They can never know. The Foundation Director's last words floated through my brain as I neared the city.

Although it was technically nighttime, the water was clear, and I had an excellent view of the houses below.

The city of Helena wasn't exactly ordinary. For one, it was completely submerged underwater. But that wasn't the strangest thing about it.

I shook my head to dispel the director's warning.

He had nothing to worry about.

Plenty of other researchers had been down here before, and nothing ever happened.

I wasn't planning on getting caught.

And even if I did, I could easily bluff my way out.

My ex-girlfriend always said I was a good liar, but she never understood why I did it.

She could never accept my passion for the Helena Project. When she finally said,

It's either me or Helena, I packed my bags and left.

I dedicated myself to my research full time, and now here I was,

finally seeing the underwater city I had always dreamed about.

The homes looked ordinary aside from the algae covering the walls.

The lawns of seagrass were carefully trimmed, and the homeowners

clearly cared about appearances. Gardens were full of brightly colored corals that never had to be watered.

There were no roads exactly, but pathways lay between the buildings for easy access,

and shells lined the sandy streets. Not that accessing anything down here was easy,

but the citizens were resilient, and they always found a way to survive, most of them anyways.

The explorers found the occasional cadaver floating around, and I kept my eyes peeled, even though

that was the last thing I wanted

to find. While the windows were thick enough to keep out the water, leaks occasionally sprouted

...