Prologue

July 22, 2001
Somewhere in the Denmark Strait

Between Greenland and the island of Iceland a research vessel was conducting a search and recovery mission on the ocean floor.

Several months ago the British broadcaster Channel 4 had commissioned the ship to find the wreck of the HMS Hood, the famous British battlecruiser that had been by the German battleship Bismarck with all but three of her crew lost lead to the biggest manhunt in naval history. The channel was hoping to film some footage of the wreck for a documentary celebrating the upcoming 60th anniversary of the famous Battle of the Denmark Strait.

It was first time in history that anyone had tried to find the HMS Hood. Since the ship had exploded into pieces after it was struck by the Bismarck, many were convinced that finding any of the wreckage intact would be impossible. But the Hood was more than just a ship. For many years she had been the pride of the Royal Navy and was an important figure in British history. What she'd represented was more than enough important to make expedition that much important. The plan was that the search team would head to wreck of the Bismarck, which had been discovered twelve years earlier, first to shoot some footage before heading up north to look for the Hood.

However, all of this was just a front.

What Channel 4 didn't know was that the research ship they commissioned was actually owned by an organization that only a handful of government officials and military commanders knew about. This organization alone controlled all ocean salvage operations and the whole world didn't know. For this mission they're objective was still the same, but the Hood they were looking for was much, much smaller.

On the bridge was two people who looked very much out of place.

The first was a man in his mid-thirties and dressed in white naval uniform. However, there was no flag on his arm, no insignia, or even a badge to indicate what his rank was or what country he served. Instead there was a hexagon shaped badge on his arm, blue in color with a white anchor in the center and a World War Two fighter plane on each side. To the crew of this vessel and to everyone else who worked for this secret organization he was simply known as "The Commander". Not Commander of the Fleet, not Commander of Operations, or even the Commander in Chief. Just "The Commander".

Right now his eyes were fixed on the screen displaying several different cameras streaming live from the four ROVs that scouring the ocean floor as he sipped from his coffee mug. For several years he had wanted to find Hood, but several other projects and other important matters had prevented him from doing so. The sudden demand and commission by the British broadcasting company had given him the perfect opportunity.

Using the research notes he had gathered on where she most likely sunk he had narrowed the search to an area of six hundred nautical miles. However, they weren't for searching for a large ship like the Titanic. They were searching for something that was roughly the size of a large human. Finding an sunken object of that size was difficult enough, the weather itself could pose a potential problem in the near future. In the Denmark Strait the seas were usually rough. Only a short period in the entire years were they much calmer.

Therefore, time was of the essence. They had to use this opportunity to find Hood as quickly as possible before bad weather made any further search impossible. Otherwise they would have to wait a whole year for the next opportunity. While not critical, it could pose potential problems in the future for Earth's safety. For the last thirty-six hours they had been with no luck. The Commander could only hope that luck would change before time ran out.

"Commander?" the voice interrupted his thoughts and he looked over to where the sonar man was signaling, "I got something here. You might want to take a look."

Setting down his cup The Commander made his way over. Leaning over the sonar man's shoulder, he looked to where he was pointing on the screen.

"Sonar just picked this up. What does look like to you."

The Commander leaned closer to get a better. Then his heart skipped a beat when he saw the shape that the sonar had made out.

"That could be it. That could be her," he looked over at the communications officer stationed nearby, "Have the closest ROV move in on those coordinates."

"Aye, sir."

Straightening his back The Commander took a deep breath. He very much hoped this would be the break they were looking for. Turning back around he went back to his post-and found that his companion was standing there, staring at the screens.

This was the other person on the bridge who looked out of place, a young lady wearing a long white dress and a matching wide brimmed hat. She looked at the screens with hope in her eyes and her hands were clasped in prayer.

The Commander went over to her and and gently squeezed her shoulder. She looked at him with a nervous smile before turning back to the screens. Together they watched and hoped, the minutes feeling like hours as they waited.

"I have a visual!" came the operator's voice.

From the ROV's front camera came the image of a large object laying flat on the ocean floor. At first glance it looked like nothing that a boulder that had sunk into the sea. But on closer inspection The Commander wasn't convinced.

"It certainly looks like... have the ROV wipe off the muck. Specifically around the head area."

"Aye, sir."

The pair watched as the ROV's robotic arms extended and a high speed brush powered up. In a minute the brush had flicked off enough muck to allow them to see a clearer image.

At that the young lady gasped sharply, "That's her!"

The Commander looked closer, "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" she clutched his arm, "It's her, Commander! We've found her! We've found Hood!"

At a closer look he could see that it definitely was what they've been looking for. With a smile her patted the lady's back and picked up the intercom.

"All hands, this is The Commander speaking. We have found Hood."

The crew on the bridge cheered as he put the phone away.

"Send down the submersible to retrieve her," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir!"

An hour lady The Commander and the young lady stood near the edge of the stern, watching as the submersible surfaced. It's specifically designed robotic arms lifted and from the water emerged what looked like a sarcophagus made entirely of glass. A cable was attached to the ship's crane and after the object was secured it was lifted away from the submersible and placed gently on the ship's deck.

The moment it touched the surface the young lady ran over and knelt down, heedless of her dress getting wet as she wiped the water away from the face of the sarcophagus.

The Commander came to her side and saw tears of joy stream down her beautiful face. When she turned to him she had the look of someone who was finally united with a long lost friend as so many years of searching.

"I can't believe we found her!" she sniffed.

The Commander smiled and turned to the recovery crew.

"Well done, men. You deserve some R&R after this."

"Thank you, Sir!" they all beamed.

He then when over to the man who was in charge of another team, "Alright, Lieutenant. It's your turn now. Are you all set up?"

"Yes, Sir. We are."

"Good. Remember, Channel 4 is expected an actual shipwreck. Not a body. It's important that we give them the footage. Am I clear?"

"Aye, aye, Sir!"

He nodded, "Dismissed."

The officer saluted and went back inside. The Commander turned to see a trolley had been brought out and four strong sailors were preparing to lift the heavy object onto it. The young lady stood politely aside as he came over to her.

"Why do you plan to do with her?" he asked.

The young lady paused as the glass sarcophagus was loaded on.

"I think we'll have her reborn as a child," she answered, "After she awakes, I'll watch over her until a certain point where she'll have to manage on her own. I know someone back home who will help me. It's best that you leave her to me for the time being."

He nodded, "As you wish. I'll leave her to you."

The sarcophagus now firmly strapped in the crew took it inside. The young lady turned and hugged The Commander, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for doing this," she smiled brightly, "You don't know how much this means to me."

He tipped his hat to her, "It was my pleasure, Ma'am."

With a final the lady turned and followed the others into the ship. The Commander watched her go before he turned and went to the very stern of the ship.

Placing his hands on the guard rail he looked out to the vast ocean before lifting his gaze to the sky above. Soon he became lost in his thoughts.

Ever since I took over command I have followed the mission laid down by my Grandfather, passed down to his son, and now to me. We have found another one but there are still many more out there, lying somewhere in the ocean. We've done all we can to prepare after all these years but I still don't believe it will enough when the time comes. If they were to appear right now, would we be ready? I pray to God we will be. Only time will tell.