- This sunset’s gonna be the best one, - she murmured.

 - Another one, huh, - he added ironically.

 - The last one, - she paused for a while, – and most enchanting. Come on, Greg, don’t spoil it all!

He stood up and stepped back. 

 - Mind walking for a while? This breeze isn’t that caressing.

 - Oh, Greg, you are robbing me of the last delights of our trip! – the man made two more steps away from his companion making her rise. – Are you gonna leave me here all alone?..

 - But you like it, - he was slowly backing away, - and I am already tired of the day’s adventures and…

 - OK, OK, I got your point. Let’s stroll along the shore and...

 - And find another adventure to call it a day.

 - You’re hopeless, Greg, you know?

They were walking along the emptying beach line hugging and laughing when she stumbled over something and cried.

 - Are you OK, Amy? – the man seemed pretty worried.

 - Look, it’s sheer luck! – She went on with childish joy, - It’s an adder stone! I’ve never found any! Let’s take it home!

 - Aren’t those magnets, and cards, and other memorable stuff enough? Our luggage is limited, you know.

 - And isn’t finally packed yet. – She sounded triumphant. – I’ll find room for it or make a nice necklace of it right at the departure lounge. 

At this point Greg rolled his eyes and sighed. They were doomed.

 - And what is this? Hey, Greg, look at this notebook!

 - Looks like it was accidently left behind here. Oh, no, Amy, please, leave it here. I’m sure the owner is on his or her way.

 - Look here, Greg, - she was leafing through, - it is almost blank, but for one page:

“CALE”, read the inscription.

 - It’d be hard to find the owner, - admitted Amy. – But we can find the place.

 - The place?

 - Yes, the inscription is the name of an old abandoned local sight. I’ve seen some pictures on the web preparing for this trip. 

 - Ok, - he agreed reluctantly, - but this is the last adventure.

 - Deal! 

They googled their way for a while and headed hastily for the place. It was gradually getting dark and they were running out of time and battery power on their phones. The place appeared to be remote and the path was rather tough: they had to climb and jump, and crawl and make their way through thicket. Soon one of the phones was dead and another lost its network.

And they got lost.

 - Let’s climb that rock and look around, - suggested Greg. – At least you will be able to enjoy the last beams of dusk.

 - I can’t see anything, - complained Amy, - please, pass me the phone! The flashlight must be still working. 

He did. The moment when her fingers touched the case it slid and fell, and shattered into useless fragments. Both stared at the rocks below: he with a despair and disapproval, she with a terror in the eyes. The situation turned desperate without any obvious way to recover. 

In the end, they managed to reach a kind of plateau and get some rest. Exhausted, they sat on the ground, leaning on each other. Suddenly, Greg’s hand found a metal object.

 - A flashlight? – He passed it to Amy

 - An old but, - she paused for a second switching something, -but working one! – she happily twirled the finding. – But what’s this?

These words chained Greg’s attention to the flashlight. There was something scratched:

   Y 

 - Any ideas?

 - Looks like Dutch or Norwegian.

 - Or somebody left us a message. Can you see “Y” above it?

The flashlight blinked. It was better to turn it off for a while and so did Amy. The dusk thickened. And they were left high and dry.

 - Amy, hurry up! The flashlight is blinking all the time, it may well break down any minute!

 - Greg, please, don`t be mad at me, but…I would bet there is a hidden meaning in its blinking!

 - Oh, dear! What`s on your mind?

Amy stopped and stared at the path lit with the blinking light. It was Morse code! She knew it, because she`d spent all her childhood communicating to her father using this ‘secret language’. 

 - It`s Morse code! I`m sure I`m right! It says ‘Bay SOS’…What does it all mean? This Y in 'bay' must relate to the inscription we`ve found! 

 - Were I as excited as you are, I would go down to the Silver Bay.

Amy ran hastily to the beach, Greg followed her. It was a pristine coast, but one thing attracted their attention – a big red arrow drawn on a rock. They followed the arrow and entered a cave. It suddenly became evident that it was not a single cave – it was a network of them. Their steps were echoing in the caves, so Amy and Greg were slinking and creeping and tiptoeing. But then there was a bang! Or it sounded like a bang. Greg bent down.

 - Look! A top-drawer smartphone!

 - Are we not alone here?

 - The battery is full. Probably, we`ve gone too far. Would you mind if we take it, use Google Maps and go back to the hotel?

 - No way! We`re here for adventures! Let`s avail of the opportunity!

They continued their endless walk. 10 minutes later Greg stopped with his eyes wide open. So did Amy. She was shining a light into the cave vaults. They were both looking at the same inscription:

 - Oh my Gosh!

 - It is also scratched on our flashlight, isn`t it?

 - It is! And what if it`s an abbreviation? What may it stand for?

 - I`ve got no idea. ‘Secret Observatory of Stanley’? ‘State Office Solutions?’ ‘Stay Out of Silver bay’? 

They laughed nervously. Then Amy proceeded.

 - And why does this crossed out O start to look so familiar? It seems as I could have probably seen it somewhere apart from the cave and the electric torch… 

They noticed a secret door to the left. At that moment, the telephone Greg was still holding in his hand rang.

21-30

They stood frozen.

It took a while for Amy to start speaking.   

- We should call an ambulance, Greg! - Amy whispered with raising panic in her voice.

- He’s dead. - Greg pointed at the man’s unnatural pose. 

- How do you know?! - She kneeled down by the stretched body attempting to reach his palm and check pulse. 

- It's cold.

- What? 

- His hand. It’s cold, but he was alive a minute ago! How is that possible?

- Lets get out here, Am. It doesn’t look good. I mean it. 

- There’s something wrong about it all! Can’t you see? What if he was pleading for help with that flashlight! ..and those are fresh stitches on his temple. He must have had surgery, but it was quick and dirty..just look at the..

- We'd better plan on how we go back without any GPS. - Greg interrupted her. -Our phones are dead! Except for the one we found. 

He glanced at the screen and frowned. The screen was glitching, but it was still possible to distinguish some sequencing letters and numbers and letters through the visual noise. ..4...1...0...S...

- We must go!!! Amy? - Greg turned away at no response to find Amy sitting on the floor. She was squeezing her head and her look was quite disorientated. 

- Amy, are you ok? What’s wrong? - he reached her in two jumps, leaned and turned her face to him. - Can you hear me?!

- Can you stop? - She moaned. 

- What? What are you talking about? What’s wrong?!

- Please stop it... PLEASE!!! - she suddenly jumped up and rushed forward.  - STOP!!! IT HURTS!!! 

Her movements were lame and panicking, as she ran into the table. A bunch of scalpels, intubation tubes and syringes  crashed to the floor as a creepy fountain of medical supplies. 

- CAN YOU HEAR IT?! PLEASE STOP IT! 

 

 Greg tried his best to overcome his inner panic. He started searching the area to find anything that could somehow improve Amy’s condition or make a call.  He could distinguish a low vibrating sound that was growing louder or closer? Or deeper? Greg attempted to shake it off and reach the cabinet, but he felt dizzy. The vibrating low Hz sound was crowling under his skin, and the more he moved, the deeper and faster it seemed to overtake his body. He dropped the phone.

There was a glitching letters on the screen. S-0S.

_____

- Why do these stupid teens are so attracted to this shitty place?- Detective O’Brian chewed his cigarette and spilt it without lighting it up. - That’s the fifth case within a week! Hate Sundays. - Go on, Jillian. - He nodded to his assistant, the woman in her 30s. 

- Greg Anderson and Amy Lee Johnson went here on vacation from Canada two weeks ago. They didn’t show up for the check-out in their hotel and never appeared at the airport. 

- Ah, tourists then. Did they search their room? Anything? 

- Not really. They reported there was a leaflet left under their front door. 

- What leaflet? 

- Some ads. -  Jillian scrolled the photos on her phone, picked one and turned to Detective O’Brian. 

- Bell Lab Pharmaceuticals. - Read the detective. - Why would they advertise their services to tourists? Smells dirty. 

- The information on their website id quite scarce. “Experimental research on gene modification and low frequency sound waves and...” 

- ..."And cognitive disorders", yeah. - Detective O’Brian finally lit his cigarette which indicated his raising interest in this case. - those two teens missing from the beginning of the week..Guys studied their Instagram accounts, and noticed the picture of the same leaflet posted. - O’Brians eyes narrowed as if an old fox picked up the trail of a rabbit in the snow.

- Let’s go and check. There’s a system of caves up the hill.

- Interestingly enough, this Bell Lab has bitten off a good deal of the land in the neighbourhood. A couple of miles from here.

- Really? What are you driving at? How the missing people and their lab can be connected?

- Not sure. There was an incident a few years ago, some explosion, and 5 employees went missing.  FBI took over the investigation, they don’t usually share their findings, but that time their representative even gave an interview to the local newspaper. That seemed strange. He mentioned the project Bell Lab was working on. S-OS. A weird name, huh?

So you’re saying they are somehow engaged with these people disappearance? I barely see any connection.

It seemed that there was something moving in the black passage down the cave, and when her eyes adapted to the darkness, her hand slowly grabbed the holster. 

The shadow was moving unsteadily and slowly.

-Hey! Police! Come out side with your hands up! 

The figure didn’t react and continued its walk. The policemen stepped back, both prepared for any unexpected outcome, but for this. The shadow went out of the cave.

- Holy cow! - Detective O’Brian exclaimed as he could instantly recognize one of the missing tourists. It was Amy Lee Johnson herself! 

Amy looked pale and exhausted with her face covered in drained blood, as if her eyes and nose were bleeding. 

- Amy Lee Johnson? We’re from police, it’s ok, you’re safe now! - They rushed to the woman. - Are you alone? Where is your companion?

- You must be shocked. Come, we’ll find your friend. 

Call an ambulance, she seems badly wounded. 

- 4. - pronounced Amy in a flat tone.

They stared at the girl.

- 4, 4, 2, S, 4, 4, 0, S. 

- What? Amy, what are these numbers?  Look at me. - Detective O’Brian touched Amy’s shoulder and withdrawn his hand: her skin was deadly cold.

Detective O’Brian and his assistant went out of the Silverbay Open State hospital, both looking quite puzzled and gloomy. They searched the cave but it’s tunnel system didn’t seem to match the map. There was only a narrow path that faced a dead end, the rock fall blocked the further way. There was no earthquake alarm or any other type of activity that could possibly lead to the cave-in.

Police had been searching the area for 5 days with no success, as there were no track of the other tourist, Greg Anderson, as well as the rest of the missing people. 

Amy’s condition was a complete mystery to her doctors, as her blood test revealed some unknown blood cell activity. The white blood cells were fighting against something alien to her organism, as if it were some virus, yet no evidence was found. The girl didn’t say a word apart from the repetitive sequence of numbers and letters: 4,4,2, S, 4, 4, 0, S.

They’re hiding something, I just sense it. - O’Brian uttered.

A young couple arrived at the hotel without any optimism. This vacation was re-scheduled and they didn’t save enough money to spend their time exploring the area. The hotel room was neat and light, and they forgot about their worry for a while.

It’s so beautiful, just look at that view! - The girl pointed at view from their balcony. Mountainous area sprawled to the horizon where a shining ocean waves were licking the sand. - I can’t wait to get there!

Honey, it will cost us a fortune to get there, let’s find something to look at the walking distance. 

- We’re here for a month, there’s a plenty of time to get find a freelance job and earn just enough to go. Please, please!

Suddenly her gaze stumbled upon a bright leaflet on the bedside table, and the problem seemed to be solved that easy.

Kovaleva E.

 - Any news? – The assistant approached O’Brian, who was leaning at the wall opposite the small window of Amy’s hospital ward. – You look quite exhausted. 

 - Seems like a dead end here. – Detective grabbed a coffee and sipped a little. – Thank you, Jillian. 

The woman was studying the victim through the uncurtained window. She nodded in response. 

 - Shall we ask the doctors to bring her back from this medication sleep?

 - No need, Jillian, - the man was staring at the girl emotionlessly, his hand clenching the empty paper cup. – Let her rest for a while. She will be of a greater help when she regains consciousness. 

 - Shall we wait then? - the woman threw a glance at the detective.

 - No way, my Dear, there’s still a boy left, - he came off the wall, stretched and headed for the exit. The woman followed hastily. – We are going back to the scene. 

 - But the police has already dig it up thrice! There’s nothing left there, but the stones and shrubs!

 - I smell it, Jillian, trust me! 

 - I do, sir, always.

That beeping sound is playing a weird tune in my head. Still motionless. Looks like I’m sunk deep underwater. It soothes the sound and the vibrations.

 – Open your eyes! Now! – The girl in white medical robe shouted at the body desperately. 

 – Calm down, Ida, and take more extreme measures. Turn the apparatus off, for example, or just tas him. – The man entered the room full of medical equipment. He was dressed the same robe but for the light green colour. – Oh, you can’t! – He grinned – Don’t worry! He, – the man glanced at the body, – won’t notice if you fail. 

 - Sean, how could you!?. – The girl was on the verge of bursting into tears.

 - Here, here, – the man came close to the girl and patted her head patronizingly. – What on Earth can go wrong here? We're scot-free.

Greg opened his eyes wide.

It was nearly impossible to breathe, to speak, to move. 

 – Morning, a Sleeping Handsome! – Sean turned to the guy lying on the couch. – Don’t bother introducing yourself – he added – we know all about you.

His lips disobeyed, Greg tried to utter a word. Ida rushed to check the condition and turn off that beeping equipment. It amused the man in the robe.

 – My pretty assistant sold you out, Gregory Anderson. – He smiled and reached out of his pocket some tiny device, – and this little thing. 

Greg tried to fix his eyes on the object.

 – Sure you know WHAT is this, – went on the man. – And how powerful it was. Now it’s a piece of metal crap but you must be grateful to it for saving your precious life. – At this point he burst into sarcastic laugh. – And no drama, please, your might as well become a new Beethoven if you manage to get away with this loss and out of here, of course. 

The heavy door slid shut and Greg was alone and puzzled. He definitely got into trouble, lost Amy and his microscopic device, which enabled him with ultimate hearing. And that girl in white, Ida, used to know him but he couldn’t recall it at all. This was most frustrating. Lost in his memories and thoughts, Greg didn’t notice the moment somebody entered the room.

 – I am terribly sorry for telling Sean all I know about you, Greg, - Ida uttered uncertainly. – And for the UHD*. It must be hard on you now.

 – Ida? – He spoke in a harsh voice. The girl nodded and smiled at him. – Did you say something? It hears like underwater. – Greg tried to smile back. 

 – Oh, sorry, I must speak much louder! I was about to apologize and… 
 – I still can read lips, – he added less loudly with his palm on his breastbone, – but it’s hard to speak normally.

 – I wish I could help!

 – I have an idea! – Exclaimed Greg – I’ll write. 

They searched the room for some paper and stationary to find a small half-written notepad and a couple of pencils.
'Perfect, – wrote Greg. – Ida, there’re questions crowding in my head. Don’t you mind me asking and you answering?' 

 – If it helps. 

'I hope so.'

 – Okay then, – she agreed, – ask. But I may not answer, if I am not willing. And I want to ask you in return. Deal?

'Deal. Here is my first question: How do you know me?' 

Ida paused for a while recollecting her memories and started talking: 

 – Sean told me you could have lost those memories, but I didn’t believe. – She sighed and proceeded, – you were one of the first patients at this Lab when it was doing, – she stumbled. – When we were doing some different research on ultimate hearing and helping disabled people. You were among the first patients and the most successful one. I was in the second group and we would meet occasionally in the hall or at the canteen. I nicknamed you as Prince Charming. – She blushed instantly. – Yes, I crushed on you those days. You were a success, could hear perfectly, and I still got poor ears and a flat chance to improve anything. – She looked at her feet and kept silent for a while. Greg was writing something in his notepad.
‘It’s, - he crossed some words out, - been so long ago, and I can hardly remember you, Ida. Sorry. – He looked straight at her and went on writing. – But I am happy to meet a friend here after all. May I call you a friend?’
 – Sure. Nice to meet you, Greg, – she stretched her hand, and they shook hands and smiled. 
– Now it’s my turn. Tell me about that girl you came with.

‘Her name is Amy. We came here for a holiday and were to return the next day. We are pretty close.’ 

 - Is she your girlfriend? 

‘More than that, I’d say. We go to the same college and take part in some volunteer projects. This is it. Amy is more than a girlfriend to me. She is a soulmate, if you know what I mean.’ 

 –Never believed in soulmates, – Ida said. – Ask a question, your turn.

‘Do you know what happened to Amy?’ – Greg seemed worried.

 – No. She managed to escape but the tunnels are unstable and tricky so she won’t last long. I’m sorry, Greg, maybe you’ll need to find another soulmate?

Greg frowned. He knew Amy well but the news was not optimistic. ‘How long have I been here?’ – he went on asking.

 – Hey, it’s my turn now! But I’ll answer. It’s been almost a week since you fainted in that cave. Now, my question is, how did you get to the secret Lab? 

‘We found the notebook at the seaside and made the worst decision ever to find the owner and return it. We got to the Cale and there we found a flashlight and inscriptions, and so on. The last thing I remember was a sudden dizziness and vibrating low Hz sound crawling under my skin. Then darkness falls... Will you help me to get out of here? Please.’

– Got to go, - Ida rose suddenly, - you’ll get some food soon. And the clothes. Don’t get bored, I’ll be back.

‘Hope, you’re safe, Amy. I’m not gonna stay here long.’ - And he fell into a light sleep.

 - Did you find out what we needed, Ida? - They were in an office-like room, Sean sitting at the table dealing with papers and Ida standing right beside him. 

 - Not much. They found the cave just the way it was supposed to be found, Sean. And he does not remember much of that route and what happened. But, - she paused.

 - Go on, Dear, what makes you worried? 

 - Will he be able to restore his hearing, Sean?

 - Why you ask? A Lim syndrome?

 - No, it’s not what you mean. We were sort of hospital friends back in childhood when those UHDs were tested and implanted. So, I just want to help him. 

 - The staff has made some tests on Gregory, you know. And we neither know why he survived that attack with this minimal loss, nor how to repair that device. The company is into another business now, you know.

 - I wish I could help him, - she sighed.

 - I’m afraid you won’t, Ida. A number of tests has been agreed so be kind with the boy and get some more information.

Ida was scared. The tests Greg was to undergo were ultimate for a man’s cognitive abilities and psycho. She knew she must find a solution and save him within a couple of days. The idea unexpectedly occured to her. All she needed was to borrow some courage. 

Driving to a place, O’Brian hardly had an idea what they were going to look for. ‘Any object, inscription, thing that looks both weird and trivial.’ They spent half an hour under the blazing sun searching when Jillian cried:

 - Detective O’Brian! Detective, please, come up!

 - What’s there, Jillian? – He replied anxiously. – Have you found?

 - An evidence, sir, - replied the woman holding a smartphone in her hand. – It matches the description of the one owned by the boy. The phone is dead but there are letters scratched on the shell: S-O-S.

 - It is a clue, Jillian, which leads us to Greg. The boy might be alive. In captivity, probably, but alive! We need to be back to office. Time won’t wait, Jillian. 

They jumped back into the car and rushed towards the city. Two curious eyes were watching them go and then somebody slid into the cave, opened a hidden door and creeped spylike in.

*Ultimate Hearing Device

- Stop complaining, Martyn! Every cloud has a silver lining! – exclaimed Kate, when they were heading to the office of ‘Bell Lab Pharmaceuticals’.

- Honey, you always drive me nuts! – sighed Martyn, holding a leaflet from their hotel room in his hand. – We are going to this bloody office to make money, but we have already spent a good deal of it to buy you this new ‘Smart casual’ dress so that you could have more chances to get this job! – He paused for a minute. - Oh, according to the map in the leaflet, here`s the entrance. 

- Come on, we`re going to be rich! – chuckled Kate.

Hardly had they entered the building, when the door behind them was suddenly blocked. 

Detective O`Brian entered his office in the Police Department. The telephone was ringing. He took the call.

- Silverbay Police Department, Detective O`Brian.

- Good afternoon, Detective! That`s a stroke of luck that I`ve dialed you directly! My name is Alice Bell. I`ve just watched the news about the case you`re investigating and I have something to tell you in private, – said a woman in a trembling voice, – but I am not allowed to leave the place where I am now.

- And where are you, Madam?

- City Psychiatric Hospital, ward 440.

Jillian standing next to O`Brian caught his eye. They rushed towards the car for the second time in the last two hours. She put the phone with S-O-S – still unregistered in the base – into her pocket.

 

- Alice, you wanted to share some information with us, - said Jillian gently. I am the Detective`s assistant. Won`t you mind if I also participate?

- Sure! You remind me of my own former assistant, Ida. But that is a long story…

“When I saw this video on the news about the girl, Amy… I understood… You know, it was me who pioneered this project.…yadayadayada… I set up the project, because I wanted to help my daughter, as she had lost her hearing in that awful car accident. It mostly aimed at helping deaf and half-deaf people by influencing their brain with the sound of certain acoustic frequencies produced by Ultimate Hearing Devices – we used to call them UHDs. It did work! We had two groups of people under experiment, they all achieved great results, including my daughter and my assistant Ida. And there was a man…Henry? George? Greg! Right, Greg! His results were outstanding. It was a success; my apprehension went dormant. And then there was a catastrophe (sobs). One day I entered the lab and started some novel experiments on low acoustic frequencies. And then I felt nagging, excruciating, unbearable pain. Then I was in coma for 14 months. When I emerged from a coma, I remembered only the numbers… 440442 – the code which I had entered right before it all happened. The accident took place five years ago, but I can`t stop thinking about it. I have remembered more details with the time, and it tortures me, I hear that sound every night when I fall asleep. Probably, if I manage to help you, I will be released from that inner prison.”