Water hammered the stealth sub like fists. Every light flickered, every bolt screamed under the pressure. Sirens wailed in a dozen different pitches, clashing like a nightmare orchestra. Somewhere above, sailors shouted, their voices snatched away by the roar of the storm and the metallic bellow of the hull.
> [Status: Catastrophic Damage Imminent.]
[Unknown Titan Signature: Approaching Rapidly.]
Lin's claws twitched against the restraints. Even through steel and saltwater he felt the approaching presence — massive, cold, hungry. It wasn't Kong. This thing smelled of the abyss.
"Fuc.k…" he rumbled under his breath. "You people had no idea what you were dragging me through."
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
"Impact in twenty seconds!" a tech screamed.
Keller braced himself against the console, eyes darting between sonar blips. "Maintain dampeners! Do not release the specimen under any circumstances!"
"It's going to crush us!" the helmsman shouted.
"Then we go down fighting," Keller snapped. "All power to shields!"
But in the back of his mind a whisper crawled up like ice: We're not going to survive this.
---
Below – Lin
Water leaked from a crack in the ceiling, splattering his armored hide. He tilted his head, watching the droplets roll. Above the chaos, his system chimed softly:
> [Restraint Integrity: 41% and Falling.]
[Countermeasure Opportunity Available.]
Lin flexed once, a slow ripple that made the steel groan. Patience had paid off. Now chaos was opening the door.
He sent another pulse through the sub's systems, delicate as a pick in a lock. Cameras blinked out. Dampener readings glitched. Somewhere above, the SERAPHIM canister hissed as its seals loosened.
---
The Attack
The unknown Titan hit the sub like a freight train. Metal screamed. Entire sections buckled inward. Lights died, plunging corridors into blackness. In the brief glow of emergency strobes, sailors saw a glimpse through a viewport: a mass of armored tendrils and a maw lined with teeth like obsidian knives.
"Holy sh.t!" someone cried. "What is that?"
Nobody had an answer.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
"Containment breach in Lower Labs!"
"Specimen B is loose!"
"Pressure dropping!"
Keller's voice cut through the panic. "Seal the bulkheads! Get me visuals on Titan A now!"
A screen flickered to life, showing Lin's cell. The Titan was still chained, eyes glowing faintly. But Keller swore the glow was… amused.
"He's waiting," Keller murmured. "God help us, he's waiting."
---
Below – Lin
> [Evolution Progress: 82%.]
[Neural Override Threat: Deactivating.]
With a final, precise pulse, Lin fried the control circuits of the SERAPHIM canister. Sparks danced. The prototype went dark.
"Not today," he growled.
Then he flexed. Hard. The weakened restraints snapped like brittle bones. Metal clattered across the floor. Alarms howled.
For the first time since his capture, Lin stood at full height inside the cell. His dorsal plates scraped the ceiling, showering sparks. He inhaled deeply, tasting the storm-charged air. Freedom.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
"Specimen A is loose!" a tech shrieked.
Keller's heart hammered. "Evacuate nonessential personnel! Get us to the island — now!"
"It's not responding!"
The helmsman's voice cracked. "Steering's gone! We're being dragged!"
On sonar, the unknown Titan's mass was wrapped around the sub, pulling it toward the trench mouth like a spider with prey.
---
Below – Lin
Water poured in through a torn seam. The crustacean-centipede hybrid from Lower Labs scrambled past the bars of its broken cell, clicking wildly. It stopped, staring up at Lin. For a heartbeat predator and predator locked eyes.
Then Lin tilted his head. "Run," he rumbled.
The creature skittered into the shadows.
Lin turned toward the main hull. The unknown Titan's tendrils punched through the metal, inches from his claws. One whip lashed across his chest, sparks flying as it met his armor.
> [System: Defensive Protocol Suggestion – Resonance Shockwave.]
He didn't need telling twice. He inhaled, chest plates vibrating. Then he roared.
Sound became force. The hull shook. Tendrils snapped back like burned wires. Sailors clapped their hands over bleeding ears.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
"What the hell was that?!"
"Resonance spike off the charts!"
Keller stared at the monitor as Lin's roar echoed through the ship. "He's fighting it," he whispered. "He's not just an animal…"
---
The Unknown Titan
Through a shattered viewport Lin saw it fully for the first time: a nightmare from the deep. Armor like volcanic rock. Eyes like dying stars. Its body coiled around the sub, squeezing. Each movement was slow, deliberate, impossibly strong.
It opened its maw and released a sound like a collapsing mountain.
Lin answered with a low growl. "Come on then."
---
Battle in the Deep
The sub lurched sideways as the two Titans clashed. Lin's claws slammed into a tendril, slicing deep. Black ichor clouded the water. The unknown Titan thrashed, smashing the hull again. Panels burst. Fire and water mingled in the corridors.
> [System Warning: Hull Integrity Critical.]
Sailors scrambled for escape pods that weren't there. The helmsman screamed into the mic, "We're dead! We're all dead!"
Keller grabbed him by the collar. "We're not dead until I say so!"
But even he knew it was a lie.
---
Below – Lin
He tore another tendril free, energy crackling along his plates. The storm outside roared like a choir of gods. He felt Skull Island's resonance just ahead, a drumbeat calling him.
> [Energy Synchronization: 90%. Evolution Trigger Approaching.]
He smiled — a terrifying, alien expression. "Almost there."
---
Surface – Skull Island
Kong stood at the cliff edge, rain pounding his fur. He could hear the battle below, feel it through the rock. His nostrils flared. A rival. Humans. Thunder. He slammed a fist into his chest, then roared, the sound rolling across the jungle like an avalanche.
Birds scattered. Ancient stones trembled. The island woke.
---
Project Aegis – Control Room
"Contact with the island's beacon established," a tech said faintly. "But… it's reacting…"
Keller's eyes widened as runes on the holographic map glowed. "We've triggered something."
---
Below – Lin
The unknown Titan lunged one last time, wrapping its jaws around the sub's nose. Lin moved faster than he'd ever moved in captivity. He slammed both claws into its face and fired a Resonance Shockwave point-blank.
Water erupted. The creature recoiled, shrieking, and for a moment released the sub.
Lin didn't hesitate. He tore through the last remnants of his cell, burst into the corridor, and charged toward the breach.
---
Freedom
He hit the water like a meteor, chains trailing. For a heartbeat he floated in the black, free and weightless. Then his eyes opened, glowing brighter than the storm above.
> [Evolution Progress: 95%.]
[Objective Updated: Reach Skull Island. Neutralize Threat.]
He kicked once, propelling himself forward. The unknown Titan lunged after him, but he twisted, dodged, and vanished into the currents.
Behind him, the sub tumbled, powerless. Sailors clung to wreckage. Keller watched through a shattered viewport as the Titan he'd tried to control became a streak of living light in the deep.
"My God," he whispered. "What have we done?"
---
Surface – Skull Island Approaches
Lightning split the sky as Lin broke the surface miles from the island. He rose from the water like a living fortress, chains snapping loose and sinking. Rain sheeted off his armor.
On the cliffs, Kong turned his head, eyes narrowing.
Two alphas. Two destinies.
The storm between them roared.
---
Project Aegis – Aftermath
Inside the sinking sub, Keller clutched a floating console, coughing seawater. He tapped a final command into a backup tablet: Transmit all data to HQ.
If they died here, at least someone would know what happened.
Then he looked out at the dark waves. Somewhere out there, Lin swam free — and the unknown Titan still hunted.
"We opened the door," Keller muttered. "Now the monsters are walking through."
---
Below – Lin
He could see Skull Island now, its cliffs wreathed in mist, its jungle pulsing with ancient energy. He could feel Kong's presence like a thunderhead.
> [System: Evolution Threshold Reached – Awaiting Catalyst.]
He inhaled, tasting salt and power. "Soon," he whispered. "Let's finish this."
The unknown Titan roared behind him, closing fast.
Lin dove, claws slicing the water, chains trailing like banners. The island loomed closer with every stroke.
Freedom. Battle. Destiny.
---
To be continued…
⚡️ Next Chapter Tease:
Lin hits Skull Island's shores with the unknown Titan right behind him. Kong moves to intercept. Project Aegis survivors wash up on the beach, bringing their weapons and their secrets. The first clash between alphas begins.