Elsie realised that she did not know how tired she was until she was forced to climb another ladder that put her onto the deck of the VS Jade 4. From there she looked upon the chaos that Specimen Zero had inflicted, and the terror-stricken faces that it had left behind. She found herself wondering how she had ever allowed herself to end up in this place. How had the universe taken her from her comfortable apartment building in Victoria City and placed her in a fight to the death with one of the most devastating unnatural forces of man? Either way, she deemed then and there that she had seen enough adventures to last her a hundred lifetimes.
From amidst the turmoil of the ship’s deck came two men – one was of average height with an even and lightly coloured beard, and the other was tall but stocky and had a twirled black moustache. She presumed them to be Captain Sutherland and Captain O’Brien. After a few swift introductions – primarily with Charles Vandenberg and the professor – they marched hastily to the bridge where they began their council.
It began with the captains explaining their situation aboard the VS Jade 4 over the past few events, and in return Professor Goodwin recounted the proceedings that occurred after the VS Rosanne 7 was damaged, and incidentally went down. Then Captain O’Brien made mention in great detail of his tactics for warding off the beast so far, and his previous encounter with the beast while he still served on the VS Falcon. He made it very clear that he sought to see this through to the end, and it was Vandenberg who labelled him a fool for doing so. “I must insist Captain O’Brien, as I know what this thing is capable of, believe me. This is no battle among men – you are facing a creature that is beyond your very comprehension. What honour is there in getting your men killed?”
And then Professor Goodwin added in, “We have in our possession a detonator that will guarantee Specimen Zero’s elimination. Now, I understand that you might be confused by all this, however I must also insist that you do not ask questions right now; simply heed to our advice and evacuate your men from this ship while there is still time.”
But Captain O’Brien did not like this at all. “Are you mad?” he reckoned. “Surely my men will be safer if we remain on this vessel rather than exposed on smaller boats out in the water.”
“You are exposed either way, captain,” said Vandenberg. “She will deem to destroy the vessel before going after any lesser targets in the vicinity – she will prioritise the VS Jade 4 as a threat and dismantle it immediately. While she’s doing that you will have a small window of opportunity to get your men to the shore…”
“What about the detonator?” Professor Goodwin asked.
To that, Vandenberg glanced at his old friend, and a sad smile touched his lips.
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