Knocking at your door [BL]

Year 2034. March. Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea

The soft sound of waves crashing against the side of the boat echoed inside the small laboratory where three researchers were working.

A handsome man with light blonde hair was sitting on a stool, bent over the microscope while looking at a section of coral. At the same time, he was scribbling some words in a notebook lying next to him, even making a small sketch of the coral he was observing, albeit in a somewhat clumsy way.

The other two scientists were busy analysing and discussing data at one of the computers in the room and on the screen, it could be seen a multitude of graphs and trend lines indicating the marine conditions in the area.

"Water temperature is still rising" said the youngest of the two, rustling his messy red hair.

"I know. And it's not normal. On average, temperatures can rise by about 0.4°C over ten years, but these data clearly indicate an increase in sea surface temperature of 0.2°C in just one month! Not to mention the sudden increase last week! I'm telling you; we're heading for the end of the world!"

"Old age has gone to your head? Stop with your paranoia that you will surely be dead before it can happen."

"…"

"But ... it's right to say that these data are a little bit concerning."

A blond head swiftly tilted, and a pair of green orbs looked straight at them.

"Concerning? What do you mean by 'concerning'?"

The older man put on his glasses, which he had taken off to look at the computer, and sighed deeply.

"Weren't you the expert in biology?"

"Expert? Him? Don't make me laugh" snorted the redhead subsequently being slapped on the back of the head by the senior researcher.

"...Haa..." sighed the emerald-eyed young man. "Jason can you be serious for just one second? I remind you that I did not graduate in marine biology."

"As I said! You are not an expert!"

"Haa…I'm speechless. Not even worth discussing with this idiot."

"You!"

"Stop it, both of you. I can't stand to hear you arguing all the time. Don't you have anything better to do?"

Jeson, highly bored and offended by how the situation was developing, snorted and went back to analysing the data on the computer. On the other hand, the other young man decided to apologize to the researcher.

"Excuse us Mr. Ollen, we will try to behave in a more appropriate way."

"Tsk"

"AND… Jason said he wanted to go get the probe to do the routine check."

"What the…"

"What a beautiful initiative, Jason! Why don't you go now?" said Mr. Ollen with a small smirk forming on his lips.

"Tsk. As always the favourite is always right." Jason mumbled himself as he got up from his chair and got out of the lab angrily.

The man took off his glasses from his face and pinched his nose, barely holding a sigh.

"What did I do to find myself in this situation?!"

The young researcher looked at Mr Ollen and with a sweet smile said to him: "Well, you wanted to have the two best students as help in your researches. You had to predict that at some point there would be some clashes."

"Clashes, eh?... Sigh… You think I'm not aware that you're the one who made Jason lose his temper? Then to look like an innocent victim? You're just as clever as a fox."

The young man took a cute pose, like an idol in front of the camera, to look as innocent as possible. "But you have to admit I'm a cute and good-looking fox."

"Haa... Lennox, let's stop or I'll end up losing all my hair"

Lennox hid a rising laugh with a cough trying to stay as serious as possible.

"All right Mister! But coming back to what we talked about at the beginning; what did you mean by concerning?"

"Oh…That. Well, you studied corals at university, right?"

"Yes, but we only said some general information as it was not relevant in our program."

"As you know corals are colonies of very small polyps that, by producing calcium carbonate, create calcareous skeletons that merge and stratify to form structures even hundreds of kilometres long. But, if the water temperature is too high, the corals can suffer stress, which leads to bleaching. This happens because the symbiosis between the coral and the algae (zooxanthellae) that feed it and give it colour is interrupted, causing the loss of these algae and therefore the bleaching of the coral. If bleaching persists, the coral may die."

"And we have recorded a rise in sea temperature high enough to cause this phenomenon."

"That's right.

"Usually, this phenomenon is not completely unusual but at this speed it was never seen. And with the death of the corals all species and living beings that inhabited them will end up dying too..."

"…and this would trigger a chain reaction that would destroy the entire functioning of the ocean. In addition to the fact that with rising temperatures many species would no longer be able to survive."

"And if what I fear comes true, I think we will not have many ways of escape Lennox. What we have to do is figure out what gives this heat spike, before it will be too late."

"Right!"

"By the way, where is Jason? To retrieve a probe is taking too long, don't you think?"

"I think you're right, Professor. I'll look for him."

"I'll come with you, before you kill each other."

Lennox, not being able to hide anymore burst out laughing and replied to Mr Ollen between one laugh and the other: "Do not worry! That one wouldn't be able to kill a fly!"

"Lennox, please be serious"

"All right, Professor. I will"

After this the two researchers stood and left the laboratory as Jason had done a few minutes before.

They were on board a boat of the size of a medium-sized fishing vessel, large enough to be comfortable, but without all the comforts of the mainland.

They were under-deck and in a very short time they finally found themselves outdoors.

The scene before their eyes was chilling. Jason was on the side of the boat with the probe in his hands. He was looking with wide eyes at what he had in his hands but the moment he noticed the presence of the other two, he stared at them without being able to say anything.

The only problem was that the so-called probe was totally unrecognizable; there were signs, like bites of a creature much larger than a man but with a very similar dentition (visible from the prints left on the probe).

Not only that! All around them there were traces of blood that carried all the sides of the boat, blood most likely belonging to members of the crew who could not be seen anywhere.

Then Lennox spoke with a stunned voice.

"What the hell happened here?"