party in the house where a hippie family lived. There he smoked his first rolled-up cigarette, and when he woke up in the morning, he already vaguely remembered what happened to him after the joint of marijuana. When Morgan was twenty-five years old, he ran naked throughout the submarine from stem to stern, thus going through the ritual to which all newcomers to that perverted submarine were subjected. Kayla confessed to a striptease, which she danced at a holiday table ten hours after becoming a graduate and after two glasses of absinthe. Henry decided not to stand aside and revealed some details of a very delicate moment that comes in everyone’s life. It turned out that the Amphibia’s engineer lost his virginity to his thirty-seven-year-old teacher, who, already in a horizontal position, explained why she gave him a C on his test in quantum electronics. Dr. Moore thanked Captain De Bont for not having to tell the crew about the most shameful pages of her life.

Forty-two hours have passed since the probes were launched. The process was delayed because it had to be scanned from different points. This necessity arose due to the dense darkness that reigns in the abyssal Atlantic and makes it difficult to determine the area of focus against a black background. Now the waiting period could increase to six days. Nevertheless, this was only the second week of the expedition and the plans were not distorted at all.

During this time Kayla Fox conducted several new experiments on Alpha-1. These bacteria showed an unusual reaction to contact with stem cells. Another discovery was that Alpha-1 used stem cells to change its own structure, adapting to an existence without food or living in conditions that were detrimental to it.

Dr. Kate Moore breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that the number of unfamiliar particles in Tucker’s new blood samples had decreased slightly.

Somewhat belatedly a problem was discovered on the board. After the Amphibia collided with the unknown object, the water desalinizer failed. Calling on the crew to remain calm, the captain himself breathed a sigh of relief only three hours after Henry fixed the problem.

It was the eighth day of sounding. The process was eighty-eight percent complete.

Henry stood watch in the central compartment. Captain De Bont, Morgan, Dr. Moore and Tucker were engrossed in watching a movie in the galley behind closed doors. By unanimous decision, everyone supported Morgan’s proposal to choose «Dawn of the Planet of the Apes» for viewing.

While Hector Cage was returning from the laundry compartment, Kayla opened the door to the bathroom, asking the approaching ichthyologist:

– Aren’t you going to the bathroom?

– Um… no. You can come in.

Kayla, without thinking, hurriedly pulled the door open and the passage suddenly became tight for both of them. Apologizing, she closed the door to let Hector through.

– Thank you, Miss Fox.

At that moment Kayla felt some part of Hector’s body slide across the T-shirt on her right shoulder.

– Excuse me, Mister Cage – Kayla said.

– Yes?

– Can I take a couple of minutes from you?

– Of course.

Almost in a whisper, Kayla added:

– Only one-on-one.

The two of them went into the bathroom. Having closed the hatch from the inside, Hector said:

– Did something happen to you?

After hanging the clean clothes on the chrome hanger, Kayla began to race in her thoughts, trying to find the wording. Hector noticed how she nervously rubbed her palms.

– Mr. Cage, promise that you won’t hold a grudge against me. I’m really a little embarrassed to talk about this, and yet…

– We are forced to live under the same roof, so I promise that I will control myself.

Biting her lower lip, Kayla said:

– We went on this expedition, abandoning the benefits of civilization for a long time. Much on this submarine can replace a home, but there are things that in no way depend on where you are. It’s already been three weeks since we’ve been locked on this boat. But we are all living people and there are certain kinds of needs that any healthy organism needs. And I wanted…

– I understand you, Miss Fox. And the fact that you wanted to talk about this with me has something to do with…

– Well, you know, the captain is a military man, and also a commander. So I somehow feel uneasy at the thought. First mate is the chief assistant to the commander. The same story. Tucker recently suffered from some illness. Henry’s injury from the blow has not yet healed, but for me this activity is the same as an extreme sport. You need to be absolutely healthy. And besides, as far as I heard, you are divorced. That is, what I mean is that you are not related by marriage and…

– I agree.

– Great – Kayla exhaled with relief, smiling with all thirty-two even, snow-white teeth. – If you don’t mind, let’s go to the cabin.

– Sure.

Having closed the door hatch from inside the women’s cabin, Hector suddenly remembered and said in warning:

– Miss Fox, I must say that I somehow didn’t think about this before the dive, so I didn’t take it with me…

– Oh, don’t worry – Kayla interrupted easily. – After all, I’m a biologist and I know a much more practical way. So you don’t have to worry about this.

Kayla spread her arms, calling after him:

– I won’t find fault with your preferences.

As much as his lungs allowed, Hector bit into Kayla’s plump lips with all his might. Just as hard he began to squeeze her buttocks with his spread fingers, pushing his palms under her clothes. Kayla hurried to take off her T-shirt, immediately after which Hector’s lips focused on her breasts, which is why he had to remove his palms from her buttocks and hastily try to unfasten the black lace bra.

«Jeans,» Kayla said with rapid breathing, deciding that she would be able to expose her breasts faster.

The ichthyologist, with careful sliding movements of his palms, lowered Kayla’s jeans, and at the same time she managed to catch the collar of his shirt. But she had to wait for him to straighten up.

Having already fallen into bed, when the bodies of both were hidden under the pristine shell of hair and skin, Hector almost made his first approach, when he suddenly froze. Already ready to remember what it was like, Kayla asked indignantly, lifting her head from the pillow:

– What’s the matter? I don’t make you horny?

– I was thinking that we were going to have sex at a depth of almost eight kilometers. This excites me even more.

Remembering this, Kayla really got turned on herself, tightening her grip with both hips, and in addition running her nails along Hector’s back.

Having left the kitchen cinema to relieve himself, Morgan was about to flush the water when suddenly he began to hear some sounds. He listened more closely. The sounds came from the next room. The senior mate put his ear to the wall, and now satisfied female moans were added to the creaking sounds. Refusing to believe what was happening, the first mate recoiled from the wall and shook his head with displeasure, angrily saying under his nose:

– Damn it, this is a long voyage!

After four runs under, over, behind and in front of Kayla’s body, Hector lay half-dead, sprawled out on his bed and thinking about how sometimes it is useful to refrain from animal urges, so that later you can briefly find yourself in heaven.

Suddenly there was a knock. Door opened. Hector thought it was his turn to keep watch. Captain De Bont entered the cabin. Placing his hand on the ichthyologist’s shoulder, he said quietly:

– Mr. Cage, follow me.

The captain’s voice greatly alarmed Hector. The sounds of rumbling speakers could still be heard through the closed galley, but, judging by the loud laughter, they were watching some kind of comedy at that moment. Moving a little further from the galley, the usual silence came that filled the central compartment. Captain De Bont asked Hector to sit down in his place.

– Commander’s chair? – the ichthyologist said puzzledly and sat down.

The captain pressed the touchpad several times and asked, pointing at the screen:

– What do you think?

Having carefully looked at the image, Hector said in bewilderment, unable to hide his shock:

– What is this, a fin?

– I wanted to find out this from you. I thought you’d clarify.

Hector was filled with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was covered with waves of enthusiasm and the feeling that he had found the meaning of his existence; on the other hand, he was worried about the size of the fin. At least it looked like a fin.

As if stunned, Hector almost shouted:

– Just a minute. Is this a freeze frame?

At these moments Hector wanted to scream at the top of his voice. Now it became clear that it was absolutely not in vain that he overcame such depths of the ocean. He got what he was looking for and what he had endured his obnoxious job for the last couple of years. It was as if the ticket for this expedition had been specially ordered for him long before departure.

Without saying a word, Captain De Bont pressed the touchpad and the screen resumed the video stream of the recording, made several hours ago. The ichthyologist looked at the recording time, which led him to a logical question:

– Why were you silent for so long?

The captain gave an even more logical answer:

– You can guess perfectly well why and from what business I did not distract you.

Realizing the absurdity of the current situation, Hector cleared his throat and returned to the topic of conversation.

– Rewind. I want to see it in dynamics.

The captain replayed the excerpt from the recording.

– Is there anything from other cameras?

– It moved in dead zones.

Hector pressed pause where the fin was most visible.

– Based on this part alone, can you make any assumptions?

– Well… – with anxiety and unprecedented scientific puzzlement, Hector took a deep breath. – The only thing that can be assumed, in theory, is the dimensions. But this estimate may be very inaccurate.

– Well, at least something?

– Here you can take into account only one thing – the size of the fin, and here it is at least three meters. In my opinion, twelve to fifteen meters. Minimum. You can also pay attention to the position of the fin. It is in a horizontal plane. But it still won’t do much.

There were a few seconds of silence and the ichthyologist added, while maintaining some kind of grimace of pleasure:

– I would have stopped speculating here only if our submarine hadn’t been combed by something unknown.

– Yes, Mr. Cage. I thought about this too.

– What I mean is that, given how much we were shaken, if this was it, then I’m very mistaken with the size.

The smile on Hector’s face became noticeably wider.

– Could this be the tail of some, I don’t even know, dinosaur? How would he survive the Ice Age?

In an attempt to put the pieces of the puzzle together, Hector began to speculate. He reasoned with great joy, still not believing that this was happening to him in reality.

– In theory, hydrothermal vents could provide these layers with enough heat to maintain a comfortable habitat. Even at a time when the entire planet was covered with ice on the surface, the depths of the ocean were heated by hydrothermal vents. At least I can’t find any other explanation.

After thinking a little, the captain said:

– Let’s do the following. I will save these files on your computer with the password «AMXXITVT». And for now this will remain between us.

– Of course, captain.

For six hours Captain De Bont and Henry studied three-dimensional images of the scanned hull of the Nazi submarine. Judging by the outlines in the photographs, there was something inside that resembled individual parts of old models of drilling rigs. In addition, it was clearly possible to see the contours of objects that clearly looked like trolleys and components of a rail track.

Taking into account the analysis of the photographs, as well as the route that was visible from Germany to the crash site, Captain De Bont risked announcing his assumptions about the true goal that the Nazis were pursuing.

– Yes, captain – Kayla said in an intrigued voice. – You said that you have some suspicions. Would you mind sharing? Satisfy our curiosity.

– I have no reason to hide anything. In 1938 the Third Reich began to develop some territories in Antarctica in the area of Queen Maud Land. They even sent aircraft there to scatter swastika pennants and thus stake their claim to part of these lands. In the future this territory was called «New Swabia». If rumors are to be believed, it was in New Swabia that «Base 211» was founded. Its exact purpose is still a matter of debate. But if you look at the map and assume that U-116 sailed in the north of Germany and moved through the North Sea, past Bergen and the Faroe Islands, then it sank in the place through which sea communications between Germany and Queen Maud Land passed. And these objects that are located inside were obviously intended for the development of new territories and research work. What is the cause of the U-116 crash, I cannot judge. Sounding showed that there were no serious holes in the hull that could be left by torpedoes.

– It’s surprising that at such a depth it wasn’t flattened at all – Tucker said.

– Most likely it was due to numerous small damages throughout the boat. Apparently, due to this, the air left the compartments, the cavities filled with water and the shell remained intact. But, in any case, I think our employers will be interested in this find. For now, at this point, our work is finished. Let’s move on. Raise anchor!

Thirty-four hours later.

Captain De Bont suffered from insomnia. He had not slept for the twenty-seventh hour in a row, and now, lying in his cabin, he could not fall asleep, which is why his patience ran out and he decided that since he could not fall asleep, he needed to cheer up properly. His feet carried him towards the galley in search of coffee. But before Luther had time to open the door, the engineer appeared on the threshold.

– Captain, incoming signal.

Not right away, but the captain asked the obvious question:

– Depth?

– Seven thousand nine hundred and twenty meters.

Luther thought that he must have fallen asleep and that everything, that was happening, was nothing more than part of a dream.

Without waiting for the captain’s verbal reaction, Henry added:

– Captain, I’m freaking out too. But the signal actually arrives.

Luther ran to the central compartment.

– Where does the signal come from?

Standing in front of the captain’s workstation, Morgan reported:

– Heading one-two-five.

– Range?

– Unable to determine.

– Captain, may I? – Henry said.

– Speak.

– Before you decide to answer the signal, I must warn you that this is impossible even in theory. At such a depth, a signal can only be received if its source is within a radius of no more than two kilometers. – Taking a second pause, Henry added warily: – Apparently, we are not alone here.

Hector and Tucker appeared in the compartment.

The captain gave the order to the first mate:

– Turn off the microphone.

– Yes.

– Now press to receive. Let’s see what kind of company we have.

The first mate pressed the button to accept the incoming signal.

An intermittent acoustic stream began to emanate from the speakers. The sound was clear and articulate, but most of the sound was lost, as if the signal was passing through holes in the flow of impulses.

Almost in a whisper, the captain turned to the engineer:

– Henry, can you adjust the sound quality?

– I’ll try.

Henry walked over to the switchboard, behind which was the repeater control panel, and began adjusting the frequencies.

The more Henry worked on the repeater, the more the sound resembled like speech. Clear. Dynamic. Articulate. Unfamiliar. The content of the message was repeated, each time acquiring a new volume and intonation, more and more reminiscent of conscious speech.

The captain continued to look indifferently at one point, listening intently to the sound stream. Leaning his hands on the dashboard, he quietly asked the first mate:

– What is the heading you say?

– One-two-five.

Without delay, the captain ordered:

– Let’s turn. One-two-five.

– One-two-five. Accepted.

– All four engines, full speed ahead.

– There’s full speed ahead.

– Stay on the bottom. Maintain clear visibility. We swim three kilometers. If we find nothing, we return to the starting point.

The Amphibia took a new heading in search of the source of the signal. Having adjusted its direction, the submarine reached a maximum speed of thirty-five knots. The spotlights were working at full power, every single one. The hull raced along the bottom of the Atlantic, illuminating with searchlights ever new expanses of the endless bottom, shrouded in an abyss of darkness.

Captain De Bont personally observed the images from the bow cameras. The chief mate continued to monitor the quality of the incoming signal and after a kilometer he reported:

– Captain, the signal is increasing.

– Great. Now let’s see who is the pioneer here.

– CAPTAIN!!! – the paleontologist yelled, vigorously pointing towards the large display.

– Stop the machine!

The Amphibia began to sharply slow down, but by the time the braking distance came to its end, the object was already behind the stern.

– Drop the anchor.

– The anchor has been dropped.

– Full screen image from the stern camera – ordered Captain De Bont.

– There is the image – Henry reported.

There was a deathly silence in the compartment, which did not last long.

– Well, well, well. The excursion is becoming more and more interesting – said Captain De Bont, without taking his numb gaze off the screen.

Tucker shouted like a madman, not believing his eyes:

– Look! There, to the left! Can’t be! Remains!

– Henry, enlarge this area – the captain ordered.

– OK. A couple of seconds. Is that enough?

Overjoyed, Tucker could not contain his emotions and hit the tabletop at his workplace with his palm. The reaction was too severe. The paleontologist continued to scream, but in pain. The bones throughout the right hand were broken, as if they had been crushed by a weight when they hit the tabletop. The pain turned out to be so unbearable that Tucker sank to the floor, so sharply that his right femur cracked, which only made the screams louder.

– To the infirmary! – commanded Captain De Bont. Hector ran up to him and helped him take Tucker to Dr. Moore.

Kayla rushed out of her laboratory, followed by Kate from the infirmary.

The doctor asked the captain and the ichthyologist to put Tucker on the couch.

– What’s happened? – Dr. Moore shouted, while simultaneously drawing an analgesic into the syringe.

– The fact of the matter is that nothing happened – Hector said in confusion.

– Miss Moore, we should… – the captain tried to add, but Kate immediately interrupted him:

– Help me strap him in.

The captain and the ichthyologist realized how to fasten the patient to the couch. The captain let go of Tucker’s left forearm as quickly as he grabbed it. As soon as he took his hand, the bones crunched. Kate hurried to the boxes with ampoules and took out not just a painkiller, but one with a soporific effect.

After fifty minutes Tucker Hughes’ painful moans stopped, and after another twenty-two minutes he fell asleep. Dr. Moore rushed to take X-rays of the entire skeleton while he slept. Taking blood from a vein became a little problematic, since Kate no longer dared to tighten a tourniquet on Tucker’s arm.

– Okay – said Captain De Bont, running his hands over his face. – Let’s get back to work.

And with that word the burst of activity ended. Along with the captain, Hector, Kayla, Morgan and Henry continued to stand in the central compartment and watch the display.

– Okay, Henry, get the probes ready.

While the engineer was preparing the equipment for sounding, Kayla said in bewilderment:

– And there next… is that a humanoid skeleton?

Taking a deep breath, the captain replied:

– I would like to know too.

– And… captain? – Henry said.

– Yes?

– I can’t set the focus.

– And why is that? – asked Captain De Bont, heading towards the engineer, who stood a meter from the main screen in front of the probe control panel.

– You will be surprised, but the probes do not see the object.

– And what could be the reason?

– Well… – Henry began to say timidly, afraid of unfoundedness – you and I see the same thing. I mean, it’s not a hallucination. So, I’m going to venture a guess that this crap might be made from a substance that isn’t on the periodic table. This is the only reasonable explanation, because the probes only don’t see material that is unfamiliar to them.

And once again the captain sighed with displeasure, after which he gave the order to the engineer:

– Then fix the coordinates. Take a photo. Create a note with the following content: «Disk-shaped object of unknown origin and purpose. Parameters: 100—150 centimeters in thickness, about seven meters in diameter». Note number two: «A humanoid skeleton about a meter in length with an elongated skull and orbits several times larger than those of a human». And also attach the recording of the received signal to these files.

While Hector and Kayla continued to stare at the objects shocking the cold scientific mind, the captain turned to the first mate:

– Raise the anchor.

– There is the anchor to raise.

– Turn on the video and swim around to capture it from all angles.

The engines started working and the hull of the Amphibia began to turn, when suddenly the central compartment was filled with deafening signals:

PIP!!! PIP!!! PIP!!! PIP!..

Morgan exclaimed:

– Captain! Sonar detects an object! Heading three-two-zero! Twenty-six meters long! Speed thirty knots! Distance one thousand two hundred! It’s coming straight at us!