Chapter 10
Warspite was at the fence by the time I caught up to her. Between heavy breaths I tried to get her to stop. "Warspite! Just stop a minute. What do you mean you heard someone screaming?"
She tested her weight on the fence before starting to climb. "I don't know exactly, all I heard was a woman screaming. Whoever she is, she needs our help."
"Just wait. We need to signal the others; you don't even have your ship."
Reaching the top Warspite jumped off the fence and landed on the other side. Finally stopping she turned to look at me. "there's no time, we have to act now. If you want to stay here then so be it, but I'm going in." With that she ran towards the closest building.
I could tell she wasn't thinking straight, her entire body had been shaking as she spoke. I looked downstream to where the others were, before looking back at the fence. "Oh, to hell with it!" I mustered as much courage as I could and climbed.
As Warspite arrived at a door I tapped her on the shoulder. "Ok fine. But just so you know, I think this is a stupid idea."
"Noted. Now get behind me." Bringing out her sword she kicked the door open and walked in, holding the sword ready to attack whatever was inside.
The interior was incredibly bright. Every surface bathed in a sterile white light; it took me a few seconds for my eyes to properly adjust. Wires ran down from the ceiling into large consoles filled with dials, gauges and screens. We could see multiple people walking around in lab coats seemingly unaware of our entry.
"Something isn't right here." Warspite spoke lowering her sword. She was right. The people here all moved strangely, it was hard to describe but some part of me knew it was wrong. All most of them did was move from one place to another, never deviating from their path. Others stood at tables writing nonstop with an almost mechanical feel to it.
I went over to the nearest worker. He was carrying a stack of papers with his back to me. "Hey! What the hell is going on here?" When he didn't stop I reached out to grab him. "Hey! Can you hear me? I sai-" The moment my hand touched him his entire body spasmed violently, I heard a yelp come from him as the air left his lungs before his body went limp and fell onto the floor.
I kneeled down to help him. "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you." He had fallen face first, I rolled him over, finding his body far softer than it should have been.
The sight I was given made me jump backwards, trying my hardest to keep my food down. "What in the world. I just touched him." his face was covered in blood. Entire chunks of skin were missing from his face, giving sight to the muscle and bone underneath. One of his eyes was missing, leaving a hollow socket, the other was completely white, devoid of any life.
Warspite stood over him. "You didn't do this. He's been dead for a long time. His entire body had started to rot."
"But he was just walking." I started to feel dizzy, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.
She looked lower down his body. "Look at his shoes." They were completely worn down exposing the souls of his feet, they were in the same condition as his face. "Look at the path he was taking, there's a faint line of dried blood along it." she got lower to the ground and dragged a finger against the floor. "there's even a thick layer of dust on either side. He's been walking this route nonstop for a very long time. In fact, look at everyone here. There all like this."
Warspite was right, everyone here was the same as him. All moving back and forth along the same paths. All of them were in the same rotting condition as him. They should be dead, but something was keeping them moving, like puppets on a string. Some worked at the large consoles, writing down readings before slowly moving over to others at tables who worked through ever-increasing piles of data. I swallowed the growing bile in my throat. "What in the name of the lord is this place?"
"Huh, range charts, amour penetration, dispersion and shell trajectory. This is all gunnery records. Whoever runs this place is researching warships. And guessing from this, one equipped with fifteen-centimetre guns in particular." Warspite was looking through the papers he had dropped. I tried to look but all I saw was a jumble of numbers.
Standing up again she dropped the papers. "After were done here, I'm levelling this place." she followed the jumble of wires to another door further down. "This way, whatever is giving them this information must be in another building."
I was suspired at how calm she was. I followed her, keeping my eyes entirely focused on Warspite. Trying my hardest to imitate her bravery.
When we got to the door, she put her hand on the handle. After hesitating for a second, she begun to open before slamming it again. "Sirens!" she yelled, bracing herself for incoming fire.
Seconds passed, nothing happened. With a shaking hand she re-opened the door slightly, just enough to see through. "They're not moving?" I could hear the shock in her voice.
She fully opened the door and cautiously walked outside, giving me a view of the ships. She was right. Inside the metal dome we had seen earlier were three siren ships, they were docked against a metal gantry with wires all feeding from their bridges and going into a building further up the courtyard. The distinct red glow siren ships had was gone, along with the overwhelming sense of dread you always felt when looking at one.
Sparks suddenly ran down the wires from the ships and into the building. Warspite yelped as the high-pitched whine returned, the air begun to feel charged. The hair on my arms stood up as my teeth begun to ache. Warspite didn't drop to the ground this time, but I could see her knuckles turning white as she gripped her sword.
The sound died down again and the feeling waned. Warspite started moving towards the building keeping an eye on the three ships. "She's in pain. When we find whoever did this, they will suffer greatly."
What we found inside had us both stunned. Wires and machines I couldn't recognise all surrounded two metal pillars. What was in the centre made Warspite take a step back.
With metal rods drilled into it, a cube was suspended in the middle. A web of wires snaked all over it as small sparks of electricity occasionally arced outward from the cube.
"No no no!" Warspite shrieked as she ran forward. Tearing away at wires trying desperately to get to the cube. I followed behind, looking to try and find something to turn the machine off.
As she reached to grab the cube sparks leapt from it into her, sending Warspite flying backward and into me.
I only just abated her momentum before she knocked me over, when she didn't try and stand on her own, I realised she had been dazed by the shock. Warspite mumbled. "Hehe, all hands beat to quarters."
"Here Warspite just sit down for a moment." I tried to help, resting her against a console.
I looked back at the cube; something was off about it. Before I could realise what I was doing I was already making my way over to it, feeling the same draw I had with Javelins cube. My hand reached out, stopping just before touching as I came to my senses.
The shock had sent Warspite flying, and she was far more durable than me. But for some reason something felt as if it wouldn't do the same to me.
Warspite shook off the effects of the shock "Huh, where am I? Wait! Don't touch it!" it was already too late.
The room was bathed in a blinding light as my hand made contact, the muscles all down my arm tensed up as electricity ran down them, but it wasn't painful. The light softened and I could see the cube. It lost its shape and begun to warp outward. The room begun to heat up as Energy radiated off it, the metal spikes and pillars melted into piles of slag, yet I was unaffected despite being right next to it.
I recognised the outline of a female body as the cube finished growing. The growing core had positioned itself where the heart would be as the light started to fade. Bone, muscle then skin faded into reality fowled shortly by layers of her clothing. a tight one-piece bodysuit made out of a material I had never seen before was quickly covered by some sort of deep purple uniform with a white front. Gloves and socks quickly followed.
Blonde hair grew out from her head until it reached shoulder length before stopping, an iron cross tied itself onto the right side of her hair as whatever was creating her body seemed to be finishing.
The entire time this had been happening she had been floating in the air a few feet off the ground. Her body shook slightly as she took her first breath. I jumped forwards, catching her as she fell, a small beret appeared on her head.
"Is she ok?" Warspite asked.
I moved my hand to her neck, feeling for a pulse. "Her pulse is weak, but it's there. She's probably just unconscious, we should get her somewhere safe."
"Come, we'll go back to my ship." Warspite offered a hand to help me climb over the wreckage of all the instruments. Everything had been blown back or burned, it was by some miracle we had survived unscathed.
I stepped over some wires, taking care not to trip. "Warspite, when we're gone, I want you to follow your word and flatten this place. Leave noting standing." My words came out cold and unforgiving. The thought of whatever the poor girl in my arms had gone through made my blood boil.
"Don't need to tell me twice." She spoke as she walked out the door. "Uh James, we may have a problem."
"What is it?" I asked following behind. The reason in question was standing across the courtyard waiting for us.
"I was wondering why one of my drones had stopped working, I had expected that it had just expired. This however, is a very interesting development." The woman spoke, she stood there, her long white lab coat blowing in the wind along with her pure white hair.
Something was wrong, my eyes couldn't seem to properly focus on her, and even with the distance between us her pure unnatural yellow eyes felt as if they were staring directly into my soul.
Warspite was the first to respond. Ensuring she had a tight grip on her sword, she spoke. "Who are you, and what is the accursed place?"
She laughed. "Oh me? I'm just a simple observer, and this place is just a research facility. You two however. Trespassing, destruction of property and" she looked at the girl in my arms. "And now theft. The upgrades may be done, but I had plans for that poor tortured soul."
She put an arm out. "Now, give her to me and I will let you leave."
Warspite stepped between us. "My eyes can't be so easily deceived, don't think your illusion can get the best of me. Show your true self you harlot!"
"Oh Warspite, you are always the ever observant one, no matter the timeline. Very well." She put a finger at the collar of her lab coat before slowly dragging it down, the material seeming to burn away as she did, a writhing mass of tentacles poured outward as the cloth fell away.
Her shrinking body fell backward onto a central mass of tentacles as it begun floating on the air. Black silky clothing appeared, along with a headpiece with two large ears. Licking her lips, she played with two ends of the tentacles as long black cannons grew out of the central body. With a pulse it all started giving off a yellow glow.
"Mmm, it's good to finally have a nice stretch. Human bodies are too constrained, all that clothing just gets in the way. To answer your question about who I am, my designation is Observer, if you really must know. now to business, let's see here." with a wave of her hand, some sort of screen appeared in front of her. "Hms Warspite; Queen Elizabeth class dreadnought. Displacement, thirty-two and a half thousand tons. This timeline has you still in your standard great war fitting I see." she looked at her with a coy smile. "Aww did the little battleship get passed over for refit. Those humans, always willing to cast aside the old in favour of the new, oh how that must burn."
"Silence siren! Don't think your words hold any sway over me." her knuckles had turned white again.
I was beyond confused. "I'm sorry, siren?" I pointed towards the ships. "Those are sirens, how can she be a siren."
Warspite turned to me, a confused look on her face. "Obviously she is, she's one of the upper-class humanoid sirens. Seeing as your alive this must be your first time actually seeing one, but you must have at least read a book in your life."
Observer raised her hand, this looked to be nothing more than an amusing game to her. "Actually, he won't have any idea about us, most of the humans in this corner of the world won't know about us, we needed a control group so we ostracised ourselves from local memory."
"Bu-but how? The great war ended because of the emergence of your ilk."
She traced a finger along her body. "Well, that was simple really, we just removed the memory of the great war too."
Warspite stood completely still, her mouth moved but she just couldn't find the right words to say.
"That's right, remember Jutland? Invincible, black prince? Your little manoeuvre to sacrifice yourself for the fleet. All of it, all of those insignificant sailors' lives. Forgotten." I could see what she was doing, trying to get Warspite to act rash, her words gave me a million questions I needed answering. But right now, I needed to buy time and hope Warspite had alerted the others.
"What is this place? What were you doing to the cube. And those people, what in the world did you do to them?"
"As I said, research. Using the drones and the wisdom cube I'm able to perform combat simulations. The data is then fed into the facility for computing. This timeline hasn't reached computers, so the human mind was used as a substitute, it is a far greater problem solver than any chip but, you humans always eventually burn out. So, I just removed any unnecessary functions and gave them simple tasks. They do eventually rot as you saw, but I just have to make do with what's available. Now enough with the chit chat, gears have been put in motion and data is required. Once again, I politely ask you to hand over the girl, useless as she might be now that she's awakened, I would like to play with her some more. If you do this, I will let you leave, you have my word."
Half of what she had said still didn't make any sense, but it had given Warspite enough time to find her composure. She slammed her sword into the ground. "Nay! this girl is under my charge, and no injury shall befall her. Both you and this wretched place shall be destroyed today."
She just casually waved her hand. "Don't think I can't see your bluff. Your energy output shows you don't have your rigging. And if I just have a little look." she closed her eyes. "Yep, there it is. The Warspite is sitting out at sea ten miles away. And don't think that toy sword is going to do anything, face the numbers, you're out matched and out gunned. Just give up."
To my surprise Warspite begun to laugh, confusing us both. "And that right there is the reason why you will lose. You are blinded by mere statistics; victory depends on far more." I slightly heard the sound of distant thunder. "I am Warspite! The unsinkable grand old lady. I was the first to slay your kind and I will fight until you are all sent into the deep, and…" I heard a growing whistling sound as several black dots appeared in the sky. Warspite also noticed them and smiled. "And I can hit targets ten miles away with my eyes closed."
"Huh?" was all she was able to see before the entire area was consumed by explosions
The shells had been pinpoint accurate, all eight of them landing directly on top of the sirens position. However, the resulting shockwave sent me flying backwards.
My ears rung as I tried to regain my senses, Warspite grabbed my free arm and forcefully pulled me onto my feet. "We need to run! That probably just pissed her off." I had barely understood what she said before she pushed me to start running.
The air had been filled with dust making it nearly impossible to see, but I could just see the outer fence and started making my way over.
"We we're too close for high explosive. However, I will fire it on this next salvo, the resulting fireball should give us some cover. I rang my ships alarm as soon as she revealed herself, the others should be on their way."
We got to the fence, I started looking for a way over as I couldn't climb while holding someone. Warspite brought her sword up and cut straight through the metal. She looked up as the whistling sound returned. "Brace!" She yelled.
The explosion was several times more violent this time. The entire facility was consumed in a fireball that blew it apart. Metal and stone fragments fell all around us.
"We have forty seconds until the next volley, I'll increase the spread to keep her pinned. Make for the river and follow it upstream." she grabbed the fence and moved it back, allowing us to get through. The air had become unbearably hot from the fires making it hard to breathe properly.
I checked that the girl in my arm was secure before I started running, the pain from both my chest and shoulder was muffled as adrenaline begun to kick in. Warspite stopped and looked back for a second as another volley landed, we were far enough away to not overly feel the shockwave, but I could still feel the impacts shake the ground below me.
The fires grew even larger. "How could anything survive that?"
"They can. The upper-class humanoids are able capable of destroying entire fleets without the slightest effort."
"Why can't you summon your rigging? If you can control your ship from here, then surely you can get it over."
"She was right, it's too far away. It would take too long to get over and the suppressive fire would cease, giving her time to fight back. Our best option is to keep her suppressed and re-join with the others." Warspite spoke though heavy breaths, her short legs and heavy sword making it difficult to keep up.
Serval more volleys landed as we ran, the coast slowly came into view. "Nearly there. The others shouldn't be too far away now." as she finished speaking, I felt goosebump's crawl up my arm as the air became charged. A few sparks jumped from me and the metal cross on the girl I was holding. Warspite noticed it too and stopped running.
She looked back, peering into the inferno. A growing light could be seen in the centre of the fires. her face went pale as she realised what was happening. "Get down!" she yelled as the world went deathly silent.
I dropped to my knee. Protecting the girl as much as possible as a bright yellow beam shot overhead. it had missed us by quite a distance. "She missed?" I asked surprised.
"No. I don't think she was aiming for... Oh bollocks!" Warspite suddenly dropped, screaming in pain as the horizon was lit up by an explosion.
Clutching her arm, she shook violently. "B turret completely destroyed; the fires are spreading!" she grunted. "Need to. Flood. Magazine." A bloodstain started to form on her scarf from her shoulder. "Serval breaches below the waterline. I'm sinking!" She got back up onto one knee and held out her arm, pointing it out to sea. "it's now or never." clenching her fist she willed her ship to come to her.
"Oh my, the so-called unsinkable ship laid low by one measly plasma round. You disappoint me." observer spoke. She had already made up the distance and now floated in the air above the lake. Her rigging looked practically unscathed from the punishment of Warspite's broadsides.
"But your little defiance ends here." her cannons aimed at us. I looked to sea, there was still no sign of the others or Warspite's ship. I tightened my grip and tried to think of something.
Observer licked her lips as the barrels begun to glow. Her focus completely on her targets, ready to relish in delight at their destruction. So focused in fact, she didn't notice the water next to her erupt until it was too late.
A large torpedo shot up out of the water and flew directly into Observer. She managed a look of pure shock before it detonated.
There hadn't been any time to shield herself. Several of her cannons had been destroyed and multiple tentacles were missing or hung limp. Unfortunately, Observer had barely been touched by the explosion, only several soot marks had appeared on her body.
U-556 surfaced riding her rigging next to where the torpedo had come from. "Haha! there is no escaping the mighty u-556." She held up a miniature version of her ships cannon and fired, the recoil rocking her backwards slightly.
The shell harmlessly hit Observers shield as she turned to see her new assailant. "An unforeseen variable? No matter, an opportune time to benchmark the pawns new upgraded combat doctrines." With a wave of her arm the sound of grinding metal came from the burning facility. Out of the flames the three siren ships begun making their way over.
Metal and wires hung loosely over their hulls; several fires could be seen slowly burning on them. They had taken heavy damage but were still operable.
Instead of the usual red, the ships lights shone a cold blue. Guns begun to train; their target was U-556 who still sat in the water.
"Oh Scheisse! Performing emergency crash dive." She ducked into the water seconds before the area was peppered in cannon fire.
A wake quickly moved below the water's surface before going directly into the side of a siren, a torrent of water shot up as a torpedo detonated. The ship begun to list, all three started firing depth charges trying to find u-556.
A bright glow at my side pulled my attention away from the water. Warspite stepped forward, now equipped with her rigging. It had lost the bright shine it had once had. scratches and burns could be seen all over, one of the turrets hung limp on its support, the casing torn open and the barrels bent.
Warspite stood firm as the three remaining turrets acquired their target. "James. I want you to take her and get away from here. Find the others and make for the open sea, I will buy you time."
Observer had noticed, her remaining cannons begun to glow slightly as she leaned forward in joyous anticipation of further combat data.
My heart sank at the realisation of what she was saying. "Warspite, you can't."
"This is my duty. Even all of us together wouldn't stand a chance against her, the best we can do is stall and run. Please, tell Elizabeth." She swallowed a growing lump in her throat. "Tell my sister, that I wouldn't trade the time we spent together for anything in the world. Now go, those girls need a leader. Someone with a kind heart like yours."
It took every fibre of my being to turn around. I had only started running when I heard gunfire, I kept my eyes forward. "Just run James, there's nothing you can do." I felt like a coward for abandoning Warspite, but I knew there was nothing I could do but pray for her.
The coast quickly came into view, running behind a rock I crouched down and tried to catch my breath. I put the girl down gently and looked for any injuries, thankfully she was unharmed and just peacefully slept away, oblivious to the situation around her.
I couldn't see the small boat Warspite and I had arrived on. It must have gone with the rest of her ship into her rigging. Turning I quickly glanced at her. Warspite was fighting on the backfoot, she only just dogged one blast before the next was fired, with no time to move she brought up her sword and rigging to take the shot head on. The force knocking her back serval feet as her shield barely held. Retuning fire Observer had to bring up her tentacles to block the shells, giving Warspite time to jump into the air and swing down with her sword, aiming for her head.
To avoid a Lethal blow Observer slammed her rigging into the ground. only just moving her head out of the swords path, one of the small ears on her tiara fell to the ground. Warspite rolled as she landed, quickly turning to face her opponent, using her sword to help herself up, it was obvious the fight was beginning to take a toll on her.
Turning I looked out to sea, hoping to see the others. Spotting three small dots very far away made me realise they weren't going to arrive in time. I sat down, running my hand through my hair trying my hardest to think of something. It was a shock when u-556's head popped out of the water.
"Kommandant!" the rest of her body surfaced. "I'm sorry for not following orders, but it was so boring on the ship, then the shells started flying, then the explosions, then the siren, then I'm fighting three ships and then-"
I cut her off. "Don't worry about it, can you radio the others?" she nodded and started opening her mouth. I quickly continued talking. "Look you need to get ahold of them now! Warspite can't last much longer, they nee-" A stray round shot overhead before landing in the water. I looked back at the fight.
Warspite right arm was fully limp forcing her to use her sword one-handed. Part of her metal chestplate had been hit and caved inward, blood dripping down from the wound and turning the white of her uniform red. Despite the injury's she fought like a caged animal, her blind fury destroying everything in its path. Half aimed shots forced Observer back. She moved out of the way as Warspite swung her sword, it impacted a rock, the sheer force of the swing detonated the rock sending sharp stones flying, several hit Warspite creating deep cuts on her exposed skin.
It was all a ruse, Warspite didn't notice the trap she had placed herself in until it was too late. With a smirk one of Observers tentacles suddenly wrapped around Warspite's leg. She was immediately lifted into the air before being swung back down at an impossible speed.
Before Warspite's brain could even register the impact Observer swung her again. Her sword was flung into the air as she was thrown, clanging on the ground halfway between us. I lost sight of Warspite as she landed in a small crater, but from the blue light I saw I knew she had exhausted her energy.
U-556 stood beside me with a look of pure terror at the scene before us. The starting's of tears had begun to appear on her eyes. I grabbed her hand. "I need you to take her and go to the others."
She blinked. "W-what are you going to do?"
I stood, feeling my chest for my captain's old pendant. My mind flashed through the few memories I had of Warspite, she may have been cold towards me but the few times I had seen her smile had warmed me. I couldn't, I wouldn't let this be the end of her story. I looked to U-556. "Be a leader."
Observer relinquished her vice-like grip on Warspite's now broken leg as her rigging slowly vanished. "Energy output was higher than usual, and you definitely showed an inkling of cognitive awakening at the end there, an interesting development indeed, it almost warrants further study." with a sigh her riggings cannon moved to aim at her head. "But alas, I already have all the test subjects I need." Warspite struggled to move as the cannon begun to glow. "For the records. Any last words?"
Warspite tilted her head over and spitted blood to clear her mouth. With a smile she looked Observer dead in the eye. Each word came out with a laboured breath but she ensured that they would be clearly heard. "Long live the queen."
"Loyal to the end then, it's always the same with you." The cannons glow grew slowly, Observer realised the fight had consumed more energy than she expected. No matter it would soon be over.
Warspite closed her eyes, trying her hardest to think of nothing but Elizabeth, she was still new to emotions but her heart cried to feel her sister's presence again.
Using all the strength I could muster I swung Warspite's sword. Neither of them had noticed me run up until it was too late.
Yellow ichor sprayed out from a severed tentacle as it and the cannon it was holding fell to the ground.
"Impotent little!" Observer screamed. I tried to move but she was far too fast. A tentacle wound back before swinging into me with a force that felt like a train. I slammed into the ground beside Warspite, the impact knocking the air out my lungs
Observer inspected the damage. "A mere human thinks he could defile me, the thought alone is a grave offence." Her eyes focused on mine; with a curious look she then moved her attention to Warspite. "There's definitely something curious about you, synchronisation perhaps?" Something on her rigging pinged as what looked like a radar appeared. "Great, more company. Two capital ships and a destroyer? Five minutes until within combat range."
She looked at the now burning ruins of her research facility, and then to the remains of the three drones as they slowly sank into the river. With a pinch of her brow the lights on her rigging begun to dim. "The data set is too valuable to risk further energy expulsion, withdrawing from sector."
A tentacle moved over to me, hovering just above my face. "It seems fate is on your side." it gently stroked my chin, paralysing me with fear. She gestured to Warspite. "Keep your broken toys, they're no longer any use to me now. Neither is this pitiful rock, The Americans have already made strides in understanding wisdom cubes, and they didn't even need my guidance."
Energy begun to spark on her rigging as what looked like a tear in the fabric of reality opened behind her. "We will be seeing one another again, as I'm sure my sisters would like to meet you as well. I promise you will find nothing but suffering on this path you have chosen. So, try not to go insane, it messes up the data sets." she entered the tear and begun to wave. "Toodles." With a gust of wind, it closed as the last of her rigging went through.
"Why, why did you come back?" Warspite weakly spoke.
I crawled over to where she lay, blood had begun to pool on her right side as she made shallow short breaths. Her deep purple eyes looking at me with confusion. "Well, you said I had to be a leader. What sort of leader would abandon one of his ships?"
"Heh, so I'm one of your ships now?" she rested her head back, and raised her hand "Sword, please."
I dragged it to her, it vanished in a blue light the moment it touched her hand.
"Can you?" she coughed up blood." "Can you promise me something."
"What is it?" I asked as I moved onto my knees next to her.
"Elizabeth. I need you to promise you will protect her."
I felt cold as I realised what she was saying. "Warspite You can't! Stop with this talk, your sister needs you. Just hold on, they'll be here shortly." I franticly started putting pressure on her wounds, trying my hardest to help.
A cold hand touched mine, a contrast to the warm blood they were covered in. "Please, no matter what I just need to know she's safe. She's all I have."
"And your all she has." I could see the pleading look in her eyes. "Fine, but I want a promise from you." I grabbed her hand and held it firm. "Warspite, the unsinkable grand old lady. You are not to give up on me, not now or ever. you do that and I will do anything to protect your sister."
She nodded. "Deal. My sword is yours to command." I felt a slight shock in my hand as a small blue glimmer shone in her eyes, as it faded her eyelids begun to drop. "I just... need to, rest for a moment." with that her body relaxed, leaving the slow movements of her chest as the only remaining sign of a fading life.
"No." I cried. "No no no! Warspite please." my head dropped on her chest, feeling the cold metal of her chestplate. "I don't want to lose anyone else."
I felt the soft thump of a heartbeat, its defiant drumming filled me with purpose. "I won't!" putting my hands underneath her I stood up, hearing footsteps behind me I turned.
"They went over here!" carrying the unconscious girl on her back U-556 had waved over the others as they reached land. All four of them had started running over to us. Warspite hitting the ground had made a small crater, obscuring us from view. All four of them froze in shock when they saw me turn, holding Warspite's limp body in my arms.
"Please. Help me."
(A/N)
And that's chapter 10. I will admit that this one has been the one I've looked forward to doing and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.
Happy Easter, and once again thank you for reading