The rising body of the Kraken blocked out the starlight coming in through the bridge’s forward window. The monster’s burning yellow eyes were the only light that could be seen through it. Night had fallen as the battle raged on.
“I’ve got main gun control,” Grant told him. “At least of the few guns we have left.”
“Point blank to that thing’s face,” Captain Nicholson ordered.
“You know the blast will get us too,” Grant said.
“We’re dead anyway,” Captain Nicholson replied. “Just do it.”
“Yes, sir,” Grant nodded.
Two of the Hercules’ remaining 16-inch guns that were still functional swiveled on their mounts towards the Kraken as Grant guided them and locked them onto their target.
“It was an honor serving with you, sir,” Grant said.
“The honor was mine,” Captain Nicholson said, smiling at him. “Fire!”
The guns spat high-explosive shells directly into the Kraken. The ensuing explosion blew a good portion of the Hercules apart beneath the Kraken as they detonated. The massive beast released the Hercules, slipping into the waves as it leaked black blood from its freshly dealt wounds. Secondary explosions ripped along the length of the ship blowing bits of it skyward as smoke rolled from the blazing fires that danced on its deck. As the Hercules sank, Captain Nicholson and Grant’s bodies floated in the water that had come, racing into the bridge through its shattered forward window.
“The Hercules is gone, sir,” Ennis reported.
Captain Weaver slumped in his command chair, feeling an odd mixture of grief and anger.
Smith, Watkins, Lancaster, and the rest of the Braxton’s bridge crew appeared to take the news just as hard. Miller, who had just taken over at the comm. station, ran the fingers of her right hand over her forehead, brushing hair from her eyes as she glanced over at him.
“Captain,” Miller said to him, “the two doctors we brought aboard from the platform want to speak with you ASAP.”
Captain Weaver nodded at Miller. “Tell them I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“There’s no sign of the Kraken, sir,” Lancaster told him. “And we’ve put some distance between us and the lesser squid creatures.”
“Thank you, Lancaster,” Captain Weaver replied. “Mr. Ennis, you have command.”
“Yes, sir,” Ennis snapped, almost saluting him. Captain Weaver knew the stress was getting to them all.
Captain Weaver left the Braxton’s bridge, taking the shortest path to the medical bay where the two women were waiting on him. They had both checked out as being fine but had remained there anyway helping Dr. Hall with the ship’s wounded as best they could. Though neither of them was truly a medical doctor, both were biologists, and Captain Weaver was sure that Dr. Hall was grateful for their help.
As soon as he entered the medical bay, they came running up to him.
“Is there somewhere we can talk in private?” Cheryl asked.
Captain Weaver motioned them into Dr. Hall’s office and shut the door behind them.
“What’s so urgent?” he demanded.
“Do you want to tell him?” Cheryl asked Dr. Bailey.
Dr. Bailey nodded and then dove into it. “We’ve been going over the reports your crew has filled in the ship’s computer system about the Braxton and DESRON 2’s engagements with the Kraken.”
“And?” Captain Weaver pressed.
“We’ve come to the conclusion that the lesser squid creatures are indeed the Kraken’s spawn and not just a symbiotic-like species acting in its defense,” Cheryl told him.
“I don’t see how that matters?” Captain Weaver shrugged, growing frustrated as he felt his time would be better spent on the Braxton’s bridge, monitoring the current situation and preparing to face the Kraken again. He had no delusion that Captain Nicholson, however capable the man was, had been able to destroy the monster alone. The Kraken would be coming from them next soon enough.
Dr. Bailey cleared her throat. “Captain Weaver, we believe that the Kraken is a female.”
Captain Weaver was afraid he knew where Dr. Bailey was going and he was right.
“It’s going to reproduce,” Cheryl said.
“If it hasn’t already,” Dr. Bailey added.
“When it does, the number of eggs…” Cheryl paused. “They’ll be enough to change the ecosystem of the Earth’s oceans.”
“One batch of eggs could do that?” Captain Weaver asked.
“When you’re talking about thousands of creatures who will become the top of the food chain with no natural predator to stop their continued growth, yes,” Dr. Bailey assured him.
“I see,” Captain Weaver said, nodding. “And you’re telling me this because?”
“Because you and this ship may be the only thing standing between that monster and utter dominance of the Earth’s oceans,” Cheryl stated.
“Look,” Captain Weaver said, his voice hard, “I understand what you’re saying, but battling sea monsters isn’t my job right now. That thing just wiped out an entire DESRON. And DESRON 2 may have been labeled a DESRON, but she wasn’t a real one. The ships she was composed of weren’t destroyers. They were top-of-the-line battleships. The Kraken ripped through them so easily…”
“We’re not saying it’ll be easy,” Cheryl pointed out. “But if we, you, don’t stop the Kraken, and soon, we’re talking about the fate of the planet here, Captain!”
“She’s right, Captain Weaver,” Dr. Bailey pleaded. “Can you imagine a world where the oceans are no longer mankind’s? And worse, you’ve seen that the lesser squids are amphibious. There’s nothing to prevent them from raiding or even claiming the coastal areas of the continents as their own. If this Kraken spawns a new generation of those lesser creatures, they alone will wreak havoc on this planet like nothing the human race has ever experienced before.”
“And it’s likely among the Kraken’s eggs that there will be offspring that grow to like it as well. Surely, at least one, and that one, in turn, will spawn more until the creatures are multiplying a rate that even with all the technology and weapons the human race won’t have a prayer of stopping them,” Cheryl added.
Captain Weaver ran his fingers through his hair. He was still trying to process everything the two doctors had still told him when Dr. Hall decided to put in his two cents. Dr. Hall had been listening outside the door and opened it now to join them.
“You heard the ladies, Captain,” Dr. Hall said. “No matter the cost, you don’t have a choice. You have to stop this Kraken thing and stop it now.”
“I don’t suppose you brainiacs want to tell me how?” Captain Weaver snarled.
“You’re the warrior, Captain Weaver.” Dr. Bailey spread her hands wide in a show that she deferred to his experience in such matters.
“You should know that we believe the Kraken regenerates like a lizard that can grow back a cut off tail, only at a much accelerated rate,” Cheryl told him. “We’ve been watching what we could of its fight with DESRON 2 through your ship’s systems thanks to Dr. Hall. That’s why the thing is still alive despite all the firepower that has been poured into it.”
“Anything else?” Captain Weaver rasped.
“We think that in order to kill it, whatever you do is going need do so in a single strike. Due to its healing factor, just wounding it won’t work. Instead of bleeding out like a normal animal would, it will simply heal itself,” Dr. Bailey said.