The wind across the research platform carried the smell of heated metal and the distant rumble of the Iron Ocean.
Tiaya walked calmly along the outer maintenance corridor, the data device hidden beneath her coat. Workers moved past her without paying attention, their boots echoing softly against the steel floor.
Everything appeared normal.
But inside her mind, the Reader's Viewpoint pulsed quietly.
The mission had worked.
She had the submarine files.
And now she needed to leave before someone realized what had happened.
The night sky shimmered above the ocean.
The Constellations were still watching.
Tiaya glanced upward briefly.
"…I can feel you."
A faint golden message flickered in the sky, visible only to her.
Constellation "The Silent Archivist" is curious about the information you obtained.
Tiaya ignored it.
Right now, the audience did not matter.
The data did.
She slipped into a small storage chamber near the edge of the platform.
Dim lights flickered overhead.
No cameras.
No workers.
Perfect.
She locked the door behind her.
The moment the room went quiet, Tiaya exhaled slowly.
"…alright."
The Identity Narrative surrounding her began to weaken.
Her reflection in a nearby metal panel flickered.
The system appeared.
Temporary Identity Stability: 48%
Warning: Identity collapse approaching.
Tiaya closed her eyes.
"…mission complete."
The threads holding the disguise unraveled.
Her shoulders shifted.
Her height returned.
Hair shortened.
Within seconds—
Tiaya disappeared.
Dave stood in the room again.
He stretched his neck slightly.
"…that disguise worked better than expected."
Simon whispered faintly inside his mind.
"…the role was convincing."
Dave smirked slightly.
"…thanks."
Jack's voice suddenly came through the communication channel.
"Dave? You alive?"
Dave tapped the device.
"Yeah."
Jack sounded relieved.
"Good. Because if you stayed a girl permanently, Ava would never let me forget it."
Dave sighed.
"…focus."
Ava's voice joined the channel.
"Did you get the submarine files?"
Dave looked at the device.
"…I got everything."
David spoke next.
"Then check them immediately."
Dave sat down beside a metal crate and activated the device.
The screen lit up.
Rows of classified documents appeared.
Deep Ocean Expedition Reports
Submarine Containment Logs
Biological Scan Results
Dave opened the first report.
Images appeared.
Dark ocean trenches.
Pressure readings far beyond normal limits.
And something massive moving beneath the seafloor.
Simon whispered softly.
"…the buried narrative."
Dave scrolled further.
More logs appeared.
Then something else caught his attention.
A folder labeled:
CASUALTY LIST
Dave frowned.
"…why would a research project keep a death registry?"
He opened the file.
A long list of names appeared.
Personnel lost during deep sea missions.
Submarine crew.
Scientists.
Technicians.
Jack's voice came through again.
"…anything interesting?"
Dave didn't answer.
Because the first name he saw made his blood run cold.
Simon Hale — Confirmed Deceased
Dave froze.
"…what?"
Simon's whisper echoed in his mind.
"…that name."
Dave stared at the screen.
"…Simon… that's you."
Silence filled his mind.
Simon spoke slowly.
"…I do not remember dying."
Dave kept scrolling.
Another name appeared.
David Kessler — Confirmed Deceased
Dave's eyes widened.
"…David?"
Through the communication channel, David's voice remained calm.
"…yes?"
Dave turned the screen slightly as if David could see it through the transmission.
"…you're listed here."
A pause followed.
"…as dead."
Jack immediately spoke.
"…okay now that's weird."
Dave continued reading.
More names appeared.
People he had met.
People who were still alive.
Research Assistant Ava Lin — Presumed Dead
Dave felt a chill run through him.
"Ava…"
She went quiet for a moment.
"…I see."
Jack let out a slow whistle.
"…hold on."
"…we're all on the death list?"
Dave scrolled to the bottom.
The final entry appeared.
Project Overseer: Dave Carter — Status: Deceased
Dave stared at it.
"…that's me."
The room felt colder.
Simon whispered quietly.
"…the submarine project recorded all of us as dead."
David's voice became serious.
"…which means something erased us from the official timeline."
Ava spoke softly.
"…or replaced us."
Jack groaned.
"…I hate both options."
Dave leaned back against the crate.
The Reader's Viewpoint began connecting threads rapidly.
The submarine project.
The deep ocean entity.
The casualty list.
And all of them listed as dead.
"…this isn't an accident."
Simon whispered.
"…someone wanted us removed from the story."
Dave looked at the screen again.
"…but we're still here."
David answered quietly.
"…which means we exist outside the intended narrative."
Jack muttered.
"…like glitches."
Simon corrected him.
"…like survivors of a deleted chapter."
Dave's mind raced.
"…the submarine project didn't just discover something."
"…it changed the story."
Ava spoke carefully.
"…and now the world believes we're already gone."
The device suddenly beeped.
A new notification appeared.
ACCESS LOG UPDATED
Unauthorized file retrieval detected
Dave's eyes narrowed.
"…someone noticed."
Jack's voice sharpened.
"…Dave, you need to leave that platform now."
Dave stood up quickly.
"…already moving."
But before he could unlock the door—
The lights flickered.
A heavy voice echoed through the hallway outside.
"Security sweep."
Boots approached.
Dave looked at the device.
The death list was still displayed.
Every name on it.
Simon.
Ava.
David.
Jack.
Himself.
All officially dead.
And now someone knew he had seen it.
Dave slipped the device into his jacket.
"…this story just got worse."
Simon whispered quietly.
"…because the dead are not supposed to investigate their own graves."
The footsteps outside stopped.
A voice spoke through the door.
"…open the door."
Dave's eyes glowed faintly as the Reader's Viewpoint activated again.
If he was going to escape—
He would need to rewrite the next few seconds of the story.
Because now the truth was clear.
The submarine project had buried something beneath the Iron Ocean.
And anyone who discovered it…
Was erased from the narrative.
Including them.
Dave stepped back from the door slowly.
"…let's see if the dead can still escape."
Outside—
The security lock began to open.
To be continued…