"Alright, so we're moving about 50 feet per second, so in about 12 minutes, we will reach Challenger Deep at 35,853 feet deep. Until then, let's enjoy the descent." Clair switches on autopilot as they all stare out the windows, watching the sea life zip by scurrying away from their vessel. She looks over at Kit, who pulls out a book called Polar Bears: Can we trust them? Clair snorts and shakes her head, turning to Boran, who's already asleep.

"No way he's already asleep" she whispers and Kit looks up and laughs.

"Dosen't surprise me honestly," they say, returning to reading their book.

Clair sighs and looks back out the window, enjoying the scenery and knowing they won't care too much about the trip only the destination. She smiles and pulls out her journal drawing the life she sees as the water gets darker, about a thousand feet into the trip she turns on the outside lights and continues to write down notable creatures. As the submarine reaches 2,500 feet Clair sees a giant squid in the lights and gasps standing up and pointing outside.

"Oh my god! No way It's a giant squid" she laughs and Boran snorts and yawns waking up and looking outside smiling.

"Dang! That thing is massive" he chuckles deeply

"No shit Boran it's called a giant squid for a reason," Kit says and rolls their eyes before returning to their book.

Boran stands up and grabs a clipboard before walking off, Clair raises an eyebrow as he walks off but shrugs figuring he's just doing routine maintenance checks around the sub. Nothing noteworthy happens as Clair sketches out some sharks and the giant squid they saw.

At roughly 7,000 feet they spot a sperm whale off in the distance and Clair again seems to be the only excited writing in her notebook and giggling, at 15,000 feet Clair pulls out the audio log again and clears her throat.

"Audio log #2 we are officially at 15,000 feet in the Mariana Trench making great time, Kit is reading a dumb book about Polar Bears and Boran went to do routine checks, we'll check in again at Challenger Deep, this is Clair White signing off." she switches the device off and looks over at Kit who's glaring at her, she smiles and sticks her tongue out at them. They roll their eyes but a small smile tugs at their lips.

Clair looks out the window again, draws a few anglerfish swimming by, and smiles at her artwork feeling satisfied, as the sub reaches 27,000 feet Kit shoots up and looks out of the window stunned. Clair notices and looks up from her notebook,

"What?" she asks them as Boran also walks back in yawning,

"I saw someone..." Kit admits looking at the two worriedly.

Clair opens her mouth to say something but before she can Boran laughs and slaps Kit on the back,

"Kit, my friend, I love you like a sibling but you're an idiot. No creatures other than shrimp, invertebrates, and microbes are down here, and certainly no people!" Boran says laughing. Clair punches his arm and turns to Kit,

"Kit look sometimes the mind can play tricks on you, the pressure down here would kill anything in seconds," she reassures Kit and walks over to the the controls as the sub finally hits the bottom with a loud thud. Clair looks at the depth and it reads 35,853 feet. She nods and takes out the audio device but before she can begin the ground shakes and cracks before stabilizing they all look at each other. Boran laughs nervously,

"Earthquake?" he says but before the others can respond the floor gives way and they plummet.

36,000

37,000

38,000

39,000

40,000

They all scream as the sub slams into the newly found floor... The water around them swarming with Bioluminescence life bright enough to light up their whole surroundings...An underwater crater where crystals line the walls and all new kinds of life swim right up to the window to get a view inside.

It's a brighter blue down here than it is at the surface of the ocean.

"The Bright Blue Zone," Kit says jokingly clearly in awe but it's quickly ruined by Boran's remark,

"If something as beautiful exists down here...you have to wonder what else could lurk down here," he says

Clair just stares with a mix of adoration and terror...Boran is right... what the hell did they get themselves into?