CHAPTER 1.8 – “HEARING(?) GIRL”

-CHAPTER 1.8 – “HEARING(?) GIRL”-

Location: Koruch Vessel – Command Center / Bridge

Date: NTC 1446.07.15

Korsica and Thomas were sprinting through the corridor toward the bridge, gasping for air. When they arrived, ten figures were already inside—eight crew members and two android Mutes.

The moment Korsica saw how relaxed they looked, she exploded.

“What the hell are you all doing here, you idiots?!” she screamed. “We’re barely clinging to our lives in there!”

The crew erupted in panic.

“Captain, calm down!”

“What happened?”

“Did something go wrong in the infirmary?”

“Where’s Kerim?!”

"THUD."

Korsica slammed her fist into the console. “Shut up! Get me the infirmary camera feed, now!”

Thomas rushed to the panel and began typing frantically. “I was just doing that,” he muttered.

One of the large screens lit up. A wide-angle view of the infirmary appeared from the top-left corner. Kerim and Yusuf were in the middle of an argument. Then Kerim turned and left the room, leaving Yusuf behind.

“What’s going on in there, Captain?” one of the crew asked.

Korsica didn’t answer. She turned to Thomas instead.

“We’ve got no choice,” she said. “We’re leaving them in there.”

She took a breath, then added, “Thomas… lock the infirmary.”

Thomas’s eyes widened. “Captain… are you sure? The kid’s still in there…”

“His own brother just walked out on him! We’ve got no choice. Lock it down!”

Thomas exhaled slowly. “Alright…”

He tapped a few keys. Alarms blared across the ship. Steel shutters began sealing the infirmary.

At that exact moment, Kerim burst onto the bridge, out of breath and furious.

“What the hell are you all doing?!” he shouted. “Why hasn’t everyone gone to the infirmary armed?!”

Silence.

Everyone froze, ashamed.

Kerim turned to the screen, and within seconds, he understood.

“Are you all insane?! Locking her in there won’t solve anything! We need to face her with every ounce of firepower we have! There’s nowhere to run on a ship this small!”

“Oh, really?!” Thomas shouted back. “Then why did you leave your brother behind?! You didn’t stay for him—how can you judge the rest of us?!”

“Enough!” Korsica roared. “I’m the captain here! The decision’s mine! It’s not your place to argue!”

Kerim took a deep breath, forcing calm into his voice. “Smart people know when to be brave, and when to be afraid.”

He turned to Thomas, looked him in the eye. “I left because I had no weapon. Fighting that thing barehanded would’ve been suicide. Dragging out an argument with Yusuf would’ve gotten us both killed. I left to return with equipment and backup…”

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His voice rose again. “But I didn’t expect all of you to be such cowards.”

Thomas clenched his jaw. “So you’re still calling us cowards?! Like you’re some kind of hero?! If we unlocked that door, you’d throw these people in first, grab Yusuf, and trap the rest inside with her! Don’t pretend to be brave!”

“The door stays locked until that freak is neutralized!” Korsica snapped. “We’ll find another way from here!”

“She’s practically immortal!” Kerim barked. “The only thing we know that affects her is high voltage!”

“You can’t electrify the whole infirmary!” someone shouted.

“It’s too big!”

“That’ll never work!”

“Are you all idiots?!” Kerim roared. “Of course not! If we pump enough voltage to take her down, everyone inside turns to charcoal!”

Korsica turned to Thomas, her tone suddenly cooler. “Can you do it?”

Thomas understood instantly. His voice was low. “I mean… I can rig something in two hours. It’ll take some work.”

Kerim’s voice rose again. “What are you even talking about?! You’re going to kill Yusuf and Yorgo?!”

Korsica blinked, feigning a moment of memory. “Oh right—Yorgo’s still in there too, huh?”

“Who cares?” someone muttered.

“Forget that creep.”

“He’s old enough. Let him go.”

Thomas walked over to Kerim, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Kerim... we all care about Yusuf. But we’ve got no other option. We can’t face that monster head-on. You saw it. She won’t die. This is the only way.”

“If you wanted to protect your brother so badly,” Korsica cut in, “you should’ve stayed with him! Don’t come preaching now. I’m tired of this crap!”

Kerim snapped.

He lunged forward and punched Korsica hard in the face.

"WHACK"

The captain staggered back in shock as the crew rushed in to restrain him.

“Don’t you confuse me with yourself!” Kerim shouted. “I left to get weapons and support! I didn’t run like you cowards!”

He turned to the men holding him. “Let me go! Just one hit! That bitch’s long overdue for a beating!”

“Kerim, please!”

“We’re worried about Yusuf too!”

“Don’t—she’s not worth it!”

Thomas stepped in, holding him like a brother would. “It’s not easy for us either. Please don’t make this harder.”

Kerim nodded toward Korsica. “Easy for that bitch. She’d sell us all out in a heartbeat to save herself.”

Korsica’s face darkened.

She drew her gun.

“You worthless piece of—!”

"BANG!"

The gunshot rang through the bridge.

The bullet struck Kerim in the abdomen. He didn’t even realize he’d been shot—until he saw the blood. His legs gave out. Thomas caught him.

“Captain! What did you do?!” Thomas shouted.

“Assaulting the captain or disobeying orders is punishable by death!” Korsica barked, now aiming the weapon at the crew. “I just put down a mutiny! Anyone else want to join him?!”

No one spoke.

She snarled. “Huh?! Anyone?!”

Still silence.

Her weapon turned to Thomas.

“Thomas! Drop the traitor. Get back to work. Two hours. No excuses.”

Thomas looked at Kerim.

Kerim’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

“…I’m sorry,” Thomas whispered.

He lowered Kerim to the floor, turned, and didn’t look at Korsica as he said, “Alright. I’ll start now.”

He signaled two crew members. “You two. With me.”

They nodded and followed.

Korsica turned to the rest. “Get that traitor off my bridge. Toss him in a corner. Let him die quietly.”

The crew hesitated, exchanged glances. Then two stepped forward, lifted Kerim by the arms, and dragged him toward a shadowy corner of the bridge.

He was still breathing… but faintly.

Korsica stepped up to the big screen and stared at the live feed of the infirmary.

“Let’s see what’s going on in there…”

At that moment—

Merry looked straight up.

Straight into the camera.

As if she’d heard her.

Korsica froze.

She took a breath. Tried to steady herself.

“Not that much, Korsi… calm down...”

But maybe—

It was that much.