The stars were obscured by clouds, and the choppy waters warned of an oncoming storm, but the crew of the USS Formont took little note of it. It would take more than bad weather to trouble a vessel of their size. Still, it would mean a miserable night ahead for those unfortunate enough to be on the night watch, including one Private Leonhardt Victorion, known to most as "Leo."
Leo stopped his trek across the main deck when the Lieutenant, whom he was on friendly terms with, waved him over to the railing. Leo joined him, looking out over the shore for the first time in hours.
"We're coming into Valenda Bay," the Lieutenant told him. "We'll be docked in the port by first light. Not much to see in Port Valenda, but it's always good to be back on dry land, eh? I plan to grab some decent food in the first place I can find that's open for breakfast. Want to join me?"
The offer sounded innocent, but Leo understood the Lieutenant's true intent. Nearly a week ago, when the USS Formont had last docked, Leo had received a letter informing him of a recent mutant raid on his hometown. The casualties had been numerous, and his parents had been among them. Leo, acting on instinct, had fallen back upon his Marine training and remained stony-faced, but Lieutenant Louis Jacques had always had a talent for seeing right through people. Now he was making sure Leo wouldn't be alone, mostly out of sympathy, but likely also so he could make sure Leo didn't run off and do something stupid- such as deserting and going on a revenge-fueled rampage. Which, if Leo was honest with himself, he had caught himself considering.
But however much his rage and grief were firing him up inside, it was tempered by enough common sense to know that Lieutenant Jacques would be impossible to evade. So instead, Leo did the one thing he did best in times of crisis and followed orders.
"Yeah, that sounds good. As long as you're paying, of course."
Jacques barked a laugh, but his eyes showed his relief. "Alright then. Back to work, Private."
"Yes, sir." Leo saluted and resumed his course, taking one last glance at the shore. Some buildings were visible in the distance, but Jacques hadn't been kidding about there not being much to see. Just warehouses, cranes, and other typical dock machinery. A few other ships were docked, their lights flickering in the rough waters. But something caught Leo's eye. One of the lights was blue. And moving.
Leo rushed back over to Jacques, who had seen it too. "Any idea what that is, sir?"
"Maybe, but I hope I'm wrong. Follow me," and Jacques set off, not bothering to check if Leo was behind him. They descended quickly below deck, making their way through the narrow corridors towards the radar room. When they arrived, it was to a flurry of activity, all eyes glued to monitors and control stations.
"Men, status report!" Jacques demanded.
"Sir," one of the men came up to him, saluting. "We've got something nearby on the scanners. It's as big as any sub, but it's moving too fast to be one."
"Damn, I was right," Jacques cursed, and Leo looked up. "These waters are a hotspot for kraken, and from those readings, I'd bet my ass that's what we're dealing with. Men, I want all hands on deck! These fuckers are nasty, and known to attack ships like ours. Sound the alarms, and radio the port for backup. We need to scare it away. Victorion," he addressed Leo, "head to the bunks and see to it no-one sleeps through their wake up call!"
"Sir," Leo saluted a final time before racing off, the sound of Jacques shouting orders fading quickly behind him, soon drowned out completely by the wailing alarms.
Leo didn't waste time pounding on doors, opting instead to pull them open to confirm that all had awakened with his own eyes. He relayed a quick summary of the situation to each room before moving on methodically.
Once Leo was assured that most of his fellow Marines and sailors were on their feet, he ran for the last room on his route. The door was open, but he could see motion still inside, which didn't make sense considering how long it had taken Leo to check all the prior rooms.
"What's the hold up?"
He quickly found his answer.
One of the men, a sailor named Donovan he recognized from both of them starting their service aboard the USS Formont at the same time, was lying on the ground. He looked awful- his eyes were glazed over, his mouth open in an endless gasp, and he sported a nasty head wound- the source of a spreading pool of blood on the ground. Two of his berthmates, Johnson and Sylvester, were crouched beside him.
"Victorion," one of them barked, "this dickhead fell out of the top bunk and split his damn head open. We've sent Monty to the infirmary for help. What the hell's going on out there?"
Leo started to answer, but suddenly the whole ship shook and tilted to one side. There was a loud crash and the deafening screech of tearing metal, and then the far wall in the room split open. They caught the briefest glance of something massive and covered in barbs, but it was gone before they could even get their firearms aimed at it.
"That," Leo said, "is what is going on. Lieutenant Jacques says it's something called a kraken." Leo surveyed the damage, and was dismayed to find that it had caught a pipe in the wall. Water started pouring into the room at an alarming rate."C'mon, we can't stay in here. We'll have to risk moving him to the infirmary."
Johnson and Sylvester looked grim, but nodded.
Leo thought a moment. "Johnson, you carry him." Johnson came from a well-off family, and Leo knew he had cybernetic upgrades, including a reinforced skeleton. "Sylvester, lead the way. I'll take the rear."
The others agreed, and after taking a moment to get Donovan positioned as gently as possible in Johnson's arms, they were off. Once into the hallway, they spotted another gash through the metal ship, towards the direction Leo had come from. It was as wide as a truck, and nearly split the corridor in two.
They stared for a moment, and Johnson let out a quiet curse under his breath.
"C'mon, we need to get moving. The infirmary is in the middle of the ship, we'll be safer there. No way that fucker can cut through an entire ship," Sylvester said. Leo hoped he was right about the kraken's limits.
The ship rocked several more times during their trek, and each was accompanied by another screech of metal being torn apart. Once, Leo was almost certain he heard a roar.
They were nearly at the infirmary, just one deck above their current position, when Sylvester brought them to a stop. Leo didn't even need to ask; just ahead the staircase they needed to take was demolished. They were closer to the main deck of the ship, and just before them was another gash through the ship, having come straight down from above. Water was pelting through the opening. The storm had finally set in.
"Shit. I guess we're taking a detour," Sylvester said, turning down a side corridor and setting off down their new route- down the starboard side, past the damage, and up a different set of stairs.
"How's he looking?" Sylvester called over his shoulder as they ran.
"Ugly as ever, but still awake," Johnson answered, and Leo grinned. If Johnson was still cracking jokes, it couldn't be too bad.
There was another lurch and a deafening crash, and before Leo could get out a single word of warning the wall behind him buckled, then collapsed. The roof came down, bringing with it a mess of destruction from the main deck. Leo leapt forwards, but not in time; several large pieces of metal debris caught him, pinning him from the waist down.
Leo screamed in pain, his vision going spotty. He could hear someone shouting his name, and the telltale crackling of electricity. Something white-hot lashed across his back and he couldn't move, he couldn't even scream. He smelled burning, then the world went white.