“Yeah, what are they for?”
“They’re our trash disintegrators. All of our trash is collected and degraded by an organism discovered decades ago on the ocean floor. They are microbes that can literally biodegrade every substance man has created thus far. The microbe was given the scientific name Geobacter omnescomedenti. In nature, it can take decades to centuries for them to degrade substances down into particulate matter. But they were found to give off minute traces of energy when they degraded material. Thus, we have genetically modified the ones here in Oceania to rapidly increase the rate of consumption and energy output. The entire process of degradation is completed in twenty-four to ninety-six hours with enough energy for omnescomedenti and an excessive amount of energy to be used for humans. As a side effect of their genetic modification, their life spans have been shortened to only about a week. However, they reproduce very quickly, so we’re usually in slight excess,” Dylan explained thoroughly in such detail that I was surprised.
This enigmatic city fascinated me more and more. Oceania was far more than a self-sustaining city—it was an entirely green self-sustaining human oasis beneath the sea. How much better would the above world portion of the planet be if we had the technology used here? Why hadn’t any of this been implemented in my world?
Eager to hear more, I asked, “And how is the power from the pressure converted?”
“The pressure exerted by the force of the water at 12,000 feet is about 5,347psi. About a mile away from the city is an exterior chamber that allows the release of the pressure into it, which then creates such a force of energy strong enough to meet all of our electrical needs to light the city. The chamber is then allowed to equalize and the process starts again.”
“This is really incredible…how in the world did the designers of Oceania think all this up?”
“Well, some of the brightest minds at the time put this together. They collaborated to choose and develop different substances and materials to use in the construction of Oceania. If you count all the research, development, design, planning and construction it took to make Oceania a reality, it combined around ninety-six years’ worth of research; although technically the designing and construction itself only took forty. The outer structure was built first with of the systems for supporting life up and running. Before humans could live here, the city had to function as a city. Afterward, all the materials were transported through a series of steps that I don’t even understand, and everything was constructed from within the city itself. From what I understand, much of the outer structure was sunk and connected through the use of robots. Robotic systems built most of the inside with only a little of it being physical manpower.”
I grinned wide, grateful for the new knowledge. Although my time was almost up and I’d have to return another day, I decided then and there that I would keep researching this city with Dylan. I would explore every inch of it and find out everything I could about living in an underwater city.
Chapter 9
The motor of the seamobile engine faded into the distance as I watched Dylan cruise over the waves after dropping me off on shore. For several moments, I watched him go, hardly believing that earlier today I’d walked the streets of Oceania. It had only been two days, but I’d already come to understand that Oceania was real—not merely a figment of my imagination.
Reminding myself that I needed to get home, I returned to the spot where I’d stashed my belongings and gathered them up. Luckily, I had chosen a location high above the high tide line and all of my things were dry and free of bird poop. I slid on my sandals quickly, grateful that I wouldn’t have to change clothes behind a rock yet again today to keep Gran from knowing I was at the beach.
Hurrying to the opening in the fence I’d decided to name “the rabbit hole,” I slid underneath it like a pro and went straight over to my bike. Tugging it from behind the bushes where I’d stashed it, I brushed off a few of the leaves still clinging to the handlebars and threw my leg over one side. Pressing down on the left pedal, the rickety bike began to roll.
Thoughts of Oceania filled my mind as I pedaled home. The city’s technological advances mirrored my own world, but still differed from them in so many ways. The lifestyles of the people were reminiscent of those on land, yet everyone in Oceania was obsessed with knowledge of every level. Their entire lives seemed to be infatuated with discovery. In fact, their whole society seemed so concerned with higher pursuits of knowledge that they weren’t plagued with violence, crime, and self-destruction like my world.
The persistent resounding questions inside my head awoke the sense of adventure I thought I’d lost when I had moved from San Antonio. Excitement ate at me to the point where tomorrow felt light years away…I just couldn’t wait to get back to Oceania.
My father’s face flashed through my mind’s eye.
Was this how he felt every time he’d gotten a new assignment to a long-forgotten corner of the world? Did he feel the all-consuming excitement that I did now?
For the past several years, I’d hated his love of adventure that had sent him around the world and ultimately to his death. If he hadn’t felt that, I’d still have my dad. For the first time since he died, I was beginning to understand the allure of the unknown—of discovering something no one else had before.
Across the horizon, the tangerine sky dotted here and there with mauve and pink, draping the entire
