My entry is here
1142 ~ Part Two
The sand under Tiksah’s feet was hot from the mid morning sun, and would be hotter still as the sun continued its climb in a cloudless sky. He had just emerged from the cover of the forest canopy and walked across the expanse of beach to the ocean’s shore. The water was calm, and small waves rushed in ending in bubbling foam that advanced and receded steadily like a heartbeat.
The ocean’s pulse was steady and soothing. Tiksah sat down cross legged and looked out over the water. He wore simple sandals with a loin cloth, his only additional adornment a necklace with various crystals carefully woven into the twisted, natural fibers. Tiksah began to relax and settle in as he felt the ocean’s rhythm. His sharp gaze settled on a black dot far out on the water.
‘Distance to target?,’ asked Captain Jenkins. ‘Eight hundred seventy five metres sir,’ came the quick reply from WO Franklin, as he peered at the boy on the beach through the scope. ‘No way he sees us sir, we’re pushing one click,’ added the Weapons Officer.
‘Hold 30 metre depth,’ said the Captain with a thoughtful tone. ‘Aye aye, 30 metres Captain,’ the helm answered. ‘He’s just sitting there?’ added the Captain. ‘Yes sir,’ answered Franklin. ‘Still no word from the tac teams?’ the captain asked. ‘No sir, not a word which makes them 40 mikes late,’ said Franklin after glancing at his watch.
On the beach, Tiksah drew the ocean air deep into his lungs. At nearly 16 years of age, he was tall and athletic and his physique looked like it was chiseled from marble. He was already more than his two older brothers could handle on their own when they wrestled and fought. But that was play time and just good fun.
Today was no such thing. He pushed his hands deep into the sand and brought up two handfuls. He brought his hands together and let some of the hot, dry silica pour through his fingers until he was satisfied with what remained. He cupped the sand in both hands and it began to glow, then he pressed it tightly together until the sand turned into molten liquid. He continued shaping it until he was satisfied and set it on the sand beside him to cool.
To the observer on the nuclear submarine USS Trenton, Tiksah looked like a simple village boy watching the world go by. Their mission was classified at a such a high level that not even the Executive Officer or Chief Of The Boat knew the details. Franklin punched up the magnification on the scope and zoomed in on Tiksah’s face. He could feel the vibration in his hands as the gyros kept the face steady in the viewfinder. He pulled back from the scope as if someone had scalded him with hot water, and quickly looked again. The boy on the beach was looking directly at him from nearly a kilometer away. ‘What is it Franklin?’ inquired Captain Jenkins. ‘I’m not sure sir, I swear this kid is looking directly at us.’
Captain Jenkins did not chuckle or dismiss the observation. ‘Battle stations,’ he softly said. His words went off like a grenade on the bridge, and orders were passed by those under his command. ‘What’s that kid doing right now Mr Franklin,’ said the Captain sharply. ‘He’s just sitting there sir, ah, starting at us I think?’ he replied. ‘No, I mean exactly, what is he doing this instant?’ the Captain stated sternly. Franklin peered intently through the scope directly into Tiksah’s eyes. Tiksah reached down and picked up the glass crystal he had moulded with his hands and brought it up to his lips. ‘Ah sir?,’ Franklin said plaintively to the Captain, ‘he’s,’ Franklin adjusted his focus a hair, ‘I think he’s speaking into something, not quite sure what it is, looks like a piece of glass maybe.’
The Captain bolted from his chair and barked a direct order at fire control, ‘Missile on that boy’s position right now, now, now!’ The weapons officer punched in the command and shouted ‘locked Captain, confirm!’ ‘Confirmed, fire!’ replied the Captain on the heels of the readiness affirmation. Weapons Officer Lucy Sheraton punched the fire button and yelled missile away!’ She said it and she meant it, but nothing happened. Lucy punched the fire control button again. Then again and again. ‘Captain, fire control is not responding!’ shouted WO Sheraton, panic rising in her voice.
Franklin was staring at Tiksah as he saw the piece of glass he was holding to his mouth begin to glow. He could feel the submarine buck underneath him and the gyros kicked in again to keep Tiksah’s face steady in the viewfinder. Did he just smile at me? Franklin asked himself. ‘Sir!’ Franklin shouted, but there was suddenly too much going on for him to be heard. All of the electrical systems of the USS Trenton blacked out and came instantly back on under emergency power. The walls and consoles were now bathed in red emergency light. The blare of alarms continued to sound throughout the vessel, and the well trained crew continued to operate like a well oiled machine. Another look through the viewfinder and Franklin saw Tiksah, unmoved and still looking directly at him, but the glass he was holding now glowed like a small star.
‘Report!’ shouted Captain Jenkins. His usual calmness cracking under a sense of hopelessness. ‘Our entire system is being hacked and accessed sir!’ shouted his comms officer. ‘Stop them!’ snarled the captain. ‘You don’t think I’m trying sir?’ shouted back the officer. Their systems were wide open and fully compromised.
‘Report our current position, deploy emergency beacons and bring us up to the surface. Let’s see how they like fighting toe to toe,’ said Jenkins. The look of defiance on his face said it all. He was the most decorated captain currently serving on any navy vessel above or below water. If they wanted a fight, by God they were going to get one. ‘Do any of my orders seem unclear to any of you?’ Jenkins finally screamed at the top of his lungs. Nothing he had commanded his crew to do was happening. ‘Shut off those alarms,’ he said in a deflated voice.
The echo of the alarms died within a few seconds and Captain Jenkins composed himself. ‘Report XO,’ he said quietly. His Executive Officer calmly stated the facts as he knew them. ‘All systems compromised sir, full data breach, all GPS systems offline, ships logs have been overwritten and our position is showing 590 nautical miles from our current position. No mayday or sos has gone out, no emergency beacons deployed and we are sinking, not rising.’
The nuclear sub continued to fall gently toward the ocean floor and the helm updated the depth report as they continued to descend. ‘Current depth 340 meters, impact in 5 seconds, brace brace brace!’ shouted the helm. Captain Jenkins sat in his chair and strapped himself in. On the beach, Tiksah closed his eyes. On the submarine, the expected impact never came. ‘Report,’ said Captain Jenkins softly in a tired, beaten tone. ‘I think you need to see this sir,’ the helm reported. ‘On screen 3,’ said Captain Jenkins, rubbing his tired eyes. Images from the down facing cameras on the subs belly split into 4 distinct sections on the display. The ocean floor had opened up and the sub descended through a ragged tear that was 200 metres wide and 300 long.
They continued to sink past 600 meters and the upward facing cameras watched the gap in the ocean floor above them begin to close. ‘Activate all lights and cameras,’ said Jenkins, ‘let’s see what we can see.’ The lights flooded the deep and pushed back the blackness. There was silence as the USS Trenton settled to the bottom of the trench they had fallen into. A vast expanse that was littered with ships and submarines. Vessels from every era from Trireme to nuclear. There were ships that were completely unknown and alien. Futuristic vessels not of this earth by the look of them. ‘What the actual hell,’ muttered Jenkins as his boat took its place in the deep, ocean graveyard. The ocean floor finally closed like a coffin lid above them.
On the beach, Tiksah placed the small crystal on his necklace with the others in a tiny pouch he had woven for it the evening before. He stood, swatted a little sand from his legs and headed for the treeline he had emerged from. Inskya and little Talya were waiting for him. ‘All okay brother?’ asked Inskya. ‘Of course, of course sister,’ let’s go home.
©Original short TheBugIQ 1142 part 2