Page 74 of Whispers and Warriors
Chris’s stomach churned as he surveyed the damage. Bullet holes punctured the walls, shattered glass littered the floor. And the bodies...god, how many had they lost? How many more would they lose to injuries before this nightmare was over?
He scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the weight of leadership settling heavily on his shoulders. They needed answers, needed a plan. They needed to make sure this never happened again. Eyes needed to be trained on the sky and the sea at all times.
Chris forced himself to walk across the debris-strewn deck, his boots crunching on shattered glass and splintered wood. Thebitter tang of smoke and blood hung heavy in the air, a grim reminder of the chaos that had torn through the ship. His jaw clenched as he navigated the twisted maze of passageways, eyes scanning for any sign of further threat.
As he emerged onto the bridge, his gaze locked onto the captain, her silver-streaked hair gleaming under the flickering lights. She stood ramrod straight, a beacon of calm amidst the storm.
“Captain Novak,” Chris called out, his voice carrying the weight of command even as he inclined his head in respect. “What’s our status? How bad is the damage?”
He walked even as she answered, trying to bridge the distance and not look at the bodies under his feet.
The captain turned to face him, her steel-gray eyes assessing him with the precision of a laser scope. “We’ve confirmed there’s none left alive onboard, no real way of knowing where they came from and diverted power to maintain life support,” she reported, her tone crisp and efficient. “But we’ve lost a significant portion of our supplies, including food.”
Chris absorbed the information with a grim nod, not that he knew what any of it meant—except for the food bit. They’d have to ration what remained, maybe even send out fishing parties if needed. But first, they needed to ensure the immediate safety of the survivors.
“What about the crew? The passengers?” he pressed, his brow furrowed with concern. “How many casualties are we looking at?”
The captain’s expression tightened, a flicker of pain dancing behind her eyes before she blinked it away. “Too many,” she said softly, her voice threaded with a weariness that spoke of countless battles and hard-fought victories. “We’re still assessing the full extent of the losses, but it’s... it’s bad.”
He swallowed hard, the weight of those unsaid names pressing down on his chest like a physical force. Each one represented a life, a story cut short by the cruelty of this new world order. And though he’d seen his share of death and destruction, it never got easier to bear.
“I’m confining all passengers to their cabins for the next four days,” the captain continued, her tone hardening with resolve. “We’ll set up a rotation for them to assist with cleanup and repairs, but we can’t risk any further security breaches.”
Chris nodded his agreement, his mind already turning over the logistics of such an order. They’d need to post guards, establish communication protocols, maybe even set up a temporary triage center in one of the larger rooms.
“And the food situation?” he asked, dreading the answer even as he braced for it. “Just how much is gone?”
The captain’s lips thinned into a grim line. “We lost almost all of our meat storage in the attack. Not the meat yet, but the means to keep it fresh. And with most of our cooking facilities damaged, we won’t be able to prepare much beyond basic rations for a few days, everything will spoil long before we get to morning because it was never salt coated.”
Chris exhaled slowly, the implications sinking in like lead weights. They were looking at weeks, of stretching their meager supplies to the breaking point.
He shook his head, forcing the dark thoughts aside. They’d cross that bridge when they came to it. For now, they needed to focus on the immediate tasks at hand.
“Understood,” he said crisply, squaring his shoulders as he met the captain’s gaze. “My team and I will assist with whatever you need. Just say the word.”
The captain studied him for a long moment, her eyes searching his face for something he couldn’t quite name.Then, slowly, she nodded, a glimmer of something like respect flickering in her expression.
“I’ll hold you to that, Chris,” she said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of a promise. “We’re going to need all hands on deck if we’re going to make it through this.”
Chris held the captain’s gaze, his eyes glinting with a steely resolve. “Captain, with your permission, I’d like to propose having my unit assist with patrol duties.” His voice was firm, the words measured and precise. “We’re trained for this, and we can provide additional security to keep the ship and its passengers safe. Yes, we can stand guard, but we’re better at watching, waiting, than babysitting.”
Captain Novak’s expression was inscrutable as she weighed the options. The silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant sounds of the crew working to repair the damage. Finally, she gave a curt nod, her decision made. “Very well. Your team’s expertise will be invaluable in maintaining order and protecting our people. Coordinate with the head of security to establish patrol schedules and protocols.”
Relief washed over Chris, mingling with a renewed sense of purpose. “Thank you, Captain. We won’t let you down.” He hesitated for a moment, then added, “If I may speak freely?”
The captain’s eyebrow arched, curiosity piqued by his request. “Go ahead.”
Chris turned to Liam, who had been standing silently by his side, observing the exchange with a pensive expression. “Liam, I need you to tell the captain what you saw during the attack. Every detail matters. But keep your voice down, we don’t want to scare people.”
Liam stepped forward, his blue eyes sharp behind his glasses as he met the captain’s inquiring gaze. He drew a deep breath, organizing his thoughts before speaking. “Captain, I got a good look at the attackers during the chaos. Their uniforms, theirweapons, their tactics... It’s like nothing I’ve seen before, at least not since the bombs dropped.”
When she didn’t ask questions, Chris motioned for Liam to continue.
Liam’s voice took on a grave tone as he continued, “Captain, based on what I saw, I believe these attackers are connected to one of the richest men in the world. A man who clearly survived the apocalypse and is now holed up with resources that even the US government doesn’t have. Victor Warrington.”
Chris’s brows furrowed as he absorbed this revelation. The thought of a single individual wielding such power in this shattered world was both intriguing and deeply unsettling. He glanced at the captain, wondering how she would respond to this information. They all knew the man who created the most powerful AI in the world—the same AI that turned on them and wrote code to trigger the bio-bombs.
Captain Novak’s steel-gray eyes narrowed, her posture stiffening almost imperceptibly. “Are you certain of this, Liam?” Her voice was steady, but Chris could detect an undercurrent of concern beneath her composed exterior.
