Chapter 4
Location: (Arctic Ocean) 999 miles off the coast of northern Greenland.
The waters of the arctic were cold, unbearable to the human body. The sky was empty and gray; a sign that even seagulls can't live within that region. The wind swept away the surface, crating large waves that hammered the coast line.
Suddenly the waters produced tiny bits of bubbles on the surface. The bubbles then slowly grew, covering a large range, producing noisy popping sounds to the air. Then the surface ripped apart as a vessel surfaced.
A submarine appeared and floated motionless on a dead silence. Its black hull suddenly pulsated and emitted an Indigo-Black livery, showing its identity as a Fleet of Fog's Submarine. Its name glowed on the tall massive cone tower. CHICAGO 721
The submarine stared to the open ocean for a minute until a door on the side of the cone tower opened and a man emerged from the inside. He was clothed in a knee-length trench coat, indigo pants and boots on his lower extremities, an indigo t-shirt with an upside V and cross within it underneath, and a black cap, covering his mid-length brown hair.
"Time: 9:22 PM GLST, Mission status complete," his voice was grave as several Indigo-Violet circles appeared and hovered around him. Several windows dropped, opened, while his green eyes stared at nothing.
"Reporting to all Templar fleet: This is Captain/Mental Model Aiden Pearce of Chicago 721, flagship of the 7th fleet, the submarine squadron," he removed the handkerchief that was covering the lower portion of his face and continued, "Battleship's Yamato and Bismarck located, intercepted, and obliterated as planned." He finished and the window in front of him disappeared.
After that the waters on both sides of his submarine burst open. 7 submarines had surfaced from the bottom, and then floated still beside the man's own. He glanced to his left and right, looking at his fleet, before saying in a grave voice, "Command to all submarines: Standby until 'the Father' sends us an order,"
Location: Yokosuka Underground Port. Cell Block 13
The crew of I-401 and the mental models of the blue fleet were inside the dark room of Cell Block 13. The place was cold and a lot of them were either rubbing their hands or their elbows, creating artificial heat.
"Eh?" Sou cleared his throat and asked again. "What do you mean by 'all allied naval ports of Japan' are inaccessible?"
He was facing a large monitor where a navy soldier answered him. Gunzo stood beside him, listening to the report about the unfinished and ceasing contacts from naval ports.
"Mumbai, Greenland, San Diego and New York in the U.S…even the Antarctic U.N. naval base, all of their communication has ceased." Gunzo dictated.
Then Hyuuga answered, "This must be a Fleet Fog's doin'," she moved her monocle and glanced at the male mental model, on the other side of the huge, strong, glass.
Gunzo looked at and observed the man from his gold-colored hair to his bizarre 18th century white-blue clothes, then to his sharp blue eyes.
"Gunzo…this man…" the young captain felt a tug on his right sleeve, he looked down and faced Iona with a questioning look.
"Yeah?"
"This man…is scary," she pointed at that man's face, which bore a lot of scars.
"Hmph, let's ask him then." Kirishima scaled at a large panel, she picked up a microphone and began her interrogation of the man.
Edward Kenway slowly moved his blue eyes, gazing across the hard glass in front of him with fierceness. His eyes scanned the other unaware occupants, standing and moving in the other room.
They think that I can't hear them…well-
"Jackdaw, wake up!" the voice of a girl reverberated on the white walls of the room. His thoughts were cut short.
"Why the hell did you fire on our wall? You think you got some nerves of steel, sailing in your fancy toy boat to our turf!"
Toy boat? Nerves of steel? The man's eyebrow twitched, irritated and offended by the girl's words.
Meanwhile, in the other room,
"Give me that! You don't even know how to interrogate someone properly," Hyuuga said as she lightly pushed the protesting Kirishima away from the microphone. The battle ship fired back.
"Well, can you?!"
"Now, you two stop fighting." Gunzo, who sighed in disappointment, spoke with authority. "I'll be the one to ask him… I need some answers, concerning the Cruise ship and the ceasing comms of several navy ports."
The girls glanced at each other sharply, but parted immediately. The young captain approached the microphone, breathed in first, then asked, "Is your name Jackdaw?" He slowly looked at the man and just for a second.
The captive's eyes moved and stared at his, like he could see him through the one-way glass. He watched the man, waiting for a reaction, and then his eyes widened after his face slowly form a smile.
"Jackdaw…? Ha!" the man then laughed hard, filling the room with his deep voice. Then he stopped and answered him.
"That's not my name, mate." He scoffed and continued, "Name's Edward Kenway, captain of the Jackdaw, flagship of the 4th Templar Fleet, age of sails squadron… Hehehe…"
Iona moved behind Gunzo, and saw the man's eyes move to look right at her and notice her reaction.
"I want to ask you about something?"
"Yeah? What is it, mate?"
"A lot of naval ports all over the world have ceased their communications with us. Are you somehow involved?"
The man's sharp eyes looked around, wandered, before answering, "Nope,"
Gunzo stared at him for a moment, then breathed in again and asked.
"A cruise ship named Princess of the Moon was sunk by a mysterious fog ship. According to the navy Intel and some speculation that of my own… Your ship was the one that sunk it. Is that correct?"
"That what?"
"That you're the one who sunk the cruise ship, killing 2,200 men, women and children?" The crew of I-401 looked at the captain after noticing that the tone of his voice had changed to a hard, angry one. This was the first time their captain had reacted in such a violent way.
Edward Kenway's eyes became stern and didn't move. "I think-"
"I saw a wine bottle inside your ship's captain cabin. It bore a mark of a trading company that supplied the cruise ship with perishable goods. Also, a naval forensic officer conducted a close and thorough inspection on the rammer of your ship…" Gunzo paused and observed the man, whose eyes didn't move.
"And we found human DNA. Did you ram those people after you attacked the ship?" he asked finally. Silence loomed in the air as they all waited for a response from the man. But then they were all startled as he started laughing.
"Ha! Yeah…I did, I rammed those people down."
Everyone gasped and stared at him with fury in their eyes.
"T-this guy's nuts!" Kyouhei stammered.
"Captain, I suggest we stop-"Sou was about to suggest to Gunzo, whose face was stern, but then the mental model spoke.
"Can I ask you a question?" Edward asked the young captain, who stood still, not moving from his place.
"Say…is your name Chihaya Gunzo?" Gunzo blinked twice, feeling unease, before he answered.
"Yes, I am,"
"The small girl behind you…is her name Iona I-401?" Iona's eyes widened. I knew it…he can see me…the sudden realization made her hide her face, away from the man. Gunzo answered him again.
Edward's smile widened so that he looked like a Cheshire Cat. His sharp blue eyes then wandered, looking to every occupants of the room.
"I'll take them all then," he whispered .He paused then looked back at submarine captain. "Chihaya Gunzo, Iona and the rest of the Oriental Fleet…May I cut off all of your heads?" Everyone gasped as they saw the man named Edward Kenway destroyed the metal chains that bound him on the inclined bed. He stood up.
"Dammit! Haruna sound the alarm!" Hyuuga ordered, but then, before anyone could move, the thick glass suddenly shattered and thousands of shards rained down on them.
"T-The hell's happening, man?" Kyouhei and Sou went to a corner and shielded themselves with an upturned table. Shizuha and Iori were huddled in another corner, protecting the screaming Makie.
"Gunzo!" Iona quickly pulled her captain away from the falling pieces of glasses, and they both lost their balance.
"Iona! Are you all right-" he was about to stand up when Iona pushed him again and produced a small blue hexagonal panel on her right hand, and blocked something. He gasped in horror as Edward appeared in front of her wielding a pair of cutlass-like swords, which materialized in the palms of his hands.
"Heh… Pretty strong, aren't you, little shit?" Edward sneered at Iona, who was grunting and blocking his cutlass. "But you should wait for your turn!" Edward then released his right cutlass from the shield, raised his right leg, and kicked Iona to the wall.
Edward then spun around, using his left cutlass, blocked a small blade held by a female mental model Takao.
"You monster!"
"Look at yourself!" Edward then did the same to Takao and faced the terrified stricken Captain of the I-401.
"The first one in line is Gunzo! Now stay still because, I'm going to cut your-" His sentence was cut off when Kirishima suddenly appeared and punched his left cheek. Edward staggered and grunted in pain - reflexively dropping of his left cutlass which disappeared after it hit the floor - and clutched his left cheek.
"Why you little-!" But he was interrupted again aas Kirishima jump kicked from below and struck him on the jaw.
"Don't you dare hurt my friends!" Kirshima shouted, but then Edward caught her by her little teddy bear body and laughed.
"Hah! A bear almost killed me? Stay out of my way!" He threw Kirishima aside to the wall. He then faced Gunzo again, but paused at the loud shot of a gun followed by a pain blossoming from his left shoulder.
He looked down at his shoulder and saw the left sleeve of his robe slowly turning to red. His face was pale as he said,
"Maybe I'll come back next time. It seems my durability has dropped significantly." He smiled at the man, then quickly turned his back to him and made a mad dash for the open door.
Edward's feet made a small pit-pattering sound as he sprinted down the hallway. He was smiling. He failed to kill his target and was now on the run. It caused a weird rush of blood inside his human body.
"There! Capture the mental model!" Edward looked in front of him and smiled again. A group of Navy Soldiers hurdled into the entrance of the dry underground dock, their guns pointed at him.
"Fire!" the soldiers pulled their triggers, aiming for the prison breaker whose blue eyes stared back at them. The bullets traveled fast, but the male mental model could predict where the bullets would strike. He jumped back at the ceiling, expertly dodging the deadly projectiles.
He opened both of his hands wide. A pair of nanomaterial cutlasses materialized in his palms.
"Nice greetin' there, mates!" Edward leaped above the group in an arc wildly slashed the soldiers with incredible speed as he spun. He landed on the other side and sprinted away from the group of soldiers, now bathed in blood fresh blood that was not his own.
"Whew! That was a nice exercise," he said as he reached the docks. He skillfully swung his cutlass as he ran, slashing and cutting at soldiers who blocked his way. He glanced to the other battleships and mocked them aloud.
"Heh, those ships are fine pieces of shit." He jumped and landed on the deck of Jackdaw and quickly made his way to the podium on the elevated deck. He placed his left palm on the middle of the wheel and commanded, "Jackdaw, wake up!"
The ship came to life, emitting pulsating lights of blue and gold. The sails on the enormous masts unfurled as he shouted more commands.
"Open all vertical missile launchers! Deploy corrosive missiles!" The metallic ports on the hull of the Brig-class ship flew open and launched a barrage of massive projectiles from beneath. The missiles exploded as they struck the first bunker door above him.
Several more corrosive missiles swept pass the broken door and onto the upper dry dock. Then it hit another bunker door, creating a hole large enough for seawater to pour in from the outside.
The water plunged and began to fill the underground dock. Edward smiled, watching all of the Navy personnel, either running or being swept away by the building torrent. "Yeah, feast your eyes to my-"
He sensed something then and pointed his right hand to his left, activating his Klein field and blocking an enemy corrosive missile.
"We're not letting you get away!" Edward turned to face Kirishima, who was standing on the roof of a larger Battleship. Her gun turret spun, aiming at the Jackdaw, and fired a beam of green light.
"Klein Field operating… 12 %. Come on, move, engine!" The man activated his interface and summoned a holo-window, showing the status of his engine. The water was now deep enough for the smaller ship to float.
"Activating Starboard Side Cannons, Artillery type: Photon Projectile," the pirate commanded. The side of his ship opened and several cannons emerged. They fired gold and blue laser beams at the green battleship.
Kirishima grunted as her Klein Field reacted from the beams. Edward's cannon fired beam after beam at the great battleship as his ship floated away towards the broken bulk head door.
"Woo-Hoo! Finally open air!" Edward shouted triumphantly as his Jackdaw sailed out of the dock. Behind him, the three battleships gave chase, firing their gun turrets at his ship.
"Heh, Klein Field Operation: 55 %. Can your cannons not strike with any more power?" Edward mocked the battleships as the sails of his own vessel filled out, gaining speed. There's a fog outside the gate, he thought while staring at the broken Yokosuka gate, enveloped in thick cloud bank.
I can use that to- A window suddenly cascaded in his view, interrupting his thoughts and displaying a radar scan. His senses picked up an oncoming torpedo.
"Thanatonium detected. Corrosive torpedo. It's I-401," Edward grinned and glanced behind him. The back of his ship erupted in his colors, indicating the detonation of the weapon.
"Heh, didn't even jostle me! Flood 5-8 torpedo tubes, time to kill a sub!" 4 torpedo tubes on the stern of the ship opened, each ejecting a deadly torpedo. They shot toward the blue submarine beneath the water's surface.
"Captain, incoming 4 corrosive torpedoes! Speed: 25 knots," Hodzumi called as Gunzo shouted orders at his crew.
"Battle stations! Kyohei, deploy four snapshots! Cut all engines and crash dive!"
"Deploying!"
"Cut all engines, crash dive," Iona repeated as the submarine quickly dropped and deployed 4 canister-like weapons. Each canister opened and emitted violent shockwaves, causing the 4 torpedoes to detonate prematurely.
"Captain, he is within the range of our Graviton Cannon Trajectory Path,"
"I know, but the surprise is to come for our little pirate friend," Gunzo said to Sou and glared sternly at the radar screen. Closer, Edward… I'm not yet done with you; he thought harshly, his face clouded with seriousness.
"Heh, they disappeared?" Edward stared at the radar screen in front of him and sighed in disappointment.
"Never mind that. Direct all energy to full burst speed, deploy smoke screen, open bow section missile launchers!" he commanded as the missile modules on the bow opened and ejected a barrage of corrosive weaponry. At the same time, a pair of odd-looking canisters ejected from the stern and floated for a bit in the water before suddenly releasing a thick smoke which slowly enveloped the ship.
"I can't see a thing!" Kirishima raged before Takao dictated, "Incoming, 20-30 corrosive missiles!" This was followed by Haruna, who deployed her Klein Field, blocking several of the missiles. "Target lost!"
"Not yet!" Kirshima shouted and continued, "Takao, Haruna! Engage your standard Graviton Cannon."
The two girls behind her nodded and raised their hands, synchronously commanding, "Engage!" The smokestack behind the bridge of their ships slowly opened with a loud thud. After a minute, a pair of circular spheres rose to float above them before emitting several sparks.
"If he really wants to play rough," Takao said with a smile, followed by Haruna, "then we'll give him one," and their spheres charged and released a large laser beam.
"Eh? What the! Side Kick, Hard to Port!" the Jackdaw immediately swerved to the right, narrowly avoiding the pair of large beams that grazed near the stern. Edward held on to the podium and grunted.
"Goddammit! Damage report: 35 %," he said then he smiled and continued. Heh, once I'm out of this smokescreen and in the fog bank outside the gate, its goodbye for a long time, Blue Steel! The man shouted a command and launched a volley of missiles at the three battleships.
"Almost there, Burst Speed mode: 99%, 10 seconds, Klein Field shutdown, divert all remaining power to the thruster!" Edward shouted and heard a low humming sound which quickly died off, indicating that his Klein Field had shut down.
"Ha, good bye little battleshi- huh?" he smiled for a moment but then he noticed a glint of light coming from the cloud of fogs at the gate. His eyes squinted, trying to see what it was, but then widened immediately in horror.
"Shit! Activate Burst-" his command was cut when the ocean beneath his ship opened. The mental model held on tight to the podium with all his might. The Jackdaw was now floating above the sagging ocean on the trajectory path of a Super Graviton Cannon.
"Impossible! How did I end up on a Trajectory path-?" A window cascaded in front of him and answered his rant. Edward stared at the two massive battleships that were floating on the edge of the Fog Bank. Their bold, singular colors (one violet, the other red) burned brightly in his eyes.
"I-it's Heavy Cruiser Maya and Fast Battleship Kongo! Fuck! When did they appear?" Edward scream and cursed as the two ships produced a blinding spark and released a pair of very bright and long laser beams. Then darkness took him in.
LOCATION: LONDON, ENGLAND,
(9:35 PM)
The walls of United Kingdom that stood protecting the ports of London suddenly exploded. Parts collapsed and fell to the cold water, leaving a hole, large enough, for two aircraft carriers to enter.
The HMS Prince of Whales and Queen Elizabeth entered the London waters like a predator. Its Mental Model, Charles Lee, scanned the surroundings with his sensors. He was surrounded by his interface circles and holo-windows that dropped every time he made a gesture with his hand.
"Master Kenway, I've detected five Polaris destroyers. Contact will be in 30 min," he said with a calm manner and looked at the Aircraft Carrier sailing beside him.
Haytham Kenway, sitting casually on the edge of the roof of the bridge, stared at the screen; his blue eyes were calm but sharp and keen, observing the destroyers. He sighed after the window disappeared and said, "We have 40 Aircrafts in my ship's hangar. Am I right, Charles?"
"Indeed."
"We can't deploy them all… Launch 10 Apache-class helicopters," the deck on the stern of his ship, shifted and lowered. Seconds later, it emerged with a pair of Apache-Helicopters. The Helicopters, after emitting the mental model's livery, started their engines and quickly took off.
Pair by pair, the helicopters flew towards the approaching destroyers, their missiles and guns ready to annihilate.
The leading destroyer fire immediately at the leading two Apache Helicopters, the aircrafts quickly made a hard bank to the right, avoiding the projectile weapons, and then countered with a pair of corrosive missiles that hit their mark, destroying the ship.
The other 8 helicopters pulsated their livery again and launched their own corrosive missile which flew as dooming projectiles and hit the enemy ships, who then returned fire.
The battle continued, then after a minute the last remaining destroyer fired its gun and hit the Fog helicopter, hovering above, which exploded and crash landed on the deck, destroying the ship.
"Intercepting ships: Zero. Casualty: recorded and stored." Charles dictated then glanced at the other man, and with a still face said, "Impressive, Master Kenway,"
"Not quite," Haytham closed his eyes and calmly sighed, the helicopters above him slowly landed one by one at the deck which moved them down to the hangar below.
"I lagged, and because of it one of my helicopters didn't survive," he mulled over his imperfection as he gazed with melancholy out in front of himself at the coastal part of the city.
"Is there something wrong?" the man in brown asked.
"According to my PRS Databank, I grew up and lived in England. How bothersome. Because of that info, my processing power was disturbed," his face was unmoved but his voice was hard. Charles silently observed him. Several windows appeared before his eyes as he performed a diagnostic scan.
"Health scan complete. Do you want me to perform a thorough system check-up on your union core, Master?"
"No need," Haytham answered instantly. He fixed his hat and looked at the city of London with disgust. "Continue on our mission. Launch the F-18 class," he commanded as the lift deck on the stern of his ship descended again before emerging with a pair of F-18 aircrafts. The planes immediately rolled to the tarmac and took to the air.
Several similar aircrafts emerged in turn and launched from the other tarmac towards the city of London to begin their assault on the country.
Woohoo! Finally updated! Now some of you noticed that the titanic and her sister ships (on the previous chapter) noticed that all 4 funnels are emitting smoke...well I know that, originally, the fourth funnel of the olympic class is a dummy. I described it like that because I'm planing a massive role for those beautiful ships.
Special thanks to TodayIsTuesdayToo for proofreading and editing :)
