My Story - Going Down
"It's starting to get rocky." Frank Johnson calls out nervously.
That's me by the way. I have been waiting for this trip for my entire life, and finally the ERC (Earth Research Centre) have developed an experimental machine, that will make it all the way to the inner core!
"We are almost through the crust." Captain Scar yells. Captain Scar was given his name, because five years ago, he went on a similar trip, but in the crust, his machine couldn't handle the pressure, and cracked, leaving him with glass and metal shards piercing his body. He was lucky to escape and his injuries were very serious. He has twelve scars still reminding him of that day.
I look out the window and all I see is kilometres and kilometres of rocky crust. Suddenly our machine starts to vibrate. I recall my training. The tectonic plates are coming together! They are of similar strength and a collision must be about to happen. "Go down, go down". Captain Scar yelled. The plates are moving faster now. My heart drops and I know we are going to die. BANG!
Everything is black. I open my eyes and a bright flash of light hits me. We have made it into the asthenosphere! "We must've just witnessed an earthquake", calls Captain Scar.
I'm still shaking, as I decide I've had enough of these events. I sit down and put my seatbelt back on.
The loudspeaker crackles and Captain Scar's voice comes on. "We are now descending into the mantle where the temperature is around 2000 degrees celsius, please put on heat proof suits." This is a genetically modified, chemically tested heat proof suit, that like the machine, had taken well over 50 years to develop.
I look out the window and see magma. We are getting closer! I put on my neon coloured suit, and walk into the cockpit. Captain Scar already has his on, and turns around to me. "You ready?"
"Yes." I reply.
In my mind, I know I'm far from ready. My legs are shaking and I'm just thinking about Captain Scar's accident. No one's ever even been to the mantle. I must've been mad to go on this trip!
A few days later...
We are now almost halfway through the mantle. I thought everything had been going alright until I notice lava dripping through a newly made leak in the roof. "Captain Scar, we have a problem."
Captain Scar comes running. "Get into the safe room", he says. The safe room is actually an escape pod, so if anything dastardly happens, we can escape. This is not good. Captain Scar calls me out a few minutes later and says it is all safe. The inner core is still about 20 days away. This is going to be a scary trip.