Into the darkness
By: L.F. Young
16 February 2026
*trigger warning: none
*not my picture
Part one
Challenger Deep
40,000 feet underwater
Probably a Tuesday
It was a dance of tolerance’s and patience. One the aging science research vessel, the SRV Morbius was slowly losing. She was taking on more water than the old girls pumps could safely expel. The engine for the machine pumps were ten years old and in serious need for a complete overhaul. Truth be told, everything on the old girl was desperately in need for a long dry docking.
Giving the crew a chance at a proper stem to stern overhaul. She was so old her barnacles had barnacles, was a common saying from her loving crew. If the raging winds and pounding waves didn’t abate sooner than expected. The expedition would have to be cancelled, for safety reasons, before a mayday to all ships at sea. Was required for all who called this old cantankerous beloved ship of their’s. Their safe haven.
More than a few over the decades, called her weathered walls and barnacle laced hull, home. Runaways, those down on their luck, and those needing a complete change in their lives. Always found a free bunk, three hot meals and a damn hard honest job, if they were willing to work for it. Joe Sandy Braxton was the fifth person to ply the seas, as the SRV Morbius captain and all who sailed under her cap were her cubs and momma bear always protects her cubs.
The SRV Morbius pitched back and forth with each wave, doing her best impression of Dancing with the stars. Everyone on board said hourly prayers to every god they could think of, as the old girl pitched and creaked. There wasn’t a dry spot onboard, sea water, spilled food and numerous emissions from those who couldn’t hold down their lunch anymore. Added to the flavor of the moment, as prayers were sent out. The normal stoicism of the captain could be heard belching out a litany of curses in between her on prayers.
More than a few on board swore fidelity and eternal allegiance to any deity they had ever heard of, a few prayers prayed none stop and even offered their immortal souls to gods and deities less kind. Asking only to be spared a grizzly death by drowning, or waking finding their immortal services in the clawed fingers of Davey John’s himself. When the crap is hitting the preverbal fan, it was wise to hedge all bets and throw up a Hail Mary. To any and all who may be interested, you never know who might be listening.
Unfortunately for the crew of the SRV Morbius, something was listening. Something unkind. Something sleeping… endlessly hungry. Before the Morbius ed over that invisible threshold, of sinking or not sinking, the hurricane that came out of nowhere… quit.
The captain and her crew gave a solid ten minute cheer. That is after the storms immediate abandonment in its personnel quest, in sinking the Morbius. All aboard stood like statues for five minutes, dazed and in complete silence and shock. The crew of the SRV Morbius looked at each other with a bewildered expression on their weary stressed out faces. Collectively, the entire crew sported a what the hell just happened. For the next few hours everyone was dumbfounded at the abrupt departure of this catastrophic storm, that seemed to be summed by the devil himself.
Captain Joe Sandy Braxton never kissed a gift horse on the mouth, especially when it presented itself so readily. She was a diehard woman of doubt and a lady whose core beliefs rested squarely in the realm that everything remained superstitious till proven otherwise. And even after she confronted and confirmed what she was after, she still slept on the side of suspicion. So when the hurricane simply disappeared, she gave thanks to Poseidon out of habit, but kept a weary eye on the horizon for that devil storm to rear up its ugly face once again.
After a toasty hot dinner of roasted pig with some of the best mashed potatoes any three star restaurant would kill for and a full array of vegetables to choose from. The crew pat bellies and unbuttoned belts and pants. Smiled warmly at each other, then slowly made their way to their own room. With a scalding hot shower and a well earned ten hour night’s rest awaiting them.
When the fog horn bellowed from the crow’s nest three times the next morning, more than a few curses and groans could be heard. But the crew knew it was a new day and it was time to continue on with their primary mission. Seeing what was going on in the challenger deep, everyone was ready to change what the history books had to say on the subject of the deepest place on the planet, forever. If the good doctor’s theories, were more than just wishful thinking.
“Auntie Joe, why is daddy going to the bottom of the ocean, isn’t that dangerous?” Asked Sally Joe McGaffery. As she watched her father on the giant center monitor in the mission control center, as he was going through the safety checklist in the newly added experimental two man submersible.
Captain Joe Braxton and Sally Joe were standing in the Morbius’s communication’s room. Aka, dubbed by her crew… the mission control center, since she was originally a WW2 spy ship. When the old girl, now known as the SRV Morbius. Was sold to a private company, at cost, with four other aged ships that had been scheduled to be scrapped and mothballed. By a privately owned research company, that searched all over the world for oil and rare earth minerals.
They scooped up the five vessels for pennies on the dollar. Overhauling each one for a specific purpose, some for deep sea exploration and others turned into privately owned science ships. That sailed to different countries in the hopes in finding undiscovered oil pockets and areas in the world that were difficult to access. And one was, designated only as search and rescue. Aka… a spy ship. Oddly enough, the actual spy ship in the war to end all wars. Wasn’t put to sea as a spy ship, no she was given the bells and whistles. She became the flagship in the privately owned companies growing armada.
The SRV Morbius was the flagship, her job and public status was being known as the most expensive exploration vessel in the seven seas. She had been given the biggest overhaul, sporting the best engines, electronics, work areas and recreational facilities of the five overhauled vessels. That was twenty years ago, and even though she was showing her age, the SRV Morbius still had the best communication room and exploration equipment in the fleet.
Her father looked at the camera and waved to his daughter saying he loves her very much and to be a good girl for auntie Joe. Sally waved back, smiled and promised she would be on her best behavior for auntie Joe. Then the two mischievous girls looked at each other, winked once, then dropped to the ground laughing hysterically. Caring not what the crew, or her dad thought. Her dad just watched the screen and softly shook his deeply tanned bald head. Giggling to himself knowing his little girl was in the best hands ever, she was with Joe and nobody messed with Joe and one of her cubs.
Sally’s middle name was named after her dad’s childhood best friend, the only person before he met his wife who protected him and never let him down. So when he found out he was going to be a dad, he knew the perfect name for his precious little daughter. Joe. Sally was his twin sister’s name, she had died in the orphanage when she was only five, leaving her younger twin brother all alone in this world. No home, no family.
They told him that his baby sister died from pneumonia, but Zain and Joe knew the truth. Joe and Zain had met when she was five and he was four, in the short time they had. Joe became Zain’s best friend and Sally’s inspiration for who she wanted to be. Even though they were young, you grew up fast in the orphanage. Sally was always a bit scared, but Zain was one of those brainy kids who was perpetually skittish. Constantly twitchy looking over his shoulders at every shadow that moved on the walls and jumped at every creek in the old orphanage.
Joe was ten and Zain was nine, when they met Emily. She was eight, looking worse than the kids already there. Scraps scabs and what looked like bruises on bruises on her lower arm and her lower legs. Even though Emily had all these questionable injuries, she had this sparkle in her eyes. That was what Zain noticed first, he then took in the rest of her battered body. In her stained and ripped T shirt and shorts. She was the latest arrival from another orphanage on the other side of the grungy city to be absorbed into an already, at maximum capacity orphanage.
The kids at Joe and Zain’s orphanage were starving and the money that was given to the orphanage. From a few of the wealthier families from monthly donations for upkeep, clothes and food. Was being siphoned off by the upper management and what little money they gave to the keepers of the orphanage. Did little to fill the sad and pathetic children, called cretins, by the upper management. Did nothing to fill empty bellies, or supply them with the proper ointments to rid their covered flea and lice ridden bodies. Or fix the aged wooden floors, broken dresser’s and cracked wooden beds. The custodians of the orphanage did the best they could, with what meager amounts they received.
When the newly married couple, Emily and Zain told their few friends what their babies middle name was, they were less than happy with the name choice. Everybody said he was crazy to give his only daughter a man’s name. Joe just gave them the evil eye, Emily and Zain were the only two people who could stand being around the highly intelligent but aggressive best friend. But Emily, Zain McGaffery’s wife now, didn’t even bat an eye when her closest girlfriends went on and on about the babies middle name. She knew that Joe and Zain had grown up together in the orphanage. And that Joe looked out for Zain, her beloved husband and that’s all she needed to know. Period.
Emily was the homebody type, keeping the house clean, mending to the garden and raising rabbits. Were the thing’s she cared about, was wrapped all her tiny little world. They both doting on their only angle and give her all their love. Sally Joe loved them both, dearly, loved gardening with her mom. But her hero was the greatest man she’d ever known… her dad. And auntie Joe was the role model she set out to be. Wild and crazy with a bottomless heart and one of the sharpest minds she’d ever seen.
Zain was the adventurous type, poking his nose into every nook and cranny. Always trying to figure things out, which usually meant him putting himself into dangerous situations. Which caused no end of trouble for Joe, who was only a year older than him. But at times had to act like his mother, warning him that not everything needed explanation. When Joe went into mother mode, Zain would listen to her, then go right ahead and do the thing he was going to do. Joe had strict orders from Emily, that he was allowed to have his adventure but in no shape or form was he to get hurt.
So when Zain called up his lifelong best friend to give her the terrific news, that Emily and him were expecting a baby girl. Joe was surprised, which didn’t happen very often. Stunned, was more the case. She had seen that look in each of their eyes when they saw each other for the first time. Knew they would eventually get married, but children was something she didn’t expect to hear coming from her best friend’s lips. Mostly due to Emily having bleeding issues and going in and out of the hospital. Emily was one of those sickly kids, but that didn’t stop her from wailing up on anyone who wanted to hurt Zain.
Joe wasn’t the emotional type, so she did the only thing that came to mind. She asked when the baby was due, so she could put her request for leave, well in advance. She knew that paperwork was not a smooth process in the military and especially when a senior officer requested a leave of absence. Paperwork had to be filed, someone had to fill in for her and all of that took time. A lot of time.
Zain and Joe had ed the navy together one year before Zain was supposed to graduate high school. Two years before he would turn eighteen. Joe knew her best friend in the world was itching for adventure and that he was having a hard time with all the bullies in school and at the orphanage. She also knew that he was itching to pop the question of marriage to Emily, he had told Joe a million times that he was going to marry her and buy her a house and build that garden she’s always wanted. Give her the picture perfect house in the safest neighborhood. So she could stay home and do the things she’s always dreamed about.
“You see Sally, it has been a widely known historical fact that the Challenger Deep is the lowest point on the surface of the planet. Sitting at a depth from 10,903 to 11,009 m (35,771 to 36,119 ft). Depending on who you ask.”
“Who you ask? Auntie Joe.” Replied Sally.
“Yes dear. Many people believe that what we’ve seen is all there is down there, but your father believes that there is more to find. Especially after our last deep sonar survey two years ago.”
“Really auntie Joe, what did the survey say?” Eagerly asked Sally. Now bouncing up and down, excited to hear what they found. Sally had the same incurable disease like her father, she deeply loved the sea and wanted to know everything about it.
“Well Sally hunny,” Sally was the only living person who could ask Joe an endless amount of questions and not set off Joe’s. You’ve pissed off momma bear with all these stupid questions. “Even though the challenger deep is a place very few humans have seen. Or been to, and even though it is under water, deep underwater. It has always been one of your father’s greatest desires to visit and research. Its still to this day one of the least known place on the planet. Your knucklehead father, my best friend, believes that the history books are wrong. And there’s still more to discover. Thats why we are here and you’re watching that goofball on the center monitor screen. Going through the mandatory checklist, so he can go down and checkout some kind of a crack.”
“A crack auntie Joe? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Daddy told me a long time ago that there are still hidden cracks in the world. That there are so many cracks, still waiting to be found.” At hearing the news that her dad found one of these cracks, Sally started bouncing up and down.
Comment