The Power in the Dark

Death at Sea

The water was cool and clear. Small black waves formed as the wind gently caressed the surface of the ocean. The world was black except for the light of the moon and it's stars. Darkness had enveloped this small region of the Artic Ocean, and the only forms that could be seen were those of the icebergs and one lonely ship. The world was silent.

The ship in question was a naval research ship, carrying cargo that was part of a top secret experiment. Her name was the S.S. Swordfish, and she was one of only three prototype ships made. In the event of emergency, the commander of the ship had direct orders to press one of two buttons, one for different circumstances. The first button, small and blue, would send out an emergency signal to the Pentagon, who then would send fighter jets to aid the ship. It was only supposed to be used when the threat was at least five miles away. The other button, slightly larger, green, and locked under a plastic lid, was only to be used in the event that the lookout could see the threat with his own eyes. No one other than the officials at the Pentagon or the engineers who worked on the ship knew what that button does, and those who knew where sworn to secrecy. Only one man had ever figured out the secret of the ship on his own, and he swore he would never use it in any circumstance whatsoever. This man's name was Captain Oliver.

Captain Oliver was a seaman. Short, stout, and very imposing, he always had a lit cigar in his hand. At a height of 5'5", the Captain had been offered many a fight, and many a fight he had won. With the grip of a giant and the mindset of a dictator, no one stepped out of line. If all went accordingly, the Captain was in a fairly good mood. If not, there would be hell to pay. But never unjust, Captain Oliver would punish himself along with his crew.

At that moment, the Captain was sitting on the bridge of the ship, leaning back in his captains chair as a cigar burned slowly in his mouth. The night had gone well, as far as he cared, because not once had he been required to press the green button. And every night he had the same feeling of well being because of that green button. Yes, life was good, their mission was almost complete, and they would be home by the next morning. With the shipment of the artifacts that the researchers had found in Greenland, the government would be jumping up in glee, and promotions would be given all around. The Captain grin widened at the the thought of not just commanding one ship, but a fleet of ships. The thought was short lived, however, when his second in command came bursting onto the deck.

"Captain Oliver! It's an emergency!"

The Captain sat up. "Bloody hell! What's with the antics, O'Reily? Give me the report."

"Sorry, sir. But it's the artifacts! They're...they're alive!"

This raised an eyebrow. "What's that? Alive? Codswallop! I saw those artifacts myself, just a bunch of wooden-"

The ship shuddered. An explosion was heard on deck, and the S.S. Swordfish tilted to the right. Swiftly the Captain ran down the stairs onto the deck just in time to see one of his crew members thrown into the air. Another burst of flame exploded, and more members of the crew went flying overboard. In the middle of the destruction were what seemed to be totem pole men, each with different engravings and symbols on their bodies. Each was throwing fire from their hands.

Captain Oliver turned to O'Reily. "Get a lifeboat into the water, pick up all of the crew. Get away from the ship as fast as you can. I need to do something." With that, he started heading back up to the bridge.

"But sir! What about you? Should I wait?"

The Captain turned and smirked at his second in command. It was then that O'Reily knew that he would never see the Captain again. "Captain, you are by far the bravest man alive. It was an honor to sail with you."

The Captain saluted O'Reily. "Same to you, kid. Now quit dilly-dallying and get moving! We don't have much time!" He continued on his way until he reached the bridge. O'Reily stood for a moment longer, his green eyes glinting, then headed to the lifeboats.

On the bridge, the Captain started searching for the key to the green button. Captain Oliver wasn't known for having a good memory, and the jerking of the ship didn't help, either. "Damn it all!" Running to the green button, he ripped the plastic covering off, lock and all. Now all he had to do was wait.

In the lifeboat, O'Reily had picked up almost all the crew members, and those who weren't here were burning on the deck. He started up the motor and headed away from the ship.

The Captain looked out the window. Good! The old boy made it out. Now the only thing to do was- The Captain stopped in his tracks. One of the totem pole men was on the bridge, and he had fireballs ready in his hands. With some quick calculations, the Captain figured that he could reach the button before the totem pole man reached him, but when he got there he would be on fire. Oh well, how's one death any different from another? Ducking low, Captain Oliver sped across the bridge, dodged a fireball, and reached the green button.

Turning, he said, " Die, you miserable son of a -", before he was hit by a fireball and thrown on top of the green button.

Outside, there was only silence. A small lifeboat chugged away as it's ship was burning behind it. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, a thunderous boom, and wave so large that it completely destroyed the lifeboat and killed everyone on board. The explosion would result in tsunamis hitting New York with minimal damage, and the government would start creating a new type of missile based of the explosives from the S.S. Swordfish. But, at the present, the only thing that resulted from the explosion was boiling water, a few pieces of a lifeboat, and eleven totem pole men, hovering above the water, the water dripping off their backs like blood from a slaughter. With the moon in their faces, they headed their different ways. Their time had come.