Aquatica Earth Reborn - Chapter 2 All Aboard

The emergency alarm echoed through the rusty corridors of the red-colored aging ship, sending vibrations of panic through its inhabitants. Frantic crew members rushed to guide families toward the small escape boats, while doctors hurriedly packed away the precious serum, knowing its value extended beyond the confines of the ship. The captain's voice boomed over the ship's announcement system, cutting through the chaos.

"Attention, all passengers, this is your Captain Rico speaking. Proceed to the port side of the ship and head to the emergency boats immediately. This is not a drill! All crew members and any able personnel head to the starboard deck and collect weapons from the ship's security officer. All crew to battle stations. We're not equipped for war, but we sure as hell have enough to put up a fight."

The urgency and nervousness in the captain's voice underscored the gravity of the situation. A crew member, a short and skinny man approached the captain, concern etched on his face. "Captain, we need to evacuate. We can't stay here."

Captain Rico, a charming golden-haired handsome man, clean-shaven with a dimple on his chin even for an apocalyptic scene, looked like John Travolta, as if he was groomed for a cruise, peering through his binoculars, initially, he saw only a blur on the horizon. Slowly, the image cleared, revealing three ominous yachts, flanked by smaller speedboats armed with military figures. The captain's jaw clenched, and you could see his Adam's apple move swallowing a gulp trying to hide it and stay calm in the situation as he observed the threat closing in.

"We can't leave until everyone is safe," he insisted, his gaze unwavering. He turned to the medical officers and said, "Get that Remidium off this ship now!"

His crew darting away at his command.

The scene shifted to one of the medical officers rushing into a room, where a doctor was just finishing injecting a woman with the serum. "Are you done?" the female nurse asked urgently.

The doctor nodded, carefully packing the remaining serum into a black case. "Yup. Tell her to eat something small in two hours," he said, handing a can of tuna and beans to the grateful couple. As they left, the doctor turned to the nurse. "Now I'm done."

Together, they headed in the opposite direction, making their way to another pickup location on deck. Gunfire erupted in the distance, causing them to halt abruptly. Exchanged glances and without a word, they changed course, veering towards the opposite side of the ship, trying to evade the growing turmoil.

The atmosphere on the ship was thick with tension as families clambered into small boats, the captain barking orders to the ex-military crew members stationed at makeshift battle stations. The enemy vessels drew nearer, ominous figures visible with military-grade weapons in hand. The battle for survival on board the barge had escalated, and the fate of those aboard the old rusty ship hung in the balance.

As the boats reach the side of the ship. Rope ladders were shot from harpoons that were re-engineered for quick onboarding. The cleanser clan as they like to call themselves climbed up. The struggle on the ship reached a climax as crew members were mercilessly gunned down, and the survivors were forced to drop their arms and surrender soon to face the harsh reality of their captors.

As the chilling scene unfolded, a woman, thin and scrawny yet commanding, stepped onto the ship with four imposing figures. The atmosphere shifted as a man with scars on his face, dressed in a military suit, approached and soon followed her. A necklace of what appeared to be fingers adorned his neck, instilling fear even in his own team. “General”, one of his men commanded in acknowledgment of his presence.

The captain was pulled and dragged with his feet scrapping the deck against his wishes. One could tell he put up a fight but was now overpowered and weak from all the trashing by the gunmen. You could barely see the captain's disfigured face with all the blood and thick pulp of a beaten-up swollen face.

The gunmen brought him in front of the general where they threw him to the ground. One gunman lifted the captain's face up by tugging on his hair and the other pointed the end of the gun barrel to his temple. The general in a calm but stern voice demanded to know the location of the serum. General – “I heard you have a special medicine. You bring evil into this world to wipe out our very existence…..I will not allow such a thing while I breathe. I will give you one chance to save the souls of all these people here. You do want to save them don’t you?”. However, the captain, bound and held at gunpoint, feigned ignorance. The General, unimpressed, pulled the captain's hair even harder than what the gunman was holding, lifting his head like a butcher preparing to slaughter an animal as he gazed at his neck like he was so tempted to slit his throat.

The tension rose as the General whispered menacingly into the captain's ear,” Heathen” he uttered, accusing him of deceit. A gunshot echoed, and a crew member fell to the ground. The captain tried to turn to see what happened but was locked in the grip of the gunman's hand by his hair. Another shot echoed and another crew member fell kissing the deck. As the gun pointed to the third crewmember. Who panicked and screamed – “No wait..please don’t kill me, I saw them on the other side of the ship boarding the lifeboat with the serum. Please don’t kill us. That's all I know I swear.” The man's confession about the serum's location sealed the fate of the others. The General's men, cold and efficient, executed the surrendered crew members one by one, leaving only the captain on board.

The captain, now tied to the ship's steam pipes, screamed as the general cut his finger off sawing it to the bone. You could make out the knife was blunt. His agony almost caused him to faint. The General taking a finger as a gruesome trophy slid it in his military shirt pocket to be added to his collection later. The captain was left alone barely moving a muscle. The General then began to head back down the way he came. The woman suddenly took charge. You could make out she was second in command. Her blonde matted hair, long nose, barbie doll figure, and slender face almost made her as pretty as a movie star. Yet one look into her eyes and you could tell she had a dark past with murder and bloody memories of the things she had done visible in her dark black pupils. She yelled as she walked off following the general “Ransack the ship, destroy the serum, and kill anything that moves.

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Meanwhile, two members of the General's team came running from the other side of the deck. “General…they escaped on a boat.” One of them shouted with an unsettling nervous voice. To be contd…