Aquatica

Sergeant Nathan Vargas

Aquatica Marine Corps

1st Marine Battalion, A Company

Aboard USS Yorktown, 10 Miles Off The Coast of Virginia

February 13th, 2019

“Alright pilot, take us to the unknown craft!” I shouted, as the MH-60S Knighthawk that I was in slowly lifted off the deck. After receiving word from the U.S.S Wisconsin that a small anomaly was detected near the Home Fleet, I was ordered to gather a fireteam, then head over to investigate the unknown craft. None of us knew what to expect, so naturally we were nervous about being deployed.

After the fleet left Virginia in June of 2018, life had finally began to return to normal for the survivors aboard. No longer did we have to worry about zombies breaking into our houses while we slept. Aquatica was a triumph, having managed to save a little under 26,000 people from the zombie apocalypse.

The helicopter ride was virtually silent except for the obnoxious helicopter engine, with nobody speaking at all. The air was tense with a sense of burning anticipation and nervousness, which clearly showed on all our faces. I clutched my weapon closely, which was a black M16A4 with a foregrip, Aimpoint sight, and a side mounted flashlight. Finally, the silence was broken by the pilot. “We’re approaching the craft now. You boys best be ready.”

I nodded, then slid open the right door to the heli, and peered down onto the ocean below. It took a few moments for the strange craft to come into sight, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback by it’s appearance. The craft strongly resembled the command module of a 1960s era spacecraft, and the whole thing seemed like an arts and craft project, with patchwork metal pieces all over it. On the top of the craft was a small hatch, and a strange seal that nobody recognized. I just stared at the craft for a few minutes in amazement, then stuck my head back into the heli. “Hail them, see if they answer. If they don’t, then we’ll have to drag that ragtag raft back to the fleet, that thing is too small and unstable to stand on.” I shouted, keeping my voice as serious as possible.

The pilot nodded, then hit a few buttons on the console. “You have entered waters controlled by the Aquatica home fleet. State your business, or you will be deemed hostile and captured.” Announced the pilot. There came no reply.

Convinced that whoever was in the craft wasn’t going to answer, I sighed deeply, then slung my M16 over my shoulder, and secured a harness mounted on the floor to my combat armor. Sure that I was secured, I nodded to the pilot, then jumped out of the aircraft. Thanks to my harness, I lightly swung under the helicopter, where I quickly pressed a button and deployed the chopper’s lift rope.

With lift rope in hand, I gave the order for my men to lower me down to the craft, and looked for a hook to attach it to, quickly found one, and secured the heli’s lift rope to it. Making sure the cable was nice and secure, I gave it a tug before looking up at the heli, and gave a thumbs up. A marine that was watching me returned the thumbs up, then started to pull me back to the chopper. Within 5 minutes, I was back in the chopper, and on my way back to the fleet.

Breathing deeply, I unsecured myself from the chopper’s rappelling system, then motioned to the copilot to open a channel to the fleet command. Once the channel was open, I waited a second, then cleared my throat. “Aquatica Command, this is Knight 2. We’ve recovered the foreign object, and are bringing it back to the fleet to investigate it, over.” I announced, making sure to keep my voice professional. There was a brief moment of silence, then a burst of static.

“Roger that Knight 2. Take the package to the George HW Bush, then investigate. Teams will be standing by, in case something happens, over and out.” Replied the radio operator at the other end. I smiled, then leaned back in my seat. “Well, this is going to be fun.”

///

“George H.W Bush Control, this is Knight 2. We are requesting permission to land with unknown package, over.” Announced the co-pilot, as our helicopter approached the titanic aircraft carrier. The sight of the Bush was a sight to behold, a key symbol of the power of Aquatica. The deck was filled with various aircraft, all stowed away and compacted. There was a brief moment of silence, before the familiar hum of static cut through the radio. “Roger Knight 2, you are cleared to land. Two teams are on standby to assist with the package if needed.” Came a different radio operator, a hint of tiredness in his voice.

With permission to land granted, all of the Marines on the helicopter all tensed up, ready to jump out and deal with whatever came out of the recovered vessel. The heli came closer and closer to the deck, then pulled into a hover when it was right above the deck. With a loud click, the lift cable below the helicopter was released, and the strange craft dropped onto the deck below. As soon as the craft was dropped, the heli veered forward a bit, then landed, allowing us to finally disembark.

We quickly got into a tight box formation, then advanced toward the strange craft. Stopping right before it, I turned to my men, and motioned for them to stand back while I opened the hatch. Then, without waiting for their reaction, I jumped onto the craft, then looked down at the hatch. Taking a deep breath,  and opened the hatch on the top.

The first thing I saw when I peered in was two glowing lavender eyes, just staring straight at me. I stared back at them for a few seconds, then found my voice. “You! Come out now or I’ll shoot!” I shouted, trying my hardest not to display the nervousness in my voice. The eyes just blinked, until a voice emanated from the darkness of the craft. “Alright, just don’t hurt me.”

Suddenly, a purple appendage reached out from the darkness, and grabbed the edge of the hatch. I panicked a little, then fell backwards of the craft. Another purple appendage grabbed the side of the hatch, before a strange creature climbed out of the craft. The thing reminded me of a small horse, except this one had two folded wings and a horn. The creature hopped down on the deck, then looked at the 4 other marines pointing their weapons at it. The deck went silent for a few moments, until I found my voice. “What… what the fuck are you?”