"Man this is a pain," Martin sighs, holding one of four metal walls up. Simon checks his air supply as he connects it to another, creating a metal box on the dome.

  "It's not that big of a deal. The glass cutters can't operate without this. Just be happy we aren't the ones having to dangle four miles above the city." Simon finishes sealing the box, creating an airtight container. He gives a thumbs up to Tarma, who activates the pump, pulling all the water out of the small room.

  "How's your suit doing, Simon? Still having power fluctuations?" His Captian asks, busy with installing the holding gear for the glass cutters inside the box.

  "Nah, seems it was just a hiccup." Simon shakes his head as sweat rolls down his forehead, "I am getting low on air though. And my heater needs to be replaced." The smell of his own sweat causes his nose to wrinkle. Simon keeps an eye on his captain through one of the glass windows as he steps out of his suit to finish the frame, the last of the water exiting the small room.

  "Marco and Gin should be back soon with a fresh supply. Is the temperature too high?"

  "I'm good. Worse case I turn it off for a few seconds and let the water cool me down." Below the crack in the glass causes a distortion, the fake city night seeming warped. Simon turns his gaze to the darkness, a few sea treaders visible from the edge of the dome.

  Martin crouches down, inspecting the sealing on the floor, "Hear anything about that sub? It's already been a week."

  Jost sighs, "Martin you know I don't have the clearance for that kind of information."

  "Yeah, but if it requires a top-secret clearance then it must be important, right?"

  Tarms groans, "Just drop it, man. We won't know anything. If you wanna know so bad just become a commander."

  Martin stands, air bubbles coming off his suit, "Come on, you can't tell me you're not a little curious. Who's this "god" they were talking about?"

  As they argue Simon shakes his head. Martin has been obsessed with the god thing. Never knew him to be so into one thing. He tends to be really sporadic.

  "Hey stop clogging the com lines," Marco interjects, a large pack filled with air canisters on his back. "Who needs air?"

  Simon lumbers up to him, turning so his back is to the two, "I'm at a third."

  "Dammit, Simon. You're supposed to tell someone when you get to half," Tarma chides.

  Simon doesn't respond as Marco drops the bag, pulling out the first three-foot canister, "Alright Simon, this is your first reload on the job. When I say so make sure to hold your breath. It shouldn't take longer than thirty seconds."

  "Copy."

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Three...two...one," Simon takes a deep breath as his suit shudders. A flux of cold flows through his back as the area containing his air is opened. The suit quickly heats up to counter the cold. This isn't so bad. Simon stands still as metal on metal clanking rings throughout his head. "MARCO WAIT!" Simon yells. The sound stops, replaced by a high-pitched whine. What is that? There shouldn't be any sound out here.

  "What's wrong? Is something wrong?" The panic in Marco's voice is clear.

  Simon remains silent, fixated on the sound. "I'm going to keep going, Simon. You don't have much time left." Simon wants to protest, but the clanking of metal stops him. A few seconds later the suit informs him of the oxygen replacement.

  "What the hell was that?!" Marco yells loud enough for Simon to flinch. He steps in front of him, grabbing the suit by the shoulder. "You can't say something like that and not respond!"

  Simon brushes the hand off, "Sorry, but I heard something."

  "Heard something? Out here?"

  Simon nods to confirm, "It was a high-pitched sound, almost like a vibration. A constant one."

  Marco goes quiet, the rest of the team oblivious to their conversation, "I don't doubt you Simon, but you do realize how improbable that is right? Our suits are built specifically to lock out all outside noise. For you to hear something it must be insainly loud."

  "I know, but I wasn't hearing things, it was real."

  Marco sighs, "All right, I believe you. I'll talk to Jost after we're done here. For now, let's get this job finished."

  Simon understood why he was so hesitant. There are no obvious reasons for the noise, and trying to find the source could take days, but if the dome has one weakness, it would be sound. Simon stares at the glass, a gnawing feeling in his stomach.

  **********

  "The glass cutters should be here soon with a relief dome tech team. Once that's done-" Their captain pauses. The comms are silent for several seconds before he speaks again, "Change of plans." The entire squad groans.

  "Yeah, yeah, complain all you want. I just got a report from the weather team. Seems a large silt storm is brewing a few days away. The ocean currents are going to get rough, so all maintenance will be halted until the storm hits. Once the silt storm is in full effect we should be cleared to finish up here."

  Martin grumbles as they make their way to the nearest suit pod, "I hate leaving a job unfinished. It's always a pain having to come back."

  "At least we get a few days off," Gin replies, "I can finally enjoy the new sub-tech game."

  Simon stares back at the box, the noise he heard occupying his mind. I know it's probably not important, but why can't I shake this ominous feeling? Something feels off.

  "Don't even think about it Simon. Orders are orders. Report the problem to our commander," Marco says through a private channel, slowing his pace to match Simon's.

  "I know," He says irritated. They return to the tower and much to Simon's dismay their commander brushes him off.

  "Simon we both know it's impossible to hear anything in those suits. Maybe you need a break. You have done more walks than most rookies. The abyss could be messing with your mind."

  Simon slams his hand on the table, causing the commander to flinch, "I know what I heard. You should at least send someone to scour the inside of the dome. That wasn't a natural sound."

  The man sighs, "Fine, I'll send a team out once the storm is over. In the meantime take some time off and cool your head."

  Simon narrows his eyes, doubt creeping into his mind. He's not going to do anything. Then I guess I will. Simon storms out of the room and into the hall. Too many coincidences are showing up. A crack in the dome. An unknown submarine built for one, and now sound in a soundless place? This job is supposed to be uneventful, with nothing out of the ordinary happening, and it seems everyone else is too close-minded to see something is wrong.

  As the young man walks away, he can't help but feel like he's being led. Rushed. He shakes it off. I'm just worried. That's all.