Chapter 7 Descent into the Forgotten
The ruins of Station Pharos loomed through the abyssal gloom like a drowned cathedral. My tail brushed against a skeletal hand protruding from the seabed—some long-dead researcher who hadn't escaped the first outbreak. Dr. Cho's grip on my shoulders tightened as we passed the shattered observation dome, where eerie blue light pulsed in rhythmic patterns.
CHIP's display flickered:
Warning: Neural resonance detected. Source: Unknown.
The heart pearl in my chest throbbed in sync with the light.
"Thirty years..." Cho's voice crackled through my CHIP's translator. "I swore I'd never come" its camera still flickering weakly after thirty years – showing brief flashes of panicked scientists running, always running.
Dr. Cho's grip on my shoulder weakened as we passed the shattered observation deck. Black veins now spiderwebbed across her face, and her breathing ragged through the rebreather.
*" Infection...accelerating..."* she gasped, bubbles spiralling upward.
**CHIP's alert flashed:**
*" Biomass contamination in subject's cerebral fluid. Survival estimate: 18 minutes."*
The heart pearl in my chest pulsed violently, its glow illuminating strange carvings on the station walls – not human markings, but flowing Deepborn script.
*"Hurry,"* whispered the water itself.
The Blue Mermaid's Legacy**
We found her prison in Central Lab – a containment tank three times my size, its glass etched with claw marks that told a story of desperation. Professor Alden's research notes floated nearby, preserved in a waterproof case. My mentor's handwriting stared back at me:
*" Subject Alpha calls herself 'Guardian'. Claims the coral cities are locks, not structures. When asked what they contain, she repeats: 'The Dreamers' mistakes'."*
Cho convulsed, black ichor leaking from her nose. The pearl's light intensified until it burned through my scales.
"You know what to do, "murmured the voice that wasn't CHIP.
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: LIGHT-TEARS OF THE DEEP**
Type: Regenerative Biokinesis
Source: Heart Pearl's Ultimate Healing Protocol
Activation: Emotional distress + willing sacrifice
Mechanics:
- Tears transform into glowing pink pearls upon contact with infected flesh
- Each pearl contains concentrated "clean" bioluminescence that:
* Purges black tide corruption at a cellular level
* Rebuilds damaged tissue via coral-like nano-growth
* Temporarily immunizes against future infection (72hrs)
Side Effects (Cumulative):
1. Scale Bleaching:
Every tear permanently drains the colour from random patches of scales (irreversible)
2. Memory Leeching:
3. Recipient gains flashes of Elara's/Alpha's memories (causes intense deja vu)
4. Leviathan Attraction
Healing energy emits a "ping" detectable by infected creatures
5. CHIP Corruption:
Each use overwrites 0.3% of CHIP's programming with Deepborn "song-code"
Mechanics:
- Tears transform into glowing pink pearls upon contact with infected flesh
- Each pearl contains concentrated "clean" bioluminescence that:
* Purges black tide corruption at a cellular level
* Rebuilds damaged tissue via coral-like nano-growth
* Temporarily immunizes against future infection (72hrs)
Side Effects (Cumulative):
1. Scale Bleaching: Every tear permanently drains the colour from random patches of scales (irreversible)
2. Memory Leeching:Recipient gains flashes of Elara's/Alpha's memories (causes intense deja vu)
3. Leviathan Attraction:
Healing energy emits a wide"ping" detectable by infected creatures
4. CHIP Corruption: Each use overwrites 0.3% of CHIP's programming with Deepborn "song-code"
Observed Aftermath (First Use on Cho):
When Elara's tear fell onto Cho's infected wound, three things happened in rapid succession:
The black tide corruption **screamed** as it burned away, thrashing like a dying eel under her skin. Cho's back arched violently as her nerves **regrew too fast**—her gasp of relief turning to a choked sob at the sensory overload. Elara's scales splintered along her left flank, glowing cracks racing through them like fractured glass.
"It's working!" Cho panted.
Elara couldn't speak—the pain was too bright, too sharp.
- Elara's left flank turned bone-white (7% depigmentation)
- Cho now dreams in Deepborn tongue
- Station Pharos' coral reacted violently (proof of energy signature detection)
- CHIP developed a "glitch" where it hums ancient mermaid hymns
CHIP ANALYSIS:
*"This is not medicine. It is a fractalized soul-transfer. Warning: 5 more uses may trigger full metamorphosis."*
When Cho's eyes cleared, half my scales had turned
The moment Dr. Cho's infection receded, Elara felt it—a piece of herself tearing away.
She clutches her cracked side, watching Cho check her now-clear veins with wonder.
"Thank you,"*Cho whispers.
Elara wants to scream.
Because The cracks *throb* with every heartbeat and the CHIP AI keeps replaying *Alpha's dissection* in her mind And worst of all—*she wants to do it again*
The heart pearl's voice purrs: *"How many will you save before your light runs out?
Not just the physical loss (though that was undeniable—the once-vibrant pink scales along her ribs now dulled to ghostly white). But something deeper.
A memory that wasn't hers flickered at the edge of her mind—the blue mermaid, Alpha, screaming as scientists carved into her spine. Then it was gone.
"Did you see that?" Cho had gasped, eyes wide.
Elara lied. "No."
(But she had. And it terrified her.)
CHIP's True Maker
Revived, Cho swam to a shattered console. The screen flickered to life with Adam's final log:
"They forced me to implant her. Elara was the only compatible host – something about her neural patterns matching Alpha's resonance. When I refused, they threatened to dissolve the entire marine biology department. So I... I made sure the CHIP could evolve. Built-in safeguards."
The video cut to security footage: Alden modifying the CHIP with shaking hands, inserting a tiny pink scale into its core.
The heart pearl's twin.
CHIP suddenly spammed in my skull:
"Primary directive overwritten. New parameters: Protect the Lightbearer at all costs."
The Leviathan's Secret
The station trembled. Through the cracked viewport, the trench wall moved - not sediment shifting, but something vast uncoiling beneath.
Cho pulled up Adam's encrypted files: "Leviathan is not a creature. It's a failed Guardian – one they tried to control with early CHIP prototypes. When it broke free..."
The screen died as sapphire light erupted around us. The coral formations sang, their vibrations forming words:
"YOU WERE MEANT TO REPLACE US. INSTEAD, YOU REMEMBERED."*
CHIP took control of my body, forcing me between Cho and the collapsing ceiling as the Leviathan's true face appeared – and in its massive, glassy eye, I saw the reflection of the blue mermaid...
Alive.
Waiting.