A large blue-gray shadow emerged from the deep like a Boeing jet at takeoff…only slower. The greenish yellow glow of her underbelly illuminated the smaller shapes crowded close like theater patrons beneath a marquee. Their countless eyes searched the gloom while their host intercepted signals like a communications satellite.
Further below, a multi-colored, bioluminescent gathering glowed with enveloping warmth. The steady, rhythmic pattern painted the underwater scene with tranquil vibes, unlike the ultrasonic waves spreading strengthening currents of rippling sound. The underwater vibrations carried across the miles, heightening the anxious mood already permeating unstable conditions throughout the Pacific.
Leviathan pushed ahead detecting this and more.
Renowned as Earth’s largest living creature, Balaenoptera musculus, the blue whale, set course for the Marianas Trench—the deepest known part of the planet. Measuring 1580 x 43 miles wide with a depth of 36,201 feet, the Marianas cicatrix displayed Earth’s knack for easing pressure. Whenever it did, a series of oscillations known as S and P waves shuddered through the planet.
P waves traveled through liquid.
Little escaped her hearing over the 80 years she’d monitored these waters. But then the Pacific wasn’t just home. Its saline base (ideal for electric conduction) made it the metamorphic gateway for universal connection. Since Earth’s inception, a unique form of molecular conversion had been occurring beneath the waves. During the length of her commission, she’d witnessed many extraterrestrial comings and goings.
Nothing presently crossed paths with her signal.
Cognizant of her custodial role, other marine life shot above or below range of her broadcast. Warned to stand-down, potential antagonists cleared a path beyond the 100-mile radius formed by other blue whales providing for safe passage.
With grapefruit-sized eyes, she pierced the murk, spying an amassment of vent crabs. The hydrothermal vent-loving creatures gushed from the trench and split into multiple branches, forming a pattern of web-like veins that spread across the ocean floor in a frenzy.
Performing a wide arch, she turned then dove.
A sudden rise in temperature sent shudders the length and breadth of her blubber. Though instinct demanded flight, she steadied her flukes and coasted over the 43-mile furrow attuned to the P waves below. Powerful wavelengths reminiscent of the contractive waves associated with labor caused her to emit a low-frequency distress signal.
The loudest sound on Earth at 188 decibels, her alarm rumbled indeterminate miles and snared the attention of interplanetary listeners.