Shicheng Project

During the dark years where humanity tried to find a way to survive the incoming planetoid. A group of Earth scientists initiated the "Schicheng Project". Believing that the asteroid would only obliterate all life on the planet's surface, these scientists, supported with government funds and some rogue researchers built an underwater city, deep in Challenger Deep. It was believed that survival in such depths could be possible and that the planetoid's impact would have no effect there.

Sadly, only a few months after construction was finished, contact between the city and people on the surface was broken. The reasons as to why this happened are many, some based on logic, others conspiracy theories without any scientific value based in speculation alone.

## **Faulty equipment**

The most common theory blames the speed and little time for research which scientists and engineers had on the project. Like with many other similar projects to save humanity from annihilation it was to little to late as humanity did not have the technology, or time to develop it.

It is thought then that the devices communicating with the surface were the first to fail, followed by others until the whole underwater city finally stopped working altogether, sentencing its almost ten thousand souls to a horrid death in the deepest point on Earth.

## **Challenger's struggles**

During the retreat of mankind towards the Istanbul portal, there are survivor reports of strange fleets flying no banners as they raid previously-occupied cities and towns before dissapearing back into the sea. While they were probably just rogue fleets unaware about the portal, a few theorists argue that these ships belonged to the underwater city. Not trusting the squabbling governments above, they decide to create their own little society under the sea. Starved for resources that they could not find in the depths, they made as many raids as they could towards the surface, collecting as many raw materials as they could while the world died around them.

Even those who back this theory do not know if the city survived the aftermath of the planetoid's landing.

## **Evolution**

Since there were plenty of scientists and high-level researches amongst the ten thousand who volunteered to live in the city. Some theorists argue that, instead of just expanding their city or improving their equipment to survive the planetoid's landing, the inhabitants of Challenger managed to find a way, after much sacrifice, to evolve their bodies and turns themselves into underwater creatures able to thrive under the sea.

This one is, of course, one of the most fantastic theories, as it does not explain how their bodies managed to survive the pressure in Earth's  lowest point, or how the scientists achieved such a feat in such a short amount of time.

## **The last Survivor**

The last theory became popular thanks to a film made by one of the Commonwealth's best-known independent film makers, Martin Taranto. In his movie "The Last Survivor", the people of the underwater city lose contact with the surface and so, as time goes by without knowing if humanity has survived or not.

The ten thousand grow paranoid and a war begins in the domes of the city. One of the citizens, an engineer by the name of Sisyphus, manages to survive most of the fighting and manages to once more contact the city. At that moment, he learns of the portal and so tries to tell the people to follow him back to the surface, however none believe his words.

The movie ends as Sisyphus begins to get into the transport then looks back. The viewer does not know what happens next. Does he think of going back and trying to convince at least one person to follow him? Does he just want to take one last look of the place which was once humanity's hope for survival? Is he looking at another person, willing to kill him to take the transport for himself? Or is he thinking of just going back and joining in the mayhem, as he believes he lost his humanity long ago?

While interesting and beloved by many, most people, including Martin Taranto himself, do not believe this was the fate of Challenger.