Eric Brown: The Kraken Rises

“Never seen a squid that could climb like those things are before,” Lancaster commented. “I mean look at them. They’re actually climbing and hanging onto the edges of the platform.”

“God help us,” Captain Weaver heard Ennis say from beside him.

“There are hundreds of them,” Lancaster reported. “I’m picking up more of them in the water surrounding the platform too.”

Captain Weaver grunted. “I guess we know what attacked the platform now.”

“Where did those things come from?” Watkins asked no one in particular.

“Lancaster, hail the platform,” Captain Weaver ordered, not taking his eyes off the image of the squid-like monsters swarming over it.

“Hailing the platform now, sir,” Lancaster said. “No reply, sir,” he added after a few seconds ticked by.

Captain Weaver glanced over at Ennis. The XO looked pale. There was nothing in the book about dealing with a situation like this. Sending the strike team over to the platform would likely be suicide for the marines that were prepped and ready to go. There could very well be people left alive inside the platform, however, and something had to be done to try to help them.

“Options?” Captain Weaver asked.

“We’re gonna need to clear that deck if we do send a strike team over,” Ennis said.

Captain Weaver glared at the XO for stating the obvious.

“I think controlled bursts from the Braxton ’s CIWS would be the fastest means of doing so,” Ennis told him.

Captain Weaver nodded. “Assuming the platform itself and can take that sort of barrage and remain intact.”

“According to the data we have on the platform,” Lancaster chimed in, “it’s pretty tough. If we take our time and we’re careful, the CIWS should be able to clear the deck without too much damage to the platform’s structure.”

“Agreed.” Ennis nodded.

“Keep the strike team on standby until we do so,” Captain Weaver ordered. “And let’s be about it then.”

“It’ll take me a few minutes to work things out with the CIWS and get it configured for what we’re doing,” Ennis said.

“I’m on it,” Smith, the Braxton ’s weapons officer, spoke up.

“Understood,” Captain Weaver replied.

As Ennis and Smith went about their work, Captain Weaver continued to watch the creatures swarming over Platform Alpha One. What were they? Where did they come from? There was so much that he didn’t know that he needed to know, and the only people who might have those answers, if they were still alive, were the platform’s crew. There was no sign of anyone on the platform. Captain Weaver had to assume that the creatures on its deck and sides were hostile and had driven any surviving members of the platform’s crew into the interior of its structure. The distress call the Braxton had received made it clear that the platform had been attacked and that attack had to have come from these creatures that now moved about the platform as if it were their own. Captain Weaver didn’t like the idea of killing the creatures, all life mattered, but there was no other choice.

“Captain!” Lancaster called to him. “The contacts in the water are beginning to close on the Braxton. ”

“More of those things like on the platform?” Captain Weaver asked.

“Yes, sir,” Lancaster confirmed.

“Ennis?” Captain Weaver demanded.

“We’ve got the CIWS reconfigured, sir,” Ennis barked.

“Then take those things closing and send them back to whatever Hell they crawled out of,” Captain Weaver ordered.

“Yes, sir!” Smith shouted.

The Braxton ’s CIWS rotated on its base, its barrels turning downward. The ship actually had two CIWS units, both prototype systems, that could target close-in surface contacts and not just airborne threats. The port CIWS roared to life. Its barrels thundered pumping a three thousand round a minute blast of fire into the water at the approaching creatures. The water above where the creatures were located splashed upwards towards the heavens as the rounds tore through its surface. The water churned beneath the fury of the barrage and grew black.

After a few seconds, the CIWS shutdown, falling silent.

“The remaining CBDR contacts have broken off and changed course, sir,” Lancaster reported. “That hit them pretty hard. Based on the data coming in from the sonar, I’d say we halved their number at least.”

“Good,” Captain Weaver commented. “Smith?”

“Targeting the creatures on the platform now, sir,” Smith answered.

“Short controlled bursts,” Ennis reminded the weapons officer.

“Yes, sir,” Smith responded from his seat at the weapons station.

The CIWS came to life again. It rotated on its base to target the platform. Captain Weaver held his breath as he watched the CIWS open fire at the platform. Using it in such a way was a gamble. There was no certainty that its fire wouldn’t penetrate the platform’s hull to the point of endangering anyone left inside its interior. The CIWS thundered again. It spat short burst after short burst at the creatures covering the platform’s exterior surface. Captain Weaver watched the squid-like creatures struck by its fire being torn apart. Many of the squid-like things were nearly vaporized by the high-velocity rounds that ripped through their ranks. Black blood flew everywhere to the point that a black mist formed over the platform’s primary deck and hung in the air like fog.

Several minutes later, the grizzly work was done. The platform hadn’t been completely cleared, but the bulk of the squids aboard it had been utterly decimated. The CIWS fell silent again.

“That’s it, sir,” Smith spoke up. “Any more and the odds are of overly damaging the platform become too great.”

Captain Weaver nodded. “Still no response to our hails?” he asked Lancaster.

“None, sir,” Lancaster answered.

“Alright then,” Captain Weaver said with a sigh. “Make Larson aware of the situation and get the strike team deployed.”

“Sir…” Ennis started, but Captain Weaver stopped him.

“I am well aware that the boats will be open to attack on their trip over. We’ll do what we can to cover them,” Captain Weaver said.

The two small boats hit the water. Larson was the CO of the first boat, Hawks was over the second. Both boats sped across the waves towards Platform Alpha One. Each boat contained a squad of three counting its CO. Hawks was glad Robbie was on his boat. He had taken a liking to the kid and promised himself to look out for him. The third member of his squad was a tall, lanky trooper named Chuck. All three of them kept their eyes on the water and weapons ready. They had seen the things crawling on and over the platform they were headed for. The creatures creeped out Hawks more than he would ever admit. Things like these creatures, to him, shouldn’t exist in the real world. Squids didn’t walk around outside of the water much less climb the walls of structures like the platform. None of what was happening made sense. It was like stepping into a horror film.

“Movement to port!” Robbie shouted.

Chuck was manning the stick so that left Robbie and himself to make sure nothing got onto the boat with the three of them. Hawks raised his rifle but couldn’t see anything. Robbie was a newbie and likely easily spooked, but Hawks didn’t doubt the kid had seen something.

Hawks flinched and Robbie screamed as the Braxton ’s CIWS swept the water not far from their boat with a barrage of fire.

“Hold it together, kid,” Hawks cautioned him.

Robbie looked at him with wide eyes.

“We’ll make it,” Hawks assured him.

Larson’s boat was close to the platform now. Larson was standing up in the boat, his rifle blazing away at something in the water near it. Hawks watched as the boat came alongside the platform and another member of Larson’s squad fired a grappling hook up onto the side of the platform. It caught and held from the look of things. Larson was the last to abandon the boat. He kept firing into the water as the other two members of his squad climbed up it. Only when they were well out of reach of whatever was in the water did Larson stop shooting, shoulder his weapon by its strap, and start up the rope himself.