The ocean boiled above the stealth sub like a cauldron, the hull groaning as pressure built. Lin felt every vibration through the steel coffin of his restraints. His claws twitched once, twice, then stilled. He could smell saltwater even through the recycled air of the containment bay, and with it came something older, deeper — a thrum that wasn't the turbines or the hum of cables. It was the pulse of the sea itself, like a heartbeat, calling him.
> [Status: Transport in Progress.] [Trajectory: Pacific Ridge – Sector Black.] [Projected Arrival: 14 Hours.]
He cracked one glowing eye open. Through his hacked feeds, grainy camera angles flickered: sailors moving like shadows, their boots splashing in ankle-deep water from a leak nobody was talking about. A single phrase flashed across a technician's tablet: Field Test Protocol: Skull Island Perimeter.
"Holy moly…" Lin muttered, the sound just a low rumble in his chest. They're really taking me to him.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
Dr. Keller rubbed his temples as another status report scrolled across the holographic display. "Maintain course," he said flatly. "Energy dampeners at 70 percent. I don't want any surprises."
A junior officer hesitated. "Sir… the readings from the containment cell are… strange. It's like the specimen's energy is syncing with the sub's systems. Resonance spikes every few minutes."
Keller's eyes narrowed. "Log it. Do not engage. If he's adapting, that's more data for us."
He turned to the glass wall that separated the control room from the observation deck. Beyond it, the black sea stretched endless and hungry, broken only by the faint glow of their navigation drones.
"We're walking into a storm," one of the engineers muttered under his breath.
"You have no idea," Keller replied quietly.
---
Below – Lin
Chains bit into his armored hide as he shifted his weight. He'd stopped struggling hours ago. Instead, he listened — not with ears, but with the system's silent sensors.
> [New Signal Detected: Skull Island Perimeter Beacon.]
[Ancient Resonance Matching: 62%.]
A slow, almost predatory satisfaction rolled through him. They think they're leading me into a trap, he thought. They're actually bringing me home.
Through one camera, he caught a glimpse of something hidden in a side compartment of the sub: a cylindrical canister glowing faintly blue, labeled SERAPHIM – Titan Neural Override Prototype.
Lin's dorsal plates flared weakly. "Fuc.k," he growled, his voice a seismic whisper. They're planning to control me.
> [System Alert: Neural Override Threat Identified.]
[Countermeasures: Locked – Evolution Progress 73%.]
Patience, he told himself. Patience.
---
Project Aegis – Lower Labs
In a chamber just two decks above Lin, another creature stirred — the crustacean-centipede hybrid from Titan Containment Wing. It twitched under sedation, one eye cracking open. For a moment, its gaze fixed on the cameras. Then it pulsed a low, clicking call that echoed through the pipes.
Nobody heard it but Lin.
His own chest vibrated in answer. You're not alone down here, are you?
---
Surface – The Storm
The sub rose just enough for its periscope to break the waves. Outside, the sky had turned the color of bruises. Lightning forked across clouds swollen like mountains. In the distance, Skull Island's jagged peaks jutted from the sea like the teeth of some buried god.
Keller stared at the live feed from the drone camera. "Maintain heading. This weather won't stop us."
"Sir," the helmsman said nervously, "this is Category Six. We should—"
"You'll do as ordered." Keller's voice was steel.
---
Below – Lin
He closed his eyes and let the storm's thunder roll through him. Each boom echoed inside his skull like a drum. He could feel Kong out there — not in sight, but in sense. A shadow as old as his own blood. The King.
> [System: External Titan Signature Detected.] [Energy Type: Primal – Alpha Tier.]
Lin's claws dug shallow furrows into the steel floor. A low growl built in his throat, not rage, but anticipation. "Soon."
---
Flashback – The Abyss
For a heartbeat he remembered the deep: black trenches, crushing pressure, the glow of ancient runes carved into stone. His mother's roar fading into silence as nets of energy closed around them. He had been smaller then, weaker. They had taken her. He had survived.
The memory burned like saltwater in a wound.
> [Mission Updated: Skull Island Arrival = Opportunity.] [Objective: Disrupt Human Control Protocols.]
He opened his eyes. Patience was over. It was time to start playing with his captors.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
"Specimen's vitals are spiking," a tech reported. "Not aggression — it's… coordinated."
Keller leaned forward. "Explain."
"It's like… it's syncing with our instruments. Our dampeners are stable, but it's still… broadcasting something."
"Holy sh.t," another tech whispered. "It's talking to our systems."
---
Below – Lin
> [Skill Activated: Resonance Pulse – Covert Mode.]
He sent a gentle wave through the sub's electronics — not enough to trigger alarms, just enough to slip into the data streams. He skimmed through command files, override codes, navigation routes. The humans thought they were studying him; he was studying them.
One of the security doors above flickered, locking and unlocking by itself. A sailor cursed, slapping the panel. "System glitch again?"
Another sailor muttered, "This whole trip's cursed."
Lin almost chuckled, a deep rumble that made the pipes shake. You have no idea.
---
Surface – Skull Island Approaches
Rain lashed the deck. Drones buzzed through gale winds, their lights cutting through sheets of water. Through one camera feed, Lin glimpsed the island's shoreline: trees the size of skyscrapers, cliffs carved with symbols older than humanity.
> [System Note: Territory Resonance – Compatible.] [Energy Synchronization: 81%.]
He inhaled. Even through steel and sea, the air of the island reached him like a whisper. Freedom. Power. Home.
---
Project Aegis – Lower Labs
The crustacean-centipede hybrid's restraints snapped one by one. Alarms blared, drowned by thunder. Scientists screamed as the creature lunged, ripping cables free.
Keller's voice cracked over the intercom: "All units, contain Specimen B! Now!"
Below, Lin lifted his head slowly. His dorsal plates glimmered, faint but deliberate. Chaos above. My opening.
---
The Storm Breaks
Lightning hit the ocean just meters from the sub, sending a shockwave that rattled every bolt. Lights flickered. For a second, the dampeners on Lin's restraints dropped to 40%.
> [System Alert: Restraint Weakness Detected.] [Countermeasure Opportunity Available.]
Lin's eyes blazed. "Time to move."
He shifted his weight, testing the weakened restraints. Metal shrieked but didn't break. Not yet. He wasn't going to blow his chance too early. Instead, he sent another pulse into the ship's systems — this one aimed at the canister labeled SERAPHIM.
> [System Hack: 42% Complete…]
Somewhere above, a klaxon blared. The captain shouted orders drowned by static. The storm howled like a living thing.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
Keller gripped the console, knuckles white. "What's happening?"
"Multiple system failures! Containment breach in Lower Labs!"
He turned toward the observation feed of Lin. The Titan was still chained, but its eyes glowed like twin suns. And for the first time, Keller felt the hair rise on the back of his neck.
"He's not waiting for us," he whispered. "He's planning."
---
Below – Lin
He tilted his head toward the nearest camera, just like before. Slowly, deliberately, he tapped one claw on the floor — once, twice, three times. The same signal he'd given before, but with a new rhythm.
I'm awake.
Thunder roared. The storm outside slammed into the sub like a giant's fist. In the depths, something else stirred — older than Lin, older than Kong. A shadow moving beneath the waves, drawn by the same beacon.
> [System Warning: Unknown Titan Signature Approaching.] [Classification: Uncharted – Alpha?]
Lin's plates rose, energy crackling between them. "Oh sh.t," he growled softly. "Looks like it's gonna be a party."
---
Surface – Skull Island's Edge
On the island, Kong raised his head, nostrils flaring. He could smell them now — the humans, the metal coffin, the rival. He clenched his fists, pounding his chest once. Lightning flashed, illuminating his massive silhouette against the jungle canopy.
The storm was just the beginning.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
Keller stared at the growing blip on sonar — a massive shape rising fast from the depths.
"Contact! Bearing zero-four-seven! It's… huge!"
For the first time, Keller's voice faltered. "All hands… brace for impact."
---
Below – Lin
He closed his eyes. The restraints hummed, the system chimed.
> [Evolution Progress: 78%.] [Mission Fragment Updated: Survive Approaching Titan. Escape Human Control.]
He grinned — as much as a Titan could grin. "Let's dance."
The hull groaned. The lights died. In the dark, only Lin's eyes glowed, bright and unblinking.
---
To be continued…
⚡️ Next Chapter Tease:
The sub is attacked by the unknown Titan just as it nears Skull Island. In the chaos, Lin makes his move to break free, while Kong senses the battle and begins to move toward the shore. Project Aegis faces its first real nightmare.