Linna sat on the starboard side of a boat named, "Xìngyùn", squished in between seven other college students. As the boat began to pick up speed though, everyone leapt out of their seats and rushed to the bow. Linna remained where she was, but craned her neck to see what was going on. The other students gasped, pointed down at the water, and shoved one another as they competed for the best view. From the various splashing noises, Linna assumed that a pod of dolphins were enjoying the bow waves from the boat.
The excitement didn't last long. One by one, each student eventually came back to their seat either holding their mouth or their stomach. One of the girls dug in her backpack, pulled out a bottle of Dramamine, and began passing them out. Linna simply shook her head when they were offered to her. The steady pitch and yaw was tolerable to her, and Dramamine had a tendency to give her blurred vision and drowsiness-common side effects.
Their new biology professor didn't miss the handout of pills. He was sitting on the port side of the boat, directly in front of the students. They must have thought he was busy writing. The professor smacked his notebook down onto the seat next to him and stood up. The rocking boat made him stumble across the gap and but squared himself directly in front of Linna.
His bushy eye brows pulled together and he held out his palm, "Hand it over, whoever has it!"
One of the boys huffed, and reluctantly placed the bottle in the professors hand, "It's not drugs. They're for motion sickness..."
The professor flipped the bottle over and scrutinized the label before opening the cap and taking one of the tablets himself. He briefly held his hand over his stomach, "I hope these work."
As everyone laughed the girl playfully snatched the bottle from his hand and hid it back in her backpack, "Give me those! There's almost none left!"
It only took a moment for the professor to resume his normal serious demeanor, despite the obvious queasiness he was feeling from the waves. He pointed his finger at one of the guys first, "Get your shirt back on! Gentlemen, this is not a cruise!"
Linna's attention turned to the boy. He snatched his white tank top off the seat and slipped it over his head. It did very little to cover his muscles anyway. He lifted his dog tag out from under his shirt and then slipped on his shades. The professor still wasn't happy-he thrust an ugly orange life-vest into the boys hands.
The professor moved on to someone else then, "Everyone must wear a life-vest. You sir, put that life-vest back on. Katie, you as well."
Everyone groaned as a group, but did as he said.
The professor turned his attention to Linna next, "The life-vests need to be properly buckled as well. Fix yours too, sir."
The students all began to chuckle, and Linna's cheeks went cherry red. She should have been used to the embarrassment by now. It was a common occurrence that someone mistook her for a boy. She wore a ball-cap, khakis, tennis shoes, and a T-shirt most days. Combine that with short hair, shyness, and a sports bra when she was almost flat chested already, and she really could pass for a boy.
The professor quickly realized his mistake, "Er, I mean ma'am...Everyone get those life-vests on and buckled!"
Linna tilted her head down, hiding her face under the bill of her hat, and buckled her life-vest. As soon as the professor turned away, several students took back off their orange vests. She couldn't blame them. They were on a fishing boat and all of the life-vests carried the strong stench of fish oil and blood. She doubted they ever got cleaned; after use, they were probably just stuffed right back under the seats.
The captains voice held a thick accent as he hollered at them from the standing shelter, "Now leaving the EEZ."
EEZ: Exclusive economic zone. That meant that they were more than 200 miles from land, and were now entering international waters. The continental shelf was right below them, and that's were the sea turtles loved to hang out. They surfaced to breathe, to eat, and even to sleep on top of the water on occasion. Injured and sick turtles could be found at the top of the water as well, unable to dive. The off-campus program she was in would take advantage of when the turtles surfaced to catch and tag them.
Linna snuck away from the gossiping students and went to the bow of the boat now that it wasn't crowded. She wasn't much of a people-person. Waves swelled around the boats frame, and rocked the vessel back and forth. They had some down time until they spotted a turtle-or poachers. She rested her arms on the cold metal railing and stared at the bobbing water, ready for a long wait.
When a burst of red color in the sky grabbed her attention, she didn't say anything right away. She slowly straightened up, having trouble believing what she saw. Luckily, one of the other college students spotted it as well. He leapt out of his seat and pointed up at the sky, quickly bringing it to everyone's attention. The professor dropped his pen when he saw it.
One of the girls let out a loud gasp and exclaimed, "A meteor!"
The bright ball of red dissapeared on the horizon in a matter of milliseconds, but the professor continued staring, "That didn't look like a typical meteorite."
Thousands of tiny meteorites hit the earth every year, going unnoticed for the most part. Plummeting through the earth's atmosphere at high speeds produced enough heat and friction to completely vaporize rock, so large impacts were rare. The chemical composition of the rock determined the color of the tail as the rock burned up. The meteorite they'd just witnessed hadn't had a tail though, indicating that whatever it was made of could withstand extreme heats of over several thousand kelvins.
The professor slowly bent down to retrieve his pen, still suspiciously watching the horizon. The students didn't hold the same interest in the meteorite. They began to organize their equipment and prepare to haul a sea turtle aboard. Linna reluctantly left her post at the bow and began assisting the others. As she started collecting basic data like water temperature though, something made her keep looking towards the horizon.
It started out small, but gradually began to grow. Linna set down her instruments and squinted her hardest, trying to determine what she was seeing. She figured she was imagining things. One second she was sure it was the same size, and the next, she was certain that it was slowly getting bigger. After a few moments past though, it began to worry her.
"Professor?"
The older gentlemen glanced up from his notebook, "Have you spotted a turtle?"
When she didn't answer him, he set down his notebook and went to the front of the boat. His eyes immediately locked onto the horizon. There was a light blue line of water radiating out from their focal point, steadily getting wider, and taller. The meteorite had smacked the water at an incredible speed, causing a ripple on the surface of the ocean. The tidal wave was headed straight for them, seeming to gain momentum the closer it came to them.
The professor promptly alerted the captain, and the students abandoned their work. Everyone huddled near the front of the boat, watching the wave steadily move closer. They expected that the wave would simply carry them up and over like a bobber. It didn't work out precisely like that. Even though the wave didn't look so big when it was farther out, it suddenly began to tower over the boat.
The captain raced back to keep the boat steered directly towards the wave. Linna and the other students tightly clutched the metal railing right before the wall of water slammed into the boat. The initial force of it ripped her hands off the smooth railing though, and she was flung backwards. The seating on the side of the boat gave her something to cling to as more water flooded the deck. The boat rocked violently, but made it over the first wave before it spilled over.
Her clothes were weighed down, drenched by the water, and the deck was slippery. She struggled to keep her balance and make it towards the standing shelter with the other students. The captain couldn't keep the boat under control. As the second wave started to build up high above them, the boat went broadside. It started to tilt to the side, and just kept on going. Linna desperately hugged her arms around the metal beam that supported the standing shelter.
There were screams at first and panic, but then suddenly darkness and quiet. The boat had gone under. Water piled on top of her, crushing her chest with the pressure. She was forced to let go of the metal beam, and allowed herself to blindly float towards the top.
She gulped in air as soon as her face breached the surface. There were other students with their heads above the water, grabbing onto loose seat cushions, the cooler, anything that would float. The boat was upside-down, steadily sinking, and another wave was making its way towards them. The captain and the professor waved their hands in the air and hollered, trying to round up all the students.
As soon as she made it to the group, the professor turned towards her, "Is that you Brandon?"
Despite the event that had just happened, Liana tried to be humerus, "I'm still not a boy!"
"Oh, Linna, I'm sorry." The professor cleared his throat, then took a quick count of heads, "...That means we're still missing two."
It was difficult to understand the captains American accent, "No time now! Next wave coming!"
"Come on, we have to get over that wave before it breaks right on top of us!" Linna followed the professors lead, but the wave was already too big. He barked out another order, "Hold your breath and swim under it!"
She sucked in a quick breath and tried to swim forward, but the rush of water was too strong. The life-vest wouldn't let her dive under the waves. She kept getting pushed back, and couldn't keep up with the group. Another supercharged wave broke and came crashing over her, and it sent Linna tumbling. By the time she recovered, another one was already upon her. Each time she surfaced, she was further from the group.
By the time the waves died down, she was exhausted and alone. She wasn't positive she was going the same direction they were anymore. She bobbed around in the life-vest, letting the current steer her. Debri from the ship were few and far between, but she grabbed anything she could. If rescue didn't come soon, she'd have to try and survive on her own.
She'd lost her ball-cap in the incident, but luckily found one of the cheap plastic visors that had been on the boat. It would help keep the harsh sun out of her eyes. All of their data equipment likely sank with the boat, but she did find one of the tan containers the instruments had been in. She grabbed a soda can as well and buttoned it in her pocket. The only other thing she could find was a torn raincoat. She didn't think it would be useful, but she wasn't about to let it go.
It was hours before she spotted something else in the water. The dark speck could have been anything at that point. Linna tied the container to the cord on her life-vest so she wouldn't loose it, and hung the raincoat around her neck. Number one rule of surviving on the ocean was not to over-exert yourself. However, she didn't want the object to float away from her. She took deep breaths and even strokes, trying to reach it in a hurry.
Odite walked walked through the dimly lit hallway with purpose and confidence. When he found the appropriate spot inside his ship, he tipped his head up towards the ceiling. There was an escape panel above his head that would let him out on the roof of his ship. The panel was already unlocked. Odite jumped and punched the panel open, causing bright sunlight to pour in. He hoped up, grabbed onto the lip, and hauled himself out onto the roof.
He scrunched his tusks inside his mask, immediately picking up on the smell of bacteria and sex pheromones from sea weed. It was combined with something similar smelling to sulfer and iodine, along with fish oil, and he didn't find it pleasant. Besides the smell of the ocean though, there was something else present. He narrowed his eyes. It was the smell of a mammal.
Odite whipped around, confronting a scrawny, light-skinned ooman. It had a short brown patch of hair on its head and was covered in colorful, baggy clothes. The ooman's eyes were wide and it's chest was heaving. It didn't know if Odite was friendly or not yet, but just the mere sight of someone different sent the ooman into a panic. Odite found it quite pathetic.
He rushed forward with a snarl before the ooman could react. His clawed fingers curled around its throat, and the muscles of his bicep bulged as he hauled the ooman into the air. The ooman clutched his arm, scratched at his hand, kicked, and struggled uselessly. Within a matter of a few short minutes, the oomans face went pale and it's eyes were bloodshot.
As soon as Odite's bio-mask indicated that it's heart had stopped, he dropped the lifeless husk to his feet with a thud. He attached his metal mask to his hip and crouched next to the body. He hadn't come to the backwater planet for oomans, but he'd heard that they were tasty. He grabbed the oomans arm, and started twisting. There were a few sickening pops and tears before the limb broke free.
He used his nails to make incisions and cut away a chunk of the oomans arm, void of fat or skin. He stuck the sliver of meat in his mouth, sucking off the blood first. When swallowed the chunk of flesh whole, he suddenly grimaced. Oomans certainly did not taste good! Odite carelessly chucked the severed arm over his shoulder, and heard it hit the water.
He briefly considered turning the oomans hide into a loincloth, but instead grabbed the oomans foot and drug the body towards the edge of the ship. Before he dumped the body in the ocean, something small and shiny caught his eye. He picked up the piece of stamped metal in his claws and turned it over in his palm. It was connected around the oomans neck by a thin chain. He wasn't going to attempt to mess with the clasp; he simply jerked the metal piece away from the body. He admired the markings on the necklace for a moment, even though he couldn't read any ooman languages, and then left to stash it in his trophy case with the rest of his knickknacks.
He gathered supplies from within the ship, and tossed them onto the roof before climbing back out through the escape panel. He kicked the oomans body into the water with a grunt, eager to get on with his original plan now that the ooman was taken care of. He went to work, tediously calibrating his equipment. However, it wasn't long before another distraction came along.
Odite leapt onto one of the ships thrusters with a growl and stared out at the horizon. He had a very acute sense of sight, but the planet's surface curved out of his sight range at only about three miles away. That limited how far he could see something coming. However, as far away as the horizon was, he could still make out a great amount of detail. The object he noticed bobbing around the horizon was actually another ooman. It had survived and was slowly heading towards him.
Odite's fists clenched and un-clenched at his sides. He hadn't anticipated the need to mess with oomans at all, having landed in one of the planets the vast oceans. He pressed a button on the wrist gauntlet, and a network of black webbing stretched out from his armor to encase most of his body. Another button activated the cloaking mechanism. He crouched down then, ready and waiting.
He could have simply cloaked the entire ship. That way, the ooman would have passed right by it without ever knowing and he could get back to more pertinent matters. Odite couldn't take the easy way though, as he quite enjoyed the act of killing. He liked staring his prey in the eyes at they took their last breath. He liked forcing a blade into he depths of their body. He was going to enjoy killing this next ooman as well.
Linna grew more and more out of breath as she drew closer to the object. She was wrong in assuming that it was a small object close by. Instead, it was actually larger then she'd anticipated and farther away. She started hoping that it was a submarine resting at the surface. That way she might be able to gain someone's attention. They could give her a ride back to shore, and the whole ordeal would be over with.
When she finally reached the hulking object though, it was very apparent that it wasn't a submarine. She didn't let her heart fall too far-it would still give her some rest from swimming. Even with the life-vest, she still had to kick her legs and move her arms just to stay upright. As well, she hoped that rescue would find her easier on something so big and noticeable. All she had to do now was figure out how to get up onto the strange thing.
Linna squinted her eyes in the sunlight as she gazed up at it. It had two large turbines and two smaller ones sticking out of the water. There was a gap between the main cabin and where the turbines were connected, but it was too high out of the water to lift herself up easily. Around the front, it gradually sloped down into the water. She was able to gain some purchase on a long, vertical row of vents and hauled herself up.
Since it wasn't a submarine, she decided that it had to be some sort of unfinished military jet. Hundreds of shipping containers, as well as other cargo, fell overboard every single year and were lost at sea. Since it didn't have any rust on it, she assumed that it had fallen off a ship with the recent tidal wave. She prayed that the ship that had carried it was nearby. Her hopes were still set on being rescued.
As she shook out her hair, a realization came to her mind, and she glanced down. She wiggled her painted toes. Linna had lost her flipflops at some point, but it wasn't just that fact that had surprised her. She was barefoot on a dark metal surface in the sun. Instead of feeling hot though, the metal was oddly cool to the touch.
Linna stepped out of the puddle of water that was collecting under her, and slowly tip-toed around, testing the surface. It still wasn't hot. Linna proceeded to explore the odd vessel, inhibited. Everything about it was off. She couldn't understand why it was still floating. The turbines were rectangular instead of round. When she leaned over and stuck her head in one, she found that they weren't any propellers in them either.
Odite crept forward, keeping his footsteps absolutely silent. The ooman was smaller then the last one he'd killed, and even more strange looking. It wore loose, tan shorts and a puffy orange vest. It had something transparent pink on its head, some torn fabric wrapped around its neck, and an open container dangled from a chord around its hip. It paced back and forth on top of his ship, poking around. When it knelt down to look through his equipment, he was fueled into action.
A soft clicking noise made Linna jerk her head up. It was her only warning before something heavy slammed into her back. Linna was thrown to the ground on her stomach, and throbbing pain shot throughout her body. She turned to her side just enough to see the sole of a boot coming towards her face, and quickly jerked away. It barely missed her. When she tried to scramble to her feet though, she was unable. The raincoat around her neck was caught.
"Let me go!"
Linna lifted her arms to shove the large boot off the raincoat, but her movements suddenly froze. Her breath caught. Her eyes widened. Linna's fingertips hovered over its strange skin, and it dawned on her that she wasn't fighting a normal man. She swallowed, unsure of what to expect as her eyes traveled upwards.
It was humanoid, but definitely alien. It was immensely tall, and built like a professional wrestler. It's skin was pebbled like a reptile, mostly green colored, but with organic yellow lines all throughout. It had piercing sulfur-yellow eyes, thickly rimmed in black. Around its head was a series of unique bone crests from which its hair grew out of. Even when it's four mandibles spread out like some sort of horror movie parasite, Linna found that she actually admired the way it looked though.
Still keeping the fabric around her neck pinned under one foot, his other leg bent until it was kneeling on the metal beside her. As he leaned over her then, some of his smooth, black dreds slid off his broad shoulders. As if he couldn't be any more menacing, there were metal rings in his hair with small spikes on them. Linna was so enthralled with the creatures looks that she almost forgot it was trying to kill her. His hand shot out with a growl and captured her neck. His black claws slowly closed around her throat, cutting off her air.
