"My real voice is my cry: OPEN YOUR EYES."

The Hydrophis is a Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle (DSV) that takes scientists on extreme-depth expeditions to research and explore. During a recent expedition, a rare jellyfish, Stygiomedus Gigantea, has been captured on film. It is rarely seen but thought to be one of the largest invertebrate predators in the deep-sea ecosystem, and is nicknamed 'Guardian of the Underworld.' But a strange transmogrification has taken place: the Stygiomedusa-Gigantea captured on the film is entangled with a human. What is she? What is her history? Was she tossed overboard after accidentally observing the dumping of nuclear waste during a voyage? When? This century? Last century? Or was it an accident. . . Was she was walking on deck during a storm when a rogue wave caused the ship to lunge so violently she slid into the waves? But she didn’t drown. As the roiling waters engulfed her, a giant jellyfish trapped her in its 10-metre-long ‘paddle-like’ arms and held her. Over time she mutated, and now she is attached to and dependent upon the creature. . . She is a human enslaved by a fish. As for her eyes, her pupils have been permeated by radioactive material, giving her a heightened and fatal sight. . . like the Medusa of Greek mythology. And from that same mythology comes the Hadal Zone named after Hades – the deepest region of the ocean lying within oceanic trenches. Who is this creature who sings, “My real voice is my cry: OPEN YOUR EYES"? Perhaps it is a warning.

Descending organ tones mirror the descent of a submarine expedition team of oceanographers in this eerie scene. Minimal piano and text recited by a 'Controller' and two oceanographers narrate the journey downwards. A slow, gentle song follows—sung by a mysterious Serpent who leads the two oceanographers away to an unknown fate.