The NoSleep Podcast shares: DERELICT - FATHOM

Summary

The NoSleep Podcast Shares: DERELICT - FATHOM

Episode Date: March 2, 2026
Podcast: The NoSleep Podcast (Creative Reason Media Inc.)
Episode Feature: DERELICT - FATHOM, S1E1 ("In the Darkness We See Stars")
Main Theme:
The debut episode of Derelict: Fathom plunges listeners into a claustrophobic, atmospheric blend of science fiction and horror. A secretive corporate research base operates 19,000 feet beneath Earth's ocean, seeking to unlock the secrets of a mysterious artifact—"the Vault"—that resembles an enormous door. As technical failures, psychological strain, and corporate pressures mount, the scientific team teeters on the brink—threatened as much by inner demons as unknown dangers lurking in the dark.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Introduction to the Fathom Base & Central Characters

• Setting: The depths of Earth's ocean, in a secret, corporate-run base built to study an ancient and massive "door" (the Vault) of alien origin.
• Protagonist: Dr. Eva Graff, project director, battles insomnia, guilt, and regret, haunted by personal loss and strained relationships.
• Supporting Characters:
  • Mac: The base’s virtual intelligence (VI), recently acting erratically since an explosion.
  • Dr. Clayton: Medical officer, concerned about Eva’s mental state.
  • Commander Joe Freeman: Base commander, pragmatic, at odds with Eva over project stressors and protocols.
  • Agent Blaine: Internal Security Division (ISD) officer sent to investigate recent sabotage.

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2. Psychological Strain, Guilt, and Dreams

• Eva confides in Mac and Dr. Clayton about haunting dreams and sleeplessness.
• Clayton: “According to the biologs, you haven't slept a regular cycle in more than a month.” (03:27)
• Eva’s unresolved grief over her daughter’s death, and fractured relationship with her wife Angela, pervades the story (Angela’s voicemail at 06:19–07:53 is especially poignant).

  Angela’s Voicemail: “You act like you’re the only one who feels anything… I miss her, too. Maybe even just as much as you. I’m sorry for that.” (06:19–07:53)

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3. Technical Failures and Sabotage

• The station’s systems are unstable after a major explosion; Emerson, the VI engineer, is missing (03:30–04:35).
• Mac is believed to be malfunctioning, but physical checks yield no clear damage. Mac’s behavior is noticeably off, causing concern for base security.
• Freightened dialogue highlights anxiety:

  “Yesterday you told me it was snowing in Chicago in June.” – Eva to Mac (05:25–05:32)
  “That’s going to limit my research ability.” – Eva, on limiting Mac's critical access, to Agent Blaine (20:38–20:41)

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4. Corporate Pressure and Internal Threats

• The corporation begins recalling non-essential personnel, mothballing equipment, and threatening to shut down the station (09:36–10:19).
• ISD Agent Blaine interrogates Eva and Freeman about the sabotage, questioning the base’s research progress and the viability of continuing the project.

  “Almost a year of your life on this project, and you still have no clue what it is you’re trying to open.” – Blaine (29:45–30:08)

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5. The Artifact ("The Vault") and Its Mysteries

• Vault Details:

  • 2,000ft in diameter, carbon dated to 7 million years old—proof of alien origin.
  • Buried undersea, with no seams or opening mechanism accessible to humans.
  • Broadcasts a VLF (very low frequency) signal modulated with a repeating binary equation.

• Project Challenge:

  • The team believes solving the equation and broadcasting the correct solution will unlock the vault.
  • All physical attempts to breach it (excavation, explosives, lasers) have failed entirely (27:23–27:57).

• Notable Scene:

  • The first view of the Vault, with Mac illuminating it:

    “Sometimes I think I can almost see it better with the lights off. Like it’s darker than everything else.” – Eva (22:24–22:47)
    “I don’t see anything, just black.” – Blaine (22:47)
    “Now that is something.” – Blaine, as the Vault is lit up (23:07–23:12)

• The Signal & Equation:

  • The VLF signal is both a key and a lock; decoding its “equation” should open the door.
  • Eva: “The signal isn’t just noise. … It’s a bitch to decode, but in the end, it’s binary, like any other carrier signal. The equation you’re looking at is the sole piece of data on that wave. And the vault is broadcasting it over and over.” (25:06–26:06)

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6. Escalating Breakdown and Paranoia

• Psychological deterioration: staff losing sleep, suffering hallucinations (notably, hearing voices within the Vault’s signal).

• Suicidal breakdowns:

  “Dr. Edgar tried to blow up this base to stop what was happening here…. He hanged himself in his cell last night.” – Blaine (33:41–33:46)

• Blaine accuses Eva of similar instability, citing medical logs and staff reports:

  “You said you were hearing voices. And you were hearing them way before Dr. Edgar did.” (33:54–34:08)
  “I don’t sleep. I do… I hear her. And then it starts all over again.” – Eva, breaking under pressure (34:33–35:10)

• Blaine orders Eva off the project:

  “You need to go back to your quarters and start packing your things and get ready to return to the surface.” (35:21–35:26)

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7. The Final Act: Discovery, Catastrophe, and Cliffhanger

• Edgar’s Last Message:

  • Eva receives a chilling voicemail from Edgar (posthumous recording) confirming his madness and hinting at the key to the Vault:

    “You were half right. The signal is the key. But it’s the lock too. And you never thought about the timing, Eva.” (40:16–41:37)

• Eva, desperate, solves the equation using the timing of the signal (10 seconds long, 2 seconds pause per cycle).

  • She and Mac confirm a working solution:

    “The equation resolves with the following result. 110 decibels.” – Mac (43:11–43:19)

• Sabotage or Chaos:

  • Eva tries to enlist Freeman to help transmit the solution, hoping for vindication and career salvation.
  • Simultaneously, a catastrophic hull breach occurs, plunging the base into chaos. Communications and systems collapse; Mac is unreachable (46:11–47:17).

• Eva’s Final Stand:

  • Eva barely survives a flooding incident, reporting her location via radio:

    “This is Dr. Eva Graff. There was a hull breach in the western dorms. The water flushed me into the dive from airlock. I vented it. I’m alive. Does anyone copy?” (48:26–49:02)

  • The episode ends unresolved, the fate of the base and its crew unknown.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “They say that in the dark, the eyes begin to see. And in the silence, we begin to listen… Whatever we try to escape, we inevitably bring with us, even to the darkest, quietest places.” – Eva, reflective prologue (01:39–03:01)
• Angela’s Message: “It’s really selfish, you know that?” – Angela (06:19–07:53)
• “Sometimes I think I can almost see it better with the lights off. Like it’s darker than everything else.” – Eva (22:24–22:47)
• “You said you were hearing voices. And you were hearing them way before Dr. Edgar did.” – Blaine confronts Eva (33:54–34:08)
• “I’ve decided I want it open. And for everything in there to just crawl out. You deserve it. You more than anyone.” – Edgar’s final message (40:16–41:37)
• “The signal is the key. But it’s the lock too. And you never thought about the timing, Eva.” – Edgar (41:16–41:37)
• “The equation resolves with the following result. 110 decibels.” – Mac, as Eva cracks the code (43:11–43:19)
• Hull breach chaos and Eva’s desperate survival report. (48:26–49:02)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------|------------------| | Atmosphere and Eva’s monologue | 01:39–03:01 | | Angela’s message (emotional core) | 06:19–07:53 | | ISD agent’s interrogation begins | 14:42–21:12 | | Description of the Vault, artifact | 21:51–28:04 | | The vault’s signal and equation explained | 24:55–28:04 | | Mental deterioration, accusations | 29:45–35:10 | | Edgar’s final, disturbing voicemail | 39:09–41:37 | | Eva solves the equation | 42:53–43:19 | | Hull breach and catastrophic collapse | 46:11–49:02 |

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Tone & Style

• The episode is tense, atmospheric, and introspective, blending existential horror with hard science fiction trappings.
• Dialogue is often clipped, vulnerable, and sometimes combative—reflecting fraught interpersonal dynamics and psychological strain.

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Summary

The first episode of Derelict: Fathom constructs a world as alien and chilling as the artifact it seeks to unravel. The mounting pressure—psychological, emotional, and physical—on the research team is palpably rendered through taut dialogue and memorable monologues. As the team teeters on a precipice between scientific curiosity and existential dread, the initial mystery morphs into an overwhelming threat, both from within the base and from the enigmatic Vault itself. The episode closes on a cliffhanger, leaving both characters and listeners uncertain of what darkness, once unsealed, may come crawling into the light.

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For more, listen to Derelict: Fathom on your favorite podcast platform or visit derelictpodcast.com.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, Sleepless Cummings here. Just dropping into your feed this week to share with you a podcast I think you'll really enjoy. It's called Derelict. Derelict is an immersive sci fi horror podcast. The story begins with its first season, Fathom, in which an ancient artifact resembling a giant door has been found at the bottom of Earth's ocean. To study it, the galaxy's most powerful corporation has built a massive secret research base. Surround it. Their objective, unlock the secrets of the artifact and discover what it holds inside. But some mysteries should remain buried and some doors should never be opened. The second season picks up several years after the events from the first season, this time continuing the story in the depths of space. The series is a very immersive movie like audio experience that's been influenced by things such as Alien, HP Lovecraft and 2001 A Space Odyssey. Derelict has received thousands of five star reviews and millions of downloads. And both the full first and second seasons are out now and available to listen to. You can find Derelict on any of your favorite podcast platforms by visiting derelictpodcast.com or by clicking the link in the show notes. Now please enjoy the very first episode from season one.

[B]

They say that in the dark the eyes begin to see. And in the silence, we begin to listen. Believe me, nowhere is it darker or quieter than in this place. The bottom of the OCE, 19,000ft down. That's why I came here after all, isn't it? Why I buried myself the furthest away I could possibly get. But loss is an insidious thing. Whatever we try to escape, we inevitably bring with us, even to the darkest, quietest places. And in the dark, we have no choice but to listen. Jesus.

[C]

Dr. Groff?

[B]

Yes?

[C]

Are you okay?

[B]

Fine.

[C]

Your heart rate is quite elevated. Your blood oxygen level.

[B]

I'm fine, Clayton. Thank you.

[C]

Dreams again?

[B]

Is that a crime?

[C]

Would you like a sedative? It can really help you sleep.

[B]

No.

[C]

Eva, according to the biologs, you haven't slept a regular cycle in more than a month.

[B]

How many times do I have to say I'm fine?

[C]

Logs don't lie either.

[B]

And they don't tell the whole story either. Sarah, what's up with the repairs?

[C]

Well, you'd have to ask Freeman for the whole picture, but last I heard it was going well. They have most of the supports for Fathom west patched, working on North. Now I know why you're asking. I haven't heard of the access to relays back up or not.

[B]

Hopefully not much longer.

[C]

Couple of weird things, though.

[B]

What?

[C]

Well, they finally got the mainframe open. With Mac acting the way he's been, everyone felt there must been some damage to his systems from the explosion, flooding or something.

[B]

There wasn't.

[C]

Not any that Emerson could find. No water present in the room. Mainframe itself is undamaged. They're going over it now, though.

[B]

Well, no one knows, Mack. Like Emerson.

[C]

That's the other thing. No one knows where Emerson is.

[B]

What do you mean no one knows?

[C]

Max, personnel tracking is down now and no one can raise her on comms. She may be outside checking the capsule's exterior. With all the Eddie activity, though.

[B]

Well, people don't just disappear, especially down here. And Emerson's sort of aloof. Anyway, she'll show up at lunch. Sarah, I need to get up now.

[C]

I still think. Sedatives.

[B]

Thank you, Doctor. Jesus.

[D]

Good morning, Dr. Graff.

[B]

Good morning, Mac. I was just talking about. You heard Emerson is poking around in your brain.

[D]

Ms. Emerson is attempting to determine the cause of my minor malfunctions. My own diagnostics continue to show no errors or latency.

[B]

Well, something's up. Yesterday you told me it was snowing in Chicago in June.

[D]

It is puzzling. I was extensively stress tested before be approved for deployment. An explosion such as the one Fathom base experienced last week should not have caused any permanent damage. Will you be returning to sleep, Dr. Graph?

[B]

No. No, I don't think so.

[D]

I'll prepare your coffee. You have two new voicemails if you would like them.

[B]

Who's the first from?

[D]

The first voicemail is from your wife, Dr. Graph.

[B]

She's not my. Play it, please. Ma.

[D]

Plain message from Angela Graff. Timestamped June 17, 11:45pm hi.

[C]

Don't know why I do this. You never respond. It's like talking to a ghost or sending messages to a ghost or. Christ, Eva, we haven't spoken in two months. I at least expected something yesterday. Yesterday of all days. You know, you act like you're the only one who feels anything or. I don't know, like you're the only one who has a right to feel anything. It's really selfish, you know that? It's really. I just expected something. It's all. Listen, I'm not going to send these anymore. Eva, I. I took a commission off World Colony assignment. It's not with the corporation. You don't have to worry about my own thing. It's what I've wanted to do for a long time. You know what? I just. Yeah. I waited as long as I could, I guess. But I can see you're not coming back. I don't understand it. I don't know why we couldn't be there for each other. Go through this together. I don't. I miss her, too. Maybe even just as much as you. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I called you selfish, too.

[D]

I.

[C]

I'm just sorry. I'm sorry every way I can be sorry. I love you, Eva. Always.

[D]

Would you like to respond to the message? Dr. Graff, would you like to respond to the message?

[B]

Delete it.

[D]

Are you certain, Dr. Graff?

[B]

Delete it.

[D]

Message deleted. Would you like to hear your second voice?

[E]

Eva, I need you to wake up and get over to hydroponics.

[B]

Good morning to you, too. Joe, is it?

[E]

ISDS here wants to meet with us.

[A]

Already?

[B]

I thought his sub wasn't scheduled until tomorrow night.

[E]

Yeah, well, I guess he decided to accelerate the schedule. I don't think it's a good sign, do you?

[B]

Can it wait? I'm. I'm just not.

[E]

It's internal security, Eva. No, it can't wait. I'd like to know what you plan to say, though.

[B]

Yeah, well, I bet you would.

[E]

Eva, I swear to God, if you try to pin this on.

[B]

Stardom is your base, isn't it, Joe? You are the commander.

[E]

Edgar's was science team, not command.

[B]

And it was your security protocols he ordered overrode. Your explosives he stole.

[E]

Look, there's plenty of blame to go around. That's how they're gonna look at it. I just think. I just think if we put our heads together on this, we can come out of this with our job still intact.

[B]

Oh, God, Joe. Neither of us tried to blow up the damn base, did we? The only one on the chopping block is Edgar's. MD's put way too much money into this travesty to pull either of us out now.

[E]

Really? Then why are they ordering what's left of the science team back to the surface?

[B]

What? Wait, what? They can't do that. We're already a skeleton crew. I have half the people I need to complete this or even figure it out.

[E]

They did that, and they did not. Essentials, too. Indefinitely. We started mothballing rovers and dive suits last night, and analytics just left out a sub 15 minutes ago. Where have you been, Joe?

[A]

That.

[B]

That doesn't make any sense. There has to be an explanation.

[E]

Yeah, there's an explanation. You've been down here 11 months, and that thing out there is no closer to being open than the day it was found. Add to that, you got people on your team running around trying to blow up the place. A place that, yes, they have sunk a lot of money into. What you think was gonna happen, Eva? What you think they were gonna do?

[B]

Okay, I don't know what to you. I'll fix this. I'll fix it.

[E]

I'm holding my breath. Dr. Graff. Hydroponics, ASAP.

[B]

Get a grip. Get a grip. Pup in cup. Get a grip. Cup on pup. Mouse house.

[F]

Mouse eye.

[D]

House.

[F]

Come and get your Lego. Come and get your Lego.

[D]

Happy birthday, girl.

[B]

Mac?

[D]

I'm here, Dr. Grass.

[B]

Undelete that last message, please.

[D]

Message from Angela. Graph restored. Have I already asked if you would like coffee this morning, Dr. Graph?

[B]

Yes, Ma. You have.

[D]

Apologies, Dr. Graph. I don't seem quite myself, do I?

[F]

I got.

[B]

Oh, my God. Yeah. You and me both. We've been through a lot together, haven't we?

[D]

We have worked together for quite some time, yes. Dr. Graff.

[B]

You were designed for this project.

[D]

Not entirely. I believe my story. And virtual intelligence development was already in the process of planning for a new VI model. But the discovery of the Fathom artifact accelerated the development process.

[B]

Exactly. If we never would have found the vault, you and I would never have met.

[D]

I suppose that is true, Dr. Graff. Come and get your liquor.

[B]

A computer and you are the closest thing I have to a friend down here.

[D]

I appreciate the cinnamon, Dr. Graff. I enjoy our interactions a great deal.

[B]

Do you ever wonder why things work out the way they do? Mac, do you ever look back at your life and see all the turning points? Just one turning point point, even one moment that sets you on a totally different course? Like a train that takes the wrong track, you're locked in. Then there's no going back.

[D]

No, Dr. Kraft, those types of calculations are beyond my programming.

[B]

Lucky you.

[D]

Mac.

[B]

Look at you.

[D]

Your coffee is ready, Dr. Graff.

[B]

Swell.

[D]

It.

[G]

Is.

[B]

Here I am.

[E]

Eva, this is Agent Blaine, ISD.

[F]

Dr. Graph.

[B]

Eva is fine.

[F]

Eva. Appreciate you coming. Know it's early. Know you weren't expecting me until tomorrow.

[B]

It's your world, Agent plane. We just live in it. See, you've already been talking with Commander Freeman.

[F]

I wanted to talk to you separately, if that's okay.

[B]

You're isd. I want to cooperate in any way I can.

[F]

I appreciate that. I know you've had a rough time of it. Freeman was just going over the status of the base repairs.

[E]

Yeah. Northern platform got hit the worst. Three capsules breached and flooded, but the supports on west and north were damaged. Dodge, Gregor has planted explosives up and down both.

[F]

And 11 people were killed. Am I right about that?

[B]

Yeah, that's right.

[F]

You guys will have to keep forgiving me. There's a lot down here I don't understand yet. You're rushing the support repairs because of underwater storms.

[B]

Eddies. It's the technical term. Big pockets of moving water that break off from the boundary current nearby. It happens frequently here. It's one of the reasons working outside is so dangerous.

[F]

What kind of currents are we talking about?

[E]

Intense when they surge. 40 to 50 knots. And 40 to 50 knots of hundreds of tons of water.

[F]

Got it.

[E]

Mack has a model for forecasting them. Right now, the forecast says no eddies for three days. Which is the window we're going with. We should have the supports repaired and braced by then.

[F]

I see. What door is this? The one you're working on.

[D]

Here.

[E]

Hydroponics. These doors came down with the explosion. Happened and got wedged when the capsule shifted. Every room on Fathom is basically its own separate building. We call them capsules. Every entry point into a new capsule has emergency pressure doors that come down in the event of a hole breach to seal them. Max says the capsule on the other side isn't flooded, but even so, it's probably a total loss. Crops don't do well without irrigation.

[F]

Is it possible the damage was more isolated to the northern platform intentionally?

[B]

If Dr. Edgar's wanted to target one platform over another, I think he'd focus on West. The reactor's there. That's. That's where you do the most damage.

[E]

I'd say he did enough damage regardless.

[F]

The labs are on this platform, though. All your research. So is your VI's mainframe. From what I hear, it's been acting erratic.

[E]

Yeah, that's true. VI has been acting strange ever since. Emerson's trying to figure it out now.

[F]

Strange how?

[E]

Simple things. Waking teams up at the wrong times, forgetting who people are. Shutting lights off in the middle of lunch, stuff like that.

[F]

But his main functions.

[B]

He hasn't missed a beat as far as the project goes. And he designed the repair procedure for the platform supports on west and north.

[E]

Ask me, I think it should be shut down. Turning off the lights is one thing. Depressurizing the base is another.

[B]

Mac wouldn't do that.

[E]

What Dr. Graff means to say is Mac's programming wouldn't allow it to do that. But she thinks of Mac as a person. I see it as a tool. And tools can malfunction.

[B]

You think what Edgar was targeting Ma?

[F]

I don't know. But Dr. Edgers was a smart guy. Triple PhD band 11 Nobel Prize winning engineer with almost 100 patents.

[B]

So.

[F]

Just doesn't sound like a guy to me that does anything randomly. I'd like to speak to the VI engineer if I could.

[E]

So would I, but Emerson's been offline all morning.

[F]

Offline?

[E]

Can't raise her on comms. And Mac can't pinpoint her location. Then again, he can't pinpoint anyone's location right now.

[F]

I guess.

[D]

Everyone hold on to something.

[F]

What happened?

[E]

Holes breached to the other side of the door.

[B]

Mac, reseal the pressure doors.

[F]

We should have done that already, Mack.

[D]

Attention, please stand clear. Ceiling Hydroponics pressure doors in three, two, one.

[E]

Mac, what happened?

[D]

It appears the hydroponics capsule silvered a whole bridge that was flooded when the pressure doors were first open.

[E]

The water on the other side wasn't breached.

[F]

You said it was pressurized.

[D]

I am confused by this chain of events. I see in my communication logs. I did state that hydroponics was pressurized and free of water. I cannot explain. This is.

[E]

I want it shut down. I got men hurt. We're lucky we all didn't just drown to death. I want it shut down.

[B]

You can't shut it down, Joe. It's a $200 million asset. We can do an Alpha Level reboot if we need to, but Emerson is AWOL if we need to.

[E]

It almost killed us.

[F]

Everyone relax. Everyone take a breath.

[E]

Don't tell me to take a breath, Freeman.

[F]

Take a breath.

[E]

Fine, sure, but shut it down. Shut it down or I will. I mean it.

[B]

What does that mean, Joe? We've already had enough sabotage, don't you think? Jo. God damn it.

[F]

You okay?

[B]

Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just. Welcome to Fathom.

[F]

Tensions are high. Nothing I didn't expect.

[B]

You wouldn't shut him down, right? You wouldn't shut down Mac?

[F]

No, no, you're right. Shutting down a VI is essentially terminating it. Not to mention hitting the delete button and all the stored research. It's a very expensive asset for the corporation.

[B]

I couldn't afford that loss. Not now, not after the explosion. We're already staffed as it is.

[F]

I am going to limit Mac's access to critical systems, though. I keep them online. Just reigned in.

[B]

But not for the project, right? I'd have him for that.

[F]

For research, all critical systems, just for the moment.

[B]

That's going to limit my research ability.

[F]

I'm aware.

[B]

I don't think you are. I need Mac for signal analysis, for calculations on the equation, not to mention graph.

[F]

You're not going to be doing any research in the immediate future. I'm ordering the relay shut down.

[B]

Even if the connection's restored, you can't do that. You already pulled the rest of my team. Now you're taking Mac and the relay.

[F]

Let's talk somewhere else.

[B]

Let's talk now. I need Mac. I need.

[F]

Let's talk somewhere else. Dr. Graph.

[B]

Find. There's a meeting room and lap three.

[F]

I was thinking observation.

[B]

You want to see it?

[F]

I want to see it.

[B]

Like I said, it's your world. Follow me, Agent Blaine.

[F]

That is a lot of windows.

[B]

180 degree view of the whole sordid affair.

[F]

We're looking outside. Into the water.

[B]

We are.

[F]

Feels darker than space.

[B]

It actually is. In space, you get starlight. Not much, but it still counts. Lumens. Down here, there's nothing.

[F]

And what, it's straight out there?

[B]

About 600 yards. Usually there's some kind of illumination around it. Subs, rovers, divers. But since the explosions, that's all stopped. Sometimes I think I can almost see it better with the lights off. Like it's darker than everything else.

[F]

I don't see anything. Just black.

[B]

Mac, I'm here. Dr. Graph, will you hit the vault lights for me?

[D]

Full spread. Dr. Graph?

[B]

Yes, please.

[F]

Now that is something.

[B]

Yes. Yes, it is.

[F]

Size I. I didn't expect.

[B]

It's 2,000ft in diamet.

[F]

Carbon dating.

[B]

Seven million years old.

[F]

Seven million? That's unbelievable. The first proof of extraterrestrial life and we find at the bottom of the ocean.

[B]

Life is too ironic to fully understand. Takes noise to appreciate silence. An absence to value presence.

[F]

You scientists, you all love Voltaire, don't

[D]

you?

[F]

Forgot a part, though. It takes sadness to understand what happiness is.

[B]

I don't believe that part.

[F]

Correct my math, like I said. Still coming up to speed on this. Eleven years ago, an energy company comes down here looking for a geothermal reactor site. They unearth that instead. Buried. Not 19,000ft down. And we think it's a door.

[B]

We know it is substrophic. Filters show a space under it. A big space door is a near perfect circle. The laser scans tell us hinges on the northern side. Huge ones, but no electronics. No visible hydraulics even. And no locking mechanism that we can interact with. At least there's no obvious way to open it at first.

[F]

So you found the signal, right?

[B]

Mac, play the vault signal.

[D]

Recording or live broadcast, Dr. Graff?

[B]

Live, please.

[F]

Wow, that's lively.

[B]

It's broadcasting and cycling at vlf, very low frequency. And that's important because. VLF waves are one of the few that travel well, underwater. This one is at 11 kilohertz.

[F]

Travels, but not far, right?

[B]

Right about a quarter mile.

[F]

So basically down. You'd have to be on top of it to find it.

[B]

I don't think it was meant to be found, except by someone who knew where to look.

[F]

Then why the signal at all?

[B]

I'm glad you asked. Knack, turn off the vault signal and put up the vault equation on all monitors.

[F]

That is a lot of numbers.

[B]

The signal isn't just noise. It's a carrier wave. Modulated sinusoidal waveform. It's a bitch to decode, but in the end, it's binary, like any other carrier signal. The equation you're looking. Looking at is the sole piece of data on that wave. And the vault is broadcasting it over and over.

[F]

Like a key?

[B]

More like a hint to the key. Figure out the equation. You figure out how to open the vault.

[D]

How?

[B]

We believe that solving the equation will give us the frequency and the data packets to transmit back to the fault's reception device. We think that should initiate its opening procedure.

[F]

And how far along are you to solving it?

[B]

The equation, long as it is, isn't all that tough. It needs two variables to solve, and it solves with numbers in a rational integer pattern. We've tried a lot of them. We're into the seven digits now. Once we have a solution, we broadcast the answers in a frequency back to the receptor. We went through the VLF band pretty quick. That's why we built the relay next to the vault. Once we got out of vlf, the signals didn't travel very well down here. We needed a broadcasting source that was physically closer.

[F]

No reaction from locking mechanism?

[B]

Not yet. We've theorized maybe the vault wasn't yet submerged when it was implanted and the water inhibits the reception. But our geologist confirms that it was underwater at the time of the construction. Not to mention, this signal is in VLF like it was designed to go through water.

[F]

And I assume you've tried other ways to get in besides the lock?

[B]

Freeman's team excavated around the entire perimeter, down to about 300ft. Extra depth. They never found an end to the structure. So. So it's that deep. At least excavating beyond that, at this depth, well, it gets hairy quick. They lost two men just getting that far.

[F]

Explosives.

[B]

Whatever that alloy is, it's harder than plexi steel. Diamond filament blades, laser cutters. Nothing Freeman's boys tried, even scratched it. And no, before you ask, the vault can't be pried open either. The Lock can't be forced.

[D]

Why?

[B]

There's no seam, no gap between the door and the container.

[F]

Well, how's that even possible?

[B]

We don't know. Some unique aspect of the alloy or. Or maybe it's by design, an additional security measure. I guess. Once the locking mechanism activates somehow, the entire thing unseals itself explosively with heat plasma. I don't know. It's anyone's guess.

[F]

What do you think, Dr. Graff?

[B]

Well, can you be more specific about the artif.

[F]

Why do you think it is? You're the project director. You got to have a theory. You, if anyone. Why put a giant door on the bottom of the ocean? An ocean on a planet that at the time, nothing intelligent lived on?

[B]

I don't know. All I know is it shouldn't be here. But it is.

[F]

Yeah, just like us.

[B]

All right, I get why you're agent Plane. Do you know an MD employee tries to blow up an MD facility, doesn't care who he kills, doesn't care about the attention he draws. This is a black site after all. Not the kind of headlines MD Wants on the news. There is that you're here to investigate, sniff out any collaborators Edgar's might have had. Sign blame.

[F]

I prefer the word responsibility.

[B]

Whatever the word, the problem I have with it is you don't seem to know very much about this project. And I would have hoped that whoever the corporation sent to assign responsibility would have been a little more informed.

[F]

MD has hundreds of black site projects around the galaxy. They're black site for a reason. Like every piece of information the corporation deals out. You get it when you need it. I don't need to know the background of this place or the specifics of your research to form an opinion on your results. Almost a year of your life on this project, and you still have no clue what it is you're trying to open.

[B]

Oh, no, wait.

[F]

I wonder if your research progress is more than just slow. I wonder if it's intentionally slow.

[B]

I'm sorry.

[F]

You were offered this position once, Project Director, and you turned it down. Two months later, you lobbied to be included again. Now, why was that? Was it because of your daughter?

[B]

What did you just say?

[F]

I wonder if you took this job because down here, there's nothing to remind you of home. I wonder if the thing that scares you most about this is having to leave it.

[B]

Is this a performance review or a psych evil?

[F]

It's whatever I want it to be, Eva. Right now I'm trying to decide whether or not to pull you off entirely. Pull you off and send you home.

[B]

You don't have the authority.

[F]

I don't. You're right. But the executive board does. And they want my opinion to make their decision.

[D]

Look,

[B]

all right, look. Figuring things out like that out there, it. It doesn't happen overnight. And. And there's. There's been progress. Figured out a lot.

[F]

You mean the signal which apparently drives people crazy.

[B]

No, wait, that's not true. It's harmless. It's just a looping carrier waveform.

[F]

Did Dr. Edgar's think it was harmless?

[B]

Edgar's lost his shit down here. Like pretty much everyone else does eventually.

[F]

Dr. Edgar's tried to blow up this base so as to stop what was happening here. A galactically respected scientist, and your explanation is he lost it.

[B]

You look out there. Look, human beings aren't supposed to be down here. You said it yourself. We might as well have been dropped on the moon. It takes a toll. It gets to everyone.

[F]

Edgar said he heard voices in the signal.

[B]

It's just him losing it.

[F]

Three other science staff said the same thing. Voices in the signal. Hundreds of them. Are they losing it too?

[B]

It's just the power of suggestion. Stories like Edgar's, they take a life of their own, especially in a place like this.

[F]

Edgar said to the interviewer he was convinced that the thing out there wasn't a vault at all.

[B]

Yeah, I know what he.

[F]

Dr. Edgar didn't think it was designed to keep things out. I know he thought it was designed to keep something in.

[B]

That's someone cracking under pressure.

[F]

You have no clue what that thing is or what's inside it, or what happens when it's over.

[B]

You can't possibly believe Edgar's.

[F]

Do you know what the internal Security division does, Eva? We deal with things when they get out of hand. I am very good at it. And I've been from one end of this galaxy to the other doing it. The things I've seen, the kinds of projects this Corporation engages in, the Pandora's boxes they've opened. I know the kind of darkness Mastorian's capable of finding. I've shut it back in the box over and over again. And the only reason I keep doing it is because right now, I still believe the good the Corporation does outweighs the horror. So if you ask me whether or not I could believe the ghost stories of an unhinged triple PhD holding research scientist who tried to blow up his own project to stop it from succeeding, the answer is, I could ask Edgar's.

[B]

Ask him. He's on the surface now. He'll have recovered. He'll tell you. He'll tell you it was just this place. It got to him and he lost it. That's what he'll say.

[F]

I would very much like to ask him about his experiences here, Dr. Graff. But I can't.

[B]

Why not?

[F]

Because he hanged himself in his cell last night.

[B]

What?

[F]

Dr. Edgar is dead. And what worries me more than any. That you're hearing voices, too.

[B]

No. No, no, I.

[F]

Your medical officer, Dr. Clayton, put it in your chart. You said you were hearing voices. And you were hearing them way before Dr. Edgar did.

[B]

Once. I said I heard it. Once. I was wrong.

[F]

Dr. Clayton also says you're not sleeping.

[B]

That's an exaggeration.

[F]

She says you're losing your grip. Says your team has reported you erratic. That you give the same orders multiple times.

[B]

That's not fair.

[F]

She put the same exact. Dr. Edgar's file.

[B]

Dr. Edgar.

[F]

She said he couldn't sleep either. At the end. She said he roamed the halls all night. She said his eyes were bloodshot.

[A]

She said.

[B]

I can't go home. Please, I. I can't go back. Being down here, this. This work, it's all. You're right. Okay? I don't sleep. I don't sleep. I'm. And I do. I hear her. And then it starts all over again.

[F]

I'm sorry I pushed you like that, Dr. Graff, but I had to see for myself. Your state. I think it's a good thing I did.

[B]

What does that mean?

[F]

It means you need to go back to your quarters and start packing your things and get ready to return to the surface.

[D]

No.

[F]

That will be all, Dr. Grass.

[B]

No, please.

[F]

I know how your daughter died. But the truth is they don't care about any of that. All they care about is results. And you haven't had enough, Blaine. Go home, Dr. Graff. There's nothing here for you but pain.

[B]

What do you know about pain?

[F]

I've had my share.

[C]

It.

[D]

Oh, God.

[B]

Oh, God.

[C]

Mac.

[D]

I'm here, Dr. Graph. I'm here, Dr. Graphic.

[B]

Graph me. Call angela.

[D]

Of course. Dr. Graph. Calling angela graph.

[C]

Hey, this is Angela. Leave me a message and I'll consider calling.

[D]

Call to Angela. Graph disconnected. Doctor Graph. You seem agitated.

[B]

You think so? Mac,

[D]

Is there anything I can do to help?

[B]

I don't know. Can you roll back time?

[D]

I'm afraid I do not have that ability, Dr. Graph. Chamomile tea has been shown to have a relaxing effect in times of stress. Would you like me to make you a cup?

[B]

How about a whiskey, Mac?

[D]

Alcohol Is restricted on Fathom base to weekends only.

[B]

Oh, you can't make an exception for an old friend.

[D]

I'm afraid not, Dr. Graph.

[B]

Thanks anyway, Mac.

[D]

As a reminder, you still have one unheard of heard voicemail.

[B]

Yeah. Who's it from?

[D]

The voicemail is from Dr. Richard Edgar.

[B]

Edgar.

[D]

Yes, Dr. Richard Edgar. The message was received 11 hours ago.

[B]

Play it.

[D]

Playing Message from Dr. Richard Edgar.

[G]

They gave me one phone call, Eva. I used it for you. Flattered. I won't be here tomorrow. Maybe you'll hear. Maybe you won't. Doesn't matter. I hoped when they pulled me out of that place and back under the sun, that one Salah said have that I wouldn't hear them anymore. But I still do. Firm their way inside my head. They're all I hear. Even when I close my eyes, they're all I hear. I haven't slept in a month. How are you sleeping even? I've decided I don't care anymore. I've decided I want it open.

[D]

Open.

[G]

And for everything in there to just crawl out. You deserve it. You more than anyone. See the world. No one will tell. Tell what? I already figured out what I kept from everyone. It's actually very simple. I won't just give it to you though. I want you to make your choice. I want you to look back and know that it was you that caused it. So here it is. You were half right. The signal is the key. But it's the lock too. And you never thought about the timing, Eva. Right there in front of you. You never thought about it at all. Sad thing is, I know you'll do it. You'll do whatever it takes. If they just let you stay down there, I'd say you have my sympathies. But we both know better.

[B]

Mac.

[D]

I'm here, Dr. Grass.

[B]

Delete this message.

[D]

Are you certain, Dr. Grass?

[B]

Yes. Delete it now and scrub it. No backups.

[D]

Message from Dr. Edgar's permanently deleted.

[B]

All right, Mac. Play the vault signal live broadcast. Mac, I want to know the timing of the signal. How long is it? Is it the same length every time? And does the length of time vary in between each broadcast?

[D]

The signal is exactly 10 seconds long. And is the same linked every broadcast. The time in between each broadcast is exactly 2 seconds.

[B]

When you say exactly, you mean with what specificity?

[D]

Down to the millisecond. Dr. Graph. It is exact.

[B]

It's exact. Nat, put up the signal equation on monitor three, please. Mac, I'd like to try solving the equation with y equals 10 and x equals 2 confirming variable input.

[D]

Y equals 10 and x equals 2.

[B]

Now hit it.

[D]

The equation does not resolve with y equals 10 and x equals 2.

[B]

Mac. Try x. X equals 10 and y equals 2.

[D]

The equation resolves with the following result. 110 decibels.

[B]

Exactly. 11.

[D]

Yes, Dr. Graff. 110 decibels.

[B]

The frequency of the vault signal. It's 11 hertz.

[D]

That is correct. Under graph, the same number as the A solved equation.

[B]

The lock and the key. I can't believe it's simple, I guess. Mac, turn off the vault signal. Oh, you just need to sleep.

[D]

Sleep.

[B]

You just need sleep. Ma, get me freeman.

[E]

I can't help you, Eva. You did this to yourself.

[B]

Joe. I figured it out.

[E]

Explaining how serious this was, but you wouldn't listen. I'm in the same boat this Blaine guy's recommending.

[B]

I figured it out, Joe.

[E]

Figured out what?

[B]

The vault. It's a long story, but I figured it out. I can open it. I can give them what they want. We can give them what they want.

[F]

We?

[B]

Yes. Together. All I need is access to the relay. Local access. With it disconnected from the labs, it the only way.

[E]

You want to take a suit and make a floor walk to the relay, use the controls locally.

[B]

Not me, Joe.

[E]

Oh, now I get it. You want me to do it. You want me to go around an ISD mandate with an agent on deck? I hate to break it to you, but it won't just be me they throw in prison.

[D]

It'll be both of us.

[B]

Because it will work this time. I know it. We. We can both come out of this on top. We. We can both stay. We won't have to go back. We can.

[E]

The hell does that matter?

[B]

It doesn't. The point is, if we do this, we don't just go back to how it was. We'll close out a major project milestone. There will be bonuses. There will be promotions. Maryland rewards ambition. It rewards it above everything. We can turn this whole thing around, Joe. It will work. Joe. Joe. Mac, get me Freeman back. Mac. Mac, what's the

[A]

Ma.

[C]

Eva.

[B]

Sarah. What the hell?

[C]

Eddie, the supports just collapsed.

[B]

The whole plan.

[D]

Stop.

[B]

Oh, God.

[C]

I can't raise Mac.

[D]

He's a snake.

[C]

Eva.

[A]

Hold on.

[B]

Sarah. Oh, my God.

[D]

Come on. Come on. It.

[B]

This is Dr. Gruff. Does anyone copy? This is Dr. Eva Graff. There was a hull breach in the western dorms. The water flushed me into the dye from airlock. I vented it. I'm alive. Does anyone copy? Dr. Clayton, Commander Freeman, do you copy? Does anyone.

[D]

It. Fathom is the prequel to the podcast Derelict by Night Rocket Productions. It is created, written, directed and edited by J. Barton Mitchell and produced by Kirsten Rudberg and Thomas Barker. Episode 1 In the Darkness we see stars Elizabeth Laidlaw as Eva Graf, Michael Mao as Blaine, Eli Goodman as Joe Freeman, Danny Payne as Sarah Clayton, and Mac as himself. The podcast features additional sound design by Music Radio Creative and music by Ryan Talbert, Luke Atencio and Davis Harwell. The producers wish to thank Flashpoint Chicago, the campus of Columbia College, Hollywood, especially John Petroski and Bill Bacon for their invaluable support in the creation of this podcast. They also wish to thank Robert and Russell Summers of Grand Scheme Productions, without whose effort this story would not be as good as it is. Lastly, Fathom and Derelict rely on the support of listeners like like you. Find out how you can help us continue the story by visiting derelictpodcast.com and fathompodcast.net and as always, more than anything, thank you for listening. This story will continue.