Dylan was the first to vault into the life raft, his movements as sharp and reflexive as a carp leaping through a dragon's gate. Without pausing for breath, he spun around and hauled Kristen up from the churning salt water.
Within minutes, the rest of the group had clambered aboard. The raft, technically rated for only eight occupants, was now packed to the gills with eleven survivors, including Locke. It should have been twelve.
But Lucky Larry, the mustachioed prize hog, had met a swift end when "divine justice" fell from the ceiling during his turn to scout. Perhaps if he hadn't wasted time posturing or if he had moved a second earlier—or later—he might have lived. Unfortunately, it seemed his goddess of luck had filed for divorce the moment the first wave hit.
Splash! Rumble!
In the distance, the surface of the ocean groaned. The massive whirlpool intensified, and in a heartbeat, the Poseidon—a vessel that had looked like an invincible titan in New York Harbor—was swallowed whole. It vanished into the abyss, leaving nothing but a scattering of flotsam and a few bobbing crates to mark its grave. The ocean, in its cold, rhythmic indifference, had wiped away every trace of the ship's existence.
The survivors huddled together, staring at the spot where the ship had been, silently celebrating the miracle of their escape. Locke met Gwen's gaze and offered a faint, reassuring smile.
...
[Ding!]
[Mission Accomplished: "An Unforgettable Voyage at Sea!"]
[Reward: Achievement Points 500, Potential Points 500, Random Treasure Refresh Ticket 1]
[Multiplier: 100x!]
[Final Rewards Issued: Achievement Points 50,000, Potential Points 50,000, 60% Off Treasure Refresh Ticket 1]
[Current Status Updated!]
Name: Locke Broughton (Unique Player)
Class: Assassin (Switchable to Transcendent Witch!)
Achievement Points: 93,000
Potential Points: 70,000
Supreme Talent: Extraordinary (Gold Grade, Level 1): My energy is boundless; your energy is beyond your imagination!
Transcendent Talent: Resilience (Level 2)...
Faction: (M78 Nebula, Land of Light)
Members: 1/1 (Though your energy is infinite, you can currently only share it with one person.)
Name: Carrie White
Class: Witch
...
Locke raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over the ten other people in the raft.
"What is it?" Gwen asked softly.
"Nothing. Just glad we all made it out."
"Yeah," Gwen whispered, her voice dropping as she wrapped her arms around herself. "But so many others didn't."
The Poseidon had been at full capacity—nearly four thousand souls. But Locke wasn't thinking about the tragedy. He was curious about the mechanics of the system. When he had first checked, the multiplier was only at 85x. The final 15 points seemed to have been added based on the survival of the ten specific people he was with.
'Shit!' Locke thought, his heart skipping a beat. If he had played the martyr and saved the entire ship—say, 3,300 people—would that have been a 3,390x multiplier? That would have been over 1.6 million points in one go.
He quickly suppressed the thought, regaining his cold composure. He wasn't a saint. Saving a whole ship might have brought in a massive payout, but the cost—exposing his true identity to the world—was too high. He was only seventeen. If he maintained his current pace, by the time he hit twenty-one, his regular school life and assassin contracts would likely net him just as much.
Besides, human nature was a fickle thing. If he had saved everyone, who's to say they wouldn't eventually turn on him, claiming he caused the tsunami in the first place? Locke wasn't Superman. Superman could ignore slander; Locke would likely lose his patience and end them out of spite. For the sake of global preservation, Locke decided that his lack of altruism was actually a form of kindness.
I really am too benevolent, he mused, tightening his grip on Gwen, who was shivering against his chest. Locke's body felt like a furnace, radiating a steady, supernatural warmth that Gwen clung to desperately.
...
Dylan and Robert, having recovered some strength, scanned the horizon. There wasn't a single light or flare indicating rescue. It was 3:00 AM—three hours since the disaster began. Three hours without a response meant only two things: either the distress signal never got out, or the rescuers were lost.
Pepper Potts, huddling with Maggie for warmth, shook her head. "The Poseidon was equipped with Stark Industries' latest maritime emergency system. It's the same tech we sell to the Navy. The civilian version is slightly dialed back, but the automatic emergency transmission is uncompromised. It should have worked."
Robert and Dylan exchanged a grim look. "Then... why aren't they here?"
The same word echoed in everyone's minds: Bermuda.
"We weren't supposed to be anywhere near the Triangle," Pepper argued, her mind racing. "The Argo was only about a hundred nautical miles away, near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. There's no way we could have drifted that far south." She paused, remembering Gwen's earlier remark. "Unless... unless the Triangle moves."
If the Bermuda Triangle was a mobile phenomenon—a shifting pocket of spatial or magnetic distortion—then they were indeed trapped. The chaotic magnetic field would allow a signal to be sent but would scramble it before it could reach a satellite.
Locke reached into his inventory and checked the corner of his satellite phone. Still no signal. He looked up at the moonlit sky, his eyes narrowing. Is the Bermuda Triangle trying to kill me specifically? he wondered. He didn't even have a "Local Universe Hated" title equipped.
...
[Ding!]
[New Mission Generated!]
[Mission: "Malice from the Ocean"]
[Reward: Achievement Points 10,000, Potential Points 10,000, Mystery Item Box 1]
[Description: You are the master of your own fate, but this ocean seems to disagree. Tell the sea who is boss. Find the God of the Ocean. You are the Destiny... the Sea King... or perhaps just the Sea's Fate?]
[Note: The player's thoughts are the engine for system missions!]
[Message: Dear Player, in this world, no one understands you better than I do! NO ONE!!!!!]
[Accept / Reject]
...
You understand a hammer, Locke thought. He rolled his eyes and promptly hit Reject. Find a Sea God in the middle of a disaster? Not a chance. Locke was bold, but he wasn't stupid. Wait—did the Marvel universe even have a proper Sea God active right now?
Thut-thut-thut-thut!
The rhythmic beating of rotor blades broke the silence. The group on the raft, who had been quiet for several minutes, suddenly snapped their heads toward the sound. A searchlight cut through the darkness in the distance.
Cindy jumped up in excitement, but the shift in weight caused her to slip. Plop! She fell straight into the freezing water. Kahn and Dylan quickly hauled her back in, while Kristen stood up more cautiously, waving her arms and screaming at the top of her lungs. The others sat tight, waving frantically, desperate not to capsize the small raft.
...
In the sky, a luxury helicopter outfitted with leather sofas and a mini-bar hovered over the black water.
"Mr. Stark," the pilot said, looking at the fuel gauge. "We're at half-tank. We have to head back to the Argo now or we won't make it."
Tony Stark, leaning between the pilot and co-pilot seats, had a face like thunder. "Keep searching!"
Happy Hogan, sitting in the back struggling with a tablet, looked helpless. "Tony, are you sure the Stark satellites are functioning correctly?"
"I'm sure," Tony snapped without looking back. "Something is jamming the signal here. I can feel it."
The pilot sighed and continued the search pattern. Tony stared out the windshield into the abyss of the night, his jaw set. "Pepper," he whispered, "where are you?"
An hour ago, as Tony was preparing to leave the Argo to return to the Poseidon, he had intercepted an emergency signal on the public frequency. It was a mayday from the Poseidon. He had immediately contacted JARVIS to triangulate Pepper's last known cell signal, but the interference in this area was maddeningly high.
Suddenly, Happy let out a shout. "Tony! Look at the tablet! A ping!"
Tony spun around, grabbing the device. He frowned—the signal was coming from right beneath them.
The pilot pointed out the left window. "Wait, sir! I see something!"
Tony pressed his face against the glass. The helicopter tilted, its massive spotlight sweeping across the waves until it caught a tiny, circular orange speck bobbing in the water.
In the raft, a blonde woman looked up into the blinding light, her hand shielding her eyes.
"Pepper!" Tony breathed, his voice a mix of agony and salvation.
***
Read 30 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666