31 THE DEEP

CHAPTER 31 THE DEEP The robot swam down along the cliffside and into the deep. As she descended, the ocean grew darker, and the weight of the water above grew heavier. Roz was an amazingly durable machine, but if she went too deep, she'd be crushed by the immense water pressure. Before she reached a dangerous depth, however, she arrived at the bottom of the cliff. Very little light was visible. Only a faint blue glow could be seen, high up at the surface. Roz switched on her headlights—click—and shafts of light beamed out from her eyes. Then she turned her head and took in the dim underwater world. Behind her, the cliffs rose up and out of sight. In front of her, the flat ocean floor spread away into darkness. All around her, specks of debris drifted through the water.

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Roz started marching, and plumes of silt billowed up from each footfall. In such still water, she was able to move easily, covering a lot of ground in a short time. On her way, she passed bizarre sea creatures, paddling, twirling, pulsing. Some creatures were transparent, some had spiky teeth jutting from their jaws, and some wriggled down into the muck. Eyes glinted in the shadows. Soft noises echoed from afar. This was an eerie, alien place. The robot became aware of a gurgling sound, and then a cluster of towering rocks emerged. From the top of each tower spewed scalding-hot water that had bubbled up from deep underground. The warmth attracted a wide array of living things. Gardens of corals and sponges and flowery sea anemones clung to the rocks and danced in the whirling currents. Crawling throughout the gardens were shrimps and crabs. A giant sea star crept over a crowd of clams. Hungry fish floated nearby and eyed the assortment of tasty creatures. Of particular interest to Roz was a sea slug. Sea slugs might seem disgusting to you, reader, but this one was beautiful. It was colored in shades of pink and orange and purple, like a sunset. On its back were feathery fins that shimmered in the light. The robot searched through her computer brain to identify the species. Her brain was filled with knowledge about every known animal in

the world, but her search came up empty. And then Roz realized that this type of sea slug was unknown. She had discovered a new species. "Hello, sea slug. My name is Roz." The slug fluttered its fins in a way that meant, "Please don't eat me." "I do not eat anything, including sea slugs," said the robot. "Oh, that's good to know," said the slug. "You're not from around here, are you?" "I am only passing through on my journey to stop the poison tide." The slug's body stiffened. "We've heard terrible stories about the poison tide. I can't bear to think what would happen if it ever came down here." "I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens," said the robot. While marching away, Roz wondered how many other animal species had yet to be discovered in the deep. She wondered how many of them were at risk of being wiped out by the poison tide.