"It's retreating."
Captain Weber immediately stepped closer toward the sonar display.
"Direction?"
"Descending southwest," the sonar operator answered quickly. "Speed decreasing, but it's still moving."
The captain stared at the tactical map silently for a second.
The creature was badly wounded.
That much was obvious.
But wounded did not mean dead.
And if they allowed something that massive to escape into deeper water, there was no guarantee they would ever find it again. Worse, it might recover. It might adapt. It might return later and attack Subic Bay itself.
Captain Weber had already seen enough of the infected to understand one basic truth.
If something survived long enough, it usually became worse.
He grabbed the communications line immediately.
"Fleet command, this is Weber. Hostile contact attempting retreat. Recommend immediate pursuit and kill confirmation."
Above the surface, the lead destroyer received the transmission inside its Combat Information Center.
