[Hatching]
Yamato Minegishi of Japan was an exceptionally talented oceanographer. While teaching at Kyoto University, he devoted himself to his own research.
Luke Gaiman of the United States was a renowned authority in biology and served as a professor at Colorado State University.
Although their fields of expertise were completely different and they had never met, their paths crossed in September of the year 2000.
The request from the U.S. government arrived suddenly.
Both men received what was essentially a compulsory transfer order to a research facility in Hawaii.
The abrupt nature of the summons left them bewildered, but government officials gave them no opportunity to refuse and practically escorted them there by force.
Although they had been told they were being taken to a research institution, the place they arrived at was actually an underground facility beneath Hickam Air Force Base.
Escorted by military personnel, the two professors were led into a room lined with countless monitors and computers—a place that looked unmistakably like a military command center.
As soon as they entered, Colonel Mendes of Hickam Air Force Base explained that the situation required immediate attention.
"We appreciate your coming on such short notice. First, I would like you to watch this footage."
A screen positioned directly across from the entrance flickered to life, displaying what appeared to be images from the ocean floor.
The camera illuminated a seabed untouched by sunlight. Clouds of sediment—or perhaps drifting plankton—floated across the lens. Over the recording, a pilot's voice could be heard shouting in astonishment.
"It's an incredible sight."
The words were no exaggeration.
Just as the bottom of the ocean came into view, the seafloor suddenly dropped away into an immense abyss, like a cliff plunging into darkness.
The footage ended there.
"What lies beyond this point is classified, so I cannot show it to you. However, keeping that footage in mind, I would like you to look at this."
The colonel switched the display to a detailed map of the ocean floor off the coast of Hawaii.
"A massive fracture extends directly north from the location shown in the video. Our investigations have revealed a huge crack running north to south through the Pacific Plate. Calling it large would be an understatement. It appears as though the entire plate is being torn in half."
The two professors stared in disbelief.
"Professor Minegishi, we want you to determine the cause of this phenomenon. And Professor Gaiman, we would like you to investigate this."
The next set of data immediately captured Gaiman's attention.
Displayed on the screen were records of whale strandings occurring around the world, abnormal plankton blooms, and unusual accelerated growth among marine organisms near Hawaii.
"You will each be given private quarters. We need answers as quickly as possible. The fracture continues to widen even now. We need to know what is happening—and what is about to happen."
The two men understood without being told that these words represented the will of the United States government itself.
The following days were exhausting.
Minegishi analyzed conditions on the ocean floor, tectonic activity around the globe, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and every related phenomenon he could find.
Gaiman compiled data on whale strandings, studied marine ecosystems, performed chemical analyses, and employed every tool available to him as a biologist.
On the morning of the fifth day, the two men shared breakfast together.
Since arriving, their meals had become an informal daily meeting.
"The Earth is covered by massive tectonic plates," Minegishi explained passionately as he awkwardly lifted beans with a fork and brought them to his mouth.
"When these plates interact and shift, earthquakes occur. Japan is a textbook example. If a fracture of that magnitude has formed, it could trigger something far beyond earthquakes. It could lead to a planetary catastrophe."
Gaiman took a sip of orange juice before replying.
"There are many theories regarding whale strandings, but reports have increased dramatically over the last few months. At the same time, fish catches across the Pacific have sharply declined. I suspect these developments may somehow be connected to the fracture."
That day, for the first time, both men were granted permission to descend to the deep ocean floor and witness the site themselves.
Boarding a cruiser headed into Hawaiian waters, they transferred into a deep-sea submersible owned by the U.S. Navy—a modified version of the Canadian-built Pisces.
The waters off Hawaii were astonishingly clear.
Schools of brightly colored tropical fish swam through the sunlight.
But as the vessel descended deeper and deeper, the light gradually vanished from view until they were swallowed by the darkness of the abyss.
It was Gaiman who first noticed something unusual.
"This is strange. There shouldn't be this many fish at this depth."
As depth increased and pressure intensified, marine life should have become scarcer.
Instead, the opposite was true.
The deeper they descended, the more abundant life became.
Even the crew could see it.
Plankton drifted through the darkness like thick fog.
It was as if the ocean itself had become unnaturally saturated with life.
Then they saw it.
A colossal trench cut through the black seafloor.
Their lights illuminated its vast shape with terrifying clarity.
"I never imagined it would be this enormous."
Minegishi could only stare in amazement.
Then it happened.
A violent tremor shook the ocean floor.
The submersible lurched violently, as though the world itself had turned upside down.
"This is dangerous. We're ascending immediately."
The crew informed the cruiser above that an emergency evacuation procedure was underway and began their ascent.
That was when they saw it.
Far below, deep within the crack in the Earth, something moved.
Something covered in scales that reflected the darkness itself.
Then came a roar.
A bestial cry echoed through the depths.
The instant it sounded, the immense pressure crushed the submersible into fragments.
The fracture splitting the Pacific Plate widened dramatically.
Massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions erupted across the globe.
Within minutes, entire continents began to rise.
Governments mobilized their militaries and ordered mass evacuations.
But it was already too late.
Humanity had nowhere left to run.
Like an eggshell shattering from within, the Earth itself broke apart.
And from its ruins emerged a colossal lifeform, crying out into the cosmos for the first time.
"Hatching"
End