The ship rocked hard enough to make my teeth clack.
In the chaos, a dark metallic shape broke the surface for one single second—
Smooth.
Angular.
Not human.
Then it vanished back into the waves like it had never been.
“That wasn’t…” the engineer whispered, eyes wide. “That wasn’t human tech.”
“Get us out of here!” I snapped.
Engines roared.
We fled the site, waves crashing behind us like something was chasing our wake.
In the control room, the retrieved capsule sat on the table, dripping seawater, still blinking.
I leaned over it, tracing the strange symbols with a fingertip.
My hand found a hidden latch.
A soft click.
A hiss.
The capsule opened like it had been waiting for my touch.
Inside was a black device—smooth, cold, almost like crystal.
Faint light pulsed within it, perfectly timed with the beacons we’d seen below.
“What is it?” the younger pilot whispered.
